Stone Solitude

By A.C. Warneke

A cursed stone Beast

Isolated and alone, without family or fortune, Roman Nosuntres is a gargoyle forgotten by the world. He just wants to get back what once was lost and his only hope of breaking the curse that binds him lies in the unconditional surrender of an innocent. He just never anticipated someone like Daisy, who slowly brings color into his black and white world.

An innocent & beguiling Beauty

Born into a life of love and privilege, surrounded by friends and family, Daisy Tremain doesn’t quite fit in. She’s a wolf who can’t shift and a Siren afraid to sing. Not broken or damaged, just a little lost, Daisy’s life finally starts to make sense when she meets the mysterious Roman. Imperfect apart, they are perfect together.

As long as they don't piss off too many gods.

STONE SOLITUDE is a full length novel at 107+K words. It can be read as a standalone and there is no cliffhanger but if you're interested in other gargoyles, there is the Stone Passions Trilogy (Stone Lover, Stone Romance, & Stone Destiny.) Siren Song is the story of Daisy's parents. Not recommended for anyone younger than 18 due to sexual situations and strong language.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.C. Warneke
• Release date: Apr 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311659545

A.C. Warneke

Like most writers, I spend most of my time telling myself stories and occasionally writing them down when they get too loud to remain in my head. Each book likes to be created in its own way, which makes establishing an environment that is most conducive to writing quite difficult, though it occasionally involves Dove chocolates, music, minesweeper, lots of solitaire, notebooks and scraps of paper, doodling and day dreaming, and fruity, sugar-free bubble gum, not necessarily in that order and not always at the same time. Of course, none of this would be possible without the love and support of my very loving and very tolerant family, who politely listen as I go on and on about my characters' motivations and back stories, their connections within the worlds created and how they fight to gain control of their destinies. But I am a cruel writer and make them earn their happy endings. Since I am also a Romantic at heart, they are all happy endings. Available Books: Darkness Comes (Darkness book 1-PNR) Darkness Falls (Darkness book 2 - PNR) Stone Lover (Stone Passion Trilogy book 1 -PNR, romantica) Stone Romance (Stone Passion Trilogy book 2 -PNR, romantica) Stone Destiny (Stone Passion Trilogy book 3 - PNR, romantica) Siren Song (PNR) Stone Solitude (Stone Passion Twins book 1 - PNR, romantica) Stone Seduction (Stone Passion Twins book 2 - PNR, romantica) Awakening (PNR/UF) Blight (UF) After Blight (Blight book 2 - UF) Blind Attraction (Contemporary) Winter's Heart (STEAMY Contemporary) A Million Kisses or More (Contemporary) I love hearing from readers. Email me at: [e-mail] or connect on facebook: www.facebook.com/ACWarneke or visit my blog and leave a comment: acwarneke.com

Book preview

STONE SOLITUDE

A cursed stone Beast

Isolated and alone, without family or fortune, Roman Nosuntres is a gargoyle forgotten by the world. He just wants to get back what once was lost and his only hope of breaking the curse that binds him lies in the unconditional surrender of an innocent. He just never anticipated someone like Daisy, who slowly brings color into his black and white world.

An innocent & beguiling Beauty

Born into a life of love and privilege, surrounded by friends and family, Daisy Tremain doesn’t quite fit in. She’s a wolf who can’t shift and a Siren afraid to sing. Not broken or damaged, just a little lost, Daisy’s life finally starts to make sense when she meets the mysterious Roman. Imperfect apart, they are perfect together.

*****

STONE SOLITUDE

by

A.C.Warneke

Smashwords Edition

*****

Published by

A.C. Warneke on Smashwords

STONE SOLITUDE

Copyright©2014 by Andrea Warneke

All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover designed by A.C.Warneke

Images:

Daisy

Credit/Copyright Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/Shutterstock

Roman

Credit/Copyright Guiseppe Parisi/Shutterstock

*****

Dedication:

To all of those who love gargoyles

Acknowledgement:

I have an amazing group of Beta readers who are more than generous with their time and support throughout the entire process of writing a book. When there are days when the doubts are louder than the story, they are there with words of encouragement and love. Even though I have yet to meet any of them in the real world, I adore these women and appreciate all that they do ♥

Lakecia Gassett ♥ Christina Gwin ♥ Jacque Burford ♥ Paris Lemos ♥ Jessica Gentile ♥ Jodi Negri ♥ Celita Collins ♥ Colleen Reilly ♥ Lindsey Armstrong ♥Karen Arnold ♥ Lauren Arnold ♥ Angela Sanders ♥

*****

Gargoyles, Sirens, & Wolves:

The Stone Passions Trilogy: Gargoyles are introduced in STONE LOVER: Vaughn and Melanie’s story. Melanie has always been a little different, able to see things that others cannot. She falls in love with Vaughn, a man who becomes a Gargoyle when she sun rises.

Rhys and Jenna’s story is STONE ROMANCE: Melanie’s sister Jenna has experienced great sorrow in her life. Rhys is the gargoyle who brings love, laughter, and passion back into her life.

STONE DESTINY is Armand and Ferris’s story. Ferris was raised in the world of magic and fell in love with Armand when she was sixteen. Five years later, she decides it’s time to take matters into her own hands.

SIREN SONG is the story of Daisy’s parents, Lexi Darling and Duncan Tremain. Lexi Darling is vibrant, bold, and a Siren and she has her heart set on Duncan. Duncan is a wolf who is determined to avoid Lexi, no matter how much he wants her.

*****

STONE SOLITUDE

Prologue

Roman stared at the woman in horror as she smiled down at him, a triumphant gleam in her black eyes as she continued to rock her hips against him.

The dagger in her hand flashed in the candle light but she didn’t stab him. Instead, she slid the blade across her palm until blood welled, crimson against her bronze flesh. He tried to buck her off his body but he couldn’t move, could only watch in terror. Chanting something in an ancient language, she slid the blade across his chest in a shallow cut. Then she pressed her bleeding palm against his fresh wound and he could feel her blood mingling with his, possessing him, changing him, altering him.

The last thought that flashed in his head as he turned to a stone statue, was The fucking bitch!

Chapter 1

We’ll be passing by the old Zenith Castle in a few minutes, Mr. Rothman said from the front seat, his nearly bald head gleaming in the afternoon sun. He winked at the two girls in the rearview mirror before he continued, The castle was brought over from Europe stone by stone by an eccentric millionaire sometime in the late nineteenth century. Every artifact inside, every statue, every little bauble, was carefully crated up and shipped over. The Castle is filled with some of the rarest and most beautiful works of art ever created but it is not open to the general public which makes our invitation so exciting. Of course, it took a great deal of begging and pleading on my part to arrange our tour for tomorrow.

Daisy exchanged a smile with her best friend in the whole world, Amanda Rothman, before the two little girls fell into a fit of giggles. Mr. Rothman had been giving them little bits of facts and trivia about the various historical sites they had visited throughout the entire weeklong trip. But it was the Zenith Castle he was most excited about since so few were allowed within its walls. It was in the middle of nowhere on a road that was rarely traveled but it didn’t matter because it was another castle, the last castle, on their ‘Castles in the American Midwest’ tour.

Despite her mixed heritage – Daisy was a Siren and a wolf – she was still fascinated by fairy tales surrounding castles. Before they embarked on this trip, she had assumed all of the castles were located in Europe and had been surprised and excited to learn about the castles in America. Despite their histories not being as extensive as the castles in Europe, they were still fascinating and visiting them had been a huge treat. Of course, she always thought that castles were portals to other realms and the princesses that lived in them were Changelings who needed to be rescued by a fairy prince so they could return to their real home. Sometimes, it was the prince who needed saving from a horrible curse and the princess would rescue him and they’d fall madly in love and live happily ever after.

There was a castle in Saint Paul that she saw whenever they went into the city but none of her friends had ever seen it because it was enchanted. Daisy had asked her mom about it once and her mom explained that the castle was magic and it was hidden to protect the fairy tale creatures that lived inside from the humans. Then she had asked her mom if they could move into the castle and live with the fairy tale creatures and her mom had laughed her tinkling laugh and shook her head no. Wrapping Daisy up in her scented hug, her mom said that wolves were meant to run free, not be cooped up in some stuffy building.

Her mom hadn’t been born a wolf but she had embraced her wolf from the very first time she changed. Probably because her mom and dad were madly, passionately in love and had been from the moment they met, a story that Daisy loved hearing no matter how often she heard it. Her mom had been working for her dad and they were determined to keep their relationship professional but their attraction was too strong. Even now, after eleven years of marriage and five children, they couldn’t stand being apart for more than a few hours. Their passion for one another explained why Daisy had so many siblings.

She loved her brothers and sister to pieces, she truly did, but it was still nice to have a best friend like Amanda, who was human and an only child. They had met in kindergarten nearly five years ago, though it almost didn’t happen. Daisy had begged and pleaded to be allowed to attend a normal school. She had just wanted to be a normal girl, not a wolf or a Siren, and she definitely hadn’t wanted to go to the same school as her twin brother who was the biggest pest. Her parents had compromised by sending her to a private school that was nearby while her brother went to the pack’s school.

From the first day when Daisy had sat down next to the little girl with pale blond hair during snack time and shared her juice box, they had been inseparable. Spending nearly every weekend at one another’s houses, the two made quite the pair: Daisy with her dark brown hair and silver eyes and Mandy with her pale hair and big, blue eyes. Daisy loved visiting Mandy for the peace and quiet and Mandy loved visiting Daisy for the noise and chaos. This year was the first time that the Rothmans had taken Daisy on their end of summer vacation and next year, the Tremains were going to take Mandy on their vacation.

Over the last couple of days, as Mr. Rothman went on and on about the men and women who had built each castle and the history of each estate, Daisy noticed an odd smell coming from her second family. At first, it wasn’t too noticeable, just a hint of something her wolf picked up on. She was a little concerned because it was slowly getting stronger and more rancid, like diseased prey that had been left behind. The Rothmans were probably just coming down with the flu or a cold. She didn’t have to worry because, well, she was a wolf and wolves didn’t catch human diseases.

There’s the road we will be turning down tomorrow, Mr. Rothman said from the front seat, pointing out the side window. A small, barely visible dirt road peeked out from beneath overgrown trees and Daisy knew that it would be impossible to find unless one was deliberately looking for it. Although, there was a little… gnome standing there. He was only a foot tall and he was wearing a bright red hat that matched his shorts. Daisy wasn’t sure what color his shirt was because it was hidden beneath a big, bushy white beard and she smiled at the little ceramic figure.

Her eyes widened as the little creature smiled back and waved, letting her know he was real. Her head snapped around as they passed and a small smile curved her lips as he blew her a kiss. She wished she could tell Mandy about everything that was out there but her mom told her it wouldn’t be fair since Mandy would never be able to see them. When Daisy did tell Mandy something, her friend laughed and said Daisy had the best imagination and that was why they were such good friends.

There were a lot of things humans couldn’t see.

Up ahead, something strange was happening. Squinting her eyes, Daisy tried to figure out what was wrong. Without meaning to, she interrupted Mr. Rothman, What’s that?

What’s what, sweetheart? Mrs. Rothman asked, turning around in the seat and giving Daisy a soft smile.

That. She pointed her finger out the front window. A wall of… light was coming towards them, covering the entire horizon so that there would be no way to avoid it. As she stared at it, she realized that it didn’t behave like light. It coiled and writhed and seemed to consume everything in its path and since it was so bright, Daisy wasn’t sure if there was anything left behind it.

With a look of concern, Mrs. Rothman turned her head and looked out the window and shook her head, Nothing’s there, sweetie.

Daisy’s eyes widened in alarm as she rasped, Slow down the car.

Looking into the rearview mirror, Mr. Rothman turned on his turn signal and pulled onto the shoulder but he didn’t come to a complete stop. Squinting his eyes, he shook his head, too. I don’t see anything, Daisy.

They can’t see it, my little flower, her wolf whispered in her head. The wolf was pacing back and forth like the caged wolves she had visited at the zoo and that worried Daisy more than anything. Her wolf was always calm, keeping Daisy company during storms when the thunder shook the house and the lightning lit up the sky. They are human.

Daisy cringed at the reminder, unable to tear her eyes from the oncoming wall of light. What is it?

The wolf shook her dark head, I don’t know.

The living light was racing towards them now and Daisy pushed back against the seat in the hopes of getting away from the ball of light but there was no place to go, there was no escape. Without thought, she grabbed Mandy’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut as light slammed against the car. When it slammed against her, she screamed.

*****

Slowly, Daisy swam back from the darkness. She could hear birdsong and a slight hissing sound that she couldn’t place. Hoping to feel Mandy’s hand in her own, she curled her fingers but she held only air. Her throat hurt and when she tried to say her friend’s name it came out as a croak. Mandy?

There was no response and her little heart nearly burst in her chest. Not wanting to see, knowing she had to, she pried her eyes open and discovered she was alone. Clearing her throat, she whispered, Mandy? Mr. Rothman? Mrs. Rothman?

For what seemed like an eternity but was only a few minutes, she screamed their names, begging them to answer her but there was no one else in the car with her. At first she thought that they had left her behind but then she realized the seatbelts were still fastened. They had simply disappeared and tears welled in her eyes because she was all alone. Blinking back the tears, she looked out the front window and realized that the hissing sound was the smoke coming from the front end, the end that was crumpled against a tree trunk.

Mandy? she called out again, knowing her friend wasn’t going to answer. With shaky limbs, she unfastened her seatbelt and crawled into the driver’s seat. Numbly, she turned the ignition off, tossing the useless keys onto the passenger’s seat as she thought about what she was going to do.

Was her family safe? Had they been sucked up into the light, too?

Spying Mrs. Rothmans’ purse on the floor, she grabbed it and dug out the cell phone. It was password protected but she knew the password. Mandy told her that her mother never remembered her passwords so they were always really simple, like a-b-c-d or 1-1-1-1. Her finger shook as she punched in 1-1-1-1 and the screen unlocked. Scrolling through the recent calls, she found her mom’s number and hit call. Instead of hearing her mom say Hello, she heard an automated voice drone, We’re sorry but all of the circuits are currently busy. Please hang up and try again. If this is an emergency, dial 9-1-1….

She lost track of time as she sat there and stared at nothing. All she could think about were the summers she spent swimming with Mandy and her brothers, of playing tag and running around after dark catching fireflies. Mandy and she spent hours and hours playing with her mom’s clothes and make up, pretending to be mermaids or rock stars or space aliens. Often, her mom would play with them, applying glittery lipstick or pretending to be the princess that had to be rescued from the castle tower. Of course, by the time Mandy and Daisy made it to the tower, really a small gazebo in the back yard, Daisy’s dad would already be there kissing the princess awake.

Daisy always turned bright red when she saw her parents kissing but inside it made her glow. Not all of her classmates were lucky enough to have parents that even liked one another.

We need to get out of here, little flower, her wolf whispered, a hint of urgency in her voice as she brought Daisy back to the present. It’s almost dark and I don’t want you to be out here all alone.

Where should I go? she asked out loud, looking at the world around her, a world that on the surface appeared to be just the same as it was before the light swept over the land. She knew that it wasn’t the same, that everything had changed, but she wasn’t sure how or in what ways. The only thing she did know was that if her parents were still out there, they would find her.

Unless she got eaten by a monster.

The Castle, her wolf said. A gnome wouldn’t be there unless there was sanctuary for our kind.

With a brief nod, Daisy slid the phone into her pocket and then pulled on the handle, opening the car door. Fresh air filled the small vehicle and Daisy took a deep breath. The air had never smelled so sweet, as if all of the darkness in the world had been cleansed away. No, that wasn’t quite true because there was still darkness. It was as if humanity’s darkness had been swept away, at least temporarily.

Strength, little flower, her wolf whispered in encouragement. Be brave.

Swallowing, she stood up on trembling legs and forced her feet to walk away from the car. There were none of the normal sounds of civilization that always hummed in the background, even in the middle of nowhere. Closing her eyes, she pushed her wolf to her limits in order to listen further. After a moment of complete silence, she heard a cacophony of noise. Sirens wailed from far, far away as men and women, old and young, cried in wretched misery. Immediately, Daisy closed her ears to the sound, unable to deal with such sorrow, not when her own heart was breaking.

Was her family okay? Her beautiful momma and her strong, handsome daddy? Her irksome brothers and her baby sister? The baby in momma’s tummy?

We’ll try calling again once we’re safe.

Nodding her head at her wolf’s words, she started back the way they had come, hoping the dirt road to the castle wasn’t too far, hoping that the gnome still stood there. Tears slid unnoticed down her cheeks as she tried not to think about Mandy, about the Rothmans, about her family.

Was she all alone in the world?

Don’t worry, little flower, I’ll take care of you.

She knew her wolf only meant to offer comfort but the words still hurt. She didn’t want the wolf to take care of her; she wanted her momma. Slowly, she made her way back towards the hidden road, feeling the encroaching night. Usually, she loved being out at night but usually she was surrounded by her pack when the sun went down. She had been looking forward to the day when she was of an age and able to transform into a wolf, knowing that her momma and her dad were going to be there to help her with the transition. But now the thought of shifting frightened her. What if she had to make the change on her own? What if she got lost in her wolf form and was unable to become a girl once again?

Don’t shut me out, little flower.

The frantically spoken words barely registered as she thought about her cousin who had made the transition and had gotten stuck. His parents had spent three days and nights whispering to the wolf, coaxing her cousin back from the abyss. Afterwards, he had told her how scared he had been. The wolf had been so strong and he hadn’t been able to wrestle back control until he heard his parents’ voices. For nearly six months, his mother and father had worked with him, trained him, until he was able to control the wolf.

What if there was no one there to help her?

She didn’t know why her thoughts were dwelling on what was going to happen when her time to change came, especially since her best friend had simply vanished. Probably because it was easier to deal with a distant unknown than acknowledge the fact that her friend was gone. Where did everyone go?

Did their disappearance have anything to do with the smell that had been slowly building within them? The smell of death, of decay? She hadn’t realized how cloying the sickly sweet scent had been until she couldn’t smell it anymore, until the light had washed it away. Humans always gave off the strongest scents so she hadn’t really thought about it before. Now her mind whirled with the possibilities of what that might mean for her and her kind.

Would the light think lycanthropy was a disease?

She shook her head of the idea almost as soon as she had it. If lycanthropy was a disease, she would have been burned up by the light. Unless it was making a second pass, burning up different diseases as it went. Was it coming back? Was there anywhere she could hide if it did? If her family was gone, did she really want to avoid it?

Hello! a deep voice boomed from knee level. Snapping out of her misery, Daisy looked down and found that she had almost tripped over the gnome. His belly chuckle eased some of the pain but only some of it because there was too much. Reaching up, he took her much bigger hand in his and led her down the dirt road. I’ve been expecting you, little wolf child.

Daisy whimpered at the reminder of her nature, the fears roiling in her gut with unrelenting force. Unable to think clearly, she said the only thing that came to mind, Our tour is scheduled for tomorrow.

His cheeks curved over his bushy beard as he smiled even wider, Perhaps, but you are supposed to be here now and you are right on time.

His words made no sense to her addled brain and she couldn’t think of anything to say because they were supposed to be there tomorrow. Is the castle far?

Not too far, the little gnome said in his deep baritone. Looking up at her, he winked, Of course, we both have tiny legs so it might seem further than it is.

A reluctant smile curved Daisy’s lips at the display of humor. But then she remembered Mandy and the Rothmans and her family and her heart slammed against her ribs. Her eyes stung as she asked, What happened?

Hmm. The little gnome’s face twisted up in contemplation as he considered her words. Scratching his beard, he pursed his lips and said, I believe the veil was ripped away.

She understood what his words meant, having grown up straddling the human world and the supernatural world, but she still didn’t understand. Scrubbing the tears from her cheeks, she asked, B…but what happened to my friend?

He shook his head in commiseration as he answered, I don’t know, little wolf child.

My name is Daisy, she said, not wanting him to call her wolf-child anymore.

He cocked his head to the side as he looked up at her, You’re not a flower.

No, I am not, she agreed softly even though she felt very much like a flower at the moment, liable to break beneath the weight of loss. If the light was the veil being lifted away, why did it take her friend? Maybe Mandy’s disappearance was unrelated to the light….

No, it would be an impossible coincidence if that were true, especially since humans didn’t just disappear. Likewise, wolves and Sirens couldn’t vanish on a whim either. Daisy only knew of a few creatures with that ability and most of them were not creatures you wanted to meet on a dark, deserted dirt road. Or anywhere else, really.

The overhanging trees were starting to thin out and Daisy could just make out a large, wrought iron gate up ahead. With a start, she realized the little gnome had kept up a running stream of commentary and she hadn’t heard a word of anything he had said. Her fingers twitched and he came to a halt, looking up at her with a curious expression. Is anything wrong, little wolf-child?

A slightly hysterical laugh slipped past her lips as she stared down at the little creature. Is anything wrong? Wiping a tear from her eye, she asked, Am I all alone?

His fuzzy eyebrows drew together as he slowly shook his head no, Of course you’re not all alone. I’m here.

Another burble of hysterical laughter burst past her lips as she shook her head. The gnome couldn’t possibly understand what was wrong. He was a gnome. Will I be safe here?

Once again he paused before answering, stroking his beard with his free hand. Most likely.

And if the light comes back?

It won’t be back, he said with absolute conviction. As I said, it was the ripping off of the veil. There’s no need to rip it off twice since it’s already gone.

Dropping her hand, he waddled up to the gate as he dug in his pockets. After a moment, he turned around and gave her a triumphant grin as he held up a large ring of keys that could not possibly have fit into his little pockets. Before she could think too much on it, he turned back to the gate and pushed a key into a small key hole that was at his arm level. Blinking, Daisy realized that it was the only keyhole on the entire gate.

Blinking again, she looked at the little gnome and realized he could slide through the openings. She wondered why he used the key at all, except he was taking her to the castle because she had been expected. Did he plan on handing her over to a witch that lived there, a witch who enjoyed eating little children? Or maybe it was a dwarf who would put her to work digging for treasure. At ten, she was still small enough to fit into tiny crevices and reach the really hard to get gemstones.

Hadn’t her mother and father always told her to be careful of strangers, especially supernatural creatures? It hardly mattered because she was alone in the middle of nowhere and she figured she was safer with the gnome than on her own. Even if he meant to give her to a dwarf.

His deep, belly laugh startled her again but when she looked at him, he was shaking his head with a broad smile on his face. Holding out his hand, he simply said, Come.

Automatically, she took his hand once again, surprised to see that the gate was open. While she had been daydreaming, the little man had unlocked it and it had opened up on silent hinges. A knot of fear or uncertainty coiled in her belly as the two of them walked through the gate. There was a subtle shimmer and she was certain they had just stepped past a magical barrier, something that would have kept humans away.

Would the Rothmans have even been able to visit had the light not burned them up?

Pressing a hand against her upset tummy, she strained to get a glimpse of the castle but there were still too many trees in the way. Now, however, the road was made of pretty, pale pink stones instead of the ugly brown dirt. Mandy would love to run down the lane…. Her breath caught in her throat as she remembered Mandy wasn’t there with her anymore. It had only been a little while, so how had she forgotten?

It’s the magic, the gnome said. She snapped her eyes to him and found that he was looking up at her with sympathy. Patting her hand with his free hand, he continued, The magic helps hide the pain until it is easier to deal with.

Then I don’t think I will ever want to leave, she said softly, squeezing his hand in a silent thanks. Swallowing thickly, she wondered if she could live at the castle forever if there was nowhere else for her to go, if…. She couldn’t even think it because if she did, she was certain she would die.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the castle came into view and she had to stop and catch her breath. It looked like a castle from out of a fairy tale but not a happy fairy tale. The stone was dark, gleaming ominously in the last rays of the sun and Daisy was fairly certain there should be a dragon guarding the massive structure. The castle was monstrously huge, with at least three stone towers that she could see and perhaps a dozen more that were beyond her immediate vision. She counted six rows of windows from the ground to the roof and far more than six from side-to-side.

Broad, stone stairs led to the enormous front doors and Daisy had to swallow back the urge to vomit. The gnome was taking her to the home of a giant and she was going to be eaten as an appetizer. A very small appetizer. Swallowing, she managed to rasp, I don’t think I want to go in there.

You’ve come so far, little wolf-child, the gnome said, tugging at her hand and pulling her up the steps, making her stumble over her feet. For such a little creature, he was surprisingly strong and Daisy found herself being dragged closer to the doors that grew larger and larger the closer she got. A huge lion’s head was in the middle of each door, a large metal ring hanging from each of their mouths. The metal creatures seemed to follow her movement with their eyes and she wasn’t sure whether they wanted to eat her or welcome them to their home. Just a little further.

Her eyes grew wider and wider with each step she took until the doors yawned open and she stepped into another world.

*****

The inside of the castle was unlike anything Daisy had ever seen before. The ceiling soared high overhead, almost all the way to heaven. The painted clouds looked so real that if she touched them, they would turn to mist and disappear. The walls themselves were painted a pale blue and sparkled in the low light. She was fairly certain that they would be blinding in the harsh light of day. The floor itself was white marble and the entire place simply glowed. While the outside of the castle looked foreboding, the inside was positively beautiful, which was all the more reason to be cautious.

Curving staircases flanked either side of the entry with gilded double doors straight ahead. Mandy and she would have an amazing time exploring this place, getting lost in the secret passageways that were certain to exist, locking themselves in the library that must take up an entire floor, running through the ballroom as music played from a hidden alcove. She could imagine her brothers playing here as well, chasing one another around while shrieks of laughter filled the corridors. As a slight smile curved her lips at the image, tears filled her eyes and she wasn’t sure why she was so sad.

No, she knew why she was sad: her best friend had been taken from her and her family might be gone as well. But in this place, it didn’t seem as awful as it did before. The sense of calm that washed through her made her believe that everything was going to be all right. If she was the only one left alive on this planet, she would find a place for herself in this strange and wonderful castle.

Come, the little gnome urged, pulling her towards the left staircase. With no more hesitation, she followed, trying to take in all of the incredible detail. From the statues that stood on pedestals in the alcoves to the tapestries that depicted all of her favorite fairy tales, there was so much to see. A smile parted her lips as she recognized Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid. Lost