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Libby’s hot vampire husband came forward, arms full of books and papers, looking too busy to evacuate anything. “Perhaps I could help. Gabby, isn’t it?”
I nodded while my lips trembled. “I have to hurry and find my mom before they kill her or before he kills everyone.”
“Do you need a ride?”
I nodded. “That would be useful. I need to get to the Osprey, across from Gray College. That’s where my betrothed will be.” I didn’t even think twice about calling Percy my betrothed.
“Very well.” He frowned and the books and papers disappeared in a cloud of darkness and then he picked me up and we flew. He had wings, but they were different from my father’s, and it took probably two minutes for him to set me down outside of the Osprey, my head still reeling from the flight.
“Thanks,” I gasped.
“I will tell Libby the issue, and we will get friends to set up a ward barrier that should slow down the process of turning the city to stone. That should give you some time.” He smiled kindly and then disappeared into shadows, leaving me to run into the Osprey to find Percy, who was on the stage, singing like his heart was breaking.
I waved at him, jumping up and down until he looked up and saw me. I gestured him to come, and he did, handing off his guitar and walking through the parting crowd like he was in a dream.
“Gabriela,” he murmured when he reached me, taking me into his arms to the cat-calls and whistled of the crowd.
I pressed my hands against his chest, holding him back. “My mom’s missing, and my dad’s turning the city to stone if we don’t find her.” I’d said she was missing, but I couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t just dead.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the Osprey and into the street. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“My phone was stolen and used to call her phone, which they left for dad to find in my apartment, or what used to be an apartment and is now a horror house. I never knew what shattered gargoyle looked like, but now I do.” I shuddered and threw my arms around him, for a second unable to cope and be logical, not when everything was hopeless and impossible.
He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, ignoring the fact that we were in the middle of the road. “Hey, it’s going to be fine. You came to the most brilliant, capable, devious person in the country, possibly the world. We will find her and stop the onslaught of the next stone age.”
I pulled away, sniffing. “Was that a joke? Who makes jokes at a time like this?”
A car honked, and he grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the road. “Is this your way of subtly asking if I have a middle name as shockingly terrible as my other ones? I’m not telling you unless you marry me.”
I snorted. “There is something wrong with you mind.”
“Yes, but wanting to marry you isn’t part of that. I’ve been working on the issue with the demon for a long time, and I have narrowed down the list to certain individuals who fit the profile. If you have extra information, maybe we can narrow it to one or two suspects, and then use deduction to unravel the case.”
I gave him a look. “Suddenly you’re Sherlock? My dad said that you wanted to be a judge, not a detective.”
“Judges have to decipher clues to determine right and wrong. Judges should be detectives, or they aren’t very good at their job. So, you were talking with your dad about me, hm? What else did he say? Did he tell you how wealthy I am, and what a good catch?”
“He mentioned that you were vain, and that you thought I should be a criminal defense lawyer. Why are we talking about this? We need to find my mom?” Fresh panic went through me, making my stomach twist and tighten and my whole body go cold.
He frowned and nodded. “We will find her. I can talk about your talents and think about finding a missing person at the same time. You’re as brilliantly talented as I am in different ways that complement me perfectly.”
“And it all comes back to you.” I glared at him.
He nodded soberly. “You came back to me, and you are all there is.”
I rolled my eyes even though his words plucked my heart, and then we ran.
Chapter
Eighteen
“The demon was summoned in the library the night that you took the books out,” he said as soon as we got to his room, which was once more neat and tidy, like it hadn’t ever been ransacked when he’d been worried about whether or not I’d survive shifting to stone.
“Do you think that they’re connected? Was one of the books actually…” I frowned at him. “The guy from the pizza place, he said that the little book wasn’t a library book, but some precious Marigold heirloom.”
He stared at me. “I see.” His voice was very cold, very hard, very dangerous.
“Do you? How nice for you. Is it a Marigold heirloom?”
