Gargoyles I, II, III: Dark Angel Alliance

by Rach Elle

  Junior shrugged, “I’ve never been good at planning ahead.”

  “You can’t keep me here forever.”

  “I’m aware.”

  Awilda looked to the window to see a lifeless night. The dark sky was laced with clouds too thick to see the stars. “What do we do now?” She asked quietly.

  “You go to sleep; I’ll keep watch.”

  “I don’t know if I could sleep right now.”

  “Do I make you nervous?”

  “No, well, yes; not as much as the other guy though.”

  Junior looked at the young, beautiful girl on the bed. Even in the dim light her fair skin seemed to illuminate and her sporadic locks of gray hair glistened like silver tinsel. “Why is that?”

  Awilda shrugged, “I don’t know, I get the feeling Kingsley doesn’t like me. When he tried to kidnap me he had a look on his face like he wanted to kill me.”

  “Impossible,” Junior interrupted. “You’re his Responsibility; he could never physically harm you; he’s incapable. The only way he’d even have a shot is if you ordered him to.”

  Awilda’s ears twitched, “Is that why he does everything I say?”

  “Yeah; it’s one of the downsides to having a Responsibility. I’m my own man until Elizabeth tells me otherwise.”

  “One of the downsides?”

  Junior nodded, “There’s that and then there’s the pain,” he began. “We can’t protect you if we don’t know where you are. It causes us physical pain to be apart. You telling him to let you go at the asylum hurt him more than you could ever imagine; and you almost got away with it again.”

  “I didn’t know.” Awilda whispered to herself.

  “I know.”

  Awilda looked up at Junior, surprised he could hear her. “Then why does he want to be separated from me now?”

  “It’s safer; we can’t risk the chance of you ordering him to turn against us.”

  “I wouldn’t do that; at least, not now that I know you’re not trying to hurt me.”

  “And what if you didn’t have a choice in the matter?”

  Awilda scoffed, “I’m not as easily manipulated as you may think.”

  Junior crooked an eyebrow and smiled wryly; his large body lifting from the chair and sauntering across the room; his frame blocking the light and plunging the girl into darkness. “What if a man put a gun to your head and ordered you to tell me to back off?” He drawled as he reached the bed and leaned down to meet her eye to eye. Her scent filled his nose as he spoke with a deep, resonating growl. “Would you rather I obey; or snap his neck for even looking at you sideways?”

  Awilda’s heart raced as Junior hovered mere inches from her face. His eyes bore into hers and she could feel his warm, steady breathing grazing past her lips and landing on her chest. A wave of heat flooded her body and she suddenly wanted nothing more than physical contact. As his massive form engulfed her she subconsciously opened her legs for him. She didn’t understand the sudden rush of lust and heat, but she didn’t care. She was his for the taking.

  Junior, as if sensing her arousal, smirked arrogantly then turned away. He walked to the window with his beer in hand, leaving Awilda with the pain of rejection. As she sat alone on the bed with the light of the fire stinging her eyes she felt embarrassed. The heat that once radiated throughout her body had cooled into an icy chill.

  While staring into the night sky Junior continued, “That’s why you’re safer with me, even though you’re his Responsibility; but do know he would die to protect you and have no choice in the matter. Even if he wanted to kill you, he couldn’t.”

  Junior sighed beneath the crackling sound of the fireplace. He had almost crossed the line only a moment ago. The girl wanted him; he could tell by her heavy breathing and body language. He knew the signs of lust well; but he could never do that to Kingsley. Much like a father didn’t want to lose his baby girl to another man, a shifter had similar difficulty. Love was the strongest emotion in the human race, and one whirlwind romance could drive a wedge between a Responsibility and their shifter too deep to remove without drawing blood. A shifter would never choose anyone over their Responsibility, but the feelings weren’t exactly mutual. Junior knew this all too well. Earlier Kingsley had alluded to him wooing the girl; but that was only a tactic, and Junior had a feeling Awilda was too vulnerable for anyone to toy with her emotions like that. As he stared out the window he vowed to himself that he would never be that wedge between Kingsley and Awilda; he owed his friend that much.

  Kingsley stood only four rooms down from Junior and Awilda. He stared out the window, perhaps more at his own reflection than the actual view. He could hear Elizabeth emerge from the bathroom where she had changed into her nightgown. She cringed as she walked, the arthritis in her knees flaring. He sighed deeply. He was grateful for finally finding his Responsibility. He at long last had a purpose in life and more importantly, an end in sight; but she wasn’t what he had hoped for. She was young. She had decades upon decades left. He looked over his shoulder at the approaching woman in a flowing blue nightgown. He didn’t have that kind of time left.

  Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Kingsley’s chest. “What are you thinking about?” She asked softly.

  “Nothing of concern,” he lied. He turned into her and retrieved a small box from his pocket. “I got you something.” He opened the box for her to see a small heart shaped necklace. Her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face. “When did you find time for this?”

  “Today; I saw it in a window and managed to sneak away from Junior to get it.”

  Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped. “When will we finally stop our sneaking? We really should tell him. He deserves to know.”

  “And he will; in time.” Kingsley removed the necklace from the box and carefully latched it around Elizabeth’s slender neck. She looked at it as the tiny diamonds lay gently atop her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s perfect, my King.”

  “As are you, my love.” Kingsley lifted Elizabeth’s chin with his forefinger and pressed his lips to hers. They wrapped their arms around each other as Kingsley lifted her and carried her to their bed.

  21

  The next morning Awilda woke in the hotel room. The sun had risen and the room was now filled with natural light. Suddenly the faded green wallpaper seemed less antique and instead covered the walls with the feeling of spring. Her eyes slowly moved across the room, past the fireplace until resting on the image of Junior. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest staring out the window at the street below. “Good morning.” He spoke without turning to look at her.

  “Have you been standing there all night?” She asked as she sat upright in the bed.

  “Pretty much.”

  “You didn’t sleep?”

  “Only for a couple of hours; our bodies rejuvenate much faster than yours.”

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Ten hours.”

  Awilda was shocked as she turned the bedside clock to face her. She couldn’t believe she’d slept that long without being on any medication. She searched her mind for a memory of her dream but couldn’t find one. Did she dream at all? She had nervously closed her eyes to sleep ten hours ago knowing that without her pills she would certainly have nightmares of horrific proportions; but her mind was free of demons. Her body was relaxed and her eyes well rested. She looked at the strong man who had vowed to protect her all night. He’d kept his promise more than he could ever know. He looked over his shoulder to her. “There’s a menu on the nightstand if you want to call for room service. We’re going to be in here for a while.”

  Awilda had no objections.

  22

  Sunders led Crisp into the United Financial building. Denise, the receptionist flashed a bright smile under a pair of reading glasses as the two walked past her. Other employees on the first floor peered around their cubicles to see the new blood strolling shoulder to shoulder with one of the bigwigs. No one had ever
seen this man before. The fluorescent lighting made his golden hair shimmer as it bounced and his lean, muscular physique filled out his gray slacks and white collared button up perfectly. Denise would have recognized the man’s tie as Sunders’; she always commented on his ties; but it was nearly unidentifiable as it hung around the blonde’s neck. It was brighter and trendier. In fact, no one on the first floor recognized that all of his clothing belonged to the dark haired Scotsman from the upper floor. Although he appeared approachable no one dared confront him; not even Denise. Even she could see he was fixated on their destination. His gray eyes locked on the elevators in front of them. It was obvious he wouldn’t welcome any introductions or small talk.

  Sunders and Crisp walked out of the elevator and onto the fourth floor. The hall was brightly lit and the gaudy blood red and dark blue carpet stuck out like a sore thumb. The place smelled musty and it was too loud for such an abandoned hallway. Everyone had their office doors open and yelled to each other through the walls. Crisp followed Sunders into one of the smaller offices before shutting the door for some peace.

  The room had four cubicles side by side along the back wall. Only two of them were occupied; one man and one woman. They both swiveled around in their chairs and immediately sat upright at the sight of Sunders.

  “Mr. Harper!” The middle-aged woman exclaimed.

  Sunders nodded in her direction. “Madge and Corey; this is Dr. Simon Crispin. He comes to us all the way from the states.”

  “That was fast,” Corey chimed in. “We weren’t sure if this was going to be another Egypt.”

  Sunders’ face went grave. Madge widened her eyes at Corey as if to remind him that Egypt was off limits. Corey immediately slumped in his seat.

  “Nah, in fact, this was a much more valuable venture.” Sunders said. “Have either of you run across any gargoyle activity recently; more specifically in this vicinity?” Both of the employees shook their heads. Sunders sighed heavily. His team was less than impressive. “Madge,” Sunders began, “get us some cuppa, will you? And Corey, I need you to look something up on the computer for me.”

  Corey wheeled around in his chair to face his workstation. “What do you need?”

  “I need you to activate a tracking device.”

  “GPS or spyware?”

  “GPS.”

  “Brand?”

  “Triton.”

  Corey wrapped his fingers against his keyboard and located a file in his computer settings. “Do you have the ID?” He asked. Sunders handed him a slip of paper with a twenty-two digit number on it. Corey entered it into the computer and hit enter. The computer began loading the device’s unique identification number and displayed a long, green bar to show progress. Finally, the screen produced the computerized image of a tiny tracking device.

  “Go to the map.” Sunders ordered.

  Corey clicked on an option titled, ‘Display Map’. The image changed to the London city grid and a small red dot flickered repeatedly on one of its corners. Sunders read the address under his breath, “273 Old Street.” He moved over to Madge’s computer and pulled up a website that offered streaming satellite footage. He input the address and zoomed in on the hotel and its city block. Madge returned with a pot of coffee and two mugs. “There’s doughnuts in the break room too if you’re interested,” she said in a flat tone.

  “Madge,” Sunders said, “I have a very important job for you.” Madge’s eyes lit up slightly. “Okay,” She smiled.

  “I need you to sit at your computer and watch the screen.”

  “And…?”

  “And let me know as soon as you see anything unusual.”

  Madge looked at the screen and saw a number of rooftops. Her shoulders slumped; she had hoped her very important task involved more than sitting at a computer.

  “I’m expecting a number of Protectors to arrive soon,” Sunders continued. “I need you both to be on the ball. Corey, I need to know immediately if that tracker goes anywhere, got it?” Corey nodded.

  Crisp had been standing quietly in the corner of the room observing Sunders and his team. The Scotsman looked at him, “We know where she is; now it’s just a matter of time.”

  “Where exactly is that tracking device?” Crisp asked.

  Sunders smiled, “In her brand new shoes, of course.”

  23

  Junior stood in the hallway of The Plaza hotel, waiting for his friend to emerge from his room. Finally, Kingsley opened the door and stepped into the carpeted, narrow hall.

  “It’s about time.” Junior grumbled. “What were you doing in there?”

  “Is it wrong for a man to spend a little extra time on his appearance?”

  “It is if this is what you end up with.” To Junior’s surprise, Kingsley laughed. The old man looked refreshed and peaceful. He was obviously in much better spirits today; due to finding his Responsibility, Junior figured.

  “So,” Kingsley began, “what do you and Awilda have planned for today?”

  Junior’s brows lifted. “What are you talking about?”

  “Well you can’t just sit in silence all day for crying out loud.”

  “What are you and Elizabeth doing?”

  “I’m taking her out on the town. She’s never been to London and wants to see the sights.”

  “And you expect me to stay here and keep the girl company?”

  “Of course,” Kingsley smiled, “You can’t take her outside; too risky.”

  “I didn’t sign on as a babysitter.”

  “To be fair you haven’t really signed on at all. It’s been like pulling teeth to get you to do anything these past couple of days.”

  “You’re saying I owe you?”

  “Not in so many words; but you know I can’t be the one to stay with her. What if the DAA finds us? There’s too much risk that she’ll pull the puppeteer bit again.”

  Junior sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What am I supposed to do with a twenty-three year old girl in a hotel room all day?”

  “Not the obvious.” Kingsley growled.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He patted Junior on the shoulder and headed back into his room.

  Awilda sat in an unmade bed in the middle of an English hotel room, flipping through the limited channels on the tiny television in front of her. She was bored out of her mind and it was barely noon. Luckily, isolation and lack of stimulation wasn’t exactly a new concept to her. She’d spent countless hours sitting alone in her room at the asylum. Still, she was more antsy than normal. Perhaps it was the fact that she was in a foreign country with so many things she had yet to experience; or maybe it was all the natural light that filled the room; or it could have been a result of a full night’s sleep. Whatever the reason, she craved interaction with someone; anyone.

  Junior entered their hotel room looking grim and feeling even more so. He had no idea what to do with Awilda for an entire afternoon. Kingsley was right, they couldn’t leave the building. They were stuck. He looked up to see the girl sitting on the bed flipping through television channels. He hoped she’d found something to do in the ten minutes he’d been gone.

  Junior sighed. He and Awilda were from two different worlds. Even though he looked his shifting age of thirty-two he had the life experience of an eighty-two year old. Even though Awilda was in her early twenties physically she had been locked up in a mental hospital for all of her adult life; her life experience and knowledge had to be exponentially limited.

  Awilda looked over at the large man standing in front of the door.

  “Are we going somewhere?” She asked, hoping.

  “No, just the opposite, actually.”

  “Oh,” she turned off the television and allowed her shoulders to slump. “So you kidnapped me just to keep me held up in a hotel room?”

  “It wasn’t my plan; believe me.”

  Awilda leaned back against the headboard. Following Junior wasn’t turning
out to be the enlightening adventure she had hoped it would be. “So what are we supposed to do all day?”

  Junior tried to hide his cringing. He wasn’t a party host; he shouldn’t be in charge of her entertainment. He shrugged.

  “I found a game.” She suggested.

  Junior winced, “Which one?”

  “Chess; it was sitting in the closet.”

  His eyes lit slightly. He knew that game; he’d played it many times with his mother. He hadn’t picked up a chess piece in decades, but he could remember the rules vividly. “Do you know how to play?” He asked.

  Awilda shrugged.

  “I’ll show you.”

  Awilda found herself enjoying the company of Junior. They sat on the floor on either side of a coffee table. He set up the board and explained each piece and their functions. “The king may be the most important piece, but the most valuable is his queen. She has ultimate power; but that also means she has the biggest target on her back.”

  She watched as his large hands maneuvered the small, hand-carved wooden pieces in demonstration. He placed the last pawn on the board. “Alright, I’ll go first to get the ball rolling.” He reached for one of his pawns.

  “I thought light always went first.” Awilda interrupted.

  Junior looked at the board he’d set up and realized he’d positioned himself to control the dark pieces. He looked up at the girl and smiled, “You’re right.” He turned the board one-hundred and eighty degrees. “Better?” Awilda smiled and nodded subtly.

  A half hour later, to Junior’s surprise, Awilda put him in checkmate.

  “I thought you didn’t know how to play.” He raised one eyebrow.

  “I never said that. I just didn’t say that I did.”

  “Where’d you learn?”

  Awilda winced as she gathered her dark pieces. “At the asylum; I spent a lot of time alone there. They had a couple of games in the cafeteria and I taught myself to play this one.”

  “Alone?”