Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1)

by T. M. Watkins

  I lifted my head to look at him, wondering what he was planning. “Elaborate.”

  “I've been thinking. While I was in the shower I remembered what your father said to me, asking me what I could give you that would enhance your future and what I would do if you were to become queen. You cannot be queen and live in another dimension so I decided that we would live in your home world. I'm going to pass the dynasty to Marty and Nick to rule equally.”

  I gasped as I sat up, looking at him like he was crazy. Generous but seriously bat shit crazy. I guess nothing has changed about him.

  “What do I have to hold me here?” His eyes stared up at me as he answered my unspoken statement. “Nothing except them two and you who in reality should be in her home world. It would be wrong of me to demand that you stay here so that I can rule over my long gone dynasty. In those two, the followers will return in grand numbers and I know that they will do my family justice. This is what I want.”

  His hand pressed against my stomach, moving to my sternum. “And this is where I want to be. If I have these then I want for nothing else.”

  Chapter Eighty-one

  After an eventful afternoon of watching William packing his things and not being allowed off the bed to help, I decided that I was going home to prepare for my own departure from this world. William had to notify the other elders that the curse had been broken and that he would be passing the dynasty to Marty and Nick. Most of the things would remain at the house, aside from a few personal possessions there wasn't much that he wanted. We agreed that they would come to the apartment just after dusk, there we would discuss the future with my parents. No doubt they would want for William and I to be close to them for a while to ensure our safety. In time I hope that they would find it safe enough for us to have a place of our own, even if it was just another building within the grounds of their place. Our time together has been short, I knew that they wanted to spend as much time with me as they could and I wanted to give them that but I also had to create a future with William and now, our child. I hoped that we would be able to find some happy medium that suited everyone.

  William narrowed his eyes at the car that was sitting by the kerb, probably wishing that the sun wasn't up so that he could come with me. I wished he could too but I had to pack my things and he had things that he had to do before he could pass everything over. He wrapped me up in his arms with a mind numbing kiss, leaving me wanting more as he pulled away. I could never get enough of him, I would happily spend my days in bed with him and forget about everything else that mattered. Except I couldn't do that any longer, not with a child on the way. I grinned at him as I backed away, deliriously happy now that everything was right in my world.

  I wandered to my car, feeling the thrill of an unknown future ahead of me. Life was perfect. As I slammed the door shut, I felt my skin prickle. Something was wrong. A slow and soft click echoed through the car as I felt something cold and hard pressed to my head.

  “Turn the ignition on and pull away smoothly…. and don't bother trying to escape.”

  “Uh okay.” I hesitated. “Though I'm not good at driving, I've only been doing it for a few days.”

  “Don't make excuses, you got the thing here. Get on with it.” He growled.

  I did as he said and though I didn't realise it at the time, me stating that I hadn't driven for too long made allowances for my swift thinking. Three short, three long, three short again. I acted casual as I gently tapped the brakes, hoping that if William happened to be watching out the window, he would see my message. It was the only thing that I had learned whilst annoying the guy in the communications room at the keep, S.O.S in Morse code. William wouldn't be able to run after the car, he wouldn't even be able to leave the house but I could hope that he would sense the danger that I was in and call my mother. But my luck was never that good, I figured William would have probably returned to his bedroom, returning to the packing he was frantically trying to get done. He didn't want any distractions from the night of planning our future, he was determined to make sure that my parents were happy with the changes he was making in his life to accommodate my future. He was giving up so much for me and now it was going down the drain, all because I had left the apartment without Lonna.

  There would be no planning of my future tonight, it was likely that my night ahead would be filled with figuring out how to escape and trying to remain alive. Williams night would be filled with worry, searching for me and likely to be angry at himself for not insisting that I stayed with him until night fall. I was on my own, much to my own foolishness of course. My eyes darted to the rear vision mirror as I slowed at the intersection. I saw a familiar set of eyes staring back at me. It was the nameless guy from the van, the one that looked like Eminilo. I had forgotten about him, being that I was so wrapped up in thinking that Gerard was the mastermind.

  “Turn right, follow the signs for the airport.”

  I gulped and turned the car, fearing that I was going to be put on a plane for some far off land and that my mother would never be able to reach me. “Could you lower the gun please?”

  “How about here, princess?”

  He pressed it against my neck, I gulped hard as I tried to think about how to get out of this nightmare.

  “Please, you might accidentally press the trigger.”

  “Wouldn't that be a shame?” He grumbled and finally lowered the gun.

  We had passed a sign for the airport, another five heart stopping minutes had passed before we approached the next one, behind it was a white van. “Pull over and don't try anything, you won't be able to out run us.”

  I pulled to the side, noting that there was no other cars around. That was just my luck, being abducted and there was no witnesses. A man that I did not recognise approached my door, opening it and pulling me out roughly. He dragged me to the van, I turned to see the other guy dousing my birthday present in petrol. The man that was dragging me to the van looked similar to the guy who was the driver, though I had only seen him for brief moments and only a side view. He rolled the door open and pulled out an odd object. It was a long pole with what looked like leather cuffs at each end. I looked up to the menacing grin as he cuffed me into the object.

  “There, no calling mummy and no vampire to see what you're up to.”

  He pushed me into the van, awkwardly I struggled onto the cold metal floor. My hands couldn't touch the other because of hard rod. Unknown man number two got into the back and cuffed the pole to the side of the van and then got out, shutting me in. The two of them got into the front, as the van pulled away I could hear the explosion of my birthday present go up in flames.

  They couldn't see me, I knew I had to do something rather than sit and do nothing. I had to stop them from getting into my home world. They were determined to get there, considering that this was the fourth attempt to abduct me, they had to be getting desperate. I looked at the mark on my arm, I knew that I could rub it and my mother would be able to track me but with my hands bound I was stuck. My plans for alerting my mother to my abduction were thwarted as the van slowed and as my body slid and hit the side of the van, I knew that we had turned a sharp corner. Darkness shrouded the van as it slowed to a complete stop and the sound of a garage door rolling down echoed around me.

  Chapter Eighty-two

  The side door opened and stark lights were flicked on, blinding me to the view beyond the door. Unknown man number two climbed into the van with a snigger and freed me from the side of the van, his grasp on the hard rod between my hands was firm. No matter how much I struggled, I could not get free of him. He pulled me along a narrow corridor, following the other guy. Stopping at what looked like a cell door, he opened it and the other guy pushed me into the room, chaining the bar to the wall. Light from the afternoon sun soaked the wall with a warmth that I had not felt in a long time. I slumped to the ground to avoid the direct sunlight, now sitting in the reflected light. The room was basic, what I could see of it was plain and simple.
It turned a corner in front of me, presumably there was a toilet or maybe a shower. The bed was in the corner of the room, shrouded by darkness.

  I turned and watched the two men with their malevolent grins turn to leave the room.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Unknown man number one turned as he gripped the handle for the door, his dark grin turning into a pout.

  “Oh there are numerous reasons but none that I wish to divulge. I am not the fool that thinks he can lord it over his captive, regaling her with his plans and unwittingly revealing his intentions. No, there will be no bed time stories tonight, pretty princess.”

  The door slammed shut and I was alone in the darkness. Or at least, I thought I was alone. Turns out they had been busy abducting another person. His chains rattled as he moved into the light, a face that I did not recognise.

  “Who are you?”

  “Dane.” He whispered wearily. “Are you the elf princess?”

  I nodded and watched him climb out of the darkness of the metal bed and onto the floor. The chain was around his ankle, keeping him tethered to the bed. He would have once been a stocky young man, now he looked like he hadn't been fed for a few days. His eyes were tired, his appearance was listless. The clothes he wore were reasonable but they looked dull and ratty. Clearly he had been here for a while.

  “I know what they are up to.” He whispered as he kneeled in front of me. “You know that the vampires were cursed and cast into this dimension by the first elf?”

  “Yes. The curse has been broken.”

  He nodded and darted his eyes to the door, then back to me. “When the first elf banished the beast, he cursed it as well. They have their own to break and tonight they intend of making it happen.”

  “How?” I whispered frantically.

  “By making the rose procreate with the only living descendant of the beast, which is me.”

  “But I'm already pregnant.” I whispered.

  Dane shrugged. “The battle wages on regardless of whether its inside or outside of the womb. It is believed that when I uh, you know, unload…” He blushed hard. “The uh, boys will sense the vampire in the child and will kill it.”

  He moved as close as he could, now the chain was tight as he sat near me. “Look I'm going to tell you something that you will find beneficial but it doesn't mean that it's going to help you. There is more than one way to get pregnant these days.” He rolled his eyes and then cleared his throat. “Okay, so uh… you don't do anything for me.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him and looked at him like he had said the world was flat.

  “I'm gay.” He whispered. “But they don't know that and somehow I don't think they will care. They'd probably make me jerk into a cup and then have a turkey baster shoved up you and yeah…” He sighed. “I have known about this since I was a pup, I have hidden myself away from their world knowing that I was their only option. But still they found me and I've been here for a long time.”

  “Really?” I gasped.

  He nodded sadly and I felt terrible for him, instantly I wanted to be free of this place and to take Dane with me.

  “What's the curse?”

  “The curse was a forgiveness of the original sin, when the fae man that created the beast and set it upon the elf village. The elder elf never blamed the beast, it was a product of a twisted and terrible man but he could not let the terrible crime pass without punishment. As you know the punishment was the banishment into this world and the forgiveness is the opportunity to return, provided they can break the curse.”

  I gasped, wide eyed. “But they have evolved into something worse than the original beast.”

  He nodded ruefully. “But within the curse holds the key to their return. They see it as a return to the motherland, to a place they think they should have never been removed from. When they get there, they are going to pretend that there is no hard feelings but they intend otherwise. They are going to remove the king and his family as retribution for the original sin, they see it as not just the elder fae man's fault but the elves too. The elder elf cast them out of that world, the original lycan blamed the elves too. In you, they see their legitimate claim to the throne. They will force you to marry the direct descendant of the original lycan and produce an heir to the throne. The curse is a little long and hard to remember.”

  He sighed as he readjusted himself on the cold floor. “Creation of the beast to hurt my people, cast unto a land for his crime. Drink upon the blood and feast upon the flesh of whatever you desire, there will not be a food that can harm you. Harbour an anger towards your creator and seek your revenge with his descendants, find a war with the sons of your tormentor. When the time comes for the last born son to find his rose, you can find your return to this land in your new form in this one moment. Find the rose and create your new line, end the life of the last born son. Forgiveness of the original sin will come unto you and you will be allowed one moment to return to this land. The first full moon after the rose has aged to her twentieth year of life or never again shall you walk this land.” Dane paused. “Full moon is tonight. They figure that William will come here and try to rescue you, they will kill him, make us create a life and then open the portal into your world.”

  “And kill my family.” I whispered.

  Dane nodded and looked out the window, the sun was setting fast and the clock was ticking on William's arrival. I had to stop him from coming here and stop the lycans from killing my family, but how?

  He moved closer and took my wrist, rubbing the mark my mother had given me. “It would be wise not to remove the cuffs, for the sake of the vampire. We both know that he will try to rescue you and as much as I'd like to see the whole knight in shining armour thing, I know it's not wise. So we will opt for the warrior in leathers.” He grinned.

  “You aren't like them, are you?”

  He shook his head with a small laugh and a big smile. “My mother was impregnated by force, she escaped from my father and hid from him never realising that she was pregnant to him until it was too late. She always said that she would have never gotten rid of me but sometimes I think it would have been for the best, you know?” He shrugged sadly. “Anyway she alerted the lycan task force as to the location of my father and the rest of his group and watched with pure happiness as they were all killed.”

  “Do you resent her or the cops?”

  “No way.” He scoffed. “My mother did it to protect me and herself but the problem is, I smell like them. I can't change or at least I don't know how to. My mother always said it was because I wasn't raised around them that I don't know how to be one nor can I understand them. I can't sympathise for their cause either. I don't want to go to your world, I like this one. I have great friends and uh…” He grinned as he shyly looked up from my arm. “A boyfriend. I couldn't take him with me, I'd have to pretend that I'm this great lycan warrior when in reality I'm just a fireman that's happy to live his days out here and nothing more.”

  “We need to escape.” I whispered. “Do you know the layout, where we are?”

  He shook his head. “They drugged me because I fought them too much. Woke up here and that's it.”

  Dane kept rubbing my arm, the glow of the marking was burning bright. “How about a story to pass the time?”

  “Sure.” I grinned.

  “This is a tale about a child, a beautiful creation from the love of two people who should have been adversaries. Their people had never fully recovered from the a terrible deed that was committed at the birth of their world and they have always had their differences. They knew that with time their world would heal and it would be a good place to live but to birth a child that was a mix of both of their kinds was not wise. So the two lovers sought the safety of the next dimension to birth their child, to let her grow in the safety of anonymity. She was placed into the care of two kind people, to be raised alongside their son. But as soon as the child's parents left for their own world, a darkness shrouded the kind people.
The child was stolen from her carers and placed upon the steps of the church in the hope that she would disappear into the human world, never to be seen again. Little did the thief realise that his efforts to remove the rose would hinder his kinds return to the home world. They were yet to realise they had their own curse to lift.”

  Dane chuckled. “They claim that it was a rogue lycan who did not know of the curse and thought he was doing his people justice but all he has done is created a nightmare. He had the rose in his hands, he could have kept her and raised her and all of their problems would have been solved. But it wasn't to be. The elder lycans had kept their own curse a secret, not wanting to cause a fuss with the younger ones. Sometimes they can be quiet stupid, like the one that stole the rose. So she was gone, disappeared into the depths of human society and the lycans gave up hope of returning to their home world. The carers were never seen again either, their son lost into the human world as well.”

  Dane rubbed under his nose. It seemed like a nervous twitch, though it was rather cold in here and it wouldn't surprise me if he was suffering an illness.

  “Those that stole her knew that killing her would not help their cause, the blood of a royal elf would glow bright upon their skin if they murdered her. All they wanted was to stop the last born vampire from finding his rose, they did not realise that her future would never stray from the orphanage she was placed into. They expected someone to adopt the newborn child. They assumed that their plan had worked until one day, an adult lycan happened upon a young woman who glowed bright from her heart. A golden glow that told him he stood before his own nightmare. He attempted to pursue her but she held no interest in him and when she found him in his beast state, she confronted him and begged for death. The adult lycan feared her, he knew that he could not kill her so he swiped her stomach and hoped it would give him enough time to be free of her.”

  Dane grinned as he continued to rub the mark, the dirty strands of once beach blonde hair hung into his eyes. As much as I knew what he was doing was a good thing, it still burned hard against my skin. It was only a matter of time before my mother stormed this place and killed every lycan in sight. I hoped that she would spare my fellow captive and not impale him without questioning why he was in the cell with me.