I WANT YOU

CHAPTER 3

“He’s at it again,” Conrad said. Arthur glanced up as his beta walked into his study. “Eugene sent his men into Dark Haven.”

Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose as he listened. “Any casualties?”

“Minimal,” Conrad answered in a crisp, businesslike tone. “Our pack was able to disband them before discovery or a high body count.”

Eugene Knight was a thorn in Arthur's side. His younger brother had given in to his wolf side, and now was nothing more than a beast who only ate, slept, and caused c*****e wherever possible.

Arthur had been trying to capture his brother for over three decades so that he could seal him away where he could do no harm, but Eugene was crafty and always eluded Arthur.

“We recovered the bodies of a man and a woman who Eugene managed to kill. We also staged a house fire so their cause of death wouldn’t be known to the humans.” Conrad stood in front of Arthur's desk, hands clasped in front of him.

A touch of guilt ran through Arthur as he silently mourned the loss of life. He had to do something about Eugene. This couldn’t go on. Not only was he a threat to the humans, but the beast also tempted fate.

Sooner or later Knight and his men wouldn’t be able to cover up what Eugene had done, and their kind would be discovered.

“Have my meetings for today rescheduled, Conrad.” Arthur moved from his desk and strode toward the study door. “I have to consult with my father.”

I would rather chew nails, but I have to see if the old man will finally listen to reason.

Arthur headed to the library and pulled one of the books from the shelf. He reached in and pulled the lever on the back wall, watching as the shelf slid aside. After replacing the book, he descended down the concrete steps until he reached a wooden door ornately carved with incantations. He spoke a few words in his native tongue and then opened the door to step through the veil between the human world and where Arthur had been raised.

Thick trees and lush undergrowth surrounded Arthur. The sun was shining brightly through the canopy of trees, and he heard the sounds of the forest all around him. Birds were singing, and small animals were scurrying as a light breeze kissed his face.

Arthur walked the dirt path that led to Frost Castle. Tiny fairies flitted past him, shouting “King Knight!” as they zoomed by, flapping their colorful wings as they laughed merrily. A centaur moved through the trees, standing strong and proud before bowing his head. Arthur did the same before moving on.

The stone block walls of the towers loomed in sight, the Knight banners of navy blue and gold flapping in the wind. Arthur's chest tightened at the sight. He used to love coming here, but as the centuries wore on and his father’s madness took hold, he felt only dread and sorrow when coming to this realm. Although this place held a lot of magic, the sorrow that came to Arthur as he thought about what this place used to be felt like a living and breathing entity.

There had been a time when the forests were filled with magical creatures, not just a sighting here and there. The castle used to overflow with the hustle and bustle of the servants and visitors. Now it stood empty except for his father.

Shoving the reinforced wooden doors of the castle open, Arthur walked the vast and empty halls until he reached the stone stairs that would lead him down to his father’s chambers. He grabbed a torch from the wall and descended.

The air began to cool the farther he went, and the smell of death and decay followed quickly, contaminating the air with foulness.

“Eugene has killed again,” Hans Knight said as Arthur stepped into the alchemist room where his father stood, poring over his books.

“Something has to be done about him.” Arthur set the torch in a sconce before turning to his father.

From what his mother had told Arthur before her untimely passing, Hans Knight used to be a great king, but he’d become obsessed with immortality. He’d studied black magic until he’d stumbled across a spell that would grant him such a thing.

The alchemist had to find a wandering wolf and use the creature’s blood as part of the potion. The spell had worked. What he hadn’t foreseen was that his offspring would gain the capability to turn into a wolf.

Arthur and Eugene had also taken Hans’s youthful appearance and strength when they were born. All Hans was left with was his immortality and his madness.

The man who stood in front of Arthur had the skin of a well-preserved mummy, worn and leathery. His eyes were too big for his face, and his body was so thin that his bones protruded just under his paper-thin flesh. His hair was dry and hung dully from his head, reminding Arthur of fall leaves that crinkled and blew away in the wind.

Hans had looked like this for so long that only the paintings that hung in the castle reminded Arthur of what his father once looked like. For ten thousand years, Hans, Arthur, and Eugene had lived.

There were some days when Arthur felt as if he would go mad for being alive for so long. Some humans would sell their souls for immortality, but they didn’t understand the cost for such a thing.

Loss of family and familiarity. Days turn into weeks that turn into years that turn into millenniums. Just a blur after a while. Now Cristine will know that curse. But as much as Arthur didn’t want his daughter to feel the isolation of living for so long, he wouldn’t trade her for anything.

The werewolves that Arthur had turned wouldn’t live longer than five hundred years, but Cristine was born into this. Her life was infinite, just like the rest of the Knight family.

“I will not aid in the capture of my own son,” Hans said, turning his large eyes on Arthur. “He is merely acting in his nature.”

“His nature?” Arthur argued as anger pulsed through him. “What part of nature created shape-shifters? That was your doing. Nature never intended for our kind to exist.” It was as if his father truly enjoyed what Eugene had become and the blood he shed.

“Be that as it may,” Hans said as he moved around the room as if searching for something, “I will not help you.”

Arthur clenched his jaw as he turned to leave, but his father’s words stopped him in his tracks.

“Be wary of young Anna. The human has gained your brother’s interest.”

Arthur whirled around. “What are you saying, old man?”

Hans’s electric-blue eyes blazed as he stepped closer, the hem of his robes scraping over the stone floor.

“You took interest in the human when she was a mere ten winters old. In doing so, you made her vulnerable to Eugene.”

“I took pity on someone who had nothing.” But Arthur had always known there was something special about Anna Vasily. He could never put his finger on what that something was. His interests were never s****l, but one who cared about another who suffered misfortune.

Though lately Arthur had started taking a different notice in the human.

His wolf damn near purred whenever the young human was around. Never would he reveal that to his father, of course. The man was full of darkness and would more than likely try to find a way to exploit Arthur's growing feelings for Anna.

“Nevertheless, she is now in Eugene's sights,” Hans said a little too happily as he moved his hands over a crystal ball. That was his only connection to the outside world, to the human world as well.

Arthur had spells all over the Manor to stop his father from seeing inside. “I would protect the young human if I were you, Arthur. Eugene isn’t known for backing down once he takes an interest in someone.”

Arthur remembered all too well. It was the love of a human woman who had drove Eugene mad. She had betrayed Arthur's brother and, in doing so, robbed Arthur of a loving brother and forced Eugene to fully accept his beast. Eugene hated humans with a passion now.

The woman had found out about Eugene's werewolf counterpart and had cursed the man, shouting profanity at him and telling him that she never wanted to see Eugene again. Pregnant, she’d gone into hiding, and no one had seen her since. Mary. Arthur had only known her first name.

That had been forty years ago. Ever since then, Eugene seemed to focus on loving couples, killing them, tearing them apart. Arthur knew he couldn’t save his brother, but he at least wanted to stop him from killing anyone else.

“Thanks for nothing, old man.” Arthur spun on his heel and headed out. As soon as he emerged into the library, Conrad was waiting for him.

“We have trouble.”

Agh. Just what he didn’t need.

“What now?”

“Young Mistress Cristina and Mistress Anna are gone.” Conrad held up his phone. “Got a call from one of the pack members. They spotted them in the city, heading toward the old asylum.”

Arthur cursed. One, Cristina and Anna shouldn’t be going to an abandoned place where vampires or werewolves who were not of Arthur's pack could be waiting. Two, Anna had no idea that Eugene had taken an interest in her. And three, Conrad was calling Anna a mistress. That only meant one thing. Conrad was already recognizing Anna as belonging to their alpha.

“Bring the car around,” Arthur sighed.

Conrad smiled. “Way ahead of you.”

The two got into the car parked out front and took off after Cristina and Anna. Arthur sat in back, grinding his molars at his daughter's irresponsible ways. He was going to have a long talk with the young wolf about putting Anna in harm’s way.

When they pulled up to the asylum, Arthur's heart leapt into his throat. There were three fully shifted werewolves heading up the front stairs. Conrad came to a grinding stop as Arthur jumped from the car. The werewolves spun, snarling and snapping their teeth.

Eugene's pack. Arthur recognized his brother’s scent on the wolves.

“Go get Cristina and Anna,” he ordered Conrad. “I’ll handle these mutts.”

Mutts, a term used for werewolves who had embraced their beasts, no longer able to shift back into their human forms. Arthur knew what they were by the red glow of their eyes. The only way for their irises to transform into the crimson color was for the werewolves to go longer than a month in total werewolf form.

They would never know the kiss of a lover or be able to laugh again. Until they died, they would remain as they were, beasts.

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