Shadow of the Beast (Twisted Dark #2)

Chapter Sixteen: Uncovered Truths

She's gone.

It was the only thought that radiated through my chest and stomach when I had awoken. Violet was gone. I had searched the woods, trying to see if she had just wandered off but I hadn't been able to find her. I felt angry as my instinct seethed at me. It wanted us to find the female, to punish her for wandering off. I didn't understand why she would wander off, why she would walk off into the Forest that scared her.

I made my way back to the campsite, I hadn't been able to scent her out, too many animals had been wandering around and her scent was stale. However there was the faint niggling in the back of my mind, she had been focused on Havenbrook. I didn't understand why she had been so focused on it but I knew that was the best possible lead I had for finding her. I tilted my head, cracking my neck as I thought about how I would punish the little female for leaving without saying a word.

I stalked through the trees, heading towards the highway. My focus was intent on finding Violet. She was going to be punished for making me worried, making me waste time looking for her. I didn't understand her behaviour, didn't understand why everything changed after that mysterious incident that left her cold and covered in blood. I didn't understand what happened and she refused to tell me what happened.

The road came into view and I caught the faint scent of Violet on the breeze and I inhaled deeply, bringing her scent into my lungs. My hunch was right, she had headed for the town. I bared my teeth in anger and moved along the highway towards the town. I wondered if she went there to be with witches... to escape me. She hadn't seemed to be as comfortable with me after I came back to her and I wondered if whatever happened to her was the catalyst for her feeling as though I wasn't safe anymore.

It didn't take me long to make it into the town and despite the scents of fuel and exhaust I still had track of Violet's scent. I followed it into the residential area and it grew thicker, less scents covered it up. I could see the humans hurrying towards their homes, their eyes looking over at me as they did so. I bared my teeth and followed her scent right up to the front door of a house.

I thumped hard on the door, banging on it loudly. I could hear shouting from inside before the door was yanked open. "What the hel-" I shoved the man inside the house, growling heavily as I looked at him, grabbing him by his shirt and hauling him upwards.

"Where is she?" I looked around for Violet but there was no sign of her until a woman ran around a corner towards us. She was nearly a carbon copy of the little pixie and I frowned as I let the male drop. Her parents. She had gone to her parents.

"Who are you?" The female hurried over to the man and I couldn't feel magick on her so I was confused. If she was human than how could she have been Violet's mother.

"Where is she?" I stared at her hard, she looked just like the little pixie.

Her hands fluttered around the male before she looked up at me. "Who?" She looked as confused as I felt and I bared my teeth at her, letting out a heavy growl.

"The little pixie." I loomed over her and she cowered into the ground, wrapping her arms around the male as he held her just as tightly

"Who?" Her voice wavered and I clenched my hands into fists.

"Violet. Yer daughter." I couldn't understand how she didn't know who I was talking about. Violet was clearly her child.

She looked away, her jaw ticking. "I don't have a daughter named Violet." I felt anger rise up in my thick and heavy. I couldn't understand how a mother would deny her own child.

"Aye, ye do. Ye look jus' like-" I inhaled deeply and stilled. My instinct froze and then roared to life as the scent of the wanted Elder witch filled my lungs. My instinct scraped along my bones and hooked my veins as it moved through me.

Find her

I couldn't agree more with it as I turned on the female, grabbing her throat and lifting her up. "The Elder witch, where is she?" She gasped, grabbing at my arm as she dangled over the floor.

"Don't know." She rasped it out and the male jumped to his feet, attempting to take a swing at me. I dropped the female and dodged the weak hit before I lashed out with my fist. He immediately went down and the female screamed, grabbing at his form. I grabbed the back of her neck and crouched down beside her.

"I will kill ye if ye doona tell me where she is." I pressed my claws into the soft flesh, reminding her of who held her life at the moment. "Jus' tell me where she is an' I will not hurt ye." I didn't wish to hurt a female but one who denied her daughter and was lying?

"I don't know." The words were clipped but I could hear the lie.

"Somethin' tells me not t' believe you." I tightened my grip on the back of her neck, pressing my claws tighter to her skin. "Doona make me hurt ye. Jus' tell me where Coven Thirteen is." She was silent and I lifted up on my grip and she gave a cry, grabbing my hand. "Doona make me, female." She trembled in my grip as her nails scratched at my hand.

"I don't k-" I squeezed forcing her to give another cry of pain.

"Aye, ye do." I pushed against my instinct to cause her even more pain until she sung the information I needed. "Ye don't want me t' be angry but I will get angry if ye doona tell me." I lifted her up more causing another cry to escape her as I forced her to look at me. "I have killed males for less than a lie. It wouldna take me much t' kill a mother unwillin' t' save her daughter." I was positive that Irma now held Violet, that somehow the witch had gotten her back and I had a very big suspicion it had to do with the two people I was crouched in front of.

"You don't understand." She looked at me, pinching her mouth closed and I blinked at her as I came closer, baring my teeth and snapping them in her face.

"I understand tha' a mother should never let her child go for anythin' an' ye failed her." That was worth more than death in my eyes. She needed to be punished and my instinct lashed out at me.

Hurt her for it

I wanted too. I truly did. Wanted to feel her dying beneath my claws and my teeth for what she had done. To betray her own daughter, to hand her over to be tormented. There was no punishment great enough for that.

"Why do you care?" Her chin trembled and her eyes shined with tears.

"Sweet little female she is. Lusty." I grinned at her, baring my sharp teeth as she paled, swallowing rapidly.

"You can't jus-" I squeezed her neck, breaking her skin and causing her to give another cry that roused the male. He looked confused as blood leaked from his nose and he slowly sat up, looking around.

"Tell me where Coven Thirteen is an' I will let ye go." I stared intently at the female as she whimpered.

"Jesus, Mary! Tell him! Its not worth this." The male scrambled to his feet but didn't try to pry me off his female. I wanted to sneer at that. It was rather pathetic.

"I can't!" She wailed it out, tears falling from her eyes as if that would make me feel pity for her. I felt nothing for the female. She was the worst kind of creature. A betraying mother.

"Its sixty miles straight east of the town's center. Its at the edge of the Territories but before the Outer Edges." At the male's words I let the female drop and stood up to my full height.

"Doona try t' alert the witch tha' I am comin'. I will come back for yer whole family if ye do. Not even the babe in the bassinet will be safe." Their faces paled as I looked down at them. I would leave not one soul living in the house if that bitch was told I was coming for her. I would kill them all right down to the children. I didn't care. They would inherit their father's cowardice and their mother's cruelty. It would be a favour for the world to have them all snuffed out.

I turned away and walked out the door. I was just glad that some how the little pixie had gotten all of the good from them and retained none of the bad. I could only imagine how she felt knowing that I had been wrong and Irma had been right. Her parents hadn't wanted her at all.

Kill them all

My instinct was persuasive and it took all the control I had not to do just that.