by Knight
“We wait for these meetings with other races, and if Victoria finds something, we could hunt for them tonight, but I think we should lay low after the meeting. They obviously know someone is on to them,” I suggest and Dawn nods, sitting back.
“Did you get many responses on your phone?” she inquires, leaning into Griffin. I don’t think she even noticed she did it, but he looks down at her like she is breakable and awkwardly drapes his arm over her shoulder. He looks tense and I wonder if he has ever cuddled a girl before. He keeps throwing her worried looks and I can’t help but soften towards him. For all his faults, he has had a hard life and he seems to want happiness but he is not sure how to have it. Like someone might just snatch it away at any time.
“You heard my talk with the wolves, and I am meeting with the fae next week. I also left a message for the vamp queen of the city and the trolls. I managed to get through to the bears and they are happy to convene. I still need to ring Rgar, who is in charge of all the other shifters in the city like rats, snakes, foxes, deer, and so on. Their numbers are low so they tend to band together.” Crossing my legs, I list off as many as I can, wanting Dawn to know a bit more about this world she has found herself in.
“Wow, I guess I never realised how many there are. Okay, why don’t you ring him now, and then we can settle in for the night?” she suggests, like she is forgetting something. After all this, she could use some downtime. I might offer to show her my land or the fae kingdom—of course the fallen will have to come too.
“Of course, Little Monster.” I grin, grabbing my phone and scrolling through my contacts.
“I just realised, I don’t have your numbers...or a phone anymore. I must have lost it in the trousers I was wearing when we flew,” she mutters, her face clouding over, and I know she is thinking about the night she died and everything she lost. As selfish as it sounds, I’m glad it happened. I hate that she was hurt and betrayed, but it brought her to me.
“You can have whatever the fuck you want. Take my phone until we get you a new one phone,” Griffin snaps, pushing it at her, and his panic over her being upset is clearly written on his face.
Her expression clears instantly and she laughs, tilting her head back to see him. He narrows his eyes, looking uncomfortable, but she leans up and kisses him softly. “Thank you, my fallen, but I can just borrow one of yours until I get one.” She passes it back over and he nods, looking away and appearing calmer.
Hitting Rgar’s number, I wait for it to ring. He lives in an old hotel on the other side of town. He owned it originally, but it only took a few reports of rats, which actually turned out to be the cleaners, and the place was shut down. Since then, it’s become a hotel for the other shifters in town and people just tend to stay if they don’t have people or a pack.
“The Bellhop, how may I shift your inquiries,” comes a bored sounding voice.
“I need to speak with Rgar. Please inform him it is No-Cerry,” I grunt and Dawn gasps. I look over and her and Griffin are both trying to hold back their laughter. I wink at her and she giggles, turning her head to Griffin and mouthing, “Cerry.” He snorts, leans over, and pushes a piece of hair behind her ear. Her laughter disappears and I turn away, letting them have their moment.
“One moment.” Cheery background music starts and I sit and wait until the other line clicks on.
“Cerry, is this truly you?” Rgar, the only remaining nanaue, or wereshark as people commonly call them, asks. His voice is his usual rich, deep timbre.
“Yes, it’s me.” I grin.
“Haven’t any hunters gotten lucky and killed you yet?” he jokes, making me roll my eyes.
“Not yet, no pirates harpoon you yet?” I tease back.
“Ya old bastard, what’s up, tree hugger?” he asks.
“I needed to ask, have any of your shifters disappeared?”
Silence greets me, but I know he is still there from his breathing.
“What do you know?” he questions harshly.
“Only that it is happening across the city, I wanted to know if it was every race,” I reply tiredly, knowing that means they have.
He sighs. “Two kitsune, one nagual, a selkie, and coyote...all female,” he finishes, and I hear the strain in his voice.
“I am sorry,” I console, knowing how personally he will take this. He sees himself as their unofficial protector, so their loss will have hit him hard.
He only grunts. “Tell me you have the bastards or know who they are so I can rip them apart.”
“Not yet, I only know the name they are going by, The Others, and the fact they are supes.”
He snarls, muttering something before blowing out a breath. “I had wanted it not to be true, but I smelled wet dog and magic.”
Rubbing my head, I nod at Dawn when she offers me a questioning look. “It seems witches are involved in this, as well as a number of other races. I am working with the humans and fae to figure out who, or at least get some information before I go to the council. Do you have anything else?” Every new disappearance seems to only add more questions and I’m at a dead end.
“Aye, I got a good bite of one of the bastards last time as he was fleeing...I also smelled him, Cerry.” He lowers his voice. “It smelled like rosemary and feathers.”
“Eagles?” I growl, sitting forward. There are only two eagles in this whole fucking city. One is a lackey, one sits on the council.
“Yes. I don’t know which, but I know that smell,” he sneers.
Mind racing a million miles a minute, I say my goodbyes, telling him to stay in touch and I will do the same.
“Eagles?” Griffin repeats, his voice cold.
“Rgar, he smelled eagle,” I inform him tiredly.
“You think—”
I shrug. “I don’t know, and it’s no good pointing fingers. It will get us nowhere. I suggest we build a case and present it to the council. Their reaction will tell us everything.”
Dawn looks between us, biting her lip in confusion. “Explain?”
“It means either our own fucking council is stealing people, or someone is doing it right under their nose,” Griffin growls and I nod.
She sighs and sits back. “Huh, well at least we have some more information.”
“You are calm?” I ask, confused.
She grins. “I trust no one but you two and this council is nothing to me. If they are taking our people then I will kill them like I would anyone else. Just because they hold a seat of power does not mean they can’t be overthrown, and if they didn’t know about it, are they really fit to rule?” she muses, dropping that bomb as a phone goes off. She must have been playing with Griffin’s because she pulls it from her lap.
Dawn shoots upright. “I have a message from Victoria!” she exclaims.
“What does it say?” I ask.
She looks up and an evil grin stretches across her face as her eyes turn black. “She has Tim. She will bring him tomorrow night.”
Speeding along the roads, getting closer and closer to my mate, I push back the sick feeling in my stomach. My dragon is pushing against me again, letting me know something is coming. I debate leaving the car and flying at least five times as fast, but I know it would not help. Only when I have her in front of me will this feeling go away.
My phone rings, cutting off my internal debate, and with a sigh I answer it. I am tired after the long, few days of travel and hardly no sleep. Even my dragon is calling for rest.
“Yes?” I answer.
“Sir?” Jean Paul replies, sounding worried.
“I am fine, just tired. What’s wrong?” I ask, knowing he would only be calling if there was something to report.
“I have been doing some research and asking around to make sure everything is okay. Sir, it seems the hunters are on the move. I have humans watching them, but it seems they are all heading in the same direction you are.”
Smashing my fist to the wheel, I growl. “What else?”
“There are repo
rts emerging of some races disappearing. I am trying to find out more, but I wasn’t sure it if was connected to the hunters or not, but I felt like I should inform you,” he rushes out.
“Thank you, Jean Paul, I did need to know.” I end the call, beyond confused and enraged. Is that what this bad feeling is? Is my mate in danger of disappearing or is it the hunters that seem to be baring down on the city she calls home? I have too many questions and not enough answers. It seems the best course of action is to keep going and hope that I get some when I find her.
Forcing myself to pull over and rest, I lean my seat back and close my eyes. I am no good to her exhausted and I am still not at a hundred percent after resting for so long. At least if I sleep I can reach out to her, it might settle my dragon as well. Happy with that, I let myself fall into the oblivion of slumber, thinking of nothing but her.
“Dawn?” I ask.
She turns, but it’s like she can’t see me. She searches the mist with a frown on her face. Stepping forward, I hit a barrier. It was invisible until I came into contact with it, but it’s blocking her from me.
Only a witch could block all types of connection like this, and unless they are targeting me on purpose…this is a net cast over wherever my mate is.
“Get out, get out of wherever you are now,” I order, slamming my hands onto the barrier again and again.
“Aska?” she calls out, looking around like I might appear before her like normal.
“Get out!” I scream, but it’s no use and I am flung from her dreams like a thread is cut. A coven is blocking me—but why? Why cast a net around the whole city? What are they trying to hide? Where do the hunters and the disappearances come into play?
I wait impatiently for Victoria to reply, so it startles me when the phone rings in my hand. I answer it straight away and her silky voice comes down the line. “Dawn, I have your asshole of an ex, we have...extracted information that we needed, but don’t worry, we did not break or kill him. I left that for you.” She laughs and I hear screaming in the background followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh.
“Good,” I purr. “Where and when can I get him?” I almost beg, desperate for him to finally get his.
“I shall meet you in two hours, Lakes Road, you know it? Go on to the forest road and keep going, it is a dirt road, the sixth turn.” I nod, knowing Nos will know how to get there.
“Oh and Dawn, you were right. The things I have learned he has done...he deserves to die. Do not let him live when you finally come to the choice, or I will clean him up myself.” She ends the call and my eyebrows rise, wondering what she found.
But she has me wrong, I won’t falter. He deserves to die. I’m a vengeful bitch, not a fucking hero. He won’t see the sunrise, that’s for sure.
I turn to Nos and Griffin and we all share a matching grin. He might be a human and evil, but we are much worse. We are monsters.
Something wakes me up. My head is foggy, and when I open my eyes they take far too long to focus, and when they do I roar, yanking myself forward only to be stopped by chains. Turning my head, I narrow my eyes on the chains binding my hands and feet to a wall. I walk forward, and test how far they let me reach and their strength. They are no ordinary chains—they are spelled.
Roaring out my anger, I let the rage take control. I will not be trapped again.
Chained.
Controlled.
Left.
Monster.
No!
The door opens and men stream in, and the next thing I know, I am knocked out again.
Waking, calmer than before, I huff through my nose, my eyes allowing me to see in the dark cell.
I can smell witches, but underneath that I smell a cloying mix of shifters and humans. What the fuck? Who the fuck hit me? I figured it was the witches wanting their revenge, but if so, then why haven’t they done it yet? This isn’t right.
It’s that thought that has me relaxing, taking in my surroundings and calming down. No, there are not just some witches.
This is something else.
The cell door opens and a man with bodyguards behind him steps in, his head held high and a smirk curving his lips. “Hello, Dume was it?”
We leave the house after an hour. Dawn is antsy. It’s the only word I can describe. She isn’t nervous, that I can tell, but she has been waiting for this moment and now that she knows it’s coming, she wants to go. We use Griffin’s car and I rattle off directions, keeping my eyes on her in the backseat.
She looks out into the forest calmly, but I want to make sure she is certain of this decision. I will not think lesser of her, and if she cannot do it I will kill him for her. Hell, I would rip out each organ and make a bloody sacrifice to her if she would allow it, but I have a feeling this is a battle she needs to face herself.
“Little Monster?” I call out, once we get on the stretch of road that will lead us to the spot we are meeting Victoria.
She turns to me, blinking hard like she was a million miles away. “Are you sure this is what you want? We can turn around, or Griffin or I can do this for you?” I offer.
She smiles softly, but her eyes are as hard as steel. “He did not rape you, he did not beat you, he did not ruin your life and then kill you. No, he is mine. I’ve been dreaming about this. If it’s my soul you’re worried about, we both know I have more blood and darkness on my hands than good,” she grits out, determination lacing her tone.
“It’s not your soul I am worried about,” I reply calmly. “I don’t care if you kill him or not, I just don’t want you thinking you have to.”
She softens a little. “Nos, I need to do this. He needs to pay. This city is crooked and he never will otherwise. I don’t give a fuck if I shouldn’t be judge, jury, and executioner—I will be. He made me that, but I would appreciate you both at my back,” she requests, looking worried suddenly.
Griffin snorts. “Like we will be anywhere else, vasculo. Not a fucking chance. I don’t give a fuck if you kill this piece of shit. In fact, if you don’t I plan to and I promise I will make him suffer a lot worse than you. But she’s right, this is hers. She needs to do this…” He trails off, going quieter. “I know that.”
I nod, turning back to the front. “Turn here,” I instruct, and Griffin takes us down the dirt road. His car isn’t great for the road, but we finally make it to where the forest meets the road. Waiting for us there is a car with Victoria leaned against it, looking up at the full moon.
I turn back to Dawn. “I’m with you all the way, come on, Little Monster, let’s take your vengeance.” I grin, letting my eyes flash white for her and she grins back.
We get out of the car and walk over to meet Victoria. She ignores us both like before, concentrating on Dawn. I should be offended but I like to disappear.
“He is a fucking weak ass pussy,” she says in greeting, and Dawn laughs.
“Yes, he is.” She grins.
Victoria bangs on the boot of the car and Jedrick comes around with a man bound, gagged, and blindfolded.
“He was fun to play with, though, I made sure not to break him...too much. I am still investigating, I will be in touch shortly. Have fun.” Victoria laughs and Jedrick pushes over Dawn’s ex to us. We all let him fall to his knees, and he screams around the gag as we all look at him in disgust.
“Griffin, grab him,” Dawn orders, and when I look up to see Victoria watching us in interest, I do as I’m told without arguing.
Pulling the man to his feet, I wrinkle my nose at the smell of unwashed body odour, piss, and blood. Lovely.
Victoria grins and waves before she gets into the car. Jedrick spins it around and leaves us there, our lights hitting the trees and illuminating the area. “Grab the shovel please, Nos,” she asks, her eyes locked on the man I’m holding on to. He is shorter than us, and weak, like Victoria says, but I am betting to a human woman he would be stronger and way more powerful.
That realisation comes across Dawn’s face, the knowing that the reas
on she was so scared of him was her humanity, and it makes me want to hug her or some shit. Now, she just looks pissed as hell and all kinds of scary, especially when her eyes slide to black. It makes my cock rock-hard and I grit my teeth as I push the man forward.
Nos comes back with a shovel and none of us bother to bring lights, since we can all see in the dark. The man stumbles along next to us as we trek through the forest. Every now and again I spot Nos murmuring to something or touching a tree or flower. Fucking nature gods.
When we come to a break in the trees, Dawn stops. “Here.” She nods and the man whimpers. Rolling my eyes, I push him forward, and he stumbles and falls flat on his face.
Growling, Dawn kicks him over so he faces her and rips off his blindfold. She grins down at him as he screams in terror, his eyes nearly bugging from his head.
“Hello husband, I told you I would come back for you,” she purrs, and I can’t help the shiver of desire it sends through me.
She turns and winks at me before grabbing the shovel from Nos, and throwing it at the man’s head. “Dig a grave,” she orders.
Laughter bubbles out of me and she joins in as he screams and thrashes.
Once Tim realised I was serious, I ungagged him, but when he started spouting shit I shut him up with a quick punch to the face—I may have hit him harder than I needed to, but fuck him.
Crying, he starts to dig as we all watch, circling him like prey. I’m barely keeping control, but I don’t want my powers riding me when I kill him. No, I want to be fully present and human, even as he looks into the eyes of the monster he created.
“I’m sorry, okay? Please, please just stop haunting me. Do you want money?” he screams, and stops digging to look at me. Blood and sweat pour down his face.
I cross my arms where I stand at the top of the grave. “You think I’m still a ghost and you think I want money? Fuck, you really are dumb and no, you don’t have any money anyway.” I grin.