Moonlit Guardian Read online

  “Kimiko!”

  She finally stopped, whirled around and just looked at him with her mouth hanging open as she pointed in the restaurant’s direction.

  “What is it?”

  “He said… he said…” She bent at the waist with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. “I have to go home.”

  He wanted to know what had scared her, what he had missed, but the idea of getting her off the street and into a room he could easily guard definitely held appeal. “Alright, fine. We’ll get you back to the hotel.”

  “No, not the hotel. Home.”

  He blinked. “Your home is in California.”

  “One of my homes is in California. The other is in Michigan.”

  “Either way, we’re in New York. You have a talk show tomorrow morning and a concert after that.”

  “Then let’s get to the airport fast,” she said stepping toward the curb and raising her hand to hail a cab.

  “You can’t just fly home and back like that.”

  “Yes I can.”

  “You need to sleep.”

  “Says the man who to my knowledge, hasn’t slept since we met.” She frowned, glancing over at him.

  Draven held his breath, knowing she was questioning this, but she soon shook her head and returned her attention to the task of hailing a cab.

  “You know, a gentleman would do this for me.”

  “Or a servant?” He winked at her as he stepped to the curb, put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, catching the attention of a cab driver. “Thanks for putting that guy in his place.”

  “You heard that?”

  “I have exceptional hearing.” Which was all the more reason he was perplexed as to why she’d freaked out and fled the restaurant. The guy’s lines were cheesy and his arrogance was definitely hard to stomach, but surely it wasn’t enough to make women flee him.

  They got into the first cab to pull over and Draven directed the cabdriver to take them to the airport while Kimiko used her cell phone to make arrangements for the flight.

  Draven scanned the perimeter as Kimiko signed an autograph for the smitten cabbie who’d picked them up at the airport and delivered them to her Michigan home. All he could see were trees in every direction, bracketing a narrow lane. If not for the mailbox at the end of the lane, no one would even know there was a house within the heavily wooded area.

  Kimiko climbed out of the cab, wishing the cabbie a safe night, and joined him. “Searching for hidden dangers?”

  “Always.”

  “Good.”

  He frowned down at her. “You slept through the plane ride so I left you alone. Think you could explain to me what we’re doing here now?”

  “You’ll see soon enough.” She started walking up the lane.

  Draven held out his arm, barring her access, and stepped ahead. “I’m in front, remember?”

  “What if the bad guy is in the back?”

  “I have eyes in the back of my head for those cases. Straight ahead?”

  “Yes, it’s a long lane but it leads to a coded entry point. I keep the house secure, even when I’m not here, which is often.”

  “Smart thinking.”

  “Not all celebrities are total airheads.”

  “Never said they were.”

  They walked the rest of the mile long lane in silence, eventually reaching a high iron fence with sharp spires atop. No one could climb over without being ripped open or impaled. The only way in appeared to be the gate which Kimiko opened with an eight digit security code.

  “How many people know the code?”

  “Just me.”

  Draven raised his eyebrow.

  “Honestly. Not even my management gets the security code to this house. My mother would have it but she now lives in a facility that’s able to provide her with the care she needs.”

  “Your mother is ill?” Draven asked as they passed through the open gate and allowed it to close behind them before continuing on toward the large log house.

  “Yes, but she’s being taken care of,” Kimiko answered in a clipped manner, not inviting of further inquiry.

  Knowing when and when not to push, Draven remained quiet as Kimiko opened a panel beside the front door and entered in another eight digit code.

  “Same code as the gate?” he asked as a loud click indicated the door had unlocked.

  “No. That would be stupid.” Kimiko reached for the door.

  “Uh uh uh.” Draven gently moved her aside with one hand as he used the other to twist the doorknob and push the heavy wooden door open.

  “Do you even carry a weapon?”

  “I am a weapon,” he answered, looking back at her. “Do you doubt my ability to protect you?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  He stepped inside and surveyed the room. It was a living room, spacious and open. A staircase to the right led to the second floor. Draven glanced up it before leading Kimiko over to one of the sofas. “Stay here while I sweep the rest of the house.”

  “No one knows about this house.”

  “No one that you know about. From the information I received, I know someone is stalking you. Your address in California isn’t public knowledge either, but someone found a way in. Until that person is caught, I’m not taking chances.”

  She sighed heavily but obediently plopped down on the sofa and folded her arms. “Fine, but try to hurry.”

  “I wouldn’t leave you alone long,” he said as he turned and took the stairs. Once he made it to the upper floor he paused in the hallway and listened. Confident that Kimiko was still sitting where he’d left her, he closed his eyes and allowed his beast to come through. His skin blackened as wings unfolded from his back and horns sprouted from his head. His teeth elongated as he magically transformed into his other being, a gargoyle. It was a painless process that happened quickly. One moment he was a human man, the next… a creature. Everything that was on his possession as a human remained with his human self as he became the gargoyle.

  In this form he could use his power to see all around him. He summoned his magic and cast it out. Like a giant ripple, it floated from his body in a circle, allowing him to see the entire house and property while standing in one spot.

  Kimiko sat on the sofa, fidgeting with her hands, as she impatiently awaited his return. The room behind her was an empty dining room. To the side, an empty kitchen. The upstairs hosted four rooms. The three bedrooms, one of which had been converted into a gym, and a small office were also empty. He trained his senses on the doors and windows, looking to see if any had been messed with. He found no traces of attempted break-ins. Pushing his power farther, he scanned out past the house and surveyed the surrounding property. Other than a pair of deer grazing nearby in the surrounding woods, he didn’t see any other movement.

  Kimiko stood from the sofa. Seeing it, he quickly pulled his power back in and shifted.

  By the time she took her first step on the staircase, he stood in human form, in exactly the same condition he’d been in before shifting.

  “I thought I told you to stay on the sofa.”

  “I couldn’t wait long enough for you to check the whole house,” she said, “I have to get back to New York.”

  Draven shook his head. “So why all the insistence on coming out here in the first place?”

  She cast him an annoyed look before passing him. “I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”

  He followed behind her as she entered the master bedroom at the end of the hall. It was large, with a king-sized bed covered in burgundy silk sheets. Assorted perfume bottles sat on the long black dresser along the far wall. A sleek black desk sat against another wall, before a window that looked out onto a man-made pond.

  Kimiko crossed over to it and removed a bundle of letters from the bottom drawer. “I gave the police all the threatening letters I had with me at my California home, but I had some here too.”

  She sat down on the bed and remo
ved the rubber band encircling the various sized letters.

  “Why didn’t you hand these over to them?” Draven asked, joining her on the bed.

  “Quite a bit of distance between California and Michigan,” she answered drily. “Trust me, they had plenty to go off of, not that they found anything. No prints on any of the really stalkerish ones.”

  Draven looked at the address on the letters she cast aside as she seemed to search for a specific one. “So these were delivered to a post office box, not this actual address?” He relaxed after seeing the impersonal address.

  “I told you no one has this address. These are just letters from my fan mail address that were given to me on occasions I happened to be on my way here for short breaks. Very short breaks.”

  “You don’t get many of those, do you?”

  “No.” Halfway through the stack of letters, she reached some which appeared to be written in the same flowery handwriting, with heart-dotted I’s. “Here they are.”

  Draven watched her reach inside the first envelope and remove light blue, scented paper. His nostrils twitched at the flowery scent. “You came here tonight for letters?”

  “My Dearest Kimiko,” she began to read from the letter, “Why do you not respond? You know we were made for each other. It was written in the stars. It is impossible for you not to know how connected we are, not to know how it feels to see you with other men on the red carpet. Through the pain, I know it must all be an act because no one can love you as I have loved you. You are the missing piece to the puzzle of true happiness.”

  The hand holding the letter began to shake so Draven took it from her. “This is very close to what Rex said to you at the restaurant.”

  “You heard that from your table?”

  “I have exceptional hearing.”

  She frowned. “I’ve received a lot of letters from this person. He always mentions that I’m the missing piece to true happiness, but that’s the only thing really consistent. That and the consistent rise in anger. The police have the really angry ones. These were sent before.”

  Draven read the rest of the letter in silence.

  I have devoted my life to you. I have pledged to be the king worthy of you as my queen. I have pledged to take out entire kingdoms only for the pleasure of your hand. What more must I do to stop you from parading with these jokers? What further proof do you need of my love and loyalty? I will smite them all if that is what it will take. Just give the order. But come to me, my sweet angel. Come to me to prove your loyalty. If you do not, if I must come to you, there will be no fairytale ending. Our puzzle will not be finished. The pain will be everlasting. The suffering … endless. Yours faithfully, Your Truest Love.

  “Well, that’s not so bad.” He handed the letter back. “Creepy, but the writer doesn’t come right out and threaten you.”

  “This was the beginning. The most recent letters delve further into how much pain and suffering there will be if I don’t come to him. Plus, there have been pictures included.”

  “What kind of pictures?”

  “Pictures of me backstage at concerts, on the street, dining in upscale restaurants. The pictures alone were threats, hints that he could get to me if he truly wanted to.”

  “And the incident at your California home?”

  “I woke up to find a vase of red roses on my living room coffee table and petals all over the room.”

  “He never tried to harm you?”

  “No, but he left a note.”

  “What did it say?”

  “He told me to come to him or the next time it wouldn’t be red rose petals decorating my living room.”

  “When did these letters start?”

  “Right after I started dating Rex.”

  Draven reread the letter. “The person who wrote this was upset that you were dating him, from the sound of this. Why would Rex write it?”

  “He said I was the missing piece he’d been searching for. That’s the one thing similar in every letter I received from this whack-job.”

  Draven looked through the stack of remaining letters, pulling out the ones with similar handwriting and found that she was correct. All the letters mentioned her being the missing piece to the puzzle of true happiness.

  “How would he know what was in these letters if he didn’t send them to me?”

  “Why would he give himself away?”

  “Because he was angry and not thinking straight?” Kimiko shrugged. “How would I know how an insane person thinks?”

  “Good point.” Draven nodded. “I’m not sure it’s him though. The guy is a jerk, that’s for sure, but I’d believe him as the stalker if these started after the breakup, not while you were seeing him.”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “I didn’t say that.” Draven looked at her, feeling like a grade A asshole when he saw the fallen look in her eyes. “I just think we need to keep our eyes wide open. If this stalker isn’t Rex we don’t want to be so focused on him that we let the true enemy sneak up on us.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Things I say generally do.”

  She smiled. “If I tell the police about Rex, they’ll probably think I’m crazy. Kim will kill me. He’s Hollywood’s golden child.”

  “Then we play this smart and nail him when and if we get irrefutable evidence,” Draven advised. “I don’t understand this celebrity thing. What makes famous people so important? No offense.”

  “None taken.” She laughed a little. “I thought you were a jerk when we first met, but I kind of like that you don’t care about me. I know you’ll focus on what matters and do your job well. Any other guard would probably run right to the tabloids if I told them my suspicions. I know you won’t do that. You probably think they’re stupid.”

  “Not as stupid as that comment you just made.”

  “What?” She looked genuinely confused.

  “I care what happens to you, and not because of the paycheck.” He tapped the stack of letters with his finger. “You think this right here is how someone who cares about you should act. These people don’t care about you. You’re entertainment to them. You’re a fantasy. You have no flaws. That’s not caring about someone, that’s caring about a story, a piece of art, something. Whatever it is, it’s not caring about you. The worst thing is you’ve come so accustomed to basing your importance on your level of fame that you can’t even recognize when someone actually does care about you as a person.”

  “And you care about me as a person?” She laughed softly. “It’s fine that you don’t. I get it. You think celebrities are stupid, vapid, wastes of flesh. We get paid ridiculous amounts of money to do stupid things while soldiers risk their lives for not even an eighth of what we make from just one movie. We do good things too, though, some of us. I give to charities. I wish I had more to give than just money, but the money goes to helping feed the hungry.”

  As she talked, continuing to give reasons why she deserved to be cared about, not even knowing that was what she was doing, Draven focused on her soft, inviting lips, unconsciously moving closer.

  “I’ve worked with charities that fund cancer research, and I participate in every charity concert I possibly can. Kim thinks it’s great promo, but I honestly just love being able to make people more aware of things they otherwise ignore. Oh! I did a celebrity edition of a reality show where you build homes for people who’ve been through such hard times. I was actually allowed to help do some of the work. I’d love to do something else like that again, but I understand if you think—”

  He covered her mouth with his, stealing whatever else she’d been about to say.

  6

  Kimiko touched her lips, still feeling his kiss there.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I just did that.” Draven stood and crossed the room, stopping in the doorway, his back to her. “We should get back to New York. You have the show in the morning.”

  “Draven.”

  “I apologized. I me
ant it. It won’t happen again.”

  “What if I want it to happen again?” She surprised herself by saying.

  His back moved with his silent laugh. “Trust me, you don’t.”

  She opened her mouth to ask why but her cell phone vibrated. She stood so she could retrieve the phone from her back pocket and groaned as she looked at the picture ID.

  “Hi, Kim,” she said, answering the phone. “I’d give you all the juicy details about my date but I’m sure Rex has told all by now. The two of you are working together on this whole celebrity power couple thing, after all. Oh wait. That’s right. It wasn’t a date, it was a script reading.”

  “That’s enough, Kimiko. Yes, I know about the fiasco at the restaurant and how you ran out of there like a lunatic. I also know you left the state. What the hell are you doing in Michigan when you have to be on Live in the morning?”

  “How do you know I’m in Michigan?”

  Draven turned to look at her, his face a mask of suspicion.

  “It’s my job to know where you are.”

  “No, it’s my bodyguard’s job to know where I’m at. It’s your job to get me gigs.”

  “It’s my job to make sure you have a career and you won’t for much longer acting like this. There is an airplane waiting at the airport. Get on it and get here now.”

  The dial tone in Kimiko’s ear signaled the end of the conversation.

  “She knows we’re here?”

  Kimiko nodded.

  “How?”

  “She didn’t say.” She thought about it. “The cab driver got my autograph. There were others on the plane. I’m sure someone recognized me and, I don’t know, tweeted about it or something.”

  Frowning, Draven gestured for her to follow him. “Let’s get back before she sends an army to retrieve you.”