Night Angel (Gargoyle Night Guardians Book 2)

by Rosalie Redd

  Hell, that was the main reason she’d decided to major in business. A business degree was the smart thing to do, but it didn’t feed her soul, not like her sketches.

  Whenever she put charcoal to paper, her chest lightened. The world seemed as bright and beautiful as the sun shining off a waterfall, snow blanketing a forest under the full moon, or the colorful bloom of a meadow in springtime. Even now, just thinking about creating art warmed her on the inside, chasing away some of her headache.

  Maybe, just maybe, if she received a decent night’s sleep, the rest of her headache would be gone by morning. Yeah, that was it.

  With an ease in her step counterpoint to the slight pounding behind her eyes, she flicked off the bathroom light and padded into her bedroom.

  After the stress of finishing her school paper, her near-death encounter with the fae, the birthday surprise from Sadie and Beaumont, and seeing Seth again, no wonder her nerves had gone all haywire and she had become ill.

  Hannah changed into a pair of pajamas with the words “Let Me Sleep” printed on the front and slipped between the covers.

  Before she lay down, she glanced at her birthday present then drew her finger over the angel’s magnificent wings. An image of Seth with his deep blue eyes and sexy smile flitted across her mind.

  If anyone deserved the title of “guardian angel,” it was him. He’d saved her yet again.

  She flicked off the lamp on her nightstand and drew the comforter up to her chin. As her headache blended in with her exhaustion and tugged on her consciousness, her last thoughts centered around the sculpted, sexy gargoyle. Only in her dreams could she be with a guy like him.

  CHAPTER 3

  Seth dematerialized on the shore of Lake Michigan, along the twelfth street beach. Water lapped against the sand, the rhythmic cadence eerily chilling in its peacefulness. In this war, any fleeting sense of peace never lasted long.

  As he inhaled, the metallic scent of fae burned the hairs inside his nose. He stifled a gag and unclipped his whip from his belt.

  Several feet away, Finn, Damian, and Grayson surrounded one of the deadly creatures. Blood dripped from numerous gashes on the fae’s arms, chest, and face. Even without his gargoyle senses, the scent of impending death was unmistakable.

  Damian plunged his dagger into the fae’s eye. The creature slid to the ground and his body disappeared into a small swirl of dust. Another dark soul banished from Earth.

  After Beaumont, Seth and Finn’s former partner, passed his test and became human once again, Rhiannon brought in two new teammates. Grayson, a dark-haired guy with a gold ring in his ear and a red scarf around his neck, looked like a deranged pirate. Damian was a dark-skinned guy of African descent born soon after World War II.

  Neither were as close to him as Finn. He and his best friend had battled fae together for over a century. Yet, Seth kept some secrets hidden even from his best buddy.

  Seth rewound his whip and clipped his trusty weapon to his belt. “Good job, boys.”

  Ever-present black gloves hid Damian’s hands from view as he wiped his blade across his dark jeans. “Where the hell you been?”

  “Picked off a fae in the quad.” Rescued a sweet, innocent young lady. “Then found a few more. Took me a while.”

  Indeed, after his time with Hannah, he’d returned to the University of Chicago in search of Marco and intent on purging any other fae in the vicinity. More than that, though, he’d needed the distraction.

  He couldn’t afford to spend too much time with that pretty young thing. She tortured him far too much. Although he hadn’t run across his nemesis, he’d found several other fae. Nothing satisfied him more than dispatching those dark creatures to the ether, the space between space.

  “Jaysus, why did ya turn the mind link off? We communicate that way for a reason.” Finn raised a dark eyebrow over his piercing Irish green eyes. “Drake’s been askin’ about ya. Threatened ta track ya down if ya didn’t show soon.”

  “And he’s not happy. Sucks to be you.” Grayson shook his head and the tips of his curly, dark mane bounced against his shoulders. “You itching to spend some R&R on top of Stuart Hall, or do you want us to cover for you?”

  A groundswell of gratitude swept over Seth. Despite the razzing from his teammates, he knew without question the guys would have his back. “Drake’s as irritating as a rock in my boot. I shut down the mind link for a few hours and it’s like he’s as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He can check my kill record if he’s of a mind to.”

  He touched the brim of his hat, turned on the mind link, and strode to the water’s edge. His snakeskin boots sunk into the sand and small ripples washed over the tips.

  Even above the glow from the city’s lights, a purple tinge brightened the horizon. “Daylight soon. Need to—”

  “Well shit, Seth, decided to link in, did you?” Drake’s irritating voice filtered through Seth’s mind. “Glad we could be of service. You and I will chat later. For now, you and Finn sweep the beach for any remaining fae. Damian, Grayson. Need you to help squad Delta. Meet me at Wrigley Field.”

  The mind link severed.

  Seth ground his teeth so hard the cartilage in his jaw crackled. Bite my ass, Drake.

  Drake oversaw several squads within the city. Even though Drake’s hard-nosed, rule-abiding attitude slipped under Seth’s skin, there were worse squad leaders out there. Seth had reported to a few in the past. Drake was one of several throughout the country and, for that matter, the world, but he could count on Drake’s consistency. For that reason alone, Seth put up with him.

  Damian clapped his large, gloved palm across Seth’s shoulder. “Good luck, my man.”

  Grayson stroked his dark mustache and shrugged. “I had a feeling…”

  “Don’t ya two have someplace ta go?” Finn pursed his lips, and a tic pulsed to life in his jaw.

  Seth’s mouth dried, as if a desert wind had sucked all the moisture from the air. Over the past few months, Finn’s temper had worsened. If his friend wasn’t careful, he’d end up on Drake’s short list or worse.

  Grayson and Damian dematerialized, but not before Seth caught the smirks on their faces. Figures.

  Finn glanced at him and narrowed his gaze. “Now, what were ya really up ta? Were ya with the lass?”

  Seth raised his hands. “Don’t go there. Just don’t.”

  “So you were with the lass.” Finn’s features softened, and a chuckle eased from his lips. “My, that’s sweet.”

  “Enough already.” Seth ground his teeth. “Like I said, I took out a few fae in the central district—”

  Finn stiffened, and his lip curled. “Shite. By yerself? Don’t tell me ya were lured into someplace ya shouldn’t be.”

  A few years ago, Seth had chased a fae through an old abandoned building and nearly into the dark depths of Chicago’s underground tunnels. Memories of the old abandoned mine he’d fell into when he was five had swirled in his head—the numbing cold, the utter darkness, and his unanswered cries for help. Maybe it was karma the fae had escaped.

  Finn knew about Seth’s past and dagnab the guy for worrying. How pathetically sweet.

  Seth shook his head. “No, of course not, and you better watch it, or your face’ll freeze like that.”

  Finn placed his hand over his heart and feigned pain. “Oh, ow, it’s stuck! Help me, mate. My face… Ahhh!”

  “Your expression… Oh, man.” Seth laughed and playfully shoved Finn. “Remember the time we ran into that guy outside the bar on Canal street?”

  Finn righted himself, a grin on his face, then pointed at Seth. “You mean the one that saw us materialize next to his car and his eyes bulged?”

  “Yeah, that one.” Seth chuckled as they walked along the beach. “You looked just like him.”

  “I kind of felt for the guy, ya know. Too much ta drink and all.” Finn bumped his shoulder into Seth and kicked up some sand.

  Seth laughed at the memory. Altho
ugh Finn had a great sense of humor, he often struggled with his internal demons. Finn had lost a sister to an abusive husband. They’d never spoken directly about it, but Seth suspected his path to becoming a gargoyle revolved around his sister’s death.

  Seth placed his palm on Finn’s shoulder. “Yeah, but telling him we were figments of his imagination really pushed it too far, don’t you think? Good thing we mind swept him, but we should’ve been more careful—”

  A woman’s shrill cry echoed through the night. “Stop! You’re hurting me!”

  The muscles in Seth’s shoulders stiffened, his senses on high alert.

  Bathrooms in a long building, part of the Chicago Park District, stood several yards away. Two different sized figures struggled outside one of the doors. The dim light from overhead fixtures cast their male and female features in a soft glow.

  With his extrasensory vision, Seth noted the dark hair and the familiar three small teardrop tattoos on the large guy’s cheek. Gabriel Rhodes. Last summer, he’d abducted Hannah in an effort to lure Sadie to him.

  Anger-fed adrenaline ripped through Seth’s veins. He bolted toward the couple. Caught in the breeze he’d created, his hat flipped off his head to its resting place on his back.

  Gabriel punched the woman in the face, once, twice, three times.

  The woman doubled over. Her knees hit the pavement, and her long, dark brown hair fell over her shoulders, obscuring her features.

  A war cry erupted from Finn. Murderous intent etched lines around his thin lips. Even as Seth closed the distance, Finn dematerialized. A moment later, he reformed in front of the couple.

  Seth’s stomach tightened. Finn shouldn’t appear in front of humans like that. Staying under the radar was a top priority. The less the humans knew about the war around them, the better.

  “Take yer dirty hands off her.” Finn gripped Gabriel’s shoulders and flung him against the buildings outer wall.

  The crunch of breaking bones echoed into the night.

  Gabriel moaned.

  Seth wrapped his arms around the woman and drew her to her feet. She trembled against him. “You’re okay. He won’t hurt you anym—”

  “Ya piece of trash. Didn’t yer ma teach ya not ta hit a lass?” Finn grabbed Gabriel by his jacket’s collar and yanked him upward.

  His feet dangled above the ground. Mere inches from Finn’s face, Gabriel’s mouth opened and closed, but no words emerged.

  Seth’s pulse spiked. With Finn’s recent hair-trigger temper, this situation might spin out of control fast. “Finn, let him go. He’s not the enemy.”

  “D…don’t hurt him.” A tear slipped over the woman’s lashes and melded with the red snot seeping from her nose.

  The coppery scent of human blood filtered through the air.

  Finn’s gaze riveted on the woman. A darkness Seth had never seen before sparked in Finn’s eyes. “Ya bloodied her…”

  A brisk cold raised the hair along Seth’s nape.

  Time seemed to slow.

  Finn’s grip tightened around Gabriel’s collar to the point his knuckles crackled.

  Gabriel clawed at Finn’s arm.

  Finn shoved Gabriel against the wall and wrapped his other hand around the guy’s throat.

  “No, Finn!” Seth lunged for Finn, but the woman in his grasp slowed him down. He bolted around her to—

  Finn snapped Gabriel’s neck.

  The crisp pop echoed off the brick then dispersed amid the soft murmur of the lake’s gentle wake.

  The woman screamed and bolted.

  Seth caught her around the waist and placed his hand over her mouth. With her in his arms, he glanced at his best friend, his eyes wide, his heart pounding. “Finn, what the hell did you do?”

  Finn released Gabriel. The dead body slid down the brick wall and slumped onto the pavement. Gabriel’s head rested at an odd angle, his glazed eyes staring into nothingness.

  Finn backed up. He gawked at his hands. “This canna be real.”

  He glanced at Seth. Terror reflected in the depths of his eyes.

  “Finn. Let me help you—”

  A deranged laugh burst from Finn’s lips. “There’s nothin’ ya can do. I’ve made a right bags of a mess. I done killed a human.”

  Seth couldn’t speak past the tightness in his throat. Finn had committed the ultimate crime for a gargoyle. The animalistic side of him, the one Rhiannon buried deep in all her warriors to match their hardened, daytime gargoyle forms, shrieked in outrage.

  The molecules in Finn’s fingers disintegrated, turning to a fine powder. He stared at Seth, shock etched in his features. The condition tracked up his arms and into his torso. A moment later, he disappeared in a whirlwind of dust and debris.

  Finn, Seth’s longest and best friend, was gone.

  Helplessness like he’d experienced more than a century ago washed over him. Memories of Emily’s illness and subsequent death triggered in his mind. He hadn’t been able to save her either. The tiny bit of his spirit embedded in his spark stone ached with raw pain. A sorrowful cry erupted from his soul.

  The woman struggled in Seth’s grasp.

  He pulled on the self-control he’d honed since he’d first joined Rhiannon’s army and spoke to her. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. When I remove my hand, don’t scream.”

  He let her go.

  She turned to face him, and her eyes widened. “W…what are you?”

  “A nightmare you will soon forget.” He placed his palm on her forehead and wiped her mind, implanting a fake memory that a shadow, a man she didn’t get a good look at, had killed Gabriel.

  After he removed his hand, he set his hat on his head then dematerialized to the one place that might give him a fraction of the relief he so desperately needed.

  Seth’s molecules reformed on the dome of the old, abandoned church not far from the university. The circular glass panes bore his physical weight which was far less than the heaviness he carried on his shoulders.

  His skin rippled as he assumed the building’s light gray color, blending in with his surroundings. Any human out for a pre-dawn walk on the street below would never know he existed.

  He kneeled, removed his hat, and lowered his head. After the night’s events, the lingering scent of fae seemed like a permanent burn in his nostrils.

  “Dearest Rhiannon, have mercy on Finn’s soul.” Even as Seth said the words, he understood from countless years under Rhiannon’s command that there was no leniency available.

  In this war between fae and gargoyle, Rhiannon couldn’t afford to show an ounce of compassion toward one of her warriors that failed his test. Gwawl would seize upon the opportunity and use it against her.

  The weight on Seth’s shoulders slid into his upper body becoming a full-on ache. He and Finn had become gargoyles within a year of each other, both joining Rhiannon’s team in the mid-1880s. They had become an unbreakable pair, teaming up together and hunting fae with a dedication and commitment to rival even the best gargoyle hunters.

  With an internal thought Seth hardened his fist, turning the flesh to stone. The urge to punch the glass and shatter the panes rippled through him so fierce his hand shook, but he wouldn’t desecrate this holy place. Not that numerous humans hadn’t already marred the abandoned church.

  But that was the very reason he liked to come here. The neglected shrine reminded him of his prior human faith in God and, without humans, the empty building became his private sanctuary.

  After he’d died and his soul had traveled to the Otherworld, he’d realized that all religions had common threads and that many of the gods and goddesses of the past still existed, side by side with current theology. Rhiannon had stepped forward, claimed him as a questionable soul, and he’d devoted his second chance to serve in her army.

  Seth returned his hand to flesh. With the utmost care, he set his hat on one of the glass panes then wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He stared at the sky, his heart heavy. Pink tinged
the clouds on the horizon, the first inkling of dawn.

  “Why’d you do it, Finn?” Seth forced the words through clenched teeth. “Why, why, why?”

  Presented with his test, Finn had failed. Tonight, tomorrow, no later than that, Finn would re-emerge at dusk as a fae. Seth prayed he never ran into his old friend. He wasn’t sure he could plunge a dagger in his eye.

  Seth brushed his fingers over the braided leather cord at his wrist, tracing the infinity symbol with his finger. The self-made design was a tribute to Rhiannon, a way to remember his infinite dedication to his goddess.

  He longed to be human once again, to experience a love like the one he’d had with Emily, but unrelenting doubt over his ability to pass his test plagued him like a man in a desert seeking water. Out of reach and unattainable.

  He didn’t know what the test would entail, but he’d be forced to face his fears, his past, or both. Seth was caught in a never-ending cycle. He pivoted from dreading his test to inviting the challenge, switching from breaking out in a sweat to screaming at the top of his lungs. The roller coaster ride had no exit.

  Rhiannon, though, had given him a chance by selecting him as one of her gargoyle night guardians. He wasn’t sure if he’d have given himself the same opportunity, but he thanked her endlessly, nonetheless.

  On the street below, the dusky hue of dawn painted the trees along the sidewalk in shades of gray. A bird chirped, answered by another. The rumble of a car engine roared to life.

  Seth didn’t have much time. If he didn’t return to his post soon, he’d be locked out for the entire day. Now that would really piss off Drake.

  Seth removed his jacket and placed the worn leather coat next to his Stetson. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt. With a flip of his hand, he tossed the material on top of his coat.

  Still crouched on one knee, he lowered his head in prayer. His skin rippled as his feather-coated bones elongated and sliced through his skin, the soft pop and crackle escaping into the night air.

  He stretched his wings, white as snow with silver-tipped ends, extending them to their full seven-foot span. He released a long sigh. After a full night cramped tight against his back, his wings ached.