Soul Master

20. Asha

I left silently, the sight of the Dark One holding her after knowing what he had done had all but ruined my mind. As Amèlie stood clueless to his wrongdoings, defending him, I had no idea how to confront him, or how to tell her the truth. Then for them kids to show up, they had found confidence among each other. I stood alone facing them, Amèlie and her rapist. I had been vilified, I didn't want to leave her, not with him, but in this place there wasn't much to fear. He wouldn't kill her, like a cat with a baby bird he wanted to toy with her until her suffering alone would consume her.

It wasn't rape, Zayne had argued. They just sealed the bond.

Maybe I was wrong, maybe Blitzen was toying with my own suffering by acting like a bad guy. What he had done to her was apparently unavoidable to gain the contract. Maybe he would leave her alone now that it was formed.

The memory from long ago crept back into my thoughts, when he had been speaking to Penteluck about fucking her for deals, I shook my head. Pausing to slam my fist into the concrete wall, before realising I had been heading towards the underground car park of the mall. Blitzen's voice like a memory in my mind telling me exactly where she was.

'Level 4.' I muttered at the same time as I looked at the sign confirming I had indeed made my way to the fourth level of the car park.

The lighting was dingy and yellow, some flickered on and off, a draught blew through the open ledges. The smell of petrol, now that I was paying attention was burning my wolf senses, I kept walking looking for the faded red mud splattered 1980's Fiat Panda. Being how old and retro it was, It didn't take long to find when it was among flashy cars of today.

'I knew you'd come here.' Darren said, he got out of a blue Evo parked opposite, in his hand was a baseball bat, from the passenger side, Mally came out, his hands bare. Except for bandages on his knuckles.

'Put that back man, we won't need it.' He gestured to the bat, and Darren tossed it back in the car.

I stood watching them as they came towards me.

'What's this?' I asked. 'Here to ask me to the dance? I'm sorry but I am already taking someone you couldn't get the balls to ask.' I watched Darren frown, knowing what I had just implied.

'What is your obsession with her?' He asked, 'She is your sister, dude.'

I clicked my knuckles, sensing this was going to go bad, I had to keep down the urge to shift, if I revealed my true nature, I would undoubtedly be hunted down by the Sweepers and handed to the SMRP. 'She isn't my sister.'

'Then who is she to you?' Darren snapped. 'Why do you act like some kind of creep to her.'

'Darren man, look at him.' Mally nodded to me. 'He literally vibes with creepy.'

I didn't really want to be taking down Amèlie's crush, knowing she was already mad at me. 'How about we settle this rationally.' I said casually.

Darren flicked out a sharp blue tinted knife, both me and Mally looked alarmed at it.

'Or not.' I sighed.

'Darren put that shit away.' Mally hissed. 'He isn't one of them.'

'Whatever he is to her, she is scared of him.' Darren noted. 'I can see it in her eyes, I just want to see her happy.'

Them words, I felt them rather than heard them. That is all I had ever wanted too, to see Amèlie happy. 'You will fail exactly as I had.' I told him. Feeling the fight drain from me and an emptiness take its place.

'Why?' He shot back, 'I would love her as a human, not as an object.' His tone implying that I was doing the latter.

'You can't,' I laughed now. 'You never will. Do you want to know why?'

Darren stopped pacing to listen, as though I was about to tell him the secrets to the universe.

'Because the person she likes is your best friend.' I laughed again and gestured at Mally. They both stopped to stare at one another.

'What?' Darren asked, facing Mally. 'Dude?'

Mally shook his head. 'Man, I didn't know,' he raised his hands in surrender. 'I even gave you her number. I wasn't hitting on her, I swear.'

Suddenly Darren turned his attention to his friend, I leaned back on the Panda and watched the show.

'Then what was you talking to her about when you were alone with her earlier?' Darren interrogated.

'I was trying to get her to come over to our group.' Mally answered. 'She was hard to persuade so I let her decide herself and gave her my dealing phone.'

They shared a look. I watched as the trust between them strengthened Darren's resolve.

'Is my number on that phone?' He asked.

'Yes. I told her to call me or you when she was ready.' Mally hesitated, letting his words sink in. 'Bro, I have Summer.'

Nice. In causing them to argue I had just been told what had passed between Amèlie and him while I was away.

Darren finally nodded. 'Nice one dude.' He offered a fist to Mally for him to bump, and then turned back to me. 'She might like Mally now, but when she gets to spend time with me, I will win her.' Darren sounded sure.

Win her... like she was a fucking prize. 'Good luck with that.' I folded my arms, still casually leaning against the car.

'So fucking smug.' Mally cut through my thoughts. His voice angry, 'that look you give, derisive and full of self entitlement.' He came at me full force and threw his fist into my jaw, I heard it crack as he said 'I'll knock you back fucking down.' I didn't get time to respond, his fists rained down on me one after the other as I was knocked down to the ground, a ringing in my ear from the third hit to the side of my head. He sat atop me and dealt blow after blow as Darren stood watching.

In a weird way I felt a sense of release, this physical pain was more bearable than the emotional wounds I had, and though I could easily fight him in my human form or rip his throat in my wolf form, I lay on the ground taking his every blow. Let him crush my skull, my blood can stain the ground, until his heart is content.

'Mally.' I heard Darren's voice, then felt Mally's weight lift from me. 'Let's go.' I heard the sound of a lighter sparking. 'Here, we need to go pick up Charlotte.'

'Cheers.'

I lay on the ground my face and body in pain, already my eyes had swollen. I listened as one or both of them breathed out, breathing hard. The smell of smoke around us.

'Let's go.' Darren repeated.

'Wait.' Mally. 'Now you know your place.' He knelt down and whispered in my ear. 'I have killed greater men than you.' He threatened, 'your little princess, will be out of your reach soon enough.' Then flicking my nose he stood. She was already out of my reach, I thought. And just before he left, I felt a final blow to my head. I blacked out blissfully.