Marked for Darkness

Arian raked his claws through the flesh of the earth, wishing it spilled blood the same as humans. Longing to tear through bone and sinew drew an agitated huff from his snout as the presence of another prowled through the silent forest. It hadn’t been enough that eleven years of careful planning had gone to shit in one fucking day; now Oricus was back.

Close.

Too damned close to her.

If ever there was a time Arian abhorred his curse, it was in this moment.

Fog, thick and suffocating rolled between the large trunks, nearly masking the outline of the form that took shape in the distance. Others flanked the beast, none of them bothering to mask their steps any longer. They knew they had been spotted. Not that Oricus or his clan cared if they were seen.

This warded land, far from the city, was for his kind—his clan—while the curse trapped them in their four-legged forms. It kept them in but didn’t keep them out. Only humans. The curse lasted through the duration of the final cycle of the moon. On Earth, that was only three to four days. In his homeland, that was the equivalent of three months due to the rotation of six moons which shadowed his planet in darkness for almost half of a year. It was why he chose to stay on Earth most of the time.

Now, every fiber of his massive form thrummed with the need to tear through the wards that protected the humans from his bloodlust. But not to kill. He had felt the moment his Soul Marked had crossed the state line. Elentis had warned him she was coming, and while he fully intended to send her right back to California as soon as he could, he’d made sure her journey east had been as comfortable as possible.

His beast wanted to find her. He needed to protect her.

She was alone in the biggest city in the U.S, on this, her twenty-fifth birthday. He couldn’t protect her from here in his current condition, but he knew he couldn’t risk the beast getting a whiff of her. The consequences of getting too close would be bloody and lethal. Not necessarily for her, but for any male that bore the faintest trace of her scent. Arian’s teeth bared at the thought.

Now with Oricus back on Earth too, it was only a matter of time before he discovered what Arian had worked so hard to keep hidden.

The clan of beasts approaching, fanned out in front of him. He sensed at least twenty. When did Oricus create the other ten? Arian snarled at the largest beast whose silver, cunning eyes, fixed on him, glittering like the stars above.

Creating an army, Brother? he asked in the only way he could. Were they men, they’d have spoken aloud. But while the curse hung over them, they could only communicate nonverbally to those that had a blood bond. As Arian’s brother, and former best friend, they were able to speak into each other’s minds.

I was just about to ask you the same.

Even in his mind he could hear his brother’s disdain.

Several low growls rumbled in the shadows at Arian’s back. Sixteen beasts awaited his kill command. Only two of them were newly changed. Four had been attempted, but two hadn’t survived the painful process.

He hadn’t been the one to change them. Arian forbade creating more monsters like himself unnecessarily. But exceptions were made when the choice came down to letting a murderer steal four young lives before they had truly begun or change them. And just like Arian and his brother, they would live as immortals, cursed to remain a beast the last days of each moon cycle.

You know I don’t tolerate the change without good reason, he responded, baring his teeth again.

The smooth, grey, powerful body of the creature snorted. And a mortal Mate isn’t good reason?

Pain flared in his chest. An old wound reopened anew. I will regret that decision and the pain it caused you until my last breath.

And beyond.

The beast snapped its mighty jaw with a ferocious snarl. And I will find a way to make you pay until you take that final breath.

More growls rumbled through the forest as both clans dug their claws in and prepared to lunge into action the moment their alphas gave the signal.

Is that why you’re here, Oricus? To make me pay?

His cold laughter rattled around in Arian’s mind like sharp blades. He shook his head to clear the intrusion.

You’re outnumbered at last. You may be able to heal if I have my clan rip you to shreds and decorate this forest with your entrails, but it’ll still be fun, don’t you think? He bowed his massive head, never lowering his glowing silver eyes from Arian as every member of his clan lunged forward.

At the same time, his own pack erupted from the darkness and met the opposition in a blur of snapping jaws and claws glinting in the bright moonlight.

Arian sprang forward at the same time as Oricus. His blood heated with the excitement of a fight. They collided, his teeth scraping along Oricus’s neck, but not puncturing the skin as his paws blocked the brunt of Arian’s attack.

As boys they’d trained in combat together. As men they sparred until only boredom or exhaustion called for an end. As beasts, they were tireless. Brutal.

Occasionally one of them drew blood, but they never slowed. One of Oricus’s minions tried to pounce on Arian from behind but his second, Elentis, intercepted him, fighting off three of Oricus’ creations by himself. Arian could feel Elentis’s smug satisfaction through the blood link with his younger brother.

As he lunged again and they connected, grunts and snarls filling the air, Arian felt the cord in his chest snap tight. It dropped him to the ground as pain seared through his large body.

Soul Marked.

Wherever she was, she needed him.