01UndatedI told my brothers what happened. Are you ready to come meet them?" She straightened. "Aye." "I warn you," he teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. "They're big, burly bampots.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
02UndatedWhat a surprising turn of events. He'd only come out here to question the intruder he'd spotted while watching from his stone repose. Instead, he'd found a gargoyle who needed a place to stay. Not what he'd expected.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
04UndatedThe tree witches kept to themselves, a self-sufficient coven specializing in certain skills. The witches sang, played music, and danced at the gatherings around the fire, but nothing like what she'd experienced when the gargoyles transformed. After the first night, she was hooked.It was a risk to return but one she was willing to take. She'd ventured to that different world to hear the unique groups, especially to watch the guitarist with hair as black as midnight.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
05UndatedThe five statutes loomed above the crowd, still and timeless. The last light of the setting sun cast an eerie glow around them. When she fixed her gaze on Mason's stone form, her heart thumped. She scanned every inch of his silhouette, wondering about the spark of life within the stone that would animate him into flesh. A warm-blooded male with a heated touch and sensuous lips that made her melt.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
07UndatedThey soared past the dark shapes of animals, grazing in the fields."What are they?" she asked."Sheep," Mason replied. "I once heard someone describe them as floating like clouds across the hills.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
08UndatedHeat radiated from him, penetrating her like the sun warming her on hot midsummer days. It coiled inside her, low in her belly, and sank lower. She recognized it, the magic between lovers. Intoxicating and intense. An all-consuming attraction. The air between them shimmered with energy, an irresistible force connecting them.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
09UndatedIn decades past, the three clans of the island - tree witches, gargoyles, and wolves, had cloaked their land with many layers of protection. Their combined magic had created such a powerful force it had remained undetected by human technology. When a feud erupted between the witches and gargoyles twenty-five years ago it led to a division of land. Without reinforcements from the clans' combined magic, the protection seeped away.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
10UndatedHe lowered his head until his lips hovered centimeters above hers. This was the moment he craved. This heated moment – each of them lingering, waiting, wanting. He loved the excitement of the build-up almost as much as the conquest itself. As he’d told her many times, the greater the anticipation, the sweeter the reward.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
12UndatedNothing would keep him from loving her. She was everything he wanted. She was his.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
13UndatedI bought new lingerie today I wanted to show you, but I didn’t get a chance with all that happened.”“You’ll have to return tomorrow night then…. Maybe we’ll order an entire catalog.” His smile and the glint of mischievousness in his eyes reflected lascivious thoughts. “You can model all the outfits you’d like for me.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
14UndatedShe ceased to breathe. When he leaned forward and his lips fluttered against hers, her footing became unsteady and she stumbled. He placed a hand on her lower back to steady her and pulled her close. Her breasts met his hard torso and she became aware at how frantically her heart beat. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lost herself in the kiss as their lips met. They explored each other with a sort of fascination, mouth and tongues claiming each other in their hunger. Delicately at first, as if not sure this was real or just a fantasy, and then strong and unyielding. Demanding this moment to never end.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
16UndatedYou wanted to see me?” she asked after shutting the door. She remained where she was, not daring to move any closer.He turned his gaze from the fire crackling over the logs to face her. Those dark eyes scanned her from head to foot and when they reached her once again, they gleamed with unmistakable hunger.“Take off your clothes,” he said calmly.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
17UndatedI’ve been waiting for you.” His voice sizzled with hunger.How could I respond? I’ve been thinking about you non-stop like a sex-crazed harlot since I left?“I’m here.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
18UndatedWhen we wake, it’s officially Christmas Eve.” “Good. Because I have something special to give you.” She turned over her shoulder and cocked an eyebrow. “Thought you just did.” He chuckled, a deep and throaty sound. “Something else.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
19UndatedI should tell you something about what happens after I play.""What's that?"He pulled her back into his arms. "I get excited...Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
20UndatedThe freak show was about to begin.Spotlights flooded the musicians powered by solar panels near a massive amplifier. The guitarist continued playing and the others joined in, playing a raucous crossover between hard rock and heavy metal. The one with long blond hair grabbed hold of the microphone and belted out a shattering cry that sounded like a call to battle. The crowd went pin drop silent to listen and then cheered in unison as the band played on. The front man sang piercing growls and low croons about the Knights in Stone, the protectors of the ancient forests, battling against the evil tree witches... Kayla's coven.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
21UndatedStop him, stop this, she commanded herself. Reason floated away; she wanted him. If he walked away now, she might disintegrate into a pile of frustration as fragile as the leaves crumbling under foot. His lips touched hers, shooting electric shock waves rippling to her toes. Then he claimed her with a torrid kiss. Passion welled up from her core, overpowering all thought except her desires.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
22UndatedDuring the show, she studied him on stage. The way he strummed the guitar, the movement of muscles in his arms and torso, the sway of the tartan fabric with his movements. Her cheeks heated when she thought about running her fingers over his torso and under his kilt. Oh, the things he could do to her with that body.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
23UndatedShe pushed his massive chest, which was as effective as if she pushed granite. "What are you made of, bloody stone?" He chuckled, eyes full of mirth. "Sometimes.Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗
24UndatedShe tore her eyes from his abs and gave in to the temptation to look further down. Over his kilt her eyes wandered and stopped, speculating on the promising bulge beneath the blue tartan. "Hope you like what you see...Lisa Carlisle / quote ↗