Elliot frowned, unsure what to make of what he was hearing. The strange story was at least taking his mind off Knight and the bitter cold. “What kind of creature?”
William looked at Elliot with apprehension. “Are you entirely certain you are ready for knowledge that is not of this world?”
Elliot nodded and slid an inch closer. Even though the chill of William’s body melting into his signified that they weren’t in fact touching, he still liked to think that they were getting closer this way.
William smiled. “Some might call him the devil, but he is in fact the lord of gargoyles. Not a demon of the Bible but a being whose existence escapes our knowledge. He saw my heartache and was sympathetic toward it. Because he found me worthy, he gave me the collar you saw at the museum. It put a spell on men and made them pliant to my will. He gave me a gargoyle to keep me safe in the pursuit of the most perfect man. Too bad he hadn’t made me see through Laurent Mercier’s lies.”
Elliot’s eyes grew wider with every word that came from William’s perfectly-shaped mouth. He was gaining knowledge of secrets barely anyone in the world understood. He wished so much to entwine his fingers with William’s. And he could sense that unlike what Knight had been saying, William’s ghost wasn’t menacing at all. He was a broken soul, looking for connection.
“A gargoyle? Like the one by the staircase? And the collar has a spell on it?”
William nodded. “I’ve been chosen, Elliot. And the work of my life, the work of love remains unfinished.” He locked his lips, watching Elliot with so much intent it was sending shivers down Elliot’s back and stirring all kinds of feelings in his chest. “If only we’d met in more favorable circumstances...”
“Knight always said you’d have skinned me or some other shit like that, but I don’t think you would. Because I’d have accepted your collar without question.” Elliot’s heart started pounding loudly, and he wondered if the ghost could sense it.
William’s lips trembled, and he moved his fingers along Elliot’s cheek, as if Elliot were the most precious thing in William’s care. “Of course you would. And I would have put it on you so that you could be mine forever. I would have cherished you, not like the men who hurt you. Those brutes don’t deserve someone so precious.”
Elliot leaned closer to the cool sensation of spectral fingers. “It always excited me to think that you took from life whatever you wanted. I not only adored you, but I wanted to be you. I never had the guts though. So many times I thought people deserved to be punished for their actions, that they deserved to die, but I could never go through with my plans. I would have loved to live in your times and become yours.”
William shook his head. “You wouldn’t have to be like me. I would have protected you. We have... a connection. For the first time in my long life I feel like I’ve encountered the sun to my moon, but I am but a shadow of my former self now. Without a body, I can’t even hold you in my arms.”
Elliot nodded rapidly, not even blinking when hot tears spilled down his cheeks again. “I always knew you’d feel the same way as me if we ever met. You lived with such a passionate intensity. No wonder you’ve been chosen by that… creature. You are a special man… and I wish I could touch your hand.”
“The only thing that could restore me would be my killer’s blood, but how could we find Mercier descendants so long after he perished?”
Elliot’s mind came to a halt. “Mercier blood would restore your body?”
William gave a hesitant nod. “Yes. But even if you could find a Mercier for me, the blood would have to be shed in my presence. It needs to be warm to recreate a physical body for me. And I know that is too much to ask. I’m sorry to have burdened you, my boy.”
Elliot slowly turned to William and entwined their fingers, even though William’s were like cold air melting into his skin. “Not at all, Mr. Fane. I will do anything to make this happen.”
William smiled, almost shyly. “Please, do call me William.”
Chapter 18
Knight was surprised Elliot hadn’t tried contacting him over Christmas. He himself toyed with the idea of sending him season’s wishes but decided not to every time it came to his mind. He wasn’t to blame for Elliot imagining them to be a couple. He’d never done anything to suggest he wanted more than a clean partnership fueled by common interests. So he decided to give Elliot time.
But as he returned to the clubhouse after two days spent with his mother and younger siblings, the familiar tall and thin form was nowhere to be seen. Granted, the clubhouse was massive, but Elliot was neither in his room nor anywhere on the premises, it seemed. He wasn’t in his trailer either, and his car stood in its place in the huge garage. So where could he have gone?