Page 47 of Protected By the Gargoyle
It was better than the alternative.
Her one regret was that she didn’t let Arto know how much she cared.
She sent him a message from her heart although she knew he couldn’t hear her.I’m sorry, Arto. I love you.
When she admitted it, something strange happened. Like the strange magical fluttering inside when they’d made love. Something lit up inside her, igniting a new awareness. A connection. It wasn’t new but had been there all along, hidden beneath the anxiety and excuses. She welcomed it now, hoping it wasn’t too late.
An unusual light flowed through her, filling her with a wild surge of energy. She used it to thrash and claw and bite the demon’s arm.
It hollered.
Then dropped her.
She plummeted through the night sky, city lights streaming by. When she screamed, the wind swallowed her voice. Although there was no way she’d survive this fall, she braced herself for impact.
She would shatter.
CHAPTER14
ARTO
I’m sorry, Arto. I love you.
It was Janie’s voice in his mind. How was that possible? Was he imagining it? He had to be.
Janie fought her captor, beating and biting and clawing the monster. Arto’s heart pumped with pride. Her courage with this relentless attack stole some of the demon’s focus, allowing Arto to shorten the distance.
He closed in foot by foot.
Inches remained. Arto stretched his arm out, his claws extended. Almost there.
A few more heart-pumping seconds passed, and then he nicked the demon’s burnished skin.
The demon howled. But then…
Then…
He let go of Janie.
As she plunged toward certain death, she screamed.
Arto turned his trajectory and soared after her. He beat his wings harder than ever, burning through the sky as he pursued. He couldn’t let her fall.
She’d be crushed. So would his heart, his soul.
He’d die with her.
JANIE
She tried not to look down, but as she tumbled, the marble-like surface of the harbor reflected the city lights. This was it. In moments, she’d be gone. She closed her eyes.
A sudden lurch dragged her backward as arms claimed her waist. She pressed backward against a hard body with such force, air was squeezed out of her lungs.
Was it the demon toying with her? She was afraid to open her eyes and return to her living nightmare. Would this sadistic monster play with her this way over and over like a cat tormenting a mouse before the kill?
“I’ve got you.”
She knew that voice. That dark, rich timbre that rolled through her body leaving tingles in its wake now promised she was safe.
