“You think he heard?” The guy carrying me asked in a panicked tone. Good, I hope he shits himself at the thought!
“Wait, what the fuck was that?!” One of them said when hearing something in the shadows. I managed to open one eye and lift my head enough to see a blurred motion behind one of the men, before the furthest one away suddenly screamed and was torn back into the mist.
“Shit!” The injured one said looking around with his weapon drawn.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Another said and came closer, no doubt thinking strength in numbers. He had been the one I had hit in the face, and I was happy to see the teapot had done me proud. He was cut up bad and still dripping with vodka…ouch, I bet that stung I thought with a bitter grin.
They all started to back up towards the wall where the first one had come over and the closer to the edge he took me the more I lost it. I needed to do something to buy me time, so I started going crazy. Screaming, pounding my fists against his back and kicking at his bollocks, which I was happy to report I manage to get twice.
“Fuck this!” he said and dumped me down on the ground with a bruising fall so I landed on the frozen snow. I groaned but knew I had to move out of the way to safety. I turned just in time to watch as the big guy grabbed the edge of the wall and jumped over trying to get away.
He didn’t get far.
The next I knew his body was being dragged upwards and disappeared into the thick white sky above. His screams could be heard echoing all around us until they stopped and deadly silence quickly followed. The next thing I knew I was screaming as a bloody severed arm that looked to have been ripped from the socket landed by my feet with a splat.
“SHIT!” I screamed again as I saw a figure moving above us all. Next the men all jumped back as the rest of the mangled body landed in an explosion of blood. It looked like a crimson star had smashed into the snow, as it cast a circular pattern all around the twisted torso and broken limbs at its centre.
I thought I was going to throw up but managed to swallow it down and just in time as the culprit to the bloody carnage appeared. He dropped from the sky, landing hard enough to crack the stone floor around him, the snow melted and steamed as if he had just arrived from Hell itself.
He had his back to me but his hands were covered in blood, like the body on the floor had been ripped apart bare handed. The two men left standing pretty much pissed themselves and each ran in a different direction to get away from him. Unfortunately for me, one came my way.
The one drenched in vodka ran down the steps trying in vain to make it to the dark forest, looming ahead. The killer looked side on slightly as if this amused him and he raised his head slightly and shifted the air.
I could just see the hint of a sadistic grin before he clicked his fingers and I sucked in a startled breath as I saw a tiny flame flicker in between his thumb and finger. At first I didn’t know what he hoped to achieve by it…well that was until I heard the screaming in agony.
I looked to my left and saw the flames racing towards the forest. It took me a second to realise the horror behind those flames as the man’s face was now on fire, thanks to my adding the accelerant. I looked back to the vicious hunter and saw him crack his bloody knuckles once before he was off after him. He moved too quick for my eyes to track and the only thing I saw was a flash of red mist coming from the body that was running before it too disappeared with the flames.
“Holy shit,” I said but this was before I realised I had my own problems. The last man standing, the one I had slashed with my knife, now decided that he needed some leverage if he had any chance at surviving this. I saw him coming for me so I turned and was once again running. Needless to say, I didn’t get far.
He grabbed me from behind and quickly placed a blade at my neck reminding me of painful past events. It felt like Morgan all over again and slowly but surely my mind started to lose its sense of reality.
“Get off me!” I shouted which must have alerted a demon to my new problem. I next thing I saw was a bloody figure emerging from the fog like the devil himself.
Of course it was,
“Lucius.” I muttered his name as a plea for help as now I knew who my brutal saviour was. He walked like a man with purpose and the striking contrast of blood that covered his pale skin was like looking at the snow-covered ground. One that he had painted red with the blood of his enemies.
The man holding me captive started moving us backwards, holding both my arms behind my back in a painful grip. Lucius didn’t even move like a man covered in blood and I shuddered at how comfortable he wore it as it looked as though half of him had taken a bath in it!
Blood stained clothes, arm covered past his elbow as if he had reached inside someone’s chest and ripped out their beating heart with his bare hands. Even his face was half covered and on one side of his cheek was the sickening evidence of his butchery. A bloody hand print remained there as a horrifying sign of someone’s last attempt to get him off them.
It was by far the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.
“I believe you have something that belongs to me,” Lucius said calmly, his crimson gaze taking in the length of me, no doubt trying to assess the damage. He homed in on my cut glove and bleeding hand beneath. Then moved on to my bruised face, snarling after seeing it. Blood dripped from his exposed fangs and the guy behind me dug his blade further into my neck, breaking the skin and making me cry out.
“Don’t come any closer or I will kill her!” he threatened…a threat Lucius didn’t take kindly to.
“Close your eyes, Pet.” This was my only warning and not one I had time to act upon before he made his move. One second he was stood in front of us and the next he was beside us. Suddenly the blade disappeared, and was no longer cutting into my tender flesh. I heard the bellow of pain behind me and I looked to the side to see the man’s arm was bent back opposite to the way the elbow bends. Then with one gentle hand Lucius reached out and took my arm, whilst keeping a firm grip on the screaming man. Once he felt me in his hold he calmly moved me back behind him, so that I was out of danger.
I swallow hard at the raw power behind this man’s touch. It was like two ends of the spectrum and I was just thanking every God out there that I was on the cool, calm collected side. Not the demonic psycho, cold blooded killer that was firmly on the other end…the one that held his prey ready for dishing out his flavour of carnage. He looked back over his shoulder at me and with eyes of crimson wrath, he warned,
“Close. Your. Fucking. Eyes.” He growled in a lethal tone. I snapped them closed, too afraid to disobey him. Then I felt him clasp the back of my neck so that he could pull me forward and place a bloody kiss on my forehead.
“There’s my good girl,” he muttered against my skin before stepping away from me. I did as he asked and kept my eyes closed so tight that it made me feel dizzy.
“Please! Please I was only following orders!” The man begged for his life but from the sounds of the injury and pain that followed, I would say that Lucius wasn’t in the mood for begging.
“Do you know the price someone pays when they try and take what’s mine?” Lucius asked and I swallowed down the bile that rose when I heard what sounded like bones breaking.
“AHHH!” The man’s screams left little to the imagination to conjure.
“He…he…said…” The man tried again but a gurgling sound quickly followed as if his throat had been ripped out.
“Malphas was wrong…the girl is MINE!” Lucius roared out his wrath in a voice only reserved for those of Hell and I couldn’t stop myself from shaking with fear. Of course, it didn’t help that all I could hear was what sounded like someone being torn apart. I don’t know how long I waited for it to end but once the deathly silence swept once more through the silent garden I knew it was done.
But this didn’t mean I was ready for it to be over.
I felt a slight touch on my arm and instinct took hold. My clenched fist went flying forward bef
ore I could stop it. Thankfully, another hand caught it head on and wrapped strong fingers around it, making their own fist. My eyes snapped open and I whispered his name through unshed tears.
“Lucius?” He nodded and still holding my fist he pulled me into him. He wrapped his arms around me and for the first time since this all began, I felt safe…safe in the arms of a monster. But I didn’t care. He had saved me and even now, stood in the evidence of his demonic chaos, I still didn’t care. He was my monster and if that meant condemning me under the same title, then so be it.
“Y…you…you saved me?” I stammered out, now letting the tears fall freely. He breathed deep as if letting the beast free and whispered down into the top of my hair,
“I will always save you.” I swallowed down the sob that wanted to escape and found myself asking,
“But…but why?” This was when he gave me my beautiful, heart wrenching answer…
“Because, you’re my little Keira girl.”
Chapter 22
Clean Captive
Book 3
NEW
After this Lucius took charge of my frail body and even frailer mind. He lifted me into his arms and carried me from this red and white nightmare back into the safety of his home. We were just walking through the archway when Pip came running back through the door carrying a black tray of cookies. Her face dropped and the look of worry made her eyes water.
“Oh no! No, no, no…Toots...? Is she…?” Lucius walked towards her and stopped long enough to growl down at her,
“You failed me, Imp!” Then he continued past and I reached a bloody hand out to her as she was left to stand in the archway, with the scene of bloody devastation in front of her, framed by stone.
“Pip.” I whispered her name but she didn’t turn to face me. No, instead her shoulders slumped, her head fell forward and the tray of cookies fell from her hands, clattering into the snow. I wanted to cry out to her but I only managed to cough back a sob for my guilty looking friend. It wasn’t her fault and I wanted to tell Lucius this but right now and the way he held me, well I knew he was on the edge.
So, I would wait until the time was right. Until he had calmed enough for me to be able to speak freely. It wasn’t easy, especially when watching my friend being left alone to hurt. I wished right then there was some way of getting Adam as she didn’t deserve to suffer. So instead of making my excuses for her, I reached up and touched Lucius’ cheek, softly running my fingertip down the side of his face. He stopped and looked down at me in question, shocked no doubt at my unexpected but affectionate touch. In the end, all I needed to say was one thing for him to understand my meaning.
“Adam.” His eyes narrowed for a moment but he didn’t argue. In fact, he didn’t say anything but instead changed direction and took a doorway we had originally passed. After only a short time, we saw Adam in the hallway speaking with someone I didn’t recognise. He saw us coming and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of us both. Obviously, we looked as if we had been to Hell and back.
“My Lord?” He started but Lucius gave him no explanation, just simply stopped next to him long enough to say one thing,
“Go to your wife, old friend.” Then he continued on. I looked back over Lucius’ shoulder to see Adam running and I released a deep sigh, happy at least knowing that my friend wouldn’t be alone much longer. Lucius looked down at me, taking note of my actions but again, he didn’t comment. It was clear that he was taking this time to calm his demonic outburst of rage as it wasn’t exactly something I needed right then.
Instead, he walked us both back to the only safe haven I had in this place…my room. Once there I thought he would leave me but I was wrong. No, instead he simply walked us both into the bathroom and placed me on the counter as though I was a dirty child, not the scared shitless woman who was currently covered in blood. If anything, I looked more like an extra out of a slasher movie and the victim of an overzealous makeup artist gone wild with a super soaker full of fake blood.
Then he placed both hands on the counter next to me and leant forward for a few moments. I was about to ask him if he was all right but then he swiped a hand out to the side as if he was touching something I couldn’t see. I jolted as the tap over the bathtub came on and the sound of rushing water killed the painful silence between us.
“You fought them,” Lucius stated and I was taken back by his observation. I wouldn’t have thought he would have been in any state of mind to notice a detail like that. When I didn’t reply, he looked sideways at me. His hair had fallen in front of his face, with streaks of red now added to the honey colour. I swallow hard and said,
“I tried to,” I told him quietly.
“Tell me what happened,” he said after releasing a big sigh of frustration.
“Well…I…um… they came for me!” I ended up blurting out this last part. He gave me a soft look and pushed off the countertop. Then he came over to me and placed his hands either side of my hips. This put us at almost the same height, which I had to say was better than having to look up at everyone as I usually did. Seriously though, did they only make these bad ass supernatural kings in one size?!
“I know they did, sweetheart,” he replied granting me a small smile that told me of his regret that it had ever happened.
“I am sorry you had to witness the slaughter,” he said and right then and there, I saw it. It was that same level of care and protection that Draven had over me but with one startling difference; Lucius was at his scariest when he was silent. As though he was quietly plotting murder in the shadows waiting to strike like a deadly viper. Unlike Draven whose rage was so close to the surface it could barely be contained. His Demon would let loose it’s wrath upon the world and the aftermath was a destruction he walked away from with little thought.
But not Lucius. He was telling me he was sorry for what I had been forced to see just so that he could keep me safe. Which was when it hit me.
“You attacked them in a way to try and spare me the violence…didn’t you?” I asked him, thinking back to the way he fought behind the cover of the clouds. Even at the end when he demanded I close my eyes, knowing what I would see if I didn’t. It was important to him, but why? Did he really care about me that much? Had I suddenly become more than just an asset and something to bargain with?
He didn’t answer me but instead looked down at my hands, in my lap. Then he picked up the one that I didn’t realise I had been cradling in the other hand as it was hurting me.
“Lucius?” I said his name in question but he just looked up at me long enough to whisper a soft command,
“Ssshh.”
I soon hissed in pain as he gently pulled the bloodied, torn leather from my hand. His next move had me inhaling a deep breath as he lowered himself to one knee in front of me. This put his head slightly higher than my lap so made it easier for him to lift my hand to his lips. I don’t know what I was shocked at more. The fact that a man like Lucius was on his knees in front of me. Or that he was now licking my wound as though I was some injured animal being looked after by a mate.
He looked up at me as if trying to judge my reaction and when his eyes turned crimson with blood lust, I tried to pull myself free. However, he snarled up at me, showing me his fangs in warning before yanking my hand back for him to finish. After that I knew not to get in the way of a Vampire and his meal again. So instead, I just waited for the inevitable, tensing my shoulders, ready for it. But it never came. He didn’t bite into me as I expected but instead just continued to lick away the blood and in doing so, making it start healing quicker.
Once he was clearly satisfied, he stood back up and pushed my hair behind my ears so he could take a closer look at my face. It was starting to swell, as I could feel the skin getting tighter above my cheekbone. Thankfully though both eyes were still open so I think it was safe to say that my cheek got the worse end of that bastard’s fist.
“Not sure there is much you can do about that one,” I told him l
ight-heartedly. He gave me a small grin before he started to lift my face up. That’s when the slice at my neck startled me and I sucked air through clenched teeth. Lucius made an unhappy noise and then told me sternly,