Domineering men ruined my future.

Now one rules my heart.

Despite knowing I should hate him, Kallus is all I can think about.

My gargoyle. My enemy.

It doesn’t help that he keeps astroprojecting, infiltrating my mind and dreams.
And when he wakes and I feel his arms around me for the first time…

I learn that I am the gargoyle king’s mate.

He wants me to turn my back on my coven. To forget everyone but him.
But when an attack is launched against my new home, I can’t.

I can only hope we survive it. Luckily, we have the one thing that can surpass all else.
It will withstand magic, strength, and blades. And it might get us through this. What is this powerful weapon, you ask?
Simple. The power of…

…Our love.

Chapter 1

Uri

Sometimes, there’s a small urge in my legs to turn around and go back to the refugees who helped me. Their words are ringing loudly in my ears.

The purna live in these mountains, hidden away from the rest of civilization. Natasha and Lola tried to stop me, as well as the rest of them, but I paid them no mind.

I know what my mission is and I’d be a fool to stop now, especially since I’m so close.

Wind cuts through my skin with each step towards Jagged Peak. Will this be worth it in the end? I’m nearly barreled over by a particularly rough wind current that whistles past my ears, freezing them over. I don’t feel my hands anymore and the skin on my face is akin to ice.

“Shit,” I whisper, stopping in my tracks to regain my balance against the snow-covered path that is starting to incline sharply. “Damn it.”

On all fours, I crawl my way up the mountain, nearly slipping a few times. In some parts, the snow is loose and I catch myself from falling at the very last second. My fingertips are freezing over. I can’t keep doing this for long.

This is a funny situation. I’m trying to find the purna so that they can take away my powers, and yet, I’m on the brink of using them to save myself from freezing to death.

I suppose my magic is useful in some situations, such as these.

The further I head up the mountain, my vision gets worse. My head is in the clouds, literally. The hazy fog encapsulates me while the wind threatens to send me flying backward. My senses are completely overwhelmed.

Gritting my teeth, I hold out my hands against the wind. A pulse of energy surges through my chest, down my arms, and out from my digits. I want to create an air bubble filled with warmth, something that can ease my body from this bone-chilling wind.

My magic pulsates around me. Flashes of red and orange emerge from my hands. Narrowing my eyes, I can barely see what I’m doing.

Suddenly, my feet leave the ground as I’m sent backwards by a force I can’t even understand. A panicked scream leaves my mouth as my arms flail and I brace for impact.

Is this where it all ends? All because I wanted to head up a snowy mountain during the middle of an incoming storm?

Surprisingly, landing abruptly on a pile of snow doesn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. I lay there a few moments, taking some time to catch my breath. Opening my eyes, I check to make sure I have all my limbs still intact. Arms, legs, feet, and hands. They’re all still here.

But something else is gone. The clouds.

As it turns out, my magic didn’t actually create an air bubble to keep me warm, but rather it blasted the clouds out of existence to reveal a clear, winding path up the mountain. Stars peek out from behind the mountain, twinkling bright. The longer I stare, the more of them I notice.

Then, I glance at my hands. Pale from the cold they’re still recovering from and trembling to no end.

How is it possible that I’m capable of a power like this? And how am I going to control it? In my head, I envisioned one thing, but my magic dictated something else. An unpredictable, raw force dwells within me.

I want no part in this anymore.

Somewhere behind me, I hear footsteps sinking into the snow. Multiple sets of them, for that matter. Closing my eyes, I resign myself to my inevitable fate. Hopefully, it’s a group of orcs coming to kill me. As long as they make it quick, I’ll be a happy gal.

“So you are one of us.”

…That doesn’t sound like an orc. That sounds like a woman.

Raising my head up slightly, I force myself to look at the owner of that voice. A stifled gasp falls from my lips inadvertently.

There’s a whole group of women, standing a few paces away from me. A woman with white hair and ice blue eyes looks at me with a curious expression, tilting her head once she notices that I’m staring back at her. A younger woman with blonde hair and gray eyes appears at her side.

“Come on, Rhonda, let’s just put the thing out of her misery already. There’s no use in keeping her around.”

“Penny, that is the most ridiculous thing you could have said in a moment like this,” the older woman, Rhonda, snaps back at the blonde. “Did you not see the power she wields? She’s one of us, without a doubt.”

“She looks hurt,” another girl says. She also has white hair and blue eyes, so she’s probably related to the older one. “We should take her in and see if she has any injuries.”

“Oh, I’ll make her a nice stew!” A plump lady with long red hair and green eyes claps her hands together merrily. Her cheeks and nose are red from the cold. “The girl looks famished. We can’t leave her out here!”

Are these the purna I’ve been searching for…?

They’re a lot nicer than I expected. In my mind, my idea of a coven was a group of tall women with dark hair, cutthroat gazes, and a ruthless nature. Instead, I find myself in front of a group of women who are just like me. Warm-hearted. Memories of Chase and the orphanage swarm into my mind.

I cough into my fist, feeling an accumulation of phlegm in the back of my throat. A warm stew would do wonders right now.

“Who are you?” I ask, fighting through the dull ache in my chest. That combination of cold air and a sudden impact did nothing good for my body. “Why are you… Were you watching me this whole time?”

“Oh, child,” Rhonda says, taking a few steps towards me. “We always notice when a foreigner comes near our coven. You were getting closer with each step up the mountain. Did you really think we weren’t going to band together to see what was going on?”

“We thought you were an enemy.” Her younger look-a-like speaks up. She smiles warmly and waves a gloved hand. “My name is Winter, by the way.”

Fitting name.

“Ah! And I’m Delia Monroe! Pleased to meet you, Miss…?” She raises a brow, expecting me to finish that sentence.

I sigh. “Uri.”

“I don’t see the point in keeping someone like her around,” Penny continues, crossing her arms over her chest. “We have enough people in the coven as is. It’s getting more difficult to feed everyone we have, I don’t think we can fit another mouth into the fold.”

“Nonsense!” Delia shakes her head. “You’re underestimating my abilities, Penny! I can whip up a meal for anyone who comes into my kitchen.”

I don’t even notice the quiet one near the back of the group, with long black hair that covers most of her face. A prominent green strand of hair falls nicely amongst the dark waves, the hue matching the shade of her eyes. She’s more interested in the plants on the ground than what’s going on in front of her. In fact, I don’t even think she’s looked at me yet.

“Can you walk?” Rhonda asks, lifting up her chin slightly. “We can assist you with anything you need. Just give us the word.”

“I-I’m fine, I just…” I wrinkle my nose, doing my best to force myself to my feet. If only I could lay there for a few more moments. Still, I don’t want to appear weak in front of these witches, especially not the blonde one who’s been looking at me with a sneer. “I’m alright. Don’t worry.”

“We saw the spell you performed just now! It sent you spiraling,” Winter remarks, approaching me with a warmth to her words that quickly calms me down. “Is that the first time you used your magic?”

“No, not at all. I never performed a spell like that before.” I stare at the mountain peak again. “I didn’t expect that to happen. It’s not what I intended.”

“What were you aiming for?”

“A warm air bubble,” I mumble, loud enough for Winter to catch. “I didn’t mean to clear the clouds from the sky.”

“Well, that should be a testament to the strength of your powers!” Winter smiles. Then, her eyes widen as she gazes at my outfit. “You’re not dressed for this weather! Do you have any belongings with you? How have you been surviving all this time?”

I’m hanging on by a thread with my teeth, I almost say. Instead, I shrug and offer a weak smile. “I’ve been managing fine.”

Penny rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Come on, Rhonda. Are you seriously going to take this one in? She barely knows where she is.”

Delia rests her hands on her hips. “You’re acting as if you’d be all fine and dandy after spending some time up a chilly mountain with no one around to help you!”

The black-haired girl interrupts Delia to give her a small blue plant with white roots. Delia gasps, graciously accepting the plant in her open palm. Then, she caresses the girl’s face with her other hand.

“Oh, Amanda, you’re such a sweetheart! Thank you. This bluefrost is going to come useful, especially if our new friend needs some healing.”

She hums in response, before returning to her plants. Delia sticks the plant in one of her pockets before marching up to me, offering a hand.

“I hope you don’t plan on staying in this snow forever! Your fire magic is impressive, I must admit, but we all reach a limit with our powers. You need some time to rest and recuperate!”

“T-Thank you, but I–”

“No ifs, ands, or buts! I’m going to cook you the best stew you’ve ever known. Then, you’ll never want to leave!”

“Delia, you’re going to scare her with talk like that,” Winter whispers. She sounds earnest. “We want to make her feel welcomed, not trapped.”

“Stop bothering the poor girl,” Rhonda orders, which makes Delia drop her hands from my arm. “I want to learn more about her. It’s not often we see a young purna traveling these mountains by herself. I need to know her intentions and her goals.”

“I think this is all a big waste of time, really,” Penny retorts, eyeing me up and down. “What if she’s just a spy? We can’t trust her.”

“That’s for me to decide, Penny,” Rhonda reminds, sending the girl a tight smile. “Thank you for your comments, but they’re not needed right now. In fact, I’m quite unsure why you wanted to come in the first place if you planned on being dismissive this whole time.”

The blonde’s face drops. Winter and Delia giggle softly before hiding their faces. Even Amanda sneaks a smile as she picks more plants from the ground.

“Rhonda, that’s not true at all. I’m just stating the facts!”

“Well, we must have different opinions on what the word fact means.”

Running her tongue over her teeth, Penny shoots me one last look of contempt before backing down. Rhonda must be the leader of the coven. Everyone else holds her in high regard.

She’s the one who could take away my power. I’m sure of it.

“Back to business, then,” Rhonda announces.

Winter and Delia stand by my side while Rhonda comes closer. Delia helps swipe patches of snow off my body while Winter combs through my matted tufts of hair with her fingers.

Damn. Am I that much of a mess that it’s taking a team effort to clean me up a bit?

Oh, well. At least they’re being nice about it. It’s too late to run away with my tail between my legs, anyway.