Beasts of Pennsylvania - | The Nature of the Beast |
29

“What has he done? What kind of crazy ass experiments has he preformed on you?” Davina asked frantically as she searched her brother for any marks or indication’s he’d been cut into.

“I’m not sure. He’s injected me with a few things, but most of them have been dead ends. I’m not sure what his intentions are because he’s already succeeded in creating genetically modified ghouls.” Colton spoke. Davina’s eyes trailed up to her brother’s, remembering Colton did have the blood of a banshee within him, which would make him a ghoul. She was a little confused about how it worked so. That a banshee couldn’t be a male. She figured she’d ask one of the beasts about it later if she made it out of here alive and well.

“So, you know now?” Davina asked, unsure if she wanted to broach the subject because she wasn’t sure how Colton felt about it. He frowned after a moment.

“Yes. How do you know, though? I thought the organization had no knowledge of there being supernatural’s other than beasts.” Colton asked curiously. Davina stared at him for a moment, unsure of how her brother would react upon hearing receiving the news.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with the beast King.” Davina confessed, making Colton’s eyes widen. He then pulled her over to his bed sat in the corner of the room, sitting her down beside him.

“What do you mean you’ve been spending a lot of time withhim? Victor hardly even spends a few minutes with that dude!” Colton exclaimed.

“I’ve been staying there this past week.” Davina revealed, making Colton jump up from his seat.

“You have? Why the hell would you?” Colton asked, making Davina sigh once more. She was getting a little tired of the questions, but understood he’d been gone for some time.

“It’s a really long story, but... perhaps we should start with Bianca.” Davina spoke with caution, not wanting to upset Colton with the mention of their dead sister.

“Bianca?” Colton uttered with a confused expression. “What does Bianca have to do with any of this?” Colton then asked. Davina patted on the spot next to her for him to join her once again. Once he did, she explained everything from that night. More specifically, what happened to her. She then told Colton everything from that moment forward. She told him that the organization was well caught up about what other supernatural entities live among them, that she’d been staying at the beast’s compound for her own safety, her run-in with her past, Vincent’s plans for her, and how they all fended off the compound hours before arriving here.

“So, you’re slowly transforming into a beast?” Colton asked.

“Slowly, but surely. I have no intentions of becoming one, however.” Davina replied. Colton stared at her for a moment. He wasn’t entirely surprised. It had been a while since he’d last seen her, but he knew of her beliefs and how she felt about beasts. He believed for that reason alone, she didn’t want to become a beast. Davina turned to him, immediately shaking her head.

“I’ve seen and learned a lot after spending some time with the beasts. I no longer think as negatively about them as I did before. They’re just as much human as you and I.” Davina said, shocking Colton a little.

“Well, I don’t know about that. I learned recently I’ve never been human at all, so.” Colton said with a small smirk, making Davina smile.

“I’ve missed you. I really have.” Davina spoke. Colton pulled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I know. I have too.” Colton confessed.

“What about Ryan? Is he...” Davina asked, her voice trailing off. Davina assumed that Ryan, Colton’s boyfriend and also one of Dean’s beasts, had been taken as well. She accused Dean of having something to do with the disappearance of her brother the first day they properly met and assumed both him and Ryan had something to do with it. She, of course, knew differently now. She wanted to broach the subject cautiously because she wasn’t sure what happened to Ryan. For all she knew, Ryan could’ve been killed when Vincent was trying to get his hands on her brother. Colton bit the inside of his cheek, avoiding Davina’s gaze.

“I’m not sure. We both promised each other when we got separated that we wouldn’t wonder where the other went. That way, if something happened to one of us...” Colton spoke, letting his own voice trail off. Davina knew her perfectly what he meant. She placed her hand on his knee, giving it a few light pats.

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry.” Davina assured him, but he shook his head.

“No. We agreed we wouldn’t search for each other either.” Colton said.

“Then, I will. I’ve already developed some abilities from the claw marks. I could probably do it right now.” Davina spoke. She noticed her brother’s hesitation right away, telling her it’d be best not to try.

“Maybe later.” Colton suggested as he stood from the bed, wanting to stir the conversation away. “So, what’s the King of the beasts like?” Colton then asked in a mocking tone. Davina had her own personal beliefs about the beasts before getting involved with them. As did Colton. After hearing enough stories from Ryan, his opinion of the beast King was quite negative. After watching Dean interact with the beasts around the courtyard, as well as learning about Lucian’s undying devotion, Davina’s opinions of all of them changed, but more drastically with Dean. She didn’t hate Dean, but she was still confused about how she felt for him. The word ‘love’ crossed her mind once more. She didn’t think it was a word she could associate with him, or anyone, for that matter. She knew he wasn’t exactly a loving man and she couldn’t imagine him ever being in love with anybody. She thought she could admit she felt something for him to nobody but herself because she was absolutely certain whatever it was that she felt inside of her, was completely one sided. For that reason, she’d never admit to a soul that she just may feel something for the King of Beasts.

“He’s not all that bad.” Davina replied after a moment of silence. Colton huffed and quirked a brow at his younger sister.

“Really?” Colton asked in disbelief.

“Well, when we first met, we couldn’t stop fighting. We get a long now, for the most part.” Davina said. Colton furrowed his brows when she refused meet his dark eyes. He felt there was something she wasn’t revealing to him. When she finally met his eyes, he was overcome with a strange, intuitive feeling within in his gut. He sat there for a moment before realizing something more was going on between the two of them. He jumped up from his seat, making Davina’s eyes widen.

“No freaking way.” Colton spoke, making Davina give him a confused expression. “You slept with him, didn’t you?” Colton asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Davina answered, turning away. Colton chuckled and shook his head.

“Man, you make it so obvious.” Colton teased, making Davina’s cheeks redden.

“Cut it out, Colton!” Davina exclaimed. The sound of a key jangling and a lock clicking made her turn in the direction of the door. She now stood at Colton’s side as the cell door was opened by an unknown figure disguised in an all black uniform, accompanied by a helmet. The person then discarded the headwear, revealing to Davina Mabel’s niece she’d yet to learn the name of. Davina stared at her in shock for a moment before the witch let out a sigh, waving the two of them over to her.

“Well, come on!” The witch exclaimed impatiently. Davina and Colton exchanged a look before sprinting to the door. “You know what you have to do now, don’t you?” The witch asked as she shoved the keys back into her pocket and led them down the hallway.

“Yes, I do. Where is he?” Davina asked.

“He’s at the southwest end of the church where the services are held. He’s currently spending some time to himself, but you’ll still have to be careful. If they sense that you’re there, they’ll put a stop to your plans immediately.” The witch said. Colton immediately turned to his sister.

“What plans, Davina?” Colton asked. She eyed him for a moment. Davina then stopped in the middle of the hallway, bringing her brother and the witch to a halt. She then shut her eyes and drowned out all noises surrounding her. She pictured Ryan’s pale face in her head as she used her hearing ability to search for him. After a moment, she located his exact location, hearing him whispering to himself about his lover and how he hopes he’s safe. She found herself smiling for only a brief moment before her eyes shot open.

“He’s a floor below us. There are less guards on that floor, maybe two or three. You can get through them, Colton.” Davina said as she took a step forward, taking Colton’s hands in her own. He stared at her. He knew he wanted to go after his beloved but also wondered what Davina’s plans were. He’d known his sister long enough to know she wouldn’t hesitate to end the life of another. Given her past, she needed to. But, he feared the ‘why’ of her decision. Why the strange woman he hadn’t met until today, is having her kill Vincent. Davina unintentionally read his mind, but was glad that she did.

“Hey, think about all he’s done. He’s took you away from us, he’s certainly the death of if not all, then most of our mothers. He’s also the reason for Bianca’s death.” Davina spoke, her mind instantly going to her niece she only met an hour or two prior. “The ‘why’ is for our family. So that he can’t hurt any of us anymore. Do you trust me?” Davina then asked in a stern tone. Colton immediately nodded his head.

“With all my heart.” Colton answered, bringing a smile to Davina’s face.

“Then go get Ryan so we can bring him home too.” Davina said. He stared at her for a moment before bringing her in for a quick hug. He let out a deep breath before heading down the hall to search for his lover.

“He may need some assistance. He doesn’t know what he’s capable of just yet.” Davina spoke as she turned to the witch. She seemed hesitant but nodded her head.

“For Bianca and Ayla.” The witch replied.

“Thank you-” Davina started, remembering she didn’t know the name of the woman before her.

“Gabby. Call me Gabby.” Gabby revealed before running off in the direction Colton went. Davina watched her as the witch left before taking a deep breath. Her eyes caught sight of a mirror sitting to her right. She noticed something had changed in her appearance, making her take a few steps closer to examine herself. The only light provided in the room was the moonlight shining through the windows of the first floor. It was just enough for her to catch sight of a pair of red, glowing eyes staring back at her. She swallowed harshly, not liking the sight of herself. She then headed down the hallway and towards the southwest end of the church to put an end to Vincent.

Meanwhile, Charlie was pinching the bridge of the nose, and struggling to keep his composure. He made the decision in the car ride over that he would do as Jackson advised him to do the night of the club; he’d act serious and get business done. Right now, Niklaus was making it very difficult for him to follow through with said decision.

“If I am fighting every urge in my body to not walk on over to you and drag you through this damn graveyard, then you can fight the urge to dig through the dirt and find yourself a nice little corpse to devour.” Charlie spat in an annoyed tone.

“I told you all back at the compound! I can’t do it!” Niklaus exclaimed from the back of the van, refusing to step out.

“It was agreed upon then that you’d be a courteous leader, not send your ghouls here, and brave through it yourself. Now, come along.” Catrice demanded. The beasts with the exception of Dean and Jackson, were all urging Niklaus to come in and join them for the fight. They knew they’d be outnumbered once they entered and needed all the help they could get. Due to the ghouls having a difficult time with control, they decided on the one they believed would have the most control; their leader, Niklaus. They realized how wrong they were in their decision now because Niklaus seemed to have the least amount of self control.

“I’ve gathered her gun and a few other weapons she prefers.” Victor spoke as he put the weapons in Dean’s awaiting arms. He’d expected to be carrying a gun for Davina, though it was foreign to him, but didn’t expect to be carrying the others as well. In his arms, he held the gun his kind feared so rightfully, with the exception of himself, nun-chucks, a knife with a worn out handle, a bow and some arrows, as well as a sling. Surely, she doesn’t need all of this, Dean thought, making Jackson snicker. “We’ll go in there and try to distract Vincent for as long as possible while you both and Charlie go searching for Davina. If it gets too much for us to handle, we’ll signal for you.” Victor continued.

“How so?” Jackson asked.

“Elliot can scream much like a banshee. We’ll use him.” Aaron teased as he pat Elliot harshly on the back, making the young boy stumble forward a little. Charlie huffed as he approached the group.

“Either of you two want to help us get Niklaus out of the van?” Charlie asked in an annoyed tone. Jackson let out an amused hum.

“Looks to me like Marnie’s already got it.” Jackson spoke, making the remainder of the group turn in the direction of the van. Marnie screeched something at Niklaus as she gripped tightly at the back of his shirt, and tossed him into the dirt, making him let out a dramatic squeal. Dean only sighed at the scene before him.

“Are we certain they didn’t just hear us from inside the church?” Elliot asked quietly.

“The graveyard runs about a mile long. They’d have to really be listening in order to discover us.” Charlie said as he wrapped a loose arm around Elliot’s shoulder.

“A mile?! We have to walk a mile over there?!” Elliot exclaimed in disbelief. He was only given a nod by Jackson, which only made him groan.

“Let’s start heading that way, everybody.” Dean spoke and was immediately followed by his beasts, the humans, and Niklaus. On the way there, Lucian couldn’t help but say what had been itching his mind since leaving the compound.

“I-I’m sorry, but I must ask. Charlie?” Lucian asked as he fell into step with his maker, who was walking far ahead of his team.

“Yes?” Charlie inquired.

“Earlier when you were speaking with Catrice, you said something that I just can’t seem to forget and it is troubling me immensely.” Lucian spoke. Charlie raised a brow at him.

“I have no clue what you’re talking abo- Oh...” Charlie said, realizing very quickly. As did Catrice. She ran to the front and rested a hand on her fiancé’s shoulder.

“Lucian, we should discuss this later.” Catrice spoke in a slight, panicked tone.

“I’d prefer we didn’t.” Lucian said, coming to a halt, making Charlie and Catrice do the same. The others in the group were finding it difficult to ignore what was going on. With the three coming to a stop, the group couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“Why not?” Catrice asked in a frustrated tone, turning to her partner.

“Because you’re both acting very strange about it and I’d like to know why.” Lucian answered, his tone indicating he was trying not to lose his temper.

“You three, please. Let’s save this for another time.” Dean said, trying to get their focus back on the church up ahead of them.

“Yes, please. Anytime that isn’t now.” Xavier said in annoyed tone. He tried to convey how uncomfortable he felt by the situation. The beasts could tell, however. It was one of the emotion’s rubbing off onto them.

“You already seem to know why, Lucian. There’s no need for me to say it. We have some history together but that’s all it is.” Catrice spoke.

“Why couldn’t you just come out with it?” Lucian asked, no longer trying to hide his temper. He was upset and it was plain as day to everyone around them. “You’ve never mentioned it before and we’ve been together for almost three decades! Why am I only hearing about this now?” Lucian continued.

“Because, it’s unimportant, my love!” Catrice exclaimed in a desperate tone.

“It isn’t, Catrice! It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it were somebody else but it isn’t! It isn’t somebody else!” Lucian shouted.

“Why’s it such a big deal if it’s him?” Catrice asked.

“Because, he’s my maker! He made me what I am and you didn’t even bother to tell me!” Lucian spoke, his voice raising higher and higher, as did his temper.

“It’s not any of your business who I chose to sleep with before I met you!” Catrice responded. Charlie let out an annoyed groan as he approached the two of them, trying to get the both of them to stop, but Lucian shoved him back harshly. At this point, Dean too had to intervene for Lucian laying his hands on a co-leader. He didn’t want to. Lucian was his most loyal subject and had been since the start, but everybody knows you donotlay your hands on one of the co-leaders. Charlie contemplated handling Lucian himself, but then remembered the decision he made when embarking on their journey to the church.

“If I had slept with your maker and didn’t tell you about it, would you not find it strange that I’d never mention it? Then, try to conceal what I’d done?” Lucian asked as he took a step forward to meet Catrice’s eyes. She blinked up at him before her eyes trailed over to Jackson, her maker. She stood deep in thought as Dean made his way over to the two of them. “What makes it all the more painful... is that even though I have known you for well over three decades, that is the only thing I know about your past. You’ve never shared any of it.” Lucian whispered. Once Dean reached the two of them, he slowly lowered his hand down on the shoulder of Lucian. He whispered something in his ear to keep the others from hearing. After Dean pulled away, Lucian composed himself as best he could. He had tears threatening in the corner of his eyes. He felt the utmost betrayed, though he understood perfectly it was an act done well before the two of them begun a relationship. He knew, however, after learning that the love of his life was once his maker’s lover for just a night, he didn’t want to continue on. He reached down and with his spare hand, pulled an engagement band off his ring finger. Catrice let out a small gasp, not expecting his actions. He then took her hand in his and placed the ring gently, before continuing in the direction of the church, the others soon following.

“Catrice?” Dean asked, finding her frozen in front of him with her eyes fixated on something far behind him. He placed his hands on her shoulders, shaking her a few times. When her eyes finally found his, a few tears slipped down her tanned skin.

“What did you say to him?” Catrice asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I-” Dean started, but paused. He was a little taken aback himself by Lucian’s actions. In fact, Lucian did the exact opposite of what Dean told him. “I only told him not to make any rash decisions.” Dean then answered. Almost immediately, Catrice let out a shaky breath. She looked down at the engagement band in her hand and swallowed harshly. She then shoved the ring into her pocket and took a deep breath.

“Come on. The other’s are already ahead.” Catrice spoke quietly as she followed after the others, Dean soon following afterward. As they neared the church, Sasha got a strange feeling she couldn’t shake. Immediately, she noticed that there was nobody outside. Nobody to even guard the building in case their location had been discovered by the beast King. She pulled her husband, Brayden, down by the shoulder. She didn’t speak a word as they knelt behind some brushes. She didn’t have to say a word because Brayden understood perfectly.

“Hey!′ Brayden whispered, gaining the attention of the group. He patted on the ground lightly, and after earning a few confused expressions, the rest lowered themselves to the ground as well.

“What is it?” Jackson asked.

“Well, they were all cloaked back at the mansion right? Who’s to say they wouldn’t do the same now and catch us before we can even make it inside?” Sasha inquired before using her witches eyes to examine the courtyard. She hummed.

“See anybody?” Marnie asked.

“Oh, yeah. At least seven are on guard. Four are unloading a van full of supplies.” Sasha replied.

“Supplies?” Victor asked as he and Dean exchanged a look. They didn’t have to know what exactly was in the van to know that Vincent had been stealing from the both of them. Neither were pleased.

“Is there a way you can mask us from them? Just until we can make it inside.” Dean spoke. He quickly noticed Sasha seemed hesitant but nodded.

“I can begin on the spell while you guys head in. I’ll enter in after I’m done.” Sasha said. Dean nodded his head gratefully before him and his group started heading towards the front of the church. She stopped Brayden from going any further, making him turn back to her.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Brayden asked. Sasha watched to make sure the other’s were far enough to where they couldn’t be heard.

“I need you here with me. We saw what I did in the compound...” Sasha started, swallowing harshly. “If I get out of control like that again, I can end up killing the human’s, Niklaus, and seriously hurting the others. I need you to stay with me to ensure I don’t.” Sasha continued. Brayden stared at her for a moment before cupping her face in his hands and pressing a kiss to the middle of her forehead.

“I’m right here with you.” Brayden assured her. She gave him a small smile before drawing some symbols in the dirt beneath her. She then planted her hands on both sides of her drawing. Immediately, the wind picked up, swirling around the two of them. Leaves flew everywhere, some even getting trapped in Sasha’s hair. Brayden gently brushed the leaf out, trying not to disrupt her while she was in her trance. He knew better than to do that. Just as Sasha started saying her incantations and the group made their way to the courtyard, they all became invisible to their enemies.

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