Viewpoint

Three days had passed and Damon’s prediction had come true.

Carmella asked, “You haven’t seen them in action yet, have you?” as they ascended the hill.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Damon and Mateus, when they’re working.”

“You mean when they’re fighting and killing?” Lilitha asked, shrugging. “I’ve only seen them fight that alpha. And a bit when Damon saved me from that man in Esteria.”

“Well, you’re about to see them now.”

“What do you mean? How are we going to see anything?”

As they reached the summit, they both peered over the edge, Carmella holding Silus securely against her chest. The trees were dense, just how the alphas preferred it when they strategized their attacks. But there were occasional clearings where Lilitha could see right down to the ground.

“Right there.” Carmella pointed to the larger clearing. “Keep your eyes on that spot. They’re going to put on a show.” She then sat down.

Lilitha raised her eyebrows at her, then frowned. “I hope they’re going to be okay.” She sat down next to her.

“I wouldn’t worry. These are just fishermen, not soldiers—or the Southerners.” Carmella’s voice was confident, but there was a slight tremor that Lilitha didn’t like.

Lilitha crossed her legs and rested her chin on her fist, gazing up at the sun. “In a perfect world, I would love to see them in action up close.”

“We’ve been close enough, don’t you think?”

Lilitha shivered at the memory.

“Besides, they would never allow it.”

“I know.”

Carmella looked at her suspiciously. “You’re not going to do anything reckless, are you?” She suddenly grabbed Lilitha’s arm, as if Lilitha was about to jump up and run off.

Lilitha rolled her eyes. “Do you really think I would?”

“I don’t know. You were reckless with that alpha.”

“I saved Mateus’s life.”

Carmella grunted. “Maybe.” But she let go of her.

They waited quietly, wrapped in their cloaks as the sun shone brightly on the sea. The village was close enough that she could see tiny movements. Smoke was billowing out of chimneys.

Lilitha sniffed the air, picking up the scent of human blood from the two scouts Mateus and Damon had already killed. She heard the distant sound of wheels on cobblestones. She thought she heard the sound of shouting, like a merchant calling for customers. But it was more likely her imagination. Or memories.

Norfolk. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Clara.

Mandalay.

It all felt like a different life.

Lilitha moved closer to the edge, squinting at what seemed to be a dark shadow moving out of town. Her throat went dry and her heart rate increased. Carmella moved closer and placed her hand on her thigh. Lilitha took it and held it.

The shadow was moving up into the forest, getting close enough that Carmella and Lilitha sniffed the air. Humans—several of them. Lilitha bit her lip as they disappeared into the trees. Then there was silence. An ominous silence that lasted for hours.

Silus was stirring in his sling. He started smacking his lips, and Carmella handed him over for a feed. Lilitha continued to watch the trees as Silus nursed, the sun warming her back. Birds were chirping in the trees behind them. A cool wind brushed the hair from Lilitha’s shoulders.

Then it happened—a roar.

Mateus’s roar. Screaming followed. Lots of screaming and shouting. Horses were screaming too. Then Damon joined in, adding his own roar. The forest seemed to tremble. Branches snapped. Smaller trees bent over or broke. Leaves were torn from branches.

More screams echoed in Lilitha’s ears as she watched, eyes darting everywhere as she tried to locate them. Her gaze shifted to a group of men running away, back toward the village through the large clearing Carmella had pointed out.

Lilitha jumped as Damon sprang from the trees, landing on the back of one of them. He bit down and ripped away the back of his neck like a wild beast. The man fell, convulsing and bleeding profusely. He hadn’t even had time to scream.

And then Mateus was there, coming from the other direction. The small crowd of men was confused, shouting and crying out, moving about aimlessly. Then they huddled together, clutching onto each other, holding out their feeble fishermen’s tools, as the two Diablons circled.

“Go for it, Damon!” Lilitha cried out. She clapped a hand over her mouth, shocked at herself.

Carmella laughed. Damon looked up.

“And you too, Mateus!” Carmella shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Show them who’s boss!”

Lilitha was staring, eyes fixed on the scene, feeling a mix of emotions: elation, fear, anger—and amid it all, a chilling realization that she had changed so much, so ~dreadfully~. She clutched her father’s necklace, playing with the pendants between her fingers, thinking of his death, her mother, that deranged alpha, Damon’s murdered females, and the chilling feeling quickly turned warm.

Mateus pounced. More screaming. Lilitha leaned over her lap as she watched him pull the man to the ground like he was a twig. Pressing his foot into the squirming man’s chest, he grabbed at his chin and ripped his head right off.

“Jesus,” Lilitha said.

“Told you. Why are you so surprised? You’ve seen things.”

“Yeah…but…”

“And they do it quickly. They don’t torture them. They do like to ~taunt~ them, though. They deserve to have ~some~ fun, after everything we’ve been through…”

They were certainly having fun. Damon pretended not to see one of them fleeing toward the trees. He paused for a moment, then sprinted after him, so fast he was a blur. The man screamed as Damon lifted him off his feet in a spray of blood that soared as high as the tallest tree.

“They’re angry,” Carmella said.

“Yeah. I got that.”

Mateus charged at another, thrusting his horns deep into his chest. He whipped his head to one side and tore him clean in half.

Then there were two.

With a thunderous stomp and a roar that sent the birds behind Lilitha into a panicked frenzy, Damon made his presence known. One of the men crumbled to his knees, while the other retreated with a terrified shout. Damon lowered his head, appearing to speak to them, but Lilitha couldn’t make out the words from her position.

Another stomp from Damon sent the remaining man running.

“They’re letting him go?” Lilitha questioned, surprised.

“As a warning. To the others,” came the reply.

The man left behind fell to the ground, begging for mercy. Damon said something, and Mateus shrugged before grabbing the man’s leg. As Mateus dragged him away into the trees, the man’s cries echoed through the forest.

Damon looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun. “See you at home!”

“Show’s over,” Carmella announced, standing up and dusting off her cloak. She held out her arms for Silus, who had fallen asleep, and Lilitha handed him over. Together, they returned to camp.

***

Mateus and Damon were already there, resting and waiting. They both wore smiles as Lilitha and Carmella entered the clearing. The scent of blood was heavy in the air, staining Mateus’s torso and arms.

Damon looked as if he’d bathed in it, his face and hair splattered with red. His pants were discarded, a bloody heap on the ground.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Damon asked, his tail flicking with amusement.

“Did you?” Carmella retorted.

“It was good,” Mateus sighed. “I really needed that.”

He glanced at the man left behind, who was now curled into a ball, sobbing into his knees.

“What are you going to do with him?” Lilitha asked.

“We don’t know. What do you think?” Damon replied, a crooked smile on his face.

Lilitha hesitated. She’d never been asked that question before. The two alphas watched her, their eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Mateus’s tail flashed sharply.

They all watched as she approached the man.

“Careful,” Mateus warned, sitting up. His hands clenched on his knees, ready to spring into action if necessary.

“He’s harmless,” Lilitha assured him. “Aren’t you?” She nudged the man’s arm with her boot. “Onto your back.”

He didn’t move, only whimpered louder.

“Onto your back!” she demanded, her voice echoing through the clearing.

With a wheeze and a whine, he complied, peering up at her through his fingers. His hands fell away in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. He clung to her ankle.

“Please, you’ve gotta help me. Those monsters…those monsters!”

Lilitha frowned, annoyed. Damon burst into laughter. The man jerked his head up with a cry, saw Damon, and scrambled backward.

“How do you know I’m not a monster?” Lilitha challenged.

The man curled into a ball again. “Keep him away. Keep him away. Keep him away.”

Lilitha approached the man and yanked his head back. “What about me? Do I really look so innocent?”

He stared into her eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“I’ve killed too, you know. I’ve torn a man’s throat out. I’ve smothered another. I’ve eaten all sorts of human flesh that would make your heart shrivel.”

Her voice was as deep as a growl. The man was shaking so violently that he poked himself in the nose when he tried to wipe the drool from his mouth.

Crouching down, Lilitha grabbed his shirt. He yelped and grabbed her wrist, trying to twist it away, but either Damon or Mateus stood, and he let go with a cry.

“I can do this myself,” she snapped at whoever it was.

Lilitha stared into the man’s terrified eyes. Slowly, she stood up, shrugging off her cloak and kicking it aside to avoid getting it bloody. The man hardly noticed her nudity, his eyes darting toward Mateus and Damon behind her.

“Look at me!” she demanded. “Fear me!”

His eyes shot back to hers, but only for a moment before they darted back to the alphas. A wave of hot fury rushed through her. She pounced. The man screamed. She barely felt his punch to her face, swiping away his arm and latching onto his neck.