Free Knights of Stone - Lachlan by Lisa Carlisle

shook his head, trying to shake away the cobwebs of jealousy. A wolf shifter was off limits. No matter what she looked like. Or how her eyes caressed his skin like a warm summer rain.
    Off. Limits.
    Besides, he had enough obstacles to deal with right now without adding a lassie to the mix.
    “All right, all right, let’s get back to what we were discussing,” Lachlan snapped. “Our magic.” They’d been brainstorming ideas since they’d returned from the Highlands—when he wasn’t thinking of Raina and kissing her satin-soft lips again.
    “Anyone come up with anything since this morning?”
    Nobody had. Terrific.
    They’d come out for a break to haul logs and work off some of their earlier frustration. Their talks that morning weren’t productive.
    “We’ll have to experiment,” Bryce said.
    He was optimistic for such dismal progress so far.
    Lachlan dropped the log onto a pile with others. “Experiment? With magic? That can be a dangerous game to play since we don’t know all the rules.”
    “I don’t see what other choice we have.”
    Lachlan jutted out his chin. Neither did he.
    “Wait,” Mason said. “I have an idea.”
    They all turned to face him.
    “We’ve been thinking the witches would be the best source of helping us with magic.”
    “Right,” Gavin said. “And you said Kayla is trying to extract information without raising suspicion.”
    “But what about the wolves?” Mason said.
    “What about them?” Bryce asked.
    “Wolves are shifters, like we are. Our magic may be similar.”
    Lachlan studied him. “Go on.”
    “Maybe we can ask them how they do it.”
    Lachlan bolted upright. “You’re idealistic since you found a tree witch who is open-minded. The wolves won’t share their magic with us.”
    “Worth a go, though. Especially, since we don’t have many other options.”
    “And since you’re chummy with your wife, ” Gavin ribbed, “Why not start with her?”
    “Chummy isn’t the word I’d use,” Lachlan stared at the pattern in the bark of the log he carried. “We barely know each other.”
    Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Are you more acquainted with any other wolves?”
    The only other ones he’d had any sort of conversations with were Ian and Seth. Lachlan scowled at him. “No.” In a lower tone, he added, “I’ll talk to her.”
    His brothers howled and hooted, as they continued to rib him.
    “I bet you will!”
    “You’ll find lots of things to talk about.” Gavin ran his hands over his body with exaggerated sensual movements.
    Calum jumped into the play action, rubbing Gavin’s back. “ Och , Lachlan, you’re so big,” he said in a woman’s voice.
    “And so hard for you, lassie,” Gavin added in a deeper voice. He turned and humped Calum’s leg while Bryce howled with laughter.
    Lachlan tried not to join in, but cracked a smile. “You’re all pure mental!”
    “You’re better off catching her now.” Bryce wiped the tears of amusement from his eyes and nodded across the moors. “Before she returns to wolf territory.”
    Searching for her through the shades of green and purple, he found nothing. “ Shite , you’re right.”
    He dropped the log he’d been carting and sprinted after her, trying to ignore his brother’s whistles and catcalls.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Lachlan’s pulse spiked at the prospect of seeing Raina again. His mission dampened the excitement. He’d already had to swallow his pride to ask the gargoyles for assistance, and they’d turned him down flat. He had no desire to face that sort of rejection, again, especially one coming from Raina’s full, pink lips.
    As he slowed to a jog across the moors, he debated how to approach her. Asking her directly was out of the question. Maybe he could sneak around it and coax her into giving him information.
    A long shot. Yet, no other options came to mind. He’d have to wing it.
    When he spotted her red plaid dress through the dark foliage of the forest, the tightness in his chest