Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Laura´s POV

>Arena. Night<

I cannot recall when it was that I last had the dream. The objects in the dream looked so familiar, yet I couldn´t touch them.

This is not the time for dreaming, I have more important things to do right now. My hands are covered with blood. Although it´s nothing new. This isn´t the first time my hands have become coated with the thick crimson fluid of life. The slick feeling is all too familiar. And I enjoy it. Somehow it speaks volumes about who I really am. That I used to be a killer. Maybe. I don´t know. I possess no memory of who I really am. All I know is that I have a killer instinct. And I must hold on to it in order to survive.

There´s a rage within that boils just beneath the surface. A beast that wants to be unleashed, that has a propensity for violence. The only way to tame it is to fight. So here I am inside a cage. A cage that´s become all too recognizable for someone like me. Within this cage, the stakes are high. Blood is drawn and, sometimes, lives are lost. I´ve face innumerable opponents inside this cage, all for the entertainment of these wealthy patrons, supernatural or otherwise. Bastards. I´ve faced a number of vampires, the occasional monster from an obscure country only God knows where, and some low-level warlocks, whom I´ve developed an enmity for. And of course, werewolves. Plenty of werewolves have fallen within this cage under my fists. And now, another one is about to fall. It´s his blood on my hands. The werewolf stares back at me, breathing heavily. I don´t want to prolong his pain or his humiliation. So, I decide to do what I do best. I ball up my hands into fists. Then I pull my arm back and drive it forwards. I land the final blow at the werewolf´s face. I knock him to the ground.

The crowd cheers.

The fightmaster declares the winner: Laura Rose. That´s the only thing I recall about who I am. My name is Laura Rose.

As my name reverberates around the arena, a vision flashes before my eyes. It is an image of a silver-haired man. I am uncertain who he is, although he reminds me of sunsets. Momentarily, amidst the violence and blood surrounding me, I feel safe just seeing his kind face in my mind. The image disappears as suddenly as it swam to view, leaving me with more questions.

Who is that man? Who am I? What am I?

Living in this world of the supernatural, there is a part of me that is afraid to discover what kind of monster I am.

>Arena. Locker room. Night<

 Following the match, I am changing in the locker room when I begin to sense his presence. I didn´t look at him, however I can feel his piercing gaze boring into me.

“You were pulling your punches out there.”

“No, I wasn´t. I gave it my all.”

I turn to look at him, and see him standing with his arms crossed over his bare chest. It´s the deep cut across his cheek that really catches my attention though.

“Barry, your wound.”

I rush to his side to inspect the cute more closely, deeply concerned. We may be adversaries inside the ring, however in real life, we are friends. He´s the only one I trust.

“You need sutures.”

“How would you know how to do one?” A serious look appears on his face, and he stares at me with sudden realization. “Wait. Don´t tell me; your memories are beginning to return and you just remembered you´re a doctor in your previous life?” Then his lips widen into a mischievous smile. “Because that would be hot.”

I press on his wound.

“Owww!”

“Shut up, Barry.” I grin a spite of myself.

“I´m just saying. You´d look hot in those doctor´s uniforms or whatever the hell you call them.”

“Quit it and stay still.” I busy myself with attending to his wound.

“It´s okay, Rose. It will heal within a few minutes. I just don´t understand how it is that it takes more time for me to heal when you´re the one who´s wounding me. You´re just so full of secrets.” Barry peers at me with fascination. “You´re such an enigma. No one can figure out what you really are. You don´t even have a scent.” Barry reaches out to touch my hair. I swat his hand away. He knows full well that I don´t like it when he touches my hair, yet he just likes to annoy me so much.

“What does my scent have to do with anything?”

“Because if you were a werewolf like me, I would be able to detect it through your scent.”

“Right. Another Werewolf 101 with Barry Whitmore, ladies and gentlemen.”

Barry laughs. The sound of his laugh gets me every time.

“Well, for now we´ll just assume you are superhuman ninja witch.”

“You do know I can´t do magic, right?”

“Where else would you get your abilities if you didn´t enhance yourself with magic?”

“Whatever, Barry.”

“But seriously, please do let me know if your memory begins to return, even just a little bit.”

“And why is that?”

Barry blinks back at me, groping for words. “B-Because I´m your best friend?”

“Oh, please.”

“Well, I want to know if you had another best friend somewhere during your previous life.”

“And does you enthusiasm to find out fall within the bounds of werewolves being territorial, even about their best friends?”

Barry raises an eyebrow, moving closer to me. His own scent seems to overwhelm my senses. “And how would you know about werewolves´ territorial inclination?”

“I may have slept with one.”

We just stand there gazing at each other. There is sexual tension between us. That much is evident. It´s something we´ve acted upon a number of times in the past. But we remained friends in spite of it all. I prefer that more than having a romantic relationship with him. Although now that he´s standing in front of me, there´s something about him that I just can´t resist. Perhaps it´s the fact that he´s covered in sweat and is half-naked. Or maybe it´s because he is undeniably handsome in his own rugged way. The lust inside me begins to surface, responding to Barry´s proximity. There´s a certain glint in Barry´s eyes that tells me he knows that I want something to happen. I try with all my strength to resist him. I look away, knowing that staring at him any longer would invoke images of the delicious things I can unleash on his body. 

“Why do you fight it, Rose? We both know that you want to. I can detect the struggle in your eyes. You´re having a hard time resisting me.”

“Perhaps because deep inside, it doesn´t feel right.”

“What´s holding you back? You still believe it´s a mistake?”

“Maybe. I don´t know.”

“That never stopped you from making the same mistake three times before as I can recall. It´s me, Rose. You know you don´t have to hide the real you around me, right?”

“But that´s the thing, Barry. I am not sure of the real me.”

“Well, you know how I feel about you. And I don´t have to hide it. Maybe if you´d let me mark you, then you would better understand how I feel.”

I suddenly turn away from Barry.

“Was it something I said?”

I simply stare back at Barry.

“Oh, wait, right. You´re still uncertain when it comes to that marking stuff.”

“I don´t know, Barry. But it sounds like forever to me. And—Well, we´ve discussed this before. This—this is just us having fun. No feelings. No strings.”

Barry attempts to hide it, but the disappointment behind his eyes is apparent. Our friendship is complicated enough as it is. My life is complicated enough as it is. And I just don´t possess the courage to tell him that I feel like I am meant for someone else. And that someone is out there. I just know it. I can feel it through my veins.

Suddenly, there´s another flash of an image before my eyes. It´s the same silver-haired man once again. However, this time I see him fighting with another powerful man. A man with a scar on his face, he looks very familiar. And I feel a searing pain on my shoulder, as if... As if I was bitten. The image disappears and I place a hand on my shoulder where the pain originated, then vanished so suddenly. Yet I can´t have been bitten there. It would have left a mark. Who is that man? Is he an old enemy from my past?

I turn away from Barry. I don´t want him to notice that I was distracted momentarily. He would only ask questions that I don´t have any answers to.

“Look, I´m sorry.” Barry reaches out for my chin, tenderly turning my head towards him. “I guess it´s the werewolf in me. I´ve been feeling so comfortable around you. And you seem like the perfect candidate for a mate. You´re markless. If you were a werewolf, that means that nobody has claimed you yet. And the wolf inside me recognizes that.”

“But I´m not a werewolf, Barry. We don´t even know what I am.”

“Right. And I apologize. It won´t happen again.” Barry reaches out for my hand. And I allow him to hold it. Regardless of everything, the fact is undeniable that I constantly crave his touch.

“I´m content with what we have. I am happy where we are right now, Rose.”

“Oh, Barry. You´d better be, or I´ll kick your ass.”

Barry laughs.

“Before I forget, Eisendrath wants to see you at the manor.”

The mention of Eisendrath instantly ruins my mood.

“This can´t be good.”