Anyawas circling around me, studying my form.
I’llcome there as soon asI’mable.Ineed to go.Dumontended the connection.
Returningmy full attention toAnya,Iasked her, “Whyare you looking at me like that?”
“Heshot you.Isaw you recoil.Hemust have hit you, butIdon’t see any wounds in your body.Yourwings…They’restill—”Herexpression turned wondrous. “Beautiful.”
Mychest puffed out at that one word.Gargoyleswere never described that way.Hideous, grotesque, terrifying were whatIoften heard. “Myflesh protects me.Andmy wings are like armor,”Iexplained.
“Likea shield?” she asked, furrowing her brows.
“Yes.”Apart of me was as stunned by this conversation asAnya.Earliertonight,Ihad no reason to expect thatI’dreveal my true self to her, let alone talk to her about my abilities.
“There’sonly a dent here.”Herhand hovered a few inches before the part of my wing where the bullet had scraped.
“Thatwill heal quickly.”
Shetipped her head. “How?”Wonderedged her tone.
“Thesame magic that flows through my body, allowing me to shift from stone to flesh, also helps me heal quickly.Mywing should be healed in a day or two.”
“Doesit hurt?”
“Itstings,”Iadmitted with a one-shouldered shrug.
Hergaze raked over me with gratitude. “Youwere shot while protecting me.”Hertone was so low that it was almost a whisper. “Thankyou.Isthere somethingIcan do to help you?”
Theneed to get her to a safe place was the first thing that came to mind. “Yes.Don’tfear me.”
Herexpression turned surprised. “I’mtrying not to.”Shegave me a sheepish look. “It’snot easy considering…”Shetrailed off andIfilled in the gaps.
Consideringshe thinks you’re a monster.
Focus.Duty,Ireminded myself. “Good, because my orders are thatIstay with you.”
Sheblinked so slowlyIthought she wasn’t going to reopen her eyes.Whenshe did, she asked, “Why?”
Itook a deep inhale and exhaled from my nostrils beforeIadmitted what might shock her even more. “Becausewe weren’t just hired to protect the library,LittleOne.Butto protectyou.”
CHAPTER5
ANYA
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”Iraised both hands, palms forward. “WhywouldIneed protection?I’mjust a librarian.”Noone special.
Hugogazed at me for several seconds before he replied. “Idon’t know the reasons why.”
Withall that happened tonight, my brain was on the verge of imploding.Eachminute turned more surreal than the next, from unbelievable to even more unbelievable, most of which was centered on the gargoyle-come-to-life standing before me.Fearclashed with gratitude.Theurge to bolt warred with the instinct to help him recover.Notonly had he saved me from my assailant—which he described as a bewildering demon hybrid—but he was shot doing so.Yet,Ididn’t see much of an injury, and he appeared relatively unharmed.
Ifthat hadn’t been shocking enough, this gargoyle, who apparently called himselfHugo, declared he was there to protect me.He’dtaken a bullet forme.Andthen he’d transformed before my eyes.Gonewas the hard, imposing form that appeared to be carved from stone.Nowhe appeared more human but with curved horns, slate-gray skin, magnificent wings, and a tail.Whenhe’d first sprung from the stone pedestal, he’d looked so monstrous and intimidating, but now…Iscanned his broad chest and chiseled abs, and my body warmed.
Whatwas wrong with me?
Ineeded more answers before my brain exploded.Takinga step backward,Iasked, “Whyare you protecting the library?”
“Adelaidehired us for protection.Sheknew traditional human technology wasn’t enough.Especiallywith valuable items within that would be coveted by those in the magical community.”
“M-magical community?”Istammered.
