“Ignatius,” she says with a warning, pointing to the door as it swings closed. “That was too hard. What if you put a hole in Annabelle’s wallpaper?”
Iggy shrugs and flies to the bed, settling himself in the middle. “I could fix it if I put a hole in it. Dad says I should be more careful too, but I was excited to bring you snacks.”
My woman rises from her seat and joins Iggy on the bed, lying flat on her stomach as she looks at the boxes. Movement at the door draws my eye. A black hellhound lumbers in, pregnant belly swaying as her tongue lolls from her mouth. Rivers of fire run under her inky fur, her red eyes glowing like twin embers. I watch in amazement as my former hunting partner pads across the room to the foot of Louanna’s bed and drops to the carpet with a pained-sounding huff.
Minnie girl.
Hard to believe she hunted criminals with me for years and abandoned me the moment she met Iggy. But she and I never had that permanent bond that hellhounds sometimes form. She has that with Ignatius. When he grows up and goes off to the protector academy, she’ll go with him. He’ll become a powerful guardian one day with a hellhound by his side. In the meantime, she’s a very pregnant, uncomfortable-sounding presence at the foot of the bed.
I float outside the window, invisible to the room’s occupants. For twenty solid minutes, Iggy talks Louanna through the snackboxes, shoving bits and pieces of baked goods in her mouth when she opens it for him. They have such a pure friendship, and I’m appreciative of the tiny protector’s care for her.
O’ course, it’s built into his DNA to protect and serve the monster community. Nearly all haven protector teams are led by, and primarily composed of, gargoyles.
I watch for a while as they laugh and talk, but when Louanna slips off the bed and heads for the window, I resist the urge to morph back into monster form. She says something over her shoulder to Iggy as she reaches for the window and pushes it up. The momentary vacuum of the window opening pulls me into the room—or maybe I just tell myself that—as I swirl in wind form around the foot of the bed with Minnie and the dust bunnies.
Minnie raises her head and whines at me, flame-red eyes wide. Her black furry tail thumps a slow, happy rhythm against thick carpet. When I rustle over her fur, she harrumphs and lies flat once more.
My Minnie girl.
She dropped me in a moment for Iggy, but it’s just as well. My focus is elsewhere these days.
Floating across the room, I settle into an empty chair in front of the fireplace. Gods, I’d love to half-morph and be seated here as my wind form but in the shape of my human form. I bet Louanna’d get a kick outta that.
As it is, I don’t want to shock the group. So I stay invisible and watch as Iggy goes sugar crazy and passes out in Lou’s arms. I watch as she strokes his back and wings and dark hair. Eventually, she calls Alo to come get his son. A minute later, the gargoyle himself shows up in the open window and slips in, carefully taking Iggy from Louanna’s arms.
“I know he acts like he’s taking care of you, Lou,” Alo says gently, “but hanging with you is his favorite time of day. Thank you for that.”
My love smiles at the big gargoyle. “You and Miriam are raising an amazing young man. He’s so refreshing, honestly. I should be thanking you.”
Alo smiles as he rubs his son’s back. He gives Lou a final look before glancing in my direction with a frown, then slipping gracefully out of the window and into the sky.
And then it’s just us, because Minnie pads away the moment Iggy and Alo are gone.
Louanna returns to the bed and flops in, letting out a sigh that sounds bone-deep. She lifts her wrist as if she’ll call someone, but seems to think better of it.
Call me,I silently urge.Call me, Louanna, and I’ll rush to your side.
Disappointment rises when her wrist falls to the pillow. She curls onto her side, shoving a pillow between her knees and clutching another to her chest. Like every night I spend watching over her, I float above, kissing her cheeks and hair with my currents. Within minutes, she’s asleep.
And still I don’t leave.
I will never,everleave.
CHAPTER FOUR
LOU
“Lou, you alright?” Malik’s voice breaks through the cloud of nothing in my brain.
I rub at my eyes as a yawn escapes me. “Didn’t sleep well. I had weird nightmares.”
My niece, Morgan, rubs my back as Malik clip-clops past a half dozen tables covered with moss, potions, mushrooms and bottles to join us. A pale finger comes beneath my chin and lifts, forcing me to look up into worried eyes and scrunchy eyebrows. He chuffs, swishing his tail against his furry sides. “The same nightmares as before?”
I nod. Morgan lets out a displeased little noise. She’s gotten downright motherly since I arrived in town. I was hell-bent on protecting the triplets from evil monsters, but these days, it seems more like they’re protecting me.
Malik sighs. “It’s not unusual after someone goes through what you went through. But?—”
“You mean after accidentally killing someone?” I pull my chin from Malik’s hold, familiar grief welling up inside for my part in the accident that took Leighton’s life. My heartbeat flutters wildly, stealing my breath as I consider that I might be having an actual heart attack.
