Beauties and Beasts

by Jenna Aileen

  But how? How is he going to use me? What does he need me for? I pondered until my head hurt. So many questions were bouncing around in my head, it was exhausting to keep track of them all—let alone try to figure out the answers. How had I forgotten about Vladimir all of these years? Was he telling the truth about my father? Did if Ryan know anything about this? He was older than I and closer in age to Vladimir. Ryan knew Vladimir better than I did—I was just a little girl at the time. I couldn’t have been older than seven when he and dad had their “falling out” of sorts. But…Dad being a freaking werewolf hunter? I didn’t even know those existed! Heck, I didn’t know werewolves existed until a month ago.

  All of this seemed too crazy not to believe. It was actually scaring me how much sense this was all making.

  I hugged my pillow and wrapped the blankets around myself as tightly as possible, craving the feeling of safety and wishing that all of this would just go away.

  Just as I was starting to drift off, there was a knock at the door. My whole body tensed up as Vladimir walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed. I flinched when he put his hand on my leg.

  "I'm sorry about last night," he said slowly, trying to make eye contact with me. I sat up and drew my knees to my chest, unsure how to answer his apology. “It's hard...sometimes,” he started to say.

  “What is?” I asked.

  “Keeping the wolf at bay,”

  “Alright...”

  “You don't understand,” he grumbled.

  “No, I don't,” I shrugged, unsure of how else to reply.

  “When I'm angry, even the slightest bit put out, I can feel him in the back of my mind egging me on, nagging me until I just lose it.” His hands were balled into fist, his knuckles turning white. I tensed up, not sure whether he'd strike me again. He didn't. Instead, he leaned forward and gently pushed up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal the fingerprint shaped bruises on my shoulder from last night. Regret was clear in his eyes and his mouth twisted into a pained grimace.

  He let out a heavy sigh before standing and abruptly leaving the room. The door slammed behind him and I sat on the bed, frozen. I was so torn. Half of me wanted to go and see if talking about it would help him. The other half was still wary after last night. He was, at one time, my friend. But now so much time had passed, I barely knew him except for the bits and pieces that had come back to me in my dream, and what Conan had warned me of—that he was dangerous.

  It was all too much to take in. My thoughts made my head buzz and spin. I curled back up on the bed and prayed desperately for help to come before falling into a troubled sleep.

  *~*~*

  My head was still throbbing when I awoke, and my mouth completely dry. I went in the bathroom and stuck my head under the spigot for a drink, rather than going out to the kitchen and risking another run in with Vladimir. I took a quick shower to try and relax my tense muscles.

  The bruises on my shoulders from where Vladimir had been holding me against the wall were horrendous, worse than anything George had ever done to me.

  Yeah, but George wasn’t a fricking werewolf. I reminded myself, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

  There was a loud crash outside of my room, followed by a bunch of guffawing. Curiosity filled my mind, but I refused to go out and investigate. I heard loud voices and came to the conclusion that Vladimir was probably throwing a party or something. My stomach growled, and I huffed in frustration. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, but there was no way I was going out there to brave all of those nasty wolf men.

  It was torturous lying on the bed and listening to them laughing and eating and drinking as my stomach growled louder and louder. I was hungry to the point of nausea.

  Finally, I gave in to my hunger, wondering what the worst possible outcome could be.

  The floorboards creaked beneath my feet, despite the fact that I was walking on my tiptoes.

  Get in and get out. Just grab something to eat and then scram. I told myself over and over, as if saying it enough times would keep me out of trouble. I was thankful to see that the kitchen was empty and that the wolf men were in the living room. With great haste, I slapped together a peanut butter sandwich and began to make my way back to my room. Unfortunately, I had underestimated the sensitivity of the werewolf’s hearing.

  “Kathryn!” Vladimir called from the other room. I jumped, and dropped my sandwich on the floor. My heart was racing, and my appetite had suddenly disappeared.

  “Y-yes?” I called hesitantly.

  “Bring me a beer,” he demanded. I cursed under my breath and picked up my sandwich. For a brief moment, I stood there and pondered what may happen if I refused or ignored him.

  “Hurry up!” he barked, tearing me from my thoughts and back into the cruel reality. I begrudgingly stomped over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of beer, and stomped into the living room where Vladimir and a few other men were engaged in a game of cards. Liam and Sawyer were among the group, but they barely acknowledged my presence. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he gushed, blowing a puff of smoke in my face. “Whatever,” I mumbled, wanting to put as much distance between myself and the werewolves as possible.

  “Leaving so soon?” Vladimir asked, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into his lap. I gasped and tried to stand up but he gripped my waist firmly, holding me in place. “Stay and watch us for a little,” he told me, stroking my arm.

  “No thank you,” I replied, flinching away from his touch. “I’m trying to eat my sandwich.”

  “You can eat right here,” Vladimir replied. I took a small bite of my slightly smashed sandwich, and stared at my hands. The wolf men sitting around the table were all gazing at me with lust in their eyes, and I was sure that my face was bright red.

  Thankfully, their attention was soon turned back to the game, although I still did catch them staring at me from time to time.

  Once I was done eating, I tried to stand up but was again pulled back onto Vladimir’s lap.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked huskily.

  “I need a drink,” I replied, trying to keep my tone cool, although I was sure that my shaking hands were giving me away.

  “You can share with me,” he chuckled, grabbing the bottle of beer and pressing it to my lips. I tried to push the bottle away, but he tilted it back so I had no choice but to swallow, or let it spill over my shirt.

  “Thank you, I’m good,” I muttered, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and wrinkling my nose. I had only ever consumed alcohol a handful of times, and mostly it was just so I wouldn’t look out of place at a party. The taste was not appealing to me, and I didn’t like how stupid my “friends” had acted when they were under the influence. Not to mention my stepfather was always an angry drunk. That alone left me with a lot of bad memories tied to drinking any form of alcohol in any situation.

  Sitting there and watching the men play was one of the most boring things in the world. I hadn’t ever played poker, or any card games other than go fish really so I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Although it was pretty apparent that Vladimir was winning almost every hand.

  The other guys were starting to get frustrated and grumble.

  “I’m not going to have any money left after tonight,” one of the men grunted, throwing his remaining chips into the pile.

  “I think we should stop betting money and up the ante to something else,” Sawyer suggested, scratching his head.

  “What else would we use, stupid? Money is all I got,” Liam replied.

  Sawyer sat there quietly for a moment, thinking hard. Our eyes met, and his lips twisted into an evil grin.

  “We could use Kathryn,” he suggested, sitting back in his chair. My mouth dropped open, and I glared at Sawyer. He just smirked back at me.

  “And how exactly do you want to go about that?” one of the other men asked, his eyes scanning my body. I cringed and crossed my arms over my chest self-consciously. I did not like where this was going, not one bit.<
br />
  “Winner gets her all to himself for the rest of the night,” Sawyer answered matter-of-factly, like he had just come up with the most brilliant plan in the universe. I was unable to hold back my gasp of disgust.

  “No way, there is no way—you can’t—no!”

  “I like that idea,” someone chimed in. All of the guys grunted, except for Vladimir, who remained surprisingly quiet. Liam looked at me almost apologetically, before casting his gaze down at the floor.

  “And who says I’m going to let you take my Kathryn away from me?” Vladimir finally asked. His hand traveled from my waist down to my leg, where he began gently rubbing his thumb back and forth.

  “Wait a minute, I am nobody’s Kathryn—”

  “Oh come on, Vlad, it’ll make things a little more…interesting.” Sawyer winked at me, and I felt like I was going to throw up my sandwich. After a long moment of silence, Vladimir let out a long sigh.

  “Fine,” was all he said. I was absolutely appalled.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re all sick! And you—” I finally jumped up and pointed at Vladimir. “I’m not some whore that you can trade and gamble with.”

  “Sit down, Kathryn,” he replied, surprisingly calm. I shook my head, biting my lip in an attempt not to cry.

  This can’t be happening.

  “Sit down.” He grabbed my arm and yanked me back onto his lap. My body continued to tremble as he gently rubbed my back. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control,” he whispered in my ear, his hot breath tickling my skin. As if that was supposed to give me comfort?

  My brain felt numb as I sat there and watched them play. I ended up zoning out, until I heard the men’s collective groans.

  “Oh come on, you guys really think that I’d agree to that unless I had a winning hand?” Vladimir asked with a chuckle. “Nobody is going to touch my Kathryn.” His Kathryn? I almost protested, but decided to keep my mouth shut, seeing as he had just saved me from being raped by one of his heartless cronies.

  “I don’t think that’s fair…” Sawyer started to groan.

  “Who’s says we were playing fair? Party’s over anyway, everyone out.” Still grunting and grumbling, the men grabbed their winnings and trudged outside. When I heard the door finally click shut, I let out a sigh of relief.

  I was about to thank Vladimir for not letting them do anything to me, but he had walked into the kitchen. Heaving a heavy sigh, I followed him. My hands were still shaking, and my racing heart was just starting to slow down to its normal pace.

  “Thank you for saving me from…” I found myself whispering to Vladimir. As much as it burned me to do so, I figured it would be best to thank him, and try to get on his good side.

  “Saving you?” he questioned, pulling a box of cigarettes out of the drawer.

  “I…uh…yeah. You made sure you won so that…” My voice faltered as Vladimir backed me into the counter and placed his hands on either side of me so I couldn’t move. “That they couldn’t…”

  “And you assumed my intentions were good? Oh, Kathy girl, you really are innocent aren’t you?”

  “I—yes—please stop that.” My voice shook as his hands roamed up and down my body.

  “I won the game, didn’t I?” he chuckled evilly. I shook my head vigorously, and tried to shove him away, but it was like pushing against a brick wall.

  “Vladimir, no, stop. Please,” I begged, as he began to kiss my neck. His cigarette butt brushed against my skin and burnt me. I gasped in pain, and he chuckled.

  “So, you like this more than you’re letting on, hmm?” he asked humorously, his hands sliding up my shirt.

  “No that—ouch. Please stop, please.” He pulled back for a brief moment and just stared at me. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I was shaking with fear. I flinched as Vladimir gently brushed my tears away with the back of his hand.

  “Please don’t, Vladimir. Please…I’ve never…” He placed a finger over my lip to shush me. His lips twisted into an evil grin right before he started to kiss my mouth. I whimpered, and again tried to push him away, but his hands found their way to the bruises on my arm, squeezing them tighter and tighter until I stopped fighting him.

  “That’s more like it. Just relax,” he murmured.

  “Please, stop that…”

  “You have no idea how much I want you right now,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear. I felt his sticky lips on my neck. Tears filled my eyes, and just as I was about to lose it, he pulled away. “But I can’t have you…at least not yet. Someday soon, Kathryn, when all of this is over. Once I have my revenge on your father, I will make you mine.”

  “Why are you doing all of this Vladimir? Can we just…let all of this go? Can’t you just talk all this out with my dad? Give him a chance to explain himself—”

  “Explain? There is no need to explain anything. What’s done is done.”

  “Yes! It’s done! It’s in the past. I’m not excusing him or saying what he did was right, but please…my father is a good man. There has to be a reason he did what he did.”

  “Even good men have to pay for their sins, Kathryn.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to process everything. My stomach was in knots and my hands were still shaking, even after Vladimir pulled away to go get another cigarette. When I opened my eyes again, he was sitting at the table watching me.

  “You should consider yourself lucky,” he chuckled to himself. “I was actually planning on killing you. But I didn’t expect to feel this way.” Vladimir stood, and I pushed myself away from the wall, hating the feeling of being cornered. He was much faster than I was and soon had me pinned down again, this time on the table.

  “Get off me,” I whispered, my voice sounding more fearful than threatening. The taste of smoke and alcohol on Vladimir’s lips nauseated me. His hand slid up my shirt, and I flinched as his fingers brushed the tender, half-healed wounds.

  Pain seared through my entire body as he dug his claws into my flesh. I arched my back and cried out, desperate to get away from him. He reopened all of the wounds on my back and stomach before leaving me crumpled on the kitchen floor. My whole body shook uncontrollably from fear as I lay there, praying for deliverance from the pain.

  *~*~*

  When I awoke the next morning, I was still curled in the fetal position, lying on the floor. The pain took my breath away, and the sandwich I had eaten for dinner last night threatened to make a reappearance.

  Vladimir was nowhere in sight as I slowly sat up and shuffled to the bathroom. Thankfully, I was able to make it to the toilet before I puked my guts out. My eyes filled with tears as I sat down hard on the cold tile floor.

  “Don’t cry…you’re fine…you’re fine, Kathryn…don’t you dare cry…crying is for weak people,” I whispered to myself over and over again.

  Despite the pain it caused the fresh wounds, I rested my head on my knees and rocked back and forth, trying to comfort myself with happier thoughts. My mind wandered to Abel, and that’s when the tears came. Sobs racked my entire body and I was left gasping for air. My whole body ached, and I felt as if my heart was being torn out of my chest as I sat in the bathroom and sobbed for God knows how long. Everything just came crashing down on me.

  Up until now, I always thought my chances of seeing Abel and my father and brother again were very promising. But the more time that passed, the less likely it all seemed. Vladimir was a powerful man. One who seemed hell-bent on getting his way.

  And if he got his revenge on my father and everything went according to his plans…heaven help me.

  Chapter Twenty-Six, Conan

  “Conan, what the—where have you been?!” Valko exclaimed, as I trudged into his apartment, slamming the door behind me.

  “Thinking.” I shook the snow off of my clothing and made my way over to the fridge.

  “Thinking? You’ve been gone for five weeks!”

  I grunted in reply, grabbing a drink. “Is Vladimir angry at
me?” I asked before taking a swig of the ice cold beer.

  “No, at least I don’t think he is. He’s too busy messing around with Kathryn.”

  I choked down the drink, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Messing around?”

  “Yeah.” I cursed. “She’s pretty beaten down. I’ve had to go stitch her up a couple of times now.”

  “He’s taking all of his rage toward her father out on her,” I whispered. Valko nodded slowly, not looking me in the eye. “How bad is it?”

  “Not long after you left he lost control and clawed her back, almost as bad as what Des did. He hasn’t touched her since then. He seems regretful whenever he comes to me and she's beaten up. Says he can't keep the wolf at bay. Kathryn is absolutely terrified of him. Last time I went to see her, she pleaded with me for an hour to help her escape or to let her die.”

  My bottle of beer shattered on the floor and I felt the cold liquid spread under my bare feet and in between my toes. I ran out of the kitchen, not even caring that broken glass was now embedded in my feet. My feet were soon numb from the cold snow after I had taken off yet again. I wasn’t able to bear the look on Valko’s face.

  “Conan—”

  He called after me, but I ignored him. I was seeing red as I ran down the deserted city streets.

  This was all my fault. If only I had made the decision to come back sooner, I might have been able to prevent this. The snow stung my eyes and bare feet as I finally made it into the dense forest that surrounded the entire city.

  Pain shot up my foot as I tripped over a rock and fell flat on my face, my hands scraping against the ice. I growled and picked up the large stone and chucked it as far as I could, screaming at the top of my lungs in anger.

  I fell to my knees and my whole body shook with hatred and remorse. It reminded me of another night…one that seemed like so long ago, yet at the same time just yesterday. I had done it again. Well, not exactly the same thing but the same idea.

  It was all my fault. I hadn’t cried since my Selene died, but now bitter tears streamed down my face.