Beauties and Beasts

by Jenna Aileen

  “Oh, Kathryn, I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  *~*~*

  I woke up with vicious pain in my feet.

  “Don’t move,” Valko said.

  “What happened? OW!” My feet burned as Valko rubbed something on it.

  “You stepped on the broken glass from your beer bottle last night. I found you in the snow.” My heart sunk. I rubbed my face, the guilt almost too much to bear.

  “What did I do, Valko. Why? I screw everything up, I can never get anything right.” Valko shushed me and gave me a dirty look.

  “Do you want to get in trouble?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

  “I already am in trouble, Valko. It’s all my fault. What have I done?” My voice cracked with emotion and he gave me a look of pity. “Have you seen her today at all?”

  Valko sighed and shook his head.

  “I’m gonna kill him.”

  “Stop it, Conan. Do you want to get yourself killed? Look, I feel bad for Kathryn too but—”

  “But nothing, Valko. It’s just plain wrong. Kathryn hasn’t done anything to deserve this. Her father is a different story, but she shouldn’t have to pay for what her father did.”

  He shushed me again. “I agree with you wholeheartedly,” he said in a low voice. “But there’s nothing we can do.”

  “We have to figure something out Valko. I can’t go on like this. I’m going to go insane.”

  “I think that happened a long time ago,” he chuckled

  “Look, I’m serious.” I grabbed his shoulder and made him look me in the eye.

  “I know…I know you are. But I just don’t think it’s worth risking our necks for something that’s already pretty much over with. I’m sorry, Conan.”

  And with that, he left me alone with my thoughts. I was determined to save that girl if it cost me my life.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven, Kathryn

  After that dark and horrid night the days all seemed to blend together. Vladimir’s temper seemed to grow shorter and shorter as time went on. It was impossible to please him. I was basically his slave. He’d smack me if I did something wrong.

  He'd always return a few hours later and apologize until I told him I forgave him, but it was exhausting. Any pity I had on him when we were reunited was slowly turning to bitterness. The images of the blue eyed boy I had spent my summers with as a child faded and was replaced by the cruel devil.

  *~*~* Oh Lord, not again, please not again. I prayed as I heard the door creak open. A hand gently touched my shoulder, and I jerked myself away.

  “Shhh, it’s just me.”

  “Oh, Valko!” I cried, looking up and rubbing the tears out of my eyes. He put his arm around my shoulder and I cried into his shirt. I guess he knew better than to ask if I was okay.

  Once I had finally cried all my tears, I let him check the wounds on my back. He looked concerned when he saw the dark purple bruises the covered my body but said nothing.

  After giving me two more painkillers, he left and I was all alone again. I crawled under the covers and curled up in the fetal position. It didn’t take long before I was fast asleep. I guess all the crying had worn me out.

  The bed shifted beneath me, and I jolted awake. My heartbeat quickened and I felt my face get hot as I noticed Vladimir lying next to me.

  “Have a nice rest?” he asked, grabbing a pack of cigarettes off of his nightstand and sticking one in his mouth. He inhaled deeply before puffing the smoke in my face. I coughed and tried to wave the smoke away as my eyes began to water. He tossed it in the little metal tray that was also resting on the nightstand and then swiftly pinned my shoulders down. I guess the monster was back.

  I felt his nails grow into long claws and prick my skin a little bit. I wiggled and squirmed beneath the weight of his muscular body. He gently stroked my face and stared deeply into my eyes. I wasn’t truly afraid until I saw his eyes darken even further from their normal blue to the dark brown of his wolf. My body was trembling and I flinched, despite the gentleness of his touch.

  He leaned down, and slowly pressed his lips to mine. When he deepened the kiss, my heart began to race faster and faster.

  “Listen, sweetheart, I can make this less painful for you if you’d just settle down and stop fighting me so much.” His voice was a low growl and I knew he was close to losing control. I shook my head before attempting to kick him off. My body was so weak, it took every ounce of energy that I had to struggle against him.

  I tried to scratch his face and push him off of me. Even though I wasn’t doing any real damage, I succeeded in pissing him off.

  “Stop it, Kathryn,” he commanded, his voice hardly more than a deep growl.

  I fought harder and he started growling.

  “Knock it off!”

  A sharp pain pierced my shoulder and I screamed as hot blood trickled down my arm.

  My shoulder throbbed and ached and my whole body went limp. Vladimir cursed when he saw the blood soaking through my shirt and onto the sheets.

  Letting out a frustrated sigh, he got up off of the bed and left the room.

  Is this it then? Where did he go? Is he just going to let me bleed out? Is this how I die? I couldn’t stop shaking. Fear and pain consumed my entire body in a thick darkness that seemed to seep down to my very soul. I wasn’t able to escape it until I finally lost consciousness.

  *~*~*

  When I awoke, I was confused to find myself dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a different tank top. I wasn’t confused for long, however. As soon as I saw the white gauze bandage on my left shoulder, I knew Valko had been here and patched me up.

  Nausea gripped my stomach and I made a run for the bathroom. Despite how sick I felt, I was able to keep from throwing up.

  After a moment, I climbed into the shower and turned the water on cold. I just sat there. It didn’t matter that I was still wearing all my clothing—or that my body was shaking so violently that it hurt. My shoulder burned, and the bandage was starting to turn pinkish-red.

  With shaky hands, I ripped it off, gasping when I saw the ring of red teeth marks.

  He bit me?! The skin was swollen and pink, and a steady stream of blood flowed from the bite. I watched in horror as the bloody water trickled down my arm onto the light brown tile and streamed down into the drain. I didn’t cry at all; I just sat there numbly.

  Part of me hoped to bleed out or freeze to death so I didn't have to live in this hell and watch Vladimir have his revenge on my family.

  Where are you, Dad?

  He said he would come for me. I wondered to myself, feeling a sense of betrayal. However those feelings were nothing compared to how deserted I felt now that Conan had disappeared. Dad had already left me to fend for myself once. I never fully trusted him to come to my rescue. But Conan, for some reason, I felt protected when I was with him. Now that he was gone, I was so vulnerable. And alone now. Completely, utterly, alone.

  My chest tightened with fear when I heard the door open. I squeezed my eyes shut and drew my knees to my chest, wishing I could just disappear.

  I then heard a familiar, deep voice. “Kathryn?”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight, Conan

  “You son of a bitch!” I shushed her, covering her mouth with my hand.

  “I know, I know…I am. Just hear me out.”

  Her eyes were dark with hatred as I slowly removed my hand from her mouth. She let out a string of curses, before she launched herself at me, knocking me to the floor.

  “I hate you. I hate you!” Kathryn sobbed. She was completely soaked, her hair dark, and dripping with water as she pounded on my chest with only her right fist. Her left arm was stiff by her side, blood slowly trickling from the wound on her shoulder.

  Sobs wracked her body, and her tears mixed with the water on her face. Her punches got weaker and weaker until she finally just collapsed on me.

  “I’m sorry, Kathryn, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault; you should hate me. I’m so sorry,” I told her
, my voice cracking. She’d never looked so fragile. Her skin was ghostly pale than usual and she had dark circles under her eyes. When was the last time she slept? The sight of the bite made my heart fall.

  I knew the consequences of the bite. She wouldn’t turn into a werewolf since she wasn’t bitten during a full moon; however, the bite would still have some effect on her.

  “I’m so sorry, Kathy. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t call me that!” Her voice was low and filled with anger, making her sound much stronger than she looked. She was still breathing heavily as she sat up and looked me in the eyes. All the brightness had disappeared from her eyes—they were now a dull gray instead of their normal stormy blue. I saw fear and hatred burning in them, and the guilt weighed on my shoulders.

  She got up and stumbled out of the bathroom, her legs wobbling and her arms wrapped tightly around her body while her teeth chattered. I quickly got up and followed her out.

  “Kathryn, please listen to me—”

  “Don’t talk to me,” she said coldly. The venom in her voice made me pause, but I was determined.

  “Please, just hear me out—”

  She smacked my face.

  I barely felt it.

  “I don’t need to hear anything you say, Conan. Get out right now.”

  “Kathryn, I’m sorry. I want to help you get out. I’m so sorry…please, please forgive me.”

  “Oh stop bullshitting me. We both know that you don’t care what happens to me—”

  “That’s not true. Kathryn, look at me. Look at me!” I grabbed her small hand and gripped it tightly. Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away. She just stood there, hunched over and giving a cold glare. As much as she tried to hide it, I still saw the pain and sensed her feeling of betrayal. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I just handed you over to him, knowing well what he would do—”

  She attempted to pull her hand away but I held on tighter and knelt to the ground so that she had to look down at me.

  “Especially knowing that you trusted me to keep you safe. It’s my fault. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be treated like this. You’ve done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve this. What your father did is a different story—”

  She made a second attempt to pull away, this one stronger than the last and I almost lost grip of her hand since it was a little slippery, but I managed to hold on.

  “And I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. I genuinely, deeply care about you, Kathryn. And I will do my best to get you out of here, even if it kills me.”

  Her last attempt to pull away was the weakest. Before I knew it, she had collapsed to the ground, kneeling with me and resting her head on my chest.

  “Oh, Conan,” she cried. “What are you trying to do? What kind of sick game are you trying to play? I’m already convinced I’m in hell; isn’t that enough torture?”

  “I’m being serious.” I tilted her chin up and made her look me in the eyes. I wiped the tears off of her face with my thumb. “I’m sorry. I can’t say it enough…I’m sorry. Please, please, please forgive me. I was wrong. And I’m sorry.”

  Her eyes scanned my face and she stared down at the floor.

  “I forgive you.”

  She whispered, so faintly that I almost missed it. I felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my back.

  I pulled her close to me and I could feel her tense up. After what she had been through in the past weeks, I probably should have been smart enough to figure out that she didn’t want to be touched. After a few minutes, I felt her start to relax.

  “I’m so sorry, Kathryn,” I whispered to her. She just nodded and choked up a little.

  “Conan…when can you get me out of here? Can we leave now? Please don’t leave again, I can’t...”

  “Hey, I’m not going to leave you, alright? I’m going to stay right here.” I tilted her chin up so I could look her in the eye. “But we have got to leave now before Vladimir returns.”

  She whimpered when I said his name.

  “Let’s at least get you into something dry, you’ll turn into an icicle if you go outside like that.” I scooped her up and carried her over to the bed, setting her down gently. I then ran over to the drawer and grabbed the first things that I saw.

  Kathryn cried out in pain when she lifted her shoulder to pull her shirt over her head. I inhaled sharply, afraid of being heard.

  “Try and keep as quiet as you can,” I whispered, helping her put her arms through the sleeves. She bit her lip and nodded.

  “Where is Vladimir?" she asked me quietly. “It's been a day or two since I've last seen him.”

  “I think he left for a couple days to let the beast out. I know he's had a hard time controlling it since you've been here.”

  She bit her lip and gave a small nod. "So he tells me. Hey, Conan?"

  “Yes?”

  “When your wolf takes over, is it just a craving for violence? Or are there other...desires...that are heightened as well?”

  Her face was solemn and I thought I saw tears in her eyes.

  “Why, Kathryn? Oh god, what has he done—”

  “Nothing really, I mean—just answer the question.”

  “Yes, there is a great desire for power that takes over. A desire for control and for, well...sex."

  “Alright.”

  “Kathryn, has he—”

  “No. It was just a question.”

  She gave me a sharp look and I didn't interrogate any further.

  Once she was finally dressed, we snuck out the back door and into the alley behind Vladimir’s house.

  “Stay close to me. And if anything happens, run as fast as you can and don’t stop.” I instructed her. She looked absolutely awful, and I wondered if she would even be able to make it out of the city without collapsing.

  You can’t think about that, Conan. Just focus on not getting caught. I took a deep breath, grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto the deserted street. It was like a maze, attempting to dodge the more populated areas and sneak out of the city using one of the back roads.

  If only I had known this was all just a test. Vladimir had known all along that I was going to try and help Kathryn escape. It was just a big game of cat and mouse. And unfortunately, the cat was going to win this round.

  Vladimir’s dark laugh echoed down the alley, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

  Shit.

  “Conan?” Kathryn whimpered, clutching my arm tightly.

  “I’m sorry, Kathryn. I thought—”

  “You thought you could get away, eh?” Vladimir interrupted. “Well, you thought wrong.”

  A few of the other pack members emerged from the shadows to back him up. Sawyer and Liam were among them.

  I gave Kathryn’s hand a squeeze, trying to tell her to run. She seemed to get the message and sprinted back the way that we came.

  Sawyer made a move to go after her, but Vladimir stuck his arm out to stop him.

  “We’ll give her a little head start,” he chuckled, before advancing toward me.

  “Leave her alone, Vlad, she hasn’t done anything to deserve this,” I stated, crouching in a defensive position.

  “Says who?” Vladimir growled, taking a swing at me. I blocked it with my elbow, and kicked him in the stomach. He backed off with a grunt and bared his teeth at me.

  “She’s innocent—” I began to say

  “So was I!” he raged. “So was I before they all just sat and watched everything fall apart. And now they have to pay. Don’t you see, Conan?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “You know, you were the one that I depended on the most. You were my best friend. I helped you get your revenge, but you couldn’t return the favor. It’s a shame really. We were such a good team—”

  He caught me off guard with a left hook, and I fell to the ground, shocked. Before I could stand, four of the guys were pinning me to the ground. “Lock him up, I’ll deal with him later. First I’ve got to teach that girl a lesson.”


  Chapter Twenty-Nine, Kathryn

  A horizon of gray clouds stretched wide above my head. The air smelled like snow. Almost there, Kathryn, you’re almost there. My legs were wobbly, and I felt as if my lungs were about to burst as I ran down the quiet city streets. I couldn’t get caught. Not again, I couldn’t let Vladimir have me again. God knows what he would do to me now. There was no doubt he would be raging mad at my stupid escape attempt.

  Where am I even going? I asked myself after a few minutes of sprinting. I couldn’t continue on like this, and the buildings all looked the same. There was nowhere in the run-down city that I could hide that he wouldn’t find me—I was sure of that. But there was also no way I could outrun him. Any second now, he would chase me down and that would be the end.

  I began to notice that the houses and building were getting more spread apart, and I saw an outline of trees on the horizon. That tiny sliver of hope gave me a little burst of speed, and I grew closer and closer to the forest that would be able to shield me a little better from my foes. But that energy and excitement died all too quickly, when I heard the sound of feet pounding on the pavement behind me.

  I stole a glance back to see Vladimir sprinting towards me, an evil grin pasted on his face. Panic rose in my chest, and it became very difficult to breathe. I knew that he would have me in his grasp in a matter of seconds.

  I acted on instinct and ran toward the nearest building, and locked myself inside. Gasping for air and coughing from all the dust that my presence had stirred up, I slowly backed away from the door.

  Something hard slammed against it, and I heard the wood cracking. My hands shook as I ran up the steps and into the first room on the right. Just as I was shutting the door, I heard Vladimir breaking in. My mind grew all fuzzy and stars danced before my eyes.

  Think, Kathryn. Calm down and think!

  “I can’t—I’m trapped,” I whispered aloud.

  No you’re not. Look, there’s a window! My hands shook as

  I fumbled to unlock the window. Vladimir came stomping up the stairs and started to kick the door just as I was climbing out.