Free Knights of Stone - Lachlan by Lisa Carlisle Page A

alleviated. Good, he wasn’t too late to catch her.
    He slowed to a more casual pace. “Hi, Raina.”
    She stopped and spun around, squinting at him with surprise. “Lachlan?”
    Hearing her say his name in a silky rasp knocked him off his game. He resisted moaning aloud. Gods, she was striking.
    Too bad she was a wolf shifter. If she was a human who lived off the island, he could have seduced her by now. Buried himself between her legs as many times as it took to get her out of his system. She’d be long forgotten, simply another diversion for the night. But she was local, which complicated matters—and piqued his interest all the more.
    Forbidden.
    Maybe that was it. Gargoyles and wolf shifters hadn’t interacted in decades after too much blood had been shed. And for good reason.
    Then maybe you shouldn’t have kissed her, you wanker.
    Lachlan pushed aside the past to focus on the present problem. He breached the remaining distance between them with confident strides so as not to undermine his spur of the moment plan. “Thought you’d at least say hello when you came to get the potion.” He flashed her his most dazzling smile, the one that many fine lasses at his concerts couldn’t resist.
    She furrowed her brows with a quizzical expression. “You seemed busy. Didn’t want to disturb.”
    “Just helping out my brother.”
    “Mason, right?” Her countenance turned more relaxed. “Kayla told me you’re helping them with their house.”
    At least, Raina was talking to him. He wasn’t sure she would after he’d opened his big mouth yesterday. With a casual wave, he said, “It’s nothing.”
    She tilted her head in question, which had the oddest effect on him, leaving his thoughts as scrambled as eggs. “So you’re okay with him living with a tree witch?”
    “I wasn’t crazy about the idea,” he admitted. “But it could be worse.”
    “How so?”
    “He could have left the isle with her. Or moved in with a human.”
    “Aye. At least, he’s still here.”
    She continued watching him with a steady, unreadable gaze. The longer the eye contact, the more it affected him. Even his cock twitched in reaction to her powerful feminine sensuality.
    “So,” he began while attempting to suppress his arousal. He needed to steer the conversation to the magic he needed. “The past few days have been quite mad, haven’t they?”
    “Indeed.”
    “Thanks for going along with the ruse with the humans yesterday.” Don’t say anything about the kiss. Not one word.
    “Of course. It was best for our pack,” she replied. “Any sign of the humans?”
    “None yet. We’re taking turns patrolling the skies.”
    She bit her lip as her gaze drifted off, deep in thought. He’d been trying to avoid looking at her lips for good reason, and now that she’d gotten his attention there, it sent a new surge of blood right between his legs, the last place that needed his focus. He altered his stance to adjust to the tightness.
    Time to get back on track. “Kayla mentioned their part is moving along as expected. They still need more time for it to reach its maximum potency. I’m guessing it must be some type of potion.” He tried to keep his voice as neutral as asking about the weather so as not to arise suspicion. “How’s it coming along with your pack’s magic?”
    “Fine,” she replied.
    That didn’t reveal much. “What kind are you working on?”
    Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
    “Potion? Or a spell?”
    Her curious eyes fixed on him, sending his imagination fueling with possibilities of what they’d look like when she made love. Would they darken with desire, framed by those sweeping eyelashes?
    “Why do you want to know?”
    “Just curious,” he replied in a nonchalant tone. “Aren’t you? We all have our special magic, that combined, will change the fate of our island.”
    “Aye, I suppose,” she said. “But I’m also not about to reveal any pack secrets. What are you working