Page 3 of Gargoyle Defender

He scrubbed his face with one hand, chuckling a bit. He wasn’t going to break free of his doubts overnight, but confessing his inner turmoil to her had been a good call.

Ronen smiled, the tension in his body lessening. “Is it too sappy of me to call you my closest friend?”

Cassiel gave him a smack on his arm again. “Just don’t tell anybody.”

He grinned. “Deal.”

She let out a long sigh, then leaned back in her chair, clasping her hands behind her head. “I’m hungry. What do you say we—”

A booming shout, followed by the shrill alarm warning of intruders, echoed through the lair. They both shot from the chairs, racing down the hall toward the entrance.

Cassiel glanced at him as they ran. “Be careful what you wish for, champ.”

By the time they reached the large circular foyer, the sentinel had shifted to his gargoyle form. Nash’s teeth were bared, golden eyes glowing like fire, his stance battle-ready with his axe held high. Ronen and Cassiel quickly shifted as well.

“See?” Ronen turned to Cassiel. “Never know when you might need a freshly sharpened blade.”

“Cute,” she growled back at him as the pounding and yelling continued.

The loud voices on the other side of the door were an odd mixture of normal speech and an eerie, unintelligible tone that made his stomach churn.

Ronen gritted his teeth. “What are those things?”

Nash looked over his shoulder. “I haven’t the slightest clue. I’ve transmitted to the others that they need to get back here immediately.”

“I’ll take your telepathic message and double it,” said Cassiel.

The banging and shouting became more desperate. While it was unlikely that the group of beings so desperate to enter could bust through the enchanted lead barrier, it still begged the question of who they were and why they were swarming the lair. Was this a new strategy of the rogue demons? If so, it was a weak one. Announcing an imminent attack didn’t exactly give them the upper hand.

A pleading voice cut through the chaos, its tone normal yet filled with fear. “Show us mercy! We might not deserve it, but we beg of you, give us another chance! Let Michael consult the Most High on our behalf!”

“Holy shit,” Ronen said. “I think those are shadow gargoyles.”

Nash growled. “Seems like those pieces of shit have some life choice regrets. I say we destroy them!”

“Fuck me.” Cassiel groaned. “That decision is above our pay grade. We’ve taken back other shadows before. However, it’s the Most High’s decree that each case be evaluated individually.”

Ronen shook his head. “I’m with Nash. There’s too many of them. Who’s to say this isn’t a ploy to get us to unseal the door? It’s not as if they haven’t pulled that shit in the past.”

Nash nodded. “Exactly.”

Cassiel’s wings folded against her back. “No. We hold tight, protect the lair. We don’t need to let them in, but we don’t need to attack them, either. Not yet. I’m summoning Michael.”

“What about the rest of our team?” Ronen was puzzled by Cassiel’s reticence to carry out their standing orders to destroy all shadows, no questions asked. Yet, she was also far more experienced than he was, and one rank higher. “They’re on their way now. They’ll make short work of them no matter what we do in here.”

“Nash.” Cassiel turned to the sentinel. “Transmit to the team to remain on guard outside the cathedral, but to wait for further instructions.”

A brilliant light filled the room, and Michael materialized, his ice-blue eyes flashing and his gorgeous, white-blond hair uncharacteristically disheveled. “What now? I was in the middle of something.” He glanced around the room, frowning, as if his senses had suddenly picked up on the racket outside the door. Michael rolled his eyes. “Hmm. The prodigal sons and daughters have returned. I thought we had more time.” He shook his head with annoyance. “Lucifer needs to get off his ass and pay better attention. A little warning would’ve been nice.”

Cassiel stamped a clawed foot. “What are you talking about? Is this something you knew about? How are we supposed to effectively protect the lair without proper intel?”

A pulsating glow surrounded Michael, his eyes becoming like lasers. “Watch your tone, servant. Gargoyles are on a need-to-know basis.” His glow diminished. “Although that rat bastard in charge of running hell didn’t exactly keep me filled in either.” He waved a hand at them. “Please. Change back to your human forms. You’re crowding me.”

They all did as they were told, but Ronen noted Cassiel’s frustrated expression. Ronen watched as she struggled to maintain her composure. Her desire to lash out at the archangel was palpable, but even she knew that crossing Michael would have serious consequences.

“So,” Michael began with a dramatic sigh, “it seems our demonic friends have decided to cut their losses with the shadow gargoyles. I’d planned a council meeting this week to prepare everyone for this inevitability, but it seems as if Lucifer’s mole isn’t on his game.” He gestured toward the door where the pounding continued. “They've been betrayed, cast aside like yesterday’s garbage.”

Nash snarled, “That’s because they are yesterday’s garbage.”