Page 390 of Evil Hearts

Elena’s heart clenched. The cathedral—the heart of the city, the place she’d always felt drawn to. She couldn’t let anything happen to it, to the people who found solace within its walls.

“How do we stop it?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Nothing made sense, but if these creatures were real she certainly wasn’t going to regret not asking them questions.

The Ethereal Guardians hovered before her, their eyes boring into hers. “A ritual, long forgotten, holds the key to breaking the curse.”

Hope bloomed in Elena’s chest, a fragile flower taking root amidst the chaos. “What ritual? Please, tell me.”

But the spirits were already fading, their forms dissolving into mist. “Seek the truth in the cathedral’s depths,” they whispered, their voices growing fainter with each passing second. “The path will reveal itself to those who are worthy.”

And then they were gone, leaving Elena and Aldric alone on the rooftop once more. Elena turned to him, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination.

“We have to find that ritual,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “We can’t let the darkness win.”

Aldric nodded, his jaw set. “We won’t. Together, we’ll unravel this mystery and break the curse once and for all.”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed as he watched the intimate exchange between Aldric and Elena from his hidden vantage point. The ghostly whispers of the Ethereal Guardians reached his ears, their cryptic words stoking the flames of his ambition.

He stepped back, melting into the shadows as his mind raced. The ritual they spoke of, the key to breaking the curse—it was the missing piece he’d been searching for all these years.

Lucien’s lips curled into a smile, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Elena and Aldric’s budding connection was a weakness he could exploit, a chink in their armor that he would use to his advantage. They clearly didn’t remember one another from centuries before—which meant they wouldn’t remember him and his damning fire, either.

He had waited centuries for this moment, biding his time as he gathered his strength. And now, with the gargoyles stirring to life and the city on the brink of chaos, his opportunity had finally arrived.

Lucien’s gaze drifted to Aldric, the once-proud guardian now trapped in a cycle of stone and flesh. He could sense the power that lay dormant within him, a force that could tip the scales in his favor.

But first, he needed to find that ritual. He needed to unlock the cathedral’s secrets before Aldric and Elena could intervene.

Lucien closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses. He could feel the ancient magic that thrummed through the cathedral’s walls, a pulsing heartbeat that called to him like a siren’s song.

He would find that ritual, no matter the cost. And when he did, he would harness its power for himself, bending the city to his will and claiming his rightful place as its master.

Lucien opened his eyes, his resolve hardening into an unbreakable steel. He cast one last glance at Aldric and Elena, their figures illuminated by the moonlight.

“Enjoy your little romance while you can,” he murmured, his voice laced with a quiet menace. “For soon, the cathedral will be mine, and you will bow before me.”

With that, Lucien turned and melted into the night, his footsteps echoing against the stone as he descended from the rooftop. The game was on, and he would stop at nothing to emerge victorious.

Chapter Five

The cathedral rooftopstretched before Elena, a stone stage for her restless pacing. She’d come too early, and the moon had not risen. The wind whipped strands of fiery hair across her face as she clutched the leather-bound notebook to her chest. Sketches and scribbled notes, fragments of impossible memories, fluttered within its pages.

Elena’s brow furrowed, determination etched in the set of her jaw. Aldric’s past, and their messy present, lingered just beyond her grasp, taunting her with glimpses of a truth she couldn’t quite fathom. The chill seeped through her thin sweater, but it paled in comparison to the ache of unanswered questions.

“Why do I feel so okay with a gargoyle giving me any attention, nevermind an earth shattering orgasm?” she whispered to the gargoyles perched along the rooftop’s edge. Their stony gazes offered no reply.

Part of her worried they were all real and could understand her, but for all her interest, she couldn’t bring herself to offer to touch them. Not when she worried they’d all be like Aldric.

“You’re not going to get anything done up here and there’s no sense in watching him break free of the stone.” Though she’d seen it twice, he’d not permitted her to watch him turn to stone, so it was almost as if she wanted to stay to witness everymoment, uncertain as she was that he was real despite the wings and well, other bits clearly working like real.

Elena turned, her footsteps echoing as she descended the narrow spiral staircase. The ancient stones seemed to pulse with secrets, the very walls of the cathedral holding tales untold. She emerged into the deserted corridors below, her pace quickening as she navigated the labyrinthine halls.

The library door loomed before her, a portal to knowledge long forgotten, knowledge she assumed was heavily tinged with religious persecution but perhaps her only hope. Elena paused, her hand resting on the worn brass handle. Beyond this threshold lay the answers she sought, hidden among dusty tomes and faded parchment. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Fading sunlight filtered through stained glass windows, casting an ethereal glow upon the towering bookshelves. Elena moved with purpose, her fingers trailing along spines of ancient texts. Titles whispered of myths and legends, of curses and forbidden love. Each step brought her closer to the truth that beckoned from the shadows.

She reached for a leather-bound volume, its cover embossed with arcane symbols. As she opened it, the scent of aged parchment filled her nostrils. Elena’s eyes widened as illustrations of gargoyles and sorceresses danced across the pages, their stories waiting to be unraveled.

A sudden presence filled the room, a comforting shadow amidst the dim light. Elena’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to find Aldric standing in the doorway, his emerald eyes locked on hers as his wings rested easily against his side, likely too large to fit inside the doorway extended. He moved with a fluid grace, his footsteps barely audible against the polished floor.

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