The Devil Inside (Wolf Guard Book 1) (20 page)
There
was a finality to this that felt all consuming in its awful ending. A part of
me wanted nothing more then to cut out his heart and watch it's pumping beats
slow to a stop, to kill the engine that drove such sadism. That part however,
was the lucid side of me that begged for resolution. The tiny voice smothered
by obscurity and fixation that only wished for a new life away from torture and
retribution. It was so small, such an insignificant spark in the darkness, that
it was easily suffocated by my learned character; the one taught by sinful
actions and one vile man.
I
found hate in that darkness. Blistering, scalding hate.
I'm
not entirely sure who should bare the brunt of this hostility. I was edging
further towards Carver. The man who left his soul mate in a house with such
villainy. Who trusted another with my safety, who traded his soul for empire.
In
my enlightenment, I was no longer short-sighted. What else could the Captain
want but dominion over all others? The importance of those visions of his early
life were now so obvious. They'd shown a man consumed by duty, ruled by wolves
weaker than his own.
Had I become second place to his ambition?
And
yet, that tiny spark thrummed with the need to forgive, to understand his
actions.
It
was certainly a quandary.....I'd killed for less.
Then
again I suppose this restricting bond would make such murder impossible. I
can't imagine the animal would allow me to kill her counterpart, no matter his
apparent faults, she would have a natural instinct to at least keep his heart
beating.....it was mildly frustrating.
I
looked at the man who was currently confusing me. His face poured with sweat
and I could hear his heart pounding hard in exertion. No doubt that pesky knife
was forcing his body into overdrive, feeding hard off my wolf without making
much progress. His attitude was still gleeful however and I narrowed my eyes at
his smiling face. There was something very wrong here.
"Are
you going to continue pet? I feel like you're ignoring me."
I
sighed in disgust, "You seem overly cheerful for a man with a knife in his
leg."
He
laughed at me and it stoked the raging fire that roared within.
"I'm
just enjoying our time together."
I
raised an eyebrow at him, I was seriously starting to feel like he was the one
in control of our little game. I stood from the cold cement floor, I'd spent
the last half an hour debating my next move and I was no closer to figuring out
his inner workings. I stepped to stand before him and stared into eyes that had
darkened with glorious pain.
I
pondered for a moment, the chilling expression on his face that promised retaliation,
and remembered the moment my wolf broke free, the honest moment I realised my
actions rebounded on others.
"If
I start cutting parts of you off...would they regrow?"
His
smile widened for a fraction, although it could not hide the wince that crinkled
his eyes.
"Eventually
yes. Might take a while though."
I
hummed in answer and contained my need to savage his entire frame as he spoke.
It was time to put his cards on the table, show his hand and play his move or
die under the impulses that threatened to devour me.
"Let's
be honest with each other Daniel. I'm going to kill you, your only option at
this point is how much pain you feel beforehand and how many body parts I must
remove first."
His
eyes flashed anger and I smiled at his humour that dimmed under the weight of
consequences.
"You
may heal rather quickly...but I doubt you'll be able to regrow your head once
removed. It's time to decide Daniel, what's more important to you right
now?"
His
humour returned as his smile stretched in a grotesque imitation. "And I
was having so much fun pumpkin..."
I
huffed and rolled my eyes. I was pretty sure he was enjoying the irritation
that filled me." What's the plan? You quite obviously have one."
His
eyes locked on me and slowly dropped to the knife in his leg. "You think
you could remove that? It's a little off putting."
I
raised my eyebrows and shook my head,"No, it stays."
He
sighed and grinned at me again,"I suppose it'll have to do then."
I
crossed my arms over my chest and his eyes were drawn to the claws prominently
displayed on my fingers. "Stop wasting my time."
He
shrugged his shoulders slightly, a movement he should regret when his body
tugged on that knife."Okay then, let's be honest. I want to walk away from
this."
My
eyes widened in absolute shock. Him living past this day had never even entered
my mind. "Seriously?"
He
grinned again and I found myself wanting to slice a line in his mouth so he'd
be less inclined to paste that smile on his face. He cocked his head to the
side, "What? I want something and I have something you want. It's a
solution that satisfies us both."
I
couldn't help the snort that came out,"What exactly do you have that I
want?"
"Information."
I
shook my head at his confidence, "You have nothing I want."
His
smile came again and my wolf paced within, a living, breathing epitome of
justice."Oh I disagree pet...I have something you want very much."
I
lost that temper that wrapped itself around my chest so tightly, constricting
and suffocating and yet a wall made hard like iron in its armour plating. My
claws flicked of their own accord and a red swipe appeared as if by magic.
Cutting through the pallid skin on his cheek and decorating his shirt with
small drops of escaping blood. He coughed at the sudden pain that flared and I
found a happy place inside the calm that flourished as his wince deepened.
"Alright!
You let me go and you can return to your Captain. If you're lucky.." he
glanced to the window that let in nothing but inky, black night. "..you
might get back in time to save that man you love."
I
squinted at him, if this was his big reveal it was disappointing."I think
you've seriously overestimated how I feel about him."
He
grunted and laughed,"Oh you'll want to be back for this I assure
you."
Again
a flaring heat started in my gut, his words only fuelling that wavering
distrust. Surely his game was more than this? "What's stopping me from
just killing you and leaving?"
He
smiled again and he seemed so sure in that wide grin that it only made me doubt
myself a little more. "You let me go and I'll tell you who caused this,
the name of the man that pulled all the strings."
For
a moment I considered it. There was that small part that craved that name, that
clawed at my insides and prodded it's wants. Daniel seemed so confident in my
choice, he hadn't considered my faults though, the breaks in the system that
veered my reactions off course. I was not in love with Carver, he had no place
in my heart that would change my resolve and even if a tiny piece of me still
begged for that wolf, he could take care of himself.
"You
don't have enough Daniel. My answer is no."
I
saw the first instance of real fear on his face and I wallowed in it. Let it
fill me with peace and roll around in its breathtaking crashing, as waves of
serene floundered and broke behind the red that began to take over my vision.
Panic
filled his voice.
Finally.
"He'll die, you won't be back in time to
save him."
I
smiled, utterly sincere in my happiness."It's too late for you. Accept
your fate."
I
think my eyes closed for a moment, a deep breath filled my lungs and I found
that place that so many searched for, heavenly in its purity. "I'm going
to start with that part of you that you seem so fond of.."
His
eyes flicked to mine and he showed only fear and understanding. I ripped the
knife from his leg and sliced apart the shirt covered in sweat and filth.
However disgusting I found it, touching the intended area would only be worse.
I nicked his skin along the way and red rivulets bled their cries down his
torso. They healed quickly enough but I enjoyed the pain I inflicted
nonetheless.
I
used my hardened claws to tear his trousers at the seam and waist, they fell in
tethers to the floor, a symmetry of motion that was almost artistic in its
floating path. I took his underwear in one swipe and he was left naked and
vulnerable in his execution chair. He strained against his bonds and I laughed
as the string cut into his skin and blood ran freely over his hands. I sounded
maniacal even to my own ears and I sobered slightly to focus on the man
attempting to free himself.
"You'd
never get out of this room you know?"
He
looked up at the girl that he'd so enjoyed destroying and I saw our final
moments reflected in glassy eyes of destiny's divine will. I was assured in
this moment, secure in the knowledge that this was right, this was fates
predetermined course and I was following her perfectly drawn map.
I
wrapped his shirt of tatters in my palm and bent down to take his dick in my
hand. I was revolted and sickened, Ill with the thought of what I forced myself
to touch again, but I soothed that savage revulsion with end results; the
thought of taking away something that had hurt me so many times.
It
was anticlimactic.
The
slice of the knife bit into his skin and tore through muscle and flesh until I
ended up with that organ in one hand completely detached from his body. I threw
it to the side and shivered in disgust, it was more like a necessary evil then
anything enjoyable although the blood that streamed in rivers from the now open
wound was rather mesmerising."Well that hurt me more than it did
you."
His
gasping breaths were an improvement on the screams of a moment before and true
astonishment filled his expression.
"Oh
don't be like that, you knew I was going to cut it off."
He
grimaced in utter agony and I only revelled in his suffering.
"Now
that's over with I think some more scarring would work wonderfully."
I
moved in closer to my clay, moulding the man I wanted to see, taking the lump
of mud and kneading the material until I produced a piece artful enough for
public viewing. I scoured his skin with claws, blood collected beneath my long
nails. I stabbed at fleshy parts that gave way under a knife that became an
extension of my hand. Blood flowed so freely his skin turned translucent and
papery in its loss. Although his wounds still closed, I was making new ones
faster than he could heal the previous.
I
spent hours at his side. An accomplice to his demise, the truth of death under
the misconception of life. He'd lived longer than he should of, a man with
questionable powers stealing from those around him. I was his judgement, his
last rite before his fall to fire and demon slavery. I would absolve him in
death, torturous death that would give him nothing but memories of torment in
the afterlife.
It
was easier than I thought to keep him on the edge. I found, in my happiness his
feeding slowed. I think if I'd been haemorrhaging pain and anger like he was,
I'd see a marked improvement in his healing. I realised that all those years
he'd kept me in such suffering must have been so that he could benefit more
from such dark emotions. I was almost thankful that he had another motive for
his nature, that it wasn't just because of someone's plan or his own sickness,
he physically needed the pain he wrought.
I
found myself crouched on the floor in the end, an ache settling into my hands
from tensed muscles and repetitive movement. I stood and shook out fingers numb
with strain and looked at the victim before me. I was now the culprit and he
was the sacrifice, it was a full circle of lyrical dance.
His
whisper broke through the blood that clouded my vision and I bent until his
words became clear.
"You've
lost him. You still lose, your revenge has cost you."
I
smiled and took a handful of his hair, tugging until his throat was easily
accessible. I dropped the knife and used my claws, those diamond sharp nails a
better tool to cut through bone. "I've lost nothing."
I
took his head. Carved through the tube that stopped any more words from escaping
with his breath. I removed the most vital part of him, something that could not
be returned and would not reattach itself to veins black in their foetid
decomposition.
I
stood with that head hanging from my hand and moved toward the door. I'd leave
the body for those to find and take a memento for Lane and his patience.
I
took one last look at the mess I'd left on the cement floor, that 'A' I'd
carved on his chest when I'd escaped a rather inventive calling card that I
couldn't help but grin at.
An
Ending of biblical proportions, one that bathed my soul in light and freedom.
I
smiled at my kill, he'd been so flawed and falsely confident. I was walking
tall in my self assurance.
