Page 36 of Dragon's Golden Mate
Chunks of stone were scattered on the seat of the pew and on the floor. He recognized the odd little toes, the tip of a batwing, a sad eye. “It was the goblin, the one who knew how to open the portal.”
Lilith kneeled backward in the pew in front of the scene and peered over. “The poor thing! Did Cassandra do that?”
The cat-like gargoyle bounced up out of the darkness, balancing on the back of another nearby pew. It let out a long, sad cry that echoed against the ceiling and the walls.
“It’s likely. They didn’t like Cassandra. That much was clear from what they told us. We’re just not sure why.”
Just then, the front doors of the church slammed open. The old, heavy wood shuddered on its hinges as it hit the side of the building. Cassandra strode confidently up the aisle. “It’s not really that hard to figure out, is it?”
Kendrick rounded on her. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I should ask you, since you’re onmyproperty,” she retorted with a smile.
“Girls, what are you doing here?” Maeve asked.
Several younger adults came in on Cassandra’s heels. Kendrick recognized Colette and Nia from The Crystal Cauldron. He thought he’d seen the others, as well, but it was clear that the witches recognized them as they arrayed themselves behind Cassandra. Three young men he didn’t know had joined them as well. None of them said anything.
“Oh, Kendrick. As soon as I met you, I knew you’d be a problem,” Cassandra said, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “As you can see from the state of that gargoyle, I don’t let anyone stand in my way.”
He studied the cold, calculating looks in thegroup of people Cassandra had brought in with her. The bright, sassy attitude in Colette was replaced by indifference or even anger. Nia, with her arm around the waist of a guy with curly hair down to his chin, practically snarled as she observed her coven sisters.
“What did you do to them?” he demanded.
Cassandra scowled. “They’re under my control now.”
14
“Like hell they are,”Maeve replied. “Nia, Zoe, Iris, Colette. Come over here.”
None of the girls responded to their names.
Pure horror rippled through Maeve at seeing battle lines drawn within her own coven. They were all sisters, women who trusted each other above all else. Young and old, experienced or novices, it didn’t matter. But she’d never seen such vile looks from those she loved.
She recognized the three young men who were with them, too. They’d been on stage earlier at the concert. The one Nia clung to must be her boyfriend, Gavin. Maeve didn’t know the names of his bandmates. One had a shaved head and a thick chain around his neck. The other had long,scraggly hair that went past the bottom of his leather jacket.
“That’s just pathetic,” Cassandra said dismissively. “What are you going to do, Grandma? Punish them when they don’t get home before curfew? Please. They know who’s really in charge now.”
“Why?” Maeve demanded. She didn’t care about the insults. She only cared about what was happening with her sisters. And truthfully, she cared about the gargoyles, as well. “What’s the point in all of this?”
“We know you’re a banshee,” Kendrick added.
Cassandra chuckled slightly to herself. “Oh, did you figure that out? Gold star for you. I’m surprised you noticed anything beyond the stunning architecture of the building.”
“Clearly, that wasn’t your concern with the place,” he growled.
“Look, I’m going to simplify this and save us all time.” Cassandra shook her hair out and took a breath. “My kind have been used as harbingers of death for centuries. We were chained to old families, forced to carry out ethereal and eternal missions. We issued warnings. We guarded the veils between this world and others. We were used, never allowed to be ourselves.
“But I’ve broken free,” she continued, her smile turning wicked. “I know how to use my talents formy owngood now, and that portal makes me stronger.”
“What is it?” Maeve asked. If Cassandra was willing to talk, she wanted all the information she could get.
Cassandra lifted one shoulder. “It seems to be an entry into another dimension, one where no mortal can live. I’ve learned to pull power from it and make myself stronger. My voice is no longer just a warning of imminent doom. Want to see?”
She tipped back her head and flung out her arms, just as she had at the concert and in the visions the gargoyles had shown her before. Her piercing cry ripped through the air.
It was a screech so high and powerful that Maeve could hear it clearly even when she covered her ears. It reverberated against the inside of her skull and shook her bones, threatening to turn her guts into liquid.
A sharp rain began falling inside the church. No, not rain. Glass. Every single panel of stained glass had exploded, no match for Cassandra’s wailing. Shattered glass crashed to the floor in rainbowshards, illuminated by the haunting glow emanating from the portal beneath.
