Page 36

Annalise

T he first time I ever laid eyes on Cyrus, I was terrified. He stood there across the river, picking up my scent with ease. When his eyes fell on me, I knew my life was over. My heart beat frantically in my chest and the urge to run was almost lost on me as I was paralyzed in fear. And for years to pass, that feeling became a part of my every day with Cyrus, as he was an unpredictable entity.

At this moment, the fear that I felt seems delusional. For the first time since I met Cyrus, I fear something even more.

I flinch as the inhuman screech echoes off the cavern walls. The force causes the cavern to crumble and quake, making my flesh crawl and my body react the way prey would in the presence of its predator. Joan shoves me once again as we dodge another attack. This beast moves relentlessly. He is inhuman, attacking us like a wild animal would, and we can do nothing but clumsily dodge in the pitch black. I cry out as I crash into the cavern wall, quickly scrambling up.

Cyrus’s seal flows through me at full power, and even still, I am too slow to match this beast. The small fire we had illuminating the cavern has been extinguished, plunging us into darkness. There is no room for thought or planning, only the desperation of surviving as this beast continues to attack us in ways we have never seen before.

My eyes widen as the ground beneath me shudders, and I notice the tiny tendrils of black spilling through the cracks. I jump back just in time as the tendrils shoot from the ground, the tip coming inches from my throat. My adrenaline remains mingled with the power of Cyrus’s seal as I recall what those exploding tendrils did to Elias. All of my planning and scheming went to waste within seconds as the beast who came to kill me extinguished Elias’s life like a pesky insect. And as much as I want to feel anger about my revenge being stripped from me within seconds, I can’t. All I can think to do at this moment is how to survive.

“Anna!” Joan screams from across the cavern as she tries her best to protect me and herself from this monster. I feel a rough pull on my arm as Audra rips me up from the ground, and if not for Cyrus’s seal, the raw strength she uses would have pulled my arm from its socket. We both land across the cavern, and Audra scrambles to protect me as black smog attacks us head-on.

My body suddenly grows much hotter as the power within me grows to an uncontrollable level. I recognize it as the same feeling I had before I accidentally killed Elias’s servant. I quickly grab Audra, pushing her out of the way as the heat heightens to an unbearable degree, my screams of pain filling the cavern. I vaguely register the beast’s oncoming attack, but it is deflected by the smoke pouring from my veins.

My legs tremble as my body rejects the use of the seal, and I crumble to my knees, my breathing slow and ragged. As the power of the seal wanes, the darkness of the cavern creeps into my vision until I can no longer make out shapes. I am plunged into darkness. My body was already worn from using Cyrus’s seal to capture Elias, and now I have pushed it past its limit to survive.

As I clutch my chest in pain, I note that silence has crept over the cavern.

“Ahck!” Joan’s cry of pain suddenly fills the air. It’s accompanied by the crumble of rocks as the beast roughly smashes her into the wall.

“Joan!” I cry out in a panic. I squeeze my eyes shut, letting my desperation fuel me as I call on Cyrus’s seal, ignoring the pain that courses through me as my bones struggle to maintain their form. The cavern becomes vivid, and I can see Joan clearly. The beast has his hand around her throat, the black smog that pours from his skin solidifying to form a sharp shape, inches from plunging into her.

“No!” I scream as my body takes on a mind of its own. My legs move as fast as they can, crossing the cavern within seconds. But still, I am no match for this beast. Joan’s eyes meet mine, panic on her expression.

My body is wrenched back as the beast uses his form to easily swat me away. I’m sent flying, my body crashing into the wall.

“Ah!” I cry out as pain ripples over me, Cyrus’s seal waning once again. I am trapped. We all are.

“Anna! Anna, run—ngh!” Joan’s screams are cut off as the beast’s singular tendril penetrates her throat. I want to scream, but I can’t. I can’t even move my body.

“Please…,” I whisper.

I try my hardest to hold on to Cyrus’s power so that I can see Joan. Her eyes are filled with hate as she glares at the beast, her hand covering her bloody wound. It’s a singular puncture wound, as if he was aiming for a specific location, not trying to kill her.

“Is this what we have devolved to? Scrambling like insects to protect this abomination when you can barely protect yourselves?” he sounds disappointed as he chastises Audra and Joan for protecting me.

Joan tries to speak, but no sound comes out. The precision of his attack suddenly makes sense.

He cut her vocal cords.

His eyes shift to meet mine in the darkness, and he wrinkles his nose in disgust.

“Just look at it. It’s pathetic in every way. It is a desperate attempt for much more inferior beings to have a chance. Its body can’t even handle the power coursing through it, deteriorating with each passing second,” he chuckles.

He shifts his attention back to Joan.

“Is this really how you wish to spend your last moments? Protecting an abomination whose existence was made to extinguish your own?” he says.

Joan tries to speak, her voice cracking as a hoarse whisper leaves her lips. My heart aches as she once again takes on more damage for my sake. And now that my body can no longer handle Cyrus’s seal, I can’t even hear what broken whisper comes from her lips. But the beast does.

He smiles, and it’s bone-chilling as he leans into Joan, whispering his response in her ear.

“Hck—Ahhh!” Pain washes over me, radiating from my abdomen. I look down in a panic to see the beast’s tendril protruding from my stomach. He stabbed me. My body convulses as my muscles take on a mind of their own. They can’t handle the pain—I can’t.

I hold on to Cyrus’s seal with desperation, my eyes finding Joan in the darkness. Tears spill past her eyes, her face contorted in panic as she looks at me, attempting to scream. We all know this beast could kill me at this very moment if he wanted. He’s playing with us—watching us panic as the walls close in around us.

“Yes… use the power that does not belong to you to stay alive. Let it kill you as fast as my spear. Because you should not exist .“ His words drip with controlled rage.

I slowly choke on my own blood as I feel the tip of his attack shifting, as smaller tendrils form to deepen his attack. I can’t move. I can’t fight. I am weak. My panic grows as I think of my death. I am going to die right here, right now. I wish I could have seen Ciel one last time. Guilt eats at me for once again disappointing him. I can only hope my death isn’t too much of a burden on him. I hope Cyrus can express how much I loved him.

Suddenly, the beast rips his attack from my flesh, and I quickly clutch my stomach in pain as I slump from the wall. A loud crash pulls my attention, followed by the inhuman growl of another beast. My use of the seal has waned completely as my body begins its descent into death, so I can’t see what’s happening. I can only hear it as the cavern quakes and more rocks crumble.

I cry out as I feel a hand under my legs. But whoever it is doesn’t seem like a threat as they lift me and begin running in the opposite direction of the battle, to the cave entrance.

Once we exit the cave, my entire body is on fire from the wound given to me by the beast inside. I want to feel relief as the cool breeze wafts over me, accompanied by the bright moonlight illuminating the surrounding clearing, but I am in too much pain. I look around frantically, attempting to asses our situation.

It is Joan who carried me to safety, her body bloodied from the one-sided battle within. Audra holds her unconscious sister and Neve, wounds on her body as well, but she seems composed in the current situation.

“An…” My eyes flutter when I hear Joan’s broken whisper as she tries to speak. I release a weak gasp when I see the veins around her throat have turned black from his attack, mimicking the wounds we both have from Elias.

I shake my head, tears spilling over as I try to reach for her face, but I can’t. I’m still too weak.

“Oh my… seems we may have been too late.” The new voice cuts through the haze, beginning to overtake my consciousness. And as hard as I try to find the owner of that voice, the world blurs, making it impossible.

“Didn’t you come to help? Can’t you heal her?” I recognize Audra’s voice as she screams at the stranger; panic is evident.

The voice chuckles, and I feel Joan pulling me in tighter.

“The only reason I would touch that is to end its life. Let’s hope your king pulls through. Otherwise, she’ll be dead in an hour.”

Cyrus

As a child, I was fascinated by my mother. She was the embodiment of beauty, grace, and strength. In my eyes, she was everything I wanted to be in the future. She was confident, and at times, that confidence came across as arrogance. But just being near her for other beasts was stifling. Her mere existence seemed to swallow everyone else’s. And now, I see why. Now I see just how much she was holding back for the sake of my father’s kingdom. I see how much she sacrificed because of her affection. And until now, I have mimicked her in that regard.

My entire life, I have held back. It was one of the few things she was able to teach me once I began manifesting my inner beast: that unleashing myself truly was dangerous. The beasts surrounding us were unlike us in every way. This is why wiping out Elias’s kingdom was so easy. It is also why Elias sought to eradicate something like me. I am too powerful. I am a danger if left unchecked. But now, I have finally met my match.

The cavern reeks of blood. Elias’s, Audra’s, Ausifah’s, Joan’s, Neve’s, and worst of all, Anna’s. I knew upon my arrival that the only reason any of them were somewhat alive was that this beast was toying with them just as a child would poke and prod at a trapped animal to see its reaction.

More rocks crumble around us as the beast and I collide, fighting with all our might. He is strong, but I am also, making us more detrimental to our surroundings than each other. I release another growl as my teeth sink into his throat, and he counters instantly. His beast form sharpens into a solid, sharp point as he stabs at me, forcing me to release him.

I’ve never seen such a technique used. I didn’t even know it was possible for a beast to transform into a solid weapon.

He lunges for me, and I dodge, climbing on his back as I once again sink my teeth into his throat from behind. I rip and growl, clawing at him as I slowly lose control of myself, my inner beast taking over my sane mind.

Death. Blood. Flesh. Death. Blood. Flesh.

It repeats in my mind constantly until all I can do is think of satiating its desire—my desire. His howls of pain add to my bloodlust until I feel his claws digging into me, curving until he rips me from his back, throwing me into the wall. His strength sends me several layers deep, adding to the tremble of the mountainside.

He is much more formidable than his counterpart. Killing him will prove difficult. But not impossible.

The walls crumble around me, trapping me for an instant beneath the rubble. And I finally hear the voice of the beast.

“All this fuss for a hybrid?” The beast’s voice echoes through the damage, reaching me. I don’t miss the strain in his voice. He’s tired. I slowly stand, flinching as I make my way out of the damaged structure and back into the dark cavern. The beast in question has retreated his beast form, standing before me as he allows it to cover his body only partially.

I tense as I study him, fighting my confusion. A sense of deja vu washes over me as a familiar scent wafts through the blood-raised cavern, and I recognize it instantly.

He not only resembles my mother, but his scent is similar to hers.

I slowly let my beast form retreat until we are both staring at one another in mirrored confusion. After a moment, the beast chuckles and shakes his head.

“I understand now. It appears my sister’s looks aren’t all that you’ve inherited. You’ve gotten her strength, her temper, and, unfortunately, her fascination with the inferior as well,” he says disappointedly.

“Who are you?” I ask.

The beast fully releases his beast form, standing before me with the wounds I was able to inflict on him. It’s a sign that he is no longer a threat.

“I am Cyprian. Maeve never mentioned me? Mentioned us?” he asks.

“You’re mistaken, foreigner. My mother’s name was Eleanor,” I say.

He once again laughs, but it’s humorless.

“No. Your mother’s name was Maeve. Of course, her son would allow his kingdom to fall into disarray over such insignificant creatures,” he says.

I narrow my gaze, taking a threatening step forward.

“You will not touch the hybrid you were attacking,” I say.

He watches me carefully, a wicked grin forming on his lips.

“Too late. Even as we speak, my toxins are shutting down her body. I’d say she only has a few minutes left,” he says.

My heart slams against my chest as panic settles in. I make a move to turn away from him, but he speaks over my departure.

“I know you are clueless in the ways of your true heritage. But you will not be able to heal her as you have done in the past. It is my toxin. Only I can remove it,“ he says smugly.

I lunge at him, but he doesn’t dodge. He watches me steadily as I smash him into the wall, knowing I won’t kill him, not with the information he just gave me.

“You will heal her,“ I growl out.

He narrows his gaze. “Why would I do that? She is a perversion of nature. Her existence is unnatural. I’m sure you can feel it as well, even if you’ve mistaken disgust for fascination.”

My nails elongate to claws, and I don’t hesitate to stab him through his chest. He grunts in pain but still controls his anger as he watches my reaction.

“Because if you don’t, I will kill you and everyone else on this godforsaken continent,” I seethe.

He smiles.

“Like you did with that poor beast’s kingdom? Razed it all to the ground like a savage animal,” he says. But I don’t react as I slowly release my beast, the smoke covering my arm.

“You do realize that is why we came, right? You have proven you are too dangerous to be left alone. You will draw the attention of others and drag us all into wars that no human or diluted beast will survive—”

“Your tongue seems to be saying everything except what I want to hear,” I say.

Cyprian glares at me, roughly gripping my arm. I note that his beast form covers his arm as well where he touches me. But like I did with his counterpart, the smoke slowly absorbs into my own.

His eyes widen as shock crosses his features. It’s the first time I’ve seen his confidence wane.

“You are your mother’s son,” he says with an annoyed grin.

I release more of my beast, the smoke filling the cavern as I deepen my attack. Cyprian’s smile disappears as his eyes darken. Suddenly, sharp pricks of pain explode from every point of my body as spikes of his form explode within me.

My eyes widen as pain washes over me. I’ve never felt pain like this—not since my initial capture by the hunters, giving me these scars. I collapse onto the cavern floor, blood pouring from my lips. And try as I might, I can’t heal myself. It’s as if my mind is no longer connected to my body. I cannot control it. I ignore the pain, lunging for him, but my beast form won’t come to the forefront any longer. It’s as if I’ve been poisoned. Cyprian turns to face me, eyeing me carefully before speaking again.

“But I am your mother’s sibling. And I was raised among my own kind. Not the lesser,“ he says, stepping over me.

More blood spills from my lips, my body taking on a mind of its own as I collapse onto the cavern floor. I can barely make him out as he exits the cavern, leaving me in a bloody heap. All I can think of at this moment is Anna. And as much as I want to be angry with her for placing herself in this position that I told her more than once not to place herself in, I can only bring myself to hope that she stays alive long enough for me to get to her— long enough for me to purge this toxin from my system.

“Rgh…Fuck!” I scream as my body refuses to obey me.

I have once again been blindsided by the legacy my parents left me. This time, however, it is from my mother. And in keeping this piece of her life hidden, she has damaged me in ways she will never know. Not even my people are prepared for these beasts. No one but me can come close to stopping them, and I have failed because I do not know my enemy.

“I’m sorry, Anna,” I whisper as my world darkens around the edges. I release a bitter chuckle as my mind shifts to Ciel. I can only hope their business ends with us and that he won’t be discovered for what he is.

The offspring of a hybrid.

I hope he can forgive us for failing him so often and leaving him alone to navigate this world for himself, just as I had to forgive my mother.