Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
ELOISE
I stared up at the gargoyle who’d just introduced himself and bowed to me. Ripples of shock and fear slowly receded, and my pounding heartbeat and racing breath slowed.
Anya had assured me there was nothing to be afraid of, that the gargoyles were good. They were protectors. Rationally , I knew this, since my long-lost grandmother had mentioned gargoyle protectors in her letter. Yet reading words on paper and witnessing a massive winged being flying in the sky toward me affected my brain waves in vastly different ways. Who would see a creature like that and not run?
“ Eloise ,” Dumont said in a strangled voice, then cleared his throat. “ You were the one who brought the grimoire to the library, correct?” He motioned to the building.
“ Yesss ,” my voice tumbled as I remembered the reason why. I raised my chin and added, “ I didn't have much of a choice.”
He fixed his probing eyes on me. “ Why not?”
The intensity of his stare was disconcerting. Once I'd gotten beyond the initial shock of these monstrous-looking creatures, I studied Dumont more carefully. Aside from his imposing size, he had intriguing aspects to his appearance. The fascinating slate-gray eyes. His impressive frame. So many muscles and contours. Undoubtedly , he was capable of protecting others with that incredible physique. And abs beyond any I’d seen on a human, even on the cover of a fitness magazine. For a moment, I imagined running my fingers over the indents in his torso.
Snap out of it.
Dumont was watching me from those intense eyes, and my skin tingled in response. I felt exposed, vulnerable, as if he were probing my secrets.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the grass with a hint of dew, before I revealed, “ I was being chased.”
“ By whom?” he asked in a gentler tone, yet still laced with urgency.
I pursed my lips, not wanting to go back to that dreadful day. I searched around us, scouring beyond the trees of the campus to ensure no one was eavesdropping. It had been weeks since I'd last seen him. Enough time had passed that I felt more comfortable coming out of hiding to introduce myself to my sister. Yet , I never imagined our long-overdue reunion to be in the company of two hulking gargoyles.
“ His name was Calix .”
Anya gasped, Hugo groaned, and Dumont hardened his jaw.
My brows drew northward. “ You know him?”
“ Yes ,” Anya cried out. “ He tried to kill us!” She sobbed. “ Thank god he’s gone.”
“ Gone ?”
“ Eliminated ,” Dumont clarified and his lips curled with distaste. “ How did you meet him?”
“ That grimoire you mentioned. Soon after I opened it, he came into my life. I suspect it triggered him somehow. Because he wanted the book.”
“ What did he do?” Anya pressed, twisting her hands before her.
I shuddered with the memory and tried to shake it off. “ I was working at a restaurant in the Old Port . He started to come in every night. He was flattering, charismatic. He’d leave large tips and try to get me to go out with him.”
Dumont hissed and I paused. What was that about?
He took a deep inhale and then said, “ Please go on.”
“ I wasn’t interested, but he was persistent. And then one night he confronted me after I left the restaurant. He said he knew who I was and demanded I take him to the spell book. I was terrified. He was so strong, gripping my wrist as we walked. As we headed toward my studio, I tried to come up with a way of getting away from him. And I’m not sure how this happened, but he yanked his hand from my wrist with a roar—as if I’d hurt him. How ? I don’t know. I didn’t do anything.
“ Once I was free of his hold, I ran. And ran. Whatever happened to him stunned him enough that I was able to get away. I hid in terror all night, unable to sleep. And I knew I had to get the book to a safe place. In the letter, my grandmother told me about Anya and the library and that it was a safe place, guarded by gargoyles. On the way here, two beings chased me. Flying . I’d never run so fast in my life. But at some point they must have stopped chasing me, as they didn’t come inside.”
When the three of them exchanged looks, I asked, “ What ?”
Anya sighed. “ They returned that night after closing. They tried to get the book from me.”
My hand fluttered to my chest. “ Oh , I’m so sorry! I never meant to put you at risk.”
“ I know,” she said. “ It wasn’t your fault.”
“ They must have known they wouldn’t have been able to get to you,” Dumont declared. “ Not with gargoyles on watch. And that’s why they set the fire as the diversion.”
My mouth fell open. I didn’t know what to say.
“ Where have you been since that night?” Anya asked.
“ Hiding .” I frowned. “ I left Montreal . I was afraid.”
She gave me a sympathetic nod. “ I understand. That sounds terrifying. And Calix is…was…chilling.”
I took measured breaths as I tried to shake off the memory. “ What did he do to you?”
Her expression turned sour, as if she’d eaten a lemon. “ Similar with the flattery at first, and then anger at my refusal. He accosted me after I left the library.” She glanced at Hugo and her expression softened. “ If it wasn't for Hugo …”
Hugo gave her a loving glance in return and squeezed her hand.
“ Calix was a powerful sorcerer, able to shift into a phoenix and wield fire. He was responsible for the fires throughout the city. But he’s gone,” Dumont declared.
I exhaled with a relieved whoosh.
Dumont grunted. “ But I'm afraid we might not be in the clear.”
When I raised my gaze to meet his, he fixed concerned eyes on me.
I braced myself by rolling my shoulders back and tipping my chin up another inch, which didn't do much considering the significant height difference. “ What is it?”
Dumont exhaled with a rumble that seemed to originate deep within his chest. “ I received intel that others are back.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, Anya muttered, “no,” in a strangled voice, and Hugo snapped straighter.
“ Who ?” I asked, my tone edging higher.
“ The men who chased you that night, those were Calix’s minions,” Dumont explained. “ Demon hybrids.”
I gasped. “ Demons ?”
“ Yes ,” he replied with a thunderous scowl. “ Those two have been destroyed, but others have been spotted coming this way.”
My heart thudded faster, and I placed my hand over my chest. The vivid fear of being chased by those monsters was fresh in my mind. My feet itched with the urge to run again.
“ That’s why Hugo found me in the library earlier,” Anya explained. “ To warn me.”
My breath came quicker. “ Warn you of what exactly?” My voice came out at a higher pitch. “ What do they want?”
Dumont and Hugo stared at each other for so long, it was as if they were communicating somehow.
Then Dumont turned to me. “ The one thing we know is that Calix wanted the book.”
“ But you said he’s dead,” I barked out, an edge of panic in my veins.
“ As far as we know, he is, yes,” he said.
I blinked at him. “ What does that mean?”
Dumont rubbed the back of his neck. “ Where are you staying, Eloise ?”
“ A studio on Rue Sherbrooke .”
Dumont groaned. “ I don’t think that’s safe, considering what we learned.”
Crossing my arms, I jutted my chin up. “ I’m not in any danger,” I declared as if that was fact, when in reality, I had no idea what was going on, considering I’d just learned Calix was a sorcerer who could shift into a fire-wielding phoenix and had demon hybrids as his minions.
“ It would be best if both you and Anya came back with us.”
“ Wha —” In my shock, I couldn’t even finish that sentence. That was not at all what I could have anticipated him saying. “ Are you kidding me? I don’t even know you. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Dumont winced as if pained. Anya and Hugo exchanged a meaningful glance.
“ It’s to keep us safe,” Anya said.
My brows drew together in stark surprise. “ I’d be better off just leaving Montreal .” I stepped backward, refusing to believe this was happening.
“ Don’t leave,” Anya insisted. “ We have the best protectors in the city right here.”
“ But I don’t have the book. There’s no reason for anyone to come after me for it. I don’t even know where it is anymore!”
“ But they don’t know that,” Dumont replied. “ That book contains an immense amount of power. In the wrong hands… If they were connected to Calix and know you brought it to the library, they may come after you to get it.”
I pressed my fingertips to my temples. “ I simply came here to introduce myself to my sister, hoping we could get to know each other, but now you’re telling me that I may be hunted by— demons ?” I shook my head. “ That can’t be right. It’s absurd.”
Anya stepped closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “ Eloise , please consider this,” she implored. “ I’ve seen what Calix can do.” She closed her eyes as if pained, then reopened them. “ If these beings are connected to him, it could be”—she huffed—“devastating.”
Blood drained from my head to my toes. “ Noooo .” My voice came out as a shaky whisper. “ I never should have come back to Montreal .”
A heavy silence followed. Anya broke it several seconds later. “ Come with us for a little while, at least until this all blows over.” She forced a smile. “ Didn’t you find me so we could get to know each other?”
Yes . That was what I wanted more than anything—to connect with family. But not like this.
Dumont tipped his head forward. “ I made a vow to your grandmother to keep you safe. I intend to honor that promise.”
What in all the mysteries of the world was going on? Minutes ago, I was running from this gargoyle, as I thought he was a threat. Now he was vowing to protect me?
The massive gargoyle turned his hand toward me, palm up. “ Eloise , will you come with us?”