A distant offending noise filled the air. Rina fought to gain her freedom from the arms of sleep. It tried to keep her hostage along with her plush pillow and bed, and at the moment, she didn’t know why she was fighting to be free. It was quite comfortable, and her body didn’t want to move. She yawned and, sitting up, finally realized the blasted noise was her phone ringing.

“Hello?” She winced at the sound of her own voice. She rolled over onto her back, thankful her migraine had finally disappeared. Last night had been the worse it’d ever been.

“Rina, it’s Mom. Were you still sleep?” her mother’s incredulous voice came across the line.

“I’m up now,” she mumbled, not wanting to open her eyes again.

“Rina, it’s two in the afternoon. Why are you still in bed? I didn’t raise no—”

“What time is it?” Rina flew up from her bed, unable to believe she’d slept in so late. Her gaze flew to her alarm clock on her nightstand and confirmed the time.

“Honey, are you okay?” her mother asked, her gentle voice comforting Rina. “Chelsey called me this morning, worried. She said you were having bad migraines again.”

“I am. It was pretty bad last night, Mom,” she murmured.

“Why don’t you come home. Let me take a look at you. You haven’t been home in about a week, and I miss you.”

“Mom, I live ten minutes away, maybe fifteen depending on traffic.” Rina chuckled.

Her mother tended to overexaggerate some things, but Rina knew it was all out of love.

“Come home, let me cook for you. You can relax and put your feet up. Chelsey told me you were off this weekend.”

Rina smiled at the tempting offer. She and her mother were as close as mother and daughter could be. They had the perfect relationship, and even though it had been just the two of them when Rina was growing up, she’d never wanted for anything.

Letting her mother pamper her did sound tempting right now. She would be doing as the good doctor had ordered.

Relaxing.

Mind finally made up, she threw the comforters back and slid out of bed.

“Okay, Mom.” She laughed at her mother’s squeal of delight. “I’m coming. You won me over when you said you were cooking.”

She hung up the phone and knew her mother would have a lavish meal waiting for her. Rina and Chelsey could barely boil water. They both relied heavily on takeout, and her mother always could bribe her over with the promise of food.

Running to her mother’s for a home-cooked meal was just what she needed. Twenty minutes later, she was walking out of the house she shared with Chelsey. There wasn’t any sign of her roommate, so she’d left a note saying she was going to spend the day at her mom’s.

She looked left then right, and the same feeling she’d had the night before came over her. She glanced around the neighborhood, goosebumps spreading along her arms. A few of her neighbors were out in their yards, paying her no attention.

“Creepy figures with wings do not exist,” she muttered, getting into her car. She inserted her key into the ignition and turned it. The purr of her car filled the air. “That was a figment of my imagination during a migraine.”

The drive to her mother’s went quick but remained tense. She couldn’t help but keep a watchful eye out just like she had seen people do in the movies. She tried to determine if she were being followed, but there were no clear signs of that. She parked her car in her mother’s driveway and gazed about.

Nothing.

She blew out a deep breath and rolled her eyes. If she had a stalker, she’d be out of luck. The faint tinge of her migraine lurked at the base of her neck.

“I must be going crazy,” she grumbled, getting out of her car.

She grabbed her purse and backpack from the passenger seat. At her age, graduate school was not going anywhere. If she wanted to make a better life for herself, getting a master’s in business was how she planned to do it.

“Why must you be going crazy, dear?” Her mother greeted her from the front porch of her childhood home. Solana Smith was a vision of beauty. Rina never understood why her mother had never dated or remarried after the death of her husband.

Glancing at her mother, she assumed she took after her father, for everything that was light and fair on Rina, was dark on her mother. Rina was blonde-haired and had blue eyes, while her mother was a dark brunette with hazel eyes.

She’d seen pictures of her father and knew she was his spitting image. She just wished she could remember him. She tried to conjure a memory of him from childhood, but all that ever did was bring on her migraine.

“I’m not sure. I keep getting the feeling I’m being watched,” she murmured, stepping into her mother’s open arms for a hug.

Her mother squeezed her tight before pulling back from her. Concern filled her eyes as she looked at Rina. “Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I’ve been having since yesterday. I can’t shake it. With my migraines picking up, I’m starting to think I’m going crazy.”

Her mother’s soft hand cupped her cheek. She stared into her eyes. Her mother always seemed to have a knack for natural healing.

“I can see your pain is growing, my dear. Let me get some good food in you. I’ll take the pain away,” her mom promised with a smile. She leaned in and placed a kiss on Rina’s forehead.

Rina didn’t know why, but such a small gesture always made her feel better. It was as if the headache knew it would be no match for her mother.

Rhodack leaned over the table in the war room in the Gahnoth lair. Deep underground, beneath Earth’s surface, an entire city dwelled. Heavy magic warded the underground world, hiding the city from humans. They were unaware of the others who existed along with them. Sure, some knew of the paranormal world, but they had been sworn to secrecy for whatever reasons they were allowed to know about the gargoyles and the secret city.

Gargoyles were bound to the night, when their powers were the strongest. During the day, if sunlight were to touch their flesh, their bodies would turn to stone, trapping them until nightfall returned.

Because of this curse, their world had been built underneath Earth’s surface to eliminate the threat of the sun.

Rhodack intently studied the flat atlas of the world laid out on the table before him. In communicating with two of the other clans, it had been relayed to him that Cairo and Sydney, too, had had breaches. With three of the Terra portals being broken through, the other clans had been warned to kick up their security.

There was no information of what had crossed through into this realm, but the other clan leaders agreed this level of infiltration could be dangerous. Not knowing what had come through could put the entire realm in danger.

A growl escaped from his chest as he straightened up from the table. He placed his human hands on the edge and continued to study the atlas.

What was so important about Cleveland, Sydney, and Cairo? What was the connection?

The doors to the room burst forth, gaining his attention. He snarled, turning to see who would so boldly bother him when he’d specifically said he was not to be interrupted.

“My apologies for intruding,” Vikuth announced, bowing to Rhodack.

Vikuth, in his natural form, was a strong gargoyle. One horn adorned his forehead. His dark-gray scales depicted many scars from battles over the years. He wasn’t as tall as Rhodack but was close in strength.

They had trained together in their youth. Their fighting skills were similar to each other. Rhodack would trust Vikuth with his life and had many times over. He knew the same was felt for him. He wouldn’t hesitate on protecting his friend, his right-hand.

“For this intrusion, I take it you’ve found what crossed over into this realm?” Rhodack strolled over to his security head. He locked his eyes on Vikuth as he stood from his kneeling position.

“To be truthful, I’m not sure what I have exactly,” Vikuth admitted.

Rhodack’s interest was piqued. “So, what do you have?”

“Last night, when we were searching the city, I came across a powerful energy source I’ve never seen before,” he began.

His dark eyes met Rhodack’s, and Rhodack could tell his security head was confused.

Rhodack waved his friend over to the seating area in the room. They walked across to the chairs that faced each other. Vikuth shifted to his human form, flicking his hand, using gargoyle magic to produce clothing.

“Where did you see the energy?” Rhodack asked. They took their seats. He pressed the button on his table to summon one of the servants to bring them refreshments. A conversation like this had to be done over a stiff drink. It was going to take the clans around the world to work together to figure out this breach.

“Believe it or not, it came from a house where two females live,” Vikuth announced.

The doors opened, and Rhodack held up his hands. A female walked into the room carrying a tray with his favorite bourbon. She poured them both drinks with a smile on her lips. She, too, was gargoyle but chose to use her human form. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face in a tight bun. She had on the customary dark uniform of the servants.

Rhodack caught his friend eyeing the servant’s ass as she bowed to him. He smirked knowing the servant had gained Vikuth’s attention.

“Will there be anything else, sir?” she asked, looking to Rhodack.

“That will be all for now. Leave the bottle here.” He nodded to the table beside him.

“Yes, sir,” she murmured before turning to leave.

Rhodack took a sip of his drink. Vikuth’s head turned to watch the servant leave.

“She’s new,” Rhodack murmured.

“I’ve noticed.” Vikuth’s eyes lit up with that knowledge. The tension was temporarily broken up by the playfulness in his friend’s eyes. “I’ll have to introduce myself to her later.”

“Not while we’re investigating this breach you’re not,” Rhodack announced, killing the mood.

The smile disappeared from Vikuth’s face at the statement. He nodded to Rhodack.

“Please. Continue your story,” Rhodack urged.

“As I was saying, the energy was streaming from a house that I found to only have two human females in it.” Vikuth returned back to his story, all traces of his playfulness now gone.

“But how could that be possible? Are you sure it wasn’t something else?”

Vikuth shook his head. “No. I’m sure it was coming from the house. I flew over it. This energy was strong and powerful. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence, but it happened the same day as the breach. I don’t want to overlook anything.”

“As we shouldn’t.” Rhodack placed his empty glass on the table. The wheels in his brain turned. Could this be a coincidence? Most paranormals could control their powers. They wouldn’t just let energy stream out for no reason.

“Any word from the other clans?” Vikuth asked.

“Yes. Apparently Cleveland isn’t the only city to have the same issue.”

Vikuth cursed beneath his breath. “I will go look into the energy. It has to be related. We’ve flown the skies for centuries, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Find the source and bring it to me.”