Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1)

by T. M. Watkins

  “So I'm not human?”

  Again he shook his head, the grin deepened. “No wonder I didn't see your true nature. A changeling elf will adapt to their surroundings. In a human world you became human or at least, you look like a human. Since coming here and being surrounded by vampires, you have begun to change into a vampire. That's why you've gotten the sudden blood lust.”

  “Is it permanent?”

  William shook his head as he washed the last of the blood away and turned off the taps. “You will always be half fae and half elf, you just adapt to those around you to give them a false sense of security. I wonder if Alvarie sensed her lover was an elf. No wonder she came here to have you.” He muttered.

  “How so?”

  “The elves and fae haven't always gotten along. When you think of your parents, their love and your creation, I think the words 'forbidden love' should also be included.”

  He sighed with a soft smile, passing a towel to me. “On a positive note, your blood lust will make life easier when feeding. You can come out with me.”

  The grin got darker as his eyes stared at me.

  “I do remember offering for you to come out and watch me feed, it still stands my love. Together in the dark cover of night, we shall embrace your new life.”

  I wanted to say no way in hell as he wrapped the towel around his waist and sauntered out of the room but I just couldn't do it. The thought of it was filling me with a burning need, I was salivating at the thought. Watching him move through the room to his walk in robe, I became quiet, stalking him across the room. His heart beat was deafening, I could feel the draw to it. I yearned to feel it pump the blood into me. My mouth was watering, burning through my veins. As I drew closer I could hear his breathing, a normal rhythm that was like a melody with the patter of his heart. My eyes searched over his body, seeking out every single vein that pulsed too close to the skin, finding the optimum one to feed from. I knew which one I wanted, I wanted the throbbing vein on his neck. Water glistened on his pale skin, the light of the candle highlighting the silvery colour as it trickled down his neck. His vein was so close, one swoop and I could pin him to the wall and take the sustenance I was craving. The light of the candle flickered and in a snap I was pinned to the wall with William's hand around my neck. His eyes were ablaze with fury as he stared down at me.

  “Do not stalk me.” He snarled and let his grip go.

  Instinctively my hand reached for my neck, feeling the pain that was quickly subsiding. I wasn't concerned that he snapped, it was more that I had been hauled out of a trance like state to realise that I was in fact stalking him.

  “Sorry.” I mumbled. “I'm just so hungry.”

  William sighed and pulled me into his arms, kissing the top of my head. “Soon my love, soon we will find something for you to stalk and test out your new abilities and then you will feel full.”

  I had been covered in some kind of moisturiser like goop from head to toe. William had taken his time, enjoying the hands on experience of lathering me in whatever this stuff was. Now I smelled of something similar to pine. Marty had brought in something of hers, stating that nothing in the walk in robe in the other room was to today's standards. I agreed with her completely. William rolled his eyes at the black jeans and said nothing, returning to the walk in robe. Marty winked at me with a grin and sauntered out of the room, leaving me to dress. She had left a soft blue cotton top that was far too thin for the weather outside, a black pea coat and boots. William strolled back into the room, dumping a filled bag onto the bed, his fingers slid along the towel that was tucked in tight.

  “Can't say as I approve of other people getting a view of you in a towel, especially one that has stated quite clearly that if I happen to be stupid enough to let you go, she's going to swoop in and take you from me.”

  He kissed me softly on the cheek as his fingers ran down my arm. “I might ask a lot my love but remember that I am an elder and it is important that those that follow me, respect me. I have done many things in the past to lose their respect and with time I shall gain their loyalty back but I need to have the woman by my side fully dressed in front of them.”

  His expression was soft, there was no harshness to him. It was almost like he had flipped from his usual cold vampire into something that was almost human. I didn't want to point out that it was him that opened the door to her and it was him that let her into the room. But I said nothing, not wanting to start some stupid fight about something utterly ridiculous. Play nice Mary, tell him what he wants to hear.

  “Sure.”

  He looked at me with a small amount of shock, smiling he said nothing as he kissed me again.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  When we were ready to leave, we found Marty and Nick in the entry surrounded by piles of things. Nick was a little stunned as Marty frowned at me, both of them trying to comprehend it. William had just told them of his recent discovery and now I was like some oddity in their world. He had gone into the study to retrieve all that he had on elves, which was one book. There was another book that he had managed to find, with a grin he opened it out to a page. The page on the left had a picture of a beautiful woman in full battle gear. Her clothes were leather body armour that shaped her body into a feminine fighter. A long flowing cape adorned her body, a deep chocolate colouring that was almost the same colour as her hair. It was pulled back off her face, plaited loosely and hung down on one side. Her stature was fierce, cold and powerful as she stood proudly, her hand on the hilt of her sword, readying to draw it out in defence. She sent a shiver down my spine, she was a stunning woman. Her face was pale, barely a trace of skin colour in the complexion. The eyes, I had seen those eyes before. Every time I looked in the mirror I saw those same blue eyes. I looked up at William with shock, he smiled softly at me.

  “The mighty Alvarie. There isn't much written on her as she is a typical fae, secretive. These books are done so that the fae children can learn of their people, the great warriors that protect their land and their ruling family. Your mother is a well-respected and much loved hero of her world.”

  “So you're saying that I'm the bastard child she wanted hidden to save face?”

  I didn't realise that my tone had changed, it was so slight. But it was enough to send Marty and Nick scurrying away into the parlour, quickly closing the door behind them. William sighed and took the book from me, adding it to the pile of things to be taken to the car.

  “The reason for you being placed on the steps of the church would have been valid but it would not have been to save face. The fae might be high in their morals but they do not cast their own away. Regardless of who or what your father is, your mother would have been accepted back into her community eventually.”

  “Eventually?” I frowned.

  “I am not completely aware of their laws Mary but what I do know is that she may have done community service for bringing her line into disrepute, there may have been a mark against her name for a while, she may have lost a rank or two in her service. But nothing too serious. I have my suspicions but I think it may have a lot to do with your father.”

  The doors to the parlour swung open, Nick had a panicked look on his face as Marty pushed past him, grabbing as much of things at our feet as she could.

  “There's two of them out there now.”

  “Right, everyone grab something and lets go.”

  I grabbed the books and several bags, I didn't know what was so important in these bags but I did as I was told. After all, they were doing this to save me. If they didn't care they could push me out the door and end all of their involvement and issues with me. We moved quickly to the door past the stairs, Nick and Marty stopped at the wall turning back to face the door. I squinted at them and their curious behaviour, then at William as he did the same thing. As I stepped past William I looked down the short hallway to the left, as expected it seemed to go nowhere. The right was the trick, it looked like it was the way to go with the long hall and lots of doo
rs. Nick and Marty hadn't moved, so I did what they did and turned to face the door. William shut it and opened the one beside it, the one that would open up under the stairs. I gaped when it actually opened to something. William held the door open with a smug smile, letting Nick and Marty scurry into the darkened doorway.

  “To the left, always to the left.”

  “Yeah.” I scoffed.

  I looked at the abyss that Marty had just walked into, following after Nick. Little candles flickered against the wall, the sounds of their steps on metal stair treads echoed through the small area. Warily I stepped closer, looking at the spiral stair case.

  “Now is not the time for fear Mary, there are two of them out there which means they are scaling up their presence. By dawn there shall be many more of them.”

  “But will we make it to the safe house before dawn?”

  He gave a pained smile as he gently took my hand, guiding me into the darkness. The door closed behind us, trapping us into the black.

  “We have a plan, do not fret. All will be well.”

  We slipped into the depths of the land, the darkness of the small cavity shrouded me, tightening its grip on me. I hated being in small enclosed spaces. The darkness fell away as Nick pushed through a door, the light of his lantern lit up the new space. It was filled with what would have to be a cave of automotive treasures. I looked around the room with the lantern that I had taken off Nick and looked upon the cars from different eras, there was even a cart on the far side of the room. It was black with gold gilding, a small amount of the door was showing from under the dust cover. With a lot of awe, I walked over to it. When I pulled back the dust cover, I saw the red leather seats were worn but still in amazing condition. The wheels looked like they had seen better days but would still be usable. That cart was an open aired version, there was an enclosed version behind it. It was just as grand too, sitting proudly at the back of the room with it's black gloss paintwork, tall wheels and there was even curtains over the windows.

  “Wow.” I gasped.

  A shadow drew closer, I turned to look at William. His face was filled with silent appreciation.

  “These are amazing. You should have them in a museum.”

  “I would like to donate them but there is too much risk. I dare not draw attention to myself unnecessarily. It is hard enough maintaining the lie that is the ownership of the land, to add such worries would be pointless.”

  “So you're just going to leave them here to rot?”

  “Do they look like they are rotting Mary? These carts are over two hundred years old and they look as good as they day they were last used. Come, we have bigger things to worry about.”

  He took my hand and led me to a beast of a modern car, a large black thing that glistened in the light of the candle. William held the keys out to me with a soft smirk.

  “You have got to be kidding me!”

  I frowned as Marty shrugged and climbed into the boot of the car beside Nick. The bags were beneath them for a softer ride, the back seats of the car had been pushed down for the moment.

  “It's not as if we have much choice.” William murmured as he opened the driver door. “We have great faith in your ability to drive.”

  “I have never driven a car!” I snapped at him.

  “Well now is a great time to learn. Sit down and put your seat belt on.”

  I huffed and did as he said, looking at the things in front of me. It could have been a plane for all the sticks and buttons and the giant wheel thing in front of me. William closed the door and rounded the vehicle, getting into the other seat.

  “This is an automatic so there isn't much you need to worry about, foot on the brake and turn the ignition over.”

  I looked at him blankly.

  “The key, turn it over until the car starts, foot on the pedal to the left.”

  I snorted with laughter, again with the left. My hand found the key behind the giant wheel thing and turned it.

  “It won't move.”

  “The other way.”

  I could hear the tone, I was trying his patience. No, this wasn't a good time to learn how to drive. In fact, I'd say it was the worst time possible but hey, it's not as if I get a say in it. I turned the key and the car spluttered into life.

  “Okay, so we are in P at the moment, that means park. R is reverse and D is drive. Press the button in and slide it down to D. Is your foot on the brake and how about some light?”

  “Light?”

  His hand flicked to the giant wheel, gesturing to the long stick thing that poked out behind it. “Turn the end, click it so they are on full.”

  I gasped at the light as it came on, looking at William with mock happiness. “Oh how I missed this kind of light.”

  He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “Okay, foot on the brake, ease it into drive and then carefully remove your foot from the brake and put it on the accelerator. Gently Mary, this car has a lot of power and I don't want to be part of the windscreen.”

  “What about this doo-hickey?”

  I could hear Nick groaning from the boot.

  “We are going to be here all night, can't you do this later?”

  “We won't have time Nick, shut up and go back to your knitting.”

  Giggling, I frowned at William.

  “He's decided that he wanted a beanie. Wants to make it rather than buy one. Utterly preposterous, a vampire knitting a beanie.”

  I laughed, I couldn't help it but I laughed hard. William's disgust was even funnier. I knew he liked the view of vampires being this dark and menacing creature of the night, terrorising innocent humans and killing all that they stalked but in reality they weren't that different to humans. They had so much in common with them, it was almost like they were a distant cousin. The sound of the needles clacking against each other was hilarious. Nick had the look of the bad boy, the kind of guy that all the girls dreamed would ride in on his big bad motorbike and sweep them off their feet, riding off into the sunset. But what would all the girls say if they knew the truth?

  “The steering wheel, it is power steering so you won't have to turn it much. Keep it straight for when we are going through the tunnel, I don't want you scraping my baby.”

  “Seriously?” I said as I looked at him with a deadpan face.

  “Extremely.”

  My hands were shaking as I pressed the button on the letter thing and slid it down to D.

  “Hey.” William said softly, turning my head to him. “I believe in you, I have faith that you can do this. Don't stress, it's going to be okay.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath as I turned back to face the front. The path ahead was dark beyond the view of the lights, it was a curved tunnel that was rather scary looking. My foot seemed so heavy as I lifted it from one pedal to the other, wincing as I pressed down on it. My heart was racing hard, I wanted desperately to make this work, to get us and his stupid car out safely. The car jolted forwards, plunging into the darkness of the tunnel.

  “Easy does it.” William said softly. “You are doing great.”

  My whole body was tense, my hands gripped the wheel tight. It didn't matter that William had his hand on my shoulder, trying to relieve the tension. I don't know how long we had been driving for, my mind was so focused on keeping the car straight and not pressing that pedal too hard, I had lost all sense of anything else in this world. The path ahead seemed relentless, never ending and still just as scary.

  “This will bring us out far away from the surveillance team. You know all of those houses on the street that you used to sit and mindlessly stare at?”

  I nodded, taking a brief moment to look at him. His eyes glinted in the reflected light, his pale skin barely showing.

  “Soon we will start to turn, it takes a large curve around them and comes out in the next estate. Slowly now, we are beginning to curve.”

  “We're curving to the left.” I grinned. “What is it with this left business?”

  He smiled at m
e, looking a little wistful. His fingers toyed with my hair, curling it around and then letting it loose.

  “My father once said that it is never good to be always right.”

  “Oh.” I said softly.

  “Back to it Mary, your eyes are venturing away far too often. The road starts to straighten now and will begin to ascend to ground level. A garage door will open and you will be exposed to the land and anything that maybe out there. I want you to keep your wits about you, we have checked it out but it doesn't mean that things haven't changed.”

  “Cripes.” I breathed. “Are you sure you want me driving?”

  He nodded, gripping my nape with a reassuring touch. “Listen to my instruction, use common sense with the road rules and all will be well.”

  Just as he said, the tunnel stopped curving, it started to ascend and as I brought the car higher, I could see the world beyond. A street light poured down onto the land, surrounded by the dark of the night. Slowly I brought the car out of the garage that was the end of the tunnel, etching our way into the world. There was nothing, no one to be seen. As I brought the car to the edge of the driveway I could see William's house in the far distance. It was like a speck in the thick of dark.

  “Okay so the left rules no longer apply, turn right and follow the road to the intersection turning right again.”

  Over and over again, William calmly gave instructions on which way to go on the deserted streets. It wasn't until we made it to the motorway that we actually saw another car. My stomach was filled with fluttering, sickness was slowly making its way higher as I turned the car onto the on ramp. Cars zoomed past us as I drew closer to the end of the merging lane, William was turned to watch out the back window.

  “Alright, move into the lane.”

  William started doing something, in the darkness I hadn't noticed that there was a camera fitted behind the mirror thing. He propped something that resembled a mobile phone and pressed buttons.

  “You aren't getting technological on me, are you?”

  “Just keeping you entertained with new revelations about me.” He turned back. “How's that?”