章 15: Ghouls
Pushing back the empty plate, Callista rose. She shoved the door open, the sight before her a punch to the gut. Princess Athena, usually a picture of detached elegance, sprawled in their usual corner with her werewolf companion. Gone was the icy composure. Golden eyes blazed, predatory and feral as she drained him. His hand, a brazen caress beneath the shimmering silk of her dress, spoke volumes of their carnal dance.
A flush bloomed on Athena's throat as pleasure contorted her face. Then, for a heartbeat, their eyes met. A flicker – hunger, a yearning, and beneath it all… guilt? Callista didn't care. Disgust clawed at her throat, a tangled mess of emotions churning in her gut. She stormed out, slamming the door with a resounding thud.
Later, a different question gnawed at Callista. Why the aversion to her blood? Years as a Watcher had drilled the truth into her – her scent was a siren song to vampires. Even the masking perfume couldn't fully suppress it. The knowledge had always disgusted her. Yet, Athena seemed repulsed by the very thing Callista thought she craved.
Fury bubbled within her, a tempestuous cocktail of confusion and something more. Affection? No. Callista scoffed. She had a mission, not time to chase after a vampire for something as pathetic as…
The word died on her lips. Was it pathetic? Or something more… complicated?
Callista stormed on, the unanswered question a burning ember in her chest. She craved action, a way to channel the storm within. The familiar sting of adrenaline was a balm, a temporary escape.
Three ghouls lumbered from an alley, their stench a prelude to violence. She became a whirlwind of steel, diamond blades flashing in a deadly ballet. A gash on her arm was a mere annoyance, the first ghoul crumbling to dust.
The remaining ghouls, frenzied by her bloodlust, lunged. Callista weaved between them, a whirlwind fueled by a rage hotter than any celestial energy. The image of Athena, tangled with a sickening sense of betrayal, flickered at the edges of her vision. A thrown knife sang through the air, followed by a flash of celestial light from Damien. Together, they finished the ghouls with practised efficiency.
Panting, she surveyed the carnage. A crimson stain bloomed on her arm, a superficial wound ignored in the heat of the fight. It was then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Damien's gaze, usually steady and reassuring, held a flicker of concern.
"Rough day?" rumbled Damien, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Needed to sharpen my skills," Callista lied with a scoff, neon blades glinting. Gruesome work, this ghoul cleanup. A shower couldn't come soon enough. But even as she spoke, the image of Athena, with a flicker of guilt warring with predatory hunger in her golden eyes, flickered in her mind. The confusion gnawed at her, a tangled mess alongside the frustration of the unanswered question.
Their banter was cut short by a chilling scream. A woman, pale with terror, backed away from a hulking ghoul, its maw dripping with putrid ichor. This was no ordinary foe.
Damien lunged, his blade meeting the creature's gnashing teeth in a sickening clang. The metal twisted, snapping under its inhuman strength. A guttural roar ripped from the ghoul's maw as it reached for Damien, its unnatural agility catching him off guard. He stumbled back, a gasp escaping his lips.
Callista saw her opening. With a surge of celestial energy, she launched herself at the beast, her blades humming with power. They met flesh with a searing hiss, but unlike with regular ghouls, these blades didn't cleave cleanly through. The creature roared in fury, its single emerald eye fixated on her. Its movements were fluid, predatory, its strength monstrous. Each blow landed with bone-crushing force, forcing Callista back, her steps unsteady on the uneven cobblestones.
Damien lunged to help, his celestial blade aglow, but the mutated ghoul swatted him aside with contemptuous ease. He slammed into a nearby wall, coughing up blood. Panic clawed at Callista's throat, momentarily eclipsing the inferno of anger within her. She couldn't let Damien get hurt.
Gritting her teeth, Callista channelled even more celestial energy into her blades. They pulsed with an ethereal light, a stark contrast to the growing green luminescence emanating from the creature's wound. This time, she sank both blades into the exposed heart of the beast. But the victory was short-lived. Green light pulsed within the creature, growing brighter, more unstable.
Damien, reflexes honed by years of battle, grabbed the woman and leaped back just as the ghoul erupted in a shower of putrid viscera.
"Intriguing," Callista murmured, a hint of excitement laced with concern in her voice. "This ghoul is different. A message for the Watchers is an understatement."
Damien grunted, his face grim. "Something tells me this goes beyond a routine ghoul infestation."
Callista stared at the lingering green mist, the stench of decay clinging to the air. A cold dread settled in her stomach, heavier than the weight of her celestial blades. This was no ordinary night. This was the chilling whisper of something far darker, something monstrous. The ghoul's fading scream echoed in her ears, a haunting melody eerily similar to the one from her recent premonition dream. Could this creature be the source of the string of disappearances plaguing the city?
Deep within the opulent halls of the elite club, Prince Adrian's lips curved into a predatory smile as he scanned the report. "Progress at last," he murmured, his voice tinged with a cruel satisfaction.
Elias, his emerald eyes gleaming with an unsettling fervour, bowed low. "The next iteration will be even more potent, Your Highness. This… was merely a taste."
Adrian chuckled, a low rumble that sent shivers down Elias' spine. Queen Eydis wouldn't stand a chance against his creation, an unstoppable army she couldn't control. It was necessary, it was… for Athena.
His smile faltered for a fleeting moment, a flicker of doubt clouding his eyes. But then, steeled by his unwavering obsession, he banished the thought. Athena deserved this, and he would save her, no matter the cost.
*****
Eydis scanned the documents laid out before her, a flicker of grim satisfaction crossing her features. "Excellent work, Orion," she murmured, her voice laced with a dangerous undercurrent
.
Orion, ever the predator, stood tall, a predatory grin stretched across her face. "I even have a little something extra," she added, reaching into her pocket. "A video to pair with the evidence, if you'd like a peek, Your Majesty?"
Eydis met Orion's gaze, a silent exchange passing between them. Finally, a humourless chuckle escaped her lips, chilling the air in the opulent chamber. "Intriguing," she purred, a dark glint flickering in her golden eyes.
The room plunged into a tense silence as the video flickered to life on a nearby screen. As it played, Orion's posture stiffened, a flicker of unease crossing her features before being masked by a cold smile. Eydis watched, her expression unreadable, a statue carved from cold steel.
When the final scene faded to black, a heavy silence descended. Eydis remained motionless, the weight of the video seemingly pressing down on her. Finally, she spoke, her voice devoid of emotion. "Send all of this to Lady Sapphire, Lionel," she said, her gaze never leaving the spot where the video played.
Captain Lionel, who had been a silent observer throughout the exchange, bowed deeply. "As you command, Your Majesty." With a swift, silent exit, he left the weight of the room entirely on Eydis and Orion.
The playful grin had vanished from Orion's face. She fidgeted, a hint of nervousness creeping into her posture. Leaning closer, she purred, "Now that's out of the way… can I be rewarded with your… grace?" Her hand, a daring move, brushed against Eydis' silk blouse.
Eydis, unfazed, turned away. The silk of her blouse whispered against Orion's touch, a tantalising ghost of what could be. "Not today, Orion," she said, her voice firm but not unkind. "I have another business to attend to."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Orion's emerald eyes, quickly masked by a smirk. "Perhaps later, when it's settled, we can celebrate with a more… personal form of… debriefing."
Eydis turned back, her golden eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "Perhaps," she conceded, watching delight creeping back Orion's face.
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