Stone In Love

Chapter 49

I felt like a nineteenth-century beauty contestant, standing in front of Wren's full length mirror while she and Lucy fussed over my dress. I appreciated the fact they chose hunter green, a color that highlighted my pale skin and honey blonde hair, and while the style was antiquated, it did accentuate my breasts, a feature I'd been capitalizing on for some time. Size was my only complaint. I could barely breathe, and when Lucy tied the crisscrossed bodice, I felt my eyes pop out a little.

Wren performed a simple braid on my hair using only the strands at my temples, while the rest was left to tumble over my shoulders in soft ringlets, and rather than hairspray, I got a full body dousing with an atomizer, which had me smelling like I'd run through a grove of lilacs. Of course, I knew the scent was a cover.

"You are a vision of loveliness," Lucy gushed as she spun me around with a firm hand. "You remind me of myself in my younger years. I was a real looker."

Wren smiled as she kissed Lucy's cheek. "You are still beautiful, Lucy."

A knock came at the door, and Charleton's voice echoed from the other side. "If you ladies have finished fussing over the newest member of our domus, I would like to walk her to her future mate's door. He is ready and waiting."

Everyone seemed confident that Vincent had this challenge in the bag, which reassured me, and I offered a shy shrug as Wren applied a light coat of gloss to my lips.

"Don't be nervous, Reese," Wren said. "No matter the outcome of this challenge, I know you and Vincent are meant to be together. He has not been the same gollum since he met you. You have ignited a spark in him that none of us knew existed."

"Thanks, Wren. I admit, I'm a little nervous. I have never had guys fight over me before."

Wren smiled. "I find that hard to believe. You are a beautiful and captivating young female, even among gollums." She sucked in a breath, as if something had startled her. "Do you remember your mantras? I don't expect you'll need them, but a gollum should always be prepared."

"I've got the transformation mantras down pretty good, but I'm still trying to memorize the terminus mantras."

Wren nodded uncertainly. "That's fine. Promise me you will use them if you feel threatened. These challenges don't always play out the way they are intended. Sometimes egos get the better of these stone-headed males, and manners fly out the window."

"Okay." I bit my lip as I acknowledged her, although my insides had started to churn. Would Rafael behave badly if he lost the battle?

Charleton greeted me with a smile and a compliment as he proffered his arm, and when we reached Vincent's apartment, Colin was standing inside the foyer.

"Wow, Reese. You look amazing," Colin said as he gawked at me unabashedly.

"Thank you , Colin." I glanced past his lewd grin, and my gaze landed on Vincent's large form pacing outside the glass of the balcony door. "How is he?"

"Focused. Driven. I've never seen him this intense, but it's not because he's intimidated by Rafael. He is completely obsessed with winning your favor. Losing is not an option here."

As Colin's words rang in my ears, I walked toward the balcony, keeping Vincent locked in my sights. Even with the city lighting up the sky, the darkness felt oppressive as I stepped out into the night. Vincent turned to stare, and his desire rippled over me like a tidal wave. 

"Reese," he whispered as he held out his hand. When our fingers touched, a sigh hissed out of his mouth, and he brought my hand to his lips. "You are my catalyst. My impetus. I will take the image of your beauty and let it drive me."

"Why, Vincent. You're being downright sentimental."

He shrugged. "I've been known to indulge in poetry on occasion. Now I have an outlet for it. May I escort you to the roof?"

Vincent held me close as he and Colin flanked me in the elevator. I was hoping for a longer ride, but the penthouse was only one floor from the rooftop, and when the door opened, we were greeted by a pair of New York City's finest policemen. Each one was loaded for bear, toting rifles and shotguns and clad in heavy armor. Geez. What kind of battle were they expecting?

I was introduced to Sergeant Lewis and Sergeant Reed, who appeared to have never seen a woman dressed in formal nineteenth century attire. Rafael and Hugo had already arrived, and when they joined us. Rafael made a show of bowing in front of me like a valiant knight.

"You look beautiful tonight, Reese," he said, although his voice came out strained, like someone had their hands around his throat. Was he rethinking his choice to pick a fight with Vincent?

"Thank you, Rafael."

I left the formalities at that, since Rafael's focus had been diverted to the impenetrable wall of muscle standing beside me.

"Vincent," Rafael offered.

"Rafael," Vincent returned.

A moment later, Colin was tugging me away from Vincent and leading me over to stand with Hugo Cromwell. I had been right about the white hair and scar.

"Good evening, Reese," Hugo said, acknowledging me with a curt nod and tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. Did he disapprove of Rafael's challenge with Vincent? It all felt very strict and legal, and I had the strong desire to hold Colin's hand as he took up residence next to me. Weren't we all supposed to on the same team?

Vincent and Rafael transformed into gollums and began to spar, growling and lashing out with intent to maim. That's when the magnitude of the situation really sunk in, and Colin moved to stand in front of me. Apparently, he thought he needed to shield me from getting trampled, while the cops flanked the elevator door, adopting a warrior pose like a pair of Hollywood henchmen.

I didn't especially like having my back facing the edge of the roof, but I couldn't take my eyes off the battle. Vincent and Rafael fought like gladiators, delivering and receiving blows with little effect. Even after a solid five minutes of fighting, neither had turned up with a bloody nose or a busted lip. Were they truly made of stone?

As the fighting continued, a shadow passed overhead, distracting me. Birds didn't fly at night. But, gollums did, and so did demons, and my body stiffened as I watched a winged man land on the roof. It didn't take me long to recognize the man as Emile, and I released the breath I'd sucked in as my shoulders relaxed. But, Colin didn't seem happy about Emile's unscheduled arrival, and he scowled as he approached him.

"What are you doing here, Emile? This is a restricted battle."

Without warning, Emile cocked his arm and punched Colin in the face, sending him staggering backward. Emile gave Colin little time to recover before attacking him at full tilt, baring his teeth and talons. Colin rolled away and scrambled to his feet as he quickly transformed. I felt a hand on my arm and I started to pull away when I realized it was Hugo.

"Stay close to me," he said. "I may not be as strong as I once was, but I will..." Hugo was silenced as another winged man dropped out of the sky, tackling us both. My cheek hit the concrete with a painful crunch, and suddenly the roof turned into the landing pad for demons as they swarmed like bees. A strong arm scooped me up, and without checking to see who was attached to it, I screamed bloody murder.

"Reese!" Vincent answered my call, which came in the form of a roar so powerful I felt the vibration in my chest.

A moment later I was airborne, held captive by sharp talons secured around my waist. As the distance stretched between my feet and the rooftop, I watched Vincent take on at least five demons, and his angry cries echoed over the city as they tackled him.

"No! Vincent!" My shout went unanswered, swallowed by the sounds of battle, and soon my abductor was flying far above the skyscrapers, obscuring my view of the roof. What the hell just happened? Was this a set-up? Had Emile been part of it? Was Rafael the instigator? And, more importantly, would Vincent escape his attackers in time to rescue me, or would I end up meeting my fate at the hands of a demon queen?

PLAYLIST SONG: Swords and Knives by Tears For Fears