Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
“Of course you’re not, miss.” Mr. Tom made fists with his hands and kept firmly beating at the muscles in my back. I could’ve told him to stop, but it was just as easy to ignore him. He was my personal white noise. “No one will run you anywhere. I’d like to see them try.”
Broken Sue kept his gaze steady on me, apparently unfazed by Mr. Tom’s whole situation. He nodded, not much more than a jerk of his head. “You’ll do what needs to be done. In an official capacity, to prevent favoritism, that’s all I can say.”
“All right, monkey, off ye git now,” Niamh said from right behind me. “We’ll handle it. Bugger off. Ye did yer part.”
Broken Sue’s eyes flicked over my shoulder. “Remember in which territory you reside, puca,” he growled. I might have taken a step back if his magic hadn’t cocooned me in a protective embrace that shielded me from the aggression emanating from him. He was magically communicating that I was safe within his proximity.
“I know which territory, ye great lummox,” Niamh replied. “Hers.”
The tension coiled. Power pulsed from Broken Sue, from Niamh, from the others around me sensing a possible confrontation.
I knew this wasn’t a big deal—their squabble would amount to absolutely nothing. At the bar, Niamh antagonized Broken Sue mercilessly, always stopping her taunting just shy of an altercation. She knew exactly which buttons to push, how hard, and for how long. She used it to distract him, to break him out of his cycle of self-loathing and get him to direct his pain-turned-anger at her instead. I knew all of this.
But he was silently threatening a member of my crew. A crew it was my duty to protect. In a bar, I could ignore it. On a battlefield, when my gargoyle was already feeling the call of blood and the darkness within me was at a rolling boil…
“Please stop,” I whispered, pushing Ulric away. If my magic kicked off, I didn’t want to accidentally fling him. “Stop going at each other. Now isn’t the time.”
“It’s never the time,” Broken Sue said in a rough voice, like rocks dragging over concrete.
“That’s only because you’re on borrowed time,” Niamh returned.
“Ha! What amazing wordplay. Two masters,” Edgar said from somewhere behind me.
“Enough!” The darkness surged up and stole over me. Magic ballooned out, sending a pulse into the sky.
I knew that pulse meant, Come to me, calling all the gargoyles around us. I didn’t have any more control over that than I did my new talent of creating blood bonds.
Mr. Tom’s pounding on my back ceased. My beast itched to get out.
Another pulse blasted out into the sky, across the field, across the town.
Prepare for war.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it,” I said, balling my fists, trying to clamp the magic back down. “Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.”
“Fall into it, Jessie.” Niamh was right at my side. “Fall into it. Let yer primal side out for a walk. Shift. Take to the sky. Or waddle around—whatever ye gargoyles do. Do it.”
“Listen to her,” Ivy House said. “She created this opportunity for you. Shift and let your beast handle this challenge. Do not let your mate down.”
“You baited him on purpose,” I gritted out.
“Well, o’course I did,” Niamh replied, keeping pace with me as I stepped away. “I’ve got him down to a short fuse, and he’s got a lotta power. He’s helping me push ye. Let the beast out.”
“You can’t let that challenging shifter ridicule you,” Ulric said, popping up at my other side again. The others pushed away, probably worried I’d explode. “Show this pack your power. Show them they’re in good hands with you as their alpha.”
My power pumped higher, the pulses coming faster. Stronger. Calling my brothers and sisters in arms.
Broken Sue lost all his tension and sucked in a startled breath.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Niamh told him, breathing faster. “The female gargoyle is a born commander. A magical commander. Not even Austin Steele can unite an army the way she can. Jessie-the-Jane just has to get out of the way.”
“What if I lose control?” I said. “What if I kill her? What if I accidentally overreach and hurt innocent bystanders?”
“I got that,” Sebastian said. “I can handle protecting the onlookers so you can focus on the challenge. Nessa, I could use some help.”
“Coming! How do you do, sir?” Nessa said as she jogged by, laughter in her tone. She was talking to Broken Sue again.
“There, now. Ye won’t hurt any bystanders, sure ye won’t,” Niamh told me.
I could feel my power thrumming, pulsing into the sky where several gargoyles now soared, waiting for my next command.
Ulric swore under his breath. “I can’t resist this,” he said, strained. “She’s calling us, Jessie. Your gargoyle is calling us, and it feels incredible. It feels like what we were made for.”