~Xavier's Secret ~

Did he just say...Gargoyle? As in stone monsters Gargoyle? No freaking way!

"I'm being serious here, Xavier! Stop being stupid. You are not a statue that sits on top of a church."

He laughed and extended a hand. It started to change. Clawed, paw-like hands replaced Xavier's human ones and then started to turn to stone before my eyes. I scrambled back, my eyes wide. It only made Xavier laugh harder.

"That's not funny!" I yelled, fear making me lash out. "I...you...what the hell, Xavier?"

"I did warn you that you didn't want to know the truth," he said, his hand now back to normal, his eyes a little more hooded.

Well, he had me there. He did warn me. Still...a Gargoyle? Those were big creepy statues that used to scare me to death when I was little. Dad teased me unmercifully about it.

"So...stone people, huh?" I asked after a moment, not sure what to say.

He arched a brow, but I could see that I'd hurt his feelings. He wasn't smiling anymore, and the laughter had fled from his eyes. He threw me for a minute. I hadn't been expecting stone creatures. After all the horror movies I'd watched about them growing up, who could blame me for getting scared at first?

"We've been around since the beginning of time itself," he said softly, staring into the flames. "We used to be able to pick and choose whom we served, but after the Great War in Heaven, we were...enslaved."

"Enslaved?" The horror of that one word went through me. No one should ever be a slave to anyone or anything. It wasn't right.

Xavier nodded. "We became the pets of Angels. They use us to watch over their charges, but that is not what we are meant to do, only what we have become. It's why you're so important, Melinda."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You're our salvation." His black eyes turned to me. "If you screw this up, we lose any chance we have at our freedom."

Well, damn. What the hell had I gotten myself into? I was supposed to emancipate the Gargoyles from the Angels? Nowhere in the job description of witch did it say I was supposed to do that! How in the world would I even go about it?

"Hold up, I'm confused," I told him. "What do you mean by me being your salvation? How am I supposed to help free you?"

Xavier sighed. "It's a long story."

"I'm assuming we have the time, since you told Gran I'd be home tonight, so spill."

He chuckled. "Not afraid of me anymore?"

"Terrified," I said truthfully, "but you shouldn't be anyone's slave, Xavier. If I can help you, I will. Just promise not to eat me or anything, okay?"

A laugh burst out, and the sound vibrated through me. "We don't eat people, Rose."

"Then what do you eat?" I asked.

"The same things you do, pizza, burgers, gummy bears."

Well, he certainly didn't eat any healthier than I did. "So...is that why you smell like stones? Because you are stone?"

He gave me a bemused look. "No one's ever picked up on that scent before. What do I smell like to you?"

"Very earthy, usually, but sometimes you smell like the rocks in our garden at home. I'm not sure how to describe how stone smells. It's...well, it's...hard, cold, but soothing too."

"That's an emotion, Rose, not a scent," he said.

"Well, hell, I don't know. You just smell like rocks!"

A smile flirted with his lips. "You smell like roses."

I blushed. The way he said it made me think all sorts of things I shouldn't be thinking about him. He was a Gargoyle, for cripes sake. That alone should make all these insane butterflies go away, but it didn't. Dammit!

"So, Dad says Protectors are assigned charges from birth, and they watch over them all their life. Is that true?"

Xavier nodded. "Yes, that's true in a way. We don't watch you every minute of every day. We check in on you every now and again until you reach the point where you need us. Then we're here to guide you to the right path."

"Why only so often?"

"Each Protector can be assigned dozens, sometimes hundreds of charges. There are too many of you to try and watch daily. Each person has an invisible string tethered to them that the Fates weave and spin. Each choice you make leads you to your Fate. As Protectors, we have an identical cord tethered from you to us. When we feel the pull the strongest, we know that's when you need us. When it happens, that person has our full and complete attention for as long as necessary."

"Or until you kill them," I whispered.

He pursed his lips. "That is one choice, Rose, but it's rare we've had to do that. People usually make the right decision on their own."

"And if I don't?" I asked softly. I needed them to pay for Jenny's death. There was no other choice for me.

"You won't, Rose," he told me just as softly. "I have faith in you, even if you don't have faith in yourself."

"You don't understand..."

"But I do," he interrupted. "You loved you sister, and what happened to her, it wasn't right. They do need to pay for their sins, but to take their life? That's not up to you, Rose. If you do that, the darkness you've always felt inside will take over. You're already becoming a dark witch, and if you sacrifice all those souls, you'll be a dark witch. There's no turning back from that."

"You don't understand!" I shouted, frustrated.

"You're wrong, Rose, I do understand." Xavier turned to face me, his black eyes pools of warmth. "I know you, have watched you, since before the day you were born. When you lost your sister the first time, it nearly broke you. Then you found her again, but this time it was witches who took her away from you. You don't just blame those idiotic children, you blame yourself. You're a witch, you should have seen what was happening to her. You believe that if you do this, it'll ease some of the guilt you feel, but it won't. It'll only make things so much worse."

I didn't blame myself. I blamed all those stupid kids who were playacting at being witches, at forming a coven. They violated what witchcraft stood for, they used their magic to hurt people. Jenny didn't deserve to be their victim, their guinea pig. I should have seen what was happening to her. I talked to her every freaking day, and I never saw it. How stupid did that make me? Maybe I did blame myself for my sister's death. I was a witch, after all. I should've seen the signs. I should have been able to stop it.

A tear slipped down my face, and Xavier reached out and caught it before it could finish its wet path. His fingers stroked my face gently, and it caused my heart to speed up. His hand cupped my cheek, and it was all I could do to hold back the sigh that wanted to escape. How could he do this to me when I knew what he was? It made no sense.

"You're overthinking it, Rose," he whispered and leaned in closer, his lips a hair's breadth from my own. "Better yet, don't think, just feel."

It felt like someone hit me with a lightning bolt the minute his lips met mine. My mind blurred, and then the Elements surrounded me. Fire burned through me, and Air fanned the flames. Water crashed over me in waves, sucking me deeper and deeper into Xavier's kiss. His smell turned earthy, and my own connection to the Earth became stronger. I could feel the dirt beneath me, feel it center me, and I relaxed into Xavier's embrace, lost to the joy of what was happening to me. Spirit bound it all together, and I knew in this moment, I'd never feel like this with anyone else. This guy, this...stone monster, had just ruined me for anyone else.

When Xavier pulled away, we were both winded and dazed. He looked more than shaken, he looked terrified. "What was that?" he asked once he was able to speak.

"You felt it?" I asked, surprised. When he nodded, I explained. "That was the five Elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. They, well, they blessed us in a way."

"What the hell?" he asked, startled. "That...that..."

"Can be scary the first time you feel it," I soothed. It really freaked him out. I remember the first time I'd felt the rush, I'd run crying to my dad, scared I'd done something wrong. He'd told me it was a rare thing when the Elements decided to greet you, and I should be honored. Since then, each time I'd felt them all, it had thrilled me knowing they believed me special enough to commune with me. I hadn't felt them in months, though. Not since deciding upon my plan.

"No, no, you don't understand!" He jumped up and started to pace. "I didn't realize...it's not possible...I can't..."

I watched him, alarmed and amused all at once. I'd never seen Xavier lose his cool the entire time I'd known him. Now, he looked like a kid who'd just been told Santa Claus wasn't real.

"Xavier, you need to calm down and talk to me," I said after a few minutes of watching him mutter and pace. "If I didn't react like this when you told me you were a creature that lurks on top of buildings, then you need to man up and take a greeting from the Elements like a woman!"

That got his attention. He stopped and stared at me, his mouth gaping. I chuckled, I couldn't help it. I tried my best to hold it in, but it escaped in a bubble of laughter. He was in full freak out mode.

"You don't understand what this means for one of my kind, Melinda," he said softly. "If you choose wrong, you've condemned us both."

I frowned. What the hell was he talking about now? How could I condemn him with my choices? "Explain," I told him, my stomach knotting in trepidation.

Xavier sighed and came back to sit beside me again. He didn't look at all happy about it either, which kinda pissed me off, honestly. He was the one who'd kissed me. I'd tried my best to stay the hell away from him, but he pushed. And now he stood here acting like a virgin who'd just been duped into giving it up. He needed to get over it.

"My people, as I told you, have always been messengers to all species. We used to pick and choose whom we served. We made those choices out of respect for those who honored us and we honored in return. There were exceptions. Sometimes, the choice of whom we served was taken from us. One of those exceptions was when we were blessed by the five Elements. The blessing bestowed upon the messenger sealed our fate to the other half of the blessing. In essence, my fate is now bound with yours. For all eternity."

My eyes widened. That couldn't be at all good.

"What that means, Rose, is if you choose to murder those children and you turn into a dark witch, I will be forever bound to serve the darkness in you. My soul will become as tainted and black as your own. You'll condemn my soul to Hell for all eternity. Now do you understand why I'm freaking out? I don't know if I can sway you from this path of destruction, and if I'm forced to kill you, then I'll die too!"

I hadn't counted on that. It was one thing to possibly lose my own soul, but to condemn someone else to the same fate? Jenny needed to be avenged, though. What was I supposed to do? Just forget about what they did to her? Everything in me screamed no, but at the same time, could I really condemn Xavier along with me?

I reached to touch him, but he recoiled from me. I flinched at the rejection. Somehow that hurt a lot more than it should have. If he didn't want me to touch him, fine. I was only trying to comfort him. He wanted to act like an ass, then I'd treat him like one.

Digging my phone out of my back pocket, I started looking for Jeff's number. He could grab my keys and come pick me up in the Bug.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he saw my phone.

"Calling Jeff to come get me," I said.

"Why?"

I arched a brow at him. "Seriously? You think I want to sit here all day with someone who can't stand the sight of me? You're flinching away from me, Xavier, and I didn't do anything to you!"

He snatched my phone from me and shoved it in his back pocket. I snarled and dived at him, intent upon getting my phone, but somehow I ended up underneath him, with my hands trapped above my head in one of his.

"No, Rose, I told you we had things to talk about today, and I meant that. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I wasn't expecting what happened."

"Get off," I snarled.

"Not until you calm down," he said patiently. "Just give me a minute to wrap my head around this, okay?"

I glared.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Really, I am. It's not every day you have to accept the fact that you either have to serve a dark witch or die yourself to save you both. I need a minute, okay?"

"Fine, take your minute," I huffed. When he put it that way, what was I supposed to say? I wasn't that unfeeling. Not yet anyway. He was getting close to the end of my patience, though.

"If I let you up, are you going to try and tackle me again?" he asked, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Are you giving me back my phone?" I countered.

"Not until we're done," he said. "We have a lot to talk about, Rose."

I sighed. He'd probably keep me like this all day until I agreed to his terms. "No, I won't tackle you."

He jumped back and pulled me into a sitting position in one fluid motion. How did he do that? My movements never looked that graceful.

"So, stuff to talk about?" I asked after we'd sat still for a full ten minutes. He'd had his minute, and now it was time to start talking or I was leaving, even if I had to walk home.

Xavier gave me a grumpy look, and I glared right back.

"You need to learn some patience, Rose," he sighed. "You already know the gist of what Protectors do. We watch over humans who have the potential to cause problems in Heaven."

"I don't understand that," I said. "Why would my revenge have anything to do with causing problems in Heaven?"

"Patience, Rose." He put a finger over my lips. "We haven't gotten that far yet. Now, shush and let me explain."

Patience and I didn't work well together. Never had, never would.

"I was assigned to you only a few months after your conception by the Archangel Michael himself. I wasn't told why, only to watch over you until you needed me to help you chose the right path. I thought nothing of it, I had at least a dozen other charges to look after, and several were coming upon their D-Day. I was there, the day you were born, however. There were complications with your birth, and you almost died. I had to step in and add a little of my own healing magic to ensure you lived. I suppose that is what made me keep a closer eye on you than the rest of my charges. I'd never had to save any of them before, and I felt responsible for you."

I remembered Dad told me there had been a complication with my birth, and they'd done an emergency C-section. My heartbeat had slowed, and they thought something might have been wrong with my heart, but when I was born, I'd been perfectly healthy. The hospital thought maybe the equipment had malfunctioned. At least now I knew the truth of it. I had been sick, to the point of death, and Xavier saved me even then.

"I was there the day you fell off your tricycle and declared you would never ride another bike again until Jenny jumped on it and took off. You couldn't let your sister show you up. I was there the day your mother died, and the day Jenny's father took her away. I've been there for every major event in your life, Rose."

Jenny's funeral came to mind. It had been a horrible day, and all I could do was try my best not to snarl every hateful thing at her father I'd dreamed of saying. He'd looked as broken as I'd felt. There had been a moment, when I'd turned away from the gravesite, when I thought I'd seen something in the trees. The only reason I'd paid it any attention was because it had blocked out the sun. Before I could investigate, Jenny's dad had given me her diary, and I'd forgotten all about the shape in the tree.

"Was that you in the tree the day of Jenny's funeral?" I finally asked.

He nodded. "Yes, it was my best way of tracking you. I knew then you'd started on your path of destruction, and my only focus from that point on has been you, Rose."

"Do you fly when you change into...into whatever it is you look like?"

"Yes, I can fly," he laughed, "but more about that later. I realized you were very special when you were about six and all the Elements surrounded you when you entered your family's circle. That's rare, Rose. It almost never happens. It affirmed to me how powerful you would become. So I started researching why you were being watched over."

"And did you find out what I'm supposed to do that will jeopardize Heaven?"

"When the Great War occurred in Heaven, Lucifer was cast into Hell. Everyone knows this, even those who do not believe in Christianity can repeat the story. What they don't realize is that Angels fall all the time. The worst of them don't always go to Hell. The very worst were kept separate from Lucifer. Instead, they were trapped in stone and given into the care of the Holy Keepers of the Faith. Mostly you find the statues in church gardens these days. Many, even those of the Faith, have no idea what they really are anymore. To the world today, they're just very lifelike statues."

"So you're telling me some of the most dangerous, evil Angels are trapped in statues here on Earth?" I asked. I did not want to know that. Now every time I looked at a statue, I'd be looking at it for signs of, well...of it being an Angel.

"Not all Angels who fall are bad, Rose," Xavier explained patiently. "Sometimes, they fall because of love. They don't have free will like humans do. If they disobey, that's it. They fall. I just want to be clear on that. You're going to meet some Fallen Angels, and just keep in mind they may have fallen for a reason other than trying to overthrow Heaven."

I nodded. I could keep an open mind. I performed witchcraft. If a witch couldn't keep an open mind, then no one could.

"There are events I can't tell you about, events you won't be able to stop, but those events will lead you to where you do need to be. Once there, you'll be a piece of a puzzle needed to prevent another war, only it will be a war here on Earth. Please don't ask me what events, because I've given you all the information I'm allowed to."

"A piece of a puzzle?" I asked, confused.

"Part of a circle of power," he explained. "You've already met one person, Cassie Jayne Bishop, but I don't know what part she plays in it. Fate is beginning to pull you all together, and you have to work together to figure it out, or all Hell on Earth will break loose."

I closed my eyes and fell back on the rug. Why did he have to dump this on me? I didn't want to fight Fallen Angels for the sake of mankind.

"So you see, Rose, if you choose the wrong path, your soul will darken, blacken. It won't be able to stand with the circle, and the circle will fail because of it. Can you do that? Can you unleash something on every man, woman, and child that will cause untold harm and terror? Can you give up your revenge to save everyone else? You couldn't save your sister, Rose, but you have the chance to save everyone she loved. Can you do that for her?"

"Shut up!" I screamed, sitting up, an intense and surprising fury sweeping through me. "Don't you dare presume to tell me everyone else is more important than my sister! They killed her, Xavier! You want me to let them get away with that? How can you ask that of me? She's my sister!"

Tears welled up, and I brushed them away angrily. Jenny was just as important as all those poor men, women, and children. She deserved justice just as much as they did.

"Rose..."

"No!" I yelled. "Just take me home, Xavier."

He sighed and stood up. Instead of going for the door, he went into the kitchen. "I'll make us something to eat, and then we can talk some more."

"I want to go home!"

"No." He turned his back on me and started to pull things out of the fridge.

I fell back on the rug. I was stuck here until he decided we could go home.

Freaking Gargoyles.