Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1)

by T. M. Watkins

  “So he went to his elder and told him that their plan had failed and that the rose was still in their city, far too close to the last born vampire. That was when another elder told them of their own curse and they were jubilant that they had found the rose. They set out to retrieve her but found that she was in a human hospital, cared for by a branch of the government that their kind despised. Momentarily they backed away in the hope that the government agency would release the rose back to her own residence. Darkness shrouded the rose and her true nature became hidden because of a terrible deed from her past, even the best seers could not tell what she truly was. Pain and suffering cloaked the golden glow and would remain until someone showed her that there was goodness in this world. When the lycans searched for her again, they found that the rose had been placed within the care of the one vampire that they sought the end of. Their pitiful attempts at ending his life had left a sour taste in their mouth, the one that could stop their return to their motherland now had the key to the end of his own curse. Now that the rose was in hiding, in the care of the last born vampire, the lycans knew that their time was running out.

  He huffed as he stopped rubbing my arm, the glow was pulsating and I knew what it meant. I had questioned my mother about it, after learning from Nick that I could rub it and activate the beacon, I knew that I had to learn more about it. Pulsating meant that she had got the message that I was in danger and she was tracking me.

  ”Becoming desperate, they regrouped and formulated a plan, one that had them hire a mercenary to lure out the rose. It failed and ended in her death but in the land of limbo, death refused her knowing that her time was not done. Her love for the last born vampire had already begun to swell, the curse was breaking. When the mercenary failed, the lycans tried to remove the rose themselves. Never did they realise that she was so valiant, taking after her warrior mother, she was far greater than they were. They knew they needed help and sought out a scorned witch, one that loved and hated the last born vampire. She agreed to help them retrieve the rose and as payment she would get to keep the last born vampire for her own purpose. The witch failed, thwarted by her own stupidity and greed for the lust that she imagined the last born vampire would give her. Even though she was a strong witch, the rose cut her down where she stood and ended her pitiful existence. When the lycans realised that the witch had failed, again they regrouped and formulated another plan. This one was a moment of opportunity, even in the witches failure she managed to strike a blow to the rose.“

  I leaned back on the wall as Dane started to wrestle with the metal links that joined the bar to the cuffs. He let out a pained sigh as he continued to talk.

  “The last born vampire could not remember the rose, his memory of her wiped by a chant of the mind. His own stubbornness caused a great rift between himself and the rose and she left his care. This moment of opportunity was watched from a short distance, a young lycan pup had been sent to watch over the house and report what was going on. He sent word to his elder that the rose and the last born vampire had parted ways on terms that were not good and that it was an ideal time to strike with their new plan. The pup saw the lingering gaze that the employee of the government agency cast over the rose, he could see the affection that the young man held for her. The lycans moved swiftly, finding the young man's weak spot, his sister. She was abducted and held to ransom, all the young man had to do was get close to the rose and lure her into a position of easy access for the lycans. But again, the rose was too smart for them. She swiftly dealt with the lycan before her and was free from them before it had even begun.”

  Something on the other side of the cell door caught his attention though I could not hear a thing. It was possible that he had good hearing but he said nothing about it and just looked at the door. After a few seconds he returned with a soft smile and continued to talk.

  “Again, the lycans regrouped and thought out their next move. They took notes on all of their failings and devised a plan. They noted that the rose had her own personal protection, one that could handle their kind without an issue. He had been momentarily incapacitated during the previous scuffle and was now out of the picture. The government agency now believed that they had the ringleader in the group and the lycans were happy to let him think that, ensuring that he remained out the way of any future attempts to capture the rose. All that was left was the warrior mother and the last born vampire. With time that passed, the lycans watched in the shadows. They watched as the rose took her birthday present out to see the last born vampire. Attempts to capture her during the journey there were stopped because of her penchant to push the birthday present to it's very limit. Instead, they waited until she was in the house and broke into her car and waited. And that brings us to the end of the story.”

  “That was a mighty fine story.” I grinned.

  “Why thank you my lady.” He tipped his head.

  “How did you know so much?”

  “Tales from my mother who just happens to be a seer and that of course makes me one too, so I can see lots of things. Just the past so don't be thinking I can get you tomorrows lottery numbers.”

  I laughed, Dane looked up at me with a smile. He was definitely too sweet for the plans the lycans had for him.

  “They talk about the past and telling me the history so that I can regale my children with the glorious return of my kind. They've been gloating at how well they have been doing but I figured it wasn't as great as what they were making out.” He rolled his eyes with a grin. “I figured if they were as good as they think they are, they would have got you at the first attempt.”

  I nodded with a wry smile as Dane continued to do something at the cuffs.

  “There, I think that should do it.”

  I lifted my hands and the bar fell away leaving the cuffs around my wrists. Dane was right about leaving them on, if they wanted to kill William then it was best he was at home and far away from here. But as the night started to descend upon us, I knew that he would be leaving for the apartment. My mother was already on her way, probably with Lonna and maybe a whole lot more of her guards. Or maybe she might be yelling at William for allowing me to leave the house without company. Maybe he might yell back, telling her that she let me leave the apartment without my guard. Either way, it wasn't going to be happy families tonight.

  Chapter Eighty-three

  With much dismay I watched as the last of the sunlight faded from the land. Where my mother was I didn't know but it had me worried. I could only hope that she was planning something with Lonna and that someone was restraining William somewhere safe. Because I knew that he would have to be stopped from coming here, he wouldn't rest until I was safe again. The glow on my arm was still glowing, pulsating in the darkening room. I sat on the floor where I had once been tethered, the cuffs were still around my wrist and the bar was a play toy for me now. Dane was still chained to the bed, I couldn't figure out how he could pull my restraint to pieces yet he couldn't do anything for himself. Of course, that was just this poor naïve girl who knew nothing of the big wide world. Apparently this thing, the cuffs and the bar that once sat in between them wasn't designed for actually restraining someone that would want to get away. No, this naughty piece of equipment was designed for those that wanted to be restrained and have things done to them by another person. I was rather clueless, Dane just grinned at me and said that it was probably best that I remained that way. But the fact that they had it meant that it was more than just preplanned, it meant that they had put a lot of thought into my abduction. His story that was a retelling of my life showed how much effort they did put into this, how desperate they really were.

  A cold wind whirled through the tiny window, Dane shivered as he moved up onto his bed and grabbed a blanket.

  “I can't reach you over there so if you're cold you need to come to me. Sorry.” He said with a pained grin.

  “I'm okay, you use it to keep warm.”

  I began to worry for him, he looked like he wou
ld be in trouble soon if he didn't get out of here. As I rubbed the mark on my arm I huffed, hoping that my mother would arrive soon. Within the next minute would be ideal. Then a terrible thought struck me, what if something happened? What if the lycans were prepared for her attempt to rescue me. I believed that my mother would be victorious in any battle but the fact that she was taking so long had me worried. Dane was curled into a ball under the blanket, shivering from the cold. I couldn't understand why they would treat one of their own so poorly. Then again, he was probably considered an outcast for shunning their way of life, for trying to hide from them. They were just using him to get into the next world and I figured once they had what they wanted, Dane would be dead.

  I tried not to shiver, thinking of the hottest place I could think of. The underworld was pretty warm, nothing like what I imagined the infernos of hell would be like of course but it could be considered paradise compared to this little cell. I traced S.O.S over the glowing beacon, unsure if it meant or did anything but boredom had struck me. Dane sat up on the bed, casting the blanket off his body. His head snapped to the door and he stared at it. I was internally jumping for joy, thinking that my mother was finally here.

  “Company?” I whispered.

  “I don't know.” He returned as he frowned.

  Then he whimpered, scrabbling back over the bed to shrink himself into the corner. The blanket fell to the floor and I don't think Dane could get himself wedged against the wall any more than he was. The cell door flung open, smashing against the wall behind it. Bits of wood splintered off as the door cracked in half, unnamed man number one burst into the room. As he glared at Dane and then to the mark on my arm, his nails scratched over the wood, gouging long lines into it.

  “You fool!” He snarled as he crossed the little room. “Do you not wish for our people to return to our home world?”

  Dane said nothing as the man hauled him to his feet, ripping the chain from the bed and hauling him out of the room. My yelling and protesting did nothing, unnamed man number two came in and dragged me to my feet, removing me from the room. As they walked ahead of us I could hear the other guy yelling at Dane. From the few words that I heard, I could hear that their little plan was falling to pieces because of what Dane had done.

  A light flicked as we passed under it, the corridor was dark and cold. The grip on my arm was brutal, he was determined to cause pain. I could feel the nails digging into my skin, the scent of blood sent my mind into a haze. As I soaked in the smell, I dreamily smiled as my head became light and airy.

  “Snap out of it.” The man grumbled as he snapped his fingers in front of my face. “No going vamp on me elf.”

  “Such a pity.” I smiled darkly at him. “I've tasted lycan before, not the greatest but it would do in a pinch.”

  “Shut up.” He snarled.

  As we passed under another light I could see a bead of sweat trickle down over his temple, with another deep breath I could smell fear. He was scared, of me? Or was this something else, like my mother perhaps? His heart was beating hard and I could feel the frenetic thumping in my head. Hunger was beginning to burn through me.

  “Just a little bite for the road? I won't take much, I promise.”

  I fluttered my eyes at him as he stopped and looked at me. Limited light shone through from the end of the corridor, enough for me to see that he was beginning to panic.

  “One quick bite.” I whispered as I put my hand on his firm chest, pushing him to the bricked wall behind. “I am a good girl, I won't drink all of it.”

  His mouth parted as he stared at me, his breathing had become shallow.

  “I might even let you put your arms around me.” I giggled as I looked up into his eyes. “I won't protest too loudly.”

  My hand trailed down his chest and over his abdominal muscles that were just as firm.

  “What do you say?”

  His mouth opened and I could have sworn I saw a smirk that indicated that I had won.

  “Hayana snap out of it you fool!”

  I narrowed my eyes at the other man who was standing at the end of the corridor.

  “She's trying to lure you, don't agree to anything she wants.” He snarled.

  As he turned away and returned to berating Dane, I looked at my almost victim and shrugged with a coy smile.

  “Can't blame a girl for trying. So, how 'bout it, offering a neck?”

  “Go to hell.” He snarled as he grabbed my arm again and dragged me out to the main part of the warehouse.

  The room was a double height red bricked warehouse that was void of everything except the van. Windows sat high, they were murky and revealed nothing but the slow rise of the night. Some of the windows had been smashed away, allowing for the cold wind to whistle into the vast room.

  As I looked at the other guy I could see another set of the cuffs with the bar in between. I didn't want to be cuffed again, my hands were free and I wanted it to remain that way. And surprisingly, they hadn't removed my blades which I found really odd. Were they so stupid that they didn't think that I would carry one? Or two? I reached under my jacket and found the blade that was strapped to my body under my shirt and pulled it out, swiping it outwards and across the stomach of the guy that was restraining me. I had caught him completely unaware, shock still played out on his face. Blood splattered out, a sickening squelch sound pierced the almost quiet evening air. It was quiet once the other guy realised that I was carrying a blade, he was no longer berating Dane, instead he watched completely shocked. I rammed the blade into the chest of the guy, not thinking about it just getting it done. His body fell to the oil slicked floor, blood pouring out everywhere.

  The silence of the night was marred by the sounds of Dane and his muffled cries of help. He was pushed into the van and our captor slammed the door shut hard, crumpling it so that Dane could not open it. I watched in horror as he pushed the van against the wall, trapping Dane completely. There was no escape for him, no coming out to help me unless he figured out how to change into the beast and ripped the door off for himself. I knew that Dane would not do that, not only because he didn't want to be the beast but because he didn't know how. An ear piercing roar bellowed through the warehouse, the sounds of a man changing into a lycan.

  The flesh peeled away as the fur bristled, slicked with a sheen that glistened from the overhead industrial lights. He doubled in his size, standing on his back legs that were thick and muscular. His head shook hard as the last of the transformation took place, the jaw lengthening and growing with huge sharp teeth. I stared up into the pitiless black eyes that rippled with anger, saliva slipped through the fang filled maw. It wasn't two like the vampires, he had an entire mouth of fangs. I watched the oversized wolf like creature slowly walk towards me, the first step seemed to be the hardest for him, almost like he had to take his time with his new form.

  “Prinnnccesssss.” It slurred and hissed.

  I could see Dane at the passenger window of the van, his eyes rippled red and I knew that he was going to be in trouble soon. If he changed and my mother turned up, she would kill him without hesitation.

  “Fight it Dane! Don't let the beast take hold.”

  He blinked and his eyes returned to their deep green colour, he banged on the window yelling something at me. The beast turned to him and snarled, Danes eyes went black.

  “Obeeedient wh-hell-p.”

  Instantly Dane was subdued and stopped banging on the window, looking at me with pure black eyes. Sadness filled him, he knew that he was becoming the beast that he did not want to become and that with this lycan in his beast form, I was in trouble. The only problem was with this new lease on life I wasn't prepared to accept my fate as this lycan wanted me to. I had a child within me to protect, William and my parents would be doing their damnedest to get here to save me and even though Dane was altering to the beast, I felt the need to protect him too. I barely knew him yet I had the compulsion to save him. He was too sweet for this fate, he had tried to
free me even though it was going against his own kind.

  As the beast slowly lumbered his way to me, I pulled the blade from his dead friend in preparation for using it on him. His lip rippled with a sneer as I pulled it out of the chest, clearly he didn't like it.

  “Aww? Did your friend die?”

  I slammed the blade back into the body, the lycan in front of me roared with a howl. It snarled at me as I pulled the blade out again, it was joined by the other blade on my body.

  “Foolish lycan, did you forget to check me for weapons?” I taunted him.

  My eyes darted to Dane who was wordlessly gesturing to me. His hand tapped his heart and then drew a line over his neck. I understood, impale him through the heart and then cut his throat. Testing the thoughts on the dead man at my feet, I watched the lycan as he slowly rounded me. He growled hard when I slammed the blade into the heart, the sound of the squelching was stomach churning. But it was going to get worse, I had to slice it's throat. I had respect for the dead, or at least those that deserved respect. The man at my feet, he did not deserve my respect. He had abducted Dane and myself with the intention of forcing us into something that neither of us wanted and at the end of it all, he would kill my family. There was no respect here and so with that in mind I swiped the blade over his neck. Blood splattered a long line across the floor, squirting everywhere including me. Now I was covered in lycan blood, splattered and dripping in the intoxicating yet oddly gross scent. The beast growled harder than before as his fur stood on end, the flap of skin that was his upper lip rippled as he snarled at me.

  “Your turn.” I sneered at it.