Page 30 of Gargoyle Defender

Ezekiel stood nearby, arms crossed as he watched Tanner work. He turned, a smile helping to brighten his tense features. “Better than expected. He’s a natural.”

Tanner glanced up. His eyes widened slightly, his gaze locking on Ronen’s battle gear. “You're heading out soon.”

It wasn’t a question. Ronen stepped closer to Tanner, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. The warmth of his mate's body beneath his palm grounded him, a reminder of everything at stake.

“Strategy meeting in fifteen. Then we move.” Ronen struggled to keep his voice steady. “I wanted to see you before...”

Tanner pushed back from the desk and rose, wrapping his arms around Ronen’s waist. The layers of his gear created a frustrating barrier between them. He buried his nose in Tanner’s hair, taking a deep breath to inhale his mate’s scent. This simple moment was everything, all the encouragement he needed to fight with all he had to preserve what good was left on the earthly plane.

“I’ll be fine,” Tanner whispered against Ronen’s chest. “You just focus on coming back to me.”

Ronen tightened his embrace, careful not to crush Tanner with his strength. His heart pounded like a war drum. The thought of leaving his mate—of possibly never seeing him again—tore at something primal inside him.

“I’ll always come back to you,” Ronen murmured, pressing his lips to Tanner’s temple. “Nothing could keep me away.”

Ezekiel cleared his throat. “I should give you two a moment.” He moved toward the door, pausing only briefly. “Ronen, I’ll protect him with my life. You have my word.”

The healer slipped out, leaving them alone. Ronen cupped Tanner’s face between his palms, memorizing every feature. The slight crease between his eyebrows, the curve of his mouth, the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw—every bit of his sweet mate. “When I get back, we’re going to start our life together properly.”

Ronen leaned down and captured Tanner’s lips with his own, pouring all his love and emotion into the kiss. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Tanner’s eyes shone with unshed tears.

“You better,” Tanner whispered, his voice cracking slightly. “We have plans to make. A future to build.”

Ronen pressed his forehead against Tanner's, their breaths mingling between them. “I swear it. I’ll return to you.” His throat was clogged with emotion. “Keep monitoring their systems. If you notice anything unusual, alert Ezekiel, and he’ll relay the message to us.”

Tanner nodded. “I’ve set up notifications for any security overrides or system resets. If they realize they’ve been hacked, I’ll know.”

An urgent knock at the door sounded, and Cassiel’s muffled voice called out, “Ronen, we need you now.”

Ronen gritted his teeth, reluctantly pulling back from Tanner. The heat of his mate’s body lingered on his fingertips, a ghost of sensation he desperately tried to memorize.

“Stay safe,” he whispered, brushing his thumb across Tanner’s cheek one last time.

“You too.” Tanner sniffed, swallowing hard. “Go kick some demon ass.”

Ronen managed to smile despite the knot in his chest. He backed toward the door, unwilling to break eye contact until the last possible moment. When he finally turned and stepped into the corridor, the separation seemed like a physical blow.

Cassiel leaned against the corridor wall, her face grim. “Everyone’s assembled. Uriel’s getting impatient.”

Ronen jerked his chin. “Let’s go.”

They moved through the lair’s winding corridors in silence, the specter of the impending battle driving them forward. When they reached the threshold of the crowded conference room, the space was filled with tense murmurs. Ronen spotted Uriel on the far end of the room, sharing an exchange with Levon, the lair’s sentinel.

Uriel glanced their way, nodding at them in acknowledgment, his massive form somehow taking up twice the space of even the largest gargoyle. The angel’s gleaming bronze skin contrasted with his pure white hair, which was pulled back into a long, tight braid that fell down his back. His silver gaze swept over the assembly with a piercing stare.

“Order, everyone. The time has come to make our move.” Uriel’s voice resonated throughout the room. “Cassiel, I trust you have formulated a plan of attack?”

Cassiel moved forward with purposeful strides, her shoulders squared as she took her position before the gathered warriors. Ronen followed, placing himself slightly behind her right shoulder—the traditional place for a second-in-command.

“We strike in less than an hour,” Cassiel said. “You’ve already been briefed on the target, a large facility where the rogues have formed a new strategy to plunge the earth into darkness.”

“And where the filthy, scum traitors are helping them!”

“Geordie, I know.” Cassiel raised her hand in a calming gesture. “He’s a rat fucker, I get it. But Victor is only one part of a huge nightmare we must eradicate.” Her gaze traveled the room. “We must focus. Strike as a well-coordinated team. There’s no room for error.” She angled her body toward Ronen. “Here is my second-in-command. You are to follow Ronen’s orders if I should become unavailable.”

Ronen dipped his chin in acknowledgment before Cassiel continued. A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathered warriors. She unrolled a large map across the central table, weighting it down at the top corners with an ornate bronze inkwell and the lair’s wax stamp.

“Thanks to Tanner’s intel, we have the entire layout of the facility,” she said, tracing her finger along the perimeter. “We’ll attack from three directions simultaneously. Alpha team will take the north entrance, focusing on neutralizing the security forces. Beta team will enter from the east, targeting the labs where they're conducting their experiments. Gamma team—which I will lead with Ronen—will strike directly at the command center here.” She tapped the southern wing of the complex, then straightened. “There’s also been talk of a building where humans are being tortured. We’ll designate a rescue team once all the threats have been neutralized.”