Brotherhood of Cain (Werewolf/Mafia)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Queen of Beasts

*as a recap for book two being republished, I'm publishing this chapter, which was the final chapter for book one. enjoy! :*

"There is much I'd like to say, Your Honor, about our world and my beliefs. However, I feel whatever I might have to say is overshadowed by the suffering I've caused. I regret with all my heart what my hand has done. I have taken what I cannot return. If only I could bend back the hands of that ageless clock and change the past. Ah, but alas, I am not the keeper of time, only a small part of history and the legacy of man's fall from grace. I'm sorry, Your Honor." - Danny Rolling

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ethel's POV

I bolted, pushing through the crowd and darting up the stairs. Screams of agony sounded behind me. I saw Father Bravian's calm face scanning the crowd. He had known I would attack, but he didn't think I'd find him to be able to. Then he looked down and our stares met. A daring smirk touched his lips and he pulled a knife out from behind him.

It was a golden blade, rubies encrusted on the handle, and sharpened to a glaring point. A goblet had been placed on the stairs beside him. He flipped the slim knife between his fingers, shaking his head like I was a disorderly dog. My feet kept moving, and in seconds, I was throwing myself into him. Too bad he had gotten a lot more skilled with the blade since the last time I saw him.

The knife slid into my shoulder as I dove left. It only skimmed, not enough to stop me, but enough to make me reassess dear uncle. He had sliced off thirty years of age, and with that change came speed and agility unlike before. He used to never do his dirty work, and now I realized he was more than capable.

I backed up along the side of the steps, trying not to slide off the weathered stone. I grabbed the Glock in the back of my pants, dodging out of the way when he lunged forward again. The heel of my boot caught on something and my knee popped, my body plummeting down the stairs. The scream that came out of my mouth was equal parts fury and pain.

I ignored the stabbing pain rocketing running through me and aimed, eyes blurred. The shot jolted my arms back and I watched it fire straight into the stairs beside Father Bravian's head. He arched an brow.

"Really, Ethel?" He shook his head. "Sloppy, sloppy."

My chest heaved and my knees knocked, a fire brimming in my right leg. The muscles jumped, trembling. I clenched my teeth, popping off another shot. My fingers jerked back and froze, the gun slipping from my fingers. I watched in horrified silence as it clattered to the ground, sliding all the way down to the bottom of the steps.

My stomach tightened and my body gave another crack. My knees folded like playing cards, head slamming into the ground. I watched in riveted horror as Father Bravian slowly walked down the stairs, still twirling the knife. My ears rang, eyes watering under the pressure curling through my body. He crouched down beside me, and revulsion turned my insides out.

"You don't feel too good, huh? I doused the blade in Atropa Belladonna, or Nightshade. Combined with that darkness in your blood, you should be going into a stoke by now. In ten minutes you'll be dead." Father Bravian's forehead scrunched.

Poking my side, he hummed, "Why aren't you dying?"

With the only muscles left that weren't seized, I smiled, metallic blood spilling out from my lips. I was going to go out happily, just like Ticke said. I had a choice, and right now, I was making it. And nobody was taking that away, not even Father Bravian.

The slap on my cheek came immediately after, too bad I was too dazed to feel it. "You haven't had any of the monster's blood in you lately. Your resistance should be completely down. Gosh, this is annoying."