Page 29 of Gargoyle Defender

Cassiel pushed back her chair with a scrape against the stone floor. “I’ll gather our weapons. We’re going to need everything we’ve got.“ She paused, her lip curling. “And when I find Victor, I’m going to make him wish he’d never been created.”

Ronen stood, placing a hand on Tanner’s shoulder. “I want to be the one to take him down.” His voice came out as a low growl, his fingers tightening instinctively. “He deserves to know exactly why he’s dying.”

Cassiel’s amber eyes flashed with understanding. “We’ll do it together. That traitor deserves to face both of us.”

Ronen grinned. “Deal.” He scooped up a surprised Tanner from his chair. “As for you, I insist you work from bed, so you don’t wear yourself out.”

Cassiel crossed her arms. “Zeke? I think a chaperone is needed. Care to do the honors?”

Ronen huffed. “I don’t think that’s nec—“

Ezekiel jumped up from his chair. “I’d be glad to.”

Ronen sighed. He knew when he was beaten.

Chapter Nine

Ronen held up his blade to one of the lit sconces in the armory. He gripped the hilt of the weapon the way he would in battle, extending the finger of his opposite hand along the flat of the knife’s edge, testing its balance. Satisfied, he sheathed his knife and turned his attention to his protective gear.

Once he shifted, what he wore would be meaningless. But there was a crucial time when a gargoyle could be struck down, that moment before battle when it still seemed as if conflict was distant. More Shadow Slayers had been taken out by reckless disregard than had been lost in battle.

As he strapped on his Kevlar vest, which was reinforced with protection magic—similar to that which shielded the door to all lairs—Cassiel strolled into the armory.

“It’s starting to get crowded in here.” She jerked her chin over her shoulder. “You should see the group that just poured in. There are at least fifty pissed-off gargoyles from the Denver lair that want to annihilate Victor.” She quirked a smile. “Don’t worry. I told them we called dibs.”

“Good.” Ronen grunted. “Are you sure we can fit everyone in here? I mean, it’s a big lair, but still. I didn’t bother counting, but there were probably a hundred fighters from the West Coast lair that showed up about an hour ago.”

“Uriel’s here. I guess Michael sent him down to manage the chaos of ragey gargoyles.”

“I assume we’ll have a strategy meeting and that you’ll be in charge?” Ronen’s own rage was heating up again. “That fucker Victor was undoubtedly trying to screw us over by demanding he be in charge of the team. He probably figured Samir could be easily corrupted again, which was why he insisted on bringing him along.”

Cassiel pressed her lips together. “For real. Man, I wish I’d picked up on his dark side. I mean, what the fuck? Maybe I’m losing my touch.”

Ronen lowered his head. Cassiel wasn’t the one who should be ashamed. “I’m the one who’s out of touch.” He met her gaze. “I owe Samir a big apology.”

Cassiel clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey. We’re gonna make it right. In the meantime, the answer’s yes. Uriel is making it clear that I’m leading the mission. Heads up, though. I’m appointing you as second, just in case.”

Ronen nodded in understanding. “How soon before we have the strategy session? It’s already eleven.”

Cassiel tugged on her leather gloves. “In about fifteen. I’m giving the European faction a few more minutes to show up. If they don’t get in here in time, they can stay here as reserves.” She dragged her fingers through her hair, sighing. “It’s hard to believe we’re finally at the precipice of this conflict, that this could all be over by morning.”

Ronen swallowed hard. “I can’t think about it right now.”

If things didn’t go their way, what terrible fate would await Tanner and their unborn child? He’d go crazy if he dwelt on the horrific possibilities.

“I understand, bro. Go say goodbye.” Cassiel tightened her weapons belt. “The leaders of each lair already present will be meeting us in the conference room. See you then.”

Ronen heaved a sigh and did one last inventory of everything to make sure he had all he needed. His heart seemed as if it was stuck in his throat as he made his way down the hallway to their guest room. Tanner was there monitoring the systems of the facility after he’d hacked into everything.

When Ronen left him a half hour earlier, he’d seemed stronger. Ezekiel had brought him some rice and chicken, and Tanner was able to keep it down. Tanner’s eagerness to help and single-minded focus had kept their interaction from being too melancholy. But this was it. They were no longer preparing for battle. War was imminent.

He needed to put on a strong front to reassure his mate.

The sound of urgent voices from the conference room carried down the corridor as Ronen approached the chamber where he’d left Tanner. There would be very little time to be together before he had to head into battle.

When he reached the door of their room, he paused, taking a deep breath before entering. Tanner sat ramrod straight at a massive oak desk, surrounded by various laptops and tablets that Ezekiel had managed to procure. His mate’s fingers flew across the keyboard, his face bathed in the glow of the screens.

“I’ve disabled their main security protocols,” Tanner announced without looking up. “They won’t know what hit them until you’re already inside. I’ve also created a backdoor into their system that will let me track your progress once you’ve infiltrated the buildings. I can control the doors, cameras, everything.”