But I saw it.
A scream threatened to burst out even as I took a step backwards, eyes widening in horror.
Killian.
Even in stone, his handsome, chiseled face was impossible to miss. His lips were pursed into a perfect O. Unlike the other statue, he didn’t seem scared, only confused. He was wearing the same outfit I had seen on him in the ball, including the Incubus crest on his jacket lapel.
Horror filled me.
What the hell was this? Had someone been commissioned to carve a statue of Killian? Or...
Dread curled in my stomach.
Or was that Killian?
I stumbled backwards, tripping over my own two feet, and hit something hard.
Another statue.
His broad shoulders, extended canines, and hate filled eyes were impossible to miss, though that hate had never been directed at me.
Lupe.
He, too, was dressed exactly as I had seen him previously.
“They were looking for you,” a soft voice said from the shadows. There, flowers and hedges rose from the ground in a sort of makeshift maze. With the darkness blanketing the garden and only a thin shaft of moonlight, it was impossible to make out the figure.
I held the dagger steady, pushing my emotions to the side. It was surprisingly difficult to do so with the spell heightening them.
“Who are you?” I asked darkly.
The voice was a girl’s, of that I was certain.
“While you were talking to your Shadow, I told them that I saw you leave. They, of course, ran after you like obedient puppies.”
Something moved in the distance, and I took another step closer. From this angle, I could see down another pathway.
Three statues glinted in the moonlight, one of which was sitting. Dair, Jax, and Devlin.
Anger hummed through my veins. There were no words adequate enough to describe it. It was the sort of anger people started wars for. Fear, simultaneously, twisted my gut.
These were my men, my mates, and this bitch had harmed them, maybe forever.
What if I could never free them from their stone prison?
“Release them.” I didn’t recognize my voice. It was practically a growl.
“All we want is you, sweet girl,” she cooed. “Come with me, and I’ll release your loves.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
I realized that the correct question should’ve been what the fuck are you, but I was too pissed off to care.
Finally, she took a step closer. The light caught first on her pretty face - plump lips, white eyelashes, and a button nose. Something hissed as the rest of her came into view. No, not something.
Her hair.
Her hair hissed.
Dozens of snakes slithered around her head. Green, a ruby red, and a few still were as yellow as aspen leaves. Each snake hissed, beady eyes fixated on me.
The girl laughed, a surprisingly jovial sound.
“My sweet child,” she said. The snakes rose from her head, their hissing a cacophony of noise. She smiled with feigned sweetness. “Have you ever heard of a Gorgon?”
EIGHTEEN
Z
A Gorgon.
My mind rapidly attempted to sift through all the information I had acquired over the years.
A mythical creature, descended from a demon. Snakes for hair. Female, always. Extinct.
And the ability to turn people into stone.
I squeezed my eyes shut, heart racing. Her laughter caught in the wind, a twinkling of bells.
“So you heard,” she said, and there was no mistaking the cockiness in her tone.
“Your reputation precedes you,” I drawled sarcastically. I held the knife handle stiffly as Ryland’s training flickered through my mind. He had prepared me for this, I realized. Prepared me to fight an enemy I wasn’t able to see.
The hissing of snakes grew louder as she grew closer.
“I don’t want to have to hurt you, Z, but I will.”
“Did Aaliyah send you?” I asked, teeth gritted. There was a change in the air, and suddenly I felt warm breath on my face.
“Of course,” she replied immediately. Casually. Relaxed.
“Why?”
The question haunted me. Why? What did that psycho bitch want from me? Why me? I was afraid I would never get the answers to those questions.
The Gorgon giggled, a surprisingly young and innocent sound. Still, I didn’t believe it for one second. This woman was not innocent nor young. She was a killer - she may have already killed my mates.
It was that thought that made my hands move. Blindly, they reached out and yanked at her slithering mound of hair. She yelped even as something sharp pierced my skin.
Cursing, I released her hair - her snakes? - only to immediately punch her in the face. The sickening crunch of bone greeted my throbbing knuckles, and I resisted the urge to smile like an idiot.
“You bitch,” she hissed, the noise more snakelike than human.
“You know my name,” I began, listening intently to the wisp of fabric. The snakes had quieted down once more, but the Gorgon could do little to conceal her footsteps against the dirt. The crinkle of leaves. The scattering of rocks. “I think it’s only fair that I know yours.”
I spun around and held up an arm a mere second before something slammed into me. I staggered, but my arm shielded my face from the worst of blows.
“Haven,” she answered. Her breathing was heavy as if this fight was taking a lot out of her.
I kicked my feet out, listening to her body clunk as it hit the ground. She muttered a curse.
“Pretty name,” I mused. My foot intended to slam on her head, but she moved at the last second.
“Better than Z,” she retorted from behind me.
Something hard slammed into my back. The pain was immediate and intense. Pinpricks of fire raced down my spine, tears blurring in my eyes.
“Nah. I’m rather fond of it,” I countered, remaining crouched on the ground. Her warm hand tangled in my hair, pulling my head back, but at the last second, I swept my foot out behind me and brought her down as well.
She snarled. Honestly, it was a hideous sound. Grown ass women shouldn’t snarl. It just wasn’t attractive.
“What does
