Dianthe Rising

by J. B. Miller

  *****

  Dia…

  A shadow from the other side of the building I ran from intercepted me. A hand wrapped around my neck jerking me back against a cold unfeeling chest. His soft puffs of laughter blew against my cheek. I felt his dulcet toned voice whisper against my ear.

  His quiet, “I’ve got you, petal. Game over,” sent fear coursing through me.

  My eyes closed and I reflected resignedly. Damn, I was so fucking close. Before I managed another thought, there was a deafening sound, like the enraged roar of a bear. My muddled brain wouldn’t process why a bear would be loose in London. It felt as if the animal making the horrendous sound was right in front of me. It was that loud. Let it be quick. Oh God, I do not want to feel this, I prayed. Abruptly, the hand gripping my neck, with those oh so sharp nails, disappeared. I felt myself flying through the air before hitting the side of the building outside the alley I had been hiding in.

  I looked around me, wondering what the hell had happened. My eyes were blurry and my head felt like a marching band was making its way through it. The ringing in my ears was enough to worry me, let alone what I was seeing in front of me.

  Damn, I must have hit my head harder than I imagined. Because I swear, what I was watching could not be happening. In front of me, El freako, Marcus, was fighting a man I’d never seen before. He was a stranger, but coming to my defense definitely racked up a huge plus in my book of points.

  What’s so odd about this picture you ask? Two guys fighting in an alley in the middle of the night. Oh nothing, except that you couldn't follow their movements with your eyes. They were kind of blurring in and out, as if they were moving too fast to watch. Very Matrix like. I shook my head to clear my blurry vision and looked again. Nope, it was still blurry. Are those claws? I squinted to try to get a better glimpse. Oh man, what am I looking at? Closing my eyes briefly, I whispered a quick prayer before I tried to slide across the wall. My goal was the lights and relative safety of the pub.

  It is so past time for me to get out of here, I thought. "God," I whispered. "I know I haven’t been to Mass like I should have been." With a look up in the general direction of Heaven, I prayed hard. "I promise, first thing in the morning I will be in confessional. Please, please help me get out of here so I can make good on my promise, Lord."

  My eyes stayed on the two fighting men. The last thing I wanted was for them to notice or land on me. I stumbled to my feet and whimpered from the pain. With a cringe, I told myself to suck it up and get help. I limped as quickly as I could to the entrance of the pub.

  Once I made it inside the doors, I took stock. My body was shivering and shaking but mostly in one piece. As I looked around me, I couldn't believe no one had noticed the fight. I shook my head and told myself, no, I imagined that. People didn’t have claws and fangs. I must have hit my head harder than I thought when they hurled me against that wall.

  All I knew was that I needed to get out of there. I wanted to go home and pretend that tonight never happened. What a hell of a way to end my celebration. Yippee, Happy Birthday to me.

  Unfortunately, since I managed to lose my bag in the struggle, I had nothing but the clothes on my back. I had no phone, keys, or oyster card to catch a tube. There was no way in hell I was going back out to look for them. Fuck, I am so screwed. There was one person I could call that had all three and would be available at this time of night.

  I would almost rather walk home and sleep in the hallway than make this call. However, I wasn’t that stupid. So I went to the bar and explained to the barmaid that I had been mugged and could I please use their phone.

  “Oh my God, are you all right, love?” The woman eyed me up and down. She looked to be in her forties and a no nonsense woman.

  “Here, love, come with me and we will get you sorted. Jackie,” she shouted over her shoulder, “take the bar, I’ll be back in a bit. I’ve got to help this poor girl.”

  She put her hands on my shoulder and led me around the back of the bar into the office.

  “Here, sweetie, take a seat and I’ll get you a cup of tea. Do you want to call the police? Is there anyone that you want me to contact for you?”

  I cringed when I looked at her, “Yeah, the police, I am going to call them, kind of. Can I borrow your phone for a few minutes?”

  “Oh,” she looked flustered. “Of course you can. It’s on the desk by the computer. I will go get you a cup while you make your call. I warn you it takes forever to get a bobby out here this time of night if it's not an emergency, so you may be in for a wait.”

  If only, I thought.

  With a sigh, I picked up the phone. Full of trepidation, I dialed the mobile number that was compulsory to memorize before daddy and Sean allowed me to move to the city last week.

  A glance at the clock on the computer told me it was 1:43 a.m. Sean was going to kill me. On the second ring, the call went through.

  “Mclearey,” a sleep-roughened voice rumbled as I took a deep breath to answer.

  “Hi, Sean, it’s—” that was all I got out before Sean cut in.

  “Dia, what the fuck, are you okay, baby? Where are you? Whose number is this? It’s nearly two o’clock in the fucking morning, Dia. Why are you not home in your bed?”

  “Sean!” I had to shout over his rant. “I’m okay, I’m all right. Remember how I went out with Annie for my birthday? We got separated, and I had a bit of an accident and I lost my bag.”

  He growled. “What kind of accident?”

  I could almost see his eyebrows lowering as the cop instinct came to life in my brother’s voice. “Don’t worry, Sean, I’m okay. I was mugged a little. My bag is gone and I don’t have my keys or anything. I was hoping you could come get me, and give me a lift home. You have my other set.”

  The voice on the other end of the phone went deathly quiet. He began to speak very slowly and calmly. Crap, I am in for it. In my family, you were fine as long as it was shouting. It was when the quiet controlled voice came out, that the scary shit was about to happen.

  “You were mugged—a little?” he questioned. “Exactly, how were you mugged—a little?”

  “Ummm,” before I could answer, the barmaid came back in with a cup of tea for me.

  “Here you are, love. This will help calm your nerves. Ohh, I see you are still on the phone. Did you get in touch with the police? They will want to take your statement for assault and perhaps a few photos.”

  “What?!” Sean’s voice was menacing as he listened to the woman’s voice. “Dia, tell me where you are, I’m on my way.”

  Wearily, I put the phone in the crook of my shoulder and told him that I was at a pub down near Tower Bridge. As an afterthought, I gave him the name of it.

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Do not move. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah, Sean, I know. Stay where I am and you will be here soon. Love you, big brother.”

  I hung up the phone and took a sip of the sugar-laced tea. It was hot and sweet and exactly what I needed. I could feel myself began to tremble. It wouldn't be the best idea to be in shock when Sean got to me.

  With a look back up at my barmaid with the shining name badge, it dawned on me I hadn’t asked her name.

  “Hi, I’m Dia, and thank you so much for helping me.”

  She smiled softly and she shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Dia dear. I’m Rosie and the manager at the White Hart. We girls have to stick together in this crazy city. Was that the police you were on the phone to?”

  “Yeah, and he’s my big brother. He’s in the CID and knows all the good ways to kill me once he gets here.”

  “Oh, dear, this might be interesting to watch,” Rosie chuckled. “I thought it was going to be a quiet night. I am guessing if he comes in lights flashing you only have a few more minutes before he gets here. Do you want to go to the staff toilets and freshen up a bit? Normally, I wouldn’t suggest it, as they need to see you at your worst for the charges. But as it’s your brother coming, pe
rhaps a less battered appearance would be better.”

  “Nahh, he said ten minutes max,” I sighed. “I doubt it will take that long. Add into it that he’s angry, well I’m better off not moving. It would infuriate him more if I tried to hide it.”

  “Okay, sweetie. I’ll go out front and keep an eye out for him. Will he be in uniform?”

  “No, he’s a detective but you can’t miss him. He’s black Irish, about six foot three and built along the lines of a rugby player.”

  “Oh my, is he single?” Rosie snickered.

  Reluctantly I laughed. “Umm…last I checked. But he’s a serial dater. The longest I’ve seen him with the same girl is a month.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I don’t wanna take him home to me mum. He would be too young for me anyways. But I sure can cougar all over him.” With that, she flounced out of the room.

  I started to shake my head at her but the pain behind my eyes was increasing. Gingerly, I laid my head down on top of my folded arms to wait. I didn't know if I should laugh or be horrified at the vision of Rosie going all cougar on my big brother.

  Chapter Four

  Kale…

  After slamming the vampire in to the wall of the alley, I wedged my arm up under his throat. “Why shouldn’t I end you right now, bloodsucker? It would be so easy to rip out your black heart. My wolf is howling for your blood.”

  A strangled laugh gurgled from the vampire as he shoved against my arm.

  “Temper, temper, dog, your breeding is showing. What’s wrong, spot, didn’t you approve of my meal choice?”

  “Shut up and answer the question. Who is she?” I snapped.

  The vamp managed to smile through the blood that leaked from his mouth. His tongue slipped out and licked his bottom lip. Red eyes lit up and he moaned in pleasure. The sick fuck.

  “Why, did you fancy the little birdy? She smelled so sweet and delicious. That’s it, isn’t it,” he chuckled. “She’s like a hot little bitch in heat to you. I knew I wouldn’t be the only one who sensed it. What do you say, puppy, want to help me track the morsel down and have some fun? I’m happy with sloppy sec—” the vampire choked as I lost the little control I had over my wolf.

  “Mine!” the thought of this bloodsucker touching her was more than I could stomach. Razor sharp claws broke free from my fingers. They pushed through the nail beds and curved into black blades. My mouth filled with the sharp fangs of my wolf, distorting my human face. I had one purpose right now. To make sure the undead bastard in front of me never had a chance to go near her again. Faster than the vamp could blink, I had punched my fist through his chest cavity, wrapping my hand around his slow beating heart. My grip tightened and I felt him gasp while I ripped the slickly wet organ out of his body. A sneer crossed my face when I tossed it down on the filth-covered ground in disgust. I leaned forward, growling in his astonished face.

  “She’s my female—My mate.”

  His eyes widened in fear as he recognized the fatal mistake he had made with the wolf in me, but it was too late. My beast growled softly in his ear, 'All will die who mean her harm.' I tore out his throat with my wolf’s fangs before reaching up and grabbing both sides of his head and tearing it from his body. The sound of ripping flesh and muscle, of snapping bones and vertebrae, was loud in the night air.

  The corpse fell to the ground and began to flake away before I threw the head on top of its decomposing body. I stood there and watched. The wolf and I both content with our work. We had protected our mate from the immediate threat. My wolf settled back down deep inside of me, content to watch until required. Once my face and body was back in human form I took off my jacket and shirt. I used the top to clean my face and hands. The ruined t-shirt I balled up and tossed into a nearby skip.

  Damn it, I liked that shirt. Fucking vamps, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Smashing Pumpkins t-shirt these days? I had bought that from a concert in the nineties. Just for shits and giggles, I kicked the pile of ashes that was all that remained of the vampire. The ash rose into the air from the disturbance. The remains attached to me and clung like a final ‘fuck you' from the dead bastard. Blood and ash covered me. Great. If I found my mate tonight, I would scare her half to death.

  I pulled on my jacket and zipped it up. My lip rose in a snarl as I grabbed my mobile from the pocket and called my Beta, Matthew.

  I looked around and checked if there were any sign of my soon-to-be mate in the vicinity. Lungs inhaled deeply when I took a deep breath trying to draw in her scent. I could catch the faintest hint of her lingering with the stink of alley, exhaust and dead vamp. The phone connected on the other end and I turned my attention back to the phone call.

  “Alpha, with all due respect, do you have any idea of the fucking time,” Matthew complained. I growled deep in my throat. The sound carried down through the line.

  “It’s any God damned time I need you, Beta.”

  Matt sobered and came to attention. “I’m sorry, Alpha. What do you need? Is it the pups?”

  “No,” I replied tiredly. “I did find someone but I lost her.”

  “What?” Matt asked. The confusion was clear in his voice.

  “My mate,” I grumbled. “At the last pub I was at. She was making a run for it, trying to escape a vamp. I caught her scent right before the bloodsucker grabbed her.”

  “Aww fuck,” Matt breathed. “Is she alive?”

  “Yeah,” I huffed. “I got to them before he could eat her. Pulled her away from the vamp and tossed her against the wall in my haste. By the time I finished off the vampire, she’d vanished. There’s a trace of her scent. Get our best trackers out to see if they can pick anything up. Then—we hunt.”

  “Ummm…Alpha, you do realize how big London is right? She might even be a tourist in that area. The chances of finding her…” he trailed off.

  “It doesn’t matter how big it is, Matthew. She’s still in this city and I have to do everything I can to find her. It doesn’t matter how unlikely it is. I’ve found her once, damn it. I’ll do it again.”

  “Okay, Kale, I’ve texted four of our guys. They should be with you in the next quarter hour or so.”

  “Who are you sending?”

  “Jake, Randolph, Lee, and David,” Matt replied. “They were the closest trackers on hand, Alpha”

  “Good,” I said. "Randolph is probably the best in the country. If he cannot get a scent, no one can." Fuck, I just hope the scent is strong enough for them to get a trace. “Is there any sign of the pups,” I remembered to ask.

  My hands ran through my hair as I started thinking about my original goals. I couldn’t do anything more until the trackers showed up. At least I could investigate if those little bastards had made it back safe.

  “It’s after two, unless they got into trouble they should be heading home or there. Hold on for a sec, boss man, and let me check with security at the gate.”

  I could hear him typing on his keyboard and swearing in several languages at the same time. A couple of minutes had passed when he came back on the line.

  “Some good news, boss, they got back about fifteen minutes ago. Charlie said they were all pissed but in one piece. He sent them up to the main house to pass out until morning.”

  “Good, wake them up at dawn and put them on patrol with the early team. Make sure that every one of them is out busting their asses running the borders.”

  “No problem, Kale. Hey, just got a text from Randolph, ETA in less than four minutes. Is there anything else you want me to do, before I go?”

  “Yeah, run a profile check for me. I’m sure you can get into the police data base right?" A muffled snort answered my question.

  “Ummm…yeah, I should be able to do that. Hit me with the details.”

  “She’s about five foot six or so, black hair with blonde streaks. It’s long, like to her ass long. Her hair has natural curl to it, wavy but not kinky. She’s Caucasian but with a light golden tan. Looked natural, none of that spray-on crap. I di
dn’t get a good look at her eyes. However, they appeared dark, maybe brown. In her twenties I would say.” God, I hope she is not a teen. That would be all kinds of fucked up. “See what you can find and get back with me.”

  “Sure thing, Alpha, I’ll let you know if I find anything. But just so you’re aware, it’s a long shot.”

  “Understood,” I said before I hung up to greet my men. I met them at the end of the alley.

  They were heading toward me from the car park at the pub.

  “Randolph, it’s good to see you.” I shook his hand and turned to the three other males waiting. Nodding in their direction, I cut to the chase. “I’ve called you tonight because I’ve found my mate.”

  Four sets of eyes lit up and joy crossed their stoic faces. “Congratulations, Alpha. But what do you need us for?"

  They looked confused and I couldn’t fault them for it. They had no idea why they were here. "More than likely to go on a wild goose chase," I told them.

  My hand rubbed the back of my neck, and I felt more like a pup than the seasoned wolf I was. A nod of my head motioned to the alley I had just left.

  “I found her and lost her. A vamp was after her and while I dealt with him, she ran. There’s a trace of her scent left and I want you four to try to get it, so we can hunt for her.”

  Faces appeared solemn when the four of them walked past me into the alley. Their minds turned to the business at hand. They spread out across the entrance and separated into two groups. Two from the back and two from the front, they worked their way inward toward the center.

  “You’re right, Alpha, it’s faint with a lot of outside interference but we should be able to get her base scent.”

  They inhaled as they started to break down her scent. I knew it by heart and could pick her out of a crowd of hundreds of women blindfolded. But the more wolves that had her scent the better the chance of finding her.