Chapter 52

Willow

It was 6pm, and I was in the living room. Kaizen and the King were outside with Alavastros, while me and Noah were inside. He had a bagel with cream cheese, but my stomach was kind of upset. The burger and fries were greasy, something Kaizen had already warned me about, even before I was changed. The news was background noise, as neither me nor the King's husband paid any attention to it.

"You look a little green." Said Noah.

"I'm alright. Just a little upset stomach..." I admitted.

"That used to happen to his mother when she was small. She knew to feed him the wild diet; you likely need it too." He said casually.

"It isn't grass is it?" I joked. He chuckled.

"Just more raw meat and not much wheat or dairy. Lactosez Milk and Jolly Gray Giant Wheat are good substitutes though." He smiled.

"Oh, I've had that before at one of Wix's parties." I said following him. He gave me a ginger ale out the fridge. It tasted terrible but I knew that it would help. I used to like ginger now not so much. "Want to go for a night stroll?" I offered.

"I don't mind." He beamed.

We went through the front door, and Kaizen saw us and waved. "Stay in the neighborhood. The vampires are waking up about now." He warned.

"We will." We both said waving back. "I don't know how to fight or anything, but if they make problems, I'm linking Jack." I said loud enough for my mate to hear.

"You have permission to command any in this pack." he said casually, but I know Jack. He heard and was somewhere happy as a clam about it.

"Jack the Slasher?" Noah asked. "That headache is here?!"

"Kaizen took him in so he can't just go hurting people without permission." I said looking behind me. I swear I felt watched for a split second. "I didn't know you encountered him too."

"When he passed through our state there was a murder every day except the two days we had him detained, and he made up for it by killing 5 people on his escape." He growled. "But I know you didn't come out here to talk about Jack; what's on your mind?"

"Well. I don't know where to start. So I'll say my question, then the reason." I said trying to think of how to word it. I didn't want him to take it the wrong way.

"Can I guess?" He asked; I nodded. "You wonder either why I'm human and you're turned, or what's it like to remain human when I have options."

"I was also wondering how you're holding up." I said with a small smile.

"The short of all that is I like being human, and it's respected by my mate. I'm worried about Jerold. As strong as he is, and as old, he's still sensitive about his past. You'd think someone who's died multiple times and revived to fight someone like Xaxas would have trouble coping with war, but no. what troubles him more than that, is the treatment of his people. They can't help that they're born like they are." He said with pursed lips.

"I can't imagine I didn't mean to slap the Queen either I just hated how she and her daughter treated them. They're people too." I grumbled.

"In her court, they aren't. They deem all shifters as lesser, but half beasts are the lowest. They like having them around because you saw." He smiled, making a light joke. "But they, and many other peoples even other shifters have a distaste and distrust for them."

"I know. I wasn't exactly treated with open arms when we were in an elf village." I grumbled.

"The one that burned down?" He asked.

"It was still standing when we left!" I yelled.

"Reports said that someone lit it ablaze. They found no scent or anything. Possibly it could have been vampires if Jack was with you and accounted for." He turned left, going a random direction. "And to answer the other question, I do just fine. I'm sure you got turned because unlike me, you belong to the blood of the Night Court Your humanity would have made you a political target. Life with Jerold is mostly peaceful."

"And this probably broke that peace." I said shaking my head.

"She's so selfish and only thinks of herself. I don't know how he put up with her." He growled, though it was just a normal growl, not a wolf's. "I do but you know what I mean."

"I do."

"Evening." Said a woman floating next to a man who walked on all 4's. Weird. I knew on instinct that they were vampiresreally strong ones. The thin man who walked like that was a ghoul. Undead. It made me worry for Noah.

"You must be Mrs. Lancaster." I smiled. I know she heard my heart race.

"No need to worry. I'm going out to hunt venison with my coven here." She motioned them. "What we don't consume, we butcher and distribute to the market."

They looked hungry.

"Well, we'll be seeing you." I said with a light wave, taking Noah's hand.

"Why don't you come with us?" She offered with a light bow. "I'm afraid I cannot extend that to your mortal friend here. I don't want any accidents."

"I'm not good enough at shifting to accept." I half lied. I'd only shifted the one time. A cold hand touched my shoulder.

"Luna, do they need anything more from you?" Asked Jack from directly behind me.

It made me jump, and his grin told me he'd done this on purpose.

"We'll be leaving. We meant no harm." She said floating away.

. I got a bad vibe from the 10 or 11 vampires I know they were the original humans that lived here but something told me that if Jack wasn't around, the thin man would have attacked Noah.

"It doesn't matter." Said Jack.

"Jack." Said Noah.

"Do I know you?" Asked jack.

"Jentucky 1996." Said Noah. "You killed 348 people."

". Is that supposed to make me feel bad?" He asked that honestly, not to be snippy, but Noah looked pretty pissed. "I'm 'the Slasher' for Lady's sake. What do you want from me?"

" Just leave. I'd rather not spend time with my niece trying to shoot you." He growled.

"Fine, fine. I'd rather not be shot with silver." He said vanishing.

"I hate that he can do that." I said loudly.

"I do too, but I'm glad he came when he did. Vampires are easy enough to deal with but ghouls are another the undead need human flesh And blood to maintain themselves, and I know her pet wouldn't care that I would taste like minotaur, being soul-bonded to one." He chuckled dryly.

"So the one on all 4's was a zombie?' I asked.

"No, those are different too. They don't have a mind, but their souls are trapped within a rotting corpse that cannot heal." He said putting his hand on his gun. It was under his shirt. I think he did that more as a habit but it wasn't a bad one being surrounded by man eating creatures all the time.

----Kaizen----

I sat outside on the back steps with some cold bottled water. All this shit was giving me an actual migraine. Because now with an additional prince here, and him marked by me, I KNOW I yet again, attracted More attention to my little pack. I wanted to be free of any royal courts, nor did I want to explain to any others why I took him.

He had no combat experience other then self-defense. He hadn't really killed anyone, nor did he use those enormous fangs to tear flesh. But the other royals won't care. His bloodline and his coat color would eventually attract the eyes and ears of curious Kings, and I will have to hope that Wix, Jerold and my brother would be there for me. My father and Uncles didn't interact with this world much if they could help it.

And I didn't count his mother, because she made it pretty clear that she might be the problem.

At the moment Jerold and him were outside, and he shared stories of his past with his son. Alavastros looked intrigued. He saw Uncle Xaxas and my family through my connection I shared everything I knew with him, but he knew nothing of his father or major details of the old times.

"I'm going to make good on helping the other minotaur." I said casually.

"Go ahead. I, and my people appreciate it." Jerold said firmly.

I left Alavastros with his father, suddenly getting up. I'd make good on what I said for Elder Asmondi He didn't have the heart to harm his own child. Where the mother was, I didn't know, but I imagine since he was single, that it put a strain on whatever relationship he had.

That or it was merely meant to be a series of flings that ended in responsibility.

Tamriel was still here, since humans now littered the cells, filling the small place to the brim. We kind of stuffed them all in one cell, and I still had to interrogate them.

"Halt." He snarled. "My master bids these mortals his protection."

"That was literally the point. Move aside Lord Tamriel; I'm here for the minotaur downstairs. I have no beef with them, pun intended." I chuckled, but he did not accept my attempt at being cordial.

"My master does not like that you make more demons Boy." He spat.

"If my blood didn't mark them, if I gained nothing from giving them minds, I'd still help them." I said firmly. "Plus, I know it's not the perfect solution or anything. But there's a much greater threat to have the mindless wonder or escape, than be bound to me. I swore on my blood and honor to protect this place With you after all."

He made no more issue, allowing me to pass, but he followed the wheels in my head began to turn.

"What's so important about this place anyway." I asked, following the signs past the shouting humans. They wanted to be released, but that wasn't happening. We'd figure out something.. They can't be free with vampires turned by King Victor literally floating around, excited from the scent of free-range mortal in the air

Yet Tamriel's silence spoke volumes. Down the stone stairs we walked and down another flight. The first set of cages were empty, but I could smell fresh blood a level below That I think zombie or undead blood Those are Rare but I could hear the snorting and soft moos of content creatures below.

"If you don't know, I won't tell you." He said stiffly. "Anyway, there's 4 down there. I know what you're up to, and I have to report this." Tamriel hissed.

"I know. I only do this because it was asked of me." I said firmly.

"The pens have been cleaned, they ate, and Flora got them fresh water. The only one that isn't docile is the ginger one. He bites." He said ignoring my reason.

"Flora?" I asked with scrunched eyebrows. Surely not my nosy, troublesome neighbor had anything to do with themunless.

"Your neighbor." He said looking at me as if I were stupid.

And just like that he left me with kind of more questions than answers.

But I saw that in fact, there were 4 down here. One was blonde, one black, one brown, and the ginger was the biggest. Four large pens in the dimly lit dungeon were sectioned off so they couldn't directly interact with each other, but they did see each other through the bars. There wasn't even electricity this far down in the cells but they seemed alright.

They grazed hay; some were asleep. It did smell but not too bad. It hurt me to know that they were someone's kid. All 4 I wondered could that have been me if I didn't gain some semblance of control. Before it felt like that was the part of me that wished to rule. To be a beast should anything stressful antagonize me.

I bit my wrist and they all kind of freaked out. I could see that they weren't warm to me The first one, a dark brown one was the first to settle. I put some of my blood on the hay, and offered it through the bars. I went down the line, getting all four of the 10 foot tall beasts.

"When you all awake, you'll be free. No more cages. Welcome to Misfit." I said quietly.

I knew this would make a problem, but I did it anyway. I'm not a knight in shining armor, but those that do wear that uniform will be disgruntled to say the least.