Gargoyle Redemption (The Gargoyle Redemption Trilogy)

by Bria Lexor

  “I would hold off if I were you, Prince.” Zander said and I grunted at him. “Why the hell should I?” I replied.

  “Because...” Zander said pointing up. I looked up and froze. Shinka was hanging from a metal chain and she was unconscious. And hanging next to her was Tuffara’s body.

  What does Zander think he is doing?...

  “Let them go Zander!” I growled, taking a defensive stance against him and the Hunters. “Uh, uh, uh,” Zander tusked, waving his finger at me. “You see, I have Shinka’s soul in my cane and if you give me your Alarica jewel Prince Lapis,” Zander smiled wickedly at me. “Then I’ll return Shinka’s soul into any body of your choosing.”

  “What?” I said, shaking my head. “I will never hand over my Alarica jewel to you!”

  “Well, that’s really too bad,” Zander sighed, spinning his cane in his palm. “Your girlfriend will remain my prisoner for all eternity.”

  “Freeze!” Trunks and the others showed up and he held his gun pointed at Zander. “Release the prisoners at once!”

  “Or what?” Zander sighed, rolling his eyes at Trunks. “You’ll arrest me for the kidnapping of gargoyles?”

  “Actually, I’m arresting you for stealing a corpse,” Trunks said, smirking at Zander.

  Zander scowled at Trunks and narrowed his eyes at him. “Attack!” The Hunters leapt into action and so did the gargoyles. They clashed with each other like they did in days of old. But this time, we had the support of the Slayers and a dragon. They leapt into the war and Kaitlin went to protect my mother with Harlow by her side as the other gargoyles joined the fight. Wren broke free from her prison cell and stood beside me.

  I smiled down at her. “I was wondering when you were gonna show up!” Wren scoffed. “Yeah, well I’m here now, so let’s kick some Hunter ass!”

  I smiled. “Now that’s something my daughter would say!” We leapt into action and Erasmus came at me. Wren went after Zander and it was on. This time, I was not about to let Erasmus piss me off with his smart remarks and I was focused on getting Shinka’s soul into one of those two bodies that were hanging above us.

  “Why do you keep trying brother?” Erasmus said, flinging my sword easily away. “I will always be stronger than you are!”

  “Save your words for someone who cares, Erasmus!” I growled as I bent down and swept my leg, tripping Erasmus I caught him by surprise. “I don’t have to be stronger than you, Erasmus; I just have to be smarter!” I used my sword and slashed Erasmus’ left arm right off his body. He screamed in pain as he shoved me off him. He ran behind the building and flew into the air and was gone.

  Serves you right you son of a...

  “I got it!” Wren said triumphantly, holding up Zander’s gargoyle cane.

  “Nice job, Wren!” I said nodding approvingly at her. “Now toss it to me!” Before Wren could throw it, Zander threw a knife and it hit Wren in the chest. She screamed in surprise as she looked down and saw the blade sticking through her heart. “Wren?” I yelled, flying up to catch her falling body. She landed in my arms still holding the cane.

  “D-daddy...” Wren whispered, as I lay her gently on the ground. “I got the cane for you.”

  I was in shock as I looked down at her. “Don’t-don’t talk, Wren...” I said, pulling the knife from her body.

  Wren winced when the blade left her body, but I could not get the blood to stop.

  Harlow came to my side and took over. My hands were covered in my daughter’s blood. “I’ll call for an ambulance and—”

  “No,” I said shaking my head. “They won’t revive a gargoyle.” Harlow realized I was right, and she bit her lower lip.

  I looked at Zander and he just shrugged like stabbing my daughter was no big deal. “The little brat will be born again...” He paused and smiled malevolently at me. “Or perhaps, she won’t.!”

  I growled as I took the gargoyle handle in my palm and crushed it. I let the fragments fall to the dirt and I dropped the cane. “Oops,” I said, cleaning my hands on my shorts. “My bad.”

  Zander scoffed. “Do you really think I care what happens to your little girlfriend’s soul?” He laughed and I waited to see which body Shinka’s soul would appear in. Nothing happened. I looked at Zander and he stood fixing his tie. “Looks like the jokes on you, Prince Lapis.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked picking up my sword from the dirt. I swung it a couple of times to the side of me preparing to attack. “I forgot to mention there was a third body...”

  “What?” I said confused at this new information. I saw a new figure walk out from behind the shadows. She stopped in the light and looked at me.

  “Abel...” She spoke.

  “Shinka... That’s not possible?” I said taking a step back. Shinka was in Tuffara’s body alright, except now Tuffara was a human.

  Chapter Twenty

  Shinka was standing in front of me. I did not want to chance losing her for a third time, so I flew and snatched her up into my arms and took her to where Harlow was kneeling by Wren’s body. Harlow shook her head, and I knew Wren had died. I mean, sure the kid made me angry from time to time, but I did not wish death upon her. She was my daughter for Pete’s sake! I stood and growled as I looked at Zander. He only smirked at me and that stupid look on his face only made me angry even more.

  “Hunters!” Zander said in a loud voice, with his arms outstretched in the air. “Bring death to the gargoyles!”

  What the hell is he babbling on about?... Death to the gargoyles?...

  The next thing I knew the Hunters held out the Alarica jewels that belonged to my clan, then they crushed them into dust. My worst nightmare had come true. I turned and saw my clan falling to the ground yelling and rolling in pain as their lives were coming to an end.

  “NO!” I shouted. But it was too late, my clan was dying and there was not a dang thing I could do about it. Brooke, Drake, and Trunks all leapt into action and started attacking the Hunters, trying to gain the upper hand. I ran over to Fate’s side and he was gasping for air. “Fate...” I said, obviously at a loss for words. “I never should have let this happen...”

  “Prince Lapis,” Fate said, taking deep breaths. “Do not blame yourself, my Lord.” He paused to get more air in his lungs. “I am proud to have fought valiantly by your side... your mother would be proud... of... you...” Fate took his final breath and died.

  “Fate?” I said, shaking his shoulder. But he was gone. “AH!” I screamed into the night’s sky. I lay Fate’s head down and slowly rose to my feet. “Don’t worry, my brother,” I said, looking down at his body. “The Hunters will pay for this; I give you my word.”

  “They’re gone!” Trunks said, out of breath as he ran to my side.

  “What?” I said looking around the empty lot. “Why did you let them get away?” I growled picking Trunks up by his tie.

  “They used a smoke bomb to escape,” Trunks said calmly. “None of us could see—”

  I growled as I shoved Trunks away from me. “It doesn’t matter,” I said looking at the bodies of my fallen clan. “The damage is already done.”

  “Abel...” Shinka’s quiet voice called me, and I snapped out of my daze. I had forgotten she was here. She was kneeling beside Thaddeus’ body. “How did you...” I could not continue as I gazed into her beautiful green eyes.

  “Zander mixed my blood together and used an incantation to bring Tuffara’s human self into being.” Shinka said quietly. “I just—”

  I kissed her and she was surprised. I pulled away and was breathing heavily. “I thought I’d lost you again my love.” I said and Shinka forced a sad smile.

  “I thought I was gone forever, until you freed me.” Shinka said. She looked around at all the fallen gargoyles. “I can’t believe all of them are...” Her voice broke as she wiped the tears away with her fingers. “What are we going to do?” She asked me and I shook my head.

  “I don’t know...” I said, clearly at a loss here. I mean, I never im
agined my clan would die the way they had. “We got to bury them in the family plot back at the house.”

  “Okay...” Shinka said. She paused as she looked up at her body that still hung from the metal chain. “Should I tell my mother...?”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “We’ll tell her that you died, and she’ll go back to being a Slayer.”

  “Okay...” Shinka said biting her lower lip nervously.

  “Abel!” Brooke called my name and I walked over to where she was standing. She handed me another red envelope and I tore it open.

  Abel,

  As you can see, I am NOT playing around when I say that your clan is coming to an end. As you can imagine the body count is not the number you should pick. I have taken four gargoyles as my prisoners and of course if you want them back alive the same rules apply, bring me your Alarica jewel and I will release them. My condolences to your fallen comrades and mother... long live the King...

  -The Hunters

  I growled as I threw the letter to the ground. “What did it say?” Shinka asked me.

  I looked around and saw that my twin sisters and two of the men were taken hostage. “We have to go on a rescue mission...” I paused and looked at my mother’s body. “Oh, yeah,” I paused, looking at everyone for a moment. “And you’re now in the presence of the new King...”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  So here we are, yet again, giving Shinka a proper burial. Well, sort of. See, Shinka never took her eyes off her body as she lay in the casket and I could not really blame her. I mean, how often do you get to see your own body being buried yet you are still alive? Not too often, that is for sure.

  “Hey,” I whispered at her, nudging her slightly with my elbow. “Are you alright?”

  “Huh?” She said, blinking. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She whispered and I nodded. We had a private ceremony this time not wanting to attract any more attention to ourselves.

  Cadman was buried two days ago, to keep his body from further decay. I thought it was gross. I mean, have you ever smelled decaying flesh? It is a gross smell to say the least. I will never get that smell out of my nose if I live. We told Shinka’s mother Shinka’s body was not harmed in the epic battle, which by the way was a total cheap shot on the Hunters side. They cheated by using my clan’s Alarica jewels against us. And that my friends deserved a personal ass kicking from yours truly. The priest was finishing his final blessing and I was relieved to be leaving the ceremony.

  “Rest in peace, my darling angel,” Bru said, placing a white rose on top of the casket. Everyone got a chance to say their goodbyes. I saw Kain crying like a baby and Drake patted him on the back. I placed the lone red rose on top of the pile of white roses reminding Shinka of the day I brought her the rose in class declaring my love for her. I looked back at Shinka or Tuffara rather, that is what we were calling her to protect her identity. She gave me a small smile and understood the reasoning. “Well,” Bru said clapping her hands together as she looked at us. “I will be going back to Paris to finish my tour.” She said dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex. “Brooke and Drake,” she said, putting on a pair of dark sunglasses. “I will see you back in—”

  “We want to stay and help Abel in finding the remaining members Abel’s clan if that’s alright with you Bru?” Brooke asked and Bru stayed quiet.

  Great... She is gonna make them leave...

  At last, Bru spoke. “Very well,” She said. “On one condition,” She said lowering the glasses so we could see her eyes.

  “What’s that Mrs. Fox?” I asked taking a step forward. Bru smiled. “Kill that son of a bitch Zander for me.”

  For a moment, I thought I was hearing things or thought Bru was joking. She was not. “I want him to feel the same amount of pain he’s caused all of us.”

  “You got it, Mrs. Fox,” I said. “I won’t let you down!” With that, she took my hand and shook on it. With that, Bru picked up her glasses and headed toward the black limousine that waited for her. We watched her leave and I sighed in relief.

  “So, I’m technically Tuffara now, right?” Shinka asked and I smiled as I kissed her on the forehead.

  “Yeah, it seems that way to me, babe.” I said and she frowned. “Well, if I have to live the life of a normal girl then I—”

  “You aren’t a full human Shi...I mean, Tuffara,” Brooke said, smiling at me. “What do you mean?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “You’re a demigoddess... remember?”

  “But... how?” Tuffara asked confused by Brooke’s statement. “I don’t understand?”

  “Your blood is still in your veins, so the gargoyle blood wasn’t strong enough to overpower the demigod blood.”

  “Oh,” she said still unsure of the news. “I understand... I suppose.”

  We piled into the other limousine that was waiting and headed to my house. Everyone was talking amongst themselves and I noticed Drake and Kaitlin were getting... let us just say they were appreciating each other’s company a little bit more than usual.

  Harlow was silent, still coping with the thought that demigods, dragons, and gargoyles existed in her world. It was crazy to say the least. Nevertheless, Harlow was doing well considering the circumstances. Brooke, of course, was still ignoring Trunks and I knew they had history, but it was not my place to pry so I stayed out of it.

  “Hey,” Tuffara said, touching my hand. “We’ll get the Hunters; don’t worry.”

  “I know we will.” I kissed her hand. “Every last one of them is dying.” The limousine pulled in front of my house and we piled out. I thanked the driver and unlocked my front door. I stepped inside and walked to the backyard. I stopped at my mother’s gravesite.

  “I will make you proud of me mother... your death will not have been in vain... I promise... I stood and walked over to Wren’s gravesite. “I’m sorry I wasn’t the father I should have been to you Wren...”

  “That is the most beautiful speech I have ever heard!” A female voice said from behind me. It cannot be? ...

  It was Wren, and she was alive...

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Wren?” I said as I turned and saw him smiling at me. “How did you?”

  Wren ran over to me and threw her arms around my waist. “I missed you so much, Daddy!” Wren said and I quickly pried her off me and felt my face burning red as the others laughed.

  “Whatever!” I said getting back into my tough guy mode. “I knew you were alive the whole time.”

  “No, you didn’t!” Wren said laughing at me. “Before Zander killed me, I used a puppet and switched places with it! It was classic!” Wren said, shaking her head at me.

  ‘Well, nonetheless, I’m glad you’re alive.” I said, patting Wren on the head like she was a little kid. “Because I wouldn’t know what to tell your parents if you did actually die...”

  Wren made a face as she pushed my hand off her head. I stuck my tongue out at her and she folded her arms across her chest. “Who’s immature now?” She said and I just shrugged.

  “Oh, you know I’m way more mature than you are, Wren.” I teased.

  “So, what’s the plan of action, King Lapis?” Trunks asked, taking a drag from his cigarette. “I can have Harlow put out a Bolo.”

  “Naw, I got a better idea,” I said as the others gathered around me. “We’re going on a road trip.”

  “A road trip?” Wren asked, wrinkling her nose at me. “A road trip to where?”

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” I said, pulling out a map. I unfolded it and everyone was shocked when they read the name. “We’re going to Ireland!”

  “But why Ireland?” Brooke asked, flipping her long brown hair behind her shoulder. “Because that’s where the Hunters are headed.” I said matter of factually. “That’s the place of origin of the Haven clan.”

  “But...” Harlow asked looking at me strangely. “You don’t have an accent?”

  “With centuries of practice my dear,” I said in an Irish accent. “You learn how t
o speak like the locals.”

  “Damn, that was hot!” Shinka said and everyone looked at her. “What?” She said innocently. “I like a hot guy with an accent... I mean, who doesn’t, right?”

  I laughed at Shinka’s remark as I shook my head. “There’s something I want to ask you.” I said to her and she looked at me strangely.

  “Oh, yeah,” She said tilting her head to the side. “What’s that?”

  I pulled out a small black velvet box from my pocket and opened it, revealing a beautiful silver ring. Shinka gasped when she saw it. “Is that what I think it is?” She asked and I nodded as I bent down on one knee.

  “Shinka Fox,” I said with a small grin on my face. “Will you marry me?”

  “I-Yes I will!” Shinka said and everyone clapped and cheered as I slipped the engagement ring on her finger. She kissed me and I smiled at her.

  “Now,” I said getting serious again. “Who’s ready to go hunting for some Hunters?” I asked and everyone stepped up to the plate like I had hoped they would.

  “I’m in.” Tuffara said.

  “Me, too!” Wren replied, jumping up and down like an excited kid. “Count us in.” Brooke said with Drake and Kaitlin stepping forward.

  “It can’t be a party without us.” Trunks said and Harlow sighed and reluctantly agreed. “Fine,” Harlow said checking her handgun. “I’ve never been to Ireland before.”

  Night began to fall, and I transformed into my gargoyle form. “Looks like we’re going to Ireland.” I said, picking Shinka up in my arms. I looked at her and she smiled at me. “You ready to fight alongside the hottest King in the world?” I asked in all seriousness.