A Killing At Tweeds

Chapter Four 

Sabrina's Point of View 

He was shaking as I fell to the ground and looked up at him. The pain in my side was searing and hot.

Silver blade!

He wanted me dead!

The tall man came to take the blade from his hand. Then he dropped a vial by my side. "Take that and you can save yourself. Or not. Your choice. But this is a message that you are not wanted anywhere near Tweeds."

I looked at Kelvin and felt tears fall from my eyes. I saw the pain in his eyes. "I am sorry, Sabrina."

My vision began to cloud and I could no longer hear what they were saying. Eventually, it was just me in the clearing. I found the bottle and looked at its blue contents. Then I shut my eyes and cried, not because of the pain, but because of the betrayal.

It seemed like everything I had done was all for nothing. I had been good, and bad had been done to me. Men were scum. I had lost everything I had to Kelvin.

So, I decided that it was better to let myself die. I let the bottle fall from my hand and released myself to death.

***

My eyes fluttered open and I was surprised to see that I was back in the clearing. Moon far above me. When I tried to move, the wound in my side announced itself and I just laid back.

I knew that I wasn't going to heal anyway. So how the heck was I still alive? 

"Just take the darn thing," a voice said. 

I looked around me and saw no one. "Who's there?" I asked because that voice didn't sound like anyone I knew. 

There was an exasperated sigh. "The vial you were given. Why won't you take it?" 

So, a watcher. "You saw what happened?" 

"Been here the whole time."

"And you let that happen?" I asked, frustrated at the meaning of those words. 

"Honestly, I didn't see that blade coming. He just came out of the blue. And that was something." 

"Are you a ghost? Is this real? Shouldn't I be dead?" I asked. 

"Not yet. I would know if you were. Why do you want to be dead, anyway?" 

I thought about not telling, but what harm could it do? At least, if I were to die alone, maybe someone would know why. 

"The man who stabbed me was my lover. For a year now. Yesterday, I gave him my position as Alpha King so that he would make me his Luna. But he rejected me for someone else, and tried to kill me."

"Hm. I've seen worse. Anyway, you should hurry up and take that vial." 

"I don't want to," I said. 

"Because you want to die," he stated. 

I hesitated. "Yes." 

"How about I make you an offer?" he asked. 

I shook my head. "Would it matter?" 

"It will if you knew who I am," he said, and I could tell that there was some taunt in that statement. 

"So why can't I see you?" I asked. 

The voice formed into the figure of a man and his features were sharply odd. His face looked pale, and those eyes. Was it me or were they blood red? It was when he smiled at me that I remembered the paintings I had seen of him. 

The cursed Lycan king. 

Stories had it that he was a lunatic and had been cursed to live the rest of his days in solitude because he bit the wrong witch. 

I tried to move away from him. 

"I would not advise that, love," he said. "You look pretty bad." 

"And you look worse," I said. 

"That makes two of us. Let's talk about my offer of vengeance." 

"What vengeance?" 

"I will help you get revenge on your man." 

I looked at him. He was wearing a white suit that was as pale as his face. "And why would you help me?" 

"Let's just say that I don't like someone getting robbed of his or her power. And we, my friend, are just that."

"I am nothing like you," I disagreed. Looking down at my wound, I saw that it had stopped bleeding much but the opening was wider now.

"You should take that vial or the wound will reach your heart. And trust me, you don't want to experience that pain. I've killed a man like this before and it wasn't lovely. Which makes me the best candidate for your revenge plan." He smiled at me, stood up, and looked at his watch. "So you have just five minutes to decide before you die. I'll leave you alone to do that." 

And he was gone.

I was scared of him. People hardly ever saw the cursed Lycan king. Those who did say horrible things about him. And if the man was really who he claimed to be, then I should find out. He might have been reported as horrible but he didn't want me dead. That should mean something. 

I took the vial, opened and swallowed its contents. The effect was slow, but I soon became drowsy and lost consciousness. 

***

When I woke up again, the wound at my side had lessened to a smaller hole. All I had as evidence was the gaping hole in my shirt.

I sat up just as the cursed Lycan king emerged from the Tweeds.

"Decided to part ways with death, good move."

I got to my feet. "Now what?"

He went to my father's statue and lifted it onto his shoulder. "Now, you both are coming with me."

He took me away from the Tweed pack. On foot, we crossed a tarred road and went deeper into the woods, a different one.

Finally, we stopped at a cliff and he pointed beyond. "That's where I live."

Sitting behind some tree tops, was the roof of a tall building. I sucked in my breath until I reached close and saw that it was a dark palace. Its gates were thrown wide open and the place was quiet.

We went in and he dropped the statue at a corner, blocking out the painting on the wall. The windows were open and moonlight intruded, but he soon lit the place with candles and shut the door.

The Lycan king took off his jacket and put it on a chair. "This place might look inadequate, but it has all the basic amenities."

"Does this mean that I'll be staying here?"

"It does."

"With you?"

"I am not going to jump on your bones. But that guy would have told everyone that you are dead by now. And if you want to make this successful, then remain dead so he doesn't come after you. No, after us."

"So, where is my room?" I demanded.

He pointed upstairs. There are about ten rooms on the second floor, then five on the third. Make your choice."

And he lived in such a palace all alone. No wonder why he was crazy.

"This sort of solitude can make you go insane, right?" I asked as I sat in a chair.

"Who?"

"No one. Just saying."

"It's not me you have to be afraid of."

"Who do I have to be afraid of?" I asked him. 

"The man who took your place," he said. 

"Uhm, what's your name?"

"You know about the cursed Lycan King but you don't know his name?"

I knew his name but I wanted to hear him say it.

"Peter Devonshire," he finally said.

***

I chose the second room on the second floor. And realized that the room was furnished. Just out of curiosity, I checked the rest of them on the floor and found out that only the ones on the left side of the hallway were neat. The ones on the right looked like they hadn't been touched. All cobwebs and dust.

I shut the window in my new room and sat on the bed. Pulled my shirt up to look at my wound and realized that it was all gone. Different thoughts ran around my head. If Kevin wanted to kill me, why the heck did he let his beta give me something that could keep me alive?

It didn't make any sense to me. Or were they trying to tell me that they could kill me as well as save my life? That was feverish to me. And how come Kevin had never told me about having a beta? That part was new.

Just as I was about to take off my clothes, I got up and shut the door. Then I peeled every cloth off my body. Went into the bathroom, and was surprised to find out that the shower worked and that there was a bar of soap waiting for me.

Someone crazy wouldn't live so.

I washed and dried myself. Opening the cupboards, I found some clothes but they were men's stuff. Either way, I had no choice. I didn't want to wear the clothes I almost died in. So I put on a long sleeve and trousers. No underwear.

There was a knock on the door. I opened it and Peter stood there with his hands on the door frame. He had changed his clothes to a grey tee shirt and shorts. His legs were lean and sturdy. He looked like someone who worked out and I couldn't escape the thought of what he looked like underneath the rest of those clothes. 

"So," he said. "I can see that you are all dressed up already." 

"I wasn't expecting an old place like this to have.. basic amenities. And these clothes are for men." 

"Wasn't expecting female company," he said and brought out a sheathed knife. I stepped back but he handed it to me. "Keep it in here. I sometimes go crazy at night, and you would need something to protect yourself with." 

"What are you talking about?" I asked. 

"I am cursed." 

"But won't it kill you?" I asked, suddenly concerned. 

"No, but if you don't use it on me, I will kill you."