Gabriel lifted his hand and cried out in the buzzing, electrified tongue that only gods and gifted children could hear. “I am no guardian angel, and I never have been. Please don’t let this monster kill my precious lamb. Don’t let my failure cause her death.”
Suddenly, Gabriel’s energy field began to glow. Although the lamp’s bulb stayed dark, the entire poster lit up as if painted by a phosphorescent brush. Palin glanced back. “Thank you, my liege. I can see now.”
“No!” Gabriel screamed. “Now he’ll kill her for sure!”
Palin spied Bonnie as she slept peacefully in her bed, her wings easily visible in the soft light of the poster’s luminescence. Leaning toward her, Palin flexed his muscles and drew back his sword.
Chapter 10
THROUGH THE STORM
Pressing his cheek against the poster, Gabriel cried out, “Dear God, I beg you. Protect her! I am helpless!”
Palin swung his sword, but just before the blade reached the bed, he flexed his arms and drew it back. Taking a step closer, he gazed at Bonnie for several seconds. Gabriel lumbered to the bedside and stood next to the evil slayer, so weak he could barely keep his energy from crumbling to the floor. What could he do but stare alongside the slayer?
The poster’s glow highlighted Bonnie’s radiant face peaceful, serene, angelic. The tender skin on her bare arms displayed an innocent vulnerability, as though she were a gentle lamb who knew nothing of the wolf poised at her throat. With her eyes still shut and her mouth stretching into a quiet yawn, Bonnie pulled her knees closer to her chest and nuzzled her pillow.
Palin peered at the door for a moment, then at Bonnie. Lowering his sword, he tiptoed back to the hall and leaned out. Finally, he left the room, and the sound of creaking steps faded in the distance.
As Gabriel backed away from the bed, the poster’s glow disappeared. With a surge of strength, he floated down the stairwell and found Devin and Palin standing close to the front door, both putting on their cloaks.
“Can you see well enough to drive?” Palin asked.
“My vision’s coming back slowly, but I couldn’t even find the breaker box.”
“You couldn’t?” Palin glanced back at the stairs, but only for a second.
“No mongrels in the house?” Devin asked.
Palin shook his head. “And no sign of Gabriel. I guess he disappeared again.”
“In future slayings, we’ll be sure to stay clear of electrical outlets, but I’d still like to kill that mongrel. I’ll ask Morgan if she has any ideas.”
“At least we finally got Hartanna,” Palin said, pointing his sword at Irene.
Devin fumbled for the doorknob and patted a pocket in his cloak. “And I have her blood. Just the medicine for a wound inflicted by the witch’s claws.”
He opened the door, and as they passed into the snowy breeze, Palin laughed. “Hair of the dog that bit you, huh?” The door slammed heavily behind them.
Gabriel knelt at Irene’s side. A pool of blood surrounded her body and streamed along the lines between the hardwood strips. He laid his head on her side and wept.
A sleepy voice sounded from the top of the stairs. “Daddy? Is that you?”
Gabriel spun around. “Oh, dear God!” he moaned. “Don’t let her see this carnage!”
As Bonnie padded down the stairs, she draped a bathrobe over her wings and shoulders. When she reached the bottom, she stopped and squinted. The streetlights cast a dim glow over Irene’s curled body.
“Mama?” Bonnie called. “Are you okay?”
Gabriel raised his hands to stop Bonnie but to no avail. She scooted across the floor and ran around to Irene’s head.
“Mama!” Bonnie screamed, dropping to her knees. “What happened?”
Irene’s pallid face gave no reply.
Bonnie lifted her mother’s hand from the floor. Blood dripped from the ends of her fingers. She grabbed the limp arm and screamed again. “Mama! Can you hear me?”
Irene’s hand suddenly latched around Bonnie’s wrist. Her mouth opened, but no audible words came forth.
“What, Mama?” Bonnie leaned close. “Say it again!”
“Your father betrayed us,” Irene whispered. “Go to the agency. . . . Just like our plan. . . . Don’t let . . . let them find you.”
Bonnie clutched her mother’s hand, her arms and voice quaking. “I can’t leave you like this! You’ll die!”
“You must find . . . the other dragon. . . . Don’t come back here . . . unless I call you.”
A loud clump sounded from the garage at the side of the house, then heavy footsteps. Irene’s eyes widened, and a