Page 24 of Gargoyle Vigilante

“Uh, hold up.” For once, Dante wasn’t interrupting Michael to get him riled. What he was saying didn’t make sense. “That’s not possible. Wouldn’t the traitor simply turn to shadow?”

Michael shook his head. “That’s part of what everyone needs to understand, why this meeting is so crucial. Our situation is evolving.” He arched one eyebrow. “May I continue?”

Dante sighed. “Please.”

“As I was saying…” Michael held Dante’s gaze before returning his attention to the rest of the group. “According to one of the traitorous Slayers we’ve captured, they’ve been taughtan incantation by Leviathan, the leader of the demon uprising, to mask their identity as Shadow.”

Shocked murmurs spread through the room as everyone reacted to this unfortunate development. Their task was already daunting enough, but with this new trickery, protecting the relics would become even more difficult.

The murmurs were louder this time, and Dante leaned into Mal, whispering, “I thought the stones David used to slay Goliath were a fake. I’ve always heard they were never saved in the first place.”

Mal nodded. “I think we all did.” He narrowed his eyes at Dante. “Perhaps rumors of them being fake were spread in such a manner to guarantee they were protected.”

Michael continued, “Lucifer is quite upset. Says we should’ve known and that the Divine Spark is messing with him. He’s waiting to see how we intend to proceed.”

Dante snorted. “Right. Because that’s what the Divine would do, put Their rule in jeopardy.”

Michael sighed. “Lucifer’s always been high-strung and irrational.” He shrugged. “Gabriel and I will deal with him, don’t worry.”

Zahra spoke up. “Why isn’t he here? I was told he was the one demanding a meeting.”

Michael tugged on the hem of one of his jeweled sleeves, pausing a beat before answering. “Don’t place your trust in rumors. No one in the heavenly realm willeveracquiesce to Lucifer’s demands. As such, we have to tread very carefully. The Seal is safe for now, but news of the ring being located has already been shared with other Slayer factions. We can’t risk moving it until we know who the traitor is.”

Dante was about to ask Michael what their next move should be, but Caleb spoke up before he had the chance to.

“I still don’t understand why The Divine doesn’t simply use Their omniscient power to locate the remaining relics. Then they could be taken to Heaven, and we wouldn’t have to fight this battle any longer.”

Dante couldn’t remember which Slayer and Nephilim had produced this newbie, but they needed to bone up on their history lessons.

Michael regarded Caleb, his expression betraying the irritation that he typically reserved for Dante’s benefit.

“The relics are objects given to humans, only becoming holy through the prophets and the events that shaped their existence. Once their power became known, that’s when the demonic realm discovered they could be used against the Light. The Divine Spark had already given authority to the angels to watch over them, so They are no longer directly responsible for anything pertaining to the relics.” Michael tilted his head, then voiced what Dante had been thinking. “Did you not pay attention to the reason why you, a Slayer, were chosen to fight this battle? Or do you simply not care?”

Caleb’s jaw went slack, and his eyes darted around the room nervously. “Oh, uh, I care. I guess I must’ve missed the angel part.”

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose then took a deep breath. “I see. Well, in case you’re still confused by your holy mission, let me explain. The angelic realm is in charge of the relics, and the Slayers—of which you are one—were formed to battle the Rogues.”

“But we still get to be guardians and have a fated mate at some point, right?”

The corner of Michael’s mouth twitched. “You have to slay one hundred and thirty-three Rogues first.”

His expression fell. “I know that part. But what if all your fellow Slayers keep taking the kill shots before you can?”

Another Slayer barked out, “Then move your molasses-ass a little faster.”

Several gargoyles fell into raucous bouts of laughter, and Dante found himself grateful that he’d never had to fight a battle with the whiny Slayer. The Rogues were enough of a pain in his ass.

Michael yelled, “Enough! Let’s get back to the reason we’re here. We have to move quickly before our enemies obtain a third relic.” He rubbed his forehead. “I appreciate that many of you place the blame on the angels for losing the relics in the first place. But let me be clear. We did not lose them. They were given to prophets and saints for specific purposes. Once the humans had them, they, or in some cases, their descendants, did a crappy job of hanging on to them. Sometimes, their enemies stole them. So, I would appreciate it if we could stay on task as opposed to arguing over why we’ve been charged with this mission in the first place.

“In addition, we need to be more on alert.” Michael paused as if conflicted before continuing, “But I don’t want distrust of each other to throw us off course. Eyeing our allies with suspicion or animosity will only give more power to the Shadow. We’ll be so preoccupied with focusing on treachery within our ranks that we’ll forget to be vigilant in our regular mission. That’s why Uriel and I are appointing a special team, a group of sentinels from each lair whose primary focus will be to investigate this new breed of Rogue and protect their home base.”

Dante raised a finger when Michael glanced his way. The angel pursed his lips. “Yes, Dante?”

“Could you clarify what is expected of a mated Slayer at this time?”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “I find it ironic that right as you accept your Fated One, we should be faced with this crisis. Assuch, you’ll be required to fight. We need to utilize every Slayer possible.” He gazed around the room before continuing, “That holds true for everyone.”

Dante always hungered for battle, but now that he’d tasted what having his mate was like, he was conflicted. And poor Amir would be devastated.

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