Hunted (Scarlet Dawson Book 1)

by Nicola Chadwick

  “It’s about time you woke up’ first light is in about half an hour, I thought you’d want a heads up.” She said to me as I get up and head for the door ignoring the others that were milling about getting food. As I near the door she shouts. “Don’t go being all grumpy about being woken up that’s my job.”

  I went to my room and grabbed a pair of combat trousers the biker boots I’d bought, a vest and the other shirt all in black. There was nothing like black to hide a good bloodstain. I got changed in the bathroom then shifted into my Fae form. I preferred this one for confrontations, Fae were after all warriors, plus it was my nightmare form. I even scared myself when I caught a glimpse of myself.

  I looked at my reflection in the mirror, my vine tattoo had disappeared, my hair was not curly but straight and a vibrant but dark red and my eyes were an icy grey colour, almost colourless. My hair complemented my ivory skin, but my eyes in this form where just haunting. I was also a lot shorter than any other Fae I’d met and in Fae form I thought I looked weird like I should be tall but instead I’d been cut off at the knees and glued back together.

  I grabbed a belt and my new sword Neria and head out into the corridor just as Jessica and Steve exit their room. Steve just gapes at my new change and Jessica said. “Wow, don’t you look different. Does your skill in a fight depend on your form like ours does?” She eyes me up and down.

  “No, I just prefer this form if I’m going into a fight, plus I’m hoping that The Demons won’t recognise me. I think of this as my bad ass form.” She smiles at me and I chuckle, walking with them down the stairs and outside into the garage.

  “How many cars do one group of Guardians need?” I exclaimed, there were lots, all varying shapes, sizes, styles and ages. I wish I’d have known this was here I’d have stolen a sports car instead.

  We walk over to the group that has gathered near the utility vehicles and trucks. Bryn gives me a huge smile, he obviously appreciates my latest form. I smile back then scan everyone else’s reaction, wondering most of all what Bastian thought. Quinn laughs and says applauding me. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the ever-changing Scarlet Dawson.”

  I smile at her glad to see that they weren’t too upset by the other new me. Bastian pops up from the back of one of the trucks and looks me up and down, his expression says nothing, I was still confused by the moment we had shared last night. Thinking back, I wonder if we did have a moment or if I’d just fallen asleep and dreamt it.

  Just then my phone rings interrupting my thoughts; I’d forgotten to switch it to silent. It was Aylesbury. “Red, How’s things?” He said the tone of his voice told me he was still annoyed with me for not taking his call three weeks ago, I bet he believes if I had I would never have been tortured.

  “Cut to the chase Aylesbury, I’m heading out in five.” I told him impatiently, I could really do without one of his tantrums.

  “Not only am I stuck on this surveillance detail, I’m also missing out on the action?” His annoyed tone deepened.

  “Look Aylesbury...”

  “I know, I know” He cut me off before I could start on him. “I just overheard The Demon looking after your office, they’re heading out of the caves. Sounds like The Demon Lord has a meeting he wants them to attend, if you’re going in now’s the time. I can meet you ...”

  I shut off the phone cutting him off, that was just the information we needed.

  Bastian walks over and grabs the phone stowing it in one of the cars. I really wanted to tell him to leave off my property, but I could hardly take the phone into the caves, it could have given away our location, again.

  “Aylesbury’s on surveillance at my office and he says that The Demons are heading out to some meeting, Now’s definitely our chance to get in and out without being seen.” I relay to them all.

  Bastian walks to the middle of the group. “That’s better for us if not a little to convenient. You know the drill, we go, shift to our animals and then go in, and only when the caves are secure do we change back. Once we have secured most of the main areas, I want Roan to head off with Bryn and Bronwyn see if you can locate the girl. I want the rest of you to spread out and let me know both the layout and any bits of information you can pick up on. Remember this is reconnaissance, try not to be seen, facing them like this will be seen as an all out declaration of war. ”

  With that everyone brakes away getting in different truck’s I got in the back of the one that Quinn was driving hoping that I could put a bit more distance between me and Bastian, until he slides into the seat beside me, Cain getting in the passenger seat.

  Bastian turns to me and says. “When we go in I want you to stay with me. You know the location of that book, so once we’ve got past most of them you’re going to take me to it.” His expression dead serious, I knew his sister‘s life depended on this book as well the lives of his missing men.

  How I was meant to know which animal he would be I didn’t know. “How the hell am I going to know which animal you’re going to be out there? I’ve only ever seen Cain in his animal form and that was for a split second.”

  From the front Quinn reeled of who would be what animal. “Well both Cain and I are Bears, Roan’s a Wolf, Dante a Panther, Jessica a leopard and Steve a Tiger.”

  “What about you then?” I ask Bastian.

  “I don’t change, I’ll be going in like this and staying like this.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I am Beast Master I don’t have a specific form. What marks me as Beast Master is not only the ability to be any animal I wish, but my ability to use those traits in Human form. In essence I’m a beast whether I am in animal form or not.” Well that explained the mood swings.

  “Okay then, so I’ve not got to worry about not recognising you.” Curiosity got the better of me and I ask. “What animals do you favour?”

  “Well if you were Lycan you’d be a cat, you’re too damn nosy. If you must know I prefer the wolf and panther although I have been known to shift into a griffin occasionally.”

  Griffins were extremely rare, their forms only alive now in Lycan’s. Almost like Dragon’s except there were even less of them around. You had to be extremely powerful and born Lycan to be one of those animal forms.

  Cain turns to me and says. “He’s also leaving out the Black Dragon he can turn into. He made a young girl the happiest girl in the world when he turned into his Dragon form for Chinese New Year.”

  Bastian scowls at him making him turn back around to the front, he either didn’t want me knowing too much about him or he really didn’t like that he had a soft side.

  I decide to change the conversation and turned my attentions to Quinn. “These off roaders are a dream to drive aren’t they?” I ask her grinning to my self. “You really should keep them locked up better; anybody could waltz up and take one.”

  Bastian growls at my side and Quinn says. “Oooh you are playing with fire.”

  I turned to Bastian and grin at him. “Shush Fido.” He starts to visibly shake with anger. I turn my head from him and smile to myself as I watch the countryside slip by.

  As we drive the rest of the way in silence; I take the time to mentally prepare myself for a face off with The Demons that had beaten me for six weeks. Hopefully we’d slip right past anyone there if not there were a few bones I’d like crushed. Not that I had the physical strength to crush bone but I’d definitely give it a try.

  We all parked in a clearing, it was either very similar to the one where they had parked last time or it was the same one.

  As we all exited the vehicles Bryn walks over to me. He stands in front of me. “It is nice to see you in your Fae form, it is not often you honour us by showing your true self.” I wasn’t about to correct him and tell him my true form was Nymph, he was the Prince of The Seelie court after all. “I would like you to do the honour of accepting this gift.” He pulls out a vibrant red ribbon embroidered with an intricate design in deeper and lighter shades of red, one of the colours was the
same colour as my hair.

  I knew that the ribbon was ceremonial and given only to the best warriors to wear during battle, even though I hated this part of my heritage I felt honoured. “I accept.” I reply turning so that he could tie it around my forehead.

  I bend to look in the vehicles mirror and see that with the ribbon tied the way it was it made my hair sit closer to my head letting my Ears point through even as small as they were. As I straighten he grabs my hand and bends to kiss it.

  I look up just in time to see Bastian staring at me a look of pure disgust crosses his face before it is quickly replaced. Screw him. I don’t care what he thinks. I can contradict myself by accepting gifts from the very people I hold hatred for. In comparison to him and his treatment of me I was beginning to lean towards changing my views on the Fae altogether.

  Bastian had sent Steve and Dante ahead to scout the entrance to the cave, the communication device he held buzzed to life and in a crackled voice Steve informs us that The Demons had just left the caves with of group of creatures with glowing eyes.

  “That’s The Fallen.” I said “We should be okay to go now, sounds like the intel was correct.”

  Bastian agrees with me and we head into the forest, a sense of déjà vu engulfs me, I squash it quickly and make my way to the front of the group.

  Chapter Eighteen

  When we reach the cave entrance I look over at the Lycan’s and see them all change swiftly into a bunch of snarling animals, ready for the kill. I look at Bastian and he motions us forward. The Guardians stalk into the entrance, quickly and methodically taking down the entrance Guards making way for the rest of us. Unless there were cameras The Demons wouldn’t know what had hit them.

  Once we were in I slip into a tunnel, the same one I took six weeks ago, a quick glance behind me shows Bastian following me with Roan, Bryn and Bronwyn close behind.

  At a fork in the tunnels I whisper that Roan should head that way as I didn’t know where it lead to, the tunnel I was about to go down led to the chamber where I had been held.

  Walking quietly through the tunnel I felt something crunch underfoot followed by a horrific squelch. That was disgusting. I looked down to see rotten parts of what I assumed where once a Fallen. I rip a piece from my shirt and bend to pick a small sample up. It may be able to help us. I put it in one of the pockets of my combat trousers.

  I edge down the tunnel and hear voices around the next corner, they had guessed that we were here. I carry on the damp smell was overpowering and reminded me of my time spent here.

  Suddenly I find myself suspended in the air by my throat. A quick glance to Bastian and I see him lunge towards the idiot holding me, teeth bared and a completely in-human expression on his face. If I wasn’t fighting for my breath I’d have been backing away from him in fear.

  Bastian hits The Demon, sending him flying. I hit the floor and roll to the side, I look up and instantly recognise the recreational area I had escaped through. I also recognised The Demons stood staring at me, watching their brethren fighting with Bastian. I draw my sword from its sheath just as the room explodes into action.

  I couldn’t see Bastian for The Demons that now struggled to get at him and tear into his flesh. We had either walked into a trap or there were now a whole lot more Demons than there had been a few days ago. I turn to see a particularly sadistic Demon leering at me. “Hello sweetheart, remember me?” He says as he reaches for me. Why did they all have to call me stupid terms of endearment like sugar and sweetheart? What was the obsession? Did they think it made them more sinister? Because it did.

  My sword answered him as I swung and hit him squarely in the stomach. As he doubled over in pain more descended on me and I did the only thing I could to keep them at bay, I arced my sword with as much grace and effort as I could muster slicing into as many Demon parts as I could, not inflicting death blows but cutting and maiming them enough to get them to back off and come at me in smaller numbers.

  I lunged and stabbed another in the stomach as Bastian came up behind him and threw him at the cave wall as if he weighed no more than a bag of sugar. He gave me a look and I interpreted it to say. We need that book, go on ahead and find it. I nod and flee the chamber leaving him to fight off the remaining Demons.

  Quickly I turn around to make sure they weren’t following me. I see Bastian in action and realise he was just playing with me in the Gym, I never stood a real chance against him, I didn’t realise just how much he held back until then. I turn back to the tunnel and head off past the carts and boulders.

  I follow the tunnel which I knew led to where they had kept me and enter the chamber. Not one thing had changed, the candles where unlit on the stone altar, but the other flames where alight casting their eerie shadows on the walls. Against the wall still lay the make shift bed and irons where I had been chained.

  I walk slowly over to the altar and touch the book lightly, its cover was weathered leather, probably something sick like the skin of a human innocent. When my fingers connected with the book I felt oddly cold, the hairs on the back of my neck tingling.

  Then I realised what I felt wasn’t cold from the book but breath on my neck, before I heard the voice, I knew it was Warren. “Hello my pretty. I knew you’d come back, and who would have thought you hold three forms. Did you expect me to not recognise you?” His hands closed around my neck before I got the chance to turn around. “You will never escape from me again.” He lifts me off the floor and throws me over to where I’d been previously chained. I felt and heard bones crack that I didn’t even know existed.

  I drag myself to all fours the pain from my broken bones searing through me. As I try to catch my breath again he closes in on me and kicks me in the gut over and over. I curl up hoping to protect some part of me from his rage. He stops and picks my sword up throwing it to the other end of the chamber. I start to speak her name but I don’t get a syllable out before he is on me pressing me into the ground with his body.

  Even though I was weakened the adrenaline in me helped me fight. I threw my head back and arched my back bucking against him trying to throw him off. He grabs my arms and pins my legs with his then laughs. “You think to trick me with your Fae sword. It will not work I will not let you speak.” He grabs the iron shackles and closes them around my wrists.

  “I knew you would come back. In fact I planned it that way; I even planted some information to make you think we wouldn’t be here. That was rather foolish though on your part, you should have stayed far away. Maybe you would have lived.”

  He holds my face with one hand and leans in to whisper in my ear. “I will make you mine then I will kill you and bleed you, you are more useful to me dead. When I am done with you I will make sure every animal you have brought with you dies a very painful death and then I will make their families my slaves.”

  I needed to survive this just to make sure something like that didn’t happen, he could do what he wanted with me but I needed to take him down with me. I went for the daring approach.

  I strained to move my head around far enough and then spat at him, and under gritted teeth I said. “Try it.”

  He lost his temper then and tore into my throat, I could hear the flesh rip and feel the cold air against the wetness of the blood pouring over my shoulder. I tried to move him but I no longer had the strength, with each beat of my heart, my heart rate slowed.

  Warren was on me one minute tearing into me, the next he was flying towards the stone altar. I adjusted my eyes to see Bastian standing above me his anger unrestrained.

  He looks at Warren watching to see if he moves, then he grabs the chains and rips them from the wall, he scopes me up and I scream as the pain from the change in position burns through me, then I pass out in his arms.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I keep drifting in and out of consciousness, I feel so weak that I doubt I would live out the day. One minute I was cradled in Bastian’s arms the next I was on the floor in a clearing in the woods, surroun
ded on almost all sides by cliffs. The trees stood proud on the cliffs edge and some of the Lycan’s stood guard.

  I feel so weak but the pain was almost gone which perhaps wasn’t the best sign. Immortality sucks when you can still die if enough damage was caused. The older you get the more damage you could take. I’m only twenty four, for an immortal that’s really, really, really young

  Those that weren’t on the cliffs gathered in around me. Roan was on the phone to Gerry and relayed what he said to the others. “She’s lost too much blood and sustained too much damage, if you move her now she’ll just die quicker. We can give her one of the pain relief injections he sent with us, but he doubts it will do anything. If we can get her back he can patch her up and she can begin healing, without blood though she won’t be able to go anywhere.” Roan turns and walks away speaking to him some more before flipping the phone shut.

  I didn’t want to die yet. I hadn’t lived my life, there were things I hadn’t done. Bastian must have seen my panic, he comes and sits down beside me and strokes my hair back from my face. Hell, the look on his face, I just knew this was going to be it. He was usually quick to hide his emotions but they were there plain to see like he didn’t have the heart to hide them anymore. If I had the strength I’d hit him for showing remorse.

  I look away and watch as the leaves on the trees turn brown and begin to fall like confetti around us, it was amazing, to think I would never see anything like this again. Everyone looks up and I hear Quinn say. “She’s a wood Nymph right, the trees are dying with her, we need to do something now.” She sobs then, barely stifling it.

  That was it, I knew that I’d lost too much blood but as Gerry said I needed it to replace what I’d lost and if I did I might be able to repair enough damage to begin healing. There was only one way to do that in the middle of nowhere.