Free Sorceress Rising (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 2) by Lisa Blackwood

you.”
    “They are
probably bored after tromping around the forest day after day for the last
three months.”
    “Their
thoughts are not the thoughts of a ‘bored’ male.” His clipped tone told her much more than his earlier one word answer.
    Oh boy.
    “Merciful
Mother, he’ll annihilate them.” The pooka loosed a
distressed whinny. “My Lady, your gargoyle is enraged by their lack of
respect. He’s never had to deal with people who do not know to respect the
Avatars.”
    She didn’t need
the pooka’s commentary to tell her how bad the situation could get. “Gregory,
my love. It doesn’t matter. It means nothing.” Lillian kept walking, she
and the pooka doing their best to keep the soldiers to a fast pace. The sooner
they could part company, the safer everyone would be.
    “It is not
nothing! Their leader thinks about detaining you, taking you back for more
questioning. But there’s more. One of them shows even greater disrespect for
the Mother’s Avatar, Her mortal vessel. His thoughts started out as mild
appreciation of your female…charms, but before I’d arrived they had changed
to…to…outright….” Gregory roared.
    Every gun jerked
up as the soldiers reacted to the unknown danger.
    “Bear, my ass,”
Resnick said, then started shouting orders. “Get the civilian and her pony out
of here. Daniels, call for back up. I think we found something.”
    Hoping to
distract the snipers, Lillian loosed a terrified shriek, but the pooka one-upped
her, and bolted forward, knocking into the soldier directly in his path. She
kept a tight grip on the lead rope and allowed the pooka to drag her along.
    The pooka rolled
an eye in her direction. “Gregory knows how to get the humans thinking about
something else other than your assets, I suppose.”
    She might have
found the pony’s comment humorous if she wasn’t worried about Gregory being
riddled by bullets. “Dammit, Gregory! Was that really necessary?”
    “Yes!”

C hapter Eight
     
    Gregory glowered
at the humans circling his lady, blocking him from going to her side. Even the
pooka, a creature he’d normally dispatch long before it could even scent his Sorceress,
was presently closer to Lillian than he could manage. His rage building, he
sent his magic outward. It rustled in the leaves and caused branches to moan.
The humans twitched badly and he smiled.
    His actions were
petty, spiteful even, and out of character. But he couldn’t help himself. This
world was nothing like he’d ever experienced. His relatively short time here
was not enough for him to adapt to this Realm’s….ignorance.
    When he’d first
awakened to Lillian’s desperate call, it was to the sight of a Riven
threatening his lady. Evil he knew how to handle. The endless battle between
light and dark was familiar to him. It gave him purpose in this strange new
world, and allowed him to ignore what he secretly found distressing about the
Mortal Realm. There were far too many humans, far too out of balance with the
natural world. Too much noise, too many bodies clustered together, too many
chaotic thoughts and emotions bombarding him from all directions. The soul of
the earth was bruised, he could feel her pain. And it was a great evil brought
about by the humans of this Realm. Part of him wanted to restore the balance.
    But he couldn’t,
for it would mean the deaths of millions of humans. His Sorceress of old would
have understood, would have aided him with what needed doing if they were ever
ordered to complete such an unpleasant task, but Lillian was like a creature
newly made, innocent, gentle, naïve. She’d already made it clear she sided with
the humans, and she expected him to—if not protect them—at least tolerate them.
    And she was
correct—these humans, even the male who had gazed upon Lillian with lustful
thoughts, were not evil. In their own way, they served the light—protecting,
bringing peace when they could. What little he knew about the humans of