Once his father left, Damien said, “What is he talking about? What’s going on, Kelsey?
“Er, I wasn’t sure if I should say anything right now, but guess your dad left me no choice. That was a strange interaction between you two by the way.”
“He has a way about him, that’s for sure. He’s not allowed to show any type of emotions as a Master Gargoyle.” Damien laughed and then watched her with a serious expression. “Tell me, Kelsey. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong! Actually, I think it’s good news. I’m just not sure how you’d feel.”
“Go on,” he encouraged.
“Er, um, well, I’m just gonna say it. We’re pregnant. We’re having a baby, Damien.”
For several seconds, Damien didn’t move. Kelsey wondered if he was even breathing. When she nudged him, he blinked and said, “Say it again. I’m not sure if I heard you right.”
“Um, yeah you heard me right. We’re having a baby.”
“I’m not understanding anything right now, Kelsey. How?”
“Hmm, how do you think, my intelligent husband?”
“I mean, I thought we were careful. I’m still very confused.”
“Guess we weren’t careful enough. Are you upset? You’re not acting too happy about this.”
“Kelsey, I’m worried, of course! I mean this baby is half human and half gargoyle. Is this even safe for you? We have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into. I don’t want anything to happen to you. When I said I wanted lots of babies, I meant after I was fully human.”
“Are you hearing yourself? For heaven’s sake, we’ve been through hell and back. You’ve risen from the dead, Damien. Together, we’ve been able to tackle anything that life has thrown at us. Don’t you know that? This is a gift. Whatever happens, we will be fine. And this baby is going to be fine.”
Seeing tears squeeze out of Damien’s eyes, Kelsey reached up and tenderly wiped them away.
“I can’t even protect you nor my baby during daytime anymore. How am I going to do this?” His voice shook, and Kelsey’s heart tore for him. She knew not being able to control and protect who he loved was killing him.
“You have to have faith. You have to believe, Damien. This was all meant to be.”
“But there’s hardly anything in our written history of a baby from a gargoyle and a human.” Damien brought his head to her belly and lovingly kissed it.
“Then we will make our own history,” she whispered.
Much later, Kelsey leaned against Damien while he held her safely in his arms. Both were back on top of the museum. The same museum that had brought them together.
She was content as she snuggled into her husband’s strong arms. She inhaled deeply while the light breeze caressed her.
“The sun is going to rise soon,” Damien whispered, his voice heavy with emotion.
“I know.” Kelsey turned to him and kissed his lips. “I love you, Damien. We’ve been given this life for a reason. We were supposed to meet. We were supposed to fall in love. And for whatever reason, we were supposed to bring this miraculous life into this world.”
“I know, baby, I know. I just don’t want to leave my wife nor my baby. It kills me. I’m sorry I can’t be with you.”
Kelsey crawled into his lap, playing with his hair. She kissed every inch of his face as the sun slowly began to rise. “You’re always with me…in my heart. Every night when you awaken, your baby and I will be waiting for you, Damien. We will always be waiting for you.”
As Damien’s warm body turned into a stone statue before her, she noticed a single, tiny tear sneaking out of his eye.
“Always,” she whispered, kissing the tear away.
The End For Now
FATE’S ROAR
(Enjoy a sneak peek)
One
“Give me a break, Kelsey! I’ve had to put up with my big bro all these years, and now you’ve been on my ass just like him!” Shane shook his head. He’d had enough with the same old lectures.
“If your brother says anything, it’s because he loves you, Shane. Honestly, you wander around doing everything you’re not supposed to be doing. I’ve known you for ten years, and nothing has changed. It’s like you’re waiting for karma to bite you in the ass.”
“I’m here to visit my nephew and niece. Where are my buddies?” Shane tried to change the subject.
“Damien took Ryan out flying, and Tori is fast asleep,” Kelsey answered, smiling.
The kids, Ryan and Tori, were named after Kelsey’s late brother and sister. Both were born as human, but soon after birth, it was obvious they were developing some extraordinary gifts. For example, Ryan had an acute sense of hearing, vision, and scent. He also was faster and stronger than kids his age. Tori was only five years old, but she was already almost as fast as her brother.
Shane knew that when Ryan had turned seven, Damien and Kelsey explained to Ryan he was part gargoyle. Damien transformed into his full gargoyle form for the first time in front of him, and to everybody’s surprise, Ryan took it all very well. He actually thought his dad was some type of superhero. They had also instructed Ryan that nobody could find out about it, and they would tell Tori when she was older. So far, Ryan had embraced his gifts and kept the secret, even from his own sister.
“Maybe Damien can wait around for me next time? I’m sure Ryan would wanna go with his Uncle Shane sometime. I’d really show him how it feels to fly.” Shane laughed, knowing Damien was probably very cautious around his son.
Rolling her eyes, Kelsey said, “You could just go find them, Shane. I’m sure they’re out in the country somewhere. You can easily use your scent to find your brother.”
Shane knew she was right, of course, but he had something else he needed to do first. “Yeah, maybe tomorrow. Got some plans tonight.”
“Plans? Really, Shane? How many different girls have you been with this week already? All humans, I presume?”
Shane smiled. Lately, he had a taste for human females. Why did that make him the bad guy?
“First of all, you don’t know what my plans are tonight, my dear sister-in-law. But if you must know, I’ve only been with three different girls this week. Not bad.”
Kelsey laughed. “I beg to differ, but I guess it’s not too bad for you.”
Shane entered Tori’s room and approached her as she slept peacefully on her toddler bed. With her dark, curly hair tousled all around her face, his heart leaped as it filled with love. Softly, he caressed her cheek with his finger.
“Love you, my little angel. Sleep well,” he whispered. He then came back out to the living room and turned to Kelsey. “I’m out. Tell my little guy I stopped by.”
With that, Shane stripped off his clothes, and Kelsey turned away just in time, shaking her head. Transforming into his gargoyle form, he leaped out of the large window.
Shane knew exactly where he was heading. It was the same old drill every night. Since it was Saturday night, he knew she’d get out of the club at one in the morning. He preferred to get there earlier and sneak in the back to watch her perform. Once she was done, he’d follow her until he was sure she reached the safety of her home. This was his routine every single weekend when she had a gig at the clubs. On weeknights as well, he didn’t rest until he knew she was back home safely. Who knew Samantha Jordan would grow up to be a phenomenal singer?
Watching her blossom into a beautiful young woman right in front of his eyes had been very difficult. He was intrigued by her at first, especially when he realized that his powers didn’t work on her. She was a sweet girl—strong, no doubt. Poor little Samantha had lost her dad in a line of duty when she was only ten years old and then was kidnapped by the same killer.
Shane still remembered that horrible night when he had saved Kelsey and his brother, Damien. The day he met Samantha. He shuddered thinking what she must have gone through when she was kidnapped by the psychotic serial killer at such a tender age.
Since then, Shane had been
unusually attached to her. It was completely atypical of him, especially since he made a point of not becoming attached to anybody—with the exception of his family and his clan. The fact that he followed Samantha around without her knowledge all these years like a little puppy dog did not please him one bit.
Through time, he hated to watch her attend her high school dances, have her first boyfriend, her first kiss. He had no idea why it infuriated him, but he had become fiercely protective of her. It was all he could do to hold himself back from pulling the sixteen-year-old punk off of her while he kissed her for the first time.
Now, as she performed on stage, it was impossible for Shane to tear his eyes away. How could she already be twenty years old? The graceful beauty with long, dark hair, swayed her hips to the music as her seductive voice echoed throughout the club. Shane closed his eyes, hypnotized by her singing.
He knew his behavior had been completely uncharacteristic all these years, and he wondered what the hell he was doing. Of course, Samantha had no idea that he was there. That he was there every single night she performed. Sure, she had seen him at various family gatherings Damien and Kelsey had, especially for Ryan and Tori’s birthdays through the years. They were always celebrated late at night, and when they started to give Ryan and Tori small birthday parties, Samantha and her mother, Sofia, were always invited.
At first, Samantha went out of her way to talk with him and to spend as much time as possible with him whenever she saw him. But, soon after she turned fifteen, she became quiet around him. Even when he tried to speak or joke with her, she would have difficulty even making eye contact with him. He had no idea what caused the shift in their easy-going relationship, but he missed her like crazy.
As her show came to an end, Shane hovered around outside, waiting for her to head to her one-bedroom apartment. Although she was still in the backroom, he could hear her conversing with one of the band members, Tim.
“I’ll walk you to the train station, Samantha,” Tim said.
“Oh, you don’t have to, Tim. I can just grab a cab to the station.”
“No biggie. I’m heading that way anyway. Thought you could use some fresh air.”
“You’re right. It’s warm enough tonight. Thanks, Tim. I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.” Shane could almost picture her eyes twinkling as she smiled.
Deciding to keep his human form, Shane waited for her to exit the club. He saw Tim already outside, puffing away on his cigarettes. Shane shook his head, not understanding humans. They already had a short lifespan, yet they continued to make choices that were dangerous to their health. He didn’t care, though. To each his own. Right now, his only focus was making sure Samantha reached home safely.
When she stepped out, she had changed out of her black mini-dress and was wearing her faded skinny jeans with a black tank top. Shane made sure to remain hidden and follow them a safe distance away. With his acute hearing, he could still spy in on their conversation as they walked.
“You were fantastic tonight, babe. The crowd was going nuts!” Tim put his arm around Samantha’s shoulders as they walked, making Shane cringe.
“Thanks, Tim. I felt pretty good tonight, you know? Everybody played great, too. We were just on.”
“You’re too talented, darlin’. You gotta find you a contract somewhere. Don’t forget about us little people once you get big.”
Shane clenched his jaw when he noticed how close Tim was getting to her.
“Shut up, Tim. I’m cool where I’m at right now. Almost done with college, and then I gotta grow up and face all my responsibilities, I suppose,” Samantha said.
“You mean like bills and all that shit?” Tim laughed, and Shane could hear Samantha’s quiet laugh joining him. “Look, Samantha, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. I really dig you. You know that, right?”
“I dig you, too, Tim. The whole band is pretty freakin’ cool,” Samantha said.
“No, not like that. Like, I really like you, you know?”
“You’re drunk, Tim. You don’t know what you’re saying.” Samantha shook his arm off of her shoulders.
Tim stopped and grabbed her wrist. “I know what I’m saying. It’s because I’m drunk that I finally got the guts to say it. Come on, Samantha, I know you feel it, too.”
Shane wanted to tear him apart, as he watched Tim pulling her into his embrace.
“Stop, Tim.” Samantha laughed nervously. “You’re my buddy and that’s it. I’ve already told you this before.”
When Shane saw Tim trapping Samantha against the light pole while he leaned against her, it took everything out of him not to fly over there and rip his heart out.
“Come on, sugar. You’re so damn hot. Just give me one kiss.”
Unable to take it anymore, Shane pulled a woman that was about to pass him. Although he was forbidden to use his powers on humans, he simply didn’t care about the rules at that point.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, staring right into her eyes. “What’s your name?”
Completely lost in a trance, the young blonde answered, “Rachel.”
“My name is Shane. We’re on a date. You’re really into me, got it?”
Rachel nodded, smiling at him as if he was the only man on earth. Shane grabbed her by her arm and began heading toward Samantha. His plan was to make it seem like a coincidence that he was walking by them. That way, he could get close enough to handle Tim.
But he didn’t need to worry about Samantha. She already had Tim’s arm twisted behind his back, leaving Tim squirming.
“Don’t do that shit again, Tim. I’m not some girl you can make a pass at, especially when I say I’m not interested. Do I make myself clear?”
Shane was astonished how quickly she had handled the situation, and his heart beat extra fast with pride. His sweet little Samantha was a tough young woman apparently.
“Okay! What the hell? You’re gonna break my arm!” Tim squealed.
Just as Samantha released him, Shane and Rachel reached them.
“Sammy?” he asked, acting completely surprised to see her.
Samantha swung her head toward him. “Er, Shane? What…wait, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I was just out and about with Rachel here. When we were passing, I thought that was you. What a surprise running into you like this!”
Rachel continued to cling onto Shane, feeling threatened by Samantha. “Shane, sweetie, are you going to introduce use?” Rachel purred.
“Oh, sorry. Rachel, this is Sammy. Well, I mean Samantha. And this is Rachel.” Shane had no idea why he was fumbling over his words. What he really wanted to do was beat the crap out of Tim.
Samantha cleared her throat as she inspected Rachel from head to toe.
“Hi,” she mumbled, avoiding looking toward Shane. “This is Tim. He was just leaving.”
“Aww, come on, Samantha. Give me a break,” Tim whined. “Let me at least walk you to the train station.”
“I’m good, Tim.” Samantha’s voice remained stern when she addressed him.
Still not taking the hint, Tim leaned into Samantha and whispered, “I can rock your world, babe. Just give me a chance.”
Unable to stop himself, Shane shoved Tim away from Samantha. “Didn’t you hear the lady?”
Tim sized up Shane and decided he didn’t want his ego bruised in front of Samantha. “Who the fuck are you? This doesn’t even concern you!”
“Tim, shut up!” Samantha scolded, clearly embarrassed by his behavior.
Shane could already sense what Tim’s next move was going to be. “Don’t do it, man,” Shane advised.
But, in his drunkard state, Tim dove for Shane to tackle him down. It was easy for Shane to not only step out of the way, but make sure Rachel was a safe distance from Tim as well. He could hear Samantha yelling at Tim, but by then, Shane was looking for an excuse to teach Tim a lesson. Knowing he had to hold back from using his full strength, Shane grabbed Tim when Tim charged him again.
Bringing him down to the ground, Shane couldn’t resist but land a couple of punches onto Tim’s jaw.
“I suggest you get the hell out of here before I really hurt you. You’re lucky I’m holding back,” Shane warned.
After raising himself off of Tim, Shane turned to Samantha. “You okay, Sammy?”
Blinking a few times as if shocked, all Samantha could do was nod.
He then turned to Rachel and asked, “You okay, Rachel?”
Rachel continued to stare at him in awe. “Wow! You are amazing, babe!” She bit her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes at him.
Once Tim pulled himself up, he yelled, “You’ll regret this!” He then turned away from them and disappeared down the street.
“I’m so sorry about everything,” Samantha said. “He’s not normally like that.”
“You gotta be careful what kind of people you hang out with, Sammy,” Shane scolded. “Come on, I’ll get you home.”
Samantha’s attention turned to Rachel in confusion. “Um, no it’s okay. I know you’re on a date with your girlfriend. I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, it’s all good. Rachel was just leaving. Right, Rachel?” Shane turned his attention on Rachel. “I’ll get you a cab.”
“Yes, I was leaving,” Rachel agreed. “Will I see you later?” She leaned toward Shane and kissed him hard on his lips.
Shane saw Samantha swiftly turning away from them.
“I’ll call you later,” he answered Rachel. Waving down the cab, he helped her in and whispered, “Okay, you don’t know me and you will forget this incident, including meeting me. You will go back to your life as usual.” When Rachel stared at him in confusion, he closed the door and watched the cab drive away. Taking a deep breath, he then turned his attention on Samantha.
“Shane, you don’t need to get me home. I’m a big girl now. I can go home by myself. I already feel like crap that you were involved with all that drama with Tim. Now, you parted with your girlfriend—”
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