Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1)

by T. M. Watkins

  I sighed, things weren't good for them which wasn't a good thing. If Nick couldn't get into the study it would hinder his efforts to find a way to break the chant. I quickly tapped out a reply, knowing my mother would be waiting for me.

  Having mother daughter day of shopping, hiding in bathroom & missing you guys. You need to distract him so that Nick can get into the study. Got to go, mother will be waiting.

  I hated being so abrupt, I would have to continue this later tonight.

  Our day out together had been fun aside from the bathroom incident. I hoped that in time when I was feeling better about my life that I could have another day out with my mother. She would be agreeable to it, I was certain of it. We had been home for about an hour and it was an uneasy hour. My stomach was in knots as I paced the floor of the lounge room, my mother was reading a book trying to ignore me. It wasn't working, she huffed and put the book down.

  “Eliria please, find something to do. Your father will be here when he gets here.”

  “Okay.” I whispered.

  I scurried into my room thinking that I could continue organising my room and putting my new things away. My mother had gone overboard with buying things, not just for me but for herself too. The lingerie store was the worst, watching her pick out things, knowing their intended purpose. Blech, parents don't do things like that. My phone pipped from within the depths of my bag that had somehow managed to get kicked under the bed. I had to say, I was excited to hear from Marty and Nick. Fumbling under the bed, I pulled the bag out and grinned like a loon at the flashing light. It was a missed call from a number that I didn't recognise, hesitantly I listened to the voice message.

  'Eliria, it's Porter. I'll keep it brief considering that our interactions are supposed to be over and you should be getting on with your life.'

  He said it in a way that made it sound like he was saying it for someone else's benefit. Porter cleared his throat and continued.

  'If you could return my call, I would greatly appreciate it. Any time is fine.'

  I sighed and wondered if this had something to do with seeing James today. Maybe some protocol had been broken and he had to be punished or something truly ridiculous. Pressing the buttons I sat onto the floor and leaned on the bed, waiting for Porter to answer.

  “Porter.” His tone was gruff.

  “Hello Tim.”

  “Eliria, thanks for calling me back. I must say, I didn't think you would after what has happened with Lancaster. I thought you would want to move countries.”

  I laughed lightly as I wrapped my arm around my legs, picking at the shoe laces. “It's fine, my mother is helping me forget about him.”

  “Yes, James mentioned he saw you two today. It's actually why I rang.”

  He cleared his throat, sighing and sounding like he was in a lot of pain. “He wants permission to contact you.”

  The world around me came to a grinding halt, my legs slid out and flopped to the ground as I stared at the blank wall ahead of me.

  “Eliria? Are you there?”

  “Yeah.” I whispered, though I wasn't completely sure on how 'there' I was.

  “Look, it's not really my thing to be interfering like this. In my day a man told a woman how he felt and there was none of this sneaking around to get phone numbers.”

  “Sneaking?”

  I frowned, wondering what he meant.

  “Yeah, you can file a complaint if you want but I found him in your file, searching for your number.”

  “How did you get this number?”

  “Martine gave it to me, you were standing there. No, you were uh… you know, the cuffing thing.” He cleared his throat again.

  Poor Tim, he was having to suffer this phone call like it was him that was interested. My mother was right, James did have it bad. Damn it, she will be so smug if she finds out.

  “Sorry.” He murmured, pulling me out of my little wandering thoughts. “So the way I see it is, you can do one of three things. File a complaint, ignore it or give him permission.”

  I could hear the elevator ping as my mother opened the door, the sounds of her giggles echoing through the hall. I frowned, was my mother the great warrior… giggling? My life was being turned upside down.

  “I have to go Tim.”

  “Eliria, just a quick answer okay, then I'll leave you be.”

  “Yes, fine. Okay, let him call. Jeez Tim you're a menace.”

  He chuckled, which made me smile. I crawled to the door, watching the shadows through the crack. It looked like they clearly hadn't seen each other in a while, his tall shadow was hugging her and lifting her off her feet.

  “Just not right now okay?”

  “When… shut up Weston, for Christ's sake.” His voice trailed off.

  “Tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure, sure. I'll tell him. Make sure you buy the biggest lobster okay Eliria, the bastard can afford it.”

  I frowned though I was grinning, they were both crazy. What was I getting myself in for? “I have to go Tim, thanks for the warning. Bye.”

  “Yeah, no problems. Later.”

  I hung up the phone and frowned at it, since when did Tim say later as his goodbye? Crazy, topsy-turvy world. A shadow loomed over me, I looked up through the crack at my mother who was beaming pure happiness.

  “Darling, what are you doing?”

  “Talking to someone.”

  “Well no more, your father is here. Come quickly.”

  I stood to my feet and brushed myself off, tossing the phone onto the bed. Turning to the door, I took a deep breath. I could do this, I could be the big brave girl and say hello to my father and not become a blubbering mess. Yeah right, as if that was ever going to happen.

  Chapter Sixty-six

  All I had to do was say hello, no formalities or pleasantries were required because of him being a prince. This was a family moment and there were no rules for our moment. Warily I stepped through the corridor, my shoes were doing a damned fine job of being quiet. I could hear my mother humming from the kitchen, though I couldn't imagine why. She had stated earlier that she had no idea how to prepare the food that the maid had stocked for us and would be grateful when she returned from leave tomorrow. There were two men in the room, one was by the door with his hands firmly clasped behind his back. He was far too formal for the moment with his perfect suit and steely gaze. I'm guessing personal guard. The other man drew my attention far more easily, he was by the window gazing out over the city. Slowly I stalked into the grand yet starkly cold living room. It was like a team of designers had been through here and created this place rather than made it a home.

  I stared at the man that is my father, my eyes darting to the other man. He nodded once at me as a hello, a softened smile crossed his rough features. Clearly he had taken a beating or two to protect my father. Then the bastard cleared his throat, my father turned to him but saw me instead. He stared at me for a moment, clearly he was as shocked as much as what I was. His eyes were the deepest green I had ever seen, a bright colour that seemed unnatural. He blinked and they toned down in colour, fading to a more human colouring. His hair was almost the same colour as mine, short wavy lengths of brown that settled around his tanned skin. I had expected him to be in some fancy clothes, I don't know why. Maybe it was because he was supposed to be a prince and it was their thing but he was in a plain black shirt and dark jeans.

  “Oh good. You've emerged from the cave.” My mother hummed as she swanned into the room.

  She had a plate of food in her hands, stopping in front of me. “Have you done the one job that I suggested Eliria?”

  An eyebrow was raised at me, I turned to my father thinking that I might just pass out. “Say hello.” She whispered and continued to the lounge.

  “Hello.” My voice crackled.

  He grinned, moving closer, still wary of me. It was like I was some peculiar creature that he knew to be cautious of. “Hello Eliria.”

  His voice was deep but so soft, it was
calming to my mind and my soul. It was almost like he had the power to alter the mood with two little words. Completely impossible but that was how it felt. No, it wasn't impossible. When I walked out here, I was anxious. Now I was happy. Although it was starting to become awkward. I could see the hesitation in his face, he didn't know whether to hug me or keep his distance, plant me with lots of kisses or shake my hand.

  “Oh for the love of… would you two just get on with it.” My mother snapped.

  “She's never had any patience.” He whispered with a grin.

  I laughed a little and his eyes widened at the sound.

  “She laughs like you Ally.”

  “Lucky her.”

  His eyes narrowed playfully at her, I could see so much in their gentle jibes, the love that was between them was obvious even without being all smoochy. My father stepped closer again, assessing me. I wanted to squirm under his gaze, regardless of whether there was malice or not, it was hard to be scrutinised so heavily.

  “And she looks just like you, perfect and stunning in beauty.”

  Red cheeks, yep I had them. Carefully he reached out, trailing his fingers over my temple and down my jaw.

  “It seems so unreal.” His voice lowered, barely a whisper. “How could I create something so delicate?”

  I gulped, it hurt so much as I tried desperately not to cry. He smiled softly at me, his eyes brightened as he retracted his hand.

  “Forgive me fair maiden, I have forgotten my manners. I am Hemoi Althra Trimaine, son of Enon, king of the elves.”

  His grin increased as he took my hand and kissed it softly on the knuckles. “But you can call me daddy.”

  I could hear my mother scoffing in the background, I was completely stunned.

  “Yes, I suppose your mother is right. Daddy is rather childish. Father, dad, hey you. Whatever.” He shrugged.

  I laughed again and I realised his hand was still holding mine, his devilish grin had lowered to a wistful smile. His jokes had lightened the mood and already I loved him. It was crazy, minutes had barely passed and already I knew I was daddy's little girl. Even crazier, I let go of his hand and hugged him. I had caught him off guard, his arms slowly wrapped around me. It wasn't until I heard my mother sniff that I opened my eyes and saw that she was crying, or at least trying to pretend she wasn't crying.

  “You may retire for the evening Malin.”

  “Thank you sire.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the body guard leave his posting and quietly slip down the hallway behind the kitchen. I pulled away from him even though I didn't want to. Like my mother, I could spend a long time in their embrace.

  “I have a gift for you.”

  He gestured to the low line table where my mother had set out the most bizarre food items imaginable. I said nothing when I saw the tinned fruit on the platter, not wanting to dwell on the past. I also said nothing about the pickles or the olives, she had also managed to find peeled tomatoes and chopped them up. They were on the platter together, artfully decorated with chocolate drops sprinkled over it. Clearly she had been sampling things as she went and put out whatever tasted good in her opinion. I knew she was trying and that was all that mattered.

  I sat on the lounge beside my mother, my father picked up the small box on the table and sat on the other side of me. He placed the little blue box onto my hands and watched as I opened it to reveal a gold necklace. The pendant was a circle, it it's centre was a star that had six points. In the centre of the star was a stone of some sort, it was small and green, a similar colour to what his eyes were before he blinked. As he pulled it from the box to put it on me, I pulled my hair to one side, looking up at him. He smiled at me even though it looked like there was a lot of pain, the suffering could be seen in his eyes.

  “The star of Indril, the guiding light of my people. Wear it always as a memory of my love for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  I whispered the words as the tears finally fell. It had taken a while but I knew I could never hold out forever.

  “Now there is much to discuss.” My mother interrupted.

  My father rolled his eyes with a sly grin which made me giggle, I wiped the tears and turned to her.

  “Joke all you will funny man but we have a lot to deal with. Her birthday is so close and we need to decide if we will be returning home for the celebrations.”

  “I don't want anything too big, just the three of us is fine.”

  “And what of your grandparents?” My mother asked indignantly.

  “Uh, okay. Them too I guess.”

  My father shook his head at her. “Father will not travel to this world Ally, you know that. The tension is but a simmer at the moment though he dare not leave it for even a second.”

  “Will it be safe to take Eliria home?”

  “Provided we take the back roads and stay within the castle grounds.”

  As they discussed all these odd sounding names which I figured were roads or towns, I touched the pendant feeling the coldness of the metal against my skin. My mind wandered to the days of the past, to William and how much I missed him, then to Marty and Nick, I think I missed them more. Though I did wonder if that was possible. And then I thought about today and the little revelation about James. I didn't want to enter into a relationship so soon after William, more so when I yearned for William to recover his memory and realise what he had done. If anything, I think that I could find a friendship with James. I think that a dose of normality was what I really needed at the moment and he could be that. It wasn't what he wanted, I could see that easily now that my mother had given me a reality check about men. He was human, he seemed reasonable and didn't have mood swings that altered almost hourly, he could walk in the sun and he didn't want to drink my blood. Yep, he was normal alright. But it was the underlying intention that had me bothered. Clearly he wanted something more than I could give right now. Whether he liked it or not, James was going to get friend-zoned.

  “Maybe we should stay here for a while.” I interrupted their odd sounding conversation.

  They both looked at me and when I looked to my mother, she had that smug look on her face again.

  “I'd miss Marty and Nick too much.”

  “Followers of the vampire.” She responded to the look of curiosity on my father's face.

  “It's not their fault.”

  She patted my hand in that way that she always did, trying to be sympathetic to me.

  “We know darling. They didn't want for the mess, no one did. You are the one that has suffered the most and I fear that keeping them in your life will only cause you pain. I will not stand in the way of your decision Eliria, your friends are yours to choose but remember that when you look at them, you will see him as well. And if I know anything about vampire masters and elders, they have a tight hold on their followers. For Martine and Nicholas to venture to you will be quite a task and if William were to find out, he might see it as treasonous.”

  She squeezed my hand tight. “Tread carefully my darling child.”

  Chapter Sixty-seven

  After a lot of discussion, my parents getting a little heated in a mild tiff about where to have the party that I didn't really want and them getting all gooey as they made up after it, I decided that I was tired. Really I wanted to get away before their gooiness became treacle and I would be faced with something that no child should ever see their parents do… kiss. Gross. It was likely that once things settled down in their world, I would be faced with the prospect of becoming an older sister. I kind of liked the thought of having a sibling, even if I would be too old to play with them like most brothers and sisters do. Refreshed from the warm shower, I stood at the window in my bedroom looking out over the city. A solitary tear trickled down my cheek as I wished that he would call me, I'd even take a text. Like the wish had been answered, my darkened room lit up with the light from my phone. It was still on my bed, brightly lighting up the area around it. I rushed to it, desperate t
o see who it was. It was from Nick and all it said was missing you heaps. Another one came in, it made me smile. These two were crazy in their text sparring. Marty wrote not as much as me. I responded to them with a big smile, settling onto the lounge by the window. Nowhere near as much as I miss you two. Met my father today. Within seconds the phone rang, Marty was calling me.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh my gawd, what's he like?”

  I chuckled. “Hello Eliria, how was your day, how have you been?”

  “Told you.” Nick grumbled in the background.

  “Sorry hun, just so excited for you. How have you been?”

  “You know, the usual.”

  Ok, so clearly that wasn't the right thing to expect her to ask.

  “And he's amazing. So funny, loves my mother so much. Is it safe for you to be talking to me?”

  “He's distracted, Augustus had the memory pool repaired and now he's trying to convince William to get into it. So stubborn.” She breathed heavily.

  I didn't want to hear that William was refusing to get into the memory pool, it was another cruel twist of the knife in my heart so I changed the subject. “Hey guess what? I found out my correct birthday. Jan twenty.”

  Marty gasped and I grinned, I could hear the excitement in her tone. “Oh that's so soon. We should do something.”

  “Would he let you?”

  “I couldn't give a flying...”

  “Marty!” Nick hissed. “Hey there pretty lady.”

  “Hey Nick, what's happening?”

  “Not much. Sooo, it's your birthday in a week huh? You know I am totally coming around for a birthday kiss.”

  I laughed, instantly remembering why I adored Nick. He was this crazy, thinking that he had the right to plant a big one on me just because it was my birthday. “You do that.”

  “Oh alright! She said yes.”

  He made some funny noise at Marty, clearly showing off.

  “Would you guys want to come around, you know, for dinner? Well not for dinner I suppose. Far out.” I groaned.