back to a normal man’s. He gave me a menacing smile. “I didn’t think you would do it, sword-bearer .” He said the last word with a sneer and grabbed my throat.
Red spots blotted my vision and I gasped for oxygen.
Matt rushed toward me. Vane rounded the back of the SUV, holding a sword. In one clean slice, the gargoyle’s head came off. His body fell forward on me while the head tumbled to the ground. Blood sprayed all over my front. It seeped in through my button-down shirt, smearing against my skin.
“Ugh.” I pushed the body off me.
Vane stepped aside to avoid the falling body. “Is that any way to thank me for saving your life?”
Matt stared at the dead gargoyle with a dismayed expression. “I wanted the gargoyle alive, Vane.”
Vane gave him a withering expression. “I’m not taking chances with her.”
“She was handling it just fine. Now, we don’t know who sent them,” said Matt.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“It wasn’t Rourke,” said Matt. The two brothers glared at each other.
“I was handling it just fine.” I touched my soaking shirt with a grimace. My hands trembled, but I ignored them.
Vane didn’t. He watched me closely. “Yes, I can see that.”
He had a point. I had been relieved when Matt stopped me from killing the gargoyle. I didn’t know why. I should have had no problem taking out a gargoyle.
Matt touched my shoulder. “ Marsti, ” the soft word fluttered around me. The wind cleansed my shirt, soaking up the blood into bubbles that fell and splattered the grey sidewalk.
Around us, the carnage lay strewn across the quiet street. Moonlight illuminated the smooth faces on the severed heads of the dead gargoyles. The three we fought on the sidewalk. From between the trees, I saw about five more on the driveway. A guardian kneeled down beside two bodies, scarred beyond recognition. Two guardians, I presumed.
“We had four more on our side,” Vane used the edge of his fine wool coat to clean off the blade of his sword.
I looked around in worry. “Gia?”
“A gargoyle knocked her out.” Vane touched my cheek. “But she’s fine.”
“I’ll check on her,” Blake said and hurried around the Land Rover.
My shoulders relaxed. “Good.”
Matt knelt by the gargoyle that had almost taken me down. “Take a look at this.” He turned the gargoyle’s hand over. A curvy V inside a circle had been burned onto the skin like a brand.
“Morgan?” I whispered. Morgan, my ex-boyfriend, had killed my mother before turning on me.
“Are we going to have to kill everyone in his clan?” Vane said in disgust.
Blake walked up to us. “This was an attack on Ryan?”
I shook my head and nodded at the gargoyle below us. “When they first spotted me, I could tell they were surprised. I wasn’t the target here.”
Vane cursed. “No, Merlin is the target.” He looked at Matt. “They’re looking for the same thing you are. But it’s not here. They know it. This is a distraction.”
“What do you mean it’s not here?” Matt demanded. “You know where it is? How do you even know what it is?”
“Yes, and no.” Vane strode toward the Land Rover. The engine was crushed. The inside completely destroyed. He glanced around at the other SUVs. They looked in worse condition. “Shite. I’m going to have to walk.”
“Walk to where?”
He raised a brow at me. “Sure you haven’t had enough for one night?”
I bit my lip. The last time I’d followed a wizard down the rabbit hole, it hadn’t turned out well. Still, I wasn’t about to let him go off alone. I was the freaking sword-bearer after all. Whether or not I wanted to be.
“We’re stronger when we stay together,” I said.
“Good girl. Grab a sword, then. We’ll need it.” Vane looked at Matt. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Matt frowned.
“You’re not going without me.” Grey still held a sword in his hand.
“We’re wasting time.” Vane waved his hand. The crushed Land Rover and SUV
Red spots blotted my vision and I gasped for oxygen.
Matt rushed toward me. Vane rounded the back of the SUV, holding a sword. In one clean slice, the gargoyle’s head came off. His body fell forward on me while the head tumbled to the ground. Blood sprayed all over my front. It seeped in through my button-down shirt, smearing against my skin.
“Ugh.” I pushed the body off me.
Vane stepped aside to avoid the falling body. “Is that any way to thank me for saving your life?”
Matt stared at the dead gargoyle with a dismayed expression. “I wanted the gargoyle alive, Vane.”
Vane gave him a withering expression. “I’m not taking chances with her.”
“She was handling it just fine. Now, we don’t know who sent them,” said Matt.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“It wasn’t Rourke,” said Matt. The two brothers glared at each other.
“I was handling it just fine.” I touched my soaking shirt with a grimace. My hands trembled, but I ignored them.
Vane didn’t. He watched me closely. “Yes, I can see that.”
He had a point. I had been relieved when Matt stopped me from killing the gargoyle. I didn’t know why. I should have had no problem taking out a gargoyle.
Matt touched my shoulder. “ Marsti, ” the soft word fluttered around me. The wind cleansed my shirt, soaking up the blood into bubbles that fell and splattered the grey sidewalk.
Around us, the carnage lay strewn across the quiet street. Moonlight illuminated the smooth faces on the severed heads of the dead gargoyles. The three we fought on the sidewalk. From between the trees, I saw about five more on the driveway. A guardian kneeled down beside two bodies, scarred beyond recognition. Two guardians, I presumed.
“We had four more on our side,” Vane used the edge of his fine wool coat to clean off the blade of his sword.
I looked around in worry. “Gia?”
“A gargoyle knocked her out.” Vane touched my cheek. “But she’s fine.”
“I’ll check on her,” Blake said and hurried around the Land Rover.
My shoulders relaxed. “Good.”
Matt knelt by the gargoyle that had almost taken me down. “Take a look at this.” He turned the gargoyle’s hand over. A curvy V inside a circle had been burned onto the skin like a brand.
“Morgan?” I whispered. Morgan, my ex-boyfriend, had killed my mother before turning on me.
“Are we going to have to kill everyone in his clan?” Vane said in disgust.
Blake walked up to us. “This was an attack on Ryan?”
I shook my head and nodded at the gargoyle below us. “When they first spotted me, I could tell they were surprised. I wasn’t the target here.”
Vane cursed. “No, Merlin is the target.” He looked at Matt. “They’re looking for the same thing you are. But it’s not here. They know it. This is a distraction.”
“What do you mean it’s not here?” Matt demanded. “You know where it is? How do you even know what it is?”
“Yes, and no.” Vane strode toward the Land Rover. The engine was crushed. The inside completely destroyed. He glanced around at the other SUVs. They looked in worse condition. “Shite. I’m going to have to walk.”
“Walk to where?”
He raised a brow at me. “Sure you haven’t had enough for one night?”
I bit my lip. The last time I’d followed a wizard down the rabbit hole, it hadn’t turned out well. Still, I wasn’t about to let him go off alone. I was the freaking sword-bearer after all. Whether or not I wanted to be.
“We’re stronger when we stay together,” I said.
“Good girl. Grab a sword, then. We’ll need it.” Vane looked at Matt. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Matt frowned.
“You’re not going without me.” Grey still held a sword in his hand.
“We’re wasting time.” Vane waved his hand. The crushed Land Rover and SUV
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