Eva opened her eyes to see James fast asleep with his head cradled in his folded arms. He had been sitting in a chair beside her bed and leaned over to take a rest on the edge of her mattress at some point. She reached out to slide her fingers through his slightly curly hair that was the color and texture of corn silk.
"He refused to leave you," Father Anderson piped up from the corner of her bedroom where he was sitting. "He wanted to be here when you woke up."
"He's not the only one is he?" she questioned the overprotective priest, raising her head to look at him.
"Hmmmm," he hummed, the sound a deep rumble in his chest. He smiled genuinely at her with no hint of embarrassment on his scruffy face.
The young man asleep with his head resting on her bed moaned before his eyes fluttered open. Eva smiled at the boy as his large baby blue eyes connected with hers.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted him, ruffling his messy curls. She lay her hand down on his forearm that was still on her bed.
"Good morning, my angel," James said, placing his hand over hers.
You too?, she thought to herself as he used one of the names Father Alexander called her. She was no angel. Far from it. Angels did not have the lustful thoughts and desires she did or possess the human frailties she seemed to have in abundance. Glancing at Father Alexander, she wished she was an angel so she wouldn't harbor romantic love for a man who would never be able to love her back. Brushing the back of her fingers over the cheek of the boy in front of her, she wished she was an angel so she could save more innocents like him before their lives were totally ruined.
"Are you all right?" James asked, gliding his fingers along her cheek in the same way she had his seconds before.
Eva closed her eyes, savoring the affectionate touch. The gesture had been so sweet, so innocent - so loving. "I'm fine."
"Eva, Satomi is expecting to see you," Father Anderson told her, crossing the room to her bed.
"Father, just a few more minutes...please," she begged. She was in no hurry to see Rio Satomi. Her body still ached, and she was tired.
"Are you sure you're all right?" he queried, receiving a nod in return. His attention shifted to the boy who was holding her hand tightly. "James, why don't you go to the play yard where the rest of the boys are. You should check on your friends."
"Yes, sir," James reluctantly agreed, letting go of her hand to leave the room.
Once they were alone, Father Anderson ripped back the covers from Eva's body. He wanted to see how the gunshot had healed. Without fully thinking through his actions, he seized the bottom of her nightgown to pull it up. He raised it to her belly, his eyes quickly skimming over her thighs before concentrating on her hips. All that remained of the wound was a small amount of scar tissue. Before he could get a better look, Eva pushed the thin cotton down as best as she could as he attempted to jerk it back up.
"A-A-Alexander! What are you doing?!" Eva cried out, stubbornly pushing down the fabric as he tried to pull it out of her hands.
"Eva, stop!" he ordered her, his voice gruff and not leaving any room for an argument.
Stunned by his harsh tone, Eva ceased the tug-of-war with him over her gown. He had never spoken to her so roughly before. She lay back, watching his tense face as he snatched up the material to reveal the location where she had been shot. Holding her breath as his fingers brushed over her hip bone, she stared at the ceiling while trying to ignore the ticklish and very enticing sensations that were flowing through her body from his light touch. With the intention of distracting herself, she inhaled deeply, concentrating on keeping her breathing measured and steady. Her breathing hitched when his fingers pressed to her skin, circling the part of her hip bone that was visible beneath the skin while he traced the white star mark the bullet had left behind.
"It's amazing. It's already healed," he murmured, leaning down to get a closer look.
"Oh, God, help me," she gasped when she when his lips pressed to the scar. "Father, what are you doing?"
"You're a fantastic creature," he mumbled as if talking to himself. After sitting up, he looked down at her face which bordered on horror struck. His eyes held hers momentarily before he leaned his face closer to hers. "You're beautiful, strong... and deadly."
Eva's fingers twisted into the sheet underneath her body. If she kept her hands still, if she did not touch him, perhaps she could keep herself out of trouble. Her breath was coming in raspy inhales as he hovered above her, his lips in tempting proximity to hers. "Alexander, please..."
"One day, Eva," he murmured before kissing her forehead. Returning to a sitting position, he pulled her upright by holding her hands in his. "Just be patient with me."
"For what?" she whispered, her body beginning to shiver as he stared at her. Delving deep into the intense green depths of his eyes, she knew it was Father Anderson and not Alucard in disguise. The forest green eyes she was looking into were sincere, showing a blameless conscience while withholding tumultuous emotions.
"Just wait for me. That's all I ask of you." He kissed her on the forehead again before rising from the bed. "Get ready to see, Satomi. There is something of the utmost importance that he wants to discuss with us."
"Oh, Alexander...isn't it always important?" she mumbled irritably, getting out of the bed to rifle through her dresser for clothes.
Father Anderson left the room, closing the door behind him so she could change in private. He paced the living room as he waited for her. A feeling of uneasiness had clung to him since he had seen her get shot last night. Coming to the realization that he could lose her had terrified him. He had thought he was incapable of fearing anything - and never had he experienced fear before in his life until she came along. The regret of taking her in lurked at the edges of his consciousness. But she had reminded him what it was like to feel: to need and be needed, to love and be loved - to be human. At times he found his love for her unbearable especially when it clashed with his duty to the church and his solemn vow to God. He had a decision to make. Would he forsake Eva and continue being the pawn of Iscariot to be moved and used as they wished? Or would he desert the Church, break his vow, and beg for God's forgiveness so he could be with her?
"I'm ready," she proclaimed, walking out of the bedroom. She was wearing a loose pair of white yoga pants along with an over-sized white tunic. It appeared she had exchanged her night gown for a set of pajamas.
Instead of criticizing her for her wardrobe choice, Father Anderson opened the door to prompt her to go out of it. Satomi along with Father Montalvan, Genpachi, and Kobungo awaited them in the study of the Cardinal's house. Eva was thankful their meeting would not involve food. She still felt slightly queasy from being weakened by blood loss and feared smelling human food would make her sick. Instead, the men were drinking wine, and she was given a much needed glass of blood. In fact, Satomi had a whole bottle ready for her. He knew she would need the nourishment. She thanked him profusely as he refilled her empty glass while the rest of them continued discussing last night's events.
"How do you feel?" Rio asked her, sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch where she was sitting beside Alexander Anderson. If he did not know better, he would swear the two of them were physically chained together.
"Just a little tired," she responded, taking a sip of the blood then licking her lips.
"That's to be expected," he responded sympathetically. He watched the pink tip of her tongue as it moved over her lip, cautiously avoiding the prominent canine tooth. There was a smear of blood at the corner of her mouth that she had missed. Reaching out with his hand, he wiped the blood off with his forefinger drawing it back to wipe it on his handkerchief.
Eva smiled at him, her lips quivering. She had barely resisted the urge to grab his hand and shove his finger into her mouth to suck off the blood. Inhaling a shuddering breath, she silently prayed that this meant she was getting a grasp on the sensual urges and developing some degree of control over the sexual desires. She scooted closer to the priest beside her, pressing her thigh next to his. She met his questioning glance with a shy smile. Caught between Scylla and Charybdis, she had no where to turn to escape from temptation. Although the men themselves were not evil, far from it, the way she felt about them, the things she wanted to do to them, certainly was evil. She leaned forward to refill her glass and both men did the same, effectively closing in around her. The warm spicy scent of their bodies filled her nose, making her light headed. Her eyes glowed gold in response to the hunger for both blood and sex that boiled inside of her. Oh, Lord Jesus...please help me.
"Rio, why are we here? What is this meeting about?" Eva inquired, keeping her voice as smooth and affectless as possible. With her glass refilled, she picked it up and sank into the couch to nurse it while she counted her breaths to calm herself.
"I've already received word from the head office of Iscariot about your next assignment," Rio answered, pouring more wine into his glass.
Eva observed the dark purple liquid as it filled the glass, flowing out of the bottle with a light glug glug sound. Her eyes stayed on the glass as he raised it to his lips. She looked away finally when his lips parted to press to the side of the glass.
"There are wolves in the Swiss Alps," the handsome Cardinal announced.
Eva thought he was being over-dramatic. She scoffed at the absurd comment. "And how is that such a bizarre thing?"
"Werewolves, Eva," Father Anderson whispered into her ear.
Eva raised her eyes to meet Satomi's gentle almost colorless blue eyes that held a note of amusement. Werewolves. A big bubble of air went down with the blood as she swallowed, making her chest ache. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting the kinds of things I'm dealing with now."
"The Alpha and Beta have been pinpointed but they fiercely protect the rest of the pack, keeping them well hidden within the mountains and forests. They are quite elusive themselves, like ghosts of the forest. You're to track down the Alpha and kill him, Eva," Rio informed her specifically. "Father Anderson, you're her back up in case the Beta shows up. Father Montalvan, you will be leading a relatively sizable unit of soldiers since we're not sure of the size of the pack. Genpachi, Kobungo, you two will be on standby for extractions should it become necessary."
"Yes, Sir, Cardinal," they all acknowledged in unison.
"Eva, there's something you need to know about Genpachi and I," Kobungo said, walking toward her. He took the wine glass out of her hands, setting it on the table. Pulling her to her feet, he led her to the french doors that had already been opened to lead out out onto the balcony. Genpachi was already standing out there waiting.
"Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you," Genpachi told her.
"What is go-" Before she could complete her question, both men began to change.
They grew taller, their bodies widening as well. The sound of ripping fabric filled the air as their new, bigger bodies tore their clothing apart. Genpachi's skin darkened to a black color that appeared grainy like he was made out of stone. He leaned forward in obvious pain as two large lumps appeared on his back. One wing broke the skin; black and leathery like that of a bat extended to the side of him, then the second one appeared and stretched out. His ears were round, then tapered to points. His teeth were all pointed and the sharp points extended just above his lips to resemble a shark's teeth. Kobungo's skin had turned a grayish color, reminiscent of concrete. His mouth stretched, filling with wide, flat topped square teeth except for where a human's incisors would be on top and bottom. Those four teeth extended far beyond his lips, taking on a tusk-like appearance they were so thick. He bellowed in agony as he bore the discomfort of morphing. His wings were light brown and feathered. His face had a dragon like appearance that was enhanced by the two horns on his head. The two good looking men had become hideous gargoyles. They retained no human characteristics whatsoever. They were fearsome and miraculous, terrifying yet stunning in an almost beautiful way.
"We're - " Kobungo started to say but she knew what they were. His voice was deep and resonant, slightly garbled as if there were an echo coming from inside of him.
"Gargoyles. The protectors of the church. To ward off evil spirits," she supplied, walking forward to touch his face. The skin was supple and warm; very much like human skin. She had expected him to feel cold, hard, and unyielding like stone. "Wow...you're amazing."
"I do believe that's the most positive reaction we've ever had, brother," Ko proclaimed, opening his hand so she could examine his claws.
"Yeah. Usually it's a lot of screaming and yelling while they run away in terror," Genpachi muttered, crossing his arms over his chest while she gave his brother a thorough examination with her hands and her eyes. Walking toward her, he did not realize he would be next in receiving stringent perusal. He found the way she poked, prodded, and stared to be quite disconcerting. But it was definitely a good change from the usual bad reaction they received. When she was finally done, he extended his hand to her. He almost pulled his hand back when she stared wide eyed at the black talons. The nails were about five inches long at the end of his already lengthy, bony fingers. He lowered his body down to one knee in front of her as not to be quite so intimidating as he dwarfed her in size. Although he was kneeling down, he was still taller than her.
Eva slid her hand into his massive palm. She knew she had no reason to fear him. Inside he was still her friend Genpachi. Like her, he had become something more than a mere human. He was just more obvious about it than her. Placing her foot on his knee at his urging, she used his leg as a makeshift stirrup to haul herself over onto his back when he leaned forward.
"Hold on tight," he suggested, feeling her arms enclose his thick neck.
"Don't close your eyes," Kobungo told her when he noticed she had her eyes squeezed shut. "You'll want to see this."
Eva forced her eyes open, squinting slightly as they both began to flap their wings to stir up the air around them. Her arms tightened around Genpachi's neck as they lifted off, hovering in the air just a few feet off the ground. She already had that distinct floating on air sensation like when falling from a high place. Despite being frightened, she kept her eyes open to see the balcony slowly drift away from under them. She screamed unintentionally when Gen propelled his big body forward instead of upward. The movement had been smooth, so even and flowing, it almost felt as if he were moving from under her to leave her behind. She clung to him with her arms and legs like a baby monkey clings to her mother. The wind blew past her cheeks, soothing her worries and igniting her curiosity. Her arms gradually released their hold on Genpachi's neck until she let go completely. Sitting up on his back, she looked around. Kobungo was drifting beside them, flapping his wings a few times then allowing the air to carry him like a glider. Extending her arms by her sides as if they were her wings, she offered herself to the sky, to the freedom that was like no other. With the help of Genpachi, she felt like she was flying.
"Hold on!" Genpachi yelled to her. They were coming close to the forest, and he would have to turn to avoid hitting the treetops.
Eva was not listening. She was too enthralled with temporarily being suspended from the laws of gravity. She felt Gen's body begin to turn, then her body followed, separating from his as he rolled to his side, banking a turn to miss the top branches of the tree ahead. Suddenly, she felt nothing beneath her. She was falling.
"No," Kobungo gasped, watching with a sense of surreality as her body seemed to fall toward the earth in slow motion. He ducked his head, flapping his wings drive himself forward and down at a high rate of speed. When she was within what he thought was arms reach, he grabbed for her. His claws raked over the sole of her shoe.
"Dammit!" Ko yelled in frustration. Pushing himself harder, straining the muscles in his wings, he reached again. This time he seized her by the ankle to pull her back and against his chest. Looking ahead, he saw that they were too close to the ground for him to pull up without killing her from the sheer force it would put on her body. He rolled over, wrapping her in his arms and his wings around her to protect her. Hitting the ground on his back, the dirt and grass exploded around them as if he were a bomb that had impacted the earth. His body rolled, tumbling through the grass and bumping over stones but he never let her go or loosened his wings. Finally they came to a stop. Dazed and confused from the hard impact then the brutal rolling, he panted for air while lying still. He could feel Eva's body vibrating against his. He was not sure if she was frightened, crying, or hurt - maybe all three. His wings gradually unfurled to reveal Eva lying on his chest, safe and sound, giggling and happy. He smiled at her.
"That was amazing! Can we do it again?!" she shrieked like an excited child, hopping to her feet.
"I think we should do it again," Kobungo agreed. He glanced at Genpachi who was definitely less than pleased. "We need to practice carrying her for the upcoming mission."
"One important rule," Genpachi barked, irritated that she had come so close to getting hurt. He shoved his forefinger in her face, shaking it as if he were reprimanding a child. "Don't let go!"
"Yes, sir," she responded, her eyes crossing as she stared at the scary, sharp talon that was so close to her face.
"Come on, Eva. My turn to take you for a whirl," Ko said, taking her by the hand to lift her up and over his head to sit on his back.
"Shouldn't we practice carrying her? We'll have to grab her like an eagle plucks a fish out of the water should she get into trouble," Gen told him.
"True," he concurred, taking off with a fierce flap of his wings. "But right now let's have some fun!"
"Ko!" Genpachi pushed off the ground with his strong legs, taking off after his brother like a rocket.
"Well, there they go," Rio remarked as he and Father Anderson stood on the balcony watching the two gargoyles flying around with the ecstatic Eva as their passenger. "She seems happy."
"She is," the priest replied, a smile on his lips.
"There's only one thing that would make her happier," the Cardinal hinted, sliding Anderson a sidelong glimpse.
"What's that, Satomi?" he asked, clasping his hands together behind his back.
"You're not a fool and neither am I, Anderson," he rejoined irritably. "Should you ever seek to be released from your vows, I will perform the ceremony. I will also do my best to release you from Iscariot."
"You know one of those is difficult and the other is impossible."
"Respectively speaking, of course."
"Naturally." Father Anderson heaved a sigh of frustration. God would forgive him. Iscariot wouldn't. There would be hell to pay. They would make sure of it.
~\..'../~
The man climbed upon the big rock balanced on the edge of the cliff. He was waiting for the moon to rise. Stripping his clothes, he discarded them carelessly, throwing them into the chasm below. The moon began to appear, her bright silver head rising over the summit of the mountain across the valley, the beloved sister mountain of the one he was standing on. The fire ignited in his veins, surging to his extremities, setting fire to every nerve ending. Inevitable, unstoppable, and so agonizingly painful, the change began. As the silver light spread across his body, the fire erupted into an inferno to burn away his human countenance. The wolf was coming.
Eva stepped out from the behind the tree where she had been hiding. She had came up to the mountain by herself, arriving well before the end of the day to find a suitable place to hide. Wolfsbane laced the incense cones that had been smoldering inside the burners all afternoon and were draped over a low branch of the tree. The herb masked her scent in addition to weakening the werewolf. His strength and speed, his greatest weapons, would be diminished by the wolfsbane. Enclosing the handle of the gun strapped to her thigh, she prepared to draw the weapon as she watched the man's vertebrae become enlarged and bulbous, straining at his skin as his spine elongated. Pulling the gun from its holster, she aimed at the man who was becoming a beast before her very eyes. As she aimed the weapon his temple, the most vulnerable part of his head, his nose extended into the snout of a canine as he stared up at the moon. Pulling back the hammer, she prepared to shoot the hollow silver bullet filled with Holy Water into the emerging werewolf's brain before he completed the transformation. Something she had once thought existed only in children's stories and horror movies was standing in front of her living and breathing - and could very well kill her.
"In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to return to hell, you foul demon!" Eva yelled. Her eyes met the wolf's luminescent red eyes briefly before she pulled the trigger.
Quickly crouching down upon the rock, the werewolf dodged the bullet. He had looked into the eyes of a demon as well: brilliant and gold, glittering like ominous pieces of precious metal set into a face twice as hard and cold. He lunged, landing on the ground in front of the woman. Swiping at her legs, he knocked her to the ground, flat onto her back. He straddled her body, growling in her face threateningly. Turning his face to the sky, he howled.
"Die, you bastard," she growled, pressing the muzzle of the gun into his throat and pulling the trigger. She crawled backwards on her hands and feet like a crab to get out of the way before the creature fell on top of her. Jumping to her feet, she glanced around, ready for the others that would be coming. She had messed up. She had killed the Alpha but not before he had alerted the rest of the pack to the presence of the interlopers. Father Anderson and the others were dispersed throughout the valley and mountain, infiltrating their territory to lay in wait for them.
Eva heard the light panting of a dog just before the barely audible sound of paws on earth met her sensitive ears. Swinging her weapon to the left, she saw a flash of red just before she pulled the trigger. With a yelp, the werewolf fell dead a few feet away from her. Leaning over the body, she surmised this werewolf was not the Beta of the pack but being a female, she might have been the mate of the Alpha. The characteristic cracking sound of guns being fired began to echo through the mountains as more members of the pack were being systematically picked off. A growl emerged behind her so she turned in the direction from which the ominous sound had come with her weapon raised and ready to fire. Two red eyes blinked at her, then another set of crimson red eyes opened and closed in the dark, and finally a third pair above those. The eyes were set in two rows of three that were stacked on top of each other. What the hell is that? She aimed for the eyes, unloading the last four bullets of her gun into the beast. Although she could hear the muted thud of the bullets meeting flesh, the being did not fall but came closer. As it approached, the six eyes merged into two, rising to the height of a man, not a werewolf. Before she could scream, Alucard formed out of the night as if he were made of the inky blackness itself. Shock left her mute and helpless, disabling her so that all she could do was stare at him as he seized her by the throat and slammed her into a tree. The splintering of wood filled her ears as she felt the trunk gave way but not completely break as her head sunk into the tree. Blinding pain ricocheted inside her skull, bouncing off the bone to slice back through her brain to torture her. She grabbed his wrist as if to gain some support while her feet dangled at least a foot from the ground. Her eyes met his blood red ones that glowed brighter than heated lava in an active volcano.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled, his fangs gleaming malevolently in the moonlight. Large droplets of saliva dripped from the sharp tips of his canines, dropping onto the front of her white cassock.
"Killing evil creatures like you," she growled, kicking forward to contact his belly. It disappointed her that he grunted with discomfort from the blow, but he did not even slacken his grip on her. As a matter of fact, his fingers clenched tighter around her neck, cutting off her air supply. Reaching over her head, she withdrew her sword, swinging horizontally with all of her strength. Once his head was separated from his shoulders, rolling into the bushes behind him, his fingers loosened the choking grip on her neck. She dropped straight to her knees on the ground, coughing and sucking in noisy gulps of air into her lungs.
However, Alucard's body did not fall. The vampire's body stood tall and straight as if waiting for something. Tendrils of black smoke crawled across the ground as if they were a living, sentient being. They encircled Alucard's body, oozing upward to swirl above his neck until his head reformed. He was once again whole, his head back where it belonged.
"Oh, Eva, it will take a lot more than that to kill me," he murmured, reaching for her again.
"I'll take care of that," Father Anderson said, thrusting his knives forward to impale the vampire.
Eva jumped backwards to avoid the tips of the swords that looked like hand held bayonets. The swords had skewered Alucard from back to front, the blood dripping onto the ground at his feet. Taking another step back to avoid the blood, her eyes were locked on Alucard's face that twisted into a sardonic grin. Fear held her in its grasp, keeping her rooted to the ground as she watched him walk forward, pulling his body from the lethal blades that had ran him through.
"Eva, get out of here," Father Anderson commanded her.
This time Eva did not argue. She turned, running to the edge of the cliff.
Alucard watched as she raced headlong into what he was sure would be her death. He grunted in pain as the priest stabbed him again with all four blades. Although he was immortal, he was not impervious to pain. He refused to be distracted. His eyes would not move from Eva. If she was going to die, he wanted to see it for himself. Transfixed, he watched as she leaped off the edge without hesitating. As her body began to fall, something shocking happen. A great winged creature, a gargoyle, swept in and grabbed her with his clawed feet.
"Well, well, Iscariot has all the good toys," Alucard murmured calmly, slightly amused. He was still irritated that he had lost her. If she was not going to be his, she should be dead. Not only had she gotten away, she had left that damn priest behind to fight in her stead. He hated Father Alexander Anderson with all of the fury of hell fueling that loathing.
Father Alexander kicked the vampire in the back, removing his body from the blades that were still lodged in his organs. He was about to attack Alucard again when a strong breeze started to blow and a sound like the flapping wings was carried on that wind. The other member of the extraction team had come for him. A smile, mean and cruel, turned his lips upward as another one of the winged creatures took hold of his shoulders. He gritted his teeth against the pain as the knifelike talons sank into his chest and back.
"Time to go, Father!" Kobungo announced, flying in the direction Genpachi had taken Eva. "There's a little lady waiting for you who would be upset if I let anything happen to you."
I know Genpachi and Kobungo were demons in Hakkenden, but keeping with the church theme of the story here, I turned them into gargoyles for the purpose of consistency.