Ch. 56..60: The Werewolf's Vampire Mate Chapter 56-60

Chapter 56: The set up

Beau.

"Nice to see you too."

My mind is in a daze right now. Staring at Lanis with no way of getting him out of this mess. I said I was going to protect him but right now it is me against six vampires. This was their plan and I knew I might face obstacles along the way. In just thirty minutes, they have him chained up and he is unconscious.

My heart is in a frenzy, I don’t know how to react to this. I have to be strong for him. I promised I was going to save him, I said I would always protect him and now at this moment, he is hurt. This is all my fault; I am the one they want. They are doing this to him because of me; if Lanis had never been involved with me, he would be safe.

I turn around until I am in front of Lanis. I notice the burns around his wrist. He is supposed to heal fast but it doesn’t look like he is healing. I don’t know what transpired but something terrible must have happened. Cassius is still watching me; he doesn’t make any move to attack. He is just standing there like this is some sort of movie and he is enjoying every second of this. I tear my eyes away from my mate and face Cassius furiously.

"Let him go," I cry.

I will gladly make an exchange, his life for mine. I won’t run away from this. That is a no-brainer. If I have to die to make sure he is okay, I will die happily. This was not a thought-out plan. It happened in the heat of the moment. I wasn’t thinking, I just wanted to make sure he didn’t go alone.

They have him. I need you guys to stand on guard until I tell you to come in.

I send a mind link to Bells.

She replies to me instantly.

Just say the word.

"You know I can’t do that."

I look at Cassius as he takes slow but steady steps towards me. There is a warm smile on his face. This is the first time I am actually looking at him--I mean really looking at him. He looks like a normal person. You never know what someone is going through them by looking at him. I would never know that this man in front of me is a murderous killer. He seems so normal; he seems like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Okay maybe that is an exaggeration but he doesn’t look like a werewolf hater.

"You want me, you don’t need him for anything. Let him go and you can have m," I bargain. That is the only thing I can do at this moment. Alanis is not even conscious right now; I don’t know what they did to him but I have to get him out of here.

"You know how this is going to end," he mutters.

I take a deep breath as he stops in front of me. He reeks, I have never hated the scent of a vampire as much as I hate it on this man. It’s easy to tell he just fed on a human; I can smell blood on him—human blood.

I look around in search of his minions, I can smell them. I know there are somewhere in this house. Once I attack, he will have them surround me. I just need to bargain to get Alanis out and then I can fight. I will not risk anything as long as he is still chained. I wish he would open his eyes; tell me he is okay. "I know what you are looking for, she is around but you don’t need to worry about her."

What the fuck is he talking about?

Shit.

Maddie.

"Where is she." the fact that Lanis is tied means he was unable to help her "I swear to God, if you hurt one bone on her body, I will have your head," I am getting angry. I want to kill this man so bad. I am sure I can take him. I am strong enough.

I don’t know his strength but I think I can take him.

"You can’t take me. Trust me, it will be futile." it almost seems like read my mind. I want him out of my thoughts.

"Get out of my head," I growl. The anger in me evolves and I feel the change yet again. The crack and bend of my bones, the elongation of my canines. I turn into my true form in a split second and Cassius smiles almost like this is what he was waiting for. I have to try; I have to fight. I can’t be weak, not when my mate is involved. Standing on all four, I release a loud howl. It is a cry; it is for my Bells. I am letting her know that she can come now. I can’t do this alone but I can try to fight him, while they get Lanis out.

Get Lanis out of here.

I send her a mind link. He is my main priority. He is the only one I care about. As long as he is safe, then I have one. With a jump I attack Cassius. He is expecting me, so he dodges swiftly. I hear the door to the basement open and with super speed four other vampires jump into view. They are the same ones from the morning in the forest. They circle me but I know I can take all four of them, without Cassius. I stall by trotting around their circle with low growls, I just need Bells and Olin to come. They will help me create a distraction and then I can take him down. It only takes less than a minute for them to barge into the basement. They are fast and already transformed. I recognize Bells instantly. She gives me a look, I know what it means, she is telling me to focus on Cassius. She will handle the rest of them.

Cassius is still watching me like this is a game to him. I take one last look at Alanis. He is still unconscious; I don’t know what they did to him but right now I have to fight to protect him.

With a quick jump, I push one of his vampires out of the way, the force is hard, it sends him flying to the other side of the room. I watch him scurry up to his feet but Justin charges into him to get him away from me. At this point, all Five members of my pack are here. They are more than enough. I crawl all the way to Cassius and the smile is still on his face. There is no trace of fear evident on his face. He is not worried, at this point the anger in me is clouding my senses. I want his blood on me and I want it now. I push into him and he grabs me roughly. I feel his strength from one grip. He is very strong. I don’t know If I will be able to take him. His eyes bore into me and it feels like he is looking into my soul. His fingernails cut so deep into my fur, I feel the piercing and blood as it drips down. It is unlike any pain I have ever felt. Our sizes are completely different, I am way bigger than him but he is graceful in his movements, even when fighting. He lets go of my neck and I cower to the cold ground, feeling weak. My head suddenly feels very woozy from just that sting. He hasn’t done anything but It already feels like he has done a lot.

Slowly, I feel myself turn back to my human form. I hear my members still fighting but everywhere is getting foggy. I can barely see the man in front of me.

"What did you do to me?" I manage to breathe out still dizzy.

"As the wolfsbane starts to settle in your blood, you will feel like your heart is about to stop," he answers me with that smug smile of his.

I try to stand up but to no avail.

"Come on boys, we have what we want," he goes on his knees but I am at the point where I don’t even know what is happening. Cassius grabs me and lifts me up, I bend my head in an attempt to see Lanis, just one last time. All along, he didn’t want Lanis. He wanted me. That was his plan. He knew I would follow Lanis, he used Lanis to get to me.

Regret kicks in. I have never been this weak in my whole life. I have never fought any battle. I thought I was strong enough. I thought I could be the hero in this story. The knight in shining armour.

Anger is all I feel.

Disappointment lingers until everything blacks out.

I’m sorry Lanis.

 

Chapter 57: Darrien and the surprise.

Alanis.

Have you ever had an out of body experience?

You can hear and see everything, but you can’t do anything?

I am stuck in that moment.

I hear his cries; I feel his heartbeat slowing down.

But I can’t do anything.

I can’t wake up from the slumber I was forcefully put in. Get up, Alanis. Get the fuck up and help him.

No matter how much I want to, I can’t. This was not how it was supposed to be. I didn’t know how the night was going to end but I didn’t want this. That is why I didn’t want to tell Beau. I wanted to keep him safe. All along, Cassius knew he was going to show up. He told me to come alone but meant, come with Beau. I see Cassius as he carries Beau and like the speed of lightning, he takes him out of the basement. Somehow it feels like my heart was taken with him. No matter how much I scream, it is all in my head. I can’t do anything to save him. I am lost again.

The owl outside my window hoots so loudly that my eyes open. For a second, I don’t know where I am. Confusion takes over completely before I recognize my surroundings.

My bed.

Dresser.

The desk and chair.

I am at home.

Why am I home?

I jump up from my bed with too much agitation. I remember what happened. Cassius took him everything is like a very foggy memory. The plan failed. As I expected it to. The only turn of events is that I thought I would be the one taken. Beau would’ve never let them take me. He would’ve sacrificed everything to be the one.

I just hope he is okay.

My room door opens, revealing Eligio. There is a grim expression plastered to his face. "Where is Beau," I ask him immediately. Deep down I know he has no clue. He can’t help me right now; he didn’t even know what happened. I knew I should’ve involved my family all along but I stupidly kept it all from him. Maybe if I have things wouldn’t be the way there are.

"How do you feel?"

He ignores my question with avoidant eyes. I walk over to him and he sighs "You have been through a lot. You still need rest."

I furrow my brows "How long was I out?"

"Two weeks," he answers me so calmly.

"How is that possible?"

Whatever happened to me must have worn my body out completely. This is the longest sleep state I have ever been in. Two weeks and Beau could be dead. Fuck.

I pace around the room, two weeks and no word from Beau. Two weeks is too long. Where is he and what has Cassius done to him?

"I need to find him," I walk into my closet and grab a pair of jeans from it and shirt. Eligio follows me into my closet, he is watching me. Wondering what I intend to do. I have no idea. The first thing I need to do is find Maddie. She is the cause of all this. She used me to get to him, all her anger and hatred towards me—to hurt someone else.

"What are you going to do," he asks me as I tie the shoelaces of my sneakers.

"Maddie, I need to find her."

"What does she have to do with this?"

"She lied to me. She is fucking working for Cassius."

El sighs "Maddie, your ex?" he asks in disbelief.

"Yes, I went there to help her and she didn’t need any saving. She used me to get Beau and I have to find him. He is still alive, I can feel him," I place my palm on my chest "I can feel him in here."

As long as Beau’s heart is still beating, I will feel it. As long as he is still alive, I have hope. As long as I have hope, I will find him. No matter what anyone thinks, no matter how long it takes. I will not let Cassius win this.

"Where are you going?" El stops me.

"Maddie’s house."

That is the first place I need to check. I will do whatever it takes, no matter what I have to do. El follows me down the stairs until we get outside "You can’t do this alone. There is something you need to know," he grabs my arm gently.

I don’t want any more bad news.

I am fucking exhausted.

"What," I run my hands through my messy hair. I can’t remember the last time I brushed it. I don’t even remember the last time I had a shower.

"Beau’s pack. His uncle woke up. They are all scared and since no one knows what happened. They appointed him as the new leader."

My heart stops in my chest. His words, as unbelievable as they are is terrifying to my gut. Is it even possible to choose another Alpha while the original one is still alive? This doesn’t make any sense but there is nothing I can do. There is no way I can get them on my side. They never even fully accepted me, if not for Beau I wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near their grounds. They will never listen to me; I just have to bring Beau back, alive. That is the only solution to all this.

"I need to find Beau," I unlock my car.

El sighs again "How are you going to do that? Cassius will never be found unless he wants to. It will not be easy.’’

"I have to try; I can’t sit on my ass in hopes that he will come back to me. This is all my fault. I made him go with me that night. I can’t let him die." I cry. At this point I am weak, my heart is heavy, my body is tired. I’ve been apart from him for two weeks.

How is he even feeling right now?

"I’ll come with you," Darrien suddenly comes out of the house and into view. His expression is stoic—as usual.

"Why?"

He shrugs "Nothing like some good old adventure to spice up my life." he says so nonchalant that it feels like there is something in it for him. I know Darrien, he doesn’t just offer to help. There must be a reason. Granted he won’t tell me, but there is a reason.

"Fine."

************

The drive is awkward but I don’t even have the energy to even say or do anything to make it better.

"Here," I look away from the road and he has a travel mug in his hand "You must be hungry."

He is offering me blood. This is all too surreal to me. The fact that Darrien is being so kind towards me. I don’t know If I can accept it so easily. This is the one person in my family that always hated me. Now he is offering to help me and feed me.

Something is up.

"Why are you doing this?"

I don’t collect the mug.

He laughs nervously "You are my brother. I have to help out when I can." he says like suddenly his actions make sense. "Come on, I know you want it," he waves the cup in front of my face and my senses kick in. The bloodthirst forces its way out. I need to eat to rescue him, so I will just succumb to Darrien, just this time.

"Thanks," I collect the mug from him.

He chuckles "Anytime brother," he drawls the brother slowly. Making this all the more suspicious.

I have been to Maddie’s house so many times. I could get to her house with my eye’s clothes. Our relationship was not fated but I did love her. I got so used to her, I wanted to make her min. At the end of the day, I got what I deserved. Thinking I could force what wasn’t meant to be. If I had just been patient, if I had just waited, this wouldn’t have happened.

"You know this is not your fault," Darrien reads my minds.

"You don’t have to say that. I brought Maddie into our lives. I was so stubborn when everyone warned me. I didn’t listen and now she did this to us."

"I know how you felt, you can’t blame yourself for wanting to be loved. We all need a little love in our lives." he winks.

Strangely a smile crawls up to my face and he seems content. For now, I have to focus on getting to Beau. That is my one and only priority. I don’t care about anything but that.

I will do anything to get him back.

I park my car in The Ivy’s driveway and Darrin speaks up "What’s the plan? Do you break in, sneak attack or formal ring a doorbell?"

I shrug "We are not here to attack anyone; I just need to know where Maddie is. That is all."

With an eye roll, he gets down from the car and I follow his lead, hopeful that this will bring something.

Anything.

Chapter 58: See things from my eyes and you will understand.

Beau.

Pain and anger.

For weeks, I am kept in the dark.

No food.

No water.

No Alanis.

My eyes haven’t been able to stay open for longer than five minutes. I have been too weak to struggle, to attempt to find an escape from this. I don’t have a sense of time, I sleep—or rather, I pass out and then wake up. It is a cycle. I haven’t seen anyone since I was kept here.

Not a single person.

I don’t know what he wants from me, if he wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it already. There must be a reason why I am here. Why he has kept me for so long. For the first time since he brought me here, I feel Alanis. His heartbeat. I haven’t felt him since.

He is okay.

I try to sit up but I am too weak. My knees gave up the moment Cassius won. I don’t know what he did to me; he mentioned wolfsbane. I am surprised I am still alive right now if wolfsbane has something to do with it. It is a plant, that is poisonous to wolves, that is one of our weaknesses and somehow Cassius used it against me. I should’ve known Cassius would’ve been prepared for me. He knew I was going to come, the fact that we went in there blindly with the assumptions that he didn’t know I would show up was the first mistake.

I manage to open my eyes after God knows how long and I see my environment. I am in some kind of dungeon. The room is dark, dusty and there is a musky smell that is nauseating. There is a window just above my head. It has a burglar-proof on it. The window is small, even if I had enough strength to break through it, I will never be able to pass through the spacing. I try to sit up again and this time it is a success. I am hungry, weak and tired. I don’t know how long I have been here but it seems like a long time with the way I am feeling.

I look at the door and it is metallic and cage-like. Cassius wanted to keep me in here. There is no room for an escape. I don’t even think I am strong enough right now to even attempt to escape. Accepting defeat, I sit back down on the cold hard floor and wait.

Wait for whatever is to come.

As long as I can feel Lanis, I will not give up. As long as he is still connected to me I know there is hope.

He is my one lifeline.

****************

I feel the cold water as it hits my face. My eyes open in a rush and I jolt up from the ground. I didn’t even know I had that much strength for that reaction. With my eyes open I see the person responsible for the cold water. A man—one of the men that ambushed Moe in the woods. His face is recognizable because of the life-size tattoo on his face of a skull with two crossbones.

"Get up," he orders even though I am already up.

i squint my eyes, the water is freezing. I have no warmth in my body so this makes me shiver from the coldness that he poured on me. I feel it in my bones. This is supposed to be torture, Cassius wants me to feel pain, he wants to get me hurt.

It is working but I am stronger than he thinks. This won’t break me down, unless he decides to end my life, I will keep fighting. I stand up and my knees wobble as I try to stay up. The man laughs a hearty laugh, this is all fun and games to him. The fact that he is watching another person in pain, is pure pleasure to this monster.

’’Not so strong are you,’’ he snickers.

I manage an eye roll and he goes over to the door like gate ’’I will remind you of this day when I have your head,’’ he stops as I utter those words and maybe it is not a good idea to be provoking him but I need some sort of power. I want him to see that I am not a pushover. He turns around and there is a smile on his face. Slowly, he walks over to me and stops just a foot away from me.

’’You know I could kill you easily right now, so you might want to tone down on the attitude.’’

I laugh, at least in my head I laugh but what comes out of my mouth is a weak cackle. The energy I have left within me is being wasted interacting with this idiot. He reaches for my neck and his arms envelop me completely. I lose the remaining oxygen in my lungs as he squeezes even tighter.

’’Learn to shut the fuck up,’’ he advises.

I try to budge away from him but he is way stronger than me at this moment. It’s been a while; I should’ve regained my strength back but they keep injecting something into me. Whatever they are feeding me is making me weaker. They plan on killing me slowly. That is what it seems like.

’’Stop right now Athan,’’ I hear a voice from behind him, I recognise the voice immediately, it is Cassius.

Athan lets go of my neck quickly and I fall to my knees finally catching a breath. I clutch unto my chest as I try to steady my breathing. Before I know what is happening, Athan leaves the room and I am forced to be alone with Cassius. That stupid smug smile is still on his face. The enjoyment, the pleasure he must feel from winning all the time.

’’Why haven’t you killed me already,’’ I ask him still on my knees.

’’You are the last one I intend to kill. You will watch your whole family die. You will feel the pain as I wipe out your whole pack.’’

He is scaring me and it is working. He took me, kept me for God knows how long to do what exactly?

’’Your end is closer than you think,’’ I tell him.

He laughs ’’Once I wipe out your kind, I will rest.’’

’’We have done nothing to you. You are hurting innocent people that have nothing to do with your anger. Do you think you are some kind of hero?’’

’’You are all the same. Werewolves, you think you are somehow different from us. You think we are murderous and you are not. I will show you something. I will show you why I am so angry.’’ he walks closer to me but I don’t cower. I stand up, so I can be face to face with him.

’’You will always be a monster, no matter what you show me.’’

He reaches for my face and slowly he caresses my skin ’’I don’t like hurting people; I don’t like this but I have to. The world needs to be cleansed off your kind.’’

His fingers rub against my skin and I feel irritated from his touch. He closes his eyes, with the smile still on his face. His breath I steady, he doesn’t feel threatened standing so close to me. To him, I am not intimidating. I cannot hurt him.

I grab his hand to stop him from touching me and he opens his eyes slowly ’’Get your hands off me,’’ there is a frown on my face.

’’Then how will I show you, how will you get into my head and understand why?’’

I don’t want to see anything. Nothing he shows me will excuse his wickedness. I want to push him away; I am not interested in whatever he wants to show me but I also know I have no choice in this. No matter I what I say, he will end up doing what he wants to do. I can’t fight him--I am not strong enough.

He reached for me, and this time I close my eyes to block the image of his face and the feelings of his touch. His hands are cold. His fingers move up from my cheek to my temple. My eyes remain closed as he works his way up until he is cupping my temple in his palm.

’’You will understand once you see.’’ as those words leave his lips, I feel the jolt. It feels like an electric shock. Suddenly it feels like my mind is travelling through a time warp. The images are blurry. I watch as my mind moves in sync to the rhythm. I watch until it stops and when it does. I open my eyes and I am no longer in the dungeon.

Cassius is no longer holding me.

I am in a place I don’t recognize. Standing in the middle of a busy road, in God knows where. People pass me, but no one seems to be bothered with me. It is a market square. There are fucking horses and carriages.

Somehow this doesn’t feel like my time anymore.

What did he do to me?

Chapter 59: Fight till i have no fight left in me.

Alanis.

The anticipation after the knock on the door is killing. Darrien is a little too calm for me right now. I know that it will come as a surprise if I find Maddie home but I pray silently that she ends up being home. I don’t want to have to face her parents, I don’t want to involved in this. If it comes to it, I will do whatever I have to.

’’It’s taking a while," Darrien nags impatiently.

I roll my eyes "Hold on a bit, I hear them coming to the door."

Immediately the words leave my lips, the door opens revealing David—Maddie’s father. He frowns immediately he sees me; this is the reaction I get from them. They have never been fond of me so I didn’t expect any more than hostility.

"What are you doing here?" he asks me straight to the point.

"I need to see Maddie, please."

He laughs even less receptive than earlier "You have some nerves," his tone is firm. He is trying to intimidate me, but at this moment, all I care about is Beau and finding him. I will do whatever I have to get to him, even if it means hurting them.

"Get away from here before I call the cops," he warns me and I notice the phone on his grip. He waves it in a, right now manner. I sigh because I can’t leave "You won’t call the cops. You will let me in and call Maddie right now."

I do the one thing I hate to do. Mind control. It only works on humans. I can tell them what to do as long as I am close enough. Staring into his faded blue eyes, I watch the effect of my powers kick in as he opens the door slowly. Darrien has a smile on his face as we walk into the house. I have been inside Maddie’s house numerous times. I remember a time where I preferred being in her house than in mine. It all seems so long ago now. The fact that I hate this house as much as I hate her is sickening. It is just a house, it should not mean anything, but it means everything at this moment. This is the only chance I have to get to Maddie. If this fails, there is nothing else I can do. There is no one else I can use.

I can’t blow this shot.

Maddie’s mom comes out of the kitchen, and her expression reveals shock as she sees me. Both of them have never liked me. I did nothing and they didn’t think I was good enough for their daughter.

"Call Maddie," I warn him with a scowl.

Darrien leads him to a couch and taps his shoulder "Come on old man, we don’t have all day," this is his usual self. I don’t expect any less from him. If Darrien doesn’t show his attitude then something is wrong.

David dials Maddie’s number and it goes straight to voicemail "She is not answering," Darrien scoffs.

"Try again,"

"What is going on?" Maddie’s mom—Joanne expresses her concern. I walk over to her. She trembles, she is terrified. I hate inflicting fear on humans, but I need to at this moment. This is not who I am, I hate messing with humans, I hate being involved with them. Rus and Maddie were the only humans I accepted into my life.

"Relax," I urge her "Just do as we say and everything would be alright," I watch as her eyes dampen. She releases a soft breath and she is at my beck and call. I have her where I want her. "Go and have a sit, I need your phone."

She gives me her phone and I watch her walk over to her husband. She sits down on the couch next to him.

"What do we do now?" Darrien asks.

"I don’t know," I answer him honestly.

It might take a while but Maddie will eventually answer her phone "Grab the phone from him and keep trying," I tell him.

He nods and snatches the phone from David. They both remain seated like robots. At this moment, their minds are lost. They are one hundred percent in my control. Until I snap them out of this, they will do whatever I ask them to. It is like hypnosis.

I place the phone in my ear and it keeps ringing. The sound is irritating to me but I am hopeful that she will eventually pick up. "Still ringing," Darrien comments.

I sigh until I hear a click from my end "Mom, is everything okay," her voice comes into the phone and I freeze for just a second. Just a second because I can’t screw this up.

"Mom," she calls out again.

"Mads," I call her by her nickname. I hear her breathing through the end of the phone. She didn’t expect this.

"What are you doing in my house?" she asks coldly.

I hate her even more.

"Where is Beau?"

This is me going straight to the point. No beating around the fucking bush. If she wants to play this game. Then I am ready for this war "I don’t know, please don’t hurt them."

Okay, using her parents as a bargain trip is not the best thing to do but I have no other option. I am desperate and this is the only thing I could come up with.

"I swear to God Mads, if you don’t tell me where he fucking is, I will kill them both."

This is not me; I don’t kill humans—at least not anymore.

I refrain from any human interaction, I don’t even feed on them. I don’t want this to be the beginning of a life I put behind me a long time ago. I won’t let her win but I won’t hurt them.

"You don’t mean that," she is breathing heavily, her voice is shaking.

"Stop this sick game. Tell me where he is and I will let them go," I scream so loud, that I scare myself. This is me at my most desperate stage. The more time I waste, the more he remains hurt. He is still alive, even if she lies or thinks she can deceive me into thinking otherwise--I can still feel him.

"I don’t know, I have no idea where he kept him. Believe me."

Maddie is the most selfish person I have ever met but she loves her parents. She would not lie if it involves them. At least I’d like to think so.

"Where are you?" I ask.

I look at Darrien and he raises a brow in question. I shake my head because things aren’t looking better. I have gotten nowhere with her.

"A motel. He is not here."

She is talking about Cassius. He is the one I need to find. He has the answers to all my questions.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, I won’t lie to you."

This is the biggest lie she has ever told me. This is the same woman that lied to me for a whole fucking year. I was the gullible idiot who believed her shit.

"I am giving you an hour. if you don’t get me what I need. I will kill them both." I end the call without giving her a chance to speak. Hearing her voice is irritating to me.

Running my hands through my hair from the frustration, I go on my knees as I try to calm down the fears in my head. I don’t know about this; it doesn’t seem like it will be a success. I have already failed before I started. I can’t do anything; I have been unable to save him.

"It’ll be okay," I look up and Darrien’s eyes bore into mine in a comforting manner. I have never known Darrien to be comforting. To me, he has always been self-centred and now all of a sudden, I feel better because of him, even though it is just a moment, I manage a faint smile and he pats my back encouragingly.

"I don’t even know anymore."

"I’ve only met Beau a couple of times but I know he is strong. And strong people don’t give up easily. So just believe that he will be alright and we’ll keep trying to find him."

His words are comforting, his whole demeanour is making me feel better. He is right. I have to stay strong for Beau, I will fight till I have no fight left in me. I am not going to give up because as long as I can feel him, there is still a fighting chance. I just have to take it.

"Do we just wait?" I ask him.

He shrugs "I really don’t think we are going to get anything from Maddie, she seems like a real bitch and Cassius is not the kind to be found easily."

"So, what now?"

He sighs "We wait for her, although I know she will never just take us to Beau. Whatever she does will most likely be a trap but we will be ready for her this time."

I take a deep breath because he is right. This is the beginning of a war. Cassius has chosen to attack and I will fight him, till he is defeated.

I won’t let him win.

Chapter 60: Roger and Gyles

Beau.

What year is this?

Everyone looks and are dressed differently. It is all cotton and wool. Not the usual clothing of my time. I know what this is, Cassius wanted to show me something. He said he was going to show me the reasons why he has become such a monster. This must be what he wanted to show me, the start of his madness.

I don’t know what I am supposed to see.

I am in a market square, there are people around but I don’t know who I am looking for. The place is packed and very noisy. There are women selling foodstuff, children running around. Nothing is really standing out at this moment, there is nothing special about this. What exactly does he want me to see?

Slowly, I notice a little boy sitting in a corner on the street. His clothes are torn and ragged, his hair is a mess on his head—full of dirt. There is dirt on his arms and legs as he is dressed in shorts and a shirt made out of a terrible material. The only reason why he stands out is the fact that everyone seems to pass this boy by, no one cares that he is shivering and looks to be starving. He is in the middle of the market square, looks like he is dying and no one gives a shit.

I walk over to the boy and his eyes are semi-closed. He is picking at his fingernails with his fingers. His eyes keep darting around like he is being hopeful, or should I say he is wishing for recognition.

There is a hat on the floor, probably his way of begging for money. No one seems to pay him any attention. This is baffling to me because he doesn’t even seem to be more than ten years old. He is just a kid, a fucking child, going through all this.

A man in a uniform stops in front of him and I am hopeful. Maybe there are still some good people.

"Boy, how many times will I tell you not to sleep here," the soldier yells at him.

I spoke too soon.

"I don’t have anywhere to go," he cries. His voice is frail and weak. He is using the only energy he has left in him.

This is cruel.

"Come on boy, leave right now," he warns him.

The boy grabs his hat from the cold ground and stands up. He walks away from the market square and I follow him. He keeps walking and my heart breaks from the sight. I see a group of boys on the street, he doesn’t seem to notice them, and he continues to walk past them. They are older than he is, maybe by a couple of years. One of the boys grabs him before he can get far. This catches him off guard and makes him trip and fall.

"If it isn’t Roger the loser," the redhead that tripped him announces.

So, the boy’s name is Roger.

"Leave me alone," he cries still on the ground.

He barely has the energy to stand up and these losers are being bullies to a fucking child. Roger doesn’t attempt to stand up, and I watch as another reaches for him and pulls him from his collar. You have to understand that this boy is tiny like he is really skinny and the way they are handling him is unjust. No one should treat a child like this. No one. They all drag him and I watch as his leg drags.

They lead him to the woods and he cries and pleads, begging them to stop but they ignore his cries. For no reason, these boys decided to abuse a little child. They stop in front of a lake and I get even angrier at the situation.

"What have I ever done to you,’’ he shouts so loud that it echoes into the trees and the skies.

Giggling, they throw him hard on the ground and I see the rock. He hits his head very hard. They didn’t expect it, I guess they are just kids after all.

’’What have you done Nicholl,’’ One of the boys’ cries. They are five in number and they are just staring at him unconscious and bleeding. These kids are monsters.

Fucking monsters.

’’We have to go,’’ Nicholl warns them and he turns around and starts to run away. I watch him and shake my head in disbelief. I can’t do anything even if I wanted to. They can’t even see me, this is a story that Cassius is showing me. Maybe the child is him, I don’t know but it has something to do with him, so all I just have to do Is wait and watch.

They all start to scatter except one boy, the quietest of the herd. He stays in place, shaking and terrified. I don’t understand why he was involved in such atrocities when he didn’t want to but there is fear in his eyes as he looks around.

He goes on the knees and places both arms under the boy’s neck, which raises him up. There is blood on the sand and his head. ’’I am so sorry Roger,’’ he cries.

He is bigger than the kid, so he lifts him up easily. I watch him head in the opposite direction as his friends and I follow him. The fact that he is helping means something, if only he had helped him earlier when he needed him. When he was starving in the middle of the street. When his friends were treating him like shit.

If only he wasn’t a coward, I would understand him now.

I follow them until they reach a house and I must say it is a massive house in the middle of the woods. This house is even bigger than Alanis’s house. The walls are dark brown, completely made of marble, there are vines on the walls in a beautiful decoration. The door to the entrance is big and made with dark brown mahogany.

’’Please don’t die,’’ he cries with desperation.

The door opens immediately, revealing a man with a frown on his face. There is no surprise as he watches what is in front of him.

’’What have you done now Gyles.’’

’’Can I get him in father?’’ Gyles asks the man who I now know is his father. The man shakes his head ’’We don’t bring humans into our house,’’ he reminds him.

’’I know, but we need to help him. He is barely breathing.’’

The man sighs ’’Did you do this to him?’’

The boy nods ’’At least I watched my friends hurt him. I can’t leave him to die. I will never forgive myself,’’

The man sighs again and this time he moves away for the boy to go in. I take a step into the house but suddenly I feel a pull. It is like a force, suddenly I am out of the narrative. I am out of the world I was in and back in the dungeon. With a heavy breath, I open my eyes and Cassius is no longer holding unto me.

He is still standing in front of me with a serious expression on his face. I have no idea why he took me out because I don’t see the point of whatever he just showed me.

He wasn’t even in the dream.

’’You are not strong enough. We will continue this tomorrow,’’ he heads over to the caged door.

’’I will never understand why you are doing this, no matter how much you show me,’’

That is the truth.

No matter what he has been through, doesn’t justify what he is doing right now. He is hurting innocent people because he has been hurt by their kind. It makes no sense to me.

’’We will see about that,’’ with that he walks out of the room and leaves me there, to my silence.

I rest my back on the wall, I am cold and hungry. I haven’t eaten in God knows how long. I have never been deprived of food this long. No red meat, no water. This is pure torture.

Closing my eyes, I think about his face. I think about his smile, his kiss. The way he felt against me. The memories I love so much. He is the only one that is giving me the strength I have left in me. He is the only one that makes me want to fight.

With slow breaths, I fall into a slumber. With the slumber I see him. At least memories of him.

’’What’s the first thing you would want to do once the mating ceremony is complete?’’ Lanis asks me as he brushes my hair with his fingers softly. We are lying down on my bed.

I manage a smile as he presses even closer to me. ’’I would fuck the daylight out of you,’’ I whisper those words into his ear and it is unexpected as he jolts away from me so fast and starts to laugh. I move over to him and grab him by his waist. He is no match for me and he doesn’t even want me to let go of him.

’’You can’t be saying stuff like that,’’ he wraps his arms around me still laughing.

With a chuckle ’’Why not?’’

He looks into my eyes ’’Cause its temptation,’’ his eyes are dark, sultry. This is hard for both of us. Even talking about sex is a tease. I can’t wait until this is no longer a barrier for us.

’’A temptation that will make all this worth it.’’

He nods.

’’Hells yeah.’’