Page 2 of Gargoyle Reaper

“Back at HQ,” Cassiel chimed in, stepping closer. “You gave us quite a scare, rookie.”

Ezekiel helped Ronen sit up slowly, keeping a steadying hand at his back. “How much do you remember?”

Ronen's brow creased. “I was... patrolling near Copley Square. That was where the seer at the Cape felt a relic might be found. I thought the library was a good possibility. I mean, who knows?” He shrugged. “The only description from the seer was that the artifact was small enough to carry.”

Cassiel crossed her arms. “So it wasn’t bigger than a bread box?”

Ezekiel sighed. “Cass. Please. If you’re going to use human sayings, at least choose them from this century.”

She tilted her head. “Mortals don’t use breadboxes anymore?”

Ezekiel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we stay on topic?”

Cassie muttered under her breath, something about cranky gargoyles being big know-it-alls. He didn’t have time to get into it with her. At any moment, the shadow gargoyles could find the mysterious relic. Even worse, the demons seemed to be on the hunt now, too. He wasn’t sure how long they could stay ahead of them with the added forces.

Ezekiel regarded Ronen. “Sorry about that. So, you were heading toward the library. Were you in the park, or…?”

“I…” He rubbed his forehead. “A lot of it is blurry. But yes. I remember thinking that area was a logical place to begin looking for a hidden artifact, it would be somewhere in the large library.”

“Makes sense. So, you were on your way to the library, and it’s late at night, so no one’s around. What’s the next thing you remember after that?”

Ronen pressed his lips in a severe line, frowning as if he could summon his memory to the surface. “I…” His shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. The only thing I remember after that is pain.” He shuddered. “So much fucking pain.”

“Hmm.” Ezekiel rubbed his chin. “Nothing about the interrogation, what they’re looking for, were asking you? Nothing?”

“I wish I could remember.” Ronan shook his head. “I know I’m not much help.”

Ezekiel turned to Cassiel. “How did you find him?”

“When he didn’t check in, I went searching.” She crossed her arms. “He was dumped in some bushes near the library. He was barely hidden, almost as if he was meant to be found.”

Ezekiel's eyes narrowed. “That's unusual. They don’t normally leave survivors.”

“Exactly.” Cassiel nodded grimly. "Which means they either got what they wanted or...”

“Or they're trying to send us a message,” Ezekiel finished. “Fuck.”

Ronen regarded him with wide eyes, fear etched on his features. “What kind of message?”

Ezekiel sighed, placing a hand on Ronen’s shoulder. “That they're getting bolder. That they're not afraid to come after us directly now.”

Cassiel’s jaw clenched. “We need to inform Michael. If the demons truly are working with the shadow gargoyles, we're going to need all hands on deck.”

As if on cue, a shimmering light filled the room, coalescing into the form of Archangel Michael. His ethereal presence commanded attention, his wings folded neatly behind his back as he surveyed the room with piercing blue eyes.

“I'm afraid the situation is even more dire than you realize.” Michael narrowed his eyes at Ezekiel before continuing. “Glad you made it in time to save him. Anyway, I’ve just returned from a nice lunch with Lucifer, and he’s informed me that the demons have grown impatient with their shadow gargoyle minions. They’ve decided that things will move along faster if they join in the fun.”

“And by fun, you mean torturing and killing?” Ezekiel growled.

“Wait.” Cassiel frowned. “Did you say you had anice lunchwith Lucifer?”

Michael sighed. “He’s not my angel bestie by a long shot, but we’re all on the same side right now. As soon as this demon uprising is handled, we can return to hissing at each other.”

Frustration overtook Ezekiel. “And in the meantime, how do we move forward? I’m only one healer. If the situation is more volatile now, and the demons are using these new tactics, we’ll be overwhelmed in no time.”

“Clearly,” said Michael. “I’ve already discussed this with the Divine Spark. We’re going to bring in more gargoyle recruits, including those who have mated or haven’t been appointed already.” Michael dusted his arms as if the lair was making him dirty. “You should also know that we’ve recently taken in some shadow gargoyle defectors who want to return to the light.”

“Oh perfect,” sniped Cassiel. “Now we’re working with traitors. What could possibly go wrong?”

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