In two hard strides he was at the Hunters side, ripping the taser from his hands. He yanked the cord and barbs from his brother in a harsh pull, something he would not have been able to do if Roderick was human, then wrapped it around the hunter’s neck.
Squeezing, he watched the panic in the man’s eyes.
“No boy, there’s no way ou’ of this for you,” he whispered as the man clawed at his arms, hoping to break free. He could have broken Balor’s arms clean in half, and still the demon would have clung to him, watching death creep into his eyes.
Killing a man was one thing; putting a man to death was another entirely. To watch the light leave someone’s eyes was the most respectful way to claim a kill, and when someone fucked with his brother, their death would be on his hands alone.
Deciding the Hunter had properly suffered, he pulled hard on the cord, and with the strength of his Breed blood, the man’s head came clean off its shoulders.
Blood sprayed in a spherical motion, the way it would when ocean droplets shook free from soaking hair. For a moment, his eyes were fixated on it, watching the cascade and taking in the last few moments of a man who would no longer be.
Someone screamed in hysterics breaking the mood, but Balor paid it no mind. After all, they had mentioned the savages, and so the savages they would get.
Roderick had bounced back from the taser, almost as if he hadn’t felt the overwhelming shock of electricity, and was back in the fight. The barbs had left small, bleeding holes in his chest, but his Breed blood would heal those quickly.
The captain of the Hunters fought bravely, but with one well placed kick to the joint, Rod broke his leg, sending him crashing to the floor.
With uneven movements and jagged breath, the thing on the surgical table began to rise.
Balor stared on in horror as it rose, taller and broader than him. It was a man, or had been at some point, as his body was still humanoid. Its eyes were red and hostile, its hands elongated and ending with his fingertips spiked out at twice the normal length and ending in painful looking points. Its body was deformed but massive, the muscles bulging in veins that thumped blood through so hard it appeared like his body was trembling.
“Oi, don’ forget that’s yur man.” Rod gave a half laugh as he knocked the Captain unconscious.
There were still two more Hunters alive, but they didn’t move to attack. Frozen in place, they stood painfully still, gawking at what no doubt used to be their comrade. He towered above everyone in the room, his pulsing limbs looking painfully muscled.
Balor hadn’t forgotten. If he wanted that thing taken back alive, now was the time to get shit done.
“Aye, beasty,” he called in a harsh tone, and the creature turned slowly in his direction, its insane eyes resting on him. “Let’s have us a match.”
The beast stood still and roared at him with all his might, making Balor actually have to step back a foot from the force of it. If that’s what the thing did with a scream, this was about to be one hell of a party.
There was no time like the present, so Balor charged, hitting the beast. The creature was unphased as the blow of punches began. It moved slightly, barely reacting to the blows, and even Balor had to respect his strength.
Wraps to the jaw that would have crushed the skull of a human stood firm against the blows.
“Tough bastard,” Rod said, impressed, from behind them.
The creature reared back, and as fast as a Breed member would, knocked him into the wall behind him. The brick crumbled, and the wall shook from the blow.
Roderick was silent as the grave now. This was a true battle.
Spitting out blood, Balor stretched out his shoulders and cracked his neck. This is what he had been needing.
Fast and violent, he charged again. He hit the creature with everything he had, and thank the gods, the thing went down to a knee. He didn’t stop the blows. Now was not the time for leniency or awe.
Blows were returned to him just as hard and fast, and he welcomed them. To hell with the pain, he needed it. The violence shook away the grey nothingness he had been feeling lately. It jarred life back into him.
He needed more.
The creature screamed and fought erratically, and it was clear that the mind of the human who had once owned this body was long gone. If he was still in there somewhere, he would have used his training, but he didn’t. All those skills were gone now, and replaced by simple mindless rage.
They were both animals now, in their purest element. Blood flecked everywhere, encompassing them, but it only made his heart beat faster and his adrenaline thrive.
Roars crashed each other as punishingly as their bodies did. The creature was larger, and with his chemical cocktail, it very well may have been stronger than him, but today was not the fucking day.
“Come on bastard!” Balor screamed with all his breath as the creature fell backwards. He wasn’t ready for the fight to be over. Not yet. Just a little more. Just something to break through all that grey numbness.
Rod looked on, half enthralled and half worried for his brother. Nothing could stop the battle now, even if he could, Balor would never have forgiven him. He could see in his twin’s eyes that he was too far gone with lust for it now. He stood back, hands crossed over chest, and watched, feeling every hit that his brother took and knowing how much he loved it.
The creature was back on its feet in seconds, and joy filled Balor’s eyes, his mouth splitting into a wide smile.
Once again, they clashed with each other, blood and flesh flying as the creature’s claws took a deep gouge of Balors face.
“Two can play with claws.” He smiled and called forth the change.
The old myths said that werewolves were chained to the moon, but that was simply it, a myth. Breed members used their blood to call forth the inner beast; the moon only helped the strength of the change.
His body grew with the strength of the wolf, making him inhumanly large, and now he had claws too.
Slashing, he returned the jagged blow to the face.
Now he was jaws and teeth, ripping and biting, tearing the creatures flesh easily. Finally the creature was overwhelmed.
It whimpered as it hit the ground hard with the wolf covering it. It was far too late now. There was no way they could let it live. Not when it was that strong and that fast. Humans had no chance against that thing, and this building was full of them. It had to die.
Balor went for the throat, tearing it out between his powerful jaws.
Before their eyes, the creature’s body began to shrink. Not fully going back to being human but almost as if it had been swollen and was now going back to its original size.
“I don’ like this,” Rod shook his head.
“We don’t either.” The two Hunters they had both forgotten about spoke up. “When our people joined with yours, they created monsters. We didn’t join the Hunters to create monsters. We joined to kill them.”
“And yet, all you’ve done tonight is die,” Rod hissed, circling them.
“Let us live. Take us to your people, and we will tell them what we know in exchange for protection and safe passage from the Hunters.” One of them stepped forward, sounding much braver than he seemed.
“I don’t care,” Balor spoke as his body went back to normal. He seemed to be answering a question that Roderick hadn’t even asked.
“What do you know that yur captain doesn’t?” Rod asked them.
“It’s not that we know more just that we’re actually willing to talk,” the brave man replied. “You’ll have to kill our captain to get any info out of him.”
“Nah, won’ be that hard.” Rod grabbed the brave one by the shirt collar and snapped his neck. His eyes rolled back just a little as he felt the bones separate.
“Tha’ was a nice one.” Balor nodded, hearing the satisfying crack.
The not so brave one stood, metaphorically pissing in his pants.
“There’s nothing I can do to save mysel
f?” He asked, his voice shaking.
“Oh aye, there’s one thing.” Balor nodded. “If you can go back, and stop yur friends from killin’ my pack, from taking them hostage and experimenting on them, then I will save yur life. Can you do tha’?”
“You know I can’t do that,” he snarled back angrily.
“Righ’ then, neck snap?” Rod asked cheerily.
“What?” The man looked aghast.
“I’m asking if you’d like yur neck snapped like this lad. If not, we did bring knives, though I’m not going to lie… that last one was vera refreshing. May have opened up a small bit of addiction in me.” He sighed dreamily.
“Fucking sick… you’re both fucking sick.” He shook his head, trying to back away.
With inhuman speed, Roderick grabbed him, and before he could cry out, a second, equally satisfying crack filled the stale air.
“Tha’ was a good night.” Balor nodded his head, putting on what was left of his pants.
“Yur carryin’ them back to the car.” Rod pointed to the two bodies that needed to be dragged back to the embassy.
“Bleedin’ lazy you are.” Balor chuckled, but slung both bodies over his shoulder just the same.
Once at the embassy, they found Casstiel, first thing, to show him the corpse they had brought and tell him what he had witnessed.
“We need to call a meeting with everyone but not tonight.” Casstiel regarded him with electric blue eyes that found a way of piercing into his, even when his were as dark as the devil’s himself.
“Why not tonight?” Rod demanded, always more short tempered than his twin.
“Because it’s Christmas Eve, you fucking nutcrackers. And while normally I really wouldn’t care what that meant, we’ve suffered a great deal lately, and we need the peace. I’ll not take that away from them and shove this gruesome thing in their faces.” He shook his head as he stared at the creature, a mix between pity and disgust in his eyes.
Balor had once been a great leader, and so he understood this quality in another man.
“Christmas Eve…” Balor thought out loud. “I think that’s Remy’s birthday.”
“It is.” Casstiel gave him the side-eye. “And by the look of shock and fear spreading rapidly over your features, I’m guessing you didn’t remember, have nothing to give her, and have now somehow found a way to hate yourself to a whole new level.”
“It’s like you know me.” Balor would have laughed if he wasn’t hurtling toward a stress induced breakdown.
“Take the flowers on my desk. This bouquet won’t mean as much to Tessa as it will to Remy, especially since no one else is going to buy a girl in a coma flowers. You won’t find any gifts out in this Christmas Eve madness, but you could write her a poem or sing a song.” he shrugged, drawing at straws.
“You are a grea’ leader.” Balor clapped him hard on the back. “Go and make love to yur wife, even if she hasn’t yet accepted the title, and fall asleep softly in her arms.”
“And you…” Casstiel pointed at Balor. “Go and see Remy. Tell her that you love her and that she’s your mate even if you don’t know if she’ll remember it when she wakes up. Tell her your feelings, and allow yourself to feel them.” Casstiel clapped his shoulder right back.
“Alrigh’, alrigh’, everyone is full a love and rides off into the sunset. I’m going to get diabetes from listenin’ to you sugary twats,” Rod heaved the corpse over his shoulder and walked out the door muttering about having to puke.
“How’s Memphis?” Balor asked before he dragged the still unconscious prisoner down to the jail.
“He’s a wreck, to be honest.” Casstiel’s voice was now full of sorrow.
When Balor and his brother were rescued, not only had they been saved, but there were two others. A very, very broken woman, and a young girl who had lit up the lives of everyone in the embassy.
Sadly, Memphis had bonded to the fractured woman and was now living in some sort of hell on earth, trying desperately to convince the girl to live and let him love her. For everything that anyone else in the Breed had gone through, no one would trade places with Memphis.
Breed members only ever got one mate. Once their mates died, they may as well go with them because all light and happiness died then as well. His mate had no desire to live, and everyone knew she was simply holding on for the sake of the little girl.
One day, probably soon, she would give up, and take her own life, and Memphis would be cursed to live out his days hollow and alone. He would live on for the sake of his own daughter, Nora, but he would wish for death, pray for it in every fight and every battle they entered. He would no longer be a man, no longer be a soul, without his mate.
It’s a situation that Balor both welcomed like a lover and hated like the end itself. If Remy did wake up and reject him, she could move on with her life. She could find someone safe to take care of her. A human out there somewhere who would move her far away from this war they were waging, fill her days up with soft embraces by a seaside and her nights with all the kisses and warmth that she deserved. He would be tortured by this, but the idea of her being safe also gave him peace, and he was willing to sacrifice all of his happiness for her own.
“Now it’s my turn to ask if you’re okay, old friend.” Casstiel was concerned, but somewhere in those electric eyes, Balor knew that he already knew the answer to the question he posed.
“I just wish I hadn’t bonded to her. I wish I didn’t have to ruin her life in so many ways.” He looked down at his feet, ashamed.
“I don’t think she will see it that way.” Casstiel smiled sadly. “But I have known you for long enough to know that that answer will not satisfy you. No one on earth loathes Balor more than he loathes himself.”
With this, Balor walked away, knowing his friend was right but also knowing he did not want to hear what he had to say.
The unconscious man slumped over his shoulder was lighter than the corpse, and he carried him easily down to the jail. In the morning, or maybe the day after that, Tessa would question him and get everything she could from him, and from there, he would be disposed of.
Once the iron bars closed, Balor gave a heavy sigh. Every part of him was screaming to go see her, but goddamn did he want to fight that urge.
He couldn’t; he would never be able to. So, with one deep breath, he trudged his way up to her room, blood stained and battle worn.
Remy knew her body was lying in a bed somewhere, desperately trying to heal itself, but her mind was far away in its own place of healing. It was a desert landscape, dull of color, but not so horrible that she would think of it as a prison. Just… dull, and lonely.
She could hear everything around her, and could feel small bits of it, but was unable to express that to the others. She simply sat, somewhere between life and death, waiting for friends and loved ones to come along and occupy her time.
When her world began to light up brightly, she knew that it was him. He came for her every day as if he could hear her calling out to him, longing for the brightness he brought to her life.
The colors began to change now, and her heart leapt in her chest. Her love was coming.
Remy had always known her gift of healing came with this consequence. Whoever she healed was returned to perfect health, but Remy took their pain and their ailments onto herself. If she healed a broken leg, then she gained a broken leg – the only difference being that medicine could not help her. That was the payment for the magic. She felt every moment of pain, and she healed only as fast as her body could heal. There was no surgery, no pain medicine, nothing that could help her. If she wanted to heal someone, she had to weigh the use of her gift wisely.
When he had come to her, so close to death, she knew what it would cost her to heal him. After looking at his face, so kind and full of love, she knew she could not let him die. In that small moment, she knew that she would love this man and that even if it caused her a thousand deaths, she would have to save his life.
Because of Remy’s gift, she lived among the Breed. Normal humans were not her people. They could never understand her, and she knew if they discovered her gift, they could never accept her. The Breed was her home and where she felt she belonged. She had considered, for a very brief moment, leaving to try and find love, but the universe had brought love to her instead.
A soft click of the door let her know that he was here. Though her heart monitor did not beep, she felt her heart leaping in her chest.
Remy was a Christmas Eve baby, and all she had wished for all day was for her love to come and stay with her.
“Hello, little darlin’,” he said softly, and she felt her cat, the one that he had bought her to keep her safe while he was away, leap off her chest and go to him.
He purred out little words of praise to her and no doubt pet her lovingly. A few moments later, she heard him rustling around in her kitchen and knew he was making dinner for her kitten. He was also so sweet and considerate, after he fed the kitten, she knew she would hear the sound of running water and him cleaning up her food bowl. He washed everything he used, changed her sheets, kept the dust off of everything, and had even learned to give proper massages to keep her from getting blood clots. Without him, her life would have been constant darkness.
“I stole one of the little Christmas trees that they’ve decorated the front entrance with. Nicked a stocking too, and a Santa. I probably should have decorated yur apartment sooner, but pretty’n up has never really been my strong suit.” He chuckled lowly.
With a heavy creak, she heard him sit in the chair next to her bed.
“Hello, beauty.” His voice was hoarse and full of pain. Something was not right with him, but she could not ask him what. So she sat and felt happy just to be in his presence.
Around her, she watched her surroundings change from the dull desert into a winter paradise. She imagined them together, in a glass globe, with a crackling fire in the corner to keep them warm while fat, chilly flakes fell on the outside.
Such Violent Delights: A Holiday Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 46