A Blood Soaked Throne - Part Two

Two- Alayah

My voice cracks as I scream Damien's name. I'm helpless to do anything as the twisted creature on top of him drives his fist into his face. I jump as movement in the corner of my eyes pulls at my attention. The towering and slender frame if the first man begins to rise from the dust. His focus is entirely on me, blocking out the violent assault taking place just a few feet from him.

He stalks towards me, his steps intentionally slow. I try to push myself further into the wall but its rotted structure doesn't give that much leeway. With his feet just inches from mine he lunges forward and digs his pointed claws into my throat. I'm lifted easily as he slams me into the drywall. Not a single word brushes past his lips as he stares at me. Thick black veins snake up his neck, bringing with them the shifting color of his skin tone. Terror replaces the leaking oxygen in my lungs as I watch his transformation take place right in front of me.

This is what I would have become if I hadn't escaped that day. This is what Bastian has shielded me from. His eyes fill completely with a swirling abyss. Warmth trails down from his fingertips around my neck and a smile starts to gradually spread across his face. It grows beyond what could be considered natural, the skin tearing along his cheeks to reveal the anatomy beneath. Another scream forms in my throat but it's blocked by his suffocating hold.

The ground slams hard into my hands and knees as he throws me away from him. I cough helplessly with each ounce of oxygen that floods back into my lungs. Before I can think to move, his hand tangles through my hair and he drags me towards the doorway. I kick aimlessly and try to pry his fingers from my hair, slicing my skin against his claws as I fight. I'm screaming, begging, crying, I can't go back there.

A blinding red light radiates from Damien's arm as my voice reaches him and the man that had been on top of him begins coughing up blood. He drops to the floor beside the back wall, the thick red liquid pouring from a gaping wound on his chest. The same sticky substance coats Damien's hand below the increasingly bright glow.

The hand that is wrapped painfully through my hair suddenly releases its grasp as the man turns back to face the disturbance. I push against the floor and press my back into the wall next to the exit. Fear overwhelms me at the sight of Damien's eyes darkening as he looks at the intruder.

"Do not... touch her," he says through uneven breaths. Sweat glistens along his forehead, his hair sticking to his moistened skin. Dirt has been smeared across his face to mix with the splattered blood.

The man lets out a low growl and moves towards him, but as he lashes out Damien easily deflects his attack and sends him painfully into the wall. He doesn't let up, pressing his palm into the back of his head and slamming his face into the exposed boards behind it. The red glow extends to his hand and the flesh on the man's head begins to boil. He screams and fights against Damien's hold on him but there's no comparison of their strength. A gurgling noise is trapped in his throat as blood spills out from between his stained lips and what little life remained in his eyes slips away. He collapses to the floor just as his companion had.

The glow of the tattoo fades slowly, and as it does so does the darkness that clouded Damien's eyes. I can't seem to catch my breath. Whatever I just witnessed wasn't Damien. I've never seen his hand glow red before, nor have I ever seen him display that much power. It radiates off of him and leaves me trembling. Reese's face flashes through my mind. The cavernous hole in his chest was almost identical to the one I see just across the room.

My chest tightens looking at the terrified expression on Damien's face as he stares down at his bloody hands. I can see them shaking, even in the darkness that swallows the room. He pulls his gaze up to face me, but as he takes a hesitant step forwards I find myself pulling back.

I can't hide the fear that shows through my expression. With his intimidating silhouette outlined along the wall and the power radiating off of him his presence is too much like Bastian's. My arms instinctively curl around me, trying to protect me from him. My heart aches as his expression falls, a deep sadness drowning the light in his eyes.

"We have to move." His voice is broken, defeated. I can't bring myself to meet his gaze. The guilt I feel is crippling. He protected me, he's given me zero reasons to fear him and yet I continue to pull away from him.

I don't know what just happened, but it's obvious that neither does he. He's just as scared as I am. He's nothing like his father, but the fear in my reaction is going to make him think otherwise.

He steps past me and glances around the corner of the building, exiting into the exposed street once he's satisfied. I use the wall behind me to support myself as I stand on shaky legs. The guilty feeling continues to tighten around my heart as I shyly follow behind him.