Blackstone Manor

By Kassandra Lea

Io is a Masonry Gargoyle tasked with looking after old buildings to help maintain a balance, and he’s hopelessly in love with his alpha, Cinder. If only he wasn’t such a screw up. With Cinder’s birthday right around the corner, Io is convinced he has found the perfect gift -- Blackstone Manor, an estate that has captivated Cinder for years. He just needs to find the deed before the house is demolished.

Of course, keeping the gift a secret from the bitter beta Ran’imy may prove easier said than done. She has her sights set on Cinder, too. But Io is willing to do whatever he has to, including crossing a line that could get him banished from the clan.

He’s about to make a stand for love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Jun 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781634861168

Kassandra Lea

Kassandra Lea’s stories have appeared in a number of anthologies. She lives in southern Wisconsin. For more information, visit facebook.com/leakassie.

Book preview

6

Chapter 1

Blackstone Manor had been erected so long ago nobody could remember a time when it didn’t rest at the end of Deerwood Lane. The paved road merged with the gravel driveway that sliced through the acreage once surrounding the grand home, effectively making the street a dead end. New development slowly crept in its direction, cookie cutter suburban houses eating up empty fields. The greedy company had already received permission from the city to destroy the old overgrown vineyard that used to produce some of the best wine in the state, all despite a vast public outcry; which was ridiculous given the last bottle had been sealed some thirty years earlier.

The history of Blackstone Manor was whispered about, speculated over, most of the records regarding it lost in a flood that happened decades ago. The public seemed torn. Half of them were happy to see the spooky place bulldozed, citing it a hazard to curious teens. The other half fought to have the estate marked as a historical structure, pointing out how it had stood the test of time and that there would be a loss of character.

And on a cool June night Io instantly sided with the history buffs. Blackstone Manor was beautiful, easily shaming all the newly built houses. Of course, some might say he was biased for any number of reasons. For one thing it was his job to care about old places more than the average human.

Simply because Io was a Masonry Gargoyle, considered to be the lesser of the two gargoyle species. Masonries included the wickedly cool statues found along some rooflines and those like Io. It was their job to preserve history, to keep pieces of the past moving into the future, strictly in relation to buildings, of course. They guarded old homes and long forgotten asylums. As long as certain places remained standing the balance between the spiritual and living worlds was maintained. Io didn’t quite understand how it worked, but he suspected it had something to do with weak spots and keeping the dearly departed happy.

The second reason he wanted to save Blackstone Manor was because of love. It may have been unrequited, yet love all the same.

Io flexed his bat-like wings, letting his gaze roam up the brick exterior of the manor. Apparently, it got its name from the black marble columns standing to either side of the front doors, so he heard. Spires jutted toward the sky while three stories of blank windows, most of them broken, faced the world. There were designs in the brickwork, an attention to detail rarely seen in modern works. Ivy covered part of the façade. The front steps were crumbling. A plastic bag clung to one of the bushes, rustling in the gentle caress of the breeze.

Gravel crunched under Io’s boots as he headed for the front doors, curious to see what it looked like inside. The cement steps nearly tripped him up, a chunk falling away under his feet. He ran fingers over the smooth marble, somehow untouched by time, perfect and cool to the touch. He turned to the ornately carved heavy oaken front doors, complete with long tarnished doorknockers.

Marring their appearance was a notice fastened to the wood, one declaring it illegal to trespass on the property and that anyone caught doing so would be charged with accordance to the law. The fine…

Io rolled his eyes. That seems a bit presumptuous, don’t you think? He tore the warning free and crumpled it into a ball. Effortlessly he broke the lock, nudging the door open with the toe of his boot. The air that greeted him was stale, stagnant, stinking