"Okay," I said. "Be careful."
"I shall."
The carriage driver was so terrified and shocked at Devereaux's sudden appearance that he didn't notice me shuffling into the forest flanking the path. It was before dawn and the trees still cast cold shadows that I easily blended into. But the shiver that ran down my spine had nothing to do with the temperature.
Devereaux looked menacing as he parted his jaws and roared. An inhuman, tinny sound came out of his stone fangs, the vibration of it thrumming in my bones. I realized what the carriage driver must be seeing—a terrifying stone stature come to life.
Of course,Ididn't think Devereaux was terrifying. He looked awe-inspiring, sure, but his fangs and claws would only be used to protect me. To his enemies' eyes, however, I knew he looked frightening.
"Release the omega in the carriage," Devereaux ordered, his command as sharp as a diamond.
The driver balked, unsure of what to do.
From inside the compartment, a thick masculine voice called out, "What's the damn hold up?"
"You better get out here and see for yourself," the driver replied.
"Oh, for the love of..."
My body tensed as a huge, furious man exited the cab. He was followed by a skinnier man. But what drew my attention was the lump lying against the seat inside the carriage. I held my breath. Was that Pascal?
My gaze turned back to Devereaux. If he distracted the men, I could sneak in and grab Pascal. We hadn't talked this plan through, but in the heat of the moment, I knew I couldn't ignore the sight of my friend right in front of me.
"Whatisthat?" the burly man shouted at Devereaux. The other two men were speechless. They didn't know what to make of Devereaux. I could blame them for other things, but not for this. Not even I expected the man I knew to transform into a living, man-shaped gargoyle. But he wasmygargoyle. He meant everything to me. If anyone could fix this situation, it was him.
"I will say this one more time. Release the omega you have stolen," Devereaux said, his sapphire eyes gleaming. "I will not repeat myself."
The burly man scoffed. "I dunno who you are, but I've got a job to do. So get the fuck out of my way."
"I will not let you pass until the omega is free from your clutches."
The burly man rolled his eyes. "Who is this freak? I've had enough of this." Reaching into the cab, he pulled out a pair of spears. He handed one to the skinny man, who looked unfamiliar with the weapon, then thrust the other one in Devereaux's direction. A threat.
"I won't repeat myself, either," the man growled. "Get the fuck out of the way before you regret it."
Devereaux didn't move.
"Fine," the burly man said, tightening his grip on the spear handle. Then he roared and charged at Devereaux.
I held my breath as dreadful anticipation swamped me. Devereaux said he could still feel things. I didn't want him to get hurt.
But as the weapon surged closer, Devereaux still didn't move. What was he doing? Why wasn't he getting out of the way?
CLANG!
The spearhead struck Devereaux's chest. With the grating sound of steel on stone, it bounced off. The spear's momentum sent it flying out of the man's grip. He was left empty-handed.
Devereaux was unscathed.
I released the breath I'd been holding. I didn't know why or how his body worked the way it did, but I was so grateful he wasn't injured.
The burly man snarled and grabbed the other spear from the skinnier man before charging Devereaux again. He stabbed and sliced at Devereaux's stone skin, but all that resulted were sharp, unpleasant sounds. Devereaux didn't even flinch.
"Are you finished?" Devereaux asked.
The burly man roared in anger. In a last-ditch effort, he beat his fists against Devereaux, which quickly proved to be a terrible idea. His eyes popped open like—well, like he'd just punched a rock and lost.
I didn't know if the men understood the expression in Devereaux's eyes as well as I did, but when he gave me a knowing glance, I knew we were on the same wavelength about saving Pascal. As Devereaux distracted the men by acting as a supernatural punching bag, I took the opportunity to sneak into the carriage. I wrinkled my nose as I entered the seating compartment. The interior stank of man sweat and cigar smoke.
