The shackles of surprise to ensnare Annalise's wrists, binding her body to one spot.
Air to become trapped in the cage that was her throat.
She blinked but it did not hold the power to change the scene or who it was that stood before her.
His name, a faint outline on her lips. "Matthias."
He held up his left hand, admiring for a moment the way his fingers curved inwards to form a shape that should not be possible. Muscles and skin realising their improper position sought to rectify their stance. Each to lay flat once more.
"Remarkable isn't it, how the blood borne element of our affliction has granted werewolves more specifically Beasts the ability to heal from nearly all kinds of injuries even grave ones such as falling down a flight of stairs. Or two."
His gaze returned to her. "Forgive me, I have forgotten I am in the company of the one who knows this fact quite well given how she has survived having a cloak of silver arrows be placed upon her back."
"That isn't how I..." her voice trailing off. A slight shake of her head. "W-what are you doing here?" She stammered as he took a step forwards.
"Ilona and I didn't part on the best of terms and in the haste of her departure, I found myself in the possession of a ragged cloth from her dress. So, I followed the scent and it brought me back to you." Smugness to warp his lips into a smile then like a blink of an eye, it changed to let concern weaved its way in uneven stitches across his face.
"I have learned of what the Council did to Prince Adrien. How could they do such a thing to a defenceless, little creature as he?"
Pain, a dagger to be driven through her heart at his words. Nothing to trap the whimper of anguish that escaped her.
Barrymore advanced forwards in long strides. He reached up, to place his hand under her chin. "They killed our boy."
A cry of denial sprang onto her lips at his words.
His voice to soften. "However now, we have a change such things. A new beginning. A chance to have a wolf pup. What we, I desired most of all for you."
A thought occurred to her, he was clueless to Adrien's true age. Also she recalled from Ilona's tale how Erzabeth bore a resemblance to her. It would seem Barrymore had forgotten it was she not Anna whom he shared his bed with. She shrank back from his touch.
"Y-you are mistaken. Adrien is my son."
A shaky hand to gesture at her chest. "Mine. Your desires, Matthias no longer hold any interest to me. I love Zane with all that I am."
Barrymore's expression darkened. "You are mine, Annalise."
A callous tilt of his head as he listened to the sound of an approaching carriage. "I won't let him have you," he snarled, raising his hand to one temple. Nails poised to draw lines of scarlet down the canvas of his skin.
"NO!"
She lunged for him.
His mask of humanity slipping away as he spun towards the door. A sweeping arch of one set of claws. An unavoidable collision. A scream of agony ripped from her lips. Paws to hit the ground as at the same time, Annalise sunk to her knees, one hand clutching her right temple. A cloth of crimson to blanket her eye and hand.
The sound of Barrymore's footsteps to quieten as the distance between him and her grew ever greater.
Her chest rapidly rising and falling with each breath being drawn yet for one moment, time took a respite from its relentless march onwards.
Pain's agonising ensnarement could not stop
the words, guttural in their sound from twisting free to then flee her lips. "I will not let him take Zane from me!"
Nails to scrape against skin.
Teeth to sharpen; elongated canines prepared to impale those whose intent spoke of harm.
The earthy brown of her irises to be plunged under a sea of carmine red.
Mere minutes ago, one last turn of the wheels brought the carriage to a stop a short distance away from the front steps. Zane let the reins slip from his grasp, not that the Ravendells would seek to run away and disembarked. The gravel to crunch beneath his boots of charcoal grey as he went to open the carriage door. It swung back, greeting him with the sight of Ilona's nails pacing back and forth over the knuckles of her other hand.
"Ilona, is something the matter?" He asked, concern to weave its way across his expression.
At the sound of her father's voice, the words she rehearsed on the journey home now were a script forgotten as she shook her head.
"It doesn't matter at this very moment," she replied.
One of his brows rose, his expression seemingly unconvinced. However he wouldn't press the subject as he extended his hand to her. She accepted it and was about to step down when a scream pierced the air. Both of them went very still. Zane's gaze darted towards the house, his heart to rattle the bars of its skeletal cage. Anna!
"Stay in the carriage, Ilona. I am going to find your mother." The edge in his voice did very little to stop the worry from tumbling past his final word. Ilona did as he asked and seconds later, the door swung close. A scraping sound as the lock moved to stand guard. She angled her body, her fingers to draw back one edge of the azure blue curtain.
Zane took a step back. The fingers of his left hand curling inwards to greet his palm. At their touch, a shimmer of emerald green rippled across his skin. Tendrils of magic to mould themselves to his features. To carve out the illusion of claws for his hands to possess. Those tendrils of bronze to become a mask of a wolf upon his face. Only for a moment did the warm caress of sunlight manage to coax the emerald hue of his true nature to take centre stage. Then it retreated to the edges once more at the arrival of the storm grey of his irises.
Barrymore rounded the corner, his paws to collide with the very earth. The violent force of such drew Zane's attention. Air to still on his lips at the sight of this unfamiliar wolf. Powerful flanks propelling Matthias to close all distance. One clawed hand extended in invitation for Bennett to draw his final breath.
Forwards.
Backwards, none of these steps offered Zane no chance to decline this deadly dance. His only course of action was to assume the position. His arms drawn upwards to act as a shield against the daggers poised to strike at his heart.
Barrymore smiled, eager to write Death's name upon the dance card that was Zane's skin.
Muscles and claws straining against the might of one another yet Zane refused to yield. This was his domain, his home and Beast or not, this intruder would not claim it.
Momentarily surprise flashed across Barrymore's face. What kind of wolf is this blackguard? Then his ears flattened, spotting a chance to alter the course of this dance. His foot to lead. A sweeping arch of claws. The other male's body to bow beneath pain's fiery command to kneel. Lines of crimson to blur together below his ribs.
"NO!" Ilona screamed upon witnessing her father stumble.
Her fingers scrambled for the carriage door's handle. The lock refusing to surrender to her demands. Her pleas. She slammed her fist into one corner in a futile attempt to break the mechanism. A whimper of pain tore free from her lips. A stream of blood to traverse across the bony plateau of her knuckles.
Tears to slide down her cheeks as she saw Barrymore darting forwards, his fist to connect with her father's face. Her nails to bite into the wooden surface of the door as the weight of denial fell upon her.
The battle to remain upright was lost, Zane's shoulders slumping in defeat. His body seeking to surrender to the embrace of the ground.
"Papa." Her voice barely audible, red splotches upon her cheeks.
A sharp turn brought Barrymore back onto the path of victory. His pace quickening to claim it. She shall be mine.
Zane's fingers to grasp at the dirt as he fought to escape the agonising entanglement of pain to rise. Teeth gritted to cage the whimpers of agony. Sweat, a crown to grace his head. He heard Ilona's screams yet there was little he could do. A sense of hopelessness to swaddle him.
A large shadowy beast careened out of the stables. Each step to traverse, adding an uneven note to the harmony of her breathing yet Annalise would not slow her pace. Drawing closer to the carriage, her muscles coiled then like a spring were released. For a moment she glided across a stage of wind, past the spectator of the carriage. Her descent bringing her straight into the path of Barrymore.
His pace unable to slow.
A collision course set.
No defences to be raised in time as her jaws sank into Barrumore's neck.
Bone, his last guard and it was soon to shatter beneath the strength of her jaws. A cloak of sangria to be draped over one shoulder, its edges trimmed with rose red. Matthias flailed, desperate to the escape the inferno of agony.
The final step of this dance as Barrymore veered off to one side.
Annalise remained in one spot, a gnarly branch of bone and petals of crimson between her teeth.
Her wolf side spat it out before retreating to leave behind a woman in rags. The uneven notes having brought utter disruption to the rise and fall of her chest.
"Beautiful." The word, a sonnet whispered on Zane's lips as he lay on the ground, one hand clasped to his wound. Blood to steal with it, a breath. Anna heard his voice and rushed, half stumbling to his side. She sank to her knees. Her fingers to mould themselves to the curve of one cheek. Tears to cascade over the ledge of her chin.
"Zane." His name wobbled on her lips.
He reached up, his hand to shape itself to the right side of her face. Concern to seep into his voice as something wet trickled down his fingers. "Anna, you are bleeding."
"It doesn't matter all that does is you. Hold on, Zane. I beg of you."
She raised her head at the sound of her daughter's cries, the sound a stake to crumble her heart. "Hang on, my darling."
A colossal shadow fell over the Bennett household and moments later, vermillion and orange was set to blaze across the corpse of Matthias. Wilhelmina's talons dug shallow graves into the ground as she landed. Her mortal appearance to resume mid-step as she strode towards the carriage. Anger sharpening her features, her eyes orbs of molten silver. While in town, the scent of Barrymore had beckoned her to follow in pursuit. While also alerting those tasked with hunting such a creature.
"You're bloody lucky that I know where the Van Helsings reside. Leo, Mina and an old crone whose name I do not know nor do I care at this very moment are on the way." She told her aunt.
Her tone brusque yet the shaky note of fear in the melody of her voice was heard by all. Her words to be accompanied by the thunder of hooves which grew louder with each passing moment. Willa wretched the door open and caught Ilona before she fell under the great weight of her sobs.
"I have you, Ilona. I have you," Willa murmured in a soothing voice.
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