Page 35 of Falling for Ash
Gabby paused, unable to revel in her new superpowers since something was decidedly off with the priest. She took a sniff. That new part of her that was waking up, her she-Wolf, growled a warning. Without being conscious of it, Gabby swung out with her arm, blocking the massive blade Fr. Perez had drawn on her.
He’d been aiming the pointy side straight at her heart.
What the heck?
Her childhood priest sneered, struggling to free the deadly sword from where it was now stuck in the marble of the statue.
Thank goodness for her quick reflexes!
But why was Fr. Perez wielding a sword?
Was he suddenly into a little D&D roleplaying or something?
Realization dawned and her chest squeezed painfully. The priest she had known most of her life was brandishing a medieval weapon against her.
To hurt her.
Maybe even kill her.
Holy cow!
What the what was going on?
Anger coursed through her, and she struggled with it for a moment before narrowing her eyes at the man who was once so familiar and was now a total stranger. Gabby straightened her back and used her best teacher's voice on the pale and pudgy priest.
“Fr. Perez! What are you doing?”
He froze on the spot. Clearly shocked by her tone, which was something she’d worked very hard on as a teacher to gently discipline unruly children, especially the preschoolers. Gabby usually offered some form of praise to reward her students after they’d been scolded, but she wasn’t feeling all that kind toward Fr. Perez at the moment.
Especially since he was still intent on attacking her with the enormous blade.
Grrr.
Yay for Werewolf super strength.
“I’ve known you all my life!” she exclaimed, using very little force to hold the blade at bay.
“You are not the woman I know, Gabby! I could ignore your Werewolf side so long as it was dormant, but now that it has awoken, I must take action! I have to prove my loyalty to mankind!” The chubby priest grunted and tried to free his sword from where she still had it pinned against a marble statue of St. Rose, to no avail.
“First, I think you mean humankind, and second, how do you know about any of this?” Gabby asked, correcting him first on his chauvinism.
“The Council knows all! Now, release my blade and I will dispel of you quickly,” he grunted. “In the name of the Father…” Fr. Perez prayed aloud, using his foot against the pedestal of the statue to try and gain leverage.
Dang it.
Gabby really liked that statue. It was part of the history and artistry of the Catholic Church that she loved to study so much. So much blood and violence, she supposed she should not be surprised at a priest wielding a sword. The Church certainly had a messy past, and one of Gabby’s fondest interests in college had been her church history classes.
It was not surprising they hid their connection to the supernatural world.
Who would believe it in this day and age, anyway?
Still, how could he be so small minded?
Gabby frowned at Fr. Perez and his incessant struggles.
“Enough of this,” she growled, then tugged on the blade, sending the whimpering priest to his knees.
He muttered a prayer, held up his crucifix, and shouted at her with spittle flying from his lips.
