Thank you to all of you who reviewed. I'm so glad that you've enjoyed what you've read so far. Though I can't promise to keep up in updating (I'm getting really slammed with calls at work) I can promise to keep trying to turn out great reading material for you. And I'm also glad that I'm not the only one who thinks poor Brooklyn deserves a break. So thank you all again for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last ones. Happy New Years!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles or any of it's characters.
Another Spell Broken
Chapter 3:
"I said get the hell away from her Xanatos!!" The angry voice repeated. Audri stared in utter disbelief at the three male gargoyles that had just appeared in front of her. Surprise erased her earlier feelings of fear as her heart beat wildly in her chest. "Oh...my...." she managed to whisper.
Audri immediately assumed that the angered voice belonged to that of a tall brick-red gargoyle that stood apart from the others. His very presence commanded attention and, despite her current situation, Audri found herself more then willing to give him all of hers. He stood in the middle of the other two gargoyles, hands clenched in fists at his sides, his wild mane of white hair blowing in the cool night breeze. His glaring eyes blazed white hot and his body radiated shear masculine power.
He was, in one word, amazing. In two...absolutely gorgeous. Audri was finding it more difficult to breath as her eyes roamed over the body of the male gargoyle and settled on his fierce face. For one insane moment Audri wanted to run to him, wrap her arms around him and take some of his strength into herself so that she could get through this whole ordeal. She didn't care if she had never met or even seen him in her life, her heart immediately trusted him and that was all she needed at the moment.
Flanking him on either side were two other male gargoyles. One of them, a large dark lavender gargoyle who was surly a good foot or two above the others, stood tall and proud. The other was a small olive colored, web-winged gargoyle with startlingly wide eyes. But neither of them came close to being like the dark red gargoyle. Where as the other two had been spared a fleeting glance, Audri couldn't even manage to tear her gaze away from him.
"Brooklyn....if you would just care to listen-" the words from Xanatos' mouth were abruptly cut off as the red gargoyle raised his hand. "I don't even want to hear you speak Xanatos. One word...just one...and I'll rip your head right off your neck." he said in a deadly calm voice. 'Brooklyn...' Audri thought, 'so that is his name.'
Taking the hint quite nicely, Xanatos stepped back to allow Brooklyn a large amount of leeway. The angry glow in Brooklyn's eyes subsided as he stepped forward, revealing soft, liquid brown eyes. His steps were cautious. Had she been somewhere else...some other time, Audri may have taken that moment to laugh at his attempt to keep her from bolting. Maybe he was used to timid females. Audri watched him closely, her eyes raising to focus on his.
When he was but an inch away he stopped. They sat, him standing, Audri sitting with her back pressed against a hard stone wall, and stared at each other for a long while before the one called Brooklyn spoke up. He hunkered down to her eye level and gave her a small reassuring smile. "Hi, my name is Brooklyn. I'm...not here to hurt you at all." Audri's nod encouraged him on. "What is your name?"
His voice washed over her like warm honey, making her feel completely comfortable in his presence. "My name is Audri" she said softly, the lilt in her voice very much audible. Brooklyn's smile widened. "It's nice to meet you Audri. I know you must be very confused right now," Audri nodded grimly at the understatement. " But if you'll just....trust me...I promise you I will do anything..and everything I can to help you. Starting by getting you out of that corner." He offered her his hand. Audri glanced at it and without a seconds more hesitation, slipped her hand into his warm grasp.
Inwardly heaving a great sigh of relief, Brooklyn tightened his grip around the small female hand, trying hard not to notice how soft her skin was against his. Seeing how terrified Audri was before he and the others had made their advance had made him wonder if any of them would be able to get through to her at all. But he had been determined to at least try and, unlike other previous attempts, his offer had miraculously not been turned down.
Brooklyn frowned as the last threads of fury slipped away, remembering the sight of the tiny female backed into the corner, scared and alone. When he had received his first good look at her at was as if someone had taken a bucket of ice cold water and thrown it right in his face.
Audri was beyond beautiful and certainly more then stunning. She wore a long dark olive skirt that ended just above her feet and was held up by a broad belt. One simple silver hoop adorned her slim ankle. The cream colored shirt she wore left her stomach bare and fit tightly around her ample chest, leaving no room for imagination. There was a small gap cut down the center of the neck line that formed a "V" and laced up, tied with a simple bow. The sleeves were slightly off the shoulder revealing her healthy pink skin. Fabric billowed out around her arms and was pulled tight at her wrists with cuffs. Long hair the shade of silvery moonlight hung to her waist. And her eyes...nothing could have prepared him for the depth of the dark blue orbs. He had been lost as soon as he had looked into them. She was more then beautiful. And now...now she was holding his hand.
Brooklyn gave Audri a small tug, urging her forward to where the rest of his clan stood expectantly. She walked across the courtyard with him, moving closer as they passed where Xanatos and Fox stood and causing her arm to brush against his. They had almost made it to Lex and Goliath when Audri came to a stop. Brooklyn turned to look at her. "Is something wrong?" he asked quietly.
Audri looked over at the other two gargoyles then turned her penetrating gaze oh him. "I'm...I'm not ready to talk to anyone else right now Brooklyn." she whispered. He noticed the tears collecting in her eyes and felt the tension start to build in her body. "Hey...hey, don't cry Audri. It's okay...you don't have to talk to anyone else right now." he kept his voice soothing and low. "You don't even have to talk to me if you don't want to." he added, reluctantly releasing his hold on her hand and backing away.
"Wait!" she cried out. She snatched his hand back quickly, moving close to him. "Please don't leave me alone." she pleaded, choking back a sob. Brooklyn's heart ached to see the pain in the little gargoyles eyes. Not being able to help himself, he lifted a hand and and cradled the side of her face against his palm. "What happened to you Audri?" he asked, his voice hushed. Audri closed her eyes. A fat tear slipped free and rolled down her cheek. "You want to go somewhere away from all of these people?" Audri nodded, unable to find her voice to speak.
Brooklyn threw a look to Goliath, who in turn nodded, and led Audri away from the courtyard and down a flight of stairs to a smaller, more secluded courtyard. Audri walked slowly, looking around unsurely at her surroundings. She sat down on a near by bench and stared off into the night.
"Can you tell me where I am?" Her soft voice drifted over to him. He approached her and sat down next to her on the cool stone bench. " You're at Castle Wyvern. This is the home of me and my clan. You've already seen Goliath and Lexington. The tall guy is our clan leader and the Lex is the baby of the clan." Audri smiled slightly at his comment, but he knew it was forced.
Brooklyn sighed. This was going to take a lot of work. "Audri..." he reached over and gently took her hand in his. She turned to face him, the pain and sadness in her expression completely unmasked, leaving Audri looking very vulnerable. "Why is there so much pain in your eyes?" Audri gazed back out across the city, confusion mingling in with the other emotions that played across her face.
Feeling lost but not alone, Audri looked up into Brooklyn's deep brown eyes. She couldn't remember anyone in her clan that had been so handsome. The bright moonlight shone down on them, giving Brooklyn's long white hair a bluish tint. She thought the effect was very charming. She could feel a small smile tug at her lips. She should be smiling. The situation was not as dire as she had first thought it would be. There were other gargoyles here. Her fears of being the only one left had been put to rest.
But that still was not enough to dull the pain or cause it to disappear. Especially since she had never dealt with it in the first place. Now she had been thrown into this whole mess and more or less forced to deal with the long suppressed memories. Audri closed her eyes against the pain, stubbornly forcing back the rush of tears. A warm hand closed around her forearm and Audri opened her eyes. Brooklyn sat staring at her, his beautiful eyes filled with worry. She couldn't help thinking once again just how handsome he was.
Reaching up, Audri tucked a loose strand of hair behind Brooklyn's pointed ear. When she realized what she was doing she jerked her hand back, blushing furiously. "I...I am sorry, I did not mean to....well I mean I..."
Audri stuttered to a stop as Brooklyn's hand came up slowly to the side of her face. He took a strand of her hair loosely in his grip and, mimicking her previous action, tucked it gently behind her ear, the tips of his talons brushing the sensitive skin there.
Audri gazed into Brooklyn's eyes. She had never seen eyes like his before. Dark brown with brilliant gold flecks. As she stared she was overcome with an urge to tell him everything, pour forth her soul until it was completely empty of every horrible memory. He would protect her. Audri had no doubt in her mind that he would do anything to help her. Taking a deep breath she spoke.
"I wanted to stay in stone." She said, looking down at her hands that sat folded in her lap. "What?" Brooklyn asked, his voice startled. Audri made the mistake of looking at him again and lost all of her composure. His eyes were too kind. The way that he treated her, the softness in his voice, in his touch...it showed that he cared even though all he knew about her was her name. The tears she was holding back flowed uninhibited down her cheeks in large rivers. "I wanted to stay in stone. I...I never wanted to wake up." she cried.
Brooklyn had her in his arms before the first strangled cry had made it past Audri's lips. He held her tightly as her small body shook with sobs. Audri clung to him and cried for all she was worth. Brooklyn waited patiently for the crying to subside, all the while stroking Audri's long hair and murmuring comforting words. A long while later the sobs died down to tiny hiccups. "Better?" he asked softly. Audri nodded and stood up, walking over to the ledge of the courtyard and looking out over something that was completely unfamiliar to her.
"I was put under a spell...in the forest...by a sorcerer. It was after a long battle that took place between my Lord, my clan... and an enemy that I shall never forget." She started bitterly. "My Lord, The McGregor was slain before my very eyes...beheaded by a vile she devil that had taken advantage of our good nature and then turned on us. Her army destroyed my home....my family....she killed my mother and father, making me watch as she did so." Audri's voice broke on her last words, the pain unbelievable but also a sense of relief at being able to say the words and have someone there to listen.
Brooklyn stood and walked over to Audri, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Audri....I'm so sorry." he whispered. Her large eyes closed and tears seeped out, sliding over her damp skin. "There is no need to be sorry Brooklyn. The pain will ease...in time." she said softly, trying more to convince herself then Brooklyn. "Who could do such a thing?" he asked her, his voice laced with disbelief.
Audri opened her eyes. They flared briefly in suppressed fury as she remembered the face of the one who had taken her life away from her. "Her name...was Demona."