by Rach Elle
“You have me now,” Elizabeth smiled sweetly.
Bawli shook his head slowly, “No, Kingsley has you. And Junior spends all his time watching Awilda like he thinks she’s going to spontaneously combust. In the blink of an eye I went from being the fifth wheel to the ninth; the last choice.”
Elizabeth could feel a pain in her chest as her heart broke in two. She raised her arm and gently rested her hand on the side of Bawli’s face. He looked to her with those sad green eyes and all she wanted to do was cry for him. “No matter how lonely you feel,” she began softly, “I will always be here for you. You will never be my last choice.”
Bawli could feel a wave of emotion overcome him as he stared into Lizzie’s beautiful eyes. Her skin was so soft and pale; like a porcelain doll kept on a high shelf to be admired. Her beauty coupled with her sincerity and genuine love for him was enough to make him drop to his knees and weep with gratitude. As he stood before her, feeling her hand on his cheek; he wanted nothing more than to lean forward, dip his head and press his lips to hers. He wanted her to open her mouth for him and to embrace him as he embraced her. But he had a feeling she wouldn’t reciprocate; so instead he stood completely still, allowing the side of his face to rest in her palm. He looked to her with longing as he smiled, “You were never a redhead, were you?”
Elizabeth blushed, “Until the silver set in I was never anything other than blonde.”
Bawli sighed and whispered, “I know.”
Elizabeth pushed herself onto her toes, removed her hand from his cheek and replaced it with a soft kiss. She lowered back to her feet and turned to leave, “Breakfast tomorrow morning?” She asked as she made her way to the door.
Bawli watched as she turned the knob and opened it. Before leaving she stopped and looked back at him, waiting for his response. He nodded.
“Good,” she smiled, “this time I’ll leave the old man at home.” She winked and exited the room.
33
Cooper was torn. On the one hand she couldn’t believe that Zeff had joined Awilda and Junior in the fight to save the Finder; but on the other hand Zeff had made it fairly blatant he fancied Awilda, so it shouldn’t have come as such a shock. She wondered if Zeff truly had feelings for the girl or if he just hadn’t been around another female that was in-the-know for a very long time. He was a man, after all; he had needs.
For a moment her mind wandered to the time of their relationship; the love and intimacy. The raw desire they once had for one another made her weak at the knees just thinking about it.
“Agreed?” Zeff’s smooth voice sliced through her memory.
She looked up to see him taking a drag from his cigarette as he leaned against the stone exterior of the castle. She could remember a time when he wasn’t so relaxed and nonchalant about everything. Anyone who didn’t know him prior to twenty-some years ago would think he was so cool now; but she missed the old Zeff. She missed the man that wore his heart on his sleeve; who expressed the full range of emotion. She missed the man that had something to lose.
Now he was reserved, calculated and distant. He barely flinched when she ended their relationship so many years ago. She blamed it on Alvin; said she didn’t have room in her heart to love both of them unconditionally and he deserved more than that. But the truth was that he was a different person; he had changed so much since the start of their relationship. She supposed she had too.
As she watched him blow smoke from between his lips she realized it still hurt – the fact that they were just never meant to be.
“Cooper,” Zeff said again, “are we in agreement?”
Cooper took a deep breath before finally nodding.
“Good,” Zeff turned to Bawli, “you and Mason will escort our new mate here for the rest of the day.”
Bawli nodded.
Sunders looked at the large shifter, “I don’t know how I’m going to explain their presence. The DAA isn’t too fond of outsiders.”
Bawli nudged the Finder, “Just think of it as a take-your-gargoyle-to-work-day.”
34
Alvin and Mason sat on the sofa watching the tele, hoping Cooper would forget all about their punishment, when a knock sounded at the front door. It was faint, but just loud enough to hear over the commercial. They looked at each other, both waiting for the other to get up and answer it when the knock sounded again.
“Fine,” Mason grumbled as he picked himself off the comfortable cushion and made his way down the main corridor and into the foyer. He approached the large double doors and heaved open the right side just enough to poke his head through. On the other side stood a man and a woman; both in blazers and sunglasses and the man looked like he had a recently busted nose. “What can I do you for?” Mason asked.
“We’re sorry to bother you at your place of residence,” the blonde woman began in an American accent, “but have you seen either this man or this woman?” She held up two printed photos; one of Dr. Crispin and the other of Awilda in what appeared to be a grainy tabloid article.
Mason tried to hide his surprise. He scrunched his face as if trying to think then ultimately shook his head, “No, I’m sorry; never seen either one; good day.” He began to close the door when the man’s hand shot outward and stopped it.
“Please,” the man began. He took off his sunglasses and looked at Mason with pleading eyes. He grabbed the picture of Awilda and held it up for Mason to see. “My name is James Rose; the girl in this photo is my daughter. Her name is Awilda Rose and she’s been missing. I’m desperate for any information you may have.” His eyes began to water, “Please,” his voice cracked, “help me find my little girl.”
Cooper entered the living room to see Alvin lounging on the sofa. She still couldn’t believe they were about to trust a Finder; the same Finder that caused all this mess in the first place. She stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips; amazed at how relaxed and carefree her Responsibility was. She wagered he wasn’t even aware she was in the room. She was about to remind him to weed the garden later when…
“You can wait in the living room; I’ll fetch Awilda.”
Cooper’s ears perked at the sound of Mason speaking to someone. A few seconds later he rounded the corner followed by a man and woman she’d never seen before. Her eyes widened in shock, fear and anger all at the same time. Just as she opened her mouth to object…
“Awilda!” The man cried and threw out his arms as his strides carried him quickly across the room toward her. Before she knew what was happening he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly. “I never thought I’d see you again; my angel.”
Alvin slowly turned his head to see the strange man hugging Cooper. Without taking his eyes off the two he grabbed the remote and turned off the tele.
“Oh, Wills,” the man began stroking Cooper’s brown hair, “It’s been much too long.”
“Dad?” A small voice spoke from the threshold of the room.
James’ eyes popped open and panned across the space to see another girl; a little taller with dark brown hair and his own chocolate eyes staring at him. The realization that the woman he was hugging was not his daughter set in and he suddenly felt like a giant ass. Slowly, he lessened his embrace and pulled away from the girl in front of him. After swallowing a lump in his throat that he could aptly describe as what-was-left-of-his-integrity, he forced a witty smile, “My apologies,” he backed away a step or two.
“Mason,” Cooper said without taking her eyes off the man in front of her. “What were you thinking?”
Mason winced, “Sorry Cooper; he said he was her dad. I checked his ID; it’s real.”
James looked over at the girl he was pretty certain was his daughter. “Wills,” he began, his voice suddenly soft and longing, “My baby,” he threw out his arms and began to take a step toward her.
“Stop,” Awilda held up her hand.
He stopped dead in his tracks, “Wills, don’t you remember me?”
“Don’t you
remember her?” The male on the sofa said bluntly as he walked over and stood next to Cooper. “Because a minute ago you thought she was Awilda.” He motioned to the petite girl next to him.
James cringed as he turned to the boy. He had long, feathered brown hair and he wore the tightest pair of jeans known to man. “A minute ago I was overcome with emotion,” James explained through gritted teeth. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I haven’t seen my daughter in so long.”
“What’s that?”
James followed the direction the boy was pointing only to realize he was still holding the photo of Awilda. “It’s a picture,” he said quietly.
“Looks like it’s of Awilda,” the boy said. When James nodded the boy opened his mouth again, “So you’ve been carrying around a picture of her and yet you still thought she was a different person entirely?”
“Again, I was overcome with emotion,” James cut him off, his voice suddenly more severe. “I saw a girl that was roughly her age and height with brown hair and brown eyes. My heart overrode my mind; so sue me. You don’t know what it’s like to search for someone for so long with little to no hope of ever finding them.”
Cooper crooked a brow, “For so long?” James looked at her, stunned she spoke up at all. “Correct me if I’m wrong but up until about a week ago she was locked up in a mental institution. So your search couldn’t have begun until then.” She looked at the boy standing next to her, “Alvin, I don’t think just-over-a-week classifies as so long; do you?”
“Not in the slightest.”
James slowly shook his head, “Who are you people?”
“They’re my friends.” James whipped his head back around to see his daughter. Her eyes were hard as she continued, “They’re the people that accepted me and offered me their home because I didn’t have one; thanks to you.” Her tone was stern, yet vulnerable.
“Oh, Wills,” James softened his voice and began to step toward her when four men he hadn’t realized were there stepped up to flank Awilda. All were tall, broad and muscular. One had a frightening scar that ran down the right side of his face; one was overweight and another was Sunders Harper. But out of all four men the most intimidating one; the one that stared at him with an intensity he’d never witnessed firsthand, was the one that stood the tallest with sleeves covered in tattoos. He looked ready to pounce at the drop of a hat.
Awilda narrowed her eyes at the man she only vaguely recognized as her father. He was older and shorter than she remembered; but that was to be expected. She hadn’t seen the man since she was ten. Trying to conceal the goose bumps on her skin and the quiver in her voice she took a deep breath before she spoke, “Why are you here?”
“It’s a long story,” James began, “Let me tell it to you; please.”
Junior stood stoic and still behind the chair that Awilda sat in. Sunders sat on the arm rest and Cooper, Zeff and Bawli were perched in the exact same formation on the chair across from them. They all had their heads turned and looked at the same two people who sat on the couch on the opposite end as Alvin and Mason; Awilda’s father and his blonde girlfriend, Regina. Junior couldn’t believe how difficult it was not to roll his eyes or cringe as James spoke so nonchalantly about unimportant things; as if his daughter didn’t have a million questions she was dying to ask.
“So the waiter brings me my bacon avocado cheeseburger,” James continued rambling with forced enthusiasm and a huge, fake smile plastered across his face. “And it clearly has tomatoes on it. So I call the waiter back over and say, ‘excuse me, but I ordered my cheeseburger without tomatoes; and just as I was saying that this gorgeous blonde sitting right behind me turns around and asks me if I got the bacon avocado cheeseburger. I said yes, and she said,” he looked at Regina, prompting her to finish the story.
Regina smiled excitedly, “I ordered mine with tomatoes.”
“She ordered hers with tomatoes!” James repeated. “Isn’t that hilarious?”
“Fascinating,” Mason said under his breath.
“Please,” Alvin’s tone was flat and bored, “tell it again.”
“Boys,” Cooper warned.
“No, it’s alright,” James’ smile faded. “I’d much rather hear from my daughter anyway. There’s so much that I’ve missed.” He looked at Awilda as sincerely as he could, “I want to know everything that’s been going on in your life.”
Awilda stiffened slightly and straightened her posture, “Well,” she said quietly, “my grandfather tried to kill me when I was twelve. My grandmother lost her mind and I had no choice but to commit myself. Oh,” she continued in a steady, even voice, “and my dad ran out on me when I was only ten. I think that about sums it up.”
Junior couldn’t help but smile.
James lowered his eyes to the stone floor. “Wills,” he began, “I can never apologize enough for what I did. I had my reasons but they don’t excuse my behavior and my absence.” He looked into his daughter’s eyes to see them on the verge of tears. He could feel everyone in the room staring at him. “Maybe it would be best if we talked in private?”
James followed Awilda into what appeared to be a ballroom. The floor was covered in sleek marble and the golden chandeliers hung several stories above their heads and lit the space regally. He could still feel someone watching him and knew it was the large tattooed man that had been hovering over his daughter since the moment he got here.
James’ eyes wandered to the giant painting of “The Guardian Angel” hanging on the wall and he cringed. “Ugh,” he grunted, “Arav Dave; that guy was bat shit crazy… no offense.”
Awilda cocked her head to the side in surprise, “You know of him?”
“Yeah, your grandmother used to have a book of his,” he lied. He could vividly remember buying the book himself so many years ago. “Between you and me I think he was off his rocker. He was obsessed with gargoyles and magical creatures called Limrids.”
Awilda tried to act unknowing of what her father was talking about. In reality her mind was racing with the thought of Tauggle. She didn’t want her dad to know she was immersed in this world. She figured Tauggle was nearby, just invisible. He could have been standing right next to her for all she knew. She hoped he would remain unseen.
“Do you know what Limrids are?” James asked.
Awilda shook her head.
“According to this Arav guy they’re these creatures that are the children of Satan. They lost the battle between heaven and hell and were too afraid to return to the depths to face the music. So instead they just stayed on earth.” He gauged Awilda’s reaction to the story. She looked like she was trying desperately not to be bored out of her mind. “Anyway,” he decided to wrap things up, “Arav wrote a piece called The Cowardly Imp. He basically says that if you kill a Limrid and send it back to hell then you’ll be privy to the ultimate power.”
Awilda crooked a brow, “What’s that?”
James shrugged, “Who knows what that dude was talking about. He had to be certifiably insane.” He winced, “No offense.”
James watched his daughter take in all the information he’d just given her. He didn’t know how much she was aware of the gargoyle world. For all he knew she had no idea gargoyles truly existed, let alone Limrids. He thought of the dark, accented gargoyle that sent him on this quest to find Awilda in the first place. If that creature and his clan were after the girl then there was a good chance that others were too. He had a feeling he didn’t have too much time to complete his personal mission.
James could feel that other set of eyes watching him intently from the other room. That tattooed man was going to be a problem. He needed to get Awilda away from him, or things were going to become much more difficult than intended.
A sudden wave of sadness and regret washed over his body as he stood next to his only daughter. She was so petite with soft, elegant features. She would look no older than sixteen if it wasn’t for the petrified locks of gray that ran through her otherwise dark brown hair. Her lips were
thin and her cheeks a natural light pink. Finally, she looked up at him; her eyes outlined in long black lashes.
“Why did you leave?” Awilda’s voice quivered lightly.
James took a deep breath, “Because I wasn’t good for you; I wasn’t good for anyone.” He watched as a single tear cascaded down her cheek. “I was in a bad place after your mother passed. I was in and out of rehab and on a dark path. I was sick. So I left you in the care of my parents. I didn’t know that they would become sick too and that you would have to endure all that you did. You have to believe me when I say that leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and not a day went by when I didn’t think of you.”
“Why now?” She asked, her voice so small, “Why did you suddenly want to find me?”
“Oh Wills,” James breathed, “I’ve wanted to find you for so long. But as long as I was sick I figured you were better off without me. When I finally did get clean four years ago I tried to contact you; but your grandmother told me you were in a mental institution. I blamed myself and couldn’t stand the thought of confronting you in that place, knowing you were there because of me. When I learned that your grandmother passed I knew I had to face you one day. So I went to visit you in Bain and they told me you fled in the middle of the night. No one knew where you went. I had to find you if for no other reason than my own piece of mind. I figured the police wouldn’t be of much help and considering my… um… track record they probably wouldn’t have taken me too seriously; so I started my own investigation.
“The people at Bain said they thought you left with one of your doctors, Simon Crispin; so I tracked him. I know a guy who knows a guy that could tap into the GPS on his cell phone.” That part wasn’t entirely untrue. “Is he here?”