Granite Kiss

by Jennifer Cole

  Jeff Midland’s company had been brought in to provide security for the university following the events at Virginia Tech in 2007. She and Jeff had become instant friends during her first week at the university, after she had found a senior fast asleep in the corner of the library following a ‘kegger’. How the student had gained access to the locked library still remained a mystery. The boy had done no harm and no damage, so Jeff had escorted him back to his dorm to sleep it off.

  Elena scanned the people going about their business, and despite the fact she still felt someone watching her, no one appeared to be.

  “Elena?” Jeff called to her again in his deep voice. Taking a half step back, but still holding her arms, he looked down at her. “You okay, hon?”

  Jeff seldom pulled rotation duty on the campus, but he did pop in every day to say ‘hi’ to Elena. Once before, he had mentioned that he oversaw the personal security needs for a close friend.

  Despite making friends easily, Elena chose to maintain a low profile where her personal life was concerned, and Jeff remained respectful of that. Through conversations, she’d learned Jeff was like-minded in that regard and the respect went both ways.

  Though Jeff was attractive, attentive, had a wicked sense of humor, and she enjoyed his company, Elena wasn’t interested in anything more than a friendship with him. They’d gone to dinner on a few occasions, and met for coffee several times a month.

  The casual encounters they shared seemed to fill a need for both of them, and neither wanted to push their friendship to another level. Sometime in the beginning, they’d established the boundaries of their relationship and were comfortable with the unspoken terms.

  “Elena?”

  “Uh, sorry,” she stammered, and finally looked up at him. Releasing the death grip she held on his shirt, Elena smoothed away the wrinkles she’d created. “I was...er...never mind,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m okay.”

  “Glad to hear it, because for a minute there I wasn’t too sure.” Jeff seemed to be searching for something as he studied her. Concern filled his gray eyes. He loosened his grip on her and rubbed his hands up and down the length of her arms. “You sure you’re all right?”

  A chill moved through her, and she swallowed with effort to rid herself of the sensations. “I...just felt a little funny, that’s all,” she admitted. “Maybe it’s just the Halloween atmosphere around here.”

  Jeff chuckled. “But you love all this freaky shit.”

  “I know,” she replied with a forced smile. “Weird, isn’t it?”

  “Come on,” Jeff said, his eyes quickly scanning the campus lawn. “Let me walk you back to the library.” With his hand against the small of Elena’s back he moved himself in close to her. The tone of his voice was protective, and the warmth she felt from his body was comforting, not sensual. “I want to make sure you’re safe before I head back to my day job for the afternoon.”

  “Thank you, Jeff,” Elena said, surprised to feel relieved.

  After one last glance over her shoulder, she entered the building with Jeff at her side.

  * * * *

  Throughout the centuries, he’d honed his craft and relished his ability to blend in with any crowd, under any circumstance.

  Today, he’d chosen a spot under a tree nearby in the hope his attentions would unnerve her. He’d succeeded. Using a glamour spell, he’d disguised himself as a student. To her curious eye, he would look as though he were studying from a thick textbook resting in his lap. But in actuality, he was staring right at her, intently concentrating on her every move.

  The woman could feel the heavy weight of his stare. His unseen attention made her uncomfortable. The nervousness he brought her would feed him. Keeping her on edge for the next few days would be exhilarating.

  He couldn’t remember when he’d experienced so much joy.

  Well, there had been one other occasion, a very, very long time ago.

  As if he could not have timed things any better, making his presence known was the smug pain in the rump, Jeff Midland. He’d expected as much. Over the years, the young man had become such a nuisance. Just as those before him had been, popping up at the most inopportune moments.

  On several occasions, Jeff had proven himself to be more than a guardian; that irritated him more than he thought it could. Now, Jeff was the bane of his existence, even more so than...

  He gave his head a slight shake.

  Stay focused, he reminded himself.

  Midland should have been eliminated years earlier, before he’d ever been given the opportunity to follow his family’s destiny.

  Why had he not taken care of him before now? Oh well, Jeff Midland’s demise is fast approaching. He too would meet his maker. No doubt much sooner than he expected.

  He could not believe his luck when he’d learned the woman existed. Yes, it had been prophesied, but he’d never given much consideration to what the seers foretold. He had found her. After all these centuries, he had found her. Now the time to destroy her was drawing near.

  All Hallows Eve.

  Come the stroke of midnight on October thirty-first, the woman would be dead and the prophecy along with her.

  It was a shame, really.

  Now, he alone would challenge the Fates and alter destiny.

  If the woman were permitted to live, she would ruin everything he had worked so hard to destroy.

  He would not allow his vengeance to be manipulated or thwarted by the worthless wench.

  She would die. In just a few short days, she would die.

  * * * *

  The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough for Elena. When Jada arrived to work second shift, Elena grabbed her backpack and with nothing more than a “have a nice evening,” walked out the door. She felt a bit bad, because normally she would have stuck around to chat with her co-workers or perhaps some students before heading home. But tonight, she just couldn’t bring herself to stay for even a few minutes.

  With her favorite Chinese takeout bagged up and dangling from her wrist, Elena walked the few blocks home, wondering at the uncomfortable sensation that had plagued her since lunch. At odd moments throughout the day, she’d gotten a tingle up her spine or the hair on the back of her neck had stood on end for no apparent reason.

  Growing up, Elena had always known she was just a little different from everyone else. She could never quite put her finger on why, but there was something. Elena seemed to hear voices no one else could; it was almost as if she had an ability to read people’s thoughts. She felt things, as well, like the presence of other beings around her, but she never saw anyone.

  In the beginning, when she was a child, it had been difficult for Elena to come to grips with it.

  “You have the gift,” her grandmother would say.

  “But why me? I don’t like the feeling I get when they try to talk to me,” Elena had complained. “I can’t see them, Nana. I just hear them.”

  While she walked, Elena recalled the many conversations she’d had with her grandmother over the years regarding her psychic abilities, and those who were in tune with their sixth sense.

  Throughout her childhood and adolescence, she’d made friends and even dated a little, however, her quirkiness had always led to bouts of teasing.

  Whether good-natured or not, to a child the words had been painful.

  Elena had been eight years old when the first voices spoke to her. After a particularly nasty fight with one of her friends during a campout, she had come home sobbing.

  “They tease me, Nana. I can hear what they think about me, even when they don’t say it out loud.”

  “You must learn to ignore them, Elena. The spirits visit you because they need your help. Listen to them, help them.”

  Over the years the knowledge she possessed, a ‘gift’ as her grandmother called it, didn’t bother Elena in the least. Her acceptance had been liberating and uplifting. She was who she was, psychic ability and all.

  After
arriving home, she fed the stray cat, then settled in to her vegetable lo-mien and the evening news.

  Unable to fight her fatigue any longer, Elena took a quick shower, and after making sure her door and windows were locked, she climbed into bed and turned off the lamp.

  A strangled cry sounded outside her bedroom window, sending a chill up the length of her spine. Elena shot up in bed. When several minutes passed and no other noises carried to her ears, she lay back against the pillows. A few moments later, there was an erratic tapping at her window. Her pulse quickened, and she grew anxious.

  After the odd feelings on campus earlier that day, Elena decided her nerves were just reaching overload. What she needed was a good night’s sleep. It was probably the rose bushes rustling in the breeze.

  There was a breeze when I came home, wasn’t there? She couldn’t remember.

  Yes, that’s it. Wind, the rose bushes...

  Closing her eyes, she allowed sleep to take her.

  Chapter 2

  A couple of evenings later, Elena bustled around straightening and restocking shelves. After spending time processing a new shipment of books, she’d assisted several students with their research, and helped another prepare for a job interview.

  First thing in the morning, Elena would be going in to her supervisor to inquire about hiring another technician. She loved her job, and the students, but the days just seemed to be getting longer, and more draining. Another body to share the workload would definitely be an asset to the ever-increasing demands of the library.

  “Excuse me, Elena?” Claire Dixon said in her timid voice, bringing Elena’s thoughts back to her job.

  “Hi, Claire. How are you?”

  “Okay,” the girl replied.

  Although Elena wasn’t sure why, the young woman reminded her of Little Orphan Annie. Maybe because Claire was always struggling financially. Unfortunately, in Claire’s case there was no Daddy Warbucks who would swoop in to save the day.

  “That book you asked me to order came in today,” Elena told her, and reached beneath the counter for it.

  Claire, the eldest child of poor parents, possessed an obsession for the sciences, chemistry being by far her favorite. Wanting to give their daughter everything they could, her parents had re-mortgaged their small farm in Montana to send Claire to the university which would best suit her needs. But there was little money for the extra items she needed, like supplemental books recommended for classes, so Elena helped her out by special ordering anything she needed that wasn’t already available in the library.

  “Thank you so much, Elena.” Claire gave Elena a grateful smile as she took the book and stuffed it in her bookbag. “I really appreciate it.”

  “You are very welcome.”

  Perhaps what Elena needed was just a holiday. Sure, she’d get a couple of days off for Thanksgiving, but that wouldn’t be for a few more weeks. Hell, just how long had it been since she’d taken a vacation–a real vacation? Elena frowned. Never. No wonder she felt so drained. She was burning herself out.

  She had a number of available sick days, and Elena found herself deciding to utilize a few of them. Maybe she’d take a ‘mental health day’ or two and catch up on her reading, or paint her apartment.

  When a small group walked through the door at the regular closing time of ten, asking if she would stay open for just a little longer, Elena couldn’t bring herself to say ‘no’. She had a soft spot for the students, and they knew it. Their needs always came first.

  The group promised they would only be an hour, and they stuck to their word. But now she walked along the deserted sidewalks, alone, an hour later than usual, on her way to her basement apartment just a few blocks away from the university.

  To say she was exhausted would be an understatement. Due to someone calling in sick, she’d pulled a fifteen hour day at the library with barely a minute to take a breath, and now simply looked forward to crawling into her bed.

  Tonight the streets seemed quieter than usual.

  Perhaps it’s just the late hour. Yet the hair on the back of Elena’s neck began to stand on end.

  In the three years she’d worked in the university’s library, Elena had never felt uncomfortable or nervous walking home alone following her shift, no matter the time. But tonight...tonight something eerie stirred in the air. Something unsettling. Sparks of static electricity seemed to pulse all around her. A trickle of perspiration ran down the small of her back.

  The houses lining either side of the wide street stood in complete darkness. Not one had a porch light on. Cocking her head, listening, Elena could not even hear the musical chirps of crickets in the warm night air. The absence of life around her tripped all of Elena’s senses to high alert.

  A few moments before she’d felt a cool, gentle wind. Now all air movement stilled.

  As she walked, a something told her to step up her pace. A tingle raced the length of her spine as all the street lights suddenly went dark. Shaking off her rattled nerves, she took a deep breath and rounded the darkened corner.

  Almost there, she told herself.

  The tall hedge on her right began to rustle despite there no longer being a breeze. Her skin goose-pimpled and every fine hair on her body stood on end. Something or someone came for her; she knew it. She could feel it.

  Damn it!

  She was still several blocks from home. Suddenly, Elena realized not a single car had passed her, and there wasn’t a soul visible in the vicinity.

  The silence around her became deafening and unnerving.

  If she were to scream, would anyone hear her? Would anyone come to her rescue?

  From out of nowhere, the sound of footsteps came from behind and without further thought, Elena broke into a run. She’d made it less than three yards when strong hands grabbed her and effortlessly pulled her against a solid, unyielding mass.

  The stench of strong cologne told her she’d been grabbed by a male. In the blink of an eye, she was immobilized against the perpetrator.

  “Help me!” Elena managed to scream before a large hand slapped over her mouth, silencing her cries.

  “Cease your struggling, wench!” A man snarled in her right ear, wrenching her body backward.

  Elena fought back with everything inside her as her captor dragged her down an alley off the darkened street. Panic set in as Elena realized that particular alley led to an open field behind an old, vacant factory.

  Once there, no one would hear her pleas for help.

  * * * *

  The night air was comfortable, perfect for a midnight flight. Not that temperature affected them one way of the other. Above the sleeping residences of the city, Zander and his fellow creatures of the night soared across the heavens in silence.

  Crime within the city had hit an all-time low, in fact, almost non-existent, and the citizens unknowingly had a pack of grotesques to thank for their safety.

  When they’d accepted their fates, they’d taken it upon themselves to undertake night vigils patrolling the streets from above. For several centuries, it had been an unspoken oath to the citizens below that the gargoyles would watch over them and keep them safe.

  Something about this night felt different. Each of them sensed something in the air tonight. Malevolence lurked in the darkened shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack.

  Zander prayed to the gods he and his crew would find the evil disturbance before it struck.

  While in flight across the ebony skies, each of the six creatures were engaged in their own private thoughts, when a scream splitting the night air threw off the rhythm of their stroking wings.

  “Help me!”

  Not even taking time to exchange glances with one another, the powerful beasts dove toward the earth in the direction of the sound.

  “There!” Kenyon pointed to two wrestling figures in the blackness of an open field.

  Circling as they neared the ground, one by one each landed with an audible thud within close proximity t
o the struggling pair.

  “Unhand the woman,” Mabon ordered as he advanced on a large male holding a female against his chest.

  The two bodies spun around, and a pair of glowing red eyes stared back at the gargoyles. An evil hiss came from the mouth of the male, as something silver flashed in his hand.

  “Yeah, get your fucking hands off me, asshole,” the female spat out, once her mouth had been released.

  A beam of bright red light shot from the end of the device, sending an unsuspecting Mabon flying backward.

  Kenyon launched himself at the struggling duo when the man’s back turned to him. The man appeared to sense his movement and spun around on his heel, yanking the woman along, and hit Kenyon in the chest with the red beam. He too was sent sailing through the air.

  The woman continued to struggle and fight. And curse.

  Oh the gods, Zander thought. That is not very pretty language coming from a lady.

  Nevertheless, she was being attacked and all things considered, seemed to be holding up rather well.

  “Magnus, Henrik,” Zander hollered as he pointed. “Adan.”

  The three remaining standing gargoyles nodded and rushed the man and woman on either side and from behind. Zander took a position in front of the wrestling pair, effectively boxing in the duo.

  Despite his large size, the man must have realized he would not be able to take on all four beasts at the same time, and shoved the woman forward roughly.

  “Oh the gods,” Zander gasped as he caught a glimpse of the man’s face, while catching the woman in his arms.

  Following a sudden flash of brilliant white light, the man disappeared into thin air.

  The woman Zander held against his chest radiated intense anger, but appeared to be composed.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  A shudder moved through her. Though it had been a very long time, he easily identified the unmistakable pressure from her erect nipples pressing against his abdomen.

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, pulling away from him. “I’m just really pissed. That son-of-a-bitch attacked me.” Her body shivered again. “I knew the air felt funny tonight. I shouldn’t have been walking alone.” She shook her head.