The Stone Prince

  We belong together. Oh how she wanted to believe him, wanted to give him everything he desired. A part of her still held back, unsure. "I'm sorry," she found herself saying. "My answer is no."

  "Curse it!" He pumped into her once, twice, harder each time. "Say you are mine."

  "I won't commit myself to you like that." She arched her back, taking all of him that he would give. A gasp pushed past her lips. Oh, he felt so good. "I won't," she said again, more for her benefit than for his.

  He slipped his hand between their bodies and pressed against the core of her desire. She groaned in pleasure, in exquisite pain. "So you are refusing me yet again?"

  No, I just want to survive emotionally. "Yes."

  "Then perhaps, my little witch, I will have to convince you otherwise." His voice was a husky ripple purring against her skin. The wicked gleam in his eyes did not bode well for her sanity.

  "What--what do you mean to do?" she asked.

  He flexed and surged inside her at the same moment his fingers circled her.

  "Oh, Jorlan." Her breath grew ragged as he moved within her again, and again, harder and harder. So hard, in fact, she leaned up and bit his collarbone.

  His ragged moan echoed in her ears. "Again. Bite me again."

  She did.

  He roared his approval, gave her more of his cock. Her head thrashed from side to side with the intensity of her pleasure.

  "That's right, Katie. Your body needs mine. Can you feel yourself tighten around me? Can you feel how your body cries out for me?"

  "Yes." She gasped. "Oh, yes."

  "Say the words. You know what your body is telling you, now listen to your heart."

  "No."

  "I accept not your answer, katya. You belong to me. Soon you will realize just how much."

  God help her, he was a man of his word.

  JORLAN STOOD OUTSIDE under the darkening sky. A storm was brewing, the scent of coming rain thick in the air. The garden where he had spent so many spans loomed in front of him, but he did not enter. 'Twas a place he would as soon forget. A phantom breeze swirled around him, there one second, gone the next. He could not sleep. He could feel the magic inside him, growing and deepening, churning for release, as if he'd at last unlocked the door to his true abilities.

  He possessed the power to open a vortex. He knew that as surely as he knew he loved Katie. At last, he could go home. And yet...

  Katie was sleeping soundly on the pallet they had made on the floor.

  He could not leave her here alone.

  He would not take her away from all she knew.

  Neither of which had anything to do with at last breaking the curse, but everything to do with the woman herself. Aye, the curse was readying itself, preparing to strike. For some reason, he was no longer panicked by that thought. Nay, he was more concerned with Katie. If he was to become stone again, he wanted her to be protected by his name and his powers. The only way to do that was to at last make her his woman.

  In her stubbornness, she continued to refuse him.

  'Tis past time I took the decision from her, he thought suddenly. Irrevocably.

  Determined, he strode inside the house. Murky light bathed her sleeping form, like fairy dust illuminating a magic circle. Gently, he shook her awake. He positioned himself just above her, his elbows on either side of her shoulders. "This is very important, Katie. Awaken."

  Her eyes fluttered open. "What is it? Are you okay?"

  "I need you to repeat after me," he told her.

  "Not now," she yawned and closed her eyes again. "I'm too sleepy."

  "Katie." He shook her a bit harder. "This is very important."

  "Why?"

  "Please, Katie."

  She uttered a sigh and faced him. "Okay. I'm awake."

  "Repeat after me." He uttered a string of words in a language she didn't understand. But something inside her demanded she do as he said and repeat every word exactly.

  So she did.

  He said the words again.

  She repeated them again.

  Then he nodded. "It is done." With that, he removed his clothing and surged so deeply inside her she wasn't sure where she ended and he began. Lost in passion, she forgot to ask him just what she'd said.

  THE EVENING CAME upon them with a vengeance. Rain pounded against the windows. Wind whistled like demons of the night coming to take their chosen to hell.

  Only a few hours remained. Jorlan knew it. Felt it.

  Katie stirred beside him and yawned. "Good morning." Her eyes were heavy-lidded, slumberous. She gave him a sweet smile, the yawn clinging to the edges.

  "We must talk." His expression grave, almost desperate, he helped her to a sitting position.

  She frowned and furrowed her brows. "Let me wake up first. I need a protein shake or something."

  "Nay. You will listen to what I have to say."

  Her arms raised over her head as she stretched. She winced at her body's soreness. "What do you want to talk about?"

  "Hours ago--" his heart drummed erratically "--I made you my life-mate."

  She froze. All traces of sleep abandoned her features. "You did what?"

  "I made you my wife. I spoke the words of binding, as did you."

  "You're joking, right?" But Katie knew he wasn't. His eyes were a dark slate, no longer light and twinkling. Her stomach knotted together, and dread clamped around her like shackles, making her breath burn in her lungs. "I told you no."

  "I told you aye, and I meant it."

  "Did you think I'd fall to my feet and vow to love you forever?"

  "Nay, I am prepared for the fate that will soon befall me. What I did, I did for you."

  She'd heard that rationale her entire life. I know what's best for you, Katie. You're a girl. I'm a man. She'd expected better from Jorlan. "This changes nothing. I won't love a man who doesn't truly love me in return."

  "How can you say that? I love you with all of my heart."

  "Oh, really? How can I believe that when you ignored my wishes and enforced your will over mine?" The last escaped as little more than a whisper. Hurt was pulsing through her with a consuming, racking force.

  "You are mine, katya. 'Twas past time you realized that." He gave a sharp shake of her shoulders. "Do you understand? Mine. You belong to me and I belong to you. There is no choice in this matter. It is done. Meant to be."

  Fighting through her hurt, Katie thought back to the day she first stumbled upon his statue. She had already decided not to buy the house. There had simply been too many renovations needed, and she had been searching for a smaller summer project. Yet she had seen Jorlan's statue and had known, known the house belonged to her.

  They did belong together. That didn't mean he had the right to marry her without her consent, however.

  "I did not mean to hurt you, Katie, or take away your decision, but I did what I thought was right. You said the words. That is all that matters. You bound yourself to me of your own free will."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  KATIE STOOD in the kitchen, drinking from a glass of water. I'm married, she thought. Married. Already prongs of delight were disabling her anger. By noon, she realized she liked the thought that Jorlan was her husband. She liked the thought that she was his wife.

  Lord, what was she going to do?

  Since Jorlan had confessed what he'd done, he had followed her like a lost little puppy, never ceasing his talk of love and commitment and his need to see her protected.

  She was beginning to believe him.

  She had only to speak words of love...and yet something always held her back. A sense of dread, fear even, that everything he claimed to feel for her was merely a delusion, and that he would lose interest once he got what he wanted.

  "Katie," he began.

  Just then, the front door swung open, spraying a fine mist of rain into the living room.

  Heather and Frances raced inside and closed the door with a snap. Startled, Katie remained in front of t
he kitchen sink, mouth agape, water glass positioned midair, and watched them. Frances approached her side, careful to avoid Jorlan, who stood in the corner, observing them all. "Heather convinced me to come. I don't know what happened here, and I don't want you to tell me. I'm just going to do my job, and I don't ever want to talk about what happened."

  Katie nodded and set her glass aside.

  With that settled, Frances disappeared out the front door.

  Heather remained in place, wringing her hands together. "Katie, I--Well, how are you doing?"

  Katie blinked. "I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

  "Better." The girl gave a half smile, hesitant but authentic. "I'm better. I've spent the last few days thinking about my life, and I--" Again she halted whatever words she wanted to say.

  Something had changed about Heather. Something for the better. "Would you like something to drink?" Katie asked her.

  She shook her head. "No, thanks. I've got a lot of work to do out back. If you still want me to work for you."

  "I do."

  "Well, then, I should probably get started." Heather took a few steps away, before pausing and glancing over her shoulder. "I meant to ask--when did you get the new statue?"

  Katie's brows slanted over her eyes. "What new statue?"

  "The one that's standing on the platform that used to be empty."

  "Used to be..." Oh. When Jorlan had come to life, he'd left an empty dais, the only empty dais in the pleasure garden. Even Nick had commented on it. Still, Katie hadn't had time to replace the statue. "Are you sure there's a statue there?"

  "Yeah. It's kinda hard to miss because it's different than all the others. It's not meant for pleasure."

  Dread churned in her stomach because she didn't exactly know what this new development meant. She knew it wasn't Jorlan; he still stood a few feet away from her. "Will you meet me there in five minutes?" she whispered.

  Though she wore an expression of puzzlement, Heather nodded.

  Until she knew what was going on, Katie didn't want Jorlan knowing anything about the new statue. She marched to him, told him she had to use the bathroom and she'd break his fingers if he tried to follow her.

  "Then we must talk, Katie," he said. "I do not have much time."

  She nodded slowly. Yes, they definitely needed to talk. There was a lot they needed to work out, something she needed to tell him, her fear be damned. With every step she took away from him, she felt his gaze bore deeper into her back. In the bathroom, she locked the door and, like a teenager, sneaked out the window. Rain pelted her body the entire time.

  Thunder boomed as she strode to the center of the garden. Heather was there already, waiting quietly. Neither of them had bothered with an umbrella, and they were both soaked to the skin in mere seconds.

  "This is it," Heather said.

  Katie drew in a breath. Dark clouds hovered over white stone that formed the rounded curves of a woman. She wore an opulent robe, and a large, circular locket hung at her neck. She was beautiful, as beautiful as Jorlan, yet her beauty was breathtakingly feminine.

  Katie's heart raced with a staccato beat, and she wiped the rain from her eyes. "When did this arrive?"

  "I'm not exactly sure. I noticed it from the road as we were pulling in the driveway."

  Shielding her gaze, she stared up at the statue, wondering what to do. This stone woman seemed eerily similar and had the same vibration of power Jorlan had had. Should she kiss the blasted thing? Before she could place her foot on the ledge to climb up, Heather gasped, drawing her attention. "What's wrong?" she asked, even as she realized a strange man stood only a whisper away.

  "Percen," Heather said, conveying all sorts of emotions with that one name. Dread. Happiness. Fear.

  The man ignored her; the storm swirled around him, and his pale, unsmiling gaze swept over Katie. Katie knew she should run, should grab Jorlan and demand he protect her, yet she also knew she couldn't have run if her life depended on it. And it may have. Something cold and hard gleamed in the stranger's eyes.

  "Come to me," he said, his hand outstretched.

  "Percen, don't do this." Heather barked the order with a fierce determination she'd never before displayed. "You promised not to do this."

  "I vowed I would not kill her. I said nothing of hurting her. And after I make this concession for you, what do you do to me?" he ground out bitterly. "You choose Jorlan, but then, I knew you would. What woman would help me when she could help Jorlan?" He faced Katie and beckoned her with his fingers. "Come."

  Yes, she thought. Yes. Heedless of anything except his summons, she did as instructed. She was vaguely aware of Heather pulling on her clothes, trying to stop her.

  "Katie, listen to me. He's doing this to destroy Jorlan."

  Katie couldn't make herself care.

  "You will lose me if you do this," Heather cried to the man. "You will lose me."

  For one second of time, he wavered, and a look of pure torture etched the lines of his mouth. His features hardened. "Did I ever really have you? Go get my brother," he said, his voice cruel.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  A FEMALE SCREAM TORE through the house.

  Jorlan reacted immediately. He reached for his weapon and raced from the chamber. Was Katie hurt again? Nay. Nay, he had watched her hawkishly all morn, and right now she was in the bathing chamber perfectly safe.

  Just then, a single, terrifying thought suddenly slammed into his mind. What if the lingering effects of his magic had splintered the wood inside the bathing chamber? Fingers of dread clutched at him, chilled his blood, and he cursed himself for allowing Katie a single moment away from him.

  At the chamber, a dark wood door barred his entrance.

  "Katie," he shouted.

  She didn't answer.

  He kicked the wood with his foot and timber shards went flying. The small room was empty. The window was open, allowing rain to trickle inside. Heather raced through the hallway, then stopped abruptly. Water dripped from her clothing. She whipped around and faced him, her features etched with panic. "Jorlan," she cried. "You have to help me. Please. Come quick."

  Katie? Where was Katie?

  He must have spoken the question aloud because the answer rushed from Heather's mouth. "Percen has her. He's going to hurt her if we don't do something."

  Jorlan clutched his weapon with all his might. There was no time to question how Heather knew of Percen. "Where is she?"

  "I'll take you." Tears streamed down the girl's face leaving a glossy trail. "I should have told you sooner, but I wanted him in my life. But he doesn't deserve me. He doesn't," she rambled.

  They flew into the garden, and Jorlan welcomed the rain. The cold kept him alert and ready. Yet, in the center, Jorlan stopped midstride, frozen. In a flash as powerful as the lightning above, he realized his mother peered down at him through white stone eyes. Shocked, horrified, he dropped his weapon and sank to his knees. He hadn't seen her in so long, so very long, and now to see her like this...

  "What are you doing?" Heather cried, tugging at his arm. "We have to hurry."

  Jorlan knew 'twas Percen's doing, for no other sorcerer could perform the stone spell quite so expertly. How could his brother curse their mother to this life that was no life at all? He had to save her, had to help her in some way.

  "You helped me, didn't you?" he asked her. "You helped me save Katie. Now I must save you." But there was no time. His first duty was the protection of his life-mate.

  "Hurry, Jorlan." Heather's voice cut into his thoughts. "We have to find them."

  "I am sorry, Mother," he whispered, slowly standing. "I will come back for you."

  "No need," a smug voice laughed. Percen materialized a few feet away, Katie just in front of him.

  Jorlan's eyes narrowed. Katie's clothing was plastered to her body and partially undone. The sorcerer had his hands on her shoulders, stroking her like a kitten. Her amber eyes were glazed with vague detachment. The bastard had entranced h
er with a spell, Jorlan realized, and he feared if he attempted to snatch her from his brother's grasp, she would fight him. Still, relief that she was alive washed over him in a crashing tide.

  "Release her from your snare." He longed to rush his brother, to cut the bastard down before he could harm Katie, but in doing so, Jorlan feared he would hurt his life-mate. "Must you hide behind a woman?"

  "Nay." Percen's lips pursed. "I need not hide. I simply thought you would enjoy watching as I destroy your one chance of gaining freedom."

  "I do not care about myself. I care only for her."

  "Do you speak true? I wonder..." Still grinning, his brother cupped the weight of Katie's breast, and Katie's eyes closed in surrender. "Would you still care for her if she gave herself to me?"

  Heather gasped at the sight. "Stop! What are you doing?" Tears continued to flow like a river down her cheeks. "I thought you loved me."

  Percen's angry mask slipped for a moment, revealing devastation and hurt, but then his eyes narrowed and he returned his attention to Jorlan.

  "You will die for this," Jorlan told him. "You realize that, do you not?" All the hatred he felt for his brother surfaced. "If you are brave enough, let us at last end our feud."

  "Percen," Heather sobbed.

  His brother hesitated for a long while. Then he nodded. The fire in his eyes roared to life with molten promise, and he shoved Katie aside. "Aye, 'tis time we at last ended this, and what better way than death."

  Jorlan didn't give him time to react. With an unholy roar, he sprang into action like a panther who had just spotted his evening meal. Almost too quick for the eye to see, he drew back his elbow and planted a fist into his brother's jaw. Percen's head snapped back. Blood trickled from his mouth.

  Jorlan struck him again.

  Percen uttered an unholy screech and flew at him. They grappled to the hard ground, fists and legs flying like two wild beasts.

  Heather's scream pierced the air.

  "I cursed Mon Graig," Percen taunted, half in laughter, half in rage. "Even if your woman loves you, you cannot go home now."

  "You are wrong. So wrong." Jorlan thrust his fist smack into his brother's face again. "I can take myself."

  Katie slowly came to her senses. When she did, she wished she had not. Shock froze her in place, and there wasn't anything to soften the reality of what couldn't, couldn't be happening around her. But the sound of crushed bones and pain-filled moans assaulted her ears as she watched Jorlan and Percen beat at each other. This was all too real. While Percen lacked Jorlan's strength, his magic more than made up for it and placed power behind his blows. If she lived to be two hundred years old, she would never forget the terror and desolation of this moment.