Return of the Real Italian Alphas (5 page)

“How would we do that?”

“You must continue on into the depths and find the shield of Bardok which was lost many years ago,” the knight explained. “Bring it back and we will allow you to speak to Gordral.”

“You lost the thing and don’t want him to know about it, didn’t you?” Betsy asked.

“Yes,” he admitted. “See what happens when you bring a woman along?”

“Yes, I do,” Gabriel said proudly.

“Methinks this one is under his woman’s spell,” said another knight to the first, and all of them chuckled.

“Willingly so,” Gabriel admitted. “What man among you has such a loving caretaker to call his own?”

“Not all of us would welcome such a caretaker,” he commented dryly.

“Ah, I see,” he said with a smirk of understanding. “But perhaps if the lover was packaged a bit differently?”

“I don’t think we were here to discuss the apostates right now,” he said. “Don’t you have a mission to begin?”

“Agreed,” Gabriel said.

“Good luck, then,” the first knight said. “Return to this place when you possess the shield, and we’ll lead you to Gordral.”

CHAPTER SIX

         
“Great, so now we’re walking even further down the rabbit hole,” Betsy grumbled as they continued to trudge along. “I hope it doesn’t take just as long to get to wherever this shield is as it did to get to the castle.”

“Betsy, my eternal optimist, what’s happened to you?” Gabriel smirked. “Have you finally seen one castle too many, ma bella?”

“Never,” she gasped dramatically. “How could you say such a thing?”

Gabriel chuckled and Betsy chuckled with him. Their laughter was soon cut short, however, by the horde of demonic-looking creatures headed in their general direction. Both their alarmed gazes flashed to Rico, who for once actually looked as worried as everyone else.

“Well, at least we know demons exist now,” he commented. “Everyone has their stones, correct?”

They all did. The apparent leader of the group called out an order in a guttural language, and they attacked full force. They were on them in moments, wingtips and claws and teeth everywhere, but no one took so much as a scratch, and soon the attack ceased and the leader stepped forward.

“How is it possible that you live?” he demanded in halting English.

“Our secrets remain our own,” Rico told him boldly. “Tell us what has happened to Gordral’s shield.”

“It is my shield now,” said another demon they hadn’t yet noticed, who joined the others from somewhere behind them. “No one shall take it from me.”

“I beg to differ,” Gabriel told him. “I grow tired of all of this. I want my children with me where they belong. If you force me to take it from you, I guarantee I will succeed.”

The creature bellowed loudly at all the others, and they backed away. Every werewolf but Gabriel did the same. Rico tossed a sword to Gabriel which he caught without even bothering to look. He was too busy glaring up at the demon as he grew larger before him.

“It’s good to see you place at least that much confidence in my skills,” Gabriel told the demon with a fierce smirk.

“I’ll squash you like the insect you are,” he replied.

All the spectators cheered as the two exchanged blows. Any time Gabriel got in a good hit, the demons hissed their displeasure. If the demon hit Gabriel, the men booed at him for it. This went on for quite a while before the combatants figured out that neither one of them was going to win.

“Stop,” the demon finally said. “I will come with you and continue to carry my shield. How many others could boast of being shielded by a real demon?”

“I don’t know if Gordral is going to like that idea,” Gabriel mentioned. “I only wanted the shield to get him to give me the lance so I can kill a werewolf who is keeping me from retiring so I can be with my family. It’s all one really big mess.”

“You haven’t met Gordral as yet, have you?” the demon smirked. “I’m Gaal-det, by the way. Come on, I’ll help you get the lance out of him. Gordral’s not so tough when you know his soft spots.”

“No doubt,” Gabriel said, smirking again. “Lead the way.”

“Hey boss, don’t you think we should go back to find the knights first?” asked Rico uncertainly.

“What for?” he asked. “Would we get to Gordral any sooner If we did?”

“I suppose not, but—“

“We follow Gaal-det,” Gabriel decided. “I like him better than I did any of them anyway.”

“Right, then,” Rico agreed. “Come on, men. Follow the demon.”

“Well, that’s something you don’t hear every day,” Betsy commented with a smirk. She grabbed Gabriel by the arm and used it to keep up with him. “You sure do like to do things in a big way once you get started, don’t you?”

“You ought to know that by now,” said Gabriel with a private grin that made her blush.

“Your female is as red as I am,” Gaal-det teased. “What did you say to her?”

“It is not important,” Gabriel said dismissively, his own face reddening slightly as well.

The group entered yet another wrought-iron gate and continued along the path. It didn’t take much time for anyone to work out that they were on the other side of the castle structure they’d entered before. Which was strange since they’d traveled down numerous corridors and it had seemed like they’d been going downward.

“How is this possible?” Gabriel wanted to know.

“The back of the castle’s yard is on a different level than that of the front,” he explained, not pausing overlong to glance at the structure. “This way.”

He didn’t step toward the castle, but rather moved on to another opening which led into another cave. This one they followed upwards in a spiral and found themselves back inside the castle on one of the floors above. He march right past two guards and barged into the chamber they were supposed to be protecting.

“What is the meaning of this?” shouted a man in Italian as he jumped up out of his bed, leaving two women there to cover themselves.

“Gordral, it’s been a long time,” the demon said with a smirk. “I see you haven’t changed a bit. Are these sisters?”

“These are sisters who
are
sisters,” he smirked. “They’re young, too. I turned them only about a hundred years ago on a whim. Stole them fresh from the church.”

“So listen, you men have been at it again, sending these guys down looking for me,” he explained. “The thing is, I think this guy could actually have a legitimate reason to use the lance. I’d really like to help him.”

“What are they saying?” Betsy wanted to know. “I can only pick out bits and pieces.”

Rico put a finger to his lips and listened intently until the entire conversation between the demon and Gordral was finished.

Gaal-det turned to the others. “He will only allow you to borrow the lance for the one intended purpose,” he explained. “And he intends to come along to make certain it comes back with him when you are done. Now, so you know, I’m coming along with the shield as well, so with his men and my help it should be an easy matter to get your little family all together again.”

“We cannot leave right away,” Rico announced insistently. “I must return to my compound and collect the other men. And Gordral, I’d really like to learn more about how your lance was made. It may make it easier to accomplish our goals if I could manage to improve some of the weapons we intend to bring along.”

“I will tell you what you wish to know, of course,” the ancient Crusader agreed. “After all, it has been my mission throughout my lifetime to rid the world of evil. Especially now that I know what evil truly is.”

“Oh, and what is that?” Gaal-det grumbled.

“Evil is forcing a man to live without his children,” he pointed out. “And taking the belongings of those who have less and keeping them for your own selfish needs.”

“I hope you’re not talking about this shield yet again?” he growled. “I won it fair and square.”

“Are those two bickering?” Betsy wanted to know, since the conversation was still in Italian and she was still only learning to speak the language.

“Yes, ma bella, just like an old married couple,” Gabriel chuckled. “And doubtless they will continue all the way to Egypt before we get any sort of break from their noise.”

“I heard that,” said Gaal-det with a brow raised in his direction.

Smirking, Gabriel replied, “I made certain that you did.”

*

“You must know that we cannot all cross the water in your truck,” Gordral scoffed as they sat in a banquet hall of the castle discussing the details. “It would be much better if we just traveled underground. Besides, did you not tell me that your truck had already gone back with the men you did not bring down here?”

“Yes, but—well, do you not grow tired of the lack of starlight?” Gabriel insisted. “Do you not wish for fresh air and maybe even some sunlight?”

“I haven’t seen the sun in three hundred years,” Gordral told him. “I have truly become a creature of the night, if ever there was one. I even acquired my sisters by dark of night. The surface has become somewhat alien to me and to my men. Yet must we go wherever the lance goes, for we have been tied to it irrevocably.”

“I see,” said Rico. “Then perhaps your way is best for now. But the real question is, do you know the way?”

“To Egypt, yes,” said Gordral. “But I suppose we’ll have to come outside once we get there.”

“Very well, then, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I would like to begin the journey within a few hours if we may,” Rico said. “Have your men prepare and then let us know when you are ready to set out.”

“It is agreed,” Gordral said, shaking Rico’s hand. He then turned and shook Gabriel’s as well.

“I believe Betsy and I will return to the chamber we were given for a short nap,” Gabriel said, rising and taking his wife’s hand. “Have someone inform us when it is time, will you?”

“Of course,” Gordral agreed. “And try to remember that the caves echo this time, won’t you?”

Smirking, Gabriel replied, “Good thing we didn’t tell her that.”

“Indeed,” the knight said, nodding towards Betsy before he walked away.

“What were you two just saying?” Betsy wanted to know.

“He hopes our nap is restful,” Gabriel improvised. Betsy didn’t believe him, but since she couldn’t prove otherwise, she simply nodded. Her husband brought her with him out of the hall and to their chamber, drawing her with him to the bed awaiting them there.

“Do you want to get kinky in a cave again, Gabriel?” Betsy giggled as his body covered hers.

“You know that I do, my bella,” he chuckled. “But perhaps this time we should not ring the rafters quite so much.”

“Ring the rafters?” she scoffed. “If I did, it’s only because you know what buttons to push. He was telling you he heard me, wasn’t he? That’s what I thought he said. I have been practicing, you know.”

“Why don’t you practice something on me instead?” Gabriel teased her.

Betsy willingly unzipped his pants and began to dine on his flesh. Chuckling, Gabriel threaded his fingers through her hair, offering her as much encouragement as was needed to get him ready. When he felt that her ministrations had accomplished the desired effect, he flipped her onto her back, yanked off her pants and underwear together, and entered her, thrusting until her desire matched and exceeded his own.

“Yes! Yes!” Betsy told him. “Right there!”

When they’d both finished yelling, Gabriel laughed outright.

“What’s so funny?” Betsy grumbled.

“There went the rafters again,” he told her with a huge grin.

“Somehow I don’t really feel bad about that,” Betsy admitted. They both burst out laughing again, and then there was a knock on the door.

“I was sent to tell you two to get dressed since we’ll be leaving within the hour,” said the knight through the door. “I believe nobody wants to wait for you to put your clothes on.”

“Thank you,” Gabriel answered sarcastically, and the two of them get back out of the bed and straightened out their clothes. Then they went out and rejoined the others just in time as the knights returned to meet them as well.

If they’d thought they walked a great deal before, they hadn’t known just how much farther it was to walk through the depths of the Earth to another country beneath a sea. Here and there salt water trickled inside, and at one point they had to skirt a huge whirlpool, but eventually they came out of a cave onto dry land. Trekking over the foothills, they made their way back to Cairo and Rico’s base.

As they entered, the grave faces of the men who greeted them hinted at trouble brewing, and Rico was quick to inquire, “What has everyone so upset here? Is something amiss?”

“Desmond is waiting for Gabriel and Betsy in your office,” one of the scientists explained. “He says he must speak to them right away.”

“What?” Betsy gasped. “Desmond is here? Then where are the children?”

“Rico, please begin your work right away,” Gabriel said, squeezing his shoulder. “Betsy and I will find out what is going on and let you know. We may need to leave here even sooner than we had expected.”

“Yes, of course,” he agreed. “This way, Gordral. Let us see what we may learn.”

Gabriel and Betsy took no time at all heading up the long hall to Rico’s office. They burst through the door, desperate to know what was going on.

“Where are my children?” Gabriel demanded to know, taking Desmond by his shoulders and giving him a little shake.”

“Your daughter is safe, boss,” Desmond told him first. She was not at the cabin when it was taken. As far as I know, Lupo never discovered her existence.”

“And Mario?”

“Taken, I’m afraid,” he said. “Lupo allowed me to live to bring you a message. I did my best to ensure I wasn’t followed, but there are no guarantees where he is concerned. He said to tell you that he has the boy, and if you want to see him alive again you had better return to New York immediately.”

“Oh no, Gabriel!” Betsy gasped. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to do exactly what he wants,” said Gabriel with a vindictive sneer. “We’re going to return to New York as soon as possible. After all, we wouldn’t want to ignore a direct order, would we?”