Dark Knight of the Skye

by Ray, Robin Renee

He cleared the steps to the upper level without touching one. The heavily secured door was open when he landed, and human men were hustling about in a panic. One of the men noticed him standing in the doorway, and quickly hurried to his side with a mobile screen in his hand.

  “They’re coming up from the small riverbed, sir. Looks like there are six, then four more coming in from the main road.”

  “The Detective, I presume?”

  “Looks like it, but I don’t know how he would’ve found this place. We made sure there was no way to trace us back here,” the man said, nerves bouncing off every word.

  “It seems there will be a change in plans. Take all the equipment that you can carry, and take your men down to the tunnel. Stay there until you are very sure it is safe to leave, and then meet me at my safe house in one week.”

  “Sir, what about the Detective?” another man asked holding a rifle, wearing a military style uniform.

  “Kill him, and that relentless little group. You know what to do if any of you are taken into their custody,” he replied, glaring harshly at the man. “I have my own affairs to take care of.” Then turned and left the room.

  Alasdair walked back into the room where he had left D`nae sleeping and went straight to her. He sat down beside her on the bed and startled her awake. She jumped up and slid back against the headboard of the bed.

  “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Things have taken a different turn.”

  “Are you going to kill me now?”

  “No, I’m not going to hurt you, but I’m afraid that I will have to use you to get what I want the most.”

  “Danny?”

  “Among other things,” he replied changing his tone. “I’m going to tell you something, because you will only remember what I wish you to.”

  “I won’t help you find him,” she adamantly stated.

  “I’m afraid you won’t have a choice,” he said reaching out and touching her ankle, only for her to pull it away. “There is a secret door in the closet that leads down a small hall to another door, which will take you down a tunnel and out of the estate. I want you to follow the line of trees until you see the dried riverbed. Keep going in the direction away from the moon, and you will soon find your way out.”

  “Why don’t you just let me walk out?”

  “I give you your freedom and you question me, how very unique. You are a hard woman not to care about. I look forward to our next venture,” he lowered his eyes, wanting to say more. “I need something from you, then I must leave.”

  “I…I’m sorry?” she stuttered, backing across the bed.

  “Stop,” he commanded.

  The only thing that moved on her body was the hair that swung uncontrollably back and forth, before it too slowed to a stop. Her eyes were huge and her heart was near bursting, not knowing what that ‘something’ was. She was unable to interpret that eerie soft tone he had used in his last statement, but her thoughts landed on a specific few ideas. He crawled up on the bed in cat-like fashion, his red wavy hair sliding over his enormous shoulders.

  “I need your energy this night because I must, but what I want I cannot have because the situation will not allow it… at this time,” he explained, moving toward her on the bed like a wild lion stalking its prey, slow and deliberate. “I want to drink your blood while I ravish your body with mine, and then thrust you into an explosive, hypnotic orgasm that will last all night long.”

  “Can I just slip out the tunnel now, and bypass whatever? I mean… oh boy, my heads feels weird. I think I’m gonna…” She passed out mid-sentence, Alasdair catching her and pulling her limp form up to his chest.

  He turned her around and leaned her back against his body, then moved the hair away from her neck. He then lowered his head as he lifted hers, lightly kissing her on the mouth before moving to her throat. His lips pulled back, revealing a perfect set of long white fangs before he plunged them into her tender flesh, gaining strength while weakening her. He was also marking her for the third time, controlling her even more, as he imbedded what thoughts he wished for her to know. It was also then that he knew how the Detective had found them. The jewelry D’nae had been wearing when the boys found her was given to her by the Detective that very night. They carried hidden tracking devises within them; it had to be the way, he thought as he broke his hold.

  D`nae had no idea how long she had been out but when she came to, she remembered there was a secret way out. She sat up and was about to jump off the bed when a wave of dizziness drove her flat to her back. She put her hands over her face and cursed like she did most of the time, then tried to get up again, only much slower this time and concentrated on keeping her eyes focused in one place. She stood up holding the bedpost and leaned her head on it, closing her eyes, waiting for the spinning that was threatening to make her sit back down to pass. It wasn’t until she reached up to rub the sore part of her neck that she remembered Alasdair crouching on the bed, but she couldn’t remember getting the bite. The only thing she could remember was him telling her something about a way out, unsure if the memory was even true, but if she could just make it to the closet, she’d find out.

  The closet was small and empty, aside from a massive amount of cobwebs and dust. She shoved and pushed on the wall, searching for any type of panel that would open, but wasn’t having much luck until she leaned down and accidentally hit the bottom of the side wall with her foot, and sure enough it swung open like a seesaw. Immediately, D`nae turned and ran out of the room, heading straight for Tabitha’s. She pushed opened the door to find her lying on her side, her face covered in blood.

  “Tabitha, what happened?” she asked running to the cage door, pulling on it frantically.

  “I happened and I’m about to happen to you,” Ramous said walking up behind her.

  “Stay the hell away from me,” D`nae yelled, sliding her back up against the cage.

  “You killed my brother, bitch, and now I’m gonna get a little payback.”

  “Alasdair will kill you and you know it,” she replied.

  “Maybe. He flew the coop, haven’t you heard?” he said jumping at her, then stepping back.

  D`nae held the scream when he taunted her, doing her best to act like she wasn’t as truly terrified as she felt. She knew that something was going on or she wouldn’t have been told by Alasdair how to escape. Her eyes frantically surveyed the room that she knew good and well was empty other than Tabitha’s cage. She made a brave move, and took off for the door, only getting as far as her throat in Ramous’s hand. “I’m gonna drain you dry, bitch.” D`nae struggled to get free but his grip just tightened. Her face began turning a pale purple as Ramous picked her up by the throat and started walking until her back slammed into the far wall across the room. He grabbed her shoulder with his other hand and pinned her firmly against the stone wall. She tried to kick him between the legs, missing and hitting him in the knee cap. He took the hand off of her throat and doubled up his fist, punching her square in the face.

  “This is my sweet revenge,” he said pulling her head to the side. “Alasdair could only wish to settle his matters so quickly.”

  “No…” D`nae whispered as she opened her eyes.

  Ramous now looked like the beast that she remembered from that night so long ago; lips pulled back in an animalistic sneer, showing the weapons that he meant to kill her with, just like he had Danny. His eyes bulged out as he started to make his strike, and at the very same moment, two huge fur covered jaws came around both sides of his neck, filled with razor sharp teeth. With one snap of those mighty jaws, blood covered D`nae’s face as Ramous lost his head. Tabitha stood in her seven foot massive form as she watched Ramous’s headless body crash to the ground, with D`nae in tow. The wolf Tabitha began to avert her eyes as if afraid to look at the woman who had come to save her, even though it was she that just done the saving. D`nae held her throat, looking from the body that now lay crumpled around her legs, back up the length of the beast in front of her.


  “Wow, that really comes in handy, doesn’t it?” D`nae said, smiling up at the enormous creature. “I have a way out, but we have to go now.”

  Tabitha turned her head, grunting, indicating that she was somewhat confused at the lack of the small woman’s fear of her appearance, at the same time showing she may have found humor in what D`nae had just said, and then simply nodded once. D`nae took it as an okay and tried to pull herself up off of the floor, only to find herself much more exhausted than she felt she should have been. Tabitha reached down with her clawed-filled hand. D`nae slowly placed her delicate one around the massive talons and let Tabitha pull her to her feet.

  Once they were back in Alasdair’s room, D`nae went through the opening in the closet first with ease, and then turned to watch the wolf, Tabitha, take out the entire piece of hidden door just to get through. They made their way through the tunnels and found the exit just like Alasdair had explained. The sky was filled with stars and the moon lit their way as they found the dried riverbed that was supposed to lead them in the direction that she was told would find her the aid that she needed. Tabitha stopped, grabbing D`nae by the arm. She put her snout in the night air and made several attempts at identifying the new scent that was becoming stronger as they made their way farther down the riverbed. Tabitha spun around, bringing D`nae down close to the ground with her, then started pulling her into the underbrush.

  “What is…” was all that D`nae had time to say, before Tabitha had her pulled into her fur covered chest, with one large hand pressing gently on the back of her head. About that time, several dogs went wild with manic barking and howling, not fifty yards from where they were hidden, causing Tabitha to rumble with her own deep guttural growl that put every hair to attention on D`nae’s body. Tabitha put her claw hand up, sitting her on the ground, then slid out of sight leaving her huddled under the not-so-secure cover of a dried river bush. She stayed perfectly still until she heard the cries of the first dog. The screams crawled right up her spine and she ran, not back into the riverbed, but into the wooded area that surrounded it.

  Shots rang out, stopping her in her tracks as she thought about Tabitha. She slid behind tree after tree until she made her way back to the riverbed, straining her eyes to find any sight of her huge friend, who she now feared was in mortal danger. She was about to move further down, when three men came rolling backwards, sprawling where they fell. Tabitha backed into view with a net over one shoulder. She had areas of blood where she must have taken several hits. D`nae called out her name, causing her to look over, losing her balance and allowing the two men who were approaching to pull her to the ground with another net.

  “No, leave her alone!” she screamed.

  “D`nae, stay back,” Grady called, holding onto the end on the net.

  “Grady, no, don’t hurt her!”

  D`nae took off running right at Grady once she realized who he was. She knew she could explain that Tabitha was the one who had helped save her, if she could only get his attention. Grady reached out to grab her, dropping his gun and losing his grip on the net. Tabitha thought he was going to hurt the only friend that she had ever had and went mad. She pulled the net, throwing the man who still held firm into the air, then swung her large claw at Grady, catching D`nae, who was now pulling herself up to Grady’s chest. The claws took D`nae from the center of her back to the middle of her ribs and went all the way to her hip bone. Grady received a mark no bigger than an inch on his forearm, barely ripping his uniform.

  Tabitha dropped to her knees in disbelief that she had missed her mark, taking her savior instead. Grady looked down as D`nae slid from his chest leaving a trail of blood as her legs collapsed. He gripped her shoulders and lowered her to the ground, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “She’s my friend, Grady,” D`nae whispered, reaching up and touching his face. When Grady looked over, Tabitha was looking down at D`nae, and even in her wolf form, he could see the horror in her eyes.

  “We have to get you help,” Grady said, lifting her off the ground.

  “She has to come with me. I won’t leave her behind… I won’t.” Then she passed out.

  * * *

  Danny was in midair when D`nae took the hit, piercing his heart like a burning arrow shot from an invisible attacker. He dropped like a rock, losing all ability to control anything. He landed in the middle of a lake, still clutching his chest. For ten minutes, his body stayed submerged, then he burst out several feet before crashing back, having to swim to the shore to get out. Danny lie covered in mud on the edge of the water, in an area that he didn’t know. The pain had eased, but he knew that his one true love was in grave danger. Her life was draining away and he could feel her pain as if the wounds had been inflicted on his own body.

  “She’ll nae be for dyin. Ah be cumin luv!” he said pushing himself up.

  He stood and looked around, seeing a lone cow standing close to a group of trees. The moment he was within five feet, the cow caught his scent and woke from its apparent slumber. “Keek, Ah wud just like a wee skelp.” He began to trot beside the cow, as she tried to get away. Danny gave up the run and jumped on it’s back, sinking in his fangs as he held on, trying to grip the animal’s huge neck to keep from being bucked off. The cow made a quick left around the trees and galloped over a small hill, right into the waiting herd. Her cries and Danny’s scent sent them into a stampede. Danny broke his release, only semi-sated, and tried to jump off the manic beast. As soon as he loosened his grip, she bucked, bringing her backend up so high that he went over her head before plunging under her feet.

  Danny grabbed her back hoof as it came down and pushed it forward, tossing the cow up in the air and over into the rushing herd. He dodged several others, then rolled out to safety. He laid there looking up at a sky, which was beginning to take on a nice purple hue. The thing to do now, no matter how bad he wanted to get to D`nae, was find shelter for the coming day. He walked up on the hill and looked out, seeing only the barn where the animals were headed and decided to join them. Once there, he opened the small door on the large one and stepped in. He could see the night sky coming through half the slats and knew this would never do, so he went to the back of the room where the hay was stacked high, and began digging into the soft earth.

  “Wake in me ain coffin, noo in the mither earth. A’ Ah be missin is me last rights,” he smiled, then crawled in and started covering himself.

  * * *

  Tabitha, now changed back into her human form, rode in the back of vehicle holding D`nae’s head in her lap. She was wearing one of the men’s uniform tops, but chose to keep her feet bare. Grady drove as fast as he could down the rocky dirt road that led to the river, looking back every few seconds at the woman he loved.

  “She has lost too much blood,” Tabitha said, moving D`nae’s hair away from her face. “If you take her to the place of which you speak, they will see the poison in her veins.”

  “What are you talking about?” Grady yelled back, now looking at her.

  “My affliction runs through her body as we speak. This you should know, as long as you have chased us,” Tabitha explained with her own raise in tone.

  “Fuck!” Grady shouted, slamming his fist into the steering wheel. “What can stop it?”

  “Nothing that I know of… other than death itself.”

  “They’ll ask questions, boss,” said the man sitting next to him.

  “I know, but I can’t let her die, either.”

  “Mobile two is set up close to her house.”

  “Get them on the phone. Tell them what happened and let them know we’ll need anyone willing to donate blood.”

  “Do what, sir?”

  “Just fuckin’ do it, soldier, that’s an order!”

  Grady looked back at Tabitha, who looked down at D`nae. Her face was pallid from the loss of blood, and her breathing had slowed to the point of almost stopping. The jeep pulled into the driveway of her apartment, where a stretcher and two men in medical
scrubs waited. Grady jumped out and ran around to the other side of the jeep and pushed the soldier that was getting out, out of the way. He reached in to pull Tabitha out, but was met with a loud growl and a ferocious look. She slid out on her own, lowering D`nae’s head. Grady got in as soon as she was out of the way and lifted D`nae’s limp form out, handing her over to the two medics.

  They all rushed in, where another man was drawing blood from a man in a soldier’s suit. “What blood type is she?” he asked, pulling the needle out of the soldier’s arm. Grady ripped the sleeve on D`nae’s shirt and told the man to start the transfusion, never telling him that her blood type was O positive. It was in her file. The man in the green outfit didn’t say a word, he just slid a clean needle into her arm and started attaching a tube that soon filled with a dark maroon fluid. The other two in green were cleaning on the four huge slices on her side, while Tabitha stood back and watched. Grady looked over at her, and for the first time realized that the beast he saw in the riverbed was nothing more than a small, delicate woman.

  “Would you mind going up to her room and getting her some clean clothes?” Grady asked walking up to her.

  “You would allow me to leave the area… alone?”

  “If you’re with her, then you’re with us. Thank you for helping her get away.”

  “It was her bravery that saved us both, and I have repaid her in the worse possible way,” she replied in a timid voice, then turned and headed up the stairs.

  Grady turned around to make sure that they were doing everything they could for D`nae, then followed Tabitha up the staircase. He found her looking into the kitchen then turning to go into the bathroom, and frightened her to the point of jumping when she saw him standing in the middle of the room. “It’s the last door on the left,” Grady said, pointing down the hall. Tabitha lowered her head as she walked past him, going directly into D`nae’s room, the very room that she had been in once before, yet had a hard time remembering how she got there. It wasn’t until she picked up Roland’s scent that the memory of him biting her neck came into view. She was holding that very spot when Grady came through the door.