by Jessica Snow
A tortured scream ripped through Theon’s throat as tears stained his cheeks. He should have listened to Eva. He should have given up his quest for power and left the castle with his wife like she had originally wanted.
Now he had paid the ultimate price. He rolled on the floor, wailing with grief, clutching at his hair in despair.
"Oh, how I’m enjoying this," a familiar voice sang. "The cost of being a coward."
Theon jerked upright with surprise to see Cole, alive and well, come walking out from behind a curtain dressed in the same armor that he had been fatally wounded in on the day of the ambush. There was something different about Cole, however. His skin was pale and his eyes had a strange cast to them, reminding Theon of the woman in red.
"You caused this," Theon growled through gritted teeth, slowly rising to his feet, realizing who had told the King about Theon’s lies. "You traitorous bastard!’
Cole chuckled and glanced at Viktor who was enjoying the spectacle while he calmly sipped his wine. "You see how he cries?" he asked, his voice dripping with contempt. "You should have made me your captain, my King, instead of this weakling of a man whose bastard of a child’s blood now lies in your chalice."
Cole’s whirled around in Theon’s head as his gaze shot over to his king. Was Viktor drinking his unborn child’s blood? What kind of madness was this?
At Theon’s sharp glance, Viktor smiled, revealing two large fangs and a tongue stained red with blood. For the first time, Theon noticed multiple red spots on Viktor’s clothing and hands. Blood...Eva’s blood.
Fury like no other burned through Theon as the unthinkable realization washed over him.
With a cry of pure rage, Theon drew his sword and lunged at Viktor, his sword raised above his head to deliver a devastating blow. Viktor stood there with an amused expression, unafraid of his fast-approaching doom.
Theon was not prepared for what happened next.
In a blink of an eye, Cole appeared between them and caught the blade mid-swing between his palms, stopping the sword inches away from his nose. Then he smiled evilly at Theon’s shocked look.
"You’re too slow." With a flick of his wrists, he sent the heavy sword flying into the wall where it crashed with a clang.
Theon eyed Cole with shock. With the armor that Cole had on, it should have been impossible for him to pull the move he had just done, yet there Cole stood before him, not even out of breath from such an amazing feat, and like Viktor, fangs unnaturally extended past Cole’s lips.
Then suddenly it all clicked. The strange woman who had come to see Viktor on his deathbed had been some sort of monster. She had given Viktor some sort of unnatural life, and Viktor had done the same to Cole.
"You’re not human," Theon whispered with horror.
Cole threw back his head and laughed. "Yes," he replied simply. Then, moving impossibly fast, he grabbed Theon, turned him around and bit into his neck. An agonized scream ripped through the chamber, so loud that it was heard on the battlefield down below.
The greatest pain that Theon ever known filled his entire being, and as he began to lose consciousness, the last thing he heard was Viktor’s mocking laughter.
"And so began my eternal service to darkness," Theon muttered.
"That was terrible!" Kat cried, tears running down her cheeks. Theon’s story was one that had touched her deeply. She could not imagine the pain of coming back to finding his pregnant wife killed and mutilated by the very same man he had been so loyal to for so many years. And what they had done to the baby...
Theon nodded. "Even more so because of the vampire who made me." Bitterness crossed the vampire’s face. "It was Viktor’s way of punishing me for all eternity."
"I’m so sorry," Kat whispered. "But what happened that night when King Thomas’s men entered the castle?"
Theon’s eyes turned dead. "They all died."
"They did?"
"Along with Cole, Viktor had turned most of his men into vampires in the days before the attack, creatures of amazing speed and might. When Thomas’s men entered the castle, a bloodbath for the ages began. No matter how many men tried to enter, they all died before they could swing their swords, no match for the speed of our kind."
Kat looked on in horror. "And you...?"
"As a new vampire, I was overcome with hunger, and I partook in the slaughter with great excitement. I couldn’t stop myself."
"And what happened to King Thomas and his daughter Violet?"
"When we were done draining the enemy of every drop of blood, Viktor took his head for a trophy and had it hung up in his throne room, and as for Princess Violet, she joined the service of eternal darkness."
It was all so horrible to contemplate, and even worse knowing that McKenzie was being held by an asshole like Cole. It was imperative that Kat find her sister right then.
Suddenly, Kat stood up. The room spun around her momentarily and she needed a moment to steady herself. She was woozy from the wine she had drunk. "I need to go. If you can take me to where this Cole guy lives, and help me kick his shit in, I’d be very pleased."
"It’s not that simple, Katerina," Theon replied. "A vampire cannot raise a hand to the one who made him." He shook his head angrily. "Another part of my eternal punishment, because Viktor knew there was no other man I wanted dead more than Cole."
"Well at least tell me where he is." Kat had a plan. She would go back to the Wardens who were holding her father, tell them of her plight and demand his release and their help ridding the world of the vampire scum that held her sister. After all, were they not created by the witches to oversee the affairs of the supernaturals? "I will kill him for you."
Theon chuckled and rose from his seat. "I highly doubt that. Though you are a werebear, you are not trained, while Cole has had five-hundred years to hone his talents. Confronting Cole would likely result in your death."
Kat angrily placed her hands on her hips. "Surely there is something that can be done. When I first talked to you, you mentioned a council. If taking humans for blood and torture is against the law, why can’t you have this Cole guy brought before them?"
Theon walked around the table and stopped several feet from Kat, his piercing eyes glued to her with every step. "Bringing Cole before the council will do little good because of the one who heads the council."
Oh shit. "Viktor?"
Theon nodded. "In fact, it would not surprise me if Cole hands your sister over to him when he is done torturing her, to become one of Viktor’s many eternal maidens. My former liege still has a thing for young girls, and the more terrified they are when they are turned, the better."
Panic filled Kat. The whole situation seemed hopeless. "We must do something!" she wailed.
"There, there. Everything will be alright." Theon stepped forward and placed a hand on her cheek and began stroking it softly. His touch was cold and sent chills down her spine. "You are so much like, Eva," he murmured. "So beautiful and so..." Theon’s eyes dropped to her large breasts and Kat was suddenly filled with dread. Oh no. Come on, this is the last thing I need right now.
"I’ve been waiting for someone like you for a long time, Katerina," Theon said softly. "Someone who can fill this eternal void in my life." Theon’s eyes had taken on a strange cast, almost as if he was seeing someone else.
"Theon," Kat said slowly. "I don’t think this is the time—"
"Shhh." Theon pressed a finger to her lips and moved in closer.
Suddenly, the door flew inward and a ray of sunlight filled the room as Liam stomped in, his golden eyes blazing with rage, a wooden stake in his hand.
"Liam!" Kat exclaimed, surprised—and relieved—to see her mate.
"Where is he?" Liam roared.
Kat whirled around. Theon was gone, like the wind. Though Kat knew vampires could move at the speed of light, she was bewildered as to where Theon could have escaped to because there was only one exit in the room.
Not waiting for Kat’s response, Liam checked
every nook and cranny of the wine racks before turning to her and fixing her with a nasty glare. "You’re coming with me."
Chapter 31
"So, you just expect me to believe there are vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies and God knows what else walking among us?" asked Elizabeth with disbelief.
The two women were driving down the highway in Ashley’s Cadillac towards Kat’s house with the top down, the wind ruffling their hair. "And that you’re some wolf slash vampire slayer trained by a group of weirdos and charged by Kat’s mother, who is a witch, to be some sort of protector to Kat, who is also some kind of shape-shifting bear?"
Ashley nodded as she weaved between vehicles.
"Get the fuck outta here!" Liz snorted.
"Believe it, sister."
Liz laughed. "The only thing I believe is that you have suddenly gone bat-shit crazy."
"The Wardens are not crazy at all," Ashley replied calmly, unruffled by Liz’s disbelief. "They taught me everything I know."
"Did they teach you how to twerk your skinny ass up against guys at the club too?" Liz rolled her eyes. Instead of tracking down Kat, Ashley needed to have herself committed to the nearest nut house. It made no sense, a girl who acted like your typical ditzy blonde her whole life, was suddenly some bad-ass monster hunter?
"One of the things I was taught to do is to learn to fit in with the crowd."
"You sure had me fooled," Liz muttered.
"You will see the truth soon enough," Ashley replied.
I already see it, thought Liz. "But you wanna know one good thing out of all this craziness Ash?" she asked a moment later as Ashley merged into the exit lane.
"What?"
"You do kind of look hot in that latex outfit."
Kevin pounded on the Headley front door. "Kat, it’s me, Kevin. I know you don’t want to talk to me right now, but I seriously need your help."
Kevin had been pounding on Kat’s door, which looked like it had been recently repaired, for the past ten minutes with no answer. He knew Kat must have been home because her car was parked in the driveway. He just took the silence as a sign that Kat was still pissed about catching him with Lori when he had asked her for a jump several weeks ago.
"That’s it," Kevin muttered angrily, tired of being ignored.
Making sure no nosy neighbors were watching, Kevin snuck around to the side of the house and to a bedroom window. Using his skills from his teenage days, he pried the window open and climbed in.
"Kat?" he called tentatively. The silence was his only response.
What the hell am I doing? he thought with alarm. Kat’s father, Big Mike, was a proud gun owner. Kevin was sure if the big man caught him in his house uninvited that he would blow his ass away or worse yet, Kat herself would be the one to do it.
He quickly brushed the dark thoughts aside. Mike’s truck had not been in the driveway. The man wasn’t home and maybe Kat was with him. That’s why she wasn’t responding. Kat’s younger sister McKenzie must have been gone as well, seeing as how Kevin was standing in her room.
Moving stealthily, Kevin made his way through the house and into Kat’s room. He began searching around, not quite knowing what he was looking for. He paused when he found a bunch of folded up twenty-dollar bills in Kat’s dresser. After a moment of staring at them, he pocketed them inside his jeans. Kat wouldn’t need it. She lived with her father and now had no boyfriend to spend her money on.
Suddenly, Kevin felt a violent push from behind: he bounced off the wall, knocking his head hard enough to see stars, and then landed on his ass on the floor. A shadow quickly crossed over and lowered itself onto his body, straddling him.
"What the fuck do you think you’re doing, thief?" a feminine voice growled in his face. Kevin’s eyes widened as he finally recognized the girl garbed in form-fitting latex on top of him. "Ashley?"
Ashley smiled with amusement. "Were you expecting Mary Poppins?"
A quick glance over the girl’s shoulder revealed a frightened-faced Elizabeth, another one of Kat’s friends. "What the hell are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?" Kevin had to admit, Ashley, who he had never given a second glance, looked extra smoking in it.
Ashley struck him sharply across the face, stunning him. "Shut up, you stupid, thieving deadbeat! I ask the questions here!"
"Ash," Elizabeth said warningly. "Chill."
"You be quiet too!" Ashley shot over her shoulder. She turned back to Kevin, whose cheek now burned from the blow. "Tell me what you were doing in Kat’s room."
"N-N-Nothing," Kevin stuttered. "I was just looking for Kat—ow!"
Ashley had grabbed a hold of his balls and squeezed. She leaned forward and smiled with menacing delight. "Lies."
"I’m telling the truth!" Kevin yowled as Ashley squeezed harder.
"Then tell me why do you have a wad of her money in your pocket, hmm?"
Kevin glanced down his side, sweat beading his forward. "Oh, that. I just needed some quick cash."
"So, you decided to come by her house and steal it while she was gone?" Ashley bore down even harder.
"I’m getting evicted from my apartment!" Kevin cried weakly. The pain was unbearable. Kevin would probably be unable to have sex for a week, not that he had anyone to have sex with now. "I was desperate!"
Ashley stared at him long and hard before finally relaxing her grip. Kevin sighed with relief, but his balls still ached horribly.
"You know, Kevin," Ashley growled. "I should castrate you for what you did to Kat, leaving her for someone you barely knew and driving her into the arms of a wolf."
Kevin frowned with bewilderment through his pain. What the hell was Ashley talking about? Whatever it was, he was more concerned with the castration part. He was very fond of his cock and balls and did not wish to part with them.
"Okay now, Ash," warned Elizabeth. "Enough is enough. You’re hurting him and are clearly taking this ninja-Barbie shit too far."
Luckily for Kevin, Ashley stood up. His balls were safe for now. "Do you have any idea where Kat is?" The girl began moving through the room, overturning Kat’s personal belongings, looking for something.
Kevin groaned and slowly sat up. His balls felt like they had been dipped in molten lava. "No, the last time I saw her was when I asked her for a lift."
“Fine, be useless. And put the cash back. All of it, or I’ll take it out of your ass.” Ashley paused in the middle of searching a dresser, appearing to not have heard Kevin’s response. "Hmmm, where is it? She said it would be here."
"Where is what?" asked Elizabeth curiously
Ashley ignored her and walked over to Kat’s mattress, stared at it for a moment then turned it over, flipping it off onto the floor. Producing a thin dagger from the side of her outfit, she began cutting up the box spring. When she was done, she reached inside and pulled out a small, brown stone.
"What is that?" Elizabeth asked.
Ashley held it up to the light and stared at it. "A bear stone."
"What the hell is a bear stone?"
Ashley did not respond and began muttering under her breath. She appeared to be having a conversation with the inanimate object.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Elizabeth turned to Kevin, who was still nursing his wounded crotch. "Can you see the craziness that I’m dealing with here Kevin? Just the night before, Ash was grinding her ass on guy after guy, and now she thinks she is some sort of vampire-wolf hunter out to save the Goddamn world."
"She could have done all that without going H.A.M on my nuts," Kevin complained with a wince. Ashley continued with her conversation but flicked a cold, meaningful stare over at Kevin. He shuddered, and then forced himself to his feet, digging into his pocket for the twenties he had swiped. Bitch. Kat doesn’t need this money and I do! But he settled for sulking against the wall, wallowing in self-pity, instead of trying to make that point.
Suddenly, Ashley stopped talking to the stone and turned to Elizabeth. "Let’s go." Then she walk
ed out of the room. Elizabeth began to follow but paused to address Kevin.
"Come with us," she pleaded.
Kevin gaped at her. "Are you serious?"
Elizabeth crossed her arms. "Dead serious. For some reason, I think I’m going to need help to make sure Ashley doesn’t harm herself...or others.”
Kevin waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I think I’ll pass."
Several honks tooted outside. Ashley was already getting restless.
"Do you want me to tell Kat you were in her room, stealing the money she’s set aside for her part of the rent? Or better yet, call the police and report a crime?"
Kevin stared at her. "You wouldn’t."
Elizabeth smirked. "I got a childhood friend outside that’s convinced she is Aeon Flux. Try me."
Kevin groaned. "Alright, fine, but I have one condition.”
Outside, Ashley went crazy on the horn, the sound blaring into a continuous stream.
"What?"
Kevin grabbed at his ball sack defensively. "Protect my nuts from that nut!"
Chapter 32
"Destroy everything in sight!" Crystal yelled as she stepped over the crushed body of a factory worker and the puddle of blood around him. Earlier that day, she had stopped by her apartment and saw the message Liam had left for her. Pissing in her territory—one of the ultimate insults an Alpha could make. Well, now she was leaving a message of her own—one that would send him straight into her arms.
Jerle’s men were running around fighting with Greyson employees inside the Greyson Meat Factory, while the women were ransacking all the available meat, stuffing it all into canvas sacks so they could take it back to the barn and feast on it later.
Jerle was at the forefront of the pack, taking names and cracking skulls. Crystal watched with excitement as he brutally smacked aside a wolf that came flying at him, sending it crashing into a processing machine. At the same moment, a wolf male with a mullet came up behind the large man and grabbed him in a chokehold. Shaking furiously about, Jerle wiggled his head out of the chokehold and delivered several sharp blows to the shifter’s stomach, cracking several ribs. Then he grabbed the stunned man by the throat, squeezed until there was a sound of cracking bone, and dropped the body to the floor.