Page 36 of Fated to the Gargoyle
Whilehe did,Ithrew the front door open and searched for her with frantic hope, as if she’d turn around and come back to me.Sincethere were countless stops where she could head or even hide out in the miles of stations networking theUndergroundCity, it would be almost impossible to find her.ButIdamn sure would look, no matter how long it took, even to the end of my days.Shewas my mate!
Rushingback to our building,Ihid behind hedges, cloaked myself, and shifted to winged form.HugoandAnyaburst out of the door of theVault.
“Whereare you going?”Anyaasked.
“TofindEloise.”
“I’llcome with you,”Hugosaid.
“No.StaywithAnya.”Ididn’t have time to get into it, discussing who should cover whom and where.AllIknew was thatIhad to findEloise.Andsoon.
Iflapped my wings asIran forward and soared into the sky.Myheart raced asIsearched below.Wherewas she?Iscanned over buildings and roofs.Streetsand cars.Pedestrianscongregated in groups.Toomany lights distracted rather than helped illuminate whatIwanted to see.Fuck!
Focus.Right.Panickingwouldn’t help anything.Thisbond messed up my mind so much, making it hard to follow reason rather than pure instinct—all which screamedfind her.
Ihad to look at this as a commander, not as a gargoyle frantic to find his mate.Yes,Ihad to use the sentries.Ihad an entire fucking city with eyes.IfItook two seconds to remember to lead my team rather than react without a damn plan,Icould be more effective than flying haphazardly over a city when she was last seen going underground.
Eloisewas last seen heading into the metro.Iwinced asIcommunicated that message to my team.Keepwatch for her and notify me immediately if you see her.Ithen indicated where she was last seen and what she was wearing, whichLyamhad described to me—a white sundress with daisies on it.Igrimaced, remembering her excitement when she’d shown me the dress on her phone.She’dbeen so happy then, picking out some new clothes.Andnow…Igulped.
Mybreath came short asIcontinued searching, althoughIwasn’t winded from the flight.Itwas great unease that she was in danger.
Whyhad she left?
Sure, her letter noted the reason, but perhaps it was something more.Maybeit had to do with me.Lastnight,I’dshown her more of my gargoyle nature.She’dtold me not to hide anything from her, andIhadn’t.Hadthat been too much for her?Didit lead to her running away?
Howfoolish of me to think that she’d be okay with someone so different from what she was used to!
Whyelse would she run from me when there were so many threats out in the city?Didshe not trust me to protect her?Ouch.Thatfreakin’ hurt.
Still,Ihad to swallow the pain and find her.EvenifIdid, would she want to return to theVaultwith me?She’dmade her intentions clear in the letter.Shewas leavingMontreal.
Andthat meant she was leaving me.Damnit all!
Afterwhat felt like an eternity of fruitless searching, a sentry interrupted my thoughts.
Dumont,IfoundEloise.
Oh, thank the moon and stars.
Whereis she?
Thispart isn’t good.Aphoenix is flying with her in its claws.Itmust beCalix.
Theair went thin, as if all oxygen seeped away.Notonly had he found a way to regenerate, but he’d gotten toEloise.Mywings seemed weighted with concrete, andIthoughtI’dpass out.
No.Hellno.Iwouldn’t let him take her anywhere.
Itook a slow, measured breath to keep my head on and stay calm.Where?
Ithink…Itlooks like he’s flying them toAdelaide’slibrary.
ELOISE
Imashed my eyes shut as fear seized me.No,Icouldn’t look down.Whoknew how high up in the skyIwas now?
Pleasebe a gargoyle.Pleasebe a gargoyle,Irepeated like a mantra.
Agargoyle would be a protector—that was whatI’dlearned over recent days.Dumontmight have given one orders to come and get me, fly me back to safety at theVault.
