Page 111 of Heartsong
“Black SUV!” she screamed.
The magick cinched tight, throwing her back into the seat.
“ANNA!”
Glendower huffed, pulling the phone away. “We’ll be arriving in a moment in a black SUV, yes. We will come to you to—”
Something landed on the front of the SUV with all the speed and impact of a meteor.
The car came off its rear tires before slamming back down, the front completely crushed. Everyone inside careened to the left, the driver’s head smacking sickeningly on the window with enough force to crack it.
The magick squeezing her let go, only for Anna to be squished between the two guards.
Tires squealed and metal screamed as the SUV came to a sudden and devastating stop.
The car alarm blared, and Glendower cursed, his head lolling to the side. With a wave of his hand, the car alarm and everything around them went fuzzy. The alarm died, and the buildings down the street hung in hazy lines.
Anna blinked, wondering if she had a concussion.
“Shit—incoming!”
Metal screeched, and the locked passenger door went flying off its hinges into the street. The new gaping hole in the car revealed a vicious, furious gargoyle looming over the SUV. A roar hit them next, the guards cussing and scrambling for weapons.
Frey grabbed the one on Anna’s right, and the man went sailing over his shoulder, landing on the street with a resoundingcrack.
His gaze locked on Anna, and she reached for him with her bound hands. “Frey!”
“Anna—!”
Two bodies, one after the other, crashed into Frey, and he and the guards went staggering back out into the street. Anna yelped his name as the back doors opened and more men jumped from the SUV.
Left with only one guard, the unconscious driver, and Glendower, Anna threw herself at the hole.
Hands grabbed at her, and she wrestled with the guard on the bucket seat, kicking and flailing, fighting her way out of the car. She’d just managed to get her bound hands over the armrest of the far side, giving her leverage to pull herself away from the guard, when a cold pressure pushed her down in the seat.
“No!” she cried.
“Enough,” said Glendower, his face pinched with frustration.
“You said you wanted to fuckingtalkto him!”
“Indeed.” Looking out at the scene in the street, Glendower sighed. “Best laid plans and all that. Come along, Miss Anna, time to fix this mess.”
He exited the SUV, and Anna was dragged by the guard out the other door and around the demolished front. Her legs didn’t want to hold her up, and she stumbled along, head pounding trying to take everything in.
The guards were attempting to get at Frey, but he kept them back with his lashing tail and swiping wing claws. Two guards were already down, and Frey’s claws dripped with blood. Her stomach nearly turned to see it, starkly red against his gray skin.
As long as it’s not his own.
She knew of course that he’d been a warrior, a fighter. Those big muscles of his weren’t just for show—but knowing and seeing were two different things. Frey moved quickly and brutally, every strike meant to inflict maximum damage. His wings and tail moved in unison with his arms and legs, every limb in movement to keep back all his attackers.
There was a brutal sort of beauty to it, even if the sight of him fighting made Anna’s blood run cold.
“Frey, was it?” called Glendower.
The guards fanned out into a loose circle, keeping Frey hemmed in. Frey tore his gaze away to assess Glendower, and his lips pulled back in an angry snarl when he saw the guard holding Anna.
“Release her!”
