The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (16 page)

“Unfortunately, Mr. Kline, some of them escaped and went underground. King Eadmon didn't travel with enough men to contain them. The clan was enormous and they fought fiercely. The King had to prioritize the safety of his men so they eliminated as many as they were able to and pulled back, pledging to hunt them for as long as his coven holds the crown.

“To this day the Highest Royal Coven of Europe deploys its army of assassins to flush Hellions from hiding places where they incubate new members of their clan. It is a continuing effort to control them for it only takes one adult Hellion to cause an outbreak.”

“What about the male, Sister?” Joe Wayne, the shorter one of Bart Hammerstein’s cronies, asked. “Whatever b
ecame of him?”

Sister Mary Clarendon turned to the freckle-faced boy with red hair just as the bell rang. “I'm sorry but we've run out of time, Mr. Wayne. We will continue our discussion on him in our next class.”

Chad Alistair

       Elizabeth, Ben, Carlos, and Lela joined the stream of students pouring out from the main building into the parking lot.

“Geez! When are we ever gonna get out of here?” Lela gru
mbled, pointing at the long line of vehicles clogging the exit.

“Hey, isn't that Alistair?” Carlos tugged on Eliz
abeth's shoulder-bag strap and cocked his head towards the direction where she'd parked.

“Who?” Elizabeth followed his gaze.

“Don't look!” Ben muttered under his breath. “Chad—, up ahead.”

“I think he's waiting for you,” Lela whispered.

“Elitabet has a boyflen! Elitabet has a boyflen!”
Carlos sang in a funny voice
.

“
Yoodeleheehoooo!” Ben piped in.

“Stop it, you guys!” Elizabeth glared at them.

“Time for us to dematerialize.” Lela pulled Ben and Carlos by the ears as they neared Elizabeth's car, where Chad was leaning on a shiny black SUV next to it.

“Bab-ba-yooouu!” Ben wiggled his fingers at her. “Tell us all about the gory details tomorrow.”

“You guys have overactive imaginations!” Elizabeth called after them before turning towards her parking spot.

“Hi.” Chad straightened as she approached. “R
emember me? We met at the dining hall.”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth nodded. “Chad, right?”

“Right.” He inserted his hands in his jean pockets. “I was wondering. Do you have a ride home?”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth flicked her chin towards her mom's old car.

“Hmm. Can't say I'm not disappointed.” Chad eyed the ancient station wagon. “Sorry, I didn't mean your car.” He held up a hand in apology. “I meant—.”

“I know.” Elizabeth patted the hood. “Don't worry. Its days are nu
mbered. It's probably going to die soon.”

Chad chuckled. “Where do you live?”

“Mansfield.”

“Hey, I live there, too. Would you, um—,” he cleared his throat and sent her a hopeful gaze, “maybe like to carpool? You know ... to save on gas?” He ge
stured at his vehicle. “I know it's an SUV, but it's an electric hybrid.”

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment. “Uh—, I don't know if that's a good idea.”

“It's a great idea. I can't be more than five or ten minutes away from you and from where we live, it's about forty- five minutes to get here. That's a lot of gas saved.”

Elizabeth pondered for a minute. His SUV would certainly be more reli
able and fuel-efficient than her old clunker, which she constantly feared would break down in the middle of the dark woods. Plus, her mom would be thankful for the money saved. “Okay,” she beamed, “as long as it's convenient for you to pick me up.”

“Cool.” Chad whipped out his cell phone from his back pocket. “What's your phone number?”

He punched-in the information she gave. “I'll call you right now. Save my number.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth pulled out the phone that vibra
ted in her bag and added him under her favorites.

“Do you want to start tomorrow? Text me your a
ddress.”

“Sure.” Elizabeth quickly typed and pressed send.

Chad checked his phone. “Got it.” He grinned, displaying the cute dimple on his chin.

“Well—, see you tomorrow.” Eliz
abeth inserted her key in the door lock, thrilled to ride in a nice car with a hot guy who is actually pleasant, unlike—.

“I'll call you when I'm on my way.” Chad boarded his SUV and pulled out of his parking space.

She waved at him and got in her car. Then it occurred to her.

Wait.
Did she just agree to ride alone in the woods with a stranger who is a Deimon, alias—, God forbid—, a Vampire? Was she being practical or suicidal?
Oh, shit-shit-shit!
That darn angelic face of his, so cute and harmless, she'd totally lost her I.Q.!

She grabbed her phone to call the whole thing off, but caught the reflection of Prince William in her rea
rview mirror, striding in her direction with a pronounced frown.

Oh God,
she gulped.
What now?

He tapped on her window.

She opened it halfway. “Your Highness. Hi! Is there anything—?”

“What was that about?” He braced an arm against the edge of the roof and bent to peer at her.

“What do you mean?” She met his furious eyes before her gaze lowered to his lips.
How could he be so hateful and kissable at the same time?

“You agreed to ride with Gunter,” he said in a clipped tone. “Why?”

“Gunter?” Elizabeth gave him a puzzled look. “You mean—, Chad Alistair?”

“I don't care what he calls himself!” he snarled. “Answer my que
stion.”

“W-we're classmates,” his blazing eyes and cutting remark compelled her to explain. “He lives near me, so we decided to car—.”  

“We?”
His eyebrows snapped together.

“Y-yes, to save on—.”

“We!”
His voice rose and arrested whatever she had to say. “How long have you known him?” He shot her an imperious look. “Five minutes?”

Elizabeth gaped at him, suddenly infuriated by his implication and u
njustified meddling. “Your Highness, excuse me—, but I've already decided to carpool with Chad and I don't have to explain anything to you!”

He glared at her in tensed s
ilence.

Elizabeth immediately regretted her outburst. His eyes narrowed and glowed wildly and his cheeks a
cquired a dark shade of red. She swallowed in apprehension, but feigned a brave façade and countered his gaze.

“Don't do it,” he grated through clenched teeth. Then, to her utter surprise, he swiveled on his heel and stomped off without another word.

What a weirdo!
She made a face and stuck her tongue out at him, toying with the phone in her hand.
Well, since he put it that way, she might as well do it. Mr. Mockery can go to hell for all she cares!

She slipped the phone back in her bag.
It's not as if Chad would jump on her while
he's driving!
The thought made her pause for a minute.
Should she really trust a guy whom she just met? She must be nuts!
She turned the ignition on, making a mental note of bringing a rope of garlic—,
just in case.
As she waited for the engine to warm up, her eyes drifted to the Prince's retreating figure. A pinch of remorse began to bother her.

W
hy is she guilty for quarrelling with Mr. Mockery just now?
She should be happy to get rid of him and yet ...
she felt a sudden urge to apologize, never mind who started what or whose fault it was.

Stop!
She quickly turned away.
You
can't keep on thinking about him this way! He's a jerk, a scumbag, and a royal pain in the you-know-where. Focus on that!

She threw another quick glance at the Prince, then hurriedly reversed out of her space and drove away.

Sir Henry and Administrator Richard Stapleton’s Predicament

       Sir Henry stood with Richard by the large floor to ceiling windows in the council chamber overlooking the parking lot.

“Was that the combat o
fficer assigned to guard Lady Elizabeth?” Sir Henry watched the blond gentleman who boarded the black SUV.

“Yes.” Richard pulled out a file from a drawer and opened it. “General Bradford sent his records this mor
ning with a letter of high regard. His name is Alexus Chadwick Gunter.” 

“Alexus Chadwick Gunter ... Alexus Chadwick Gunter . . .” Sir Henry dri
bbled an index finger on his chin. “Sounds familiar to me.”

Richard read the file. “He's Eur
opean ... a Colonel. His peers call him Alec.”

Sir Henry paused and wrinkled his brow. “He's not
The
Colonel Alec Gunter of the elite European Special Warfare Commandos, is he?”

Richard scanned the paperwork. “Hmm ... in fact, he is the same one. And right now, he is working under the pseudonym Chad Alistair.” 

“Merciful Omni!” Sir Henry gaped. “He is the most decorated Brigade Commander of the Royal Army Assassins!”

“He is also slated for promotion as Brigadier Ge
neral.” Richard peered at him from the documents he was reading. “Ah, here, take a look at these.” He held the credentials with the Colonel's pictures for Sir Henry to examine. “He is terribly handsome, is he not? And a most eligible bachelor too.” Richard pointed a finger at the Colonel's resume.

Sir Henry stared at the images and read the rest of the information, scrubbing his face with his hand. “This is not good.” He darted his eyes at Richard. “See here? It says that his hereditary bloodline is
Alpha
.” He beckoned Richard to come closer and study the document. “I don’t mind if he is overqualified to watch over Lady Elizabeth. She couldn't be in better hands, but a fine-looking
Alpha Deimon
like him might be—.”

“A distraction?” Richard inte
rjected with a glance.

“Why yes!” Sir Henry began to pace. “Lady Eliz
abeth is young and impressionable. Being in the constant company of an
Alpha Deimon
like Colonel Gunter might interfere with her affections for our Prince. You mentioned he's single—.”

“Yes. You're worried it might be inappropriate?” Richard took the file and closed it, training his gaze at Sir Henry.

“Of course! She's beautiful and it's no secret that her particular breed is extremely attractive to the
Alpha Deimons
of our species! Colonel Gunter has yet to select a worthy mate! What if—?” 

Richard shook his head and held up his hands. “Let's not get ahead of ourselves.”

“You're right.” Sir Henry sighed. “We cannot petition to abort Colonel Gunter's mission on the basis of his breed, looks, and marital status. He would be insulted and I do not fancy crossing a dangerous, high ranking assassin.” He threw an anxious glance at Richard.

Richard met his eyes. “I agree. After all, we did r
equest the best of the best from General Bradford. I'm sure that if he'd known the mission involved a
Pure One
, he would never dream of sending an
Alpha Deimon
of the highest order. Unfortunately, it's out of the question to reveal this information to the General so we'll just have to trust that the Colonel will stay focused.”

“Yes. We can always take action if needed, but still—,” Sir Henry looked out the window and peered at the par
king lot, “we should have been more specific with our request even without disclosure. Alas, it's too late now. I can see that Prince William is not pleased with the situation either.” He shook his head at the view below.

Richard followed his gaze.

After the Colonel had, left they watched with interest as the Prince swiftly strode with a furious gait towards Elizabeth's car.

Colonel Alexus Gunter

       Colonel Alec Gunter sat in his SUV a few houses down the road as he watched Elizabeth go inside the yellow cottage. He had followed from a discreet distance, making sure she didn't notice. He waited a few minutes, listening and surveying the woods surrounding the house, which sat by itself far from the neighboring homes. Then, he changed into his black leather combat uniform, armed himself, and disembarked to investigate the perimeter.

A half hour later, he headed back to his vehicle and resumed his vigil.

This is bloody insane!
He smacked his hand against the steering wheel.
Why would General Bradford pull him from action just to baby-sit a Tainted girl? And a rather nice-looking one at that,
he pondered, quickly smothering the thought of her big blue-violet eyes and perfect pink lips.
He's a damn Colonel for goodness sake! Surely, a mere Lieutenant or Sergeant can do this type of job. Unless...