by Kassie Cox
A Luna’s
Curse
Kassie Cox
To the dreamers.
For the people who followed a path that everyone else questioned.
To those who believe in us, when we cannot believe in ourselves.
In dedication to a life that was lost, a soul taken to soon, and a young man that will never be forgotten.
Thank you for bringing happiness to my town.
Nate was a true light. A shining soul.
An unforgettable presence.
Watch over your town, your team, and your family.
#33
Chapter 1
The soldier beside me dropped to his knees, crying and retching as the scene before him registered. Many others followed the man to the ground, a crowd of soldiers on their knees around me. The stench of burning flesh and the sound of the beasts begging for their lives was something these men and women would never forget, and it would most likely haunt them until their last day.
My eyes tried not to stray from the large steel door that had been placed on this home as a protective shield against those who wanted in. I presumed the wolves never imagined that we’d use their fortress as a cage.
Screaming continued for longer than I preferred, as the dark settled, and the temperature is steadily dropped. I’ve never been much for the cold nor the heat if I’m being entirely honest. Picky, I seemed to be content in almost nothing. Our Queen had told me this more than a handful of times, considering she’d witnessed firsthand my need for perfection in everything. Whether it be the way my food was prepared or the skills I had acquired, I accepted nothing less than perfection.
While her son was taking history and English, I was outside training. I’d learned to fight with precision and was a master at hand-to-hand combat by the age of eleven. After that I’d been sent to the mountains, where I learned an entirely different set of skills with the guild.
Those were valuable years of my life that I wish I’d never endured, but the things I learned while there would give me opportunities and abilities that were just as priceless. My nineteenth birthday had come anything but quickly, and I’d been released—back to the Kingdom that sent me away in the first place.
The years had allowed me time to grow into myself. A few more inches were added in every direction. Toned muscle with the trace of endless scars were the noticeable features of my new body. The purple hair was hard to overlook as well. My first day in the Guild had been spent with me naked on a stone floor being cursed at for the red mane that had adorned my head.
Master hated the color—saying it was the essence of evil and he’d have none of it in his presence. The man chose a dark purple to put into my hair, the color held far better than I wished, and ever since had been one thing I hated about myself.
The King adored the color, demanding I keep it this way until he tired of it. Four years later, and it hasn’t bothered him yet.
As the house finally crumbled, large clouds of black smoked billowed into the sky, and my eyes drifted away from watching for survivors as I soaked in the scene. Something about fire had always rubbed me the wrong way. The smell of smoke, the look of a flame, hell, even the word made my skin prickle.
Not many things did.
I turned away from the less-than-beautiful view, motioning for the tear-stained guards to get their shit together so we could hit the road. It was good that this land now belonged to us, as we had wanted to expand a few things for the sake of the King.
He hated having the entire guard living within the walls, and even though I had a good handle on them, it was practically impossible to keep them from being rowdy at times. We planned to build a living quarter for them, with private training grounds and whatever else they may need to keep them from the King’s view.
Although that was a fantastic plan for us, the wolves from other packs would have heard and smelled the murder we’d just committed by now. It was imperative that we got away from the scene as quickly as possible.
I’d fought these beasts before, and I certainly didn’t want to again, not when over half of my soldiers had never come face to face with one of their kind.
“We need to be out of the trees before any other animals show up, so get to your feet and get this done.” My voice was hard, making those around scatter to their positions. We grabbed the weapons we’d dropped and made sure to throw any left-over bottles of lighter fluid into the fire. The sound of well over one hundred soldiers stomping through the forest was likely to scare away anything within earshot. I could only hope we made it to the edge of the territory before the wolves found what we had done.
It wasn’t fear that ran through me at the thought of the wolves catching up with us; it was laziness. I was ready to get to the castle, brief my King on what had happened, and shower. I’d had far too many bugs on me today, and the smell of smoke would not be easy to rid from my hair. We made the walk without speaking.
Most of the soldiers I’d brought with me had been unaware of those we’d be slaughtering tonight, and I was decently thankful that we’d gotten to trap them. I was unsure my soldiers could’ve killed women and children if they had sobbed at the sounds of burning.
Those around me sniffled and kept their heads down, uncaring of the dangers that could be only a few feet away at any moment.
They took pity on the beasts we’d just brought down as if those savages wouldn’t have done the exact same thing to us had they been in the same position. Without empathy, I suppose my choice was easier to make than theirs, for I could not feel for those we’d just demolished. I cared not for how their last moments felt, nor did I care that their children would never grow up and make a family of their own.
This was why I was the Head of The King’s Guard. Those hard decisions were nothing to me, a simple press of a button in a way. The images of those dying wolves wouldn’t be what kept me up at night.
Becoming head of the Guard had been easier than I’d expected. Once I’d returned at nineteen, Valor had me promoted within three months, after I’d adjusted to living in the castle that was. It had been hard, learning to sleep on a fluffy bed with pillows and eating things with flavor again. I’d wake up at three in the morning thinking someone was going to pour cold water on me as they once had, and I’d be half awake throughout the night waiting to fight for my life as I’d become accustomed to. When the Queen had chosen a guild for me, she’d picked one that should’ve been my end. She had known the torture tactics they used to make perfect killers, and they had not spared me.
My bones were broken when technique wasn’t precise; my shoes were taken away when I walked or breathed a bit too loudly. Master had made sure that every lesson was engrained into my very being. I’d never make a mistake again.
Valor’s mother had been aware of the death trap she’d sent me to, and upon my return, she’d pretended to know nothing of what happened. Valor had cursed her up and down, eventually falling into her fake act as she had promised she’d never have sent me if she’d known the way they taught perfection.
The scars webbed across my back, chest, arms. The symbols engraved into my body. Everything was a reminder of the hatred that the woman seemed to harbor for me. At first, I thought they were trying to beat the emotions back into me, telling me that if I cried the pain could end.
I wouldn’t say the guild had left an emotional impact on me, as it seemed that was an impossible feat. Instead it messed with the way I thought and naturally reacted to most things.
I didn’t fear those people would come for me and hurt me. Instead, it was as if my body was always on high alert. The fear couldn’t be released so it turned into being ready. I would never be caught off guard.
When the first beast flew past the tree line that we’d jus
t escaped, my dagger was ready as it soared into me. The hit itself was hard, but my blade imbedded itself into his stomach, and with a quick pull I cut through the dog. It fell to the ground with a yelp. Its insides fell at my feet as those around me thrust themselves into battle with the ravenous animals.
I took a moment to look at our predicament, and although I preferred to stand and fight if getting my men past that border line saved more than half their lives, then I’d take the coward’s way out. The King had been incredibly clear that very few could die on this trip.
My eyes immediately recognized that although we outnumbered them, the large creatures were sure to be stronger and faster than us. The battle would not end well for my Guard.
“Fall back!” I called out to my soldiers, not one of them questioning the order as they fought the mutts off. Slowly but surely, we made our way. Once we began our retreat, it seemed the wolves were just teasing us, snapping their jaws and growling. They practically herded us toward the territory line they would never cross unless they wanted a true war.
One stood out more than the rest. The fur on him was blacker than night, his body at least fifty pounds heavier than the others. He was certainly the leader. When the large golden eyes landed on me, he came to a stop just as my feet cross the imaginary line that separated our lands.
A long growl erupted as he began running toward us, eyes locked on me as he gained speed.
The soldiers around me gasped as the large beast came to an abrupt stop only a few feet in front of us. Something inside of me hummed as I took in large breaths, the cold air showing the release of air.
The animal in front of me huffed and puffed, stomping his front legs as he motioned for me to cross back to him. A whine left his mouth as well.
“That land belongs to the King now. I suggest you leave it soon, or we’ll have another pack to rid ourselves of.” For the first time in my life I had trouble forcing the threat through my lips. Those golden eyes stayed glued to me. With a flick of my hand, I motioned for the rest of the Guard to move away from the scene, heading straight for the castle as I kept my eyes on the animals.
About twenty of them scattered themselves, less than a step behind the one I suspected to lead them. I did my best to keep my expression neutral as I stood before them, a bloodied dagger clenched in my hand—tightly enough to make my knuckles white.
I had not witnessed any of my men being injured, but I was very sure that this would not be the last time I saw these animals.
They would seek retribution for the one they’d lost to my hand.
A slight ache in my chest forced me to take a precautionary step back, and without another word, I turned from the beast whose heated gaze I felt on my back all the way to the castle. I’m sure the King was going to enjoy hearing about this.
Chapter 2
The last person I expected to see waiting for me beside the King was his mother. The short, skeletal woman had a strange look on her face as she looked over my blood-covered frame. Those beady eyes surveyed every part of me, eventually finding the dripping dagger that I still had clenched in my left hand. The soldiers continued to walk into the castle, a few letting out little sniffling cries.
I would be sure to add in a few more drills during training over the next few weeks, as this kind of weakness could not be shown again by my crew.
Valor rushed forward, his expression hard as his hands gripped my shoulders and those eyes gave me a once over. My face stayed indifferent as I continued to make eye contact with the Queen, curious as to what was running through that rational little head of hers.
Compared to her late husband and her current King, the woman did seem more levelheaded. Perhaps merciful was a better word. She preferred less killing and more treaties, but her ways were not often followed.
The blood on my hands was for the King’s enjoyment of ruining his enemies in a more permanent way than most agreed with. Although the Queen had her softer side, she had been the first to give me an order to kill.
I must admit the first death I’d caused was a bit of a shocker for me, as I had never seen so much blood in my life. The entire scene had been barbaric, and after that, I became much better at what I’d be doing for the rest of my life because of the experience.
“Is any of this yours? Why do you smell like smoke? Did you get them all?” His questions came out quicker than I could answer them, but I did my best to take note of each. I finally moved my gaze from the strange woman to the ground between Valor and me.
“We trapped them in their home and burnt the entire place to the ground. The only issue we ran into was another pack coming to their aid, but they were far too late and didn’t get the chance to hurt any of our men.” Valor lightened his grip on me, and I took a cautious step back as I waited for his response.
“Where did the blood come from? Did the Alpha try to protect the pack?” Mirela made her way to us, her voice lighter than usual as she inquired for details of a murder, she’d begged us not to commit. The woman had been on her knees, giving us reason after reason not to kill the entire pack. That had obviously been a failed attempt on her part. I could still smell the dead flesh as if I were standing in front of those ruins once more.
“The beastly man I met the other day, do you mean him? The one who spit in our King’s face and declared war on this land?” My words were more to taunt her than anything else. A laugh almost escaped my mouth at the hilarity of it. She just gave a sharp nod and I smiled, being sure to show my teeth. “He barricaded them all in. He and his black-haired woman hid like cowards along with the other dogs. They burned in their own self-made cage.”
The only answer I received was a tilt of her head, and then, she quickly turned away, her heels clicking as she walked into the castle. My eyes followed her; my interest peaked as she had never been much on specifics regarding my missions.
“I’m sure you are exceptionally tired. We can speak more of this in the morning perhaps.” Valor began ushering me into the castle, but as usual, I made sure he was through the doors before me. He was always to be in my sights.
I’d learned how easily someone could get to our King, and I knew that without me, the poor man would never survive an attack. He could do numbers and make decisions until the end of time, but he was not blessed with any instincts on the battlefield. I was required to be with him at almost all times unless I was on a mission or he was in his chambers. Our rooms were right next to one another, so he was never far.
As we made our way through the different rooms, I caught sight of a few maids, their heads kept low as we walked by them. Most of the workers in the castle were older, as the Queen kept any women around Valor’s age away from this place for the Queen’s sanity, the King’s reputation, and the need to keep my kills to a minimum.
It was well known that I didn’t take disrespect lightly in any form, and the King seemed to have a type—sassy little bitches with red hair. I’d thrown my fair share of naked women from this castle. My reputation wasn’t to be worried about, but the King’s love life wilted once women caught wind that his little Guard liked to throw out his leftovers.
“Do you believe there will be a retaliation from the wolves?” Valor seemed to be bursting at the seams with curiosity. I had known he wouldn’t be able to wait until morning. Instead of answering, I made my way into my room, his footsteps trailing behind me as he waited for my response.
Immediately, the tension I’d felt throughout the day dissipated. The smell of vanilla and the cackling of my fireplace exerted a calmness over my being as I placed myself into my cushioned chair. Valor made his way to my perfectly folded bed and plopped himself at the end of it.
His eyes never left me.
“I won’t pretend to know the answer to that question, but if they do retaliate, I have no doubt that we will take care of the issues with very few casualties.” I kept my words short and to the point, hoping that would be the end of his curiosity.
“Your crew didn’t seem to tak
e the burning of an entire pack well.” Humor laced his tone, and I did my best to give him a laugh. It was often hard for me to interact with others in a correct and formal way. Even though I’d been dealing with other people’s emotions and reactions for twenty-three years, it still wasn’t easy for me to mirror others. Laughing doesn’t come naturally to me, as humor fell short with me in every instance. I didn’t smile unless it is for more of a mocking manner, and my overall excitement level seemed nonexistent. I felt nothing, and those who spent more than five minutes around me could tell.
I was never happy, sad or riddled with guilt. Anger was something I had a little experience with, however, as it was the only emotion I imagined has managed to have flown through my veins at some point.
“They’ll be getting a few words from me come tomorrow’s training.” My words are spoken lazily, as I had little energy for this business. My shower was practically screaming my name. “Have the men come back from the mission in the mountains yet?”
“Not yet, and I’m a little worried. It’s possible those fools went and froze to death.” He chuckled at the thought. The King had sent a group of eight to find new territory for us, something that we wouldn’t have to take from anyone. It was an easy mission and what was supposed to take a week or less was now nearing ten days.
Silence fell between us as I stared into the fire. Had it not been so damn cold outside, I would’ve never been near the flames, although their sound had a strange effect on me. The winter always forced me into uncomfortable circumstances it seemed.
My mind ran a bit, and I closed my eyes and quieted my breathing as my body sank farther into the chair.
Valor sat only a few feet away, his breathing deep. The King often said it looked as though I was dead when I’d sleep in front of him. The lack of sound and movement was horrifying to see. I saw it as an accomplishment as it meant that even in unconsciousness, my body was trying to protect itself. My dreams always focused on training or battles, and it was interesting to know that although my dreams were full of action, my body stayed calm and collected to those on the outside.
