Grace and Glory (The Harbinger #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,46
it wasn’t to snuggle.
If Dez knew that Zayne had already been at the apartment—the roof of the apartment, to be exact—he’d probably hog-tie me and stash me away.
And I knew I was being irrational. I knew I should pack my ass up and hunker down, but when did I ever do the rational, sane thing? Never. I started nibbling on my thumbnail. But maybe by this time tomorrow night I’d have a way to neutralize Zayne so I could bring him back.
Or set him free.
“You need to be careful, Trinity,” Dez started.
“I am.” Kind of. Weight settled on my shoulders as the high school came into view. One marked police vehicle sat outside, beside another black, unmarked car.
Never did I think I’d be so happy to see a haunted high school.
Dez pulled in behind the unmarked vehicle. Killing the engine, he turned to me, and instinct told me he was gearing up for some kind of deep talk.
“Look! Cop lady!” I unhooked my seat belt and threw open the door. I all but fell out of the SUV.
Cop Lady was standing outside the unmarked sedan, speaking into her phone. Whether it was my shout or extraordinary exit/fall from the vehicle that gained her attention, the tall Black woman turned toward me.
I gave her a rather jaunty wave. “Did you call the Ghostbusters? If so, we’re here.”
She slowly lowered the phone and turned to Dez.
“Captain Washington, this is Trinity.” Dez already sounded tired. “She’s, uh, consulting with us.”
“Really?” The police captain’s tone was overflowing with doubt.
“She’s an expert in these kinds of things,” Dez insisted.
“‘I see dead people.’”
The captain opened her mouth and it took a moment for her to say, “You know, that’s just cool with me.”
I grinned.
“So what’s going on in there, Captain Washington?” Dez asked while shooting me a look I could read clearly.
Shut. Up.
“Hell if I know, Dez. I got three missing officers and one sitting in his cruiser,” she said, and as she placed the phone into the front pocket of her dark slacks, the short-sleeved blazer was pushed back, revealing the gun holstered at her side. “All he’s been doing is praying.”
My brows lifted. “For real?”
She spared me a brief glance, nodding. “He hasn’t said much. All I know is that they didn’t make it past the main hall before Officer Lewis was grabbed.”
“By a black mass in the ceiling?” Dez clarified.
“Yes, and let me tell you, Officer Lee has been on the force for thirty years. There is very little that freaks him out.” Placing her hands on her hips, she looked up at the school. “I’ve never seen him like this. I believe he saw what he said he did. That’s why I called you guys in, but like I told the other ones, I can’t promise how long I can let you guys have first go at this. I have missing officers, and even though the second call wasn’t over the radio, the first one was.”
I frowned. “Others—?”
A shadow dropped from above, landing with a loud thump in front of me. I squeaked, jumping back. All I saw was the hard, gray skin of a Warden. “Good God.”
“Sorry,” came the gruff reply as smooth-skinned wings snapped back. The Warden put a good foot or three of personal space between us. The dark-haired head bowed. His horns were the color of polished obsidian. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay.” I looked up at the roof, squinting. Another Warden was perched on the edge. He stepped off, joining the first Warden. This one had lighter brown hair, cropped close to the skull, and horns, like the one before. “It’s raining gargoyles.”
“We waited like you asked,” the first Warden said, and as I recovered from my mini heart attack, I realized he was wearing a shirt. While he was in his Warden form with wings out.
Huh.
“We haven’t heard anything coming from inside there,” the other Warden said while I stepped sideways to get a better view.
The shirt the first Warden wore had two slits running up both sides of his spine. More than enough space for his wings to come out. That was ridiculously clever, and embarrassingly so, considering no one else seemed to have caught on to that method.
“Not a single sound,” the first Warden confirmed, glancing at me.
I clasped my hands together and smiled. “I like your shirt.”
He turned briefly to Dez and then swallowed. “Thanks?”
“She’s a...consultant?” Captain Washington asked. “In what capacity other than seeing dead people?”