Page 98 of His True Beloved

“Glad you’re here.” Rowan’s gaze didn’t leave Broderick. He was chained to the floor, his knees scraping stone and blood dripping down his back. “The witches are gone.” He waved his hand as if he didn’t care. “Killed them myself. They did not warrant much torture because they only sided with the darkness and betrayed our agreement but caused no deaths by their hands.” Rowan’s jaw tightened. “This warlock, on the other hand, well, I’m enjoying this.” He smiled. “Their coven, Violet Aura, has been notified. Their coven leader is furious and is sending her right-hand warlocks to help build another ward. The others in her coven will be questioned, most likely unethically.” He smiled.

In other words, casting spells and truth serums against her own.

“How is Christine?” he finally stopped staring at the blood bath to meet my gaze.

“Upset.” I sighed. “She mourns more for her siblings and the pain her mother is going through. Not thinking much of herself and the incubus situation, just of others.” I rubbed my face with my hand.

“Vanessa is more upset about the children than herself,” Rowan replied. “I do have good news on that front, however.” His smile widened. “They’re alive.”

Another scream ripped through the cell, Broderick falling to the ground with a thud. The assassin unlocked the chains on his wrists and threw him in the corner of the room. The smell of ammonia tickled my nose, wanting to gag in disgust.

“What the hell do you mean?” I whispered. “The children are alive? How is this possible?” Rowan shrugged his shoulders, almost giggling to himself. Rowan wasn’t a vengeful vampire. He was very calm and sought to have a utopia as his coven. This had to be a lot for him, watching such an evil man be destroyed on his own territory.

“He sold them. Do you really think that Broderick would have given up the opportunity to not use human bodies?” My mouth hung open, running toward the bars laced with dogwood.

“You sick son of a bitch!” I yelled, pulling on the bars, feeling the sting of the dogwood on my skin. “Let me in, Assassin. I want my turn!” Shaking the bars again, the sting had me finally let go.

“Where are they?” I growled out. “Where are Vanessa’s children!?” The door slung open, pushing past the assassin. I pulled Brodrick up by the collar, punching him in the face. The blood held thick in the air, the threads of his soul barely holding on had me hold back.

Not yet. I must be patient.

Broderick coughed, his eyes swollen shut from the repeated beatings that kept me from staring into his dark soul. Blood spattered on my shirt, and I growled in annoyance. Groaning, his head lulled to the side.

Shaking him to wake, he coughed again, and the assassin stood beside me. “What do you wish to know?” He reached into his satchel hanging on his side. Pulling open the cork of the vial, he grabbed Broderick’s face, scrunching his lips, pouring the liquid into his mouth. He coughed again, dropping Broderick to the ground, and sat on the chair on the other side of the room.

“Gave him some adrenaline.” He pulled out his pocket watch. “You have maybe five minutes before his heart gives out, so ask your questions now.” Growling in irritation, I leaned over Broderick’s body.

“Where are the children? Who did you sell them to?” I hissed. Broderick groaned, his hand trying to reach my shoulder to push me away.

“Where!?” I hissed, taking a claw and scratching his face. Crying out in misery, he opened his mouth to speak.

“Two children, a boy and a girl,” he whispered. “Sold the girl to noble vampire family in Bergarian.” He wheezed. “Found out I had another child, a boy. They wanted that one too.” My fingers gripped his neck, piercing his skin.

“Let me die,” he muttered.

“Like death will give you relief,” I spat. “And I already know they are alive! What are the names of the nobles?” Broderick opened his mouth, but instead of telling me the name I needed to hear, his breath fell from his lungs and into my face. His heart stopped, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

“Oh, a record,” the assassin said passively as he tapped his watch.

“Fuck!” I threw Broderick’s body to the ground. My foot kicked into his side until sweat beaded on my brow. Taking one of the assassin’s knives, I stabbed Broderick’s heart repeatedly until I was pulled away. “Fucking hell! Let me go!”

Rowan pulled the knife from my hand, having me step back, and pushed me into the wall. “Easy there, easy.” He tried to calm me. “He’s dead and will face his judgment,” he muttered.

The assassin stood in the corner, wiping down his weapons with a cloth to clean the dirtied blades. He tutted, accidentally cutting into his leather gloves, but remained tranquil.

“Did he give you a name? Who he sold them to?” I asked, panting. The assassin shook his head, still staring at his weapons.

“No, but I have an idea. When we arrive back in Bergarian, I’ll search for them for you,” he muttered.

“Why would you do that?” I asked. “Why would you help us? Where the hell did you even come from? You were all supposed to be dead.” The assassin shook his head, sheathing his dagger into his leg holster.

“Yeah, we are all dead.” He winked. “We are just legends now, stories to scare naughty children to bed.” He fastened his cloak on his back, his bow now covered. “I’ve been following dark magic that leaked onto Earth. I’ve spent some time in the upper northeast following a witch with a demon that had possessed her named Trixen. She was taken care of before I got there by the Night Crawler pack just a month ago.” He adjusted his belt as we stepped out of the cell.

“But then I heard rumors that two witches were using dark magic to pull the strings of this human’s genetics and bring magic to the surface. I investigated and found Faye and Leona practicing the darker arts. I hid in the shadows so I could figure out who this warlock was and take care of them in one go.” The assassin’s lips were now pursed together in irritation. “I traced every one of their calls until they got a call from Rowan asking for help from an incubus. Figuring I could take care of that problem as well, I followed, only to find that Brodrick was also here.” He smiled. The assassin led us up the stairs until we reached the bunker’s surface.

Taking a large breath, the assassin wiped away the blood from his forehead. “My job is to seek out the darkness, repair the damage. Obviously, these children were bartered for gold to pay for Faye and Leona’s services. Demons don’t have much use for money, but they can haunt you until you pay. I put the pieces together and realized it was Christine. Christine was the payment for his power.” He continued to walk through the trees until we reached the coven house. The moon hung over the house, giving it a soft glow.

“For the payment of the dark magic, I will right the wrongs and find Christine’s siblings. Then I will go on my way. But first, I will take care of the incubus.” The assassin huffed, walking up the steps like he owned the place.

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