Bound Angel Bound Demon

by Claire Spoors

  “I’m not far, about 5 minutes away,” said Gary.

  “OK,” Alex hung up. She said her goodbyes to Betty and transported to the entrance to wait for Gary. She knew she needed to speak to him alone, and remain calm this time. She’d let her anger take over last time and didn’t get the chance to sort things out. Alex knew it was Ryan that had intervened. He hadn’t completely wiped Gary’s mind; he knew she would need to sort this once and for all.

  Gary got out of his car and went towards her, she watched as he came nearer, she was holding her breath, he took her and held her in his arms, it felt like forever. It felt right, but she knew it wasn’t.

  She pulled away and looked at him, his piercing blue grey eyes tore into her soul. “I’m sorry Alex, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” he said.

  “Come on let’s talk and walk,” she replied.

  She took his hand and led him to the now cleared driveway, he stood and stared up towards the house. “Wow this place is fantastic, better than I ever imagined.”

  “You can’t have it back Gary, you bought it for me, I’m connected to this house, it was my real parents’ house,” said Alex as they got closer to the house.

  “I wouldn’t do that to you Alex, I have hurt you too much, and I shouldn’t have pushed you away when you needed me the most.”

  “You have risked too much coming here Gary, what with the Alignment and everything, as much has you have hurt me. I do not wish you harmed.”

  “Well, at least that’s a start, but this is more important than the Alignment, we cannot let what we had, end on this awful note.”

  They walked in silence until they came up to the door of the house. The house itself still needed work, but Alex didn’t mind, she pushed the door open and showed Gary inside.

  When they entered the main living room he noticed the picture over the fire. “You’ve started cleaning up in here too then?”

  “Not really. Just trying to work a few things out and try and make sense of it all. After I read the letter explaining who I really was, I came here. I felt connected to this picture, which I now know are my parents, and that was me as a toddler,” explained Alex pointing to the painting.

  “I can see the resemblance,” said Gary gazing intently at the picture, “your mother is beautiful. What happened to them?”

  Alex pulled a sheet off one of the chairs for Gary to sit down and then did the same for herself.

  “I was told there were hunters that kill our kind and my father died protecting the clan. My mother fled with me and left me at a children’s home, putting a protection spell over me but nothing else, no memory, nothing, which I now know is also another spell, so there’d be no risk of me telling anyone my true identity.”

  “Like the spell on Tracey, thank you by the way for that, but why didn’t you do it to me?” asked Gary.

  “It wasn’t me, it was Ryan and Nick, they cast the spell,” said Alex.

  “Then why didn’t they do it to me?”

  “I think it was Ryan, he didn’t want to do it in the first place. He wanted us to sort things out first, but I was angry.” Alex looked away, searching the room.

  “He has feelings for you?” said Gary looking for any reaction.

  “I don’t know, maybe, I have always kept him at a distance, because of you,” said Alex. She looked at Gary’s face. She loved that face, she loved every part of him. She still couldn’t understand why she still felt this way after what he’d done to her.

  “I’ve really let you down, I should have been strong. You died and then came back, but to me you were not you. Somehow you had changed, I tried because deep down I love you so much Alex, but I just couldn’t see a future for us. I started spending more time away. Not always at the club like I told you, I kept getting too many questions from Ray and Melissa.”

  “Is that when you started having feelings for Tracey?” asked Alex.

  “Not at first, I visited her to check how she was, after the episode with Harry I felt guilty for letting him into our lives, yours included.”

  “So it wasn’t love at first sight?”

  “We talked about losing people, she had feelings for Harry, but he was controlling and a very jealous person. She told me how he made her scared of him, how he couldn’t trust her. That made me think. It made me see Harry was me, how he was with Tracey was how I was with you,” said Gary.

  Alex stood up and went over to him, she knelt in front of him.

  “So you moved on. So as not to hurt me, you thought you were going to turn into Harry.”

  Gary looked at her with tears in his eyes and nodded.

  “I couldn’t do that to you, no matter how you look at it Alex, in my mind I brought you into my world. I controlled you, I hated seeing you with anyone else, I couldn’t handle it. You were mine and no one else’s, I was turning you into someone you weren’t, and myself into him. When you died and came back it scared me. I had made you stay in this world even when you should have moved on,” said Gary wiping his eyes.

  “But didn’t you think to ask me what I wanted? Why didn’t you talk to me? I asked you if you wanted me to stay and you said yes,” said Alex.

  “Yes, but to me you were a ghost, I would grow old you would stay the same, we just couldn’t have carried on Alex.”

  “I’m not dead Gary I told you that.”

  “But we didn’t know that, did we? I’m angry at myself for not noticing, if I truly loved you as much I say I do, surely none of this would have mattered, I’m selfish, you’re better off without me.”

  Alex didn’t speak, she knew what he was saying was true. “Alex, I want you to find yourself, you have discovered this new life and you need to live it, you do not need me clouding things for you, I’m messed up and always have been, I love so much, I know I can’t do this to you anymore. We are better off apart, I don’t want to ruin your life anymore Alex.”

  Gary leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, Alex closed her eyes feeling the kiss, and it didn’t feel the same anymore, it was distant.

  “I will set up an account, to pay you money, the same as if we were divorced, you can keep the house and cottage too, to do with as you wish. I will play along as though I’m a widower. Whatever you want, I want you to be happy.”

  “I was happy, I was married to you and I had everything I wanted. I know we can’t go back. Too many people believe me dead, but you could move here and we could make it work,” she pleaded.

  “Alex, please! I don’t want to hurt you, we can’t live like this, we both want different things in life, and you just don’t know it yet. You have this gift Alex, I own a sex club, I love controlling women, I can see now I’m not the settling down type, I don’t even think me and Tracey will last. If there is one thing I can give you to show my love for you, it is your freedom from me, I’m bad for you and don’t want to drag you down to my level.”

  Alex wept. Gary put his arms around her again. “Alex, I’m leaving now and we will never see each other again, I want you to promise me never to come looking for me, don’t come back. I’m bad for you, you will see in time this is for the best, the only contact you will have with me is the money I’ll send. I will set it up in your new name, the name you were born with.”

  Alex tried to smile but couldn’t. She nodded, he kissed her again and left. Alex went to her room; the one that had been decorated by her parents just for her. This was the one place she had left. She lay on the covers and cried herself to sleep.

  Tomorrow was the beginning of her new life as Alex Fleur.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ryan spent the night waiting for Alex to return. He knew she had gone to the house with Gary, he had watched him turn up and also watched him leave. He hoped she had managed to make some sense of it all, he knew she needed space and he gave it to her.

  He checked on Nick who he’d locked up in the cell again, while this Alignment was on he just couldn’t control himself in his other form. He had killed the first nigh
t of the Alignment but luckily it was a homeless man, not that he should say luckily, it was just luck that no one would miss him. Nick was racked with guilt, so he locked himself away each night and made sure Ryan kept the keys. Ryan had dealt with the body, he felt sorry for this man, sleeping out in the freezing night with no one to notice his demise, and so he buried him and put a pile of small stones on the grave, at least to mark his passing with some respect. Ryan still didn’t know why he could control himself while the Alignment was in full force, he actually felt stronger and could see things more clearly, it made him feel invincible with the power running through his veins. However the night at Alex’s grave showed him he wasn’t as strong as he thought. His life could have been over before he had chance to build anything with Alex, but she saved him and this has made him love her even more.

  Tonight he wanted to be run free and so changed into his animal form, the rush of exhilaration it gave him was overwhelming. He could run fast and hear for miles, it was the best feeling. With the help of his medallion he could decide when he wanted to be a wolf or a man. Tonight he was wolf. He ran through the woods feeling the air whistle past him. He ran for hours chasing his demons away. This was the best way for him to clear his head. He remembered the time Alex had nearly caught him in his wolf form. He’d sensed her nearing the tunnel and followed her. Nick could be nasty in his wolf form, and he was worried that Nick would break free from his chains at the scent of fresh blood and hurt Alex, but the chains held him. He could see she was scared so followed her into the house, he knew she was hiding under the table, but it wasn’t the right time to explain and so he’d left.

  She hasn’t mentioned that night to him, he wondered if she thought it was a dream, but now he was ready to explain when the time was right, he feared this would frighten her away but he also knew he could not lie to her anymore. He didn’t want to have any lies between them.

  Ryan had grown to love his curse. It is now part of him and he wouldn’t have it any other way. As he ran he remembered the night he and Nick became werewolves. It was back when their clan was under attack by powerful forces. As most of the clan fled and went into hiding, he and Nick stayed to protect the ones remaining. They weren’t sure what forces they were fighting so they went out hunting them before they found the remaining clan members. They would turn defence into attack.

  They were in the woods and saw the night crawlers. Not knowing the full strength of these creatures they followed them deeper into the dark foliage. Then they couldn’t see these stealthy creatures anymore, the darkness had taken them in its dark embrace. Not wanting to risk leading them back to the clan they hid in a cave till morning.

  That night, Ryan remembered having strange dreams, voices talking to him, telling him details of what hunted them and how to search them out. These voices seemed so real, something to really trust, that he told Nick about them when they woke up. They trusted their senses and dreams because of their magical heritage.

  The vision told him they should hunt wolves. They set out, pursuing these creatures, but he now knew it was a trap set by the evil forces that despise both wolves and witches. The night crawlers were the minions of these pure evil things who had spoken to him in his dreams. That night sent him and Nick straight into the jaws of the werewolves. He blamed himself for dragging Nick into this. If it was just him that had been hurt he could have lived with it. He blamed himself, and hated what he had done to his friend. Nick had been happy with Marie but because of this curse, Ryan had caused them to split up. He would never forgive himself for that. He had never had that kind of connection with someone before, but since meeting Alex, it had made him realise just how much Nick had given up. It would kill him to have to leave Alex.

  That night the creatures of light and dark had clashed, with both kinds ended up getting more than they bargained on. In a way the evil ones’ plans had backfired, as both groups came away with a new spirit, and a new breed developed from that day.

  Ryan and Nick became part of the werewolves pack and slowly learned how to live with their curse, while Ryan and Nick taught the wolves the ways of magic.

  The werewolf leader was a wise man. He explained they were all young and foolish so were easy prey for the trap set by the evil ones. It was their plan to have them exterminate each other, then evil would have free reign to enslave the human race. This part Ryan didn’t understand. Why humans? They had nothing but the life they live: no powers, nothing, no magic. The leader explained these dark creatures were once humans. The humans that led lives against their God without a care for their fellow-man, would then die and become one of the night crawlers, and some would go on to develop into something purely evil.

  Over time, Ryan and Nick and the werewolves grew close, and developed an ability to stay off the radar of these killers of their kind. Ryan and Nick could not return to their clan until they could perfectly control their shifts into wolf form, for fear of hurting their own kind and causing the war the evil ones so wished for. So they remained with the wolf clan for years. Making one last call on their families before they left for the wolf pack, it seemed the only way then and it was best not to say why. Ryan now knew this was wrong and he should have trusted them to understand why they had to leave that way. Marie for one would not have worried so much as to what had happened to Nick, it had been years since they had last seen each other and it had been very hard on both of them. Yet Nick remained a loyal friend.

  Ryan enjoyed his new life and would have happily stayed, letting Nick return to Marie to begin their lives again, but he and Nick felt that they must go back to their clan together. They could sense a threat to their clan, and so set off back home. The wolf leader told them that he would keep an eye on them.

  So they set off. Keeping as much as possible out of contact with people, but only mixing with them to find food, for they had found no game when they hunted in the wild. That was when Ryan had been approached by the man, who told gave him an envelope which he said contained information that would explain what to do next.

  He still didn’t know how the man knew he would be in that cafe, at that time, on that day. Ryan knew there was still much magic that he didn’t understand. It put Ryan and Nick on their guard in case they had been followed by the others or this was some kind of snare, and so they tracked Alex down but remained hidden from her sight, not really sure if this was part of the trap set by the evil ones.

  Ryan now thought that this was part of his destiny and not a trap, the letter was also meant for him so he could meet his one true love. Whoever had sent this letter telling him to find Alex must have known this.

  Ryan continued to run as fast as he could revelling in his freedom, reliving these moments. He put together all the pieces and concluded that he and Alex had been brought together by these events.

  Thinking of Alex made him glow inside. He stopped on a cliff edge and looked up at the clear sky, the moon shone bright. It wasn’t a full moon, when his powers would be at their peak, but it was still beautiful. The cool breeze blew through the trees behind him and it brushed against his fur like soft gentle hands stroking him.

  He tilted his head and began to howl louder and louder, he could hear the others respond, from hundreds of miles away, but still he felt close to them all. Ryan felt good for once in his life and didn’t care who heard him. Tonight he was a wolf and wanted the world to know, the evil that threatened his people, both witches and werewolves, needed to feel his full strength and fear him. This war needed to end, now there was more at stake. Nothing would harm his love, nothing would ever get near to his Alex again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alex lay in her bed listening to the faint noises of leaves rustling in the breeze. She climbed out of bed and went over to the window and opened it, looking up at the moon. It seemed to have a diffuse silver halo round it even though it wasn’t a full moon.

  Alex breathed in the fresh clean air, smelling the scent of flowers below in the garden. Alex was beginning to fe
el more comfortable in this house, even after the creature or wolf episode the other night. Had that been just her mind acting up under all the stress? She didn’t know. But what she did know was that she needed to move on with her life and start embracing her new found talents and the gift of magic, although she knew it didn’t beat her taste for sex, well at least not yet!

  Suddenly she heard a faint sound coming from far away in the woods, as she listened, the noise became louder and clearer. It was a howl, the howl of a wolf. It wasn’t a dream, there was a wolf on the grounds. For some reason Alex didn’t feel as scared as she had the other night. She felt stronger than ever and not so lonely. This wolf would scare evil away and keep her and the others protected.

  She got back into her bed and sank under the covers. She felt at home in this house, she wanted to make it as beautiful inside as it was outside. Her home needed nurturing, so starting tomorrow she would begin to focus on new beginnings.

  Alex closed her eyes, a dream came quickly: a man standing at the bottom of her bed watching her. Alex was frozen, couldn’t move looking at this figure at the foot of her bed. The room was too dark for her to make out his face, it wasn’t Gary, he was taller, but it wasn’t Ryan or Nick either as this man had a slim build. The man turned and went towards the door and opened it and stood as though waiting for Alex to follow.

  Alex got out of bed and went towards him. He moved out of the door letting Alex follow. They went along the landing towards the door at the end, she was always one step behind the man. He opened the door and Alex could see stairs leading upwards. He began to climb them. Again Alex shadowed him but by the time she reached the top the man had disappeared. She looked around, she was in the attic, and this was one huge attic.

  She found a switch to turn on the light, it was like a larger scale version of Marie’s where she concocted all her potions and spells. One wall was lined with books, from the floor to ceiling, the others were covered in paintings and drawings. She saw a lectern. It looked like one of those you see in church which the priest would stand behind to read his sermon. Was this why the man led her here? Alex took a step closer, but something made her stop still, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head in that direction; a shadow ran across the room and disappeared by a tall golden cabinet. Alex examined it, it was too expensive and elegant to be hidden up here in the attic.