"Regent think I wouldn't show?"
"He did have his concerns," Balthazar says.
Wolf nods as if no other answer would ever have been given. "Any idea what they really want?" he asks.
"What do they always want Dallas?" Balthazar counters.
"Why you still working for them? Come, live free like me," Wolf says.
Sadness passes behind Balthazar's eyes, the first sign of any emotion or reaction that would mark him as human or even alive.
"You know it is not that easy for . . . me," he says, his voice softer.
I watch the two of them interact trying to figure out why Balthazar feels so different, and then it hits me that there is no beast in him.
"What are you?" I blurt out without thinking.
Balthazar looks at me flashing a half grin. "You would call me a Gargoyle," he says. "If you studied the legends."
Wolf just stares off ahead of us apparently not interested in the exchange.
"A Gargoyle? Seriously?" I feel a little rude but holy hell.
"You accept vampires, but a Gargoyle is too much?" He laughs.
"Yeah but ... I mean really?"
He stops smiling and nods.
I want to tell him how different he feels but I hold that back. Best not to give away secrets I don't have to, that is my ace in the hole. "So you, what, work for them?"
"You could say that," he says.
"He has no choice," Wolf says abruptly. "Gargoyles are magicked."
Balthazar nods.
"Magicked?"
Balthazar nods again, looking amused. I'm glad my inane questions aren't pissing him off.
"Can you break free? Ever?" I ask.
"We will see," he says.
He looks at the men surrounding us and nods. They all turn as one, to face the direction in which we were going anyway. Wolf starts walking and then we are all moving, but now in silence. I watch the men around us as we move; the way they march in unison is creepy. They have to have some way of communicating with one another, they move in exact lock step, keeping the two of us in the center, surrounded. Any attempt to break away would fail unless we could overpower at least two of them at once. Balthazar leads the way, his back fearlessly to Wolf. We fall into a steady rhythm set by the click of Wolf's boots on asphalt punctuated by the creak of the leather holsters tied down to his leg and the flap of his duster.
The absurdity of it all hits me at once and I begin to chuckle. Wolf glances at me but says nothing, his grimace not lightened by my sudden levity. Mentally, I stick my tongue out at him. I walk alongside a cowboy, surrounded by vampires, and whatever Balthazar is, like this is just a normal night.
My senses reach out and I feel the monster inside each one of them, it is a tangible thing to me. I imagine it in my mind, inside a cage with iron bars amidst an amorphous darkness. The cage is built differently for each one of them. In Wolf the bars are made of darkness and wood, the remains of his feeding of the beast lay around its cage. In him it slumbers, sated on whatever he has done. The men around us, they also have similar cages formed of law, order, steel bars with massive locks. I reach out, some part of me stretching through the cage and I stroke the monster of the one to my right. Stupid!
His fangs sprout out immediately and he gurgles, his eyes turn red he leaps at me. I fall back in fear, the monster I just touched in him reaches for my throat, leaping at the cage that holds it, cold jaws snap shut, almost closing in on me.
Around me everything is in motion. I hear Wolf growling and Balthazar yells as the man knocks into me. I stumble into Wolf, tripping and falling to the ground. The man I provoked’s sunglasses are gone and his eyes are red and filled with rage, his fangs gnash inches from my face. I feel a scream tear its way through my throat. The monster is there, inches from my face with its teeth grinding, but something is holding him back from reaching me.
A moment later he is gone from my view and tears well up as the danger passes. I scramble backwards trying to get away from where I am, unable to see clearly through the tears pouring out of my eyes.
I hear a struggle, then a single yelp and silence reclaims the night. Wolf is over me, lifting me, holding me in his arms and pressing my head to his shoulder. I feel the monster in him as well, caged strongly but calling out a lone song of lust wanting to be sated. I wrap my arms around him, shuddering as tears flow.
What the hell did I just do? Would they know it was me?
"Balthazar, what the hell was that?" Wolf barks.
I feel relief that neither of them are looking at me for the culprit.
"I apologize Dallas. My men have never lost control like that. I train them myself."
"Bad training," Wolf replies, still holding me tight. He squeezes me firmly, I feel as if my ribs might give way under the force of that hug. The lust of his beast assaults me, warring to replace the panic in me with desire. Wolf sets me down gently, resting his hands on my shoulders, his eyes lock with mine to make sure I'm steady on my feet before he lets go. I sense him struggling as the beast leaps forward in him, straining against the cage seeking to satisfy its needs. He wins the struggle and steps back, putting just a bit of space between the two of us.
"I'm alright," I say at last, angry at the falter in my voice. Wolf doesn't want a victim; he will only love a predator like himself.
Can he love at all? I wonder to myself. Can he love me? I shake my head to clear it, love doesn't seem to have any place in his world.
I look around to get my bearings. We are one man short of what we were.
"What happened?" I ask at last."Where is he?"
Wolf glances to the side and I see a pile of ash like the remains of a campfire sitting on the sidewalk. "Dead."
"Oh." I still feel shaky after the attack and I have no idea what to say to that. They don't seem to care. Guess it's not just human life that's meaningless to them.
"Let's go," Wolf says.
CHAPTER SEVEN
W
e walk up the broad steps to the Rosenwold Museum, back to where this whole thing started. The museum is where Wolf beat down the man called Stones, handed me a gun and had me shoot him in the head. I feel slightly cold inside, everything changed when I squeezed that trigger.
The Museum is a large, imposing stone building with double glass doors. A large brass plaque to the side of the doors displays its name. I wait for guards to appear as we approach, but no one comes out. Our crew marches straight to the doors and on through. Maybe we're the only threat and all the guards are already with us. In the back of my mind I can feel their beasts, the darkness in each of them like a low hum that is just on the edge of your hearing. It's not a sound, but a feeling, an awareness of it being there.
I contemplate this new found ability as we enter the glass doors. I feel the people we are approaching; the number of vampires I sense shakes my certainty. Doubt shivers down my spine as we walk forward, but I hold my head high not allowing any outward signs of it. I will remain in control. I inhale deeply, letting the breath out slowly trying to calm my nerves.
Our group stops in the lobby of the museum and Balthazar looks around a moment before stepping to one side. He locks eyes with Wolf who nods at him and they start forward. I fall into place behind them; our guards still form a half circle blocking any retreat. When we reach the elevators I look back at the doors while waiting for them to open; outside night enfolds the street in a gentle embrace and part of me wants to run back out those doors and never look back. The elevator dings returning my attention to the situation, the only way out is to go forward with my trust in Wolf. Once inside, the elevator doors close slowly and I feel my only hope for escape winking out of existence.
We ride up in silence which is nothing new when it comes to Wolf. He stands tall, staring ahead; I'm to his left and half a step behind him. I watch the numbers on the digital display change until they say third floor. Before the doors open Wolf reaches over and hits a series of floor buttons quickly. The elevator doesn't stop a
t three as it should have, that being the top floor of the museum, instead it goes up one more before opening. I look up at Wolf but he doesn't acknowledge my inquiry at all.
The doors open revealing an open expanse filled with vampires. The monster that is inside each of them calls out loudly to my new awareness now where before they were muffled. My vision blurs as the new awareness buffets my senses; it takes a moment before I can process what's before me. The vampires mingle around the room quietly, each of them is dressed differently, from street thug attire to the finest of suits and evening gowns. Some of them I recognize from my previous visit into their nighttime society but most I do not know. There are no other humans visible in the room unlike the last time we came to an event. All eyes are on us and silence fills the space as the attendees realize who has arrived. Wolf steps out first, standing tall and meeting them all head on with no fear. I do my best to emulate him but inside I feel nothing but an urge to run.
Everything in the room is white with blue light accents gently shining out from decorative wall sconces. The floor of the room is white marble tile, white marble pedestals spaced around the room hold various pieces of art from vases to statues. In the wall across from the elevators we just entered is a darkened set of windows.
In front of that wall of glass sits a raised dais on which there is a large ornate throne. The throne itself is huge; the back rises up to form the shapes of wolf heads howling. The center of the back piece is a carved dragon's head with gems for eyes staring straight ahead. The arms are crafted to look like arm bones ending in skeletal fingers. Every open piece of wood is covered with figures or roses with thorned stems. The seat is covered with imperial purple cloth accented with red.
Regent Angelopolous sits on the throne stiff and straight staring at us. Next to him is Katherine Codman, the Keeper of Records. He is dressed in business casual; dark gray suit jacket with a light gray silk shirt sans tie with the top two buttons undone. Katherine is attired in a pant suit that I feel sure is custom designed for her the way it fits her figure perfectly, the soft gray accents her perfect alabaster skin. Jealousy stings as her green eyes lock on Wolf and she smiles. Katherine is a woman who can have any man she wants and she knows it, one come hither and any male would run to her.
Wolf's boots click on the tile as he starts walking and I follow behind him, conscious of the way my sneakers squeak on the floor. Moving into the room feels like walking into a fiery inferno, each step takes all my willpower. The vampires form a line from the elevator to the throne several people deep. Each one of them vessels for the monster inside. Wolf calls it the beast and that colors my perception of it I'm sure but it fits so well. Each of them cage the beast but it wants free. It leaps out in waves of lust; lust for sex, for murder, and for mayhem. A light sheen of perspiration breaks out on my skin due to the pressure I'm feeling. I guess I should be thankful I'm struggling with this so much I don't have time to be concerned with the fact I'm going on trial for my life.
"Dallas," Katherine speaks. Even when formal her voice is sultry. "Thank you for attending this gathering of the Court. Tonight your property, one Lily," she glances at a clipboard as she speaks, "stands trial for murder. She is accused of the killing of Gregory Stones. There is no need for her or you to plead as she has already been found guilty."
I feel their eyes on me but more I feel the hunger in the room calling out for blood wanting to rip me limb for limb and take Wolf out along with me for good measure. Wolf nods but says nothing. He doesn't look at Katherine but has his gaze locked on the Regent.
"There is only the matter of the sentence to be determined," Katherine says, turning towards the Regent on his throne. "How say you Regent? What punishment fits the crime of an animal killing one of our own?"
The Regent sits quietly staring at Dallas. I feel the tension mounting in the room as the moment drags out. Behind us someone shuffles, I feel their beast struggling to be free. I know they're having a hard time restraining it. One push and I could . . .
"There is only one sentence for such an offense," the Regent's voice booms out and fills the room when he speaks without apparent effort on his part. The loudness startles me from my reverie.
"Death is too easy a price for such. The loss to Society must be met with reparations and our numbers must be replenished. This one I think will do nicely," he states, pointing at me.
My brows furrow. What is going on, what do they mean replenished? I came here to die, that is what I have prepared for. Many of the people around us shuffle at his words and I hear the obese woman Sarah gasp. Wolf growls low in his throat, but doesn't speak.
"Will you resist the punishment Dallas?" Angelopolous asks.
Wolf turns his amber eyes to me and they are filled with sadness. "Yes," he says gruffly. "Let her go, I'll find another."
The Regent snorts at Wolf's remarks. "Let her go? LET HER GO?" His deep voice shakes my chest when he raises it. "There are only two ways for this to end. You brought her through the never, you stepped her into our world. You knew when you did it where this would have to end. The only question is which of the two options it will be."
I look around trying to gain understanding through context. Nothing is making sense. I feel the beast in Wolf straining at the cage, pulling at its chain and he struggles to maintain it. Oddly, in the Regent I barely feel any monster in at all. Noticing this I put my full attention on him. It is there but well controlled and weak.
Wolf looks over at me again. Is that genuine caring I see in his eyes?
My heart thumps with hope and it takes me a moment to realize he is speaking. ". . . not her fault. Aiver . . ."
As he says the name of the man who orchestrated my attack a few nights back, he is cut off by that same man screaming as he emerges from the crowd of people to our right.
"Don't bring me into your foolishness! You're an animal, filthy nasty creature living in that . . . . woods!" He spits the final word out, his voice cracking as he splutters.
"Aiver, remember your place. This is Court." Katherine speaks softly but Aiver pales even further and blends back into the crowd he emerged from.
Aivers's beast is like a chihuahua in my mind's eye, rushing forward with lots of bark but falling back as soon as it is confronted with any real danger. I suppress a giggle that almost escapes me. My life is on the line here and I'm giggling about it.
Wolf and the Regent continue to stare at each other and the room is filled with a stillness that no group of humans could ever achieve.
"There are no other options Dallas," the Regent says at last. "Decide."
Wolf's hands ball into fists, release, and ball up again. I stare at his hands as my fate is being decided. I want to speak, but my voice seems to be lost, it is taking all my attention to not lose control of myself with all the monsters in the room each beating at my attention wanting to taste my life's blood. I think the laughter is a sign I'm cracking.
Wolf nods sharply. "What are the reparations?" he asks at last.
The Regent nods, Katherine smiles and his words drain the tension out of the room. If anyone besides me here breathed the sigh would have been audible.
"One of Society has fallen," the Regent says.
I sense Wolf tense next to me, though nothing in his manner or stance. I glance up at him and realize it is his beast jumping against the cage, a slight tightening of his jaw the only outward sign.
"Sentence has been passed, it must be eliminated. The Silence is being threatened by its excessive actions." Angelopolous continues.
The Silence, I wonder. What is that? I start putting pieces together; the radio report earlier, the murders, those are excessive even for this City. Could this be the source of those?
"Why don't you send the Sheriff, Balthazar?" Wolf asks.
The Regent smiles in answer to him. "Oh, this one is going to be . . . personal to you I think," he says. "You owe Society, why should we risk a loyal servant when you will serve just as well?"
Wolf nod
s as if he expects no less.
"Balthazar will aid you in locating the creature, and then you will be on your own."
"If I fail," Wolf says his voice oddly soft. "She goes free."
The Regent says nothing for long moments, my heart starts beating faster. What kind of deal is Wolf making?
"Agreed. She will have to leave the City and never see Society again as stipulations, her memory will be wiped."
Wolf nods.
"Keeper, this Court has passed judgment in front of Society. The judgment shall stand without alteration. Let it be recorded."
"Judgment has been passed and recorded Regent," Katherine replies formally.
I bite down on my tongue to hold back the words I want to scream at them. The monsters in each of them seem disappointed; each of them hoped Wolf would lose control.
"You have three nights to accomplish the job Dallas." Katherine smiles and her green eyes flash as she tosses her hair back over her shoulder with a small movement of her head.
Wolf growls in answer, turning towards the elevator and dismissing the entire room from his attention. Behind the crowd of people I hear a giggle that can only be Aiver's and Wolf's hands ball up as his beast leaps against its cage. He moves towards the elevator just slightly faster and I have to almost run to catch up with him. Once inside, he stares out at the room as the doors slide closed.
"What just happened?" I ask, turning on him the moment we are alone. I struggle to keep my voice calm. I can feel how his beast strains at its cage I don't want to provoke him but damn it this is my life!
"They want you," he says and as his eyes lock onto mine I see the softness in him, feel his beast lying down under his will, calming.
"What do you mean 'they want me'? I thought I was supposed to die? Or do some quest for redemption? What do they mean replacement?" My voice cracks, emotions overwhelming me. I am letting others make my decisions for me again, damn it!
"They control Society completely. Including exactly how many of us are allowed in a single area to maintain . . ." He trails off and looks away for a moment. When next he speaks he doesn't look at me. "The right ratio of predator to prey."
Beast Page 5
