He was coming up the stairs. I couldn’t let him see me like I was. He wouldn’t understand why my top was covered in blood, why my stomach still gaped open. He’d panic, not listen to reasoning. He’d think it was Lucian.
Too late, as dad began to turn the handle. Wrapping my mother’s old throw around me I opened the door.
“Hi Dad” I smiled.
“Taylor!” My dad gasped as he ushered me over to the bed. “What on Earth happened? We need to get you to the hospital now!” I hadn’t realised the bloody bite mark from Lucian was visible.
“No, no hospitals, Dad,” I said as he hugged me, and the throw dropped to the floor.
“Taylor, you’re bleeding. Quick, we need help. Who did this to you?” He panicked.
“I’m fine, Dad, it’s already healing, see?” I showed him as the wound slowly knitted back together.
“But...how?”
“There is a lot you don’t know,” I said. “I’ll be fine soon, please don’t worry.”
“Did Lucian do this?” he demanded.
“No, no, not at all, Dad. He brought me here to get you and Caleb. We need to leave. Pack some clothes.”
“No, Taylor, you need help! What was it? Is it in the house?” he asked, straightening his back up, clearly looking for a weapon.
“No, Dad, you're safe with me, with Lucian. We need to leave. Please help me up.”
He might not have understood what was going on, but he did understand his pleading daughter.
“We can go as long as we get you help.”
“Okay, we will.” I agreed as he hugged me tightly, so tight that my tired limp body started to feel energised, perfected, and supple.
I was fully healing. My dad could stop worrying. I could feel the energy surrounding me, absorbing in to me, bestowing its greatness throughout my body, healing each part of me as it connected me back together again. It lasted only a matter of seconds, as the scent of roses wafted across the room.
My father’s grip wavered as his arms dropped down to his side. His weight shifted, and I gripped hard to keep hold of him. But he was just too heavy. What was happening?
“Dad?” I cried as he fell to the floor.
Bending over him, shaking, I couldn’t stir him at all. “DAD! DAD!” I yelled, but nothing. His heart still beat faintly, but he appeared comatose and in the state of darkness before death takes its hold.
“LUCIAN!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. In a flash, Lucian was out of his car and up the stairs. He pulled me away as he checked for my father’s vital signs.
“He’s still alive, Taylor. What happened?” he asked as he noticed I had fully healed and looking as peachy as ever.
“He hugged me.” I wept “That’s all he did, just hug me.”
“Were you still injured before he hugged you?”
“Yes, I, I, I just didn’t know, Lucian!” I cried.
“We must get him back to the clan immediately,” Lucian said as he carried him to the car. I followed them out and then realised I couldn’t leave Caleb alone. He would be back any minute, and with the Beast out there, he wasn’t safe.
“I have to stay for Caleb!” I cried through the tears. “Please, save my dad.”
I wept as I reached for the phone to dial Caleb to come home immediately. There was no answer. I left a distorted message, as Lucian drove off at a rapid speed. He had vowed to be back immediately, knowing I was a target on my own.
I fell to the floor, sobbing. In a house, my home, the home where I had nearly killed my own father. When would my abilities start helping people? I felt like I was death to all mortals who loved me.
The minutes ticked by as I awaited the return of Lucian. No one was answering their phones at the Darkwaters, so I didn’t have a clue as to what was going on.
Harland let himself in and knelt beside me, cradling my tears away. Lucian must have called him. He was here, someone was here.
“It’ll be okay, Taylor,” he said softly.
We had a bond, different to any other. Not just a close friendship, but something more. He was like the friend I’d never had, the lover I could never be with. He was my second perfect person in the whole world in that moment.
“Taylor, you’re safe with me. We’ll find Caleb, don’t cry,” he whispered in my ear as I cried deeper into his chest. “It’ll all be okay in the end. You have to believe that.”
A car shrieked to a stop outside, footsteps pounded the pavement as Lucian burst through the door.
“He’s alive, Taylor, your dad’s alive.”
“He is?” I asked. He pulled me up to stand before him.
“Yes. Lawrence is on his way back from York, now. Your dad’s resting and we’ll figure out what’s happening soon. Try not to worry,” he said, holding me close.
“But, what happened?” I asked. “What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Taylor. Your body just has its own way of healing. It preserved itself first.”
“Your dad would want this,” Harland said.
“What? To die?” I yelled. “My dad would think I’m a monster! I nearly killed him!”
“We’re all monsters, love,” Harland said as he walked off to the kitchen.
“He doesn’t understand. He’s very black and white,” Lucian said.
“Yes, but he doesn’t need to be an ass about it.”
“I know you’re angry and upset, and you have every right to be, but this isn’t the best way to handle things. Think about Caleb, we need to get him to safety. We can deal with everything else after that.”
“You’re right,” I said, backing down.
“Lawrence has called Charles, and Eliza is on her way. The best minds in the supernatural realm will be there to help your dad. It’s not your fault and we can fix this.” He smiled, hugging me as I wiped my eyes and smiled back.
Harland had disappeared for some time, off in the kitchen making drinks. I had become aware of his disappearance when he startled me back to reality, yelling at something in the kitchen. Lucian and I looked at each other for a split second before jumping up to help with whatever was happening.
In the kitchen, Harland was backing off as the ground rumbled outside. The floor crumbled and broke apart, opening a chasm across the kitchen floor. Steam escaped as the eruption collapsed the footings of the house around us. The whole place shook in fear, pictures fell from walls and glasses broke as they fell from the cupboard shelves.
“What the fuck is happening now?” Harland yelled. He was certainly angry at whatever supernatural creature was causing the raucous. Other than the fact that my house now stood on a slope, with a gateway to Hell beside it.
Lucian pushed me back as a bony three fingered hand reached out from the ground below. Its claws were over six-inches-long, gleaming in the light of the moon.
“What is it, Harland?” Lucian yelled.
“Fucked if I know!” Harland exclaimed. “I can’t see it.”
Great, just great. Now the ground wanted to eat me as well. It was seriously taking the mick. It had been one thing after the other for the last two years, and all I cared about was finding Caleb and saving my dad. I didn’t have time for whatever that thing was, and I was tired of fighting.
The three of us stood side by side. Lucian tried to force me back, but I wasn’t having any of it. I was fully healed and I would damned well use my father’s energy for something good. It crawled out, and as it did, I came face to face with the Beast. The Beast was seriously grotesque, with flailing limbs and a lava heated core. It was back to its normal size, still twice the size than any of us, as it towered above looking down. At least it couldn’t stand on us anytime soon. Its black ashy body, demonic eyes, and Lycan-type face grinned at us, anticipating our demise.
The Beast's voice exploded.
“YOU!” it bellowed, pointing its bony corpse-like finger in my general direction. It was the epitome of evil, as it hammered at the ground around us, shaking us all from our feet.
My home behind me crumbled as tiles smashed beside me and glass shattered above. The monstrosity caused an earthquake with only the strength of its serrated fists. Lucian and Harland both exchanged a look of knowing, as Harland changed form instantaneously and Lucian leapt into the air, blades drawn, fangs protruding. I would never be more thankful for their monstrous sides than I was at that moment. They both leapt up to tackle the beast, only to be flung to the side with such ease. It looked as though the beast had swatted a fly. Shaking the concussion from their heads, they were up and at it again. In the meantime, as they were flung about left, right and centre, I started to create a fireball, one large enough to consume the beast before me. With the power of the sigil, and my own rarity, I managed an inferno before me, blasting it out to burn the monster to a crisp. But as it flew towards him, it began to howl, it sounded like ferocious laughter as it absorbed every ounce of fire I threw. It appeared to gain power from my energy, as I realised that nothing I did, nothing any of us did, was a match for the being.
So, I crawled backwards, struck down in fear. What could I do to stop the Devil? I was merely a human with a few extra abilities, and I had no clue how to use any of them properly. Looking over, Lucian lay concussed before a fallen tree and Harland was battered and bloody. What could any of us do?
The Beast silenced and turned to face me, its bony hand reached forward, gripping at my leg pulling me down to the pit of Hell beneath it. I screamed, clambering at the ground around me, anything to stop myself from being pulled under. Then I heard it, Caleb’s voice yelled in the background.
“TAYLOR!” He had come home.
He was behind me, trying to grab for my hand, trying to rescue me. I yelled at him to run, but it was too late, my kid brother was stung by the pronged tail of the poisonous being in front of us. He fell to the ground as the monster released my leg. Lucian grabbed me and Harland grabbed Caleb. We ran at full speed, away from the atrocious being, toward the wooded forest beyond.
We had to keep going, but we were all tired and no matter how fast we ran, the thing came at us, clambered at our feet as we leapt out of the way.
“Split up!” Lucian yelled as he took to the trees.
“No, Lucian, my brother!” I yelled, as Harland disappeared in another direction.
“Harland has him, Taylor. He'll get him to our mansion while we run the beast around. Once the clan are here, we can take it out!”
The Beast had gone, though. We were alone, totally and utterly alone, in the dark, in the forest of despair. Where was it? And then I heard it, the whimpering of a howling Beast in the distance. Lucian turned as I screamed Caleb’s name.
Within seconds, we were on top of them as I searched frantically for Caleb. I saw him in the undergrowth ahead, pale and lifeless, riddled by poison. I ran to him, needed to protect him, but the Beast jumped down from the tree above, blocking my path and knocking me aside. It gripped my little brother in his teeth, biting into his lifeless abdomen.
When it leapt off, it took Caleb with him. I screamed and cried in pursuit, but I was simply not quick enough. My little brother, he was gone, taken, bitten, and poisoned. Why would it do such a thing? What did it want from me? How did it know me?
But my body told a tale of many foes. I was an unnatural, wielding the light of Heaven and the darkness of Hell. I’d been touched by the desire of a Femme Fatale, bitten through the love of a dark one, and fed on by the grotesque shadelings. I embodied the supernatural. I was what some would call an abomination, and it was because of me that everyone died. I couldn’t help it, I cried. I needed to release the pain within me. It wasn’t helping the situation, but all I could do was break down. I seemed incapable of protecting myself, let alone anyone else.
“Taylor!” Lucian yelled “We need to get to safety. Harland’s hurt badly.”
Harland was bloody from head to toe, his naked form covered in slashes and bite marks. Lucian picked him up as we headed back to the Darkwater mansion for help.
Luckily, it wasn’t too far. It was sad to think we were so close, and yet so far. We had nearly made it there before the Beast had attacked again. But Lucian was right, it was dark, and Harland was in a bad way. We were no good to Caleb if we were dead.
CHAPTER 20
Arriving at the Darkwater mansion, Lawrence opened the door to greet us, confused by why a Lycanthrope was entering the home of a Dark One.
“She would never forgive me if I left him there,” Lucian said, as he took Harland in to Doctor Charles, who seemed to be living there now.
I ran through, covered in blood, while Lucian explained what had happened. Where was my dad? I needed to find him, needed to check he was okay, safe, and alive. But I was covered in blood, muddied with leaves, with bramble knotted in my hair.
“Taylor, he’s fine. He’s resting. You can’t see him looking like that, go clean up,” Elisha said, pushing me into one of the guest rooms.
“She’s right, you know,” Lucian said, heading in after me.
“I know, I just want to see how he is.”
“He’ll be okay. Charles is there and Eliza’s on her way.”
“But I took his life force, Lucian. I stole my father’s life!” I cried.
“It’s okay,” he said, pulling me in close. “He’ll be okay.”
“You don’t know that! I took years off him,” I said, “I need to give it back.”
“I don’t think you can, Taylor. Elisha said it’s a one-way trip.”
“It can’t be. There has to be a reversal spell or something, anything.”
“Eliza will know. She’ll be here soon,” he said. “If anyone can reverse it, she can.” He gave me hope as he soothed my hair, pulling me closer. It was moments like that when he felt so strong, ready for anything. He was still my protector, always would be.
“Even in the darkest times, you make me smile,” I said.
“If I can get you to smile, even just once, then my day has been worthwhile. You are everything to me, Taylor, I hate to see you this way.”
“I’ll be okay once my dad’s well again and Caleb’s safe. I’ll be okay,” I said in hope. Lucian walked off to get a shower as I sat alone, bloody and muddied.
How can I have hope? Hope for what? Hope that Caleb’s not been torn down piece by piece while I’m sat here doing nothing? What can I do? Everything I do screws up. But what about Caleb? Poor Caleb! There it was, that devastating thought. Where was he? Was he still alive? Could he be saved? Could Caleb overcome this? He was so young. He had no physical strength to fight, but I knew I would fight for him, trade my life for his, if it came to it. He was my baby brother and I wouldn’t let him die on my watch.
I needed to get to him. How could I save him? He’d already been bitten; did that mean he’d change into that thing? The Beast? He can’t, he’s so young, he’d never survive the change. Sarah didn’t, it ripped her apart. Oh God, I can’t, that can’t happen to him. I need to do something, anything. Shit, what can I do? All these powers and I’m useless. How can I save him?
My body trembled as a wail of gut-wrenching sobs tore from my chest. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Nothing I could do would help. Nothing could save my brother. He would die because of me and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. Tears ran from my eyes, my body ruptured, exploding inside as I punched the wall in anger. How could I be so stupid? So naïve? Thinking I could control this, any of this? This life is bigger than me, bigger than any of us, my arrogant naivety will kill us all and my family will suffer because of it. It just isn’t fair, nothing's right in this world. Who the hell thought I was worth something? My mother died because I couldn’t save her, and what... I’m supposed to believe there’s a God? An Adam and an Eve? Where are they right now? Where’s the good side in all this? All I had seen was darkness, the evil. Even the Darkwaters were part of Lilith’s dark side. They were there to keep the balance. But how was that balanced? The bad keep winning and the innocent keep dying. What was righ
t in that?
“Taylor!” Lucian yelled, speeding into the room. He lifted me against him as my body trembled and my cheeks stung with the salty taste of abandonment fleeing through my heart. Lifting my face to greet his, he gazed warmly into my eyes. “I know you’re hurting. I know you’re scared. But you have to stand up, you have to keep going and you will see this through.” He stood me up and held me by my shoulders as Elisha walked in, handing me a tissue.
“That’s enough crying now, Taylor. It’s time to ‘woman up’ and kick its ass!” She grinned. “Now get changed, and I won’t take no for an answer,” she said as she chucked me a new set of clothes and pushed me into the bathroom.
Stifling my tears, I headed over to the shower. It wasn’t often I wanted a cool shower in the middle of winter, but today, today I needed to wake up. See the truth. Wash the pain away. Today I needed to "woman up", just like she said. And she was right. I could do it. I must do it. I didn't need all the powers, all the magic. I could do it as Taylor Lane. Just me alone. I could save my family. I could give the Beast exactly what it wanted. Me.
CHAPTER 21
Entering my father’s room, I tried to smile, tried to remain positive and show that there was still an ounce of hope left within my heart. But I knew. I knew today would be the day I died. Not died like before, that was cheating. But to die alone, watching my kid brother run free. My family would live, love, and dream. They may be sad for a while, mourning their loss, but overtime they’d move on. And the biggest thing of all? They’d smile again, be alive, and be happy.
I couldn’t help but feel an almighty pang of guilt slash through my body. My heart withered as I saw him there. I knew it was my fault. Me and my stupid abilities. I didn’t ask for them, though. They just absorbed right into me and every time they did, the darkness corrupted my soul a little bit more. How much could I take until I lost all humanity, lost the will to live, and destroyed every last person I cared about? I seemed to be able to do that without even trying. Life kept falling down around me and there wasn’t one damn thing I could do about it. Well there was the one thing. The only thing. Die.
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