Page 8 of Guarded by the Gargoyle (Hidden Hollow #3)

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KAEL

I couldn’t understand why the curvy little human jumped away from me. I wasn’t showing her my Gargoyle side—which is the fearsome visage that comes out when an attacker is near. Nor was I menacing her in any way—I had even knelt at her feet to make myself less frightening. I didn’t want to loom over her in the moonlight like a beast.

But still she gasped and jumped away from me, her eyes wide with fright.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning at her. “You asked for a protector and you hold my key, do you not? No one else could break the spell that held me in stone.”

“Your what?” She still looked panicked. “What are you talking about?”

“My key,” I said patiently. I pointed to the locket that encircled my throat—which had been placed by the hand of the Almighty himself after I fell from grace. “You hold my key—you are my Mistress.”

“I…I don’t know anything about any key! I don’t…” She trailed off, looking down at her hand, which was gripped into a fist. When she opened it—her fingers trembling—I saw the tiny golden key. She was indeed the holder of my key—my rightful Mistress.

I felt a sigh of relief leave me. Thank the Heavens that it was a woman holding my key this time. The last time I had been brought to life, it had not been so. Which was why I had asked that an inscription be added to my stone form, specifying that the one who held my key must be female.

The last woman I had been called to protect…but I chose not to think of that. I had a new Mistress now—a new charge to protect and I was determined to do exactly that.

But it seemed my new Mistress did not wish for my protection.

“Stay away from me,” she said, backing away. “You just stay aw—” Just then her foot caught on one of the many plants in the garden and she tripped and started falling backwards.

Luckily, I am blessed with super-human speed and strength. I reached for her and caught her almost at once. Before her head could hit the ground, I had her in my arms. I looked down into her face…and I must admit, I liked what I saw.

She was curvy, as I said before, and she had long, black hair that fell like a waterfall down her back. Her features were delicate—she had luscious lips and big eyes that were such a pale green they almost seemed to glow in the moonlight.

Then I saw the marks on her face—bruises on her pale cheeks that could only have been made by a hand—a male’s hand, no doubt.

I felt the anger rising inside me—the Protective Wrath was filling me, causing me to change my form, to change from Angel to Gargoyle. I tried to tell myself to hold back—to push the Wrath back down. I couldn’t help remembering how my first Mistress had reacted when she saw my demonic form…but I couldn’t stop myself. The idea that anyone would hurt the woman I now protected made me so angry .

“Who did this to you?” I demanded, and my voice had deepened to an inhuman growl. “Who hurt you, Mistress? Tell me and I will hunt him down and bathe in his blood!”

Her pale green eyes got so wide they seemed to swallow her face.

“Goddess,” she whispered. “Please…please d-don’t hurt me!”

And then she went limp in my arms.