Chapter 14
Karina’s subconscious took her under during the journey in the car. She knew this was the brains way of protecting itself during times of trauma. When she came to she could see the silhouette of Xavier leaning against the side of the car, his back to her and his breathing deep. Slowly she sat and looked around waiting for the throbbing in her skull to subside. She could make out the surroundings as being in the middle of a clearing. No home or anything else in sight. Karina strained her ears trying to hear the sounds of passing cars or anything that would indicate to her where she was. Xavier turned and opened the back door of the car and held his hand out to Karina, she took it and stepped out into the field. Trees surrounded the clearing in a protective circle. The night sky was clear and full of stars as Karina slowly remembered what had taken place. She flinched away from Xavier, unsure if or when he would change back to his former monstrous self.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. His voice was low and full of melancholy.
Karina wrapped her arms protectively around her shaking body “I don’t know. If you hadn’t shown up...” her voice trailed off and she looked away, back to the stars in the sky blinking back the tears she did not want to fall.
Xavier stepped forward and held her close to him. Karina put her arms around Xavier’s waist and began to cry. His body was hot and shook slightly; every muscle seemed to be tensed and on high alert. She remembered the blood in her hair. Karina wondered how much restraint he must be using at this moment. She stepped back and wiped her tears “I shouldn’t be here,” she pointed to the sky “It’s a full moon, this must be hard for you,” and side stepped Xavier toward the car.
Xavier’s face was dark and unreadable and he slid across blocking her path “Don’t go. I need you.”
Karina stopped and looked to him, his eyes were dark and sultry but there was something else. Something she could not place “Are you sure?”
He smiled playfully, but this only made him look menacing, given the knowledge that at any moment he could turn into a murderous creature “You have no idea how much I need you Karina,” and his finger traced down her face and neck. “How glad I was when you came into my life. You don’t know how long I have searched for you.” He dropped his finger and looked into her eyes. There was something almost taunting about him. Karina pushed her concerns aside and nodded “Ok I’ll stay.” Xavier gave a small laugh of derision “I know, there is no way for you to escape. Soon I will have what I want.”
Karina’s heart jumped up into her throat “What?” she stammered, her voice shaking.
Xavier smirked and his mouth tilted up on one side as he took another step closer “I told you I was no good for you, but you were the only good thing for me. I laid out all the pieces of the puzzle for you and tried to make you leave so I could have the thrill of the chase. You have made it all too easy for me and now it seems like it was all a waste.”
Karina took another sideways step and took hold of the door handle of the car trying to escape. Xavier stepped aside letting her; ploys in his sadistic plan to taunt his prey a little longer. “What are you talking about?” Karina asked trying to open the door.
He held up the keys and laughed, then threw them into the surrounding trees. “You’ve still done no research on what you are, have you? You just took my word for it.”
Karina shook her head as she looked to the ground. She had not done any research into the Tuatha De Danann for fear of having to accept that she was one. Xavier gave a tisk tisk tisk sound and shook his head in mock disappointment. His hands now rested on the car roof, settling on either side of Karina’s head blocking her means of escape “Well then, you only have yourself to blame for not being prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” her voice shook in her throat and sounded like someone else’s when she spoke.
Xavier spun Karina around to face him and leaned forward so they were now eye level. He wanted to see her face, the reaction to his sinister words “For me to kill you.” The words came so smooth and effortless from Xavier’s lips. Karina whimpered as she turned her head away. Every feeling she had for Xavier was now shattered into a thousand tiny shards that seemed to snag inside her. She felt foolish and betrayed. He followed her face with his own, getting in her personal space, his breath on her cheek. Everything about him was invasive.
“Why?” Karina asked.
“If you had done your research then you would know the blood of the Tuatha De Danann is the only thing that can reverse the lycanthrope curse. I spent years in Ireland trying to find them and had given up hope that they existed. Then you stroll into my life, the preppy Guardian was out of the picture. It was easy to get you to trust me, too easy. Now all I need to do is tear out your throat and drink your blood under the full moon.”
Karina’s mouth opened to scream but no sound came out and she felt her body shrinking back into the side of the car door. This was all a bad dream, she was sure of it. Any moment now her alarm would go off and she would wake up in the safety of her bed. Tears streamed down Karina’s cheeks and her stomach churned. This was hardly the warrior that she was led to believe she was. Weak! Was all that came to mind. Xavier pulled Karina’s head back and exposed her throat “Don’t worry I’ll make this as painless as possible. I’m not a complete monster,” he laughed as he caressed her throat with his lips “Oh how I will miss you,” he whispered in her ear. Karina cringed at the touch of his breath against her face. She squeezed her eyes closed and could feel Xavier shift into his lycanthrope form. Sharp canine teeth were touching her throat, pushing on the skin until it gave way. A sharp sting penetrated her neck and she felt her skin burning.
There was a deep growl from Xavier’s throat and Karina felt her head released and the monster holding her captive move away from her, slowly she opened her eyes. Xavier let out another menacing growl and lunged away, in the light of the moon that was cast over the field, Karina could make out the shape of a second figure, the silhouette of a man. The beast lunged at the man but his size and strength was no match, he seemed to duck away from Xavier’s swipe easily. “Ian No!” she screamed out, instincts telling her it was him. What was he doing? He was going to be killed; this was something Karina could not stand. Ian punched an uppercut to Xavier and his body flew back, landing on the side and letting out a canine yelp before getting quickly to his feet running for Ian, knocking him to the ground. Karina watched the scene before her in horror and confusion. The two wrestled landing blows on each other. The sound of bones crunching and yelping made her stomach weak “Give it up Guardian, she’s done for. You failed!” Xavier’s deep voice spoke in Karina’s head. She lifted her hands to her ears not realising what she had just heard. Ian was now on his feet and seemed to laugh as he sideswiped the attack moving with a graceful agility Karina had not seen before. “I’ve protected her for five years from more dangerous things than pups like you wolf.” Ian had heard the voice too and didn’t seem bothered by it. He weaved away from Xavier’s misguided swings with ease, this seemed to only make the beast angrier and move with more force which inhibited his aim. Ian landed a few good punches into Xavier’s side and face, the beast stumbling back and then surging forward with renewed effort. Ian glanced sideways at Karina and Xavier took this opportunity to land a heavy blow to the side of his head. Ian stumbled backwards and fell. Quickly recovering himself, he was on his feet again, which seemed to frustrate Xavier more.
“While your back has been turned, she has kept my bed warm. I could have killed her many times over,” Xavier barked his taunts in Karina’s mind again.
Ian stopped and looked painfully at Karina. Shame washed over her and she could not look him in the eye. A loud cry that could only be describes as a warrior’s battle call came from Ian and he charged forward to Xavier, leaping onto his chest and knocking them both backward. Ian hunched over Xavier and pummelled him in the face over and over. Xavier snapped at Ian, latching his teeth into Ian’s arm and letting go. Finally Ian took a
long silver bladed knife from his back pocket and thrust it deep into Xavier’s chest. A long woeful cry escaped from the lycanthrope. His claws took one final swing at Ian, making contact with the side of his face. Ian drove the knife deeper into Xavier, as his body slumped, dead. Ian rose and looked over the broken body before him, giving it a kick in the face, the head twisting into a painful angle. He knelt down on one knee and pulled the knife from the lifeless body before him. His hand thrust into Xavier’s chest and pulled out his heart. Ian dropped it to the ground, and then slowly and methodically severed the head away from the body. Karina watched in disgusted awe as Ian placed the head and heart beside the body. He then set about gathering sticks and dried grass anything that could be used for kindling and covered Xavier’s body. He pulled something else from his back pocket and struck a match, throwing it onto the makeshift pyre and watched the flames lick at the body as it burned. He seemed to be chanting something that Karina could not make out. After a few agonizing moments he turned to Karina and stepped cautiously toward her “Are you hurt?” he asked, his eyes looking her over.
Karina shook her head “What just happened, Ian?”
He nodded his head slowly, then taking a deep breath he crouched beside her and tried to explain. “Karina, it’s no coincidence that we met. I was sent to protect you by Queen Danu. You are a Tuatha De Danann.”
Karina shook her head slowly. “So the last five years have all been a lie?”
Ian rubbed his hands over his blood streaked face “No. I do love you Karina, more than anything in this world. That’s what makes all this so difficult, the reason your life seems boring is because I continually run interference for you, so nothing bad happens to you. Protecting you from all this. I wasn’t able to tell you what you were and I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.”
“I don’t understand any of this Ian.”
He pulled Karina to him and held her consolingly “It’s a lot to take in and I understand if you need time to process it all. I’m here for you when you’re ready.”
The Beast Within Page 14