by Rach Elle
Junior narrowed his eyes, “Thanks,” he said cautiously as the boy turned on his heels and headed down the hall. Once he disappeared into the stairwell Junior looked at the wax seal on the envelope. In tiny raised letters he could read the sender’s name, “It’s from the Vanderburens.”
“Open it.” Kingsley was instantly by his side with building anticipation. He watched closely as Junior broke the dark red seal and pulled out a hand written letter:
Out the south side door; now.
Kingsley and Junior looked to each other; both of them gauging the consensus of the other.
“Let’s go.” Elizabeth chimed in. Junior looked to his left to see her peering around his arm at the letter.
“No way,” He said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m going to have to agree Liz.” Kingsley chimed in. “This isn’t a lunch date; it’s the middle of the night in a dark alley.”
“Well how do you know it’s safe for the two of you to go?”
Junior and Kingsley looked at each other and scoffed. “We can handle ourselves,” Junior said.
“Oh, like you did at the hospital? You’re quick to forget how I helped you.”
“I remember how you shot me.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t let that go.”
“Come on Liz,” Kingsley cooed, “just go back to the room and get ready for bed. I’ll be up shortly.”
Junior and Kingsley took the elevator to the first floor. They didn’t walk through the lobby, however; instead they headed down a long corridor of rooms toward the south entrance. Through the glass they could see two young men sitting on milk crates. They noticed the two shifters closing in and nodded in their direction. After only a split second of hesitation the two shifters pushed open the door and stepped out into the windy, London air.
The boys didn’t get to their feet to greet them; instead they looked toward the darkened end of the alley. Junior and Kingsley followed their line of sight and watched as a figure emerged from the shadows.
The form was massive; both in height and girth. As the low watt bulb that hung over the door illuminated the approaching man they could see he had light brown hair that parted down the middle, bright green eyes, and a rounded beer belly; not exactly the regal image Kingsley had pictured for Cooper Vanderburen. His initial stern expression dissipated and a smile stretched across his face, creating a twinkle in his now gentle eyes.
“Gentlemen,” the man spoke in a jovial, English accent as he motioned to the two boys on crates. “I’d like you to meet Alvin and Mason; and you can call me Bawls.”
Kingsley crooked his brow, “Did you say Bawls?”
“Nice to meet ya’,” Bawls held out his hand.
Pensively, Kingsley shook his hand. “My name’s Kingsley and this is Junior.”
“Damn King,” Alvin started, “how old were you when you shifted?”
Kingsley’s upper lip curled in a silent snarl. How does he know what we are?
“Vin, that’s rude.” Mason nudged his friend.
“Sorry; I just thought all ‘goyles shifted when they were young; you know, in their prime.”
“Watch it kid.” Junior growled.
“Whoa, whoa, okay, I think we’re getting off on the wrong foot here, yeah?” Bawls interrupted, “You have to ignore Vin; he’s got a permanent foot in his mouth.”
Kingsley scoffed, “Mr. Vanderburen; we were under the impression your lineage had ended.”
Bawls looked confused for a moment. “Oh, no, I’m not a Vanderburen. I’m a representative. Yeah, see, the whole last Vanderburen thing was just an attempt to throw you off. You claimed to be old friends and yet we had no idea who you were. Anyway, we’re here to invite you all to the castle tomorrow afternoon. We’re holding a knees up later in the evening; you can probably stay for the festivities if you play your cards right.” He winked.
Kingsley rolled his eyes. “Will we finally be able to meet Mr. Cooper Vanderburen?”
Bawls looked to Alvin and Mason and cracked a knowing smile. “Uh, yeah,” he chuckled, “you’ll get to meet him.”
Awilda watched the Limrid as he looked curiously around the room; as if he’d never seen modern conveniences before. His childlike eyes were endearing and every once and a while a small coo vibrated in his throat.
“I know you can talk,” Awilda prompted, “Do you have a name?”
The Limrid looked at the girl for a moment, like he was gathering his courage. Finally his mouth opened, “Yes.” He spoke in a raspy voice.
“What is it?”
The Limrid looked distraught by the question, as if he didn’t know the answer.
“Can you tell me your name?” Awilda asked again. When the Limrid shook his head and looked to the floor in shame, she tried to comfort him. “It’s okay,” she thought for a moment, “maybe I can guess it?”
The Limrid’s head popped up and he smiled widely, forgetting to conceal his hideous teeth.
“Alright,” Awilda started, “can you tell me what it starts with?”
“T.”
“T? Okay, how about Thomas?”
The Limrid shook his head.
Elizabeth had changed into her nightgown and brushed her silver hair. She stared at herself in the mirror, taking inventory of her wrinkle-ridden body. She lifted her hands to her face and pulled the skin back, smoothing out all the creases and taking ten years off. With a huff she dropped her hands; even with ten years gone she was still a senior citizen. Sometimes she wondered what Kingsley even saw in her. Shaking the self doubt from her mind she reached for her bottle of perfume and dabbed a little on her neck. Kingsley loved the scent and she was happy to wear it for him. After a few more seconds of staring into the bathroom mirror she pulled her hair away from her face and tried to give a pouty expression. With a laugh she let her hair fall again and shook her head. What would her mother think? Here she was, trying to get all sexed up for a gargoyle. Sometimes even she didn’t believe her own life.
Elizabeth left the bathroom and headed toward the bed. Just before climbing in for the night she noticed the napkin Junior had given her sitting on the bedside table. Remembering her mission for tomorrow she slid on her slippers, grabbed her key, and left her room.
“Trevor? Todd? Teddy?” The Limrid continued shaking his head. “I don’t think this guessing thing is really working.” Awilda’s shoulders slumped. “How about for now I just call you Limmy?”
Limmy cringed at the name.
The electronic key swipe beeped and the door opened too fast for either Awilda or Limmy to realize what was going on. The door swung open and Elizabeth took a step forward before seeing the decrepit, anorexic creature standing before the girl. The Limrid turned to look at her, his teeth bared and an ominous growl emanating from his throat. Elizabeth screamed and the Limrid screeched at the top of his lungs.
“Then we’ll be there.” Kingsley assured the three messenger boys. “I look forward to finally meeting…”
Junior, Kingsley and Bawls shot their attention upward at the faint sound of an old woman’s scream. Junior and Kingsley ditched the farewells and bolted back into the building, racing through the corridor and bounding up the stairwell two steps at a time. With each step Kingsley cursed himself for losing steam. He knew Junior could run up these stairs ‘till the cows came home. He, on the other hand, was grateful their room was on the eighth floor and not the eighteenth.
Junior leapt onto the eighth floor landing with Kingsley not far behind to see a terrified Elizabeth, backing away from Awilda’s room, losing her footing. “I’ve got her!” Kingsley called. “Get Awilda!” He pushed himself as hard as he could to reach Elizabeth in time. He slid along the carpeted hall, tearing through the knees of his pants; the matted fabric scraping away a layer of his bare skin. Elizabeth fell backwards as Kingsley caught her in his arms.
Awilda saw the heroic old man come into view. He caught Elizabeth before turning his attention to the room. H
is jaw dropped and Awilda could have sworn he stopped breathing. She turned to Limmy, “Run!” She cried.
Limmy ran to the window and jumped onto the sill. He turned to Awilda, “Back and forth!”
“What?!”
“Back and forth; forth and back and you have me!” Limmy’s eyes were wild and crazed.
Junior ran into the room, his fangs bared and his eyes flashing to red instantly at the sight of the Limrid. He took after him, ready to pull him back into the room and tear him apart. Limmy jumped out of the window just out of reach of the enraged gargoyle. Junior roared like a beast denied a kill. He stood staring out the window for a few seconds, trying to control his breathing. He turned around to see a shaken Elizabeth and a stunned Kingsley enter the room. All three of them panned toward Awilda, who stood with her arms wrapped around her torso and her head slumped like a little girl waiting to be grounded.
After a moment of silence, Awilda whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“Did you let it in here?” Junior asked, trying to unclench his teeth.
She looked up into his eyes. “He was cold.”
“It is dangerous.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“Incredible.” Kingsley breathed. Now everyone looked to him. “It’s undeniable now; she is the prophecy.”
“What?” Awilda asked, her brows furrowing.
“Not now King.” Junior cut in.
“It was a real Limrid.” Kingsley ignored him.
“Shut up.”
“What’s he talking about?” Awilda turned back to Junior.
Kingsley smiled, “And the true minions will flock…”
Junior charged across the room before anyone had a chance to blink. He pinned Kingsley against the wall by his throat and growled mere inches from his face. “Don’t you dare do this to her.” He spoke carefully, emphasizing the weight of his warning.
“Do what to me?!” Awilda cried. “Will someone please tell me what the hell’s going on?”
Junior and Kingsley didn’t move and Elizabeth only stood with a sympathetic expression. The silence was about to drive Awilda crazy. It was obvious no one was going to willingly give her answers. She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders to gather the courage. “Kingsley,” she demanded, “tell me…”
“Leave the room King; and don’t say a word.” Junior cut her off. The tension in the room rose to unspeakable levels and made the air almost hard to breathe. Finally Kingsley swallowed his pride and left the room, refusing to look at his Responsibility.
“What the hell?” Awilda scowled.
“We’re not dogs,” Junior turned to her, “you don’t tell us what to do.”
“What else was I supposed to do? You’re not giving me any answers.”
“The questions aren’t important.”
“Like hell they’re not! What did he mean when he said I was a ‘prophecy’? And what does Limmy have to do with it?”
“Limmy?” Junior asked both shocked and disgusted. “You named it?”
“Him; I named him. He’s my friend.” Awilda’s voice suddenly sounded so small.
“You have no idea what kind of creature you’re dealing with.”
“I know he’s the only person who hasn’t tried to use me as bait for monsters or kidnap me and hold me hostage in a crappy hotel room.”
“First of all, it’s not a person; and second, the word ‘hostage’ implies the intention of letting you go.”
Awilda’s heart stopped as the image of Simon running for her, trying to reach for her on that dimly lit street came rushing to the foreground of her mind. “I already told you; you can’t keep me forever.”
“Watch me.”
“I’m not going to cooperate. Wherever we go I’m going to kick and scream.” Awilda began stepping toward the giant.
“No you won’t.” Junior moved toward her, meeting her in the middle of the room. “You’re going to obey everything I say.”
“And what the hell makes you think that?” Awilda snarled.
With a sudden, swift movement Junior reached out and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her in tightly, pressing her chest into him. He dipped his head low and grazed her bare shoulder with his lips, moving slowly up her neck. He knew how to get women to do what he wanted. He knew how to make them fall all over themselves just to please him; but as his fangs gently pressed into her flesh he could feel this was different. Almost instantly he regretted the contact. Her natural scent filled his nose and intoxicated him. He could feel her nipples tighten beneath her bra as her breathing grew deeper and deeper. She wasn’t fighting anymore. She wanted him and he knew it. His lips ran lightly over her skin as they made their way to her ear. He whispered wryly, “You were saying?” Her hands grasped onto his biceps. He growled in approval as her nails dug into his skin. It stung only slightly and he could feel himself harden from the contact. He was ready to tear into her.
“Um… I’m just going to go.” Elizabeth announced as she slowly backed toward the door.
The sound of his Responsibility’s voice sliced through the haze of what he was about to do and made him realize he was about to seriously cross the line. “No,” he pulled away from Awilda, leaving her barely able to stand on her wobbly knees. “Stay here, make sure she doesn’t leave.” He turned and headed into the bathroom to cool off.
27
Junior couldn’t feel the temperature of the shower water as it dampened his naked body. Being a gargoyle meant auto-controlled body temps. He considered twisting the knob all the way to the right, forcing it to turn ice-cold just so he could feel the slight sting of discomfort; but that wouldn’t negate his actions, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t soften his erection. He held out his hands and braced himself against the white enclosure. He lowered his head, allowing the mediocre shower to hit the back of his neck as he stared downward; ashamed and trying to will his cock into submission. After a moment he cursed under his breath and lowered his hand to grip himself. The water cascaded over his shoulders and trickled down his abdomen like a chiseled water feature as he ran his palm the length of his erection and back again. He closed his eyes and pictured Awilda in his arms. Her tiny frame engulfed by his large biceps and broad chest. He remembered the feeling of her heavy breathing and pulsating breasts. His eyes began to burn red and his fangs penetrated his bottom lip, drawing blood as he imagined lifting her off the ground as if she weighed no more than a feather, throwing her onto the bed and ripping through her top with his fanged teeth. His muscles started contracting and vibrating throughout his body, preparing for shifting as he imagined spreading her legs and entering her, hearing her moan and making her scream his name. His erection couldn’t handle going further. With a jolt he climaxed, sending a release through every vein. He clenched his teeth as tightly as he could, trying to stop any sound of pleasure from escaping his throat. When the sensation cooled he leaned his head against the enclosure, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
He hated himself for what he had just done. He cheated on his first love, Elizabeth; but if he was truly honest with himself, he’d realize that he hadn’t been true to her for decades. He remembered how he felt when she broke off their relationship. He was devastated. When she told him she was marrying another man he could have slit his wrists on the spot; but even though he never stopped loving her, the image he reveled in and dreamed about stopped aging a long time ago even though she hadn’t. He’d known for a while that he was no longer in love with her; but he had never planned on pleasuring himself to another. Now here he stood in a shower that he didn’t know was hot or cold, having experienced true lust for the first time in decades.
Junior emerged from the bathroom to see Elizabeth sitting in the large chair in front of the fireplace. Awilda was lying in bed, facing the wall.
“She fell asleep,” Elizabeth whispered. Junior nodded as Elizabeth stood and headed for the door. He followed and opened it for her.
“Lizzie,” Junior stopped her b
efore she disappeared down the hall. She turned to him, staring up into his never changing eyes. He placed his hand on the side of her face and brought his lips to her forehead, allowing his kiss to linger and remember the true love they once shared. For a second he wondered what if things had been different. If she hadn’t left him and moved on with another man would he still come to this conclusion? Or would he be blind to the fact that their love, as unconditional as it was, had become no more involved than the bond between two lifelong friends. He parted his lips from her forehead and whispered, “thank you.” Whether he was thanking her for watching Awilda while he had his melt down, or for letting him go all those years ago, he didn’t know. Elizabeth nodded and walked back to her room.
Junior shut the door and headed toward the lamp that sat bedside; a dim glow that barely lit the space. He turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness and returned to the chair in front of the fireplace.
“You’re never going to let me go, are you?” Awilda asked quietly, her tiny voice almost cracking with emotion. Junior didn’t know what to do or say; so he did and said nothing. He sat in complete silence and listened as she finally exhaled in surrender; as if she already knew the answer.
28
Las Vegas, Nevada…
James rolled over in his bed and stared at the ceiling with heavy breathing. Sweat rolled down the side of his head as he tried to imagine the state his bedroom was in. The blankets were on the floor at the foot of the bed, clothes were strewn about, including a very padded purple bra that hung from the floor lamp in the corner. He wanted nothing more than to stand up and turn on his ceiling fan. He needed air circulation, but every limb was weak and powerless. He looked to the naked woman next to him, the one just seconds ago he was on top of; she looked just as exhausted as he was and they both loved it. Regina had more stamina in bed than he had imagined and it took every last ounce of energy to keep up with her, but he did it; and he did it well.