Page 57 of My Guardian Gryphon

I fell into step and continued with Erick down the open corridor to the fortified basement entrance. “There were at least a hundred, perhaps more. Not even close to the armies I imagine he’s amassed by now. Perhaps one regiment.”

A defeated sigh slipped from Erick’s lips. “I was afraid of that.”

“Did any of the Batemans survive?”

“Hannah did. Finn and Teagan got to her before that neighborhood was overrun. Harrison and Meredith were both killed. They had to knock Hannah unconscious to get her to leave them.” His tone deepened, and his speech slowed, each word more painful than the last.

So many friends.

Bile rose in my throat, and I inhaled deeply. I’d known Meredith since she was a little girl, begging for piggyback rides from every giant of a man who lived in Sanctuary. She’d never been afraid of any of us, even me. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. After she saw me shift once, she’d called me pretty bird when no one else was around to hear. It had always made me laugh. She said she did it because I didn’t laugh enough.

Gretchen had mentioned that, too—that I didn’t laugh or smile. She was constantly trying to coax me into a better mood. That’s what she called it, saying I was too serious.

She was right.

They both were.

I spent my life preparing for the worst, waiting for the day when I would get my vengeance, but life was more than that. Now I wanted more. I wanted to live. I would never have a chance to show Meredith I’d found someone who made me happy, but I had a chance with Gretchen, and I didn’t intend to waste it.

Erick spoke several words softly and knocked on the steel covered oak door—much like the one barring the entrance to the castle. This one was also set deep into rock and opened from the inside only. No hinges or hardware showed on the outside. There was no way to pry it open. Steel beams were used to barricade it, and I heard them being removed before the door creaked open, allowing us entrance.

Javier’s blue eyes flashed, the afternoon light glinting off them in the dark. “Good to see you alive, Alek.”

“You, too.” I nodded to the lanky Protector.

“Nobody else?” He peered over my shoulder into the empty hallway.

Erick shook his head. “We’re not positive. Rose is either dead or captured by Xerxes. She hasn’t returned and—”

“We can’t afford to send anyone out looking for her.”

“No,” Erick said, his voice soft, but laced with anger. He’d been with Rose for thousands of years. She was his leader and a friend. Her loss and the loss of the Drakonae were blows to Sanctuary that might tear it apart forever.

We walked past Javier into the dark tunnel. He shoved the heavy door closed behind us and put the three steel bars in place before turning to walk with us into the open play area of the club part of the castle. The play areas were filled with families huddled together—crying children and broken-hearted husbands and wives who’d lost their spouses.

The pain in their cries threatened to bring tears to my eyes. We hadn’t been ready for this. It’d been a small attack. Xerxes’ men had been feeling us out, and we’d been vulnerable. There were too many families, too many people to protect. Over the years, Rose had continued to take in more and more and more.

How could I have turned on her? I’d helped put them all in danger. The battle started because Xerxes had gotten his hands on Gretchen. Because Rose had chosen to once again protect the House of Lamidae against all odds and left the town. She’d made herself vulnerable to save one woman. That’s how important each of the Sisters were to her, how important they should’ve been to me.

Instead, I’d put one above the others. I had put myself above the others.

“Quit beating yourself up, asshole,” Javier said, his tone more growl than speech. “This would’ve happened regardless of who you decided to fuck last night.”

“Javier.” Erick’s tone struck at Javier like a shot from a rifle.

It bounced right off the vampire sadist, though. Javier had no boundaries. He always said what he thought and did what he wanted. How Rose had convinced him to take on the Protector mantle baffled me.

“He’s right, Alek. The Djinn teams had been poking holes in the town boundary for days before—”

“Does everyone in the town fucking know my personal business?”

A wicked chuckle shook Javier’s chest. “Pretty much.”

“Not that it wasn’t easy to predict for those of us that paid attention to your routine. I’m surprised Rose didn’t interfere sooner than she did. Perhaps because she knew you weren’t really an obstacle until you realized how much Gretchen meant to you.”

“I don’t need a session with a psychologist, Erick. Where is Gretchen?” All I needed at that moment was to feel her presence. Smell her scent. Touch her. By the gods, I needed to touch her and know she was alive and well.

My memory consisted of somehow half-climbing half-flying my way out of Xerxes and Rose’s Lamassu smack down before the whole building had come down around them. My wounds had weakened me, but my Gryphon made it back the twenty or so miles to Sanctuary—to the castle, and from there, my memory faded in and out.

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