Forever The World of Nightwalkers - By Jacquelyn Frank Page 0,88

electric current, made it completely opaque, blocking out the daylight while he—

Electricity! He remembered the switch and turned it off. The glass became instantly clear and moonlight, bright and full, poured in. It lit the grounds very well, but even so it was amazing how much he could see, how much detail jumped out at him as though it were the light of day. Then he saw them, huge dark masses with wings, gliding to the ground in a deadly, beautiful grace of movement that should not have been present in creatures so big. And Menes knew these Gargoyles well.

Ahnvil, he thought as Jackson’s eyes rested on the nearer Gargoyle. And as if he knew eyes were on him, Ahnvil turned and looked straight up at the bedroom window. The Gargoyles’ eyes were red, something that happened only whe expression on his face their ihlyn they were in battle mode or being threatened in some way. Suddenly Jackson found himself wishing he could open the window, except it was a solid sheet of glass in its casement.

“There’s trouble,” Jackson said, turning to look at her. “Promise me you’ll stay right here,” he demanded of her as he went for his gun in his dresser. He whistled sharply, more habit than anything, and he heard Sargent bark from farther inside the house. He ran out of the room before she answered him, instinctively knowing there was no time to waste. He didn’t waste time with shirt or shoes. Sargent met him halfway down the hallway, whining excitedly, knowing something was happening as only an animal could know it. Jackson pointed to the bedroom door he’d just come through. “Stay, boy. You watch out for her.”

Sargent actually looked put out by the order. He even whined, the doggy version of “Oh, c’mon!! I wanna go too!”

Marissa raced to the window, her heart in her throat as she watched for Jackson. This, she thought, is the other reason why I never wanted to date from within the police department. She knew she couldn’t watch someone she loved run headfirst into danger every single day of her life, never knowing if that day was going to be the day his captain would be at her door in his stead because …

… loved? She hastily rewound her thoughts. Had she just said …

Love Jackson? No! Of course you don’t love him! If for no other reason than he’s a damn minefield full of trouble just waiting to erupt beneath you! Marissa Anderson, you are way too smart for that! Jesus, you’d think you were sixteen and crushing on the guy just because you’d just gone all the way with him!

Then the door to the house flew open, bright light flooding the frame for an instant and then it was gone again, Jackson having run through so fast he was hardly more than a blur. And that was when she saw who he was running toward. Or rather what he was running toward.

“Oh my god, they’re really real,” she breathed, her breath fogging against the glass as she pressed even closer to see. Despite the moonlight it was still dark out, but there was no mistaking the breadth of a wingspan on the back of a very large creature. Several creatures. What had Jackson said? That they belonged to him? Like possessions?

No. She remembered the story about the Gargoyles and their freedom. He meant … he meant that he was guardian over their touchstones for as long as he was on this earth. How many, she wondered, seeing three of them at present, did he have guardianship of? How many did he owe this great responsibility to? How many trusted Menes so implicitly that they pledged their loyalty to him generation after generation?

She heard the clicking of nails on the wood floor, then felt Sargent leaning his warm body and soft fur against her legs. He whined, clearly not happy his master took off without him. But Jackson would always look out for his dog first and he must know that whatever the trouble was, Sargent was too fragile a creature to get caught up in the middle of a situation that made powerful things like Bodywalkers and Gargoyles worry. He also thought she was too fragile a creature, she supposed, feeling a little put out by that realization. If she wasn’t so terrified of what was beyond the window, she would have stomped down after him and told him to quit treating her like a