Stone Guardian by Danielle Monsch Page B

anything you were supposed to exercise in? That had to chafe.
    Who cared what those guys thought anyway. Neither of them were built. Compared to Terak they were pubescent boys, and no doubt Terak could bench press both of them with his tail.
    Terak… urgh.
    The last two weeks were the most disturbing of her life, and yes, she was including the week when she first got her period. She had been attacked by zombies, kidnapped by a gargoyle, found out her best friend had some sort of secret life amongst the new races, had a brother who was acting suspicious, and a father who was still upset at her for asking questions about the security of the city.
    And she had a gargoyle protector she was starting to care about, maybe even like.
    Out of all the above, that last one kicked her hardest in the solar plexus.
    He had wings. And a tail. A tail.
    How the hell did this happen? Stockholm syndrome? Some power dynamic because she was the helpless little woman and he was the big, powerful gargoyle?
    No, it was because of his chest. No male should have a chest like that, and he never wore a shirt. Never, like they offended him or something. Maybe she should be grateful that at least he wore pants.
    No, she shouldn’t be.
    Yes, she should.
    Well…
    Back to chests. Terak’s was so broad it might take hours to explore every inch exposed. And that chest tapered to that stomach, which was not a six-pack but an eight-pack. What human had an eight-pack? How could a human guy compete?
    Gargoyles were very unfair to humans. Maybe she wasn’t right to help them become friendly with other races. All the other females of the various species would jump them on sight.
    But if any of them jumped on Terak, she’d have to tear the female’s hair out. To protect inter-races relationships.
    Was inter-races a word? Well, it was now.
    Sweat soaked hair fell into her eyes, and Larissa pushed the damp tendrils that clung to her forehead back into the mass of hair knotted on top of her head.
    Heatstroke. Had to be heatstroke causing these freaking thoughts. No matter how much Terak complained, she was never running in the afternoon again.
    Up ahead was the most delightful part of the run, a steep incline that always made her swear she would give up running every time she crested it. Turning up the volume, she forged ahead.
    The scream rent the air, the sound of feminine terror stopping her cold. Instinct had her turning before her brain could warn her it was a bad idea.
    A woman, the one in the skimpy running gear, six feet in the air and grabbed around the throat by…
    Oh dear gods …
    Orcs.
    Why hadn’t she fought dad harder about the wards? But this… how was she to know this could happen? Orcs in the park, backlit by a hazy sun during an afternoon run where she should be safe.
    Her hands hung there, cold, numb. Her mouth opened, she knew it opened, but no sound was coming out.
    Orcs.
    “Not her.”
    They spoke? Those monstrous creatures could speak ?
    And then one of them locked eyes with her. He threw his head back and roared, the guttural noise flaying her exposed nerves. The rest of the orcs turned their attention to him. He proceeded to point at her.
    “Her!”
    By the gods, me?
    No.
    No.
    Are you involved with the necromancers?
    But she wasn’t. Never, she’d never had anything to do with them.
    This couldn’t be happening.
    Orcs, larger even then Terak, their greenish skin oozing and oily, their heads misshapen, like someone used their skulls for batting practice.
    A dozen orcs now chasing after her.
    She was running, she was running even though she didn’t remember turning from them, branches flicking over her skin as she crashed through the wooded area. The ground vibrated from the force of the running creatures, creating an uneven surface under her feet.
    “ Terak! ” she screamed. She hadn’t seen him during the run, but he had to be here. He had to be. He promised he’d protect her and Terak, Terak would always keep his