Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Jodrick
From my perch atop the eastern turret, I see her.
She steps out of the strange metal contraption humans now use to travel—tiny, delicate, yet somehow radiating something.
.. more. Her long strawberry-blonde curls flutter in the breeze, catching what little light the gray afternoon offers.
She tugs her coat around her frame—petite, but with enough curves to stir something long dormant in me.
Wide eyes, the color of storm-lit skies, scan the manor with open wariness.
Her cheeks are dusted pink from the cold, her mouth soft and uncertain as she chews on her plump bottom lip.
Fear clings to her, sure.
But she doesn’t run. She squares her shoulders, takes a breath, and walks forward like she is trying to prove to herself that she really belongs there.
I admire that. Strength doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it looks like trembling hands wrapped around old keys. Sometimes it’s fighting back and moving forward through the fear.
::She's here.:: I send the thought across the shared link that connects me to Viraat in our stonebound state.
::I can see that.:: Viraat's reply is dry as dust. ::I can also tell you're already fixated with her.:: The censure is as plain as the daylight fighting to break through the clouds.
::She's... different.:: I shift, as much as my stone form allows. Frustration burns in my chest. The sun still sits above the horizon, which means we are still locked in our current forms. Statues to the world.
Silent guardians to a forgotten house.
::You said that about Ichabod.::
I can almost feel the disappointment coming across from Viraat. I can’t let his disdain and negativity affect me. My optimism and hope is all I had.
::Ichabod was different. He was kind. And even though he was odd, he respected us and never asked more of us than we were willing to give.::
::He talked to us.:: Viraat responds. ::That was his only redeeming quality. Humans rot what they touch.::
I don’t answer. My gaze follows her as she turns to retrieve something from her car. I watch the way she moves. Hesitant steps, eyes darting toward the rooftop. Toward us.
Good.
She sees us. She feels us. That matters more than she knows.
Vanishing through the front doors, she takes a small part of my hope with her. And even though we can’t follow, I can still hear. And as much as Viraat likes to pretend, I know he listens too.
For every footstep. Every breath.
Her heartbeat picking up at what she finds inside. First from what I would assume is fear, and then excitement as she takes in the manor and all it entails. I follow her footsteps with my sharp hearing, wishing I could have shadowed her to take in her expressions.
Then there’s a sharp inhale and a slight squeal. I've never wanted to fight against my bonds as much as I do right then, the need to rush in and protect her burning in my veins.
And then—
"Crud! Sparrow!"
::She brought a beast?:: Viraat asks, tone mildly disgusted.
My senses take in her mechanical vehicle—a car I believe—and I take note of the creature inside.
::A feline. Injured.:: I cock my head, listening to her frantic scramble, then the soft mutterings she makes to comfort the animal as she takes it out the car. ::She cares.::
He scoffs. ::So what?:: he snaps. ::Not enough apparently, as she forgot it in the car. And it doesn't mean she belongs here.::
But I’m not listening anymore.
The manor hasn’t felt like this in decades. Not since Avaline—Ichabod's niece—danced barefoot in the halls and painted sunbeams on the windows with her laughter.
The manor itself is slowly waking from its own slumber. It knows that something is happening. Something important.
As dusk slips into night, the weight of stone begins to lift from my limbs. The magic shimmers in the air around us, as it always does when night falls.
Finally. Freedom.
Before Viraat can speak, and doom me to further inactivity, I leap.
Stone shatters and reforms into flesh and wing before I even hit the terrace below. I land silent as a shadow, the wings closing behind me. Even in this, my more humanoid shape, I retain my wings, my tusks, and my claws.
The wind stirs behind me, only pushing me to move faster, into the house which holds the new mystery that needs to be solved.
::Jodrick!:: Viraat's mental growl echoes inside my skull. ::Don't you dare!::
Why not? Why shouldn't I dare? This tiny creature... this human calls at me.
And I am powerless to resist the call.
::I need to see her.:: is my only response as I move deeper into the house.
::I forbid you to reveal yourself to her!:: he orders me, unnecessarily.
::Of course.:: There is no way I will risk frightening her away right now. Ichabod made it plain that she has no knowledge of the family, of the secrets the manor holds.
Revealing ourselves now, on her first night, will terrify her. Might end up chasing her away.
::I just want to watch. Just for a while. I promise.::
And goddess help me, I really do.
I reach the library just seconds before Viraat catches up. His claws click softly against the stone floor behind me, but he doesn’t say another word.
There’s no need.
Because the moment I see her—curled up on the settee, legs tucked beneath her, one hand gently resting on the creature in her lap while the other held an open book—I feel it.
It strikes like lightning.
My breath catches in my chest.
That tether.
That pull.
The ancient magic that binds us to the bloodline...
It snaps tight.
My soul knows hers.
Viraat stiffens beside me. I don’t need to look at him to know—he feels it too.
Young, mysterious Avalon Apples isn’t just the last of her line.
She’s ours.
Our fated.
What the hell are we going to do now?
I'm not sure how long we stand there staring at her, but we both startle when Avalon shifts on the settee, one arm curling protectively around the cat, the book falling to her lap as she yawns.
The firelight flickers across her face, softening her already delicate features.
A quiet peace radiates from her, unaware of the storm she has awakened in us.
I take one step closer before I feel Viraat's hand clamp down on my shoulder.
"No," he rumbles, voice low and tight.
I tear my eyes from her and nod once. We move as one, slipping back through the manor's shadowed halls, silent and unseen.
Years of hiding makes the task second nature.
By the time we reach the outer corridor leading up to the tower, the moon has cleared the clouds, lightening the stone around us.
We ascend without speaking, wings brushing occasionally in the narrow spiral stairwell. At the top, a thick oak door opens into the room I’ve made my own over the centuries.
A converted watchtower where the ceiling arches high and narrow windows looking out over the grounds.
I step inside and drop into my usual seat, finally letting out the breath I've been holding since I first saw her in the gentle firelight.
Viraat remains near the window, arms crossed, wings folded close to his frame.
"So?" I urge.
He stares out at the night. "So? Again, this changes nothing."
"Of course it does, brother! She's our mate."
He turns his contempt-filled gaze to me. "And what of it, brother? Did fate ask me if I wanted this? Did it ask me when I was dragged from my homeland, cursed to stone and bound to this manor for all eternity?"
"You chose to stay after Avaline freed us," I remind him.
"I stayed because you did." His voice is a low growl now. "Don't mistake duty for anything else."
I look at him for a long time. "And what if I do desire this, Viraat? Would you doom me to forsaking my one chance at love?"
Viraat's jaw clenches. "She's human. Fragile. Short-lived. Just more proof of fate's cruel nature. What kind of future could we possibly have with her?"
"I don't know," I admit, standing slowly. The weight of centuries hangs off my shoulders, but for the first time in what feels like an age, I don’t feel tired. "But I want to find out."
Silence falls between us, thick and heavy.
"I won't stop you, Jodrick. But know this... You'll only get yourself hurt."
"Maybe," I concede. "But maybe, this time, fate is showing us a kindness."