Chapter 31: Creature from Tartarus

Brandon shot out of his seat in amazement. He moved closer and touched Cara's cold body, lifeless and distorted. He was beyond shocked.

"Riven killed her?",he asked.

"His mate did",Jezebel said and folded her arms. "Seems the she-wolf tried to push her off the roof, and the girl got pissed and turned the tables on Cara"

"Why have you brought her here? She is dead. I have no use for her",Brandon said and turned away from the gory sight.

"Something tells me that Riven's mate isn't ordinary",Jezebel said and began to pace. "If Annabelle succeeds in taking her from the mansion, Riven would raise hell to get her back. You will need all the help you can get"

"What use is she to me? She's dead". Brandon repeated, eyebrows pulled together in a scowl.

"For now",Jezebel said. "A shifter doesn't fully die, and you know that. There's a way I can bring her back".

"How?".

"Dark magic".

...

Riven hadn't left the mansion in an entire week.

He was worried that if he did, Layla would strangely disappear again and he didn't want to go through that panic again. The last time, he almost killed his beta. He couldn't let that happen again. So he spent his week with Layla, postponing all meetings he had with the Ancient Shifters.

It was known to every shifter now that Layla was a Sorceress, and a powerful one too. Cara's death, Layla's travel to the past and the strange occurrence that happened the day the Vampire Lord arrived, proved it clearly. They then began to wonder who her parents were since every last Sorcerer and Sorceress were annihilated. As they wondered, word spread and soon every creature on the island knew that the Supreme Alpha's mate was a powerful Sorceress who used the book of shadows to travel to the past.

As all the creatures whispered this discovery within themselves, the news slowly spread until it got to the Kingdom of Tartarus, a dark abyss that held the souls of the damned and abominable damned creatures. These dark creatures and creatures of the night began to seek ways to get the blood of the Sorceress because a Sorceress blood was said to have immense power.

Unaware of the dark creatures plan against his mate, Riven kept the Book of Shadows in a locked room, making sure Layla never set her eyes on it.

But the book called to Layla. Her blood was one with it now and at night, she would hear whispers calling to her, keeping her awake. She knew the book held secrets, secrets about the owner, secrets about the past and she knew the whispers she heard every night were trying to tell her something. Something about herself.

...

It was a cold night and Layla lay in Riven's embrace, deeply asleep. There was no moon in the sky and it was pitch black. The mansion was silent and the oil lamps gave out a yellowish glow in the dark.

Something moved in the dark, slithering and crawling along the walls. It merged with the darkness and travelled through the illumination of the oil lamps. It scaled up the walls of the mansion, twisting and turning, slithering through the long empty passages and corridors.

It crawled up the step rails, moving swiftly until it got to the last floor. It began to move through the walls, past the tiles and over the ceiling until it got to the door of Riven's room. It slithered under the door and entered the room, moving towards the large bed. It got to the left side of the bed and stopped.

Suddenly it began to ripple and build into an irregular form. It grew more and took shape, forming into a strange being with sharp teeth and claws. The being hovered over Layla and watched her sleep for a while. One if its claws stretched forward and grazed her cheek. A drop of her blood touched its scaly claws and the creature reared back in pain, its claw burning and melting off.

Layla flinched as the creature's claw cut her skin and she trashed in Riven's arms, the sharp pain making her uncomfortable. Feeling something wet crawling down her cheek, she slowly opened her eyes.

A terrified scream tore out from her as her eyes came in contact with the strange creature beside the bed. At the same time, the creature screeched and combusted into a dark liquid, slithering on the floor and trying to escape.

Riven came awake instantly and shot out of bed, pulling the screaming Layla into his arms.

"What is it my love? What troubles you?",he asked in a panicked voice. He noticed the cut on her cheek and the thin trail of her blood.

Layla was trembling violently in his arms. Her finger lifted and she pointed towards the dark liquid that was quickly slithering towards the door.

Riven's eyes followed the direction on her hand and noticed the dark liquid just in time before it slithered through the door.

"Wait here",he said and got out of the bed. His eyes were awake and furious. Just how many more creatures would come for his mate? It had barely been three months since she arrived and her life have been in constant danger. First Brandon, then Cara.

And now this! He had enough of it.

"Riven no...",Layla whispered, not wanting him to leave her and go after the creature alone.

"Whatever happens, stay here. I'll be back in no time",Riven said just as the door was thrown open. Cade, Caleb and Alex pushed through, their eyes searching the room for any sign of danger. Apparently, Riven had mind linked them the moment he saw the wound on Layla's cheek.

"Alpha..."

"There's a creature in the mansion",Riven said rigidly. "It got into the room and wounded Layla"

"What creature Alpha?",Cade asked.

"Dark liquid",Riven said.

That word alone was enough to instill fear in the shifters. Dark liquid creatures were unnamed damned creatures from Tartarus. They could take any form they chose to and they struggled through the veil separating Tartarus and the supernatural realm, wrecking havoc on the world they escaped into. For one to be in Riven's mansion, it meant the creatures locked in Tartarus knew about Layla and what she was.

"Wake every shifter and search the mansion. I want that creature found now! "

"Yes Alpha!",Cade said and rushed out of the room. Soon the mind link reached everyone of the shifters and the mansion came alive with every shifter searching for the dark liquid creature.

"Caleb stay here with my mate. And I hope for your sake, nothing happens to her",Riven said and shifted into his beast right there in the room. The golden lycan turned and made a soft sound to Layla, a sound of comfort.

"Be careful",Layla whispered.

The lycan nodded at her and dashed through the door, leaving Layla behind with Caleb and Alex.

...

The dark liquid slithered as fast as it could towards the entrance of the mansion. It merged with the darkness but changed its position frequently because the shifters could see clearly in the dark.

It moved rapidly, slithering along the floor and soon, it poured through the corner of the door. It moved quickly and disappeared into the surrounding forest.

And just at the entrance of the forest, a dark creature stood there, watching the mansion with furious red eyes.