Say that Again!
Damon's POV
Next Day
I woke up in the forbidden woods of Artena, lying naked in some black, dirty, slimy pool, with the bodies of two mangled wolves lying on the ground.
Rogues!!
"Fuck!" I muttered, trying to remember the events. The train of thought was running through my mind. How the hell did I break the shackles? What lured me here in the woods? I could whiff a faint residue of a familiar scent, but my mind was too groggy to think clearly. I lifted my hands to take the support of the rock at the edge of the pool to come out, but a sharp pain shoots through my fingers.
âShit! Someone has stabbed me in my fingers. Maybe, these rogues,â I muttered to myself.
I moved out of the pool, finding a rag on the way to cover my body as I moved towards my mansion, located deep in the Forbidden woods of Artena.
The transition to my werewolf Drakon is easy, but Ghost-wolf Drakon is very painful. It's difficult for Drakon as well, as it cannot control itself in its ghost-wolf form.
The physical trauma of transition was over, as we have heightened healing abilities. I took a secret pathway to my mansion. After passing through the maze of passages and a large hall, I reached the lift, which took me directly to my bedroom.
The first thing I did was to look at the portrait of Anna. The physical pain of this curse was endurable, but what about the mental infliction? Someone snatched away my Anna from me. I live a life of a billionaire, and my wish is everyone's command. I have got everything, all the money in the world, but I don't have her. The thing that hurts me most is I am here, enjoying my life of luxury, and she is rotting in hell. I always pray to Moon Goddess that it should have been the other way around. But my prayers are falling on deaf ears. She has already turned her back on all of us for a long time. I couldn't stop my tears.
A warm bath and a cup of coffee helped my healing process faster and reduced irritability. I stood at the window of my room, overlooking the treacherous woods that extended till eternity behind the mansion. Today, something was different from the usual gruesome air. A unique, earthy scent of rainforest encompassed it. My mate's scent.
Drakon showed up after all these days, behaving strangely. Losing Anna and her wolf, Andrea, was a great deal for Drakon and me. I had to stand upright despite all the torment and desolation I was experiencing, only for my people. I cannot show them my weakness, but Drakon; it sometimes wholly shuts me out for days, grieving in its world. Its absence destabilizes me and makes me ruthless, out of control, and devoid of emotion. I became a monster, a dreaded creature for my people.
Richtor, my beta mind linked me.
"Richtor," I said.
"Sir, we got Arnold. He was caught while crossing the border. Two of our men got hold of him. I chain him at our torture house. Do you want me to proceed?" He asked.
"No, wait for me. I will question Arnold. My fist, knuckles and other muscles are bored because of the lack of practice over the past few days. Let me warm them up," I said in a cold and authoritative voice.
"Sir."
I paved my four-by-four sports SUV towards the torture house. We built specifically it for criminals, for people who notoriously try to challenge me or cross me, as well as for rogues. I bear no mercy for them. A quick death is salvation to them, but my style is death by slow and painful dislocation of their body parts, the same torture I undergo when I turn Ghost-wolf. But coming from a pure aristocratic breed of alpha noble family, one of my traits is to heal a lot faster than the regular werewolves and increase endurance to the physical pain. I wonder what will happen to that son-of-a bitch human, a weakling with no healing powers and zero tolerance levels?
With tires screeching through the muddy ground, tangling the occasional bush on the rough track, I reached a small red-coloured two-storied depilated building. It's compound untamed with irregular bushes of wild weeds along the way. Its walls were damp, covered in the green slimy layer. The floor is sticky with body fluids, urine and blood of victims.
I moved through the dark passageway, flanked by the torture cells on both sides. I entered the third room on the left side. Two guards at the cell gates bowed their heads, opening the cell for me. Richtor was standing beside a chained man with long, dark hair. The man was sitting, his legs folded awkwardly because of the shackles, his hands hung up with fingers protruding outwards. A collar supported his neck to prevent falling down or back. I looked straight into his eyes, which were already swollen and bleeding. His facial skin was hardly visible under the façade of the blood oozing out of his nose, lips, and forehead.
"Arnold! Long time no see," I smirked, clenching my teeth in a grin.
"I did nothing," he pleaded, claiming his innocence.
"Where is my money?" I snarled with icy-cold and mirthless voice, with my eyes depressing into the dark-pitchiness of ruthlessness.
"I swear-" He tried to speak, but before he completed his sentence, I clutched his jaw with my iron fist, assaulting his face with an aggressive punch. The collar on his neck prevented him from bouncing back, but the chains tied to it; rattled and increased the intensity of blood oozing out from his wounds.
"Last chance," I said, straightening my stiffened back, flexing my neck side by side, curling up my sleeves and cracking my knuckles.
"Money is stolen," he yelped.
Now he was testing my patience, throwing me into an intense burning rage. My eyes fell upon the red-hot heated whip, clamp and a pair of hot pincers. I took the hot pincer and clamped it to his tongue, slowly and slowly stretching it out. His eyes widened with fear and pain, almost exposing his whole eyeball.
I took the red-hot whip in the other hand and started slathering it on his back, stomach, and whatever part of his body was exposed. He screamed in pain, with his body posing in surrender.
"I⊠I..." He started blabbering. I released his tongue.
"I hid the money. I will tell you. Please forgive me, let me go," he begged.
I stumbled back as Drakon was constantly getting hyperactive in my mind. "Fucker", I snarled. I gave whatever instruments I was holding to Richtor and paved out of the stinky building. On the way, I mind-linked Richtor, "Richtor, get the information about money. Pluck out his one eye, one arm and one leg and send him to his parents."
"Sir."
I snapped out of Richtor and focused my attention on Drakon.
"Now, Drakon, what is fucking wrong with you? You shut me out when I needed you most. Now that I am already doing fine by myself, you lurked out of nowhere. I don't care what you have to say. Fuck out of my mind and lock yourself in some shit hole," I growled.
"She is here", Drakon snarled excitedly.
"Who the hell is here?" I snapped.
"Mate", he whimpered back.
I stopped in my tracks. My body could feel nothing. Something weird happened to me, goosebumps overtook my body.
"Are you fucking joking? Making fun of me. I dare you to blurt a lie, and I am snapping my neck here and now, killing both of us in an instant?"
"Trust me; she is here. I sensed her. I feel like I sensed her last night also, but I was not sure as I donât remember much of the events in ghost-wolf form, but today, I can smell her and her wolf."
I was dumbfounded, still unable to believe what Drakon was saying. But I am sure of one thing-Drakon never messes up with me regarding this matter. I can't even deny that I also felt some change in the air. A weak, earthy forest scent was enriching my nostrils, but I was unsure and didn't want to create any false hopes.
"Where?" I asked Drakon.
"I don't know exactly, but my best bet is Campo, as the scent is coming from the Eastern side."
I hurried towards the mansion; the party was about to start in some time; like I cared. Now, my foremost task was to search for her.
I reached my office, on the way, I mind-linked Mariska, "Mariska, in my office, now!"
"Sir", a pixie-haired, short woman entered my office in a few seconds. She was Mariska, my omega.
"Mariska, I want all the details of people who entered Campo in the last two days. It includes our employees, other people and tourists. Did I make myself clear?"
"Sir, are you looking for anyone in particular?" She asked.
"Mariska, if I knew, then I won't be searching?" I was growing impatient.
"Sorry, sir, I will get the details for you."
"You can go", I snapped.
"Sir, the party is about to start. Are you joining? People want to meet you," she asked.
"Do I look like some stupid party-goer kind of nubile to you?"
"No sir," she mumbled, bowing her head.
"Don't ask me again? I don't want anybody to disturb me, even if doomsday struck. Am I clear, dear Mariska?" I sneered at her.
"Sir, clear," she yelped, turning to stow away from the room.
I stretched my head back in frustration at the thought of my mate. This was what I wanted in life, waiting for her, dying to meet her. I don't understand how to react? Should I be happy? I forgot what happiness is, as I was devoid of it through the centuries.
I spent some time getting lost in Anna's memories, looking out through the windows. Guests have already arrived for the party.
Suddenly Drakon groaned in my mind, "She is here."
I stumbled on my foot, still unable to believe what I had heard. My mind was getting out of control, taking on her scent, which was already becoming prominent. A weak, almost hazy silhouette was guiding me towards the source of the scent. I followed as if in some trance, literally floating the whole way. My impatience and restlessness were killing me. Drakon was edgy, groaning, yelling, and pacing.
I opened the door to the party hall. All eyes darted to me; as if I care. I sniffed her out in a black sequined dress. The entire world around us came to a standstill. It was just her and me. Those jade, dark green eyes were driving me crazy. Her scent, her eyes and face were calling me like a siren, luring me towards the mysterious abyss. I approached her, calling her with dominating, rightful voice and an unsatiable hunger in my eyes, "Mine."
Natasha's POV
I almost jumped out of my bed at the loud buzzing sound of my alarm. My eyes were still foggy and struggling to open because of the stress of the previous night. Tasha was also panting the entire night, back and forth. Fear gripping her and anxiety kicking in. I had never seen her so panicked. It took a lot of effort to settle her. She is still asleep, and I prefer to keep it that way, at least for a while.
I got up from my bed, glancing out of the open window to the view of soothing greenery spread across the Land's End. The freshness and chillness of the surrounding air gave an instant adrenaline rush to my body. I never felt so fresh, stress-free, but the back of my mind was still wary of the beast which I encountered last night. I can't let Derreck know about my adventure, or he is going to kill me.
I glanced at the space on the other side of the bed. It was empty, so my eyes moved towards the opposite door across the room. The sound of water gushing through the tap made me realize Derreck was already getting ready for his first day at the office. I rushed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
"Derreck! All set?" I sensed him coming towards the dining area.
"Yeah, almost. Feeling nervous about meeting new colleagues," he replied, moving his arm forward towards me, gesturing me to help him with his cuff-links.
"You don't have to worry about that. You can easily make new friends," I retorted, rushing towards the cook-pot, taking out two boiled eggs and placing them on the dining table beside the plate of butter toast and hot brewed coffee.
"I am not worried about me, but for you. I know it was a tough decision to make, but I hope you will be soon accustomed to this place and make new friends."
"I will be okay. Don't worry." I assured him before continuing, "I just hoped we can go to the town of Campo and get an idea of the place where we will spend at least three years of our life. Besides, I need to do some shopping." I suggested, taking a hot sip of coffee, its aroma and flavour magically blooming all my senses.
"Yeah, sure, but some other day. I forgot to mention you. This evening we have to go to the party at Sandalio's Mansion. By the way, what happened to your face? These scratches?"
"Oh, nothing, just an allergic reaction," I tried shrugging him off, but the other part of the conversation intrigued me.
"Sandalio's mansion?" I asked him.
"House of my boss, Damon Sandalio. A few times a year, his people organize a party for all the employees. It's just a gesture of their welcoming hospitality to their employees and also getting acquainted with each other."
The name Damon stripped Tasha of her peaceful sleep. She started behaving like a silly child.
"Natasha, ask him if Damon is attending the party?" Tasha asked.
"Stop it, Tasha! I don't care," I told her.
"Please just ask him, then for the whole day, I will do whatever you say," Tasha pleaded with me.
"Deal?" I asked Tasha one more time, as this was what I wanted.
"Deal," she replied.
"Is Damon Sandalio coming?" I asked Derreck.
"I don't know for sure. People rarely see him, even though he stays at the mansion. He is a kind of mysterious guy. He has so many offices worldwide, but he prefers staying here. Only a few of his high-level employees have met him. I have never seen him despite working in the company for five years."
"Of course, your shitty husband is not even worthy of taking his name, let alone meet him," Tasha replied.
"Shut up! I want you to keep your mouth shut for the whole day. It's a deal!" I scolded her, but it was loud enough for Derreck to hear.
"What?! Are you telling me to shut up?" Derreck was shocked.
"No, no, I was⊠uh talking to myself. You already know I am too stressed; give me a few days, I will be okay."
"I am leaving. I will come back early. Be ready by then." He left through the door after kissing my forehead.
"Finally, loser," Tasha grunted.
I rolled my eyes.
After Derreck went, I moved to my bedroom, ruffling through my packing, my eyes desperately searching for a black, off-shoulder sequined dress. It was my mom's, the last piece of her memory, along with a beautiful Opal stone necklace. They both were my prized possessions. My eyes finally laid on what I was searching for. I took it out and placed it on me in front of the mirror.
"Damon would love this," Tasha surfaced in my mind.
"Tasha! What's wrong with you? My ears are bleeding, listening to his name now and then. You are behaving as if you already know him." I shrugged my shoulders in disbelief.
"Yeah, in my dreams-" Tasha stopped mid-sentence at the sound of the bell.
I opened the door to a petite young woman, maybe in her early 30s, with brown curly hair and hazel eyes. She looked friendly and held a covered tray in her hand.
"She smells different," Tasha grunted.
"Have you gone so crazy that you are smelling people?" I snapped, ignoring her.
"Hola!" I greeted the woman, unsure of her identity.
"Hey, I am Monica. I am your neighbour," she said, pointing towards the house at the far end of the street.
"Hi Monica, I am Natasha; please come in."
"Sorry to disturb you, but I baked these cookies today, so I thought of bringing some here."
"Gracias for the cookies, and I am glad that you come. Are you a local here?" I asked her.
"Nope, I am from Spain. My in-laws live here. As they are not keeping well, we shifted here. They don't want to come to Spain. You?" she asked.
"My husband's job. We shifted here from Chicago."
"Your husband works at Sandalio's archaeology?" She asked, visibly worried. When I caught her, she tried to avoid my gaze.
"Yes, he is the project manager, handling a few operations at the ruins of the Lost City of Artena."
"Oh! Good"
"Monica, last night I heard growling sounds in those woods," I said, handing a cup of coffee to her. Of course, I didn't want to tell her about my encounter.
"The woods beyond the outskirt of Campo belong to werewolves," she replied, trembling.
"Werewolves? You mean humans transforming into wolves' like creatures?" I asked her, surprised.
"Yes" Her voice was quivering with fear. She was scared.
"What nonsense? They only exist in movies," I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders.
"No, these woods are flooded with them. It's their territory."
"They kill humans?" I asked her.
"Not unless some enmity. We humans and werewolves have learned to live in harmony. But can't say about rogues and a beast-like creature." She gutted the whole coffee in one sip.
"Beast like creature?" I asked.
"Yes, I haven't seen it though. Nobody did, but people had heard its roars. It comes out every full-moon night."
"What is it exactly?" I asked.
"The ultimate predator, but you should be more afraid of rogues. Beast never crosses the threshold of forests, but these rogues occasionally come out and kills people. Be careful and don't dare to roam through the woods. I had even heard of some paranormal activities going on in the ruins of Artena every night. Just warn your husband not to stay there after sunsets," she said.
I gulped the fear trickling through my throat.
"Okay, I will leave now," she said, getting up from the chair and putting the cup on the table.
"Okay." I mumbled.
"Thanks for the coffee. We can go to the town; I will be happy to show you around," she said.
"Thanks for the offer and cookies. We can go to town some other day, as today I am going to the party at Sandalio's mansion."
"Good luck", she mumbled. Her face was drained of blood, crawling with fear. She left.
"What's wrong with people? Why was she so scared of Damon Sandalio?" I asked Tasha.
"Something is strange about her. She was lying. I don't trust her, and neither do her cookies," Tasha said.
"Uh! Whatever. I was not even planning to eat them."
It was already evening. The afternoon's angry sun changed the mood to its mild form. But darkness was bestowing early on these deep, dark woods.
I was all dressed up, taking one last look at the mirror. The black sequined dress was in perfect contrast to my peachy skin, setting all of my curves in proper proportion. My dark hair hung in curls on one side of my shoulder, giving a perfect view of my nape. Eyeshadows and mascara gave a smokey look to my almond-shaped jade eyes with darker hints of green in them. A high slit on the right side of the gown exposed my long-toned legs.
"You look beautiful", Derreck spoke, holding my hand. We were driving to Sandalio's mansion from Campo through the woods. Sandalio's mansion was deep inside the woods. The view through most of the forest was dark, dreadful. Small bushes were scattered on the flanks of the narrow muddy roads with dark-tall trees covering them from behind. My mind kept on wandering in the thoughts of the beast, soaking in the guilt of stabbing it.
"It saved me from those wolves, still I stabbed it," I spoke to Tasha.
"But we were not sure of its intentions for us," Tasha tried to get me over my guilt.
"I just want to make sure if it is fine," I retorted.
"Of course it will be fine, you just stabbed in its claws, but given its size, it must be alive and maybe searching for us. After all, you stabbed the ultimate predator and they never forget the scents," Tasha snapped.
"Shit! What if it comes back for us?" I asked her.
"Are you talking to yourself?" Derreck interrupted my conversation with Tasha. I huffed in irritation, ignoring him.
Soon, the silhouette of a dark stone mansion grew like a mountain before us, as we approached it. In no time, we were in front of the mighty gate of Sandalio's mansion. Entering the large, metallic black gate, we approached the dark, secluded mansion. It looked centuries old. Not only its colour, but its aura was also dark. The different shapes and colours of lights hanging ornately along the length of the mansion, decorating it. Despite being sparkling like a diamond in contrast to the black surrounding, something was chilling about this place. How can someone live here? I asked myself.
"I smell danger everywhereâlots of scents. Something is weird about this place. This place was DEATH! I can feel it in my bones," Tasha surfaced in my mind.
"What's wrong with you? You doubt everyone. I agree this place looks scary like it has its own story to tell, but that's the way centuries-old houses are like. Anyways, stop saying nonsense as you are scaring me! And one more thing; you are just a voice, you donât have bones," I warned her.
Derreck guided me towards the mansion. Few attractive looking guards were guarding the front gates, and a couple of beautiful ladies showed us inside. The large party hall was the definition of luxury, with grand chandeliers, golden lights, colourful flowers, few mahogany wood tables scattered around. The portraits and artworks around the entrance can shame the best museums. The formally dressed people talking to each other exchanging pleasantries almost filled the hall. Derreck took me towards a couple, "Natasha, he is Sam, and she is Martha, his wife. They both are my colleagues," He introduced me to them.
Suddenly, Tasha started over-reacting, fluttering, constantly pacing through my mind. I didn't understand if she was euphoric or sad? She was out of her senses, behaving weirdly. I had never seen her so desperate and restless. She was in a constant battle, fighting something.
"Tasha? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" I asked her.
"Musky Testosterone."
"What?"
"I smell musky testosterone."
"I didn't understand. What are you saying? Are you out of your mind?" I asked her.
At the same instant, the door to the far end of the hall opened. A tall, muscular man approached inside the hall. The people started gazing at him, their legs frozen in their tracks, heads kneeling, too shocked to mumble anything as if he was a celebrity. In a snap of a moment, the cheerful atmosphere of the party turned into a tomb of eerie silence.
My eyes darted towards the perfect man. His dominance, his power and his dreadfulness was clear in his heavy steps. His furrowed eyebrows shadowed the narrowed eyes, his body language reeked of a predator, having territorial instincts. He was a raw and masculine beauty, having a sort of magnetic pull. There was something unnatural, almost haunting but utterly mesmerizing, about him. He was everyone's boss. It was Damon Sandalio. And wait, what? He was striding towards my direction in one solid motion, approaching me, in front of me, very close. I gathered my strength and looked straight into his eyes, the most exotic and stunning shade of blue, with the thin specks of dark blue. I was not sure if I was drooling at the sight of him, but the area between my thighs was already dripping in wetness. His eyes were piercing mine, his lips curved in a half chuckle as he whispered, "Mine" to me.
Hi everyone, for more updates follow my author page on FB , Author Lunafreya, Thanks