from the terror.
"Sleep, little one," a voice said into her mind, and everything went dark.
Chapter 16
"He needs Thanatos," Nasargiel told Tzadkiel.
They got into the chopper they'd rented from a goblin enclave. The vampire pilot made no pretenses about looking back at their cargo.
"Holy shit, he looks like he's been through a war," he said of the fallen Abaddon.
"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious," Nasargiel snapped.
"He won't help him," Tzadkiel cut into the argument. "His hatred of Abaddon is legendary."
"We'll take him there anyway," he said. "We have to take the woman there."
"She sure looks like a gargoyle," Tzadkiel ventured, staring at the sleeping woman. "It could be some kind of trick, but she..."
Nasargiel echoed the sentiment. When Lincoln had contacted them and told them that the female gargoyle they'd all been sensing was washed ashore somewhere in Bimini, he had been skeptical. When they'd seen the pair in the water about to be swept into the waters of the Gulf Stream, they'd panicked and rushed to get to them. Finding the woman clinging desperately to a gargoyle the size, stature, and color of Abaddon had been unlikely enough.
But then, she had opened her eyes and they had been perfect gargoyle eyes.
The stories of Lilith were told to them when they were young, but then never spoken of again. It stood as a statement of relief... no gargoyle women. The change apparently drove women insane. And not a single gargoyle woman had ever been born, so they assumed that it wasn't possible. Even human girl babies born to gargoyle fathers were rare enough to be nearly miraculous.
Yet the woman who slept peacefully on the floor of the helicopter was unquestionably a gargoyle and sane.
Abigor interrupted Nasargiel's musings, "It has to be some kind of trick. She doesn't seem crazy, just traumatized."
"That we can sense her indicates that she is indeed a gargoyle," Nasargiel replied, uncertain.
"Thanatos will know," Tzadkiel announced, echoing all of their hopes.
The helicopter landed and they moved their precious cargo onto a regular plane, piloted this time by a werewolf. His flight plan was registered, so there would be no inspections or trouble. The plane roared towards Vermont with great haste.
When they landed on the private airstrip of the Waltham Park Reserve, they unloaded Abaddon and the woman, putting them in the back of a pickup truck. Following it and its driver, they arrived at a hidden lair deep in the mountains.
Picking him up, they trudged into the common area of Thanatos' residence. There wasn't a man there who wasn't excited.
"Well, let me see," the massive gargoyle said, stepping into the room.
The group shifted, all of them, to a man, afraid of the mighty Thanatos. He was not just a gargoyle, he was the son of a sorcerer... the sorcerer-turned-gargoyle who even now lay on the table before them.
He laid his hand on the woman's head. "Wake up, little one," he commanded. She sat up immediately with a cry. She looked around wildly for an instant, before sighing with relief when she saw Abaddon.
"You must rest and learn how to reach into the Earth to replenish yourself," Thanatos told the woman. "You'll be fine with rest."
She smiled tentatively at him. "Thank you," she said.
"What's your name?" he asked. "We have many questions, as I'm sure you already expect."
"I'm Sarah," she informed him.
"Thanatos," he bowed and then held out his hand.
Nasargiel was unprepared for what happened next. The woman--Sarah--hauled off and punched Thanatos straight in the face. The room grew suddenly chilly and silent.
"Ow! Ouch, ouch, ouch! Your face is like a fucking rock!" she yelled, cradling her hand. "Ow."
"I'm a gargoyle," he said dryly. Then his eyes met Nasargiel's. "I don't think I deserved that. Did I deserve that?"
Nasargiel shrugged. "Probably."
Thanatos grinned, to his surprise.
"Yes, you bloody well deserved that," Sarah informed him.
"Care to explain why?"
"Sleep, little one," a voice said into her mind, and everything went dark.
Chapter 16
"He needs Thanatos," Nasargiel told Tzadkiel.
They got into the chopper they'd rented from a goblin enclave. The vampire pilot made no pretenses about looking back at their cargo.
"Holy shit, he looks like he's been through a war," he said of the fallen Abaddon.
"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious," Nasargiel snapped.
"He won't help him," Tzadkiel cut into the argument. "His hatred of Abaddon is legendary."
"We'll take him there anyway," he said. "We have to take the woman there."
"She sure looks like a gargoyle," Tzadkiel ventured, staring at the sleeping woman. "It could be some kind of trick, but she..."
Nasargiel echoed the sentiment. When Lincoln had contacted them and told them that the female gargoyle they'd all been sensing was washed ashore somewhere in Bimini, he had been skeptical. When they'd seen the pair in the water about to be swept into the waters of the Gulf Stream, they'd panicked and rushed to get to them. Finding the woman clinging desperately to a gargoyle the size, stature, and color of Abaddon had been unlikely enough.
But then, she had opened her eyes and they had been perfect gargoyle eyes.
The stories of Lilith were told to them when they were young, but then never spoken of again. It stood as a statement of relief... no gargoyle women. The change apparently drove women insane. And not a single gargoyle woman had ever been born, so they assumed that it wasn't possible. Even human girl babies born to gargoyle fathers were rare enough to be nearly miraculous.
Yet the woman who slept peacefully on the floor of the helicopter was unquestionably a gargoyle and sane.
Abigor interrupted Nasargiel's musings, "It has to be some kind of trick. She doesn't seem crazy, just traumatized."
"That we can sense her indicates that she is indeed a gargoyle," Nasargiel replied, uncertain.
"Thanatos will know," Tzadkiel announced, echoing all of their hopes.
The helicopter landed and they moved their precious cargo onto a regular plane, piloted this time by a werewolf. His flight plan was registered, so there would be no inspections or trouble. The plane roared towards Vermont with great haste.
When they landed on the private airstrip of the Waltham Park Reserve, they unloaded Abaddon and the woman, putting them in the back of a pickup truck. Following it and its driver, they arrived at a hidden lair deep in the mountains.
Picking him up, they trudged into the common area of Thanatos' residence. There wasn't a man there who wasn't excited.
"Well, let me see," the massive gargoyle said, stepping into the room.
The group shifted, all of them, to a man, afraid of the mighty Thanatos. He was not just a gargoyle, he was the son of a sorcerer... the sorcerer-turned-gargoyle who even now lay on the table before them.
He laid his hand on the woman's head. "Wake up, little one," he commanded. She sat up immediately with a cry. She looked around wildly for an instant, before sighing with relief when she saw Abaddon.
"You must rest and learn how to reach into the Earth to replenish yourself," Thanatos told the woman. "You'll be fine with rest."
She smiled tentatively at him. "Thank you," she said.
"What's your name?" he asked. "We have many questions, as I'm sure you already expect."
"I'm Sarah," she informed him.
"Thanatos," he bowed and then held out his hand.
Nasargiel was unprepared for what happened next. The woman--Sarah--hauled off and punched Thanatos straight in the face. The room grew suddenly chilly and silent.
"Ow! Ouch, ouch, ouch! Your face is like a fucking rock!" she yelled, cradling her hand. "Ow."
"I'm a gargoyle," he said dryly. Then his eyes met Nasargiel's. "I don't think I deserved that. Did I deserve that?"
Nasargiel shrugged. "Probably."
Thanatos grinned, to his surprise.
"Yes, you bloody well deserved that," Sarah informed him.
"Care to explain why?"
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