Ensnared by the Stone Freak (Twisted Carnival #2)

Chapter 6

Camryn

When I showed up on Halvard’s arm, I knew Lis was going to squeal with happiness—I could feel it coming. I thought that would make me nervous, but instead, I felt a warm, glowing ball of happiness in my belly. It felt good.The more I thought about it—and I was thinking about it a lot—I realized it was because I was finally telling Thorne to fuck off. Screw him. Halvard was a strong, mysterious enigma, but he made me feel safe. For once, I was not scared of what would happen to my date; rather, I had a feeling Thorne was finally coming up against a wall he wouldn’t be able to knock over. His bully tactics weren’t going to work on a man like my leather-wearing Stone Freak.

I had no right to feel possessive of Halvard. We hadn’t gone on that date yet, though what we’d shared had been far more intimate than anything I had experienced with my nasty ex. Pushing thoughts of the future away, I tried to focus on the here and now : t he cold that made my breath fog in the air, the way my arm was warmly tangled with his, and the subtle musk of his scent in my nose. I could hear laughter behind me coming from the c arnival and the squelching, plodding steps of Halvard’s pet boar , Hogzy , as he trudg ed through the field behind us.

When Lis’s sporty car came into sight, I saw that my friend was draped a cross the hood, huddled deeply in her thick fur coat. She had to be freezing in her spiky heels and slinky dress , but she was all warm, beaming smiles as she saw us. “Ah, lovebirds! I’m so happy to see you guys. Too bad you missed Thorne’s dramatic exit! It was beautiful!” she said in a happy waterfall of words.

Halvard’s head dipped to mine, and even with his tinted glasses on his handsome face, I could sense the amusement. I rolled a shoulder, smiled back at him, and knew we understood each other. We were both amused and endeared by Lis’s loyal words and happy laughter. It was impossible not to like my friend, but there was no reason to envy her for it.

“Hi,” I said, reluctant to part ways with the object of my newfound passion. He was warm and safe, steady as a rock as he stood at my side and shielded me from the worst of the cold autumn breeze. “Thank you for distracting him!” I told her . S he’d gone above and beyond. Halvard withdrew his arm slowly, but his hand lingered on my hip for a second. Then he boldly cupped my chin, tilted my head , and kissed me right there in front of my friend.

I was tingling all over — cold forgotten, blood on fire. My breathing came in a soft, surprised gasp a s he swept his tongue into my mouth and laid claim. “Goodbye, darling Cammy. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for our date.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then stepped back, leaving me a gooey, melted puddle at his feet. “Good night, friend of Cammy’s,” he said politely, though his voice was rougher than it should have been . He dipped into a bow for Lis, then for me, all showy showmanship.

“Bye, Halvard the Stone Freak! Thank you for seducing my friend!” Lis jauntily waved at him as she s poke . While I was still a blushing fool, she grinned , and Halvard smirked. He began to walk away, his boar ducking out from between two cars and following him. A chill skated up my spine, dispelling the lovely warmth Halvard’s kiss had left behind. My chin went up, my eyes searching the darkened field, but I could not see what was wrong.

I turned to Lis, certain she was going to smile and laugh before diving headfirst into an interrogation of what I’d been up to. But my friend was no longer slouching against the hood of her car; her eyes were sharp as she searched the darkness. I wasn’t imagining things. Something was out there. I spun toward my handsome, mysterious stranger, fully intending to warn him. About what, I had no idea. All I knew was that something was stalking us. Something evil.

The shadow that suddenly rose from behind the next car was exactly what I expected—yet nothing like it at all. My mind couldn’t make heads or tails of it. The shadowy shape was too tall, too big to be a man, but it was man-shaped. Despite its lumbering size, it made no noise as it stepped over the car and loomed directly over me. I dimly heard Lis screech, but the pounding of my heart drowned out everything else.

Halvard was between me and the ogre - sized shadow so quickly that I had not seen him move. I just knew that he was suddenly there, shielding me from the massive , shadowed paw coming down toward me. He caught that hand with his upraised forearm, the blow reverberating through his chest. It proved that it was real — not just some weird trick of the light and shadows.

From behind Halvard’s wide, leather-clad shoulder, I saw just enough to make my stomach turn. That shadow had glowing coals for eyes — an ogre or a giant made of darkness. “Leave her alone!” my protector roared in the face of those writhing shadows. T hen he lifted his hand to his glasses and yanked them from his face. The red gaze in that shadowed face collided with the Stone Freak’s , and that was it. The s hadow turned to stone, black as obsidian and shiny like glass.

With a roar, Halvard pulled back his fist and punched the newly formed statue right in the face. It exploded into a million fragments—obsidian glass that flew in every direction with a clatter—thudding into cars, raining down onto the muddy grass, and tinkling against my skin and hair. One little chip nicked me right beneath my eye, but the sting of pain was nothing compared to the fear that roiled through my mind. What had just happened? What was that thing? And why was it after me?

“Are you hurt? Did the shadow golem touch you?” Halvard spun around and caught me by the shoulders, his dark, unshielded gaze frantic as he searched my body. His hands were warm and firm against my cold skin, heating me even through my coat. Then , he lifted one hand to slide his thumb over the cut beneath my eye, raising the pad between us, glistening with blood. “Damn it, I am going to kill that bastard!”

“Who?” I said through numb lips, my gaze clinging to Halvard’s jet - black eyes. There was safety in those orbs — I couldn’t explain it, not when he turned out to be speaking the truth about everything. He really did turn people to stone with that gaze — people and shadow golems , apparently. I would have thrown myself into my protector’s arms, but I forced myself to stand back and watch. My world had just gotten rocked — no pun intended . I needed to figure out what I thought of all that before I made any hasty choices. Not that I even once considered backing out of my date tomorrow night. Even if I needed some distance now, I knew I had to see him again.

Lis took Halvard’s place when his eyes shuttered and he stepped back, his tinted glasses sliding back in to place over his face. My friend curled her arm around my shoulders, looking far less shocked or stunned than I was . She was taking everything in stride, calm now that the bizarre, terrifying creature had been vanquished. Hogzy was snuffling his way through the pile of rubble with loud, disgruntled snorts that steamed up the air. The carnival still buzzed with voices and music in the background. Everything was oddly quiet by the car, but I did not believe the danger had fully passed.

“I’ve got her,” Lis said, not to me but to Halvard. The two of them nodded in mutual understanding, and then Lis guid ed me around the hood of her car to the passenger side. “Come on, I’ll drop you off at home. Thorne won’t bother you there.” Why did she seem to understand exactly what was going on? I was still trying to wrap my head around the appearance of a shadow monster and the fact that Halvard’s petrifying gaze did not work on me. What did that mean? Why did it feel wrong to leave his side? He stood beside the pile of rubble, his boar lean ing against his thigh, his once again shielded gaze on me. He looked like a man wrapped in shadows of his own . T he carnival was the perfect backdrop for him. He was right at home there, from a world I couldn’t possibly hope to ever be part of. But I wanted it — I wanted to understand it all so much.

“I think Thorne might be a warlock,” Lis said as she urged me into the car with a firm hand against my shoulder. I plunked into the leather seat, the air whooshing out of me, and my legs turning to rubber. I thought she was saying those crazy words to me, but no, she had aimed them at Halvard. He nodded, his jaw gritted, ever y line of his body wracked with tension and aggression. He looked like a man on the brink, holding himself back. Back from what? Drawing me in to his arms? Hauling me over his shoulder like a caveman? Or was he fighting the urge to hunt down my ex and kill him , like he said? Why did all those options sen d a thrill of excitement through me, rather than fear?

“I suspected as much ; the shadow golem is a dead giveaway,” Halvard confirmed. He ducked so he could catch my eyes through the side window of the car, his mouth twisting into a smile that might have been intend ed to be reassuring. “We’re still on for tomorrow evening?” I appreciated that he thought to ask, but I could also hear the strain in his voice. He did not want me to say no. Since I didn’t want to say no either, I gave him a smile and a nod. That made him turn away and stalk back toward the carnival with a long-legged stride.

Lis did not say anything as she got into the car and revved the engine. She did not explain why she knew what she knew or why she wasn’t surprised. I was too tired to ask right now, too sh aken by all the excitement this night had brought. Once I’d slept, I knew I’d be full of questions, and she’d be the first I’d call. For now, I was okay with the silence.

***

Halvard

My mate’s Siren friend might be certain that this bastard wasn’t going to hurt Cammy tonight, but I was not so trusting. I was not going to leave it to fate to see her safe, not when every gene in my body was primed to protect her. I might be a bit of a freak, but my ancestors had been gargoyles with a proud lineage that trac ed straight back to the protection of churches and holy buildings. The French branch of the family had stood sentinel on Notre Dame herself, while the main line I came from had always lived in Norway , h ailing from Trondheim with ties to Nidaros.

“Hogzy, stay at the carnival. I’ve got business tonight,” I said to my friend. He snorted loudly and began digging with his snout and tusks, taking care of the evidence by burying it. I knew by tomorrow not so much as a hint of the obsidian shards would remain. There would be no sign of the golem I had turned to stone or the attack on my mate by the warlock.

I met Eugene by the entrance to the carnival grounds . T he large but always generous cook had his arms crossed over his wide chest. His handlebar mustache quivered with tension , but his smile was kind as he nodded toward his parked, shiny motorcycle. “You can borrow it, but not a scratch — or you’ll be finding too much salt in your dinner for the next three months.”

I tipped my head his way and turned to the bike with a rush of excitement. Perfect. I would follow Cammy home, then perch on the corner of a nearby building for the night and keep watch. She would be safe ; I would have something to do other than drive myself crazy with worry, and the warlock wouldn’t stand a chance if he made another move.