Page 35 of Guarded By the Gargoyle

“You little bitch,” he growled. “You’re going to fucking pay for your nasty words! Go ahead and try to call for help—nobody’s going to hear you. And even if they did,nobody cares.”

That might have been true in the past, but now I thought there was someone who might hear me…someone who might care.

“Kael!” I shouted, taking a step back from my ex as he made a grab for me. I narrowly avoided his grasping hand. “Kael, help me! I need you!”

I didn’t know if shouting for the big gargoyle would help or not. If it didn’t, I was going to run, lock myself in the bathroom,and make another door to Hidden Hollow. But I had to evade Carlo first.

“Who the fuck is ‘Kael?’” he snarled at me. “You been cheating on me, you little whore?”

I was about to tell him that even if I had been with another man, it couldn’t possibly be cheating because we were divorced, when a ripping sound split the air.

Carlo and I both jerked our heads around to see where the noise was coming from. As we watched a blood-red, vertical fissure began to appear about three feet to my right. It started at least two feet above my head and tore downwards in a jagged line. It was like someone had taken a knife and was cutting the fabric of reality as we watched.

It only took a moment for the vertical rip in reality to be drawn—or cut or whatever.

And then a huge form came through it.

17

WILLOW

It was Kael, I saw with vast relief. His perfect, chiseled features were full of concern for me.

“Mistress?” he rumbled. “Are you well? I heard your call.”

Before I could answer, he turned and saw Carlo, with his dick still hanging out of his uniform trousers. His face abruptly darkened and his eyes began to turn demonic red.

“Who is this, Mistress?” he demanded, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. “Is this the one who abused and hurt you?”

“Yes.” I somehow got the words out, though my voice was trembling. “He…he’s my ex. The one who hurt me. He was…” I swallowed hard. “Was trying to hurt me again when I…when I called you.”

“He’ll never so much astouchyou again, Mistress,” Kael promised.

And then he began to change. His perfect features melted into the ugly sneer of the gargoyle—his mouth widened and his fangs came out, dripping with venom. At the same time, he seemed to get even bigger and his beautiful wings with their silvery-white feathers turned to huge, leathery bat wings.

Carlo was also watching the transformation. His eyes, which had been narrowed in disbelief, got wider and wider.

“What the fuck?” he uttered in a hoarse voice. “Whatisthat thing?”

“I am Willow’s protector,” Kael growled. “And you are about todie!”

He lunged forward and grabbed Carlo’s head in both hands.

“Hey, what the fuck?What the fuck?”my ex screamed, his voice going high and frightened. “What the—ow! Ow—let go! Letgo-letgo-letgo!” He was scrambling for the gun he wore on his police belt but he couldn’t seem to get it out of the holster. After a moment he gave up and reached for Kael’s hands, trying to pry the gargoyle’s long fingers off his skull.

He was not successful.

I could see the muscles on the big gargoyle’s arms bunching and then there was a horrible, muted crunching sound and Carlo’s head caved in.

18

WILLOW

“Oh…oh my Goddess,” I whispered as my ex ceased to struggle and went limp in the gargoyle’s enormous hands. “You…youkilledhim.”

Kael turned to look at me, his eyes still blazing red.

“Did you want me to do it slower, Mistress? I should have made his agony last,” he growled. “I should have made him pay more for hurting you.”

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