Free Good, the Bad, and the Vampire by Sara Humphreys

“I’m really not comfortable keeping secrets, especially from Olivia.”
    Xavier’s agitation and nervousness were matched by the increasingly loud fluttering from the ghost girl, Bella. The sound grew louder when she floated down and hovered next to Xavier, giving Dakota a withering look. The pretty little specter might not speak English but she didn’t have to. She was making her feelings perfectly clear.
    â€œHang on, now.” Dakota held up both hands and kept his voice even. “I’m not tellin’ you to lie or nothin’. If anyone comes right out and asks you about me or what I came here for, then be honest. You tell ’em that I came here for the supplies that I need to keep the community safe.”
    â€œMmm-hmm.” Xavier narrowed his eyes, his bushy white eyebrows furrowing. “How about you tell me exactly what you need and then I’ll tell you if I can help you.”
    Dropping his hands to his side, Dakota looked from Xavier to Bella and back again. Once he asked for this particular weapon, there would be no more wondering about who or what Dakota was going to hunt. Bullets would slow a gargoyle down, send them into a dormant state while they healed, but the only way to kill ’em was by piercing their heart with a weapon made of stone. Or decapitation but that was a messy business.
    â€œA stone dagger.”
    The line between Xavier’s eyes deepened and he let out a short laugh, as though not quite sure he’d heard Dakota’s unusual request correctly. Dakota didn’t flinch. He remained resolute and Xavier’s smile fell.
    â€œA gargoyle?” he asked, his voice edged with wonder. Xavier flew to Dakota and hovered in midair, looking as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. He clapped his hands together eagerly. “You mean to tell me that you think there’s a gargoyle in New York City? Why, that’s incredible! There haven’t been any confirmed gargoyle sightings in decades. I thought—I mean, we all thought—they were extinct.”
    â€œSo did I.” Dakota wrestled with his waning patience and the surprising response from Xavier. “They’re nasty creatures, and with any luck, I’m wrong and they are extinct. But you can bet your ass if there is one lurking around here, I’ll snuff it out so quick, it’ll make your head spin.”
    â€œI don’t understand.” Xavier landed on the ground and peered up at Dakota curiously. “I know they weren’t the most popular group in the supernatural community, and they have a reputation for being less than trustworthy, given the way they abandoned their duty of protection. But this is quite exciting and—”
    â€œExciting? You see this?” Dakota’s eyes flashed and he tugged his shirt up, exposing his angry-looking scars. “This is what I got the last time I ran into one of those animals. It gutted me like a fish, and if it weren’t for my maker, I’d have ended up food for the buzzards. So you’ll forgive me if I don’t share your enthusiasm for this little revelation. Make no mistake about it, Xavier. A gargoyle will just as soon kill you as look at you.”
    The words were barely out of his mouth before he regretted taking such a bitter tone. Xavier’s expression went from wonder to empathy as his gaze skittered over the scars. Dakota swore under his breath and tucked his shirt back in, feeling stupid for such a bare display of emotion. Sentries were supposed to be calm and cool, and he had just flipped out like some hotheaded kid.
    â€œI’m sorry, Dakota,” Xavier said quietly. “I didn’t know.”
    â€œShit, man.” Dakota settled his hands on his hips and started pacing around the laboratory. He couldn’t look at Xavier or Bella; he was a jerk for flipping out the way he did. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t know what my damn problem