My Boyfriend Merlin (21 page)

I saw no other openings. The basement might very well become my tomb. The gargoyle backed us up. He only stopped when we hit a column.

“Come out. Come out,” Vane said from the doorway.

The gargoyle put his hand in his pocket and took out what looked like a grenade. He threw it in Vane’s direction.

Fire erupted around us. I let out a startled yelp.

“Nice try, but do you really think a little fire will stop me?” Vane stepped into the basement.

“Do not come any further, wizard.” The gargoyle’s hold on me tightened. “I will kill her.”

“Who do you have working for you at the school?” Vane demanded.

The gargoyle took us further into the basement.  The fire still burned bright blocking Vane off from us.

“Times up, gargoyle.” Vane stalked toward us. The fire fell away from Vane as he came forward. “Bad decision on the fire. It’s only going to trap you.”

The gargoyle laughed. “Then I’ll open a new way.”

Five gargoyles filed in through the basement door.

“Get the wizard,” the gargoyle behind me said.

My time had run out. I kicked out with my foot and slipped out of the gargoyles hold. He let out a growl of surprise. I ran to Vane. Vane pulled me to the lone window in the dank basement. He flicked a hand and the pane shattered.

Six gargoyles ran at us. Vane muttered a word. The fire expanded exponentially. The gargoyles coughed. I saw them grab their amulets for protection.

“DuLac, go first,” he shouted. He started throwing fireballs at the gargoyles.

The gargoyles bunched together to use their amulets as a shield. I leapt up and caught the edge of the windowsill. I strained to lift myself out. I’d never been good at pull-ups.

Vane cursed. He ran to me and put down the sword. He grabbed my backside and tossed me up. I used the momentum to get myself out. My knees scraped on unforgiving concrete. Ignoring the sting of torn skin, I twisted back around to look in through the window.

“Run,” Vane yelled, looking up at me.

I saw a gargoyle break through the wall of fire. He picked up Vane’s sword.

“Vane!” I screamed in warning.

Vane turned to look. I moved to jump back in. Vane flicked his hand. I got blown back. The windowpane reformed. With a curse, I hit it with my feet, but the glass held strong. Vane had locked me out.

The gargoyle reached Vane with the sword held up high.

I pounded the window and let out a cry. Vane was going to die.

“I wouldna worry about him, lass,” a gravely voice said from behind me.

A shiver went down my spine. I turned around. A man kneeled beside the gargoyle Vane had killed. He shut the gargoyle’s eyes. He looked up. Moonlight made his swollen forehead seem bigger. But even without the engorged head this man would have been a scary sight. He had a long scar running down his face and throat.

Fangs protruded out past broad lips. “Time to have some real fun.”

The gargoyle sounded just like Morgan. My whole body froze.

CHAPTER 14
A SURPRISE

I touched my amulet and wished for Matt.

“You’ve given my cousins a lot of trouble.” The gargoyle watched me with deadened eyes. “Instead of waiting for the wizards to show up, Morgan should have taken care of you right away.”

I fell back against the window. “Morgan was your cousin?”

“Not of blood, but we’re of a related clan. Yet our honor has been besmirched.” He tilted his head considering me. “Imagine our pleasure when we were told you would be slipping past the school’s security.”

“Someone at the school told you,” I said.

The gargoyle made a tsking sound. “You cannot trust anyone these days, can you? That is why I always keep my word. Might be why I don’t get called to help often. Most are too afraid to approach me.” The gargoyle stood. He drew out a heavy sword that he’d been carrying on his back. He advanced on me, sword gleaming under the moonlight. “It is too bad that your family has been marked. I feel almost regretful killing such a fragile-looking creature.”

I stumbled back. My hand caught on something sharp and I sliced it open. I hissed in pain as blood flowed freely from it.

The gargoyle inhaled the scent of my blood. He stopped in his tracks.

“Interesting.” His sword lowered. “I wonder if the King knows.”

“Get him,” Grey’s voice said from behind the gargoyle.

All of the candidates stood beside him. Several beams of light hit the gargoyle at once. An amulet glowed on his neck. More beams of light hit him with the speed of a machine gun. The gargoyle fell.

Grey ran to the fallen gargoyle. “He’s only knocked out. Tie him up.”

Paul and Oliver rushed to the fallen gargoyle with a rope.

I cried, “Help me knock out this window. Vane needs help.”

“Vane?” Gia said. “I thought you came here with Merlin.”

I shook my head. “It’s a long story.”

Grey threw a rock at window. The rock bounced back harmlessly. “It’s magicked.”

Gia tried to blast it. I saw a weak light but nothing happened. “I’m drained from knocking out the gargoyle. Vane’s magic is too powerful.”

“Try again,” I said.

“If we push too much, we’ll use ourselves up,” Mark said.

Gia said, “The only way we even have a shot is if we all try.”

I marched up to Mark. “Try again.”

He raised a brow. “How are you going to make me, DuLac?”

Before Mark could blink, I grabbed the sword that had fallen from the gargoyle. I held the sword out to him. “Think about this. We need Vane to train us. We won’t have a chance at the trial.”

Mark drew out a knife from his pocket and said, “
Aayat,
” the same spell Vane had used to elongate the knife into a sword. He grunted, “Keep your sword.”

“Does everybody know this trick?” I muttered.

All of the wizard candidates except Mark blasted the window together. This time it shattered. Most of the candidates sank to the ground, completely exhausted.

“Stay here,” I told them. “You can’t help anymore.”

“I’m coming,” Grey said.

“We don’t have time for this, Grey. Just stay here.” Sword still in hand, I kicked off my heels and jumped through the opening. Inside, smoke filled the air, making everything hazy. A gargoyle lay on the floor. A silver sword stuck in his heart. I approached him slowly. He didn’t move. I pulled out the sword. He still didn’t move. With a relieved breath, I picked up the sword in the dead gargoyle’s hand. I faced the basement. It looked like a war zone.

“I knew you’d find me a sword,” Grey said, coming up behind me.

I was too glad to see him to give him more than a brief glare. I handed him the blade. We moved further into the basement, finally emerging from the dense smoke. We took cover behind a column and surveyed the scene.

The other five gargoyles surrounded Vane. He was barely holding them off, still firing fireballs.

“Separate the gargoyles,” I told him. “Then, Vane can take them.”

Mark walked through the smoke to us. “I can take two.”

He, Grey and I ran at the gargoyles.

A red-haired gargoyle broke off to handle us. Grey reached him first. The gargoyle knocked the sword out of Grey’s hand. The blow knocked Grey into a nearby column. He hit his head and fell to the floor.

Mark and I reached the gargoyle at the same time.

He parried with us both. With the sword in my hand, every move I made flowed smoothly. I didn’t miss a beat. Even in a torn gown and no shoes, I moved with a speed that surprised myself. But I wasn’t as skilled as Mark. Mark countered his gargoyle’s attack better. The red-haired gargoyle knocked Mark’s sword out first. The gargoyle lunged to finish Mark off when I stepped into the path of the blade. It sliced deep into my arm.

Startled, the gargoyle stumbled.

Mark kicked the sword out of the red-haired gargoyle’s hand.

Another gargoyle attacked Mark.

I had the shot at the red-haired gargoyle’s neck. My blade went smoothly into a sickle-arc slice. The gargoyle’s eyes widened. His face returned to normal. My sword faltered.

The gargoyle’s face changed back into its beast form. He lunged at me.

Vane came out of nowhere, mirroring the gargoyle’s leap. He had a sword in his hand. He didn’t hesitate. The red-haired beast’s head fell to the ground.

“He won’t be getting up from that,” Vane said.

The other gargoyles Vane had been fighting lay on the ground. He must have knocked them out.

“I thought I told you to leave.” Vane took my shoulders and shoved me towards the window. “Go, before they get up.”

A few feet away, Mark let out a cry. He was losing. A gargoyle hit Mark on the temple and he fell to the ground.

Vane hurried to help him. He stabbed the gargoyle in the chest from behind. The knocked-out gargoyles started waking. Vane attacked them in a fury. I watched him with wide eyes. One by one the gargoyles got up. One by one, Vane killed all four.

When the last one fell, the thick smoke suffocating us dissipated and a strange quiet fell over the hollow basement.

The staked gargoyle I’d originally taken a sword from began to stir. Vane marched to him and severed his head before he could fully wake.

I sank to the floor.

A dead gargoyle head stared at me with blank white eyes. Blood spilled out of his unattached body. I looked around. In the dim flickering light, I could still see red sprayed all over the walls. It was exactly like the night my mother died. The sticky sweet scent of death clogged my nose.

My esophagus swelled becoming bloated. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t swallow. I started hyperventilating. Vane grabbed my wounded arm. I felt a slight tingle as he healed me.

“DuLac, pull yourself together,” he said, pushing his face right up to mine. To my ringing ears, however, his voice seemed to be coming from far away. My shoulders curled inward. My panting became harder. It felt as if every orifice I had was going to lose control.

Catching my chin, Vane kissed me. It was a hard kiss. His lips mashed against mine. It felt forced. Cold. I shook harder. He pulled back.

“DuLac, dammit.” His nose touched mine gently. He kissed me again. His lips stroked mine. I let him. Slowly, I felt my body ease. I noticed that his fingers tangled around strands of my hair. My hands slid up hard arms. I squeezed muscled shoulders.

I pushed him away.

Vane swung me up. He began carrying me towards the door. “This time I’m going to make sure you leave here.”

I dug my nails into his skin. “Grey. Mark.”

“Are just knocked out. I checked. Once I get you out, I’ll see to them. I’ve also sent the Council a text. They will send cleaners.”

“Cleaners,” I repeated.

“This mess will be gone within the hour,” Vane continued slowly to the door.

Unwittingly, my head turned to the dark horror of the basement.

“Don’t,” Vane said, squeezing me in warning. “You don’t need to look again.”

I nuzzled down, resting my head against his chest. “I saved your life.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

I glanced up at Vane. Soft light from the window danced across his fair hair. His profile looked somber. I guess it would be after beheading seven gargoyles in one night.

Straight lips curved up. “Your skill with the sword was quite impressive… and surprising. Holding out on us in class?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I said. “When I was fighting the gargoyle, I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t trying to figure out the right step to counter with. I just moved. It’s not the same as in class.”

Vane let out a laugh. “Yes, very different—although the problem is usually the other way around. Students who do well in class freeze when it becomes real.”

I tensed. “I’m not a killer.”

“No, you don’t want to be one,” Vane said. “There’s a difference.”

Through the open door I could hear sounds of laughing and merriment coming from the square, completely oblivious to the mayhem just below the surface.

Vane’s arms tightened around me. “You’re a candidate. This is what it’s about.”

We reached the door.

Vane stopped. “DuLac, before we go up, about the kiss.”

I looked up at him.

He said hesitatingly, “I was trying to shake you out of shock—”

“I get it,” I cut him off.

“Good,” he said quickly.

“Yes.”

He glanced at me. “Not that it was horrible.”

“Right,” I said stiffly. “You were trying to help me. Nothing more. I get it. You really don’t have to worry or explain. Don’t worry. You’re off the hook.”

Vane leaned me against the basement door. With a quick twist, he turned me to face him.

“As long as I’m off the hook—” His lips swooped down to capture mine.

I let out a small squeak of surprise as he thrust me up against the door. His chest slammed up against mine. I arched my back to get as close to him as possible but I couldn’t get close enough. Several hot seconds of tongue-delving action passed before I could form another coherent thought. While his left held me up, Vane’s right hand traveled up my leg under my dress until his fingers found bare skin.