When Gargoyles Rise

By Ashley C. Harris

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 'Bella Forrest and Cassandra Clare fans can get ready for their most addicting read yet!'

From International Bestselling author Ashley C. Harris.

When Rose was born in the year 1544, she and the other gargoyles were a beautiful race of humans with dragon's wings. Created by magic, the gargoyles were able to do and take whatever they wanted... Until the vampires came, and with them, they brought a curse.

Almost five hundred years later, Rose awakens from stone in Washington DC, to a world that's very much changed. The kingdom of the gargoyles is no more; instead, the same group of blood suckers that cursed Rose's family now rule a hierarchy of shades and shadows.

Desperate to awaken her loved ones and break the spell, Rose learns she must convince Sean Noble, a human, to fall in love with her. Something that should have been easy... if he and Rose weren't only seventeen, and required to attend school.

Sean and his high school girlfriend dislike Rose as much as they do homework. And to make things worse, the handsome vampire prince, Adamus, who betrayed Rose in the year 1556, he and his bad boy brother have surfaced....

Rose, before graduation, must find a way to keep her identity secret from Adamus, not let him get too close, and trick Sean into falling in love. Easy if you have wings, right? Not so much.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashley C. Harris
• Release date: Aug 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463445174

Ashley C. Harris

Author and film director Ashley C. Harris resides in Florida. Ashley was first recognized for her edgy writing and unique film work when she wrote and directed the teenage film “Lines”. Lines was the first feature film in the world captured using only Mac Laptops.In 2013 she teamed up with Barclay Publicity to release the first in a new young adult novel series, “Shock Me”. Ashley then went on to author eight other titles, in multiple genres, as she also worked behind-the-scenes on a morning news show that aired on ABC.In 2014, four of Ashley’s books landed on the Amazon's Best Selling Top-Ten-List. In 2015, she received her first publishing deal for “Troll”, a KindleScout novel winner.When Ashley is not dreaming up new manuscripts and working on film sets, she loves spending time with her family, obsessing about biblical mysteries, and watching lots of Doctor Who.Keep an eye out for her newest releases!

Book preview

Praise for Ashley’s other books

Everyone can become a hero. That is what I got out of it. Well a lot more but that was a really powerful message. It keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what will happen next. I can’t wait for the next book and look forward to more from this new author!

–Kindle and Me

Memorable characters and plot momentum will keep the reader fully engaged right up to the pulse-pounding, dramatic conclusion with a stunning ending that I didn’t see coming! Shock Me is a gripping beginning to a new series. I, for one, look forward to the future adventures of these characters.

–Lusty Penguin

The end of this one totally set things up for the next book and left me eager for what comes next … Those who enjoy YA Sci-Fi Romance with a twisty plot mystery should try this one.

–Delighted Reader

Shock Me by Ashley Harris is a story with new, fresh premise and I believe that fans of paranormal young adult novels will be thrilled to read it. I was completely hooked after reading prologue … Ashley Harris managed to masterfully confuse you and leave you wanting more.

– Ja čitam, a ti?

I loved this book so much I finished it in one sitting … Where do I sign up for the second book’s blog tour? I’m so excited.

–Endless Reading

I think the summary for this one doesn’t begin to really summarized Shock Me. In a way, I found it misleading because there’s so much more to it. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started. The story hooked me up from the beginning to the end. Most especially the ending. I’m glad that it was written in a third person’s point of view. It made it easier for me to understand them. The story itself was written very well and the mysteries surrounding it kept it more interesting and better. It’s like when one secret was revealed there’s another secret.

–Musings In Fiction Alley

Shock Me is a very nice, light read. It is a fast-paced action book with a little romance, and it is a perfect way to pass some time. It was good enough that if the author wrote a sequel to Shock Me, I would definitely read it …

–Books With Pizzazz

… I was still shocked (no pun intended) at what all happened at its climax. I won’t spoil it because it needs to be read to be fully appreciated! If you enjoy YA lit, suspense, action, a little sci-fi mixed with fantasy, then go pick up a copy of this book. As far as first in series go, it hooked me right away and I can’t wait to see just where the author takes it from here. Not to mention the awesome semi-cliffhanger!!!! So Please, oh please, hurry book two!

–Mom With A Reading Problem

Also By

Ashley C. Harris

SHADES AND SHADOWS: GARGOYLES RISE

(Prequel)When Gargoyles Reign

(1)When Gargoyles Rise

(2) When Gargoyles Choose

(3) When Gargoyles Drown

(4) When Gargoyles Soar

(5) When Gargoyles Ascend

(6)When Gargoyles Breakthrough

(7)When Gargoyles Cry Victory

(8) When Gargoyles Rule

SHADES AND SHADOWS: SLAYER NEXT DOOR

(1)The Slayer Next Door

(2) The Slayer Awakens

(3) Slayers and Gargoyles

(4) Slayer Rebirth

THE TROLL SERIES

(1)Troll

(2)Troll Cries

(Stand-alone) Troll Whispers

(3)Troll Games

(4) Troll Rise

THE SHOCK ME SERIES

(1) Shock Me

(2) Sparks

(3)Collide

(4) Ignite

(5) Power

(6) New Divide

THE ONE NIGHT IN SERIES

(1)One Night In Heated Snapshots

(2)One Night In Close Exposure

THE LINES NOVELLAS SERIES

Lines Part 1

Lines Part 2

Lines Part 3

When Gargoyles Rise

Book One

From

The Shades & Shadows: Gargoyles Rise Series

Ashley C. Harris

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademarked owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Netflix, Wonder Woman, Apple, Apple Watch, Gucci, AMC Movie Theater, AMC Movie Theatre, Louis Vuitton, Jedi Master.

Copyright 2017 by Ashley C. Harris. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Author.

http://www.ashleycharris.com

Cover design by Amber Razzouk: http://www.amberrazzouk.com

Smashwords Edition

July A 2021

Dedicated to:

My precious God, Yahweh (Jesus), who stops me from growing faint when things seem impossible and inspired this quote:

As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come. Mark 4:29.

ברגע שהתבואה בשלה, הוא שם את המגל, כי הקציר הגיע.

&

My husband Reynolds, my parents, David and Karen, and sister Amber Razzouk.

Chapter One

(Check out 1 of 3 family trees for the series. Click here to view them more clearly on the author’s website, or skip to Chapter Twenty to view all 3 at any time.)

February 2030

Maryland, US

ROSE

The gray sky was drizzling ever so lightly, the sound of the rain almost reminding Rose of home, almost, but not quite. She rode in the back of Livia’s limo. Livia was a secretly wealthy and very powerful female. She looked like an eighteen or twenty-something cover model who was staring craftily at Rose. Livia would have liked to pretend she was Rose’s fairy godmother, someone who should always be appreciated and obeyed. As Livia’s smile widened, Rose, at seventeen, just stared out the window, longing to be back at her real home and away from this manipulative woman. Instead, via Livia’s orders, Rose was on her way to seduce and beguile the immature teenager Sean Noble. Sean, the same guy her childhood self had often scared the crap out of, every time she entered his space.

Ready to finally make this boy fall in love with you? Livia asked as Rose rolled her eyes. After a minute of silence, Rose chose to look back at the person who had secretly witnessed the birth of their current land, the United States. Livia and Rose, though they didn’t look it, weren’t from the area they now traveled in, nor the country everyone around them called home, nor even the current time.

Perhaps Livia’s sultry lips, light olive skin, and taut curly hair that’s done up in a real 24-karat-golden-leaf headband, gives this away, Rose thought. She took in Livia’s more modern twenty-first-century designer dress that somehow didn't clash at all with her old-fashioned hairdo. Rose’s attire hinted at nothing from her era. Rose’s hair, unlike Livia’s, was plain, dirty blond, frizzy, and straightened.

Boys in this decade will prefer your hair like this, Livia had told her that morning, when she’d had her staff dress Rose, and iron out her less beautiful locks. Rose felt as boring and awkward as could be, especially with her contacts that covered her reddish-pink eyes. Her eyes, even when she pretended to be human, always hinted at what Rose really was.

So, let’s go over the plan? Livia prompted, like a babysitter who was teaching a defiant and idiotic child what to do. Even as Rose ground her teeth, she had to play along and nod her head to Livia, the secret vampire princess who kept her safe.

Be nice to Sean, Rose repeated Livia’s ‘genius’ plan with another eye-roll because the last time she’d seen the human boy, he’d acted like what kids from this era would label as a ‘douche bag’ the whole time they were together.

And? Livia wanted her to continue.

Don’t let him hurt himself. Might I remind you? This is a polo group lesson with real horses, so I can't help it if he does something stupid. Rose said as Livia’s smile widened. Rose could almost imagine her keeper’s fangs, though Livia was cleverly keeping them hidden. Vampires could do that until they were ready to bite. Rose’s kind, on the other hand, needed enchanted charms to conceal what they really were.

And? Livia’s eyes went to Rose’s thighs. They were covered with a polo skirt that Livia considered too long. Remember, this isn’t 1550. Corsets and long dresses are out, she hissed. Though I do still recommend a push-up bra for you.

Rose gave her a cross look. Oh yes, and I guess looking like a modern day brothel girl is in. She pulled up her skirt two inches, so more leg would show, and so Livia would be quiet. The truth was, Rose was far from a brothel girl, and her only kiss had come from a boy who was long dead. And it wasn’t even a French kiss. So I can add, ‘never being past first base’, to my list of paranormal and freakish tendencies compared to regular people my age.

What Livia wasn’t saying to her at that moment was, despite Rose’s lack of experience, she fully expected Rose to charm and beguile the adolescent, prep-school teen, Sean, into at least wanting her that afternoon. If only I could teach him to fight with a sword instead, that would be more fun. As long as Sean didn’t cut off his own leg, that is.

Much better, Livia said as she checked out Rose’s long thighs. Livia then drew out a nail file and began sharpening her own beautifully manicured claws. Rose felt relief when the limo finally stopped outside the polo club as the driver quickly hurried to get the door for Livia’s seventeen-year-old guest. The rain had stopped, and the smell of horses and land was refreshing to Rose. She gave Livia one last look goodbye.

A thank you would be nice, Livia hissed.

Rose mouthed a half-fake thank you and nodded. She owed Livia everything, despite her venomous behavior. As the limo driver, Charley, got back into the car, Rose noticed the barely healed holes in his neck. Rose knew Livia would no doubt be feeding from Charley—an ex-con that she'd enslaved and turned into her serv—within the hour, possibly sucking him to near-death. The same way the vampires had tried to feed on Rose’s relatives once upon a time.

Of course, the odds back then were a little fairer. Rose had come from a family just as fiendish, and at least half as powerful as the vampires, who destroyed the court of Shades and Shadows. The vampires now ruled and dominated over everything that was considered super natural in this human realm.

Being half as powerful as the vamps had not been enough to save us.

Have an awesome day, the driver called out to Rose merrily from the limo’s window as he took off. Rose was as pale as a ghost as she nodded, and then, in a polo skirt too short for her liking, she headed inside. Sean’s polo class was already sitting, getting instructions from a professional player as she walked in. The horses stirred at her arrival; they sensed what she was as the polo instructor looked at her with a questioning look.

Ruby Swan? he asked. She nodded at the fake name and all the kids turned; the horses were still stirring as the boarding school teens looked at her. They were all in their conservative uniforms. Their coach standing next to them had arranged this session with a real professional player to give the elite students an edge.

Livia had dressed Rose in contrast to the others. Rose was in the latest, hoochified, polo fashion. I’m dressed like someone itching to take an attention-grabbing selfie, not like someone who really wants to ride. Damn you, Livia! Rose felt all the females spot her and then eye her outfit disapprovingly, not very impressed. As if Rose were trying too hard as a public school girl and it was evident.

All the males, in contrast, looked her up and down, all but Sean Noble. She recognized him even from behind as one of the taller boys in the room with his short, light, curly blond hair, and broad shoulders. His shoulders are way wider than they were the last time I saw him. He's taller too. Sean had a scar above his eyebrow that was barely visible to anyone else but her—that was because Rose had put it there. He turned, and his blue eyes came to her for just a second and then looked away. Sean, unlike the others, knew what Rose looked like without her enchanted ring. Her human appearance was nothing but a mask he’d never cared for--at least, that’s what she’d always thought.

Is that the public school girl from Maryland? She is supposed to be an outstanding rider. That’s the only reason they’re letting her take lessons with us, the girl next to Sean whispered into his ear.

Rose could hear her, thanks to the supernatural abilities she’d been born with. The girl’s name tag read ‘Samantha’. She and Sean sat very closely, shoulder-to-shoulder. Samantha turned back around and leaned even nearer to Sean, causing him to grin charmingly at her. Rose quietly took a seat in the back. She found herself already not fond of Sean’s newest gal pal.

Yeah, she's our charity case today, another girl with a name tag labeled, ‘Clair’, joked with Samantha in hushed whispers. Sean pretended he didn't hear their words. Instead, to silence the conversation that he possibly knew Rose was listening into—does he remember I have heightened hearing? Probably not—Sean slipped his hand subtly onto this Samantha’s covered thigh, over her skirt, something Rose noticed right away even from the back where she could still see them. Rose listened to him say to the brunette, So, you really think you’re going to school me at polo, Sam?

He said ‘Sam’ like it was the sexiest nickname ever. The only nickname he’d ever given Rose was calling her ‘it’ or ‘the monster’ once. Samantha seemed to like the touchy attention from him, as if Sean put his hand on her thighs all the time. She winked back. I hope so.

Oh, of course, you are going to school him! It doesn’t take that much skill to beat Sean Noble, Rose thought sarcastically as she got the full picture. Her arranged match clearly had a new girlfriend. Rose knew from social media that Sean had had a lot of school girlfriends throughout the years. Puppy-love trysts where younger people claim they are going out, but dates consisted of their parents dropping them off at the movies. But now, at the age of seventeen, one year from the current era’s version of adulthood, as Sean and Samantha sat close, this seemed like much more than that to Rose. Like their bodies were craving one another.

Rose had only really ever craved one person a long time ago. The most scandalous thing she had ever done since then was pretend to have a boyfriend once—a lie she’d told to Sean a year and a half before. It had backfired on her because Sean had seemed relieved.

What is Livia going to say now? She’d probably tell me to stuff my bra even more and try to trip this girl Samantha in order to get Sean to only look my way. Rose would never do either thing. I, as a woman, am worthy of so much more. She sighed and grunted out loud, already over this.

Okay, now, let’s see how everyone does with some basic warm-up drills. Half of you can get saddled up on a horse while the other half watch, the instructor told them.

Samantha shouted, I get dibs on what horse I want first! and took off as the other students laughed and pulled out their phones. Polo club is nothing but an excuse to take pictures, and participate in an extra after school activity for college applications, Rose figured. Sean moved with the crowd, leaving Rose to walk in the back as another boy, a student with the name tag ‘Brian', tried to speak to her.

Hey, so you're the great rider everyone’s talked about, from public school? he asked as he tried to do what Sean should have been doing. Both Sean’s and Rose’s families depended on them falling in love one day.

I grew up around horses, but as a rider, I consider myself only average. She tried to answer with no hint of an accent. Her speech was something she worked on regularly, so her native accent wouldn't give her away.

Cool. I attend Saint Catherine’s on scholarship myself. Where are you from? Brian asked