Page 26 of Gargoyle Reaper

Fear wrapped around his heart like a fist. “Don’t go,” he pleaded. “Something’s off.”

Ezekiel framed Archer’s face with his palms. “I sent a message to Malachi, but I don’t know how quickly he can get here. Cassiel needs help now, but Malachi can alert others who might be nearby. Slayers weknoware trustworthy.”

The whole situation was making his head hurt. If everything didn’t go tits up before the night was through, he was going to insist on a crash course in all things gargoyle, angel, and demon. He despised being clueless.

Archer clenched his jaw and nodded. “Okay. But I swear to all that is holy, if you get yourself hurt, I’ll punch you.”

Ezekiel yanked him into an embrace. “I won’t let anyone hurt me. Our baby needs both fathers.”

Archer froze. Before he could ask Ezekiel what he meant, his mate was already out the door and racing down the hall.

He meant that in general, right?

Archer placed a palm on his abdomen and swallowed hard.

Nah.

* * * *

Ezekiel swooped down low over the downtown cityscape. A new layer of snow covered the ground, tufts of fluffy white flakes clinging to bare tree branches and streetlamps. The city was eerily quiet at this late hour, save for the occasional rumble of a snowplow in the distance.

His wings beat steadily scanned the streets below, searching for any sign of Cassiel or unusual activity. Her telepathic message had been garbled and cut off abruptly, leaving him with only a vague sense of her location near the harbor. As he glided over the waterfront, a flash of movement caught his eye.

There—a dark figure darting between shadows near an old warehouse. Ezekiel banked sharply, diving toward the alley where he'd spotted the figure. As he drew closer, he recognized the familiar silhouette of a shadow gargoyle. His heart raced. Where there was one, others were sure to follow.

Ezekiel landed silently on the warehouse roof, his wings folding against his back as he crouched low to survey the scene. The shadow gargoyle was skulking near a rusted side door, its obsidian form barely distinguishable from the inky darkness surrounding it. Ezekiel's enhanced senses picked up the faint scrabbling of claws against metal—the creature was trying to break in.

He tensed, ready to spring into action, when a flicker of movement caught his eye. Another figure emerged from behind a dumpster, this one in human form. Ezekiel's breath caught as he recognized Cassiel. To Ezekiel’s shock, she sauntered up to the fallen gargoyle, making no effort to hide her presence from the shadow creature.

His gut clenched, bile rising as he battled the fear that Cassiel - not Lysander - was the Slayer engaged in treachery.Had she frantically lured him away from the lair so the shadow creatures could take him out easier when he had no reinforcements? Had she been in league with Raziel this entire time?

Ezekiel’s mind reeled, his heart breaking at the thought of his close friend falling into darkness. His claws dug into the roof’s edge, his muscles coiled as he watched the scene unfold below. Cassiel approached the shadow gargoyle with an easy familiarity that sent chills down his spine. This couldn't be happening. Not Cassiel. She had been his mentor, his friend, a pillar of strength within the Shadow Slayer organization for centuries.

Ezekiel’s sharp fangs bared at the sight of Raziel emerging from inside the warehouse. He waved off the shadow creature then turned to acknowledge Cassiel’s presence without hostility. They exchanged words in low tones, their voices carried away by the bitter wind before Ezekiel could make out what was said.

Torn between retreating until reinforcements arrived and gathering more intel, Ezekiel inched closer to the edge of the roof, straining to hear their conversation. His heart pounded, each beat a painful reminder of the betrayal unfolding before him.

Suddenly, Cassiel's head snapped up, her eyes locking onto his position. Ezekiel froze, realizing too late he'd given himself away.

“Well, well,” Raziel’s smooth voice carried on the night air. “It seems we have an uninvited guest.”

In an instant, Ezekiel's world exploded into chaos. Shadow gargoyles poured from the warehouse, their obsidian forms blending with the darkness as they swarmed toward him. He spread his wings, ready to take flight, when a familiar voice cut through the din.

“Ezekiel, wait!” Cassiel cried out. “It's not what you think!”

Ezekiel hesitated for a split second, torn between his instinct to flee and his deep-rooted trust in Cassiel. That moment of indecision cost him dearly. A shadow gargoyle latched onto his ankle, its claws digging into his flesh as it dragged him off the roof. He tumbled through the air, wings flailing as he struggled to right himself.

With a bone-jarring thud, Ezekiel hit the ground. He rolled to his feet, fangs bared and claws extended, ready to face the onslaught of shadow creatures. But instead of attacking, they formed a loose circle around him, Raziel and Cassiel at its center.

“My dear Ezekiel,” Raziel purred, his voice dripping with false warmth. “How kind of you to join us. We were just discussing you, in fact.”

Ezekiel glared at the smug demon but turned to face Cassiel. “Explain yourself.”

Cassiel stepped forward, her hands raised in a placating gesture. “Ezekiel, please, you must listen. Things are not as they seem.”

Ezekiel's eyes darted between Cassiel and Raziel, his muscles taut with tension. “Then enlighten me,” he growled, “because from where I'm standing, it looks like you've betrayed everything we stand for.”

Raziel chuckled a disturbing sound that sent chills down Ezekiel’s spine. “Oh, how deliciously dramatic. But I'm afraid you're operating on outdated information, my friend.”

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