Feral Passion

by Avery Duncan

  “But...how? And what’s your name?” Mary asked, clenching her hands in her lap with the nerves and depression that were taking place in her heart.

  “I am another Creator, Stuart. Now, to the matter at hand--Kevin did indeed tell you that he wished for you to bond with Raffaele immediately, correct?”

  She nodded, breath catching her throat. She leaned down, putting her head between her legs, hoping to stop whatever was wrong with her. The tears wouldn’t stop coming, and her breath was catching, non-stop.

  “Why did you not do it when you had the chance? The order of the Creator, even how rare it is, is strict and to be done as soon as possible.”

  “I couldn’t... He didn’t look like he wanted to be tied down,” she tried, surprisingly speaking more clearly than she thought she could have.

  “He was focused on nothing but you!” he said, sounding astounded. “How could you not have taken that time to explain to him what was happening?”

  “You saw his reaction! When I told him I was a Chosen and that I knew of Kevin! It would have only made it worse had I told him that he was made to be bonded to me!”

  “This...is true.”

  “Exactly,” she said, relieved that he had understood what she was saying. If only Raffaele could hear what she was saying, getting an understanding just as Stuart was.

  “So you used guilt, playing desperate and hysterical, to get his Promise,” he concluded, voice prompt.

  Mary let out a frustrated screech, slapping her knee. “No, you idiot! I was honestly close to just offing myself, and all you can think about is that assholes problems with accepting that I hadn’t planned on making him bond with me?”

  “Now, Mary... Please consi--”

  “Don’t try to fucking sweet talk me!” she raged, finally snapping. Raffaele’s words were in her ear, haunting her. “I was against what Kevin had told me to do the very minute he said it. I wasn’t going to tell anyone because I knew that Raffaele would be betrayed by it--just as he is now!” she screamed, wondering if the bastard was even there anymore.

  The silence after her rage was deafening.

  “And you are honest with your words?” he finally asked. Mary could just picture him, rubbing a beard-scruffed face, considering.

  A tear slipped down her cheek.

  “Yes,” she vowed, head bowed as if in pain, knowing that with that one word, she had either sentenced her death or a life that would be full of something that she was starting to not even want to know about.

  Her vision dimmed, till everything was black.

  Chapter 34

  He slipped in silently, purposefully, intently. He invaded, he conquered, and he owned what he chose to. And with all of the might that he possessed, he couldn’t stay away from the greatest prize any longer.

  The unknowing meeting she had held with him yesterday had encouraged him to take her, had made his restraint weaken like none else could have. The beauty of the pale skin, the innocence of her soft features, the smell of her...

  It had been too much.

  So here he was, bypassing the security system, feeling like an invalid as he pushed open the newly hatched window. The room, when he entered, was exactly what he would have expected for someone like her.

  He smiled down at her sleeping form, smiled as he thought of how her face would not hold innocence for much longer, instead...pain, agony, most likely crying out for help.

  Maybe the dream she had had, the one where his...accomplice had helped, would have warned her, gave her a sense of what was to come. He prayed that it had.

  He loved to see the look of horrified realization on a woman’s face.

  Mary was so deep asleep that she couldn’t awake to see him, and for that he was happy.

  An easy taking led to a much more interesting torture, as he had come to learn some time ago. The charge log at the station was probably stock full at the police station, the dead bodies piling up as quickly as they had gathered among the earth.

  He thought about how they had tainted, spread, mutilated, and almost snarled into the bleak darkness of the room where his next and most precious victim lay.

  A scarred, mutant hand reached out, touching a strand of the silky soft hair that would soon be covered in her life’s blood. Taking a breath and praying that she was still untapped with her powers that he knew she possessed, he reached into his backpack that he had laid down by his feet, taking out the blind fold, gag, and seat belt strap.

  Lifting her head slowly as to not wake her, he set about wrapping the blind fold around her head and the rest of the preparations. He wondered briefly at when he should begin the ritual. He should have talked with Armoria first, the woman that had come to him, intending to help.

  At first, he had been skeptical about trusting her, about letting her in on his plan. She had then begun to gain his trust, which hadn’t been easy. The powers that she had revealed to him and frightened him, made him believe that she was with the enemy. But, from the beginning, she had been up front and ready to answer anything he might ask--besides where she had originated. Her name was unique in itself, along with her smell and look. Blonde, pale, eyes silvery, she had smelt of Acutos and Archaeos, along with something that had somehow made him believe that she wasn’t on their side as he originally thought.

  Something like fire, ash...power.

  Thinking about her made him hard. Not just because she had a beautiful body that he could easily admire, but because the power that radiated off of her called to him--in ways that he hadn’t known possible.

  Hoping that the light dose of chloroform worked as he pressed the rag against her nose, he picked her up and started to the front door. When he opened it, he realized that he had taken far too long with his minstrels. The sun was peaking above the clouds, the air musty with dew beading on the grass. Quickly, so that no one getting ready for work would notice, he put her in the back, covering her with the dark blanket.

  He got his cell phone out, punching in the number that he needed. “Amoria,” he greeted, putting the key in the ignition.

  “Yes, my love?” she asked, her voice low and sleek. He could just imagine her, twirling her long hair around her finger, bare legs kicked up on his desk.

  “I took the leader.” He waited for her sharp curse, or maybe even a hiss. She was prone to hissing, he had noticed.

  Instead of what he had expected, he heard a seductive purr. “I can have some fun with her?” she asked, a mere pout.

  His eye brows raised, and he turned on the blinker. “When I am done with her, yes you can.”

  The man didn’t hear the faint rustling in the back, so focused on driving and talking to the only woman in the world who could actually make him fear his reflection.

  He listened to her soft sigh, a sigh that he much wished were for a different reason. Looking back at Mary, he considered some things. The idea that popped into his head was unholy, perverted, and utterly undo-able.

  Once Amoria got her hands on Mary, the poor woman was doomed. Amoria had slipped into her dreams, and also that of the visiting leader. Wreaking havoc just as he had asked, she had done it perfectly.

  “Tell me why you contacted Raffaele Jacques?” he asked, still wondering why she had bothered at all.

  “Because, my darling. I had caused Jared to get ran over, and put into the hospital. And I do believe that his nephew was already on his way in earlier, to deal with the female here. I figured that the two would become close. I mean, as leaders,” she said smartly, “they must have--and they did.”

  “Smart thinking, baby,” he said, still not catching on. It was about the females, not the males. So why was she so set on Raffaele? He felt like tearing the man’s eyes out.

  Not only because Mary was clearly affected by him, but because Amoria was so obsessed with him. What was so great about the leader that everyone was so entranced by?

  He growled.

  “Darling,” Amoria purred, “You know I am the only one for you...”
>
  “Are you really,” he said blandly, hiding his bitterness.

  “Yes, my love. Raffaele is just a pawn in my game right now. You don’t need to worry that I will become entranced by him,” she assured him, almost reading his mind.

  He took a wide right turn at the stop light, hearing a small thunk in the back. Mary had slipped halfway off of the seat. He rolled his eyes, focusing on driving.

  “Listen, I’ll be there in less than ten minutes. Be there, naked, and ready for me,” he commanded, feeling the need to claim her. Just thinking about his women--Mary and Amoria, and any other female--with another man pissed him off to no ends.

  He anticipated opening the door of the house that they were staying at, going up the stairs, and finding the beautiful blonde splayed out in front of him, legs long, open, breasts perked... His hand rubbed himself, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable-ness that the hard-on was causing.

  When he finally pulled into the short driveway that was placed on a slight hill, he opened the door and grabbed Mary, knowing that the only two neighbors he had were old and still sleeping. The door to the house was unlocked, probably Amoria knowing that he was almost there and waiting for him. Lights were dimmed, candles placed expertly and seductively soothing along the wall and shabby stair case.

  Hands itching with anticipation, he put Mary down and tightened the seat belt around her body, placing her in the back room carelessly. She was still passed out, in light airy pajama pants and a clinging tank top that revealed a lot of her breasts.

  Running up the hall, he was already unbuttoning his jeans when he threw open the door, scanning the room for his waiting woman.

  The air felt off, different, as he slowed to a stop, searching for her with his eyes, hands pausing on his zipper.

  “Amor--”

  The blade sliced through the air.

  Chapter 35

  “Wake up,” a low voice hissed.

  Mary waved a hand out, trying to stop the voice from talking. It was so loud... her head, what was wrong with her head? So heavy...

  “Get up, Ms. Waters!” it insisted, grabbing her shoulder. Mary was turned over, light hitting the lids of her eyes as she struggled to overcome the horrible person who was trying to wake her up.

  Even if she had wanted to wake up, she wouldn’t have been able to. One, her eyes wouldn’t open enough to glare at the perpetrator, and two? She was about to puke, and although it sounded appealing to vomit all over the person who was trying to wake her up, it would have ended up on Mary in return.

  A growl came, low and angry. Mary flinched, thinking of a man who had once made that sound to her, had hurt her... Mary flung her hand out, catching the person on what she thought was the jaw by the feel of it.

  “God dammit!”

  The short curse had Mary groaning, the headache worsening. “Leave me the hell...”

  Suddenly, she was picked up. In arms that did not feel manly in the least. In fact, they might have been slightly feminine, maybe a fairu was picking her up. She started to laugh, hugging the fairy.

  “Mother told me you weren’t real... She lied,” she said drowsily, laughing.

  “Oh, god...”

  “You mean Kevin,” Mary insisted, voice turning bitter. “He is a bad, mean person. Don’t talk to him, ever. He’ll make your life hell.”

  The woman--that’s what she was going to assume it was--stayed silent as she pushed open a door. Light hit her face, made her flinch from the contact. Looking down at her arm, eyes blinking, she saw fur coating herself.

  She let out a scream, jumping from the woman who was holding her. “Oh my god!” she shouted, almost falling on her ass. Mary took in the scents around her, trying to find her place.

  “I’m not at home, I don’t know who you are, and you’re--”

  The model tall woman nodded, flipping her hair over her shoulder impatiently. “Yes, I know. But we have to go!” she said, motioning toward a rusting olds-mobile. Mary looked between the woman and the car, feeling...displaced.

  She swallowed. “What are you?” The woman certainly wasn’t Acutos, nor Archaeos. She was what Mary had been smelling for the past couple of days, what had clouded her dreams. Mary got to her feet, unsteady because of reasons that she didn’t know.

  “You...tried to kill me,” she choked out, shock and fear making her shake, along with the effort to stand on her own.

  The blond woman stepped forward quickly, wrapping an arm around Mary to keep her from falling. Her head shook. “That’s the exact opposite of what I was trying to do--now please, get in the car so we can get you to your brothers,” she spoke, urgently. Mary watched with confusion as her eyes flicked suspiciously to the sides of the streets, looking for people who would be watching them.

  “Tell me where we are,” Mary demanded, following her lead to the car, as much as she wished she didn’t have to. Right now, she felt as weak and dizzy as a new born kitten, disorientated.

  “At his house, but we’re leaving right now.” Once Mary was seated in the passenger's side, the door was slammed and the leggy blonde ran to the other side of the car.

  In less than a minute, they were going down the street, Mary’s questions still unanswered.

  “Tell me,” Mary hissed, putting her seat belt on. The fur that had been sprinkling her hands and arms was still there, red marks and swelling bruises coating her skin in random places. “And tell me what happened to my arms, too?”

  She was everything but aware of what was going on.

  “He tied you up,” came a brief answer. “Do you know how hard it was to get that shit off of you?”

  “Get what off?” she asked, feeling like an outsider. Here they were, talking about her, and Mary had less information than the woman beside her did. She rubbed her hands together, feeling a chill come over her body as she met eyes with silvery ones that spoke of age, wisdom, and knowledge.

  “The seat belt that he tied you with,” she answered, taking a sharp left turn, almost throwing Mary into the side of the car. For a moment, she wondered if they were playing grand theft auto. She wanted to ask if she had ever driven before, but thought of the more important questions that needed to be answered.

  “Why would he tie me with a seat belt, and who is this he?” she asked, throat closing up as she realized that she already had the answer.

  “He is the one who has been getting away with murder for the past couple months, he is the one who almost killed you, and he was smart enough to tie you with the closest equipment that would be strong enough to hold down a drugged animal.”

  Mary felt sick.

  “I was in...his house? Why didn’t he just kill... Wait,” she said, realizing something slowly. “Why were you there?”

  The woman glanced at her through old eyes. “I was helping him.”

  Mary’s eyes popped wide, blood freezing in her veins. “Was?” she asked, voice breaking. Horror washed through her, the realization that she was in a car with a cold blooded killer while she was too weak to do anything about it.

  “Yes. Was. I...killed him.”

  Mary really wished she had puked on the woman. Maybe if she had done it earlier, she wouldn’t be so close to doing so now. The thought that she wasn’t going to live through the morning came to her, almost had her curling in a ball as pain wracked her head and her chest.

  “Calm down,” the woman beside her coached, sounding oddly sympathetic.

  Mary shook her head, struggling to contain her own thoughts. She was supposed to calm down when she had a murderess kidnapping her after her own accomplice had already done so? When she had been so cold hearted to kill her own partner? She choked, fighting for peace.

  “I wasn’t... Mary, calm down, dammit,” she commanded, stopping her explanation to angrily reprimand Mary.

  Her head shook again. “You weren’t what?” Mary asked, eyes stinging under the stress. She wasn’t fit to be a leader, she thought. She never had been, and her panicking under this situation had onl
y proved it. Had it been her early coronation that had caused her downfall, or had it been slowly building inside her?

  “Wasn’t on his side,” she said solemnly, voice ringing with truth.

  Mary snorted. “Then tell me why you’re kidnapping. Why didn’t he stop you?”

  “I had...tricked him,” the blond said awkwardly.

  “Tricked? How?” She hated asking all of these questions.

  The woman's cheeks flamed red, Mary catching on quickly. Was she telling the truth, or lying through her perfect white teeth? Staring at her, Mary realized that the woman looked gracefully, almost regal.

  The ride was silent as they sped through the street, something that strangely put Mary to ease.

  Mary was shocked when they actually pulled up to her brother’s place. Small, clean, just like a bachelors house would be, it had only two floors, with the attic being a game room where Mary and him had fights often.

  The woman opened the door for Mary, who sat there stock still, wondering why this woman knew where her brother lived and if she knew him personally. She was praying not, because unknowingly, he could have become an accomplice and that could risk his placement as chief of police, and even if it didn’t, it would ruin his respectability.

  Mary sat there, staring up at the woman, not moving.

  “Armoria?”

  The blond turned, a smile gracing her clear face as her brother came down the stairs. Mary tensed, watching him smile in return as he walked down the stairs, hand out reaching to shake her more slender hand.

  Then his gaze landed on Mary, who was still partially furry, red and blue blotches covering almost every part of her. The seat belt had done a lot more damage than it should have, but maybe the man had been purposefully rough with her.

  He was a murderer, after all.

  “Mary?” he asked, confused.

  The blond cleared her throat awkwardly, face turning red for the second time that day. “I think we had better go inside so that I can explain something to you…”

  “What happened?” he asked, rounding on Armoria. His eyes started to blaze, angry.