As she leapt into the air a flaxen coloured wolf pounced towards her, using its jaws to swiftly take her down to the ground. I recognised it was Danny.
He pinned her down, but despite his teeth sinking into her fur, Denise would not stop trying to release herself from his grip. She snapped and snarled in my direction. She wanted my blood. I felt frozen to the spot.Thomas jumped up, quickly circling round the table. “Sophia, get behind me.”
I did as I was told, watching in horror as Thomas also shifted. His wolf was much smaller than Denise’s or Danny’s but I could tell from the way he moved that he was quick. It was just in time, as Denise managed to writhe free from Danny’s clutches, blood pouring from her neck.
Thomas growled at her but she swiftly picked him up by the ruff as if he was a rag doll and threw him against one of the walls, causing an almighty crash as various pieces of artwork shattered. Thomas let out a yelp aAs planned, when Jack came to see me the next day, I told a lie. I had considered telling him the truth, but when it became clear that Danny wasn’t going to leave us alone, I had no choice. I also tried not to let on how unwell I was. I’d barely been able to eat since the day before, and the combination of that and the pain was making me feel weaker and weaker. In contrast, Jack actually looked the best I’d ever seen him. He’d put on some much-needed weight, and he just generally looked brighter.When he saw the wound however, his expression darkened. “That looks so bad Sophia. I can’t believe she did that to you.” Jack looked at me anxiously. Danny patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I won’t let her near your sister again.” He was definitely a good liar. “Our doctor is going to come and take a look in a bit. She’ll have it fixed up in no time.”Jack nodded, but
A mixture of emotion washed over me. I wanted to get out, I did. But this mark…as insane as I knew it was, it made me want him. The prospect of being away from him frightened me. Another thought occurred to me. What about Jack?“But…how? And what about my brother?”Dr Squire began helping me out of bed. “Don’t worry, your brother’s tutor is one of Mr Roberts’ men too. We’re going to get him too. With the stone.”I let her dress me, but I still had so many questions. “But Dr Squire, this mark…I want to leave but…”She stopped and gave me a sympathetic look. “I know, you feel bound to Danny. However, I wasn’t lying when I said you could die. Mr Roberts can fix it though.”How was he going to fix a wound that wasn’t healing? It wasn’t like he was a doctor. I was about to ask her how he would do it, but my bedroom door opened and I shut
Dr Squire glanced at me. “Hold on Sophia. We’ll be okay now.”I heard the screeching of tires, knowing that the other Range Rover had come to a sudden stop. I looked out the back and saw that a line of blazing fire acted as a barrier between us and our pursers. I couldn’t even see Danny anymore. But then, I heard an ear-piercing howl that was fuelled with pain and loss. It wrenched my heart so forcibly, I wanted to throw myself from the car. I had never heard him howl, but somehow, I knew it was him. He was a creature of his fathers making, but I knew there was some good in there. I had seen glimpses of it. That was what I found myself mourning as a single tear made its way down my cheek.Dr Squire had slowed down now, clearly content that for now we were safe.“Will he be okay?” I whispered.She sighed. “Yes. For now. Remember what you feel for him is not real though. It is all to do with that ugly mark he’
It was either nothing, or blurriness. Darkness was most prevalent, but every so often I became aware of shapes or sounds. I didn’t like those times. It meant the hurt returned. I kept clawing my way back to the blackness, although I sensed something else was pulling me in the opposite direction. I wasn’t sure if the shapes and sounds were real, or if they were dreams. None of them made sense, so it was difficult to tell. Sometime later, I became aware of something or someone touching me. I didn’t like it. The more conscious I was, the more pain I felt. Time didn’t really mean anything anymore, and so I had no idea how long I was going in and out of this half-awake state.Eventually though, I came to realise I couldn’t be dead. I began to interpret the shapes and sounds as people, or machines beeping. Then, without warning, a room came into focus. My eyes must be working. I could now tell that I had been propped up with pil
I spent the next day or so recovering. My neck looked and felt a million times better, and I was surprised when Dr Squire told me that eventually I wouldn’t even have a scar. Through our time together, I discovered that she was actually a werewolf. Her and her mate had split off from their pack after not agreeing with how things were run. They didn’t agree with how werewolves conducted their business. Thale had taken them under employment in order to help infiltrate packs and prevent criminal activities. The wolf who had appeared in the middle of her road was her mate.The pull I had towards Danny began to fade away. I couldn’t say that my feelings completely disappeared, but I no longer wanted to run back to him. The report of him coaxing my brother to kill someone definitely added to the destruction of the fondness I had once experienced.Thale barely left me alone, although he had hardly said a word to me since our angry exchange. He slept on
He gathered me up swiftly into his arms, carrying me out of the room as if I was his new bride. Louis was still on the other side of the door.Thale called out to him on the way past. “Miss Bell and I are going to my room. Make sure we aren’t disturbed.”He didn’t wait for a response, he just continued to stride away with me in his arms. Ordinarily, I would have been embarrassed, but for some reason, I wasn’t. I was inpatient to have this man who was holding onto my body.As we travelled through the house, I ignored every single negative thought in my head. I didn’t think about being seduced by another man. I didn’t think about the fact he was meant to be marrying someone else. I didn’t think about Danny, or the way he had touched me. It was just me and Thale. Nothing else.He kicked his bedroom door open with his foot. Kicking it once more to close it once we were inside the room. Carrying me to the bed, he
I became aware of a blissful feeling. The kind that makes everything seem wonderfully hazy and warm. I realised I was being held by someone, and I opened my eyes to see Thale sleeping soundly next to me. He looked so peaceful. This was not something I really associated with him, but right now, that’s how he appeared to be.I stayed still in his arms, enjoying the opportunity to study him freely. I traced each feature with my eyes, marvelling at the contours of his eyes, the angular line of his jaw, and the fullness of the lips that I had suddenly found myself addicted too. He had been beautiful to me before, there was no doubt about it. But now it went beyond that for me, it was as if he was divine. The change in his breathing told me he was rousing, and I eagerly waited for his green eyes to reveal themselves. As he blinked and took a moment to take in my image, a sleepy almost boy-like smile crept onto his face.“Good morning Sophia, wer
I felt Thale stiffen beside me. I could sense he also wasn’t sure why Alvena was looking so pleased.Fallon greeted us as if it was old friends coming together for a holiday, which unsettled me further.“Welcome, welcome! Please, let my staff take your coats. How wonderful it is for you to be here.” He grinned broadly, flashing his perfectly white yet pointy teeth in our direction.Thale said nothing, so I followed suit. A maid came up behind me to take my coat, and I allowed her to guide it off my shoulders.“Come this way, we have much to discuss.” Fallon gestured for us to follow him through the hallway. The house reminded me a lot of Danny’s. It was mostly decorated in blacks and whites, although I could see accents of red every so often. Everything was immaculate. The only personal affects seemed to be strange abstract modern sculptures.Fallon led us to a room that I assumed was meant to act as living room.
Two months later...“Again?” I asked, half laughing, half hoping.“Yes, again,” he growled. “I have a lot to make up for.” His hand traced up the length of my leg, back to my core that was now drenched in the pleasure of both our bodies.“You’re going to break me if we go on much longer,” I uttered, my breath catching as his fingers began circling my swollen clit.“Tell me to stop then,” he said darkly into my ear. “Tell me you don’t want me.”Instead of saying anything, I let my legs fall open, allowing him to take me to another high. Just when I thought it wouldn’t be possible to go there again.“You look so beautiful when you’re like this.” He traced soft kisses down my neck, grazing his teeth against the sensitive skin.He took his hand away, and I whimpered. But before I could open my mouth to protest, he&rsqu
Despite the wonderful news that he was recovering, it took another three days for Thale to show any proper signs of life. During those three days, I mostly drew him. It was the first time I’d been able to do any kind of art since the first day I’d let him lead me to bed. As he lay perfectly still, I committed his profile in minute detail to the paper in front of me. It was still too hot for me to bare being too close, so it was a way of being intimate with him without touching his body.It was during one of these sessions, that I saw him open his eyes for the first time in a week. Just as I looked away to sketch his mouth, I heard a groan. My eyes snapped back to him, nearly crying with joy as I saw him writhe.“Thale?” I rushed over to his bedside the paper and pencil clattering to the ground. I took his hand in mine. “Thale can you hear me? It’s me. It’s Sophia.”His eyes flickered open and shut, an unearthly sou
I reached the room, breathless. Mrs Elliot was close on my heels. “What’s happening?!”Dr Squire was looking at Thale’s arm closely, concern written all over her face. I went over to her side, and had to clap my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.The skin on Thale’s wrist looked like it was coming away. As if it was shedding like a snake. The area was inflamed, with chunks of scales lifting away from his body.“I’m sorry Miss Bell. This is what I was afraid of. His body is beginning to break down.” Dr Squire stood back up, taking the gloves from her hands as if she was done.I looked at her as if she was mad. “Well, what can we do then? There must be something we can do?”Her eyes finally met mine. “Now this is happening, the chance of him surviving is extremely low. Dragons rarely recover once their skin begins to shed.”I shook my head furi
I tried my best to engage with Jack. I owed him at least that. I forced the soup and bread down my throat, if only to encourage him to eat his. Despite me knowing how delicious it was meant to be, the chunky vegetables kept feeling like they were going to get stuck in my throat. But I managed it.By the time we’d finished, Jack seemed to be talking with more ease than he had with me in a long time. Perhaps there was every chance we could repair our relationship. I know that’s what our parents would have wanted.After Jack went back to his room, I asked to speak with Louis. When the gruff man with kind eyes sat down in front of me, I couldn’t help but reflect on how I’d viewed him at first. After all, he’d been the man that had guarded my door when I wanted to escape. But now he was a comfort, one of Thale’s loyal men that genuinely cared for us.“I wanted to thank you, for what you did. If you hadn’t shown up with
A gentle hand rested on my shoulder, and I woke with a start, looking to see if Thale was awake. But he was in exactly the same position as before. His face was relaxed, and if it hadn’t been for the wounds and burns covering his profile, I may have been able to kid myself that he was simply sleeping.“Miss Bell, sorry. You asked me to tell you when your brother was awake?”I turned my face to see Mrs Elliot’s face. Her hair was not as neat as it usually was.“Yes, thank you. Can you take me to him?”She stepped back so I could get out of bed. I pulled away from Thale reluctantly, but I knew I needed to see Jack.Mrs Elliot led me to a room I vaguely remembered Thale showing me. It faced out onto the grounds, the same view my art room did. I briefly hoped that I would get some time in that room again, and not because I was mourning…Jack was sitting by the window, curled up with one of Ashdown&rsquo
I scrambled over to him, grabbing his face and shaking it.“Thale! Thale wake up!”I put my ear to his chest, I thought I could hear a heartbeat, but I couldn’t be sure. I frantically racked my brain on how to conduct CPR. Why didn’t I know how to do that?I began to make an attempt, pressing my hands down on his chest, and intermittently bringing my mouth to his to blow air into his lungs. Nothing. He wasn’t stirring. Was I doing it wrong?“Thale! It’s Sophia.” My voice began to break. “Don’t you fucking leave me. Don’t you fucking dare.”I banged on his chest. Still nothing. I screamed out into the darkness. I collapsed sobbing onto his chest, crawling beside him.“Please wake up,” I whispered. “Please.”The sound of tires approaching made me look up. Through the fog of the ash, I could see the truck coming towards me. The light blo
I had never seen Thale shift properly, so I was not completely prepared for what I observed next. Fallon’s skin seemed to bleed into onyx scales, causing him to look as if he was being savaged by a terrible disease. Like with Danny, his bones began to break. His ribs tore from his back, stretching out into deformed wings. His head went under, elongating in an unnatural way. Talons sprang from his hands and feet, the appendages growing and lengthening. Minutes later, he was the size of a bus, his human form all but eradicated. He continued to expand, far surpassing Thale’s stature. However, the process seemed to take longer. Against my will, my hand clasped over my mouth as he now reached an incomprehensible size. Surely, we were now small dots to him, the stone, a mere spec.“How…how will he know where to breathe?” I whispered to Thale, recoiling in horror as the creature’s enormous tail thrashed behind it.Thale pulled me in
“GET UP! The boss wants you outside in 10 minutes!”The booming voice of one of Fallon’s henchmen made us both wake with a start. In seconds, Thale was out of bed, still naked, striding towards the door. He ripped it open, and although I could not see the look he gave the burly bald-man, I could see that it was making the recipient cower. Perhaps he had forgotten that he was waking up a dragon.The man scurried away with his tail between his legs, and Thale shut the door with a slam. He rested his forehead on the wooden panel, trying to take a deep breath.I padded over to him and placed my hand lightly on his shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s time to get this over with.”We dressed quickly, knowing that it was not wise to keep Fallon waiting. Not when we were about to try and trick him. He had to be as congenial as possible.Just before leaving the room, Thale pulled me in for a final kiss. “Whatever
My whole body ached. My limbs were as heavy as concrete, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get out of the chair without help. My heart hurt too. My physical and emotional energy was all but gone.“Well?” Fallon asked impatiently.I had already decided to tell a half truth. That would be easier to maintain than a full-blown lie. I rested backwards in the chair, using my fingers to rub my temples to relieve my sore head. “My mother, or at least, a part of her, spoke to me in the stone. She was the last guardian. She will act as my guide.”Thale came to my side, kneeling down on the floor so he could look up into my face. “That must have been hard Sophia. Are you okay?”I inclined my head, trying to communicate to him with a look that I finally had a plan. He seemed to understand and stood up to address Fallon.“I think it would be best if Sophia rested before her next session.