The Girl and the Gargoyle: Book Two of The Girl and the Raven Series (44 page)
Read The Girl and the Gargoyle: Book Two of The Girl and the Raven Series Online
Authors: Pauline Gruber
“You know a lot about him.”
It takes a long time for Aiden to respond. When he does, his expression and his shoulders sag. “I should. He’s my grandfather.”
Chapter Sixty
“Welcome home!” We all cry in unison as my uncles walk through the front door.
I throw my arms around Sheldon and Bernard, laughing at their surprised expressions.
“We’ve missed you, Luce,” Bernard says, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“Wait ’til you see the souvenirs we brought for you,” Sheldon adds excitedly.
“She definitely deserves them after helping Persephone,” Henry says, his eyes void of their normal twinkle.
“Why don’t you boys unload the limo,” Persephone instructs Marcus and Dylan while she delivers glasses of wine to my uncles.
“No problems while we were gone?” Sheldon asks, eyeballing the apartment.
Does he think I threw a party?
“Fine.” Persephone waves him off. “Lucy gets an A plus for her hard work over the past two weeks. My projects are caught up, she stayed on top of her homework,
and
her job with the Douglas kids.”
And I killed Marcus’s father trying to save Jude. Not only did I lose my father in the process, I’m going to lose my boyfriend, too.
Henry’s eyes land on me and narrow. I force a big smile and he relaxes. I’ll have to be more careful with my thoughts, since apparently I wear them on my face.
Sheldon wraps his arm around my shoulder and squeezes. “I’m proud of you. You truly are like your Gram.”
“Not that we doubted you,” Bernard adds with a wink.
My smile falters. How would they react if they knew what really went down in their absence?
Henry holds the door for Aiden who’s carrying three large, delicious-smelling pizzas.
My stomach growls.
“What did we miss?” Bernard asks as Marcus and Dylan plunk down their luggage and shopping bags next to the couch.
I take a deep breath and force another smile. “Marcus has a sister. She couldn’t be here today, but you’ll meet her soon.”
Sheldon nods at Marcus. “If she’s anything like your mother, I’m sure she’s delightful.”
“Camille is her stepmother,” Marcus clarifies.
Dylan flashes his pearly whites. “Selima’s pretty awesome.”
“Hmmm…” Sheldon elbows Bernard, his eyebrows bouncing. “Seems we missed plenty.”
“Pizza’s getting cold,” Aiden calls from the kitchen.
As I dole out pizza and napkins and refill wine glasses, Marcus smirks. “You can’t help mothering people.”
“I don’t mind,” Dylan says with a mouthful. “Especially if she gets me a Coke.”
I deliver sodas to Dylan and Marcus, popping one open for myself. Doesn’t Marcus understand? Growing up I had to mother Momma. Now it’s what I do with the people I love.
My uncles entertain us with stories of sunbathing iguanas, Capuchin monkeys, visits to volcanoes, white-sand beaches, and their quest to spot as many different birds as possible.
Aiden glances at Marcus at least every five minutes. Seems I’m not the only mother hen in the group.
Dylan pulls his phone from his pocket when he thinks no one is looking.
“She’ll call you when she gets home,” Marcus tells him for the third time.
Dylan puts his phone away. “I wanted to help move her from the dorm.”
Selima turned out to be good after all.
“Seems we’re both cursed with stubborn, independent girls,” Marcus tells him.
A wave of jealousy washes over me. Will Dylan hang out with Selima and forget about me? Is this the end of our friendship?
Marcus lifts my chin until our eyes meet. Setting his plate on the table, he takes hold of my hand and tugs me close. “I love you. Everything’s going to be okay.”
His touch calms me, and for the moment, I almost believe him. “I love you, too.”
“I’d like to make a toast,” Bernard announces, dabbing at his eyes. “You’re all very special to Sheldon and me. You’re more than neighbors. More than friends even. And we’re grateful that you helped take care of Lucy and the three-flat while we were gone.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a toast to me,” Aiden teases.
“What he’s trying to say is…you’re more like family,” Sheldon says.
“Here! Here!” the group cheers in unison as we clank glasses and pop cans.
My heart swells so big it actually hurts. When I was nursing Momma with a hangover in the trailer park, I would never have guessed I could feel so loved. Now that I have everything I want, who’s going to come and try to take it away?
You know who
, the little voice in my head says. Garret’s gone, but Seamus is still out there. And what about Marcus? Will he stay or will he go? I shiver, my body breaking out in a cold sweat. I close my eyes, feeling lightheaded, and teeter against Marcus.
“What’s wrong? You’re pale,” he murmurs in my ear.
I grasp his hand. “Nothing. Don’t let go.”
He brushes his lips against my hair. “I’ve got you.”
– THE END –
To All My Reader Friends
I hope you enjoyed reading The Girl and the Gargoyle. I received so many comments from readers of The Girl and the Raven, asking what’s next for Lucy, Marcus, and Dylan. I’m so excited to give you the latest installment.
Do you want to share the love? The best way to help other readers find this book is to leave a review. Please consider leaving your feedback on Amazon.com and Goodreads.
I love to hear from readers. You can contact me at
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paulinegruber.com
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Thank you for reading The Girl and the Gargoyle.
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Purchase The Girl and the Raven
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Book Three: The Girl and the Demon
Lucy, Marcus, and Dylan’s story continues.
Release date to be announced at
paulinegruber.com
Acknowledgements
My sincere gratitude to the following:
Dennis – For your unwavering support and for being my rock.
Dale –The greatest sister ever. Thank you for always being there for me and loving Lucy, Marcus, and Dylan as much as I do.
Lynn Johnston – In addition to being a fantastic development and content editor, you’re a profound mentor and human being. Thank you.
Andrea Dickinson – Thank you for being a great copy editor. It’s such a pleasure to work with you.
Kayle Allen – I couldn’t ask for a better critique partner. You understand the voices and personalities of my characters, and you know just the right amount of trouble to heap on them. Thank you.
Chuck, Phil, Royelle, and the rest of my Katten family for your support.
To my incredible team of beta readers: Royelle Kashiwahara, Marissa Gracia, Lisa Whalen, Bonnie Gill, and Nicole Floress—thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are amazing!!!
Nicole Floress for helping me create an AWESOME soundtrack for The Girl and the Raven. Here is the playlist:
Everlong (acoustic version), by Foo Fighters
Hero/Heroine, by Boys Like Girls
Take Me (As You Found Me), by Anberlin
Your Guardian Angel, by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Little Death, by +44
Running Up That Hill, by Placebo
Tomorrow Comes Today, by Gorillaz
Franklin, by Paramore
Velvet, by The Big Pink
Walking With A Ghost, by Tegan and Sara
Magic, by Coldplay
Electric Feel, by MGMT
Want to listen? Check it out here:
http://spoti.fi/1MgR53k
A special thank you to the winners of the Facebook Character Naming Contest:
I’m very excited to list the winners of the Facebook name contest. Originally, I was looking for help naming two new supernatural male characters for the sequel to The Girl and the Raven. However, there were so many fantastic suggestions that I took FIVE names for The Girl and the Gargoyle. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. The winning names are as follows:
• Flynn, a gargoyle (suggested by Gerald Kelel)
• Grayson, ex-clan leader of the protectors/gargoyles (deceased) (suggested by Mary Miller-Rademaker, Pam Noles and Peggy Burt)
• Ronan, a gargoyle (suggested by Angela Neff)
• Warrick, a demon (suggested by Nick Parrish)
• Zeke, a demon (suggested by both Colette Cocokios and Amanda Lynn Matheson) ***During final revisions, Zeke’s name changed to Max. A couple of my beta readers found the similarity between Zeke and Uncle Zack confusing. I still love the name and hope it use “Zeke” in a future series.
About the Author
Pauline Gruber is a self-professed music junkie, cat wrangler and travel nut. She went to Paris in the 90’s where she discovered a love of three things: croissants, old cathedrals, and gargoyles. Deciding that the paranormal world could use a new kind of hero, Pauline translated her fascination with the protective gargoyle into a suspenseful love story. She is the author of the series: The Girl and the Raven, The Girl and the Gargoyle, and the forthcoming novel, The Girl and the Demon. By day, Pauline is a legal assistant for a Chicago law firm where she steals identities and incorporates them into her books. If you tell anyone, she’ll deny, deny, deny.
Pauline lives outside of Chicago with her precocious black cats.
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