Thorne
I wake slowly; my head feels like I spent the night drinking my ass off. I rub my head and groan when light hits my eyes. I hear movement near me and feel a snarl rise in my throat, but a hoarse rumble is all I manage. With monumental effort, I manage to sit up and survey my surroundings. I’m seated on a couch in a large, permanent space that is divided into multiple sections with different purposes. The clearing of a throat causes me to turn.
Standing on the other side of the room is a bulky human with his arms crossed, leaning against a small counter with a stove-top next to him.
We size each other up for a moment, then I rasp, “Where am I?”
“You’re in the town of Enderhaul.” He replies, his voice gruff.
“Who are you?” I growl, but the harsh sound is interrupted by a fit of coughing.
“I’m Ian, and this is my home.” He says.
I look around and note a wooden door behind Ian and a window to my right. I shift my weight toward the window.
“You’re in no condition for that, mate.” Ian says reproachfully, “You’re practically skin and bones and I doubt you’re even strong enough to open it, let alone get through it.”
I look down at myself and sure enough, I’m thinner than I remember. I’m wearing a set of clothes that are too baggy and too short. Panic hits me and I grab for my pendant; the bite of the hardwood stills the panic, but the sudden movement causes my head to ache.
“What happened to me? What did you do?” I demand.
The man snorts, “I didn’t do anything. You’ve been tormenting this region for about a decade, but Bella broke your curse a few days ago.”
I glare at him, “what are you talking about?"
He sighs and scrubs a hand across his face, “About ten years ago, a group of hunters were attacked by what the survivor described as a demon dog, the other four died. After that it was unsafe to go outside after dark; Things had gotten so bad in the last couple years that the villagers started holding a lottery every few months to decide who would be given as a sacrifice to the Beast. Before Bella arrived there was even talk of moving the entire village to escape the Beast’s territory. You are, were, that Beast.”
"You’re lying.”
“What good would that do?” his voice rises a bit, making me wince.
I regard him coldly. “Where is the girl?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“She’ll be back later. For now,” He turns his back to me and scoops something from a pot into a bowl, “She left me to look out for you; I have some broth for you to eat.” He comes to my side with the bowl and holds it out to me.
I glare down at the bowl. “I’m not eating anything until she returns and hands it to me herself.” I reply sharply.
“Your loss.” He replies.
“Where is she?” I repeat, not bothering to acknowledge his previous comment.
“I’m not going to repeat myself,” he says blandly, “Why won’t you eat?”
“You could’ve poisoned it.” I reply promptly.
He rolls his eyes, “If I wanted you dead I wouldn’t have waited for you to wake up. She made the broth and left me with instructions to give you some if you woke. So, for both our sakes, please eat.”
My attention snaps to his face, seeking out deceit. He just stares back, still holding the bowl out to me. The scent of the broth wafts toward me and my stomach growls.
Ian smirks.
I bare my teeth at him, knowing the expression isn’t as menacing as I’d like, then snatch the bowl and drink some of it.
The big man chuckles and turns away. As he does a small, shrieking form comes running from another room. “Uncle! Uncle!”
I wince and cover one ear as Ian turns and snatches the child off the floor. “Sally, what did I tell you?” he demands, his voice quiet but firm.
The child squirms in his grip and says, “You said ta tay in da room. I don’t wanna be tay!” she cries and struggles some more.
“Sally,” he says gruffly, “Use your inside voice, our guest is awake.”
The child stops flailing and turns to look at me. I blink as a memory surfaces; it’s the child that stared at me the other night. We stare at each other, the child and I, for a long moment. Sally eventually whispers, “Sowwie.” She looks at Ian, “When will mommy be home?”
Ian sighs, “She should be back soon. Go back to your room.” He sets her down and guides her away from me.
The child looks back and waves a small hand, “Bye Bella’s friend,” Sally leaves the room and I hear a door down the hall close.
Ian comes back and looks at me, “Do you have any memory of what you did?”
I look away, a shudder running through me as more flashes of memory assault me, “I’m getting snippets of it, but I don’t remember everything,” I set my bowl aside and rub my head, “She broke through the fog that first night, so I remember the last couple days better than anything else.”
“Do you know what she is?” He asks quietly.
I look up at him, suddenly wary of the man, my eyes narrow, “Has she not told you?”
He doesn’t say a word.
I scowl, “Whether I know or not, it is not my place to reveal her secrets. Where is she?”
Ian sighs, “She’s out with my wife and my sister, Sally’s mother. She’s safe.”
The hair on my neck stands up and I tense, I’ve been too transparent about my concern. I turn to glare at the big man, “I never said I wanted to know if she was safe.”
He grins, “Didn’t have to. Eat, it’ll help you regain some strength.”
I look away and eat the broth.
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