are my parents, Aileen and Angus.”
Mairi stood. “A pleasure.”
His mum welcomed her with a warm hug while his da almost shook the life from her while patting her shoulder. The sudden, affectionate gestures surprised her, leaving her frozen. His brothers stood back, smirking or shaking their heads.
“Da, easy,” Bryce said.
“Bah,” Angus said. “She’s not a fragile human. She’s gargoyle. Like us.”
“He’s right, Bryce.” She recovered and grinned, hoping to convey she wasn’t as cold as she was afraid she’d come off. “I’m stronger than I look.”
Bryce’s mum smiled at Mairi before turning to her sons. “How’s it going with the veil?”
Lachlan stepped forward. “It’s done. We restored the veil.”
“You did?” Aileen said.
“Aye,” Lachlan replied. “Only by working with the tree witches and wolf shifters.”
His brothers all spoke at once, excited about how they’d tapped into their magic.
When Calum blurted out, “Lachlan almost died,” it killed all talk. Silence fell like a curtain drop.
Shut yer trap, ye total nutter, Brycecommunicated to his youngest brother. Mum will lose her mind.
Mairi wasn’t sure he intentionally kept her in the conversation or not, but she tried not to laugh at Calum’s blanched expression. He looked like he’d swallowed a toad.
Aw, shite, you’re right , Calum replied. I got carried away.
Aileen’s eagle-eyed stare penetrated each one of her sons. “What do you mean Lachlan almost died?” Each word came in a low, serious tone.
Gavin elbowed Calum in the biceps. “Nice going, mate.”
“Easy!” Calum protested.
“I’m fine,” Lachlan said in an attempt to placate her. “Clearly not dead.”
Mairi watched Aileen fret over her boys. Mothers were protective by nature—and gargoyle mothers with the instinctual protective drive—forget it. Off the charts. A pang at her own loss echoed inside. What she wouldn’t do to have her parents back.
“Sit,” Aileen commanded and pointed at some nearby boulders. “Tell me everything.”
“Aye,” Angus added, with a bit of awe in the gruff tone. “I want to hear it all myself.”
Bryce, Lachlan, Mason, Gavin, and Calum sat on the flat rocks. Their oversized frames bumping into each other in the tight space. Their parents scrutinized each one of them, making them squirm like they were young boys. Mairi stifled a laugh at the ridiculous sight.
“Calum, tell me now,” Aileen demanded.
“Well, Lachlan worked with a female wolf shifter named Raina,” Calum began.
Lachlan shot his brother a warning look.
Calum appeared to have caught the warning. “Anyway, she helped Lachlan tap into his energy and he learned to project it. We all worked together connecting our magic and projecting it out. Lachlan joined ours with that of the wolf shifters and tree witches. It worked! The humans were knocked off course.”
“And Lachlan?” His mother gave Calum a piercing glare.
“He—uh—experienced technical difficulties. With all the energy coursing through him and all.”
Aileen raised her eyebrows. “Continue.”
“He was simply depleted for a wee bit,” Calum said, drooping under her withering stare. “Needed some time to recover in stone to restore his energy under the sun.”
Aileen embraced Lachlan, again. “Oh, Lachlan. My eldest. I can’t imagine.”
“He’s all right, Aileen,” Angus barked, although his eyes conveyed concern.
Mairi watched the family dynamics play out as an outsider. Fascinating. Although she loved her parents, they’d never expressed this type of affection. They didn’t hug or show how they cared the way Bryce’s parents did. The interactions between the brothers also intrigued her. Although they ribbed each other constantly, it seemed natural as part of their close-knit group. As an only child, she didn’t have any sibling relationships to compare it to. She sensed deep attachments in their family, one she’d never had with her own,
Mairi stood. “A pleasure.”
His mum welcomed her with a warm hug while his da almost shook the life from her while patting her shoulder. The sudden, affectionate gestures surprised her, leaving her frozen. His brothers stood back, smirking or shaking their heads.
“Da, easy,” Bryce said.
“Bah,” Angus said. “She’s not a fragile human. She’s gargoyle. Like us.”
“He’s right, Bryce.” She recovered and grinned, hoping to convey she wasn’t as cold as she was afraid she’d come off. “I’m stronger than I look.”
Bryce’s mum smiled at Mairi before turning to her sons. “How’s it going with the veil?”
Lachlan stepped forward. “It’s done. We restored the veil.”
“You did?” Aileen said.
“Aye,” Lachlan replied. “Only by working with the tree witches and wolf shifters.”
His brothers all spoke at once, excited about how they’d tapped into their magic.
When Calum blurted out, “Lachlan almost died,” it killed all talk. Silence fell like a curtain drop.
Shut yer trap, ye total nutter, Brycecommunicated to his youngest brother. Mum will lose her mind.
Mairi wasn’t sure he intentionally kept her in the conversation or not, but she tried not to laugh at Calum’s blanched expression. He looked like he’d swallowed a toad.
Aw, shite, you’re right , Calum replied. I got carried away.
Aileen’s eagle-eyed stare penetrated each one of her sons. “What do you mean Lachlan almost died?” Each word came in a low, serious tone.
Gavin elbowed Calum in the biceps. “Nice going, mate.”
“Easy!” Calum protested.
“I’m fine,” Lachlan said in an attempt to placate her. “Clearly not dead.”
Mairi watched Aileen fret over her boys. Mothers were protective by nature—and gargoyle mothers with the instinctual protective drive—forget it. Off the charts. A pang at her own loss echoed inside. What she wouldn’t do to have her parents back.
“Sit,” Aileen commanded and pointed at some nearby boulders. “Tell me everything.”
“Aye,” Angus added, with a bit of awe in the gruff tone. “I want to hear it all myself.”
Bryce, Lachlan, Mason, Gavin, and Calum sat on the flat rocks. Their oversized frames bumping into each other in the tight space. Their parents scrutinized each one of them, making them squirm like they were young boys. Mairi stifled a laugh at the ridiculous sight.
“Calum, tell me now,” Aileen demanded.
“Well, Lachlan worked with a female wolf shifter named Raina,” Calum began.
Lachlan shot his brother a warning look.
Calum appeared to have caught the warning. “Anyway, she helped Lachlan tap into his energy and he learned to project it. We all worked together connecting our magic and projecting it out. Lachlan joined ours with that of the wolf shifters and tree witches. It worked! The humans were knocked off course.”
“And Lachlan?” His mother gave Calum a piercing glare.
“He—uh—experienced technical difficulties. With all the energy coursing through him and all.”
Aileen raised her eyebrows. “Continue.”
“He was simply depleted for a wee bit,” Calum said, drooping under her withering stare. “Needed some time to recover in stone to restore his energy under the sun.”
Aileen embraced Lachlan, again. “Oh, Lachlan. My eldest. I can’t imagine.”
“He’s all right, Aileen,” Angus barked, although his eyes conveyed concern.
Mairi watched the family dynamics play out as an outsider. Fascinating. Although she loved her parents, they’d never expressed this type of affection. They didn’t hug or show how they cared the way Bryce’s parents did. The interactions between the brothers also intrigued her. Although they ribbed each other constantly, it seemed natural as part of their close-knit group. As an only child, she didn’t have any sibling relationships to compare it to. She sensed deep attachments in their family, one she’d never had with her own,
Similar Books
