Page 384 of Evil Hearts

Elena emerged from the cathedral, her fiery hair tousled by the wind. She paused, taking a deep breath, the cool night air filling her lungs. The city stretched out before her, a tapestry of secrets that childhood her didn’t ever seem to see.

I’ll need my paints, she thought, her mind already envisioning the strokes of color she would use to capture the cathedral’s haunting beauty.And my sketchbook. I’ll come back tomorrow, when the light is just right.

As she walked, Elena’s thoughts drifted to the gargoyles, their enigmatic presence forever etched in her mind. “What secrets do they hold?”

With that thought, Elena disappeared down the street to hail a taxi, something she should have done when she got there. Home was waiting and even the allure of painting couldn’t remove her excitement of being back for the first time in three years.

Chapter Two

She’d returned.

An ethereal figure bathed in moonlight, her presence was a siren’s call he couldn’t ignore.

Aldric watched from his perch hidden in the alcove, his once emerald eyes fixed upon her graceful movements. Each step she took echoed through the silent night, drawing her closer to where he lay hidden in stone.

Excitement thrummed just beneath his granite skin. He hadn’t expected to see her again so soon, if ever. Humans rarely ventured up the roof of the old cathedral at this hour. And yet, here she was, a vision of beauty and mystery that stirred something deep within his ancient soul.

As she neared the cathedral wall, Aldric’s heart quickened. He willed her to stop, to turn back before it was too late. But she continued walking forward, oblivious to his presence. Her hand reached out, fingers brushing against the weathered stone as she leaned in for a closer look.

Aldric’s mind raced. If she touched him instead of a normal stone, she could unleash a trigger that could undo centuries of isolation in an instant. If only he could warn her or whisper for her to step away. He didn’t understand why he wanted her to turn away, but he did.

But stone lips could not speak, and she pressed onward. Her delicate touch grazed over his thigh, a thigh she likely didn’tthink twice about as she leaned closer to inspect his stone face. A tremor ran through Aldric’s form as ancient magic stirred to life. The woman gasped, likely feeling the faint vibration beneath her fingertips, unaware of the powerful forces she had just unleashed.

A deafening boom tore through the peaceful night, shattering its tranquility into a million sharp fragments. The sound echoed off the walls of Aldric’s stone prison, causing spiderweb-like cracks to race across its surface. Each fissure radiated with an eerie glow, casting jagged lines of light and shadows throughout the darkness.

The woman stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock as the human in stone burst forth, centuries of confinement crumbling away.

Aldric damn near stumbled forward, his muscles weak as his foot touched the ground for the first time in two centuries. He wobbled for a moment, and then the weakness was gone, replaced by the confinements of the curse that ensured he was fit to protect in either form. He stood before her, a towering presence draped in darkness. The moon’s rays would no doubt catch on the sharp angles of his face, making him every bit as intimidating as his stone facade. His wings would no doubt scare her more than his breaking free from stone.

The woman’s breath caught in her throat, fear and fascination warring in her gaze. She took a step back, poised to flee, but Aldric moved with preternatural speed. His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around her bicep in a firm, but gentle, grip.

Warmth radiated under his palm with the first touch of human skin he’d experienced in lifetimes. It sent a jolt through his system, awakening sensations long forgotten. The softness of her flesh, the racing pulse beneath his fingertips—it was almost too much to bear.

“Please, don’t run.” Aldric’s voice was a low rumble, echoing with the weight of ages. “I mean you no harm.”

The woman trembled beneath his touch, her jade eyes searching his face even as they stayed wide with her fear. She gasped and tried to wrench free, but his grip held firm.

Aldric regarded her with a mix of caution and intrigue, his chiseled features an unreadable mask. He took a deep, deliberate breath, savoring the sensation of air filling his lungs for the first time in ages. When he finally spoke, his voice rumbled with the weight of centuries.

“I mean you no harm.” He repeated, assuming she spoke English. “I understand this must be terrifying, but since you’ve woken me, you need to remain calm.”

A piercing scream tore from her throat, shattering the cathedral’s silence. Aldric reacted instinctively, his hand flying up to cover her mouth, muffling the sound. Her eyes widened in terror as she struggled against his unyielding grip.

“Hush,” he murmured, his voice low and urgent. “I swear on my honor, I will not harm you. But I cannot allow your cries to echo through this silent night or down into the cathedral below.”

She stilled beneath his touch, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Aldric’s gaze traveled over her delicate features, taking in the soft curve of her cheek and the wild tangle of her hair. A fierce protectiveness surged through him, mingling with a primal attraction he hadn’t felt in centuries.

How fragile she seemed, how breakable, compared to his immortal form. He could snuff out her life in an instant. The dark thought sent a shudder through him. No, those violent impulses belonged to a distant past, to the time before his imprisonment. He was a protector, a guardian. His purpose was to shield, not destroy.

He kept his hand firmly pressed against her lips, ignoring the way her warmth seeped into his stone-cold skin. “I am Aldric, aguardian of this cathedral. You have awoken me from an ancient curse, one that has bound me to this place for longer than I care to remember.”

Her brow furrowed, confusion warring with fear in her eyes. Aldric slowly removed his hand from her mouth, half-expecting her to scream again. But she remained silent, watching him warily.

“A curse?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Aldric nodded, a weary sigh escaping him. “I was once a man, long ago. But a sorceress condemned me and others in my line of work to a half-life in stone when we failed to save the cathedral from a fire set by those who do not like the way we worshipped here. Through her curse, only by the light of the moon could I walk as flesh and blood, and even then, I was bound to these grounds and I will never again appear only human. When she died, even that small gift was removed, leaving me here with nothing to do but watch if someone came to the rooftop.”

He gestured to the towering spires above them, the intricate carvings that adorned the walls. “Before the sorceress’s death, I watched over this place, protecting those who seek solace within its walls. And now, through some twist of fate, your touch has freed me from my prison. If I had to guess, I would assume you are of her bloodline and your touch could wake the lot of us.”

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