Secret of the Gargoyles (Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

She’d help.
    “Out.”
    “Winnigan?” My voice came out too high.
    Marcus’s lips twitched and he finally took pity on me. “Everyone’s on vacation. I only stuck around because . . .” His eyes scanned over me and he exhaled with a rueful chuckle. “Because I’m an idiot waiting for something that’s never going to happen. Come on in.”
    Before I could protest, he turned and padded barefoot back into the house. Oliver loped over the threshold and across the tile floor, and his puzzled glance over his shoulder prodded me into motion. I stepped into the house Marcus shared with the squad and shut the door behind me, hurrying to catch up with Oliver. We trailed the fire elemental across a wide room filled with couches and tabletop games and through open French doors into a sun-drenched courtyard. Marcus settled into a cushioned bench, stretching one leg along the entire length. Oliver hopped onto the wide rim of a fire pit and curled his body around the cool coals. I stood awkwardly at the edge of the courtyard.
    “How long until they’re back?”
    “One, maybe two weeks.”
    “Two weeks!” Celeste dove into the courtyard, blocking out the sun with her enormous dark wings.
    Marcus rolled off the back of the bench, sprang to the wall, and spun back with a slender sword in one hand, a ball of fire in the other. My heart lurched into my throat, and I leapt forward, shoving through wicker furniture the large gargoyle had carelessly scattered, but by the time I’d forced my way between Marcus and Celeste, he’d extinguished the fireball and the sword hung loose at his side.
    “Anyone else I should know about?” Marcus asked, his tone casual but his body still tense.
    “We can’t wait that long,” Celeste said, ignoring him.
    “I know. Is Grant close?” I asked. “Can we reach him? Maybe an air message? What about the others?”
    “He’s not in Terra Haven. He went to see the Asking Tree bloom, and the others decided to tag along.”
    Of course they had. I’d be there myself if I hadn’t been busy with the dormant gargoyles. It wasn’t surprising that the captain just happened to be in the same place as Kylie, either.
    Marcus narrowed his eyes at me and stalked back into the sunlight. “You clearly didn’t drop by to tell me you’ve missed me. What have you gotten yourself into, Healer?”
    “It’s better this way. No one else needs to know,” Celeste said.
    “We can’t do this alone. We already agreed—”
    “Fine.” She examined Marcus from head to toe. “One person is better at keeping a secret than five.”
    “But to fix the . . . the thing , I need more than just his help. I was counting on being linked with five FSPPs.” Linking meant I’d be able to draw on the combined strength of all five powerful elementals. With all their magic plus a boost from Celeste and Oliver, I had a chance of fixing a baetyl the size of the park. With just Marcus, our odds of success plummeted.
    “Mika . . .” Marcus growled.
    “You won’t need to link,” Celeste said.
    “How can you be sure?”
    Celeste shrugged. “A link wouldn’t do you any good. You’re a guardian. They aren’t. They probably won’t be allowed inside.”
    My throat constricted, and I forced myself to take a deep breath. Celeste’s assurances did nothing to ease my trepidation, but I’d already agreed to do everything in my power to help Rourke and the others. Maybe she was right and I wouldn’t need the might of five FSPPs backing me. Maybe one would suffice.
    But before I could fix the baetyl, we had to get there.
    “Are you sure we can’t contact Grant?”
    “Tell me what’s wrong,” Marcus said.
    I met his steely gaze. Experience had taught me that Marcus was calm under pressure and highly skilled. If I suppressed the embarrassment of my crush, we’d work well together; we’d done so in the past. Plus, one FSPP was better than none.
    “I know how to heal the dormant gargoyles, but it’s complicated and