by VJ Dunraven
“Sir, please accept our sincerest apology,” Richard offered. “Due to circumstances beyond our control—”
“I don't need your explanation. I have already spoken with the former Queen at length yesterday, while her daughter was with the Prince. I know she is the Pure One.”
Sir Henry gasped. “You found her and she told you?”
“I did not give her a choice,” the Colonel snapped. “You knew this before submitting your request for protection to General Bradford! Why in the devil's name did you not tell him?”
“I take personal responsibility,” Sir Henry replied. “I made a mistake.”
“You allowed your objectiveness to be influenced by an emotional plea!” the Colonel exclaimed angrily. “Do you realize the danger you have subjected Elizabeth to?”
Sir Henry frowned with a puzzled expression. “She is safe as far as we are concerned. No one knows who she is and she is doing well with the Tainted. We are not aware of any danger—”
“I received this from Intelligence this morning.” Colonel Gunter pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat pocket and threw it on the desk. “Based on the data I gathered, they have confirmed that the men and vehicles tailing the Prince belonged to the Duke of Northern Peninsula's army.”
Sir Henry's legs began to tremble and he fell back on his chair, aghast. This was the very thing they were afraid of.
“Did they discover the former Queen's whereabouts and Elizabeth's identity?” Richard asked earnestly.
“Not yet. They seem more interested in the Prince, though lately, I've noticed they pulled back their surveillance considerably.”
“Thank goodness!” Sir Henry exclaimed.
“You misunderstand me,” the Colonel replied, his eyebrows drawn. “They have shifted their interest to Elizabeth. Her connection to the Prince might've aroused their curiosity. And this time, they are careful to avoid me—, observing from afar, out of eyesight. This is very serious and could only mean one thing. They must've recognized who I am.”
“But isn't that favorable?” Richard said. “Your presence alone is keeping them at bay.”
“Perhaps—, but not for long,” Colonel Gunter replied gravely. “I shall discuss this situation with General Bradford directly and request him to send a squad of our best assassins. I shall also recommend that he personally take over this mission in my place.”
“Colonel!” Sir Henry abruptly stood up. “What are you saying? You can't be leaving now—”
“Your negligence has subjected me to a rather difficult position!” The Colonel's eyes narrowed into crimson slits. “I am not the right man for the job. I should never have been here in the first place!”
“Colonel, please.” Richard raised his hands to appease his outburst. “We need you. Elizabeth needs you now more than ever.”
“She is not safe with me!” Colonel Gunter thundered, thrusting a forefinger towards him. “I am more dangerous to her than the enemy! Elizabeth is a Pure One, and I—,” he reversed his forefinger to point at himself, “am a Single. Alpha. Male. Do you know what that means?” he snarled through clenched teeth.
“I am a full-blooded, prime pedigreed descendant of the fiercest, most dominant species in search of a mate, whose one weakness is an innocent like Elizabeth!” He plunged his fingers through his hair and began to pace.
“I cannot continue to involve myself in this.” The Colonel rubbed his nape, pacing like a restless wild cat. Then, he stopped abruptly in front of the table and slammed both fists on it, leaning on his knuckles as he hung his head in frustration.
Sir Henry glanced helplessly at Richard who discreetly raised his forefinger against his lips, not daring to interrupt the tension-filled silence.
When at last the Colonel raised his face, he spoke in a tortured voice. “I cannot bear to be near her much longer.” His pained eyes met Sir Henry's across the table. “I just can't—”
“Good merciful Omni, Colonel,” Sir Henry heard himself exclaim. “Are you—?” the words died on his lips when he saw the anguish on the Colonel's handsome face. He instantly knew he had struck a deeply repressed sensitive chord.
Sir Henry watched the powerful man in front of him draw a deep breath and exhale slowly, his eyes flaming scarlet as he regained his decorum. He resumed his military stance, tall and rigid, muscular chest out and broad shoulders pulled back.
“I regret to inform you that I must resign from this assignment. I shall stay on until General Bradford arrives with his men to take my place. Afterwards, I shall remove myself and fly back to base in England.” He proffered his hand to Sir Henry and then to Richard. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen. I must take my leave. I have an enormous amount of tasks to oversee.” He turned and left the room.
Richard glanced at Sir Henry after the Colonel's long strides faded from the hallway. “We were wrong about him. We should have terminated his mission from the start and gotten a replacement when we learned about his bloodline.”
“No.” Sir Henry waved his hand. “We were right all along. The fact that he left Elizabeth untouched in spite of the temptation proved that he stayed strong and focused. He is a good man. I have newfound respect for him.”
“I wonder if he's going to leave without telling her he's in love with her?” Richard pondered.
Sir Henry responded with a heavy sigh.
Chapter 46
On Giving Up One’s
Dearest Love and Friend
Elizabeth stood near the parking lot exit with Ben, Lela and Carlos after school.
“You guys go ahead.” She glanced at her watch. “He'll be here soon.”
“No way,” Carlos replied. “We can't leave you here by yourself.”
“Can't trust any of these characters staring at you.” Lela looked around.
“Maybe you should bring some garlic again.” Ben grimaced. “But we'll have to wear gas masks.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Really, you guys. There's barely anyone here.” She looked at her wristwatch once more and frowned. William was supposed to pick her up forty-five minutes ago. “Go ahead, I can manage.”
“Not without me, you can't,” a familiar voice said behind them.
“Chad!” Elizabeth felt herself relax at the sight of him. “Where've you been?”
He shrugged. “I had a few errands I needed to do.”
“You didn't answer my texts.” She pouted as she took her turn in giving him a hug.
“I didn't think I would take long,” he replied apologetically and placed an arm around her shoulders.
“Well, since you're here, do you mind if we went ahead?” Lela glanced skywards. “Sunrise will be here soon.”
“Go.” Chad nodded, then turned to her after they said their goodbyes. “It's late. Are you sure he's coming?”
Elizabeth peered down the long driveway, trying to hide her worry. “Yes. He's—, uh—, very busy. Lots of conferences, paperwork and such.”
Chad looked at her and sighed. “Is this really what you want, Elizabeth?”
She met his frank gaze. Chad knew William had been consistently late in picking her up from school—, fifteen-twenty minutes at the most, which she didn't mind and hardly mattered, when Ben, Carlos, and Lela easily occupied the time with non-stop chatter, preferring to wait with her and let the traffic pass.
But today, William was alarmingly late. Even her three jovial friends had run out of jokes and began to fidget, candidly offering her a ride home, which she politely declined.
The daunting phantom of insecurity sank its talons on her fragile self-esteem. Was he neglecting her already? Had he woken up to the reality of her situation and decided to refrain from seeing her—without fair warning or even the courtesy of saying goodbye?
She suddenly wanted to cry.
Chad cleared his throat and dropped his arm from her shoulders. “I'm sorry, I was out of line. I shouldn't have said—”
“No, it's okay.” She forced an optimistic expression that didn't see
m to convince him. “You're right, it's late, and—, and—, he's probably swamped, and forgot about the time, and didn't remember to pick me up and—,” her voice broke. She was babbling, and Chad—, sweet, dear, sharp-witted Chad, could see through her flimsy excuses.
He squeezed her hand and she noticed he'd pasted on a sunny smile that didn't show his dimple nor reach his eyes.
“Of course, he didn't forget about you.” He searched her face. “How could he—, when the most beautiful girl in the world is right here waiting for him?” His eyes lit up when she rolled her eyes and crinkled her nose at him.
“That's better.” He nudged her chin and peered down at the long drive. “He'll be here. You'll see.”
“Oh, Chad.” She took his other hand, genuinely grateful for his efforts to cheer her up. “What will I do without you?”
He regarded her for a moment then darted his gaze towards the main gates of Darian Hall, where a speeding vehicle was fast approaching.
Elizabeth recognized the sleek black sports car and instantly, her spirits lifted.
Chad raised her hands to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Be happy,” he spoke softly, his eyes glittering with moisture in the faint light of dawn.
Elizabeth couldn't help but sense a certain finality in his voice.
“Chad?” she whispered as he gently let her fingers slide and slip away from his grasp, looking into her eyes with a fractured, sorrowful gaze, then stepped back. “Chad—?” she instinctively moved towards him.
A vein twitched on his temple and he didn't reply, save for the sharp indrawn breath he took, before he turned and swiftly walked away.
Chapter 47
Unavoidable Circumstances
Prince William hastily climbed out of his vehicle as soon as he parked. He was ridiculously late and was expecting Elizabeth to be furious at him, but she was looking the other way, preoccupied, and had not even noticed his approach.
“Elizabeth,” he called from a few paces away to get her attention.
She turned and smiled at him, but swiveled her head right back to the opposite direction.
He followed her gaze and his jaw clenched. Alexus Gunter. Now what in the blazing hell was this about?
“Was that your friend?” He placed a tight rein on his temper.
“Yes,” she replied, still watching the Colonel's retreating figure as he boarded his SUV. “Chad stayed with me while I was waiting for you.”
“I'm sorry, love.” He kissed her cheek and turned her to face him. “I was on satellite conference with my father. He wanted me to come home as soon as possible and was quite upset. We argued endlessly.”
“It's okay,” she placed a palm on his chest, but her eyes flickered towards the passing SUV the Colonel drove.
A caustic dose of jealousy corroded his heart. Her absorption with the Colonel bothered him.
“Is there something going on between you and that guy?” he asked hotly, restraining himself from losing his head and picking a nasty fight. Now was not the time to be at odds with her. Too many things were hanging in the balance.
“What?” She frowned, finally devoting her complete attention to him. “Of course, not!”
“Are you sure?” He scowled. “Or did I interrupt something? You barely looked at me since I got here.”
“Oh, no, no—.” Her features softened and she stood on her tiptoes, circling her arms around his neck, urging him to bend down for a kiss.
He capitulated and kissed her soundly. “Is it because you're mad at me for being so late?”
“No, it's not that. I'm just ... I don't know. I feel like something serious is troubling Chad and I'm worried about him.”
“I'm sure if there's anything, he could handle it,” he replied, although he knew exactly what the problem was.
Earlier, General Bradford had apprised him of the Colonel's findings regarding the threat from the Duke of Northern Peninsula and the change in security due to the Colonel's resignation from his mission, which was regrettable, but must be done.
Unfortunately, the King had likewise learned of the situation, which had prompted the heated conference call that quickly escalated into a quarrel, pacified only by the interference of his mother, the Queen.
Nonetheless, he was forced to make a compromise with his parents. He must leave for England with his cousins, Elizabeth and her mother within the next five days, or else the King would forcibly evacuate everyone.
He gazed at his beloved Elizabeth, who had no idea of the dire circumstances that surrounded them.
“I must speak with your mother regarding our trip to England in five days.” He placed an arm around her waist and led her to his car.
Elizabeth halted and faced him. “Five days? What about school? She'll never go for it!”
“Don't worry about school. Everything had already been arranged. And as for your mom, I am not asking for her consent—, I am commanding her to grant it.”
Elizabeth gave him an annoyed expression.
“Yes, I know. I'm bossy, inconsiderate, etcetera—,” he grinned, “but you love me anyways.”
She yelped when he suddenly took her in his arms and dipped her low, bending down to kiss her on the lips. “We're going home,” he declared, eyes shining. “Finally, England here we come!”
At the luxurious modern facility tucked nine miles east within The Palladian estates, the assassins from the European Special Warfare Command arrived at exactly 0800 hours.
Colonel Alec Gunter acknowledged the crisp salutations from his men, trained killers who came armed to the teeth in combat gear.
“Major Greer reporting for duty, Sir!” The tall, brawny, stern-faced blond Officer stood at attention.
“At ease, Major,” the Colonel gave him a single nod. “What is General Bradford's E.T.A.?”
“Twelve hundred hours, sir.”
“Excellent. Get the men settled in their quarters at the Delta Annex. Briefing will commence at the Command Center in fourteen hundred hours.”
Major Greer replied with an affirmative, then, saluted and carried on with his task.
Colonel Gunter returned to his rooms, closed the door, and resumed packing.
Chapter 48
A Dangerous Mission
John Drake looked up from his desk at the urgent knocking on the door of his study. “Come in,” he called, feeling somewhat irritated by the interruption. His men had confirmed his suspicions about Elizabeth's true identity and since then, he had been busy organizing safe houses and planning several possible escape routes that might be useful in case they needed a sudden change of strategy.
“There are new developments, Your Grace,” Major Reynolds said with an urgency that made the Duke sit up and put his pen down.
“Two vehicle convoys had been spotted by our spies entering Colonel Gunter's base camp.” The Major handed him some pictures.
“How many men?” John reached over the desk to take the photos.
“The first convoy arrived at eight in the morning with eight men.” Major Reynolds showed him the images taken with a powerful zoom camera of the men who disembarked from the vehicles. “The second convoy arrived at noon with one Officer and a driver in one vehicle, and escorts in another.”
John Drake stared at the photos of the men clad in black leather, armed with silver broadswords with twin serrated blades tucked at their backs.
He knew from experience that more weapons were concealed in their steel-toed boots equipped with a release that propel hidden frontal and lateral blades, and in armored leather arm bracers outfitted with convex falchion-like blades along the outer length of each arm.
Their hands were gloved in fingerless gauntlets; their shoulders covered with armored leather pauldrons, extending into a high cadet collar to protect them from decapitation.
Circling their waists in a half-moon was a thick multi-sheathed belt carrying several daggers made with razor-sharp, curved T-anchor tips, and designed to rip the victim's heart apart if he at
tempted to pull it out. He knew this because he was the unfortunate recipient of one, courtesy of the fiercest warrior he'd ever seen in combat. To this day, he could still feel the astringent spasm in his chest whenever he recalled that terror-filled raid that took the life of his friend and loyal senior Officer, General McKenzie, and his protégé, the young but trustworthy, Colonel Krider.
Both men were fine soldiers, but were no match for the feared and revered Angel of Death. His eyes alighted on the picture depicting the handsome, gentle countenance of Colonel Alexus Gunter. He, himself, barely survived from his clutches, having been completely incapacitated by the dagger the Colonel plunged into his chest.
However, before Colonel Gunter had the chance to finish him off, General McKenzie, by some perverse attack of courage, instigated a diversion by threatening to kill the Queen, which had effectively focused the Colonel's wrath on him. Colonel Krider had unwisely come to his mentor's aid and both men fell in the hands of the ferocious assassin, butchered and dismembered beyond recognition.
As to what had happened next, John had no memory. He woke up in one of their safe houses, with the staff surgeon having successfully extracted the anchored dagger from his heart. He later learned that his surviving men had rescued him by taking advantage of the distraction caused by General McKenzie. They escaped in the midst of the commotion, aggravated by the incredible disappearance of the Queen, which had diverted the Colonel and his men into launching a frantic search.
John Drake heaved a deep breath to relieve the heaviness weighing on his shoulders. Only fifteen out of a hundred men survived the brutal massacre spearheaded by Colonel Gunter. If not for the bravery of General McKenzie, he too, would have been dead.
By the time they deemed it safe to go back and search for survivors, all of the remains had been incinerated into a smoldering pile of cinder and ash. Not a single soldier remained intact for them to evacuate.
