Strange Love

Jos paid little attention as she ran from the suffocating crowd, the bright lights, and the deafening murmurs all around. She'd be stupid to think simply changing her appearance would change anything. There would never be anything she could do to stay close to those she loved the most. In the end, the curse would always destroy those around her in one way or the other. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the dark pathway she was running down. When they did, her breath caught, and her ċhėst tightened. She couldn't fight against the give of her legs as she crashed to the hard, crumbled pavers, pavers that had once lined the beautiful front gardens of the palace. That beauty was long gone now... it had all been destroyed nearly sixteen years ago. Her eyes moved from the old, thick metal gates that's polished bars used to be so well kept they gleamed even in the moonlight, down to the pavers below her hands. She didn't need light to know the thick, sticky liquid that pooled around her hand was blood. There had been so much blood that day too... Tears blurred her eyes as she fought against the memories accusing her brain.

Palace, 15 years 10 months ago

Cam woke with a smile as a very familiar body pressed against her back and a large hand teased her brėȧst through the thin material of her nightgown. She mȯȧnėd as she pressed her buŧŧ against his hard morning erection. A soft beard tickled her neck as he trailed kisses along the thin column as the hand that had been squeezing her brėȧst began to slide teasingly down the soft swell of her stomach. Cam arched against his touch another mȯȧn leaving her parted lips as his hand slid under her pȧntɨės.

Just then the door slammed open. "MOMMY! MOMMY! He broked-ed Mr. Flufferkins!"

"I DIDN'T! It was already broked-d!"

Cam let out an amused laugh as Ales's hand moved back up to her stomach. "Broken, dears. Besides, I'm sure it can be fixed. Why don't you leave it on the table, and Mommy will have one of the maids mend it in a bit." Cam shook her head as a teary-eyed Shelly carried her favorite stuffed bunny over and set it carefully on the table. She turned and narrowed her eyes at her brother. "I'm going to breaked-d your toys now!" She said as she stomped toward the door sticking her tongue out at him as she went.

"WHAT?! Mommy! Daddy! She said-"

Cam rolled her eyes at her overdramatic three-year-olds. "I'm sure your sister isn't really going to break your things, son. Why don't you go down for breakfast and-"

"Like hell I won't..." Shelly mumbled as she stepped past the doorframe.

"MOMMY!" Russ cried out, his tiny fists balled at his sides.

"Rachelle Cathenna Boosilis! Where did you learn to use such harsh words!" Cam barked out, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull.

The angelic three-year-old shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Aunt Ray Ray..."

Cam could feel the vein in her forehead pulse with irritation as she forced a smile to hide the gritting of her teeth. "Princesses do not use such words. You and your brother go down for breakfast. Your father and I will be down in just a minute." Cam couldn't hear what her precious child was mumbling as she left the room, but without a doubt, it was something else Raven had taught her.

"That's what you get for letting a dark fae babysit so often." Ales chuckled from beside her as he placed a light kiss on his wife's shoulder. He ran his hand over her stomach. "Tell me again how we managed to slip in a third?"

Cam shook her head as she let out a sigh. "I'm sure it was one of those times when that particular dark fae was babysitting..." She turned and pressed her lips to his before leaning her forehead against his. "I still haven't told either of them yet... I'd hoped you'd be able to be with me when I did..."

Ales let out a heavy sigh. "I wish I could as well, but you know things have been exceedingly busy lately with all unusual events."

Cam frowned as she turned away from him. "I can't help but think your brother is involved..."

Ales pulled her into his arms. "We've been over this; he's not been seen anywhere near the island for over 35 years. It's simply a string of bad luck is all." He placed a kiss on her forehead before leaning down and kissing the soft swell of her belly. "Now, what do you say we head downstairs before our other two children terrorize the staff too much." He rubbed her belly. "With luck, this one will be less of a handful." He sent her a teasing wink as he slid out of bed.

"I wouldn't hold your breath on that. I've kept heartburn for the past month and a half, it's a sure sign he'll be just as mean..." Cam said as she slid on her house shoes.

Ales chuckled. "I shall call a good fairy to bless him with all the quiet, patience his siblings lack."

"Psh! Good luck on that one!" Cam laughed as she made her way toward the door.

Ales let out a heavy sigh as he pushed his chair away from the dining table. "As much as I hate it, I much return to work."

Cam frowned as she too stood. She caught the hem of his well-tailored jacket and tugged him closer. "Must you leave us already? You've bȧrėly even eaten."

Ales cupped Cam's cheek, smiling longingly down at her as she nuzzled his palm. "I'm sorry love, but it must be dealt with as quickly as possible before the entire kingdom suffers the consequences."

Cam gave a slight nod as she turned her head and placed a kiss on his palm. "Then finish with it quickly, your family misses you, My King."

Ales gently tugged her forward, meeting her pouting lips with his own. Her arms melted around him causing the arousal from just an hour ago to return. He deepened the kiss as he pulled his wife tighter into his embrace.

"EW! Mommy and Daddy are KISSING! Gross!" Russ yelled out in distaste.

Cam giggled against Ales's still parted lips bringing a chuckle from his as well. "Hum... and you're sure this one's mine and not a divine golden shower or mysterious swan?" He teased as he ċȧrėssed her stomach.

"I am positive, though I can't promise there will be a chance to make another after this one comes in another 5 months." Cam tugged him down for another kiss. "I love you." She whispered against his lips before finally releasing her hold on him. "Do hurry..."

"Hum... I'll do my best, love." He placed a light peck on her forehead. "I love you, dear." He bent and placed a kiss on her stomach. "And you." When another round of ew's sounded from the other side of the table, Ales stood with a chuckle and rounded the table. He ruffled both children's hair as he kissed them each.

Russ pushed against his father. "No gross, daddy! You can't kiss me no more, I'm a man!"

Cam giggled as Ales forged hurt. "I bet when Jos gets here, you'll not tell her to stop when she kisses you."

The toddler's cheeks turned a bright red. "Nin can kiss me cause she's a girl... and we're going to get married someday just like you and daddy."

Cam rested her fists on her hɨps in overexaggerated curiosity. "Oh? Is that so? And does she know this?"

"Well... kinda..." Russ looked away as his cheeks grew redder.

"Hahaha, that's cause he wot (wrote) her a letter, but she couldn't wead (read) it!" Shelly announced.

Ales chuckled as he rustled his son's hair once again. "I do believe Nin may be a bit too old for you, son."

"I don't care bout that! I love her!" Russ proclaimed defensively.

Ales shook his head with a laugh. "You should at least wait until you're an ȧduŀt before declaring your love, son."

The toddler's mood brightened. "Ok! I will, the day I become an ȧduŀt, I will ask her to marry me!"

Cam covered a giggle with her hand. "I can't wait to see her reaction." She nodded to one of the servants who stood off to the side of the dining room. "What do you say we head out and wait for Jos and Raven in the gardens?"

Both kids leaped from their chairs and raced toward the gardens in excitement.

Cam had just put away her gardening tools and was about to shut the door to the storage closet when a noise caught her attention. {They must have gotten tired of waiting.} She turned with an amused smile. "Bored already?"

"Aye, but I suspect that is about to change."

A hand clamped over her mouth and arm before Cam could respond. She struggled against him as he guided her toward the front gates. He stopped right outside the main palace entrance and unclamped her mouth. Cam suċkėd in a lung full of fresh air and was about to cry out when the man chuckled wickedly. "Yes, call out to your darling husband. Have him rush to save you and give away his hiding place."

Her eyes darted to the window of his third-floor office. movement of several men caught her attention. {Oh no!} Her mind worked furiously to piece together what was happening. She sniffed the air. {Blood!} Sucking in another waft of air, her worried eyes shot to the man beside her. "What are you?!"

He smiled at her widely, letting his sharp fangs extend. "How rude of you. I'd expect royalty to address guests with better manners... even if that royalty is nothing more than a wild dog."

{Vampires!} Her eyes darted to the open gates and the cliffs just past it. {My children... I can't let them be caught.} "What do you want?! Money? treasures? I'm sure, if you just release me, we can work something out."

He laughed. "Ha, I'm sure you'll not be willing to part with the thing we want, nor the thing the man who hired us wants."

Cam pushed down the terror building in her ċhėst. "Try me, I'm sure we can work out something."

His amused eyes searched hers from over her shoulder. "Very well, if you insist." He bit down into her neck as he struggled against her to raise the hem of the sundress she wore.

Cam's eyes widened in horror as realization struck. She slammed her heel down on the top of his foot as she grabbed ahold of the hand closest to her mouth and bit down. "Ahh!" She called out as the man pushed her away angrily.

"Bitch!" He yelled as he caught her by the hair and tugged her painfully backward. "I'll teach you." He spun her around and drove his fist into her sternum. As she fell to the ground with a gasp, his lips turned up into an evil smile. "That's better... just where a bitch like you deserves to be, on your knees." He gripped her hair again as he moved over her, forcing her body to the ground. "Now how about you call out to your husband. Beg him to save you. Beg the monster you have protecting your island to save you." He taunted as he once again pushed her skirt upwards. He paused as a trickle of blood became noticeable on her upper thɨġh. "What's this?" His eyes glittered with wicked intent as he lowered his head to her thɨġh.

"NO! Get off!" Cam bit out against the pain of her broken sternum and probably at least one broken rib. She kicked out at him, causing even more sharp pain to radiate through her torso.

"Oh, you'll pay for that, bitch!" He said wiping the blood away from his nose. He slammed his fist into her face so hard that her head bounced off the pavers of the garden. "Now fight me, bitch." He said sardonically as he pushed between her thɨġhs.

Cam could hear the rip of fabric and jingle of a belt buckle being undone as she struggled against the darkness trying to seep into her brain, blocking her vision. She cried out against the stab of penetrating pain between her thɨġhs as tried to fight against the heavy weight of the man over her.

"That's it, cry out louder!" He laughed as he slammed himself forcefully against her.

{My children... Please stay away from here... don't... don't come back...} Cam bit into her lip hard against the pain as the darkness began to overtake her vision. The beautiful blossoms of the rose she'd been focusing on faded as her eyes began to close. A painful slap across the face brought a pained gasp from her aching lungs.

"Wake up and scream for me, bitch!" He called out.

"Dante?! What the fuċk are you doing? We're supposed to be eliminating the royal family not getting our rocks off with the palace whores. Your father is going to be pissed if we don't find the king and queen soon!" Another vampire called out as he rushed out the back doors of the palace.

A wicked grin curled Dante's lips. "Lucky for me, this bitch is the queen." His gaze moved down to the unconscious woman beneath him. He gave her another violent slap across the face but she didn't react. "Ah... you distracted me too long. It's no fun if they don't fight back..." He shrugged as he pulled out and leaned back toward the pocket of his pants that were now around his ankles. He pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the side of her ċhėst. Her eyes didn't open as blood came squirting out of her mouth. A frown settled over his face as he stabbed the blade into her sides several more times.

The other vampire rushed over and pulled him away. "What are you doing?! Can't you see, she's already dead! You're wasting time!"

Dante pushed up onto his feet as he tugged his pants back up. "Fine, since you can't seem to do your job yourself..." He eyed the knife still in his hand, smiling at the enticing red blood coating it. He raised it to his mouth and licked the blood from each side of the blade before leaning his head back in euphoric pŀėȧsurė. "Ah man... there is something about wolf blood..." His eyes moved back to the body at his feet as he licked his lips.

"We don't have time man!" The other vampire growled as he pulled Dante back toward the palace doors.

***

"Stop! We have to go back for Cam and the children!" Ales yelled out as his guards rushed him toward the secret maze of tunnels leading out of the palace.

"I'm sorry, Sire, your safety is our only concern at the moment." The guard frowned as he and several others struggled to move Ales forward. "Besides they are with the Kraken and fairy. They will be safer than any of us, most likely."

"Yes, Sire. If we stay moving forward, we shall be to the beach in no time, then you can be reunited with your family." Another guard said encouragingly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." A stoic, familiar voice purred from the darkness ahead. "Get him."

Before Ales could react several of the guards who'd been leading them and following them began to attach the other guards. His eyes became red-tented as his brother stepped into the dim lighting of the cave. "You!" He growled.

Fern smiled widely. "Me..." He said as he lifted a gun and aimed it square Ales's ċhėst and fired. "Iron bullets, silver bullets... hell regular bullet... it makes no difference if aimed at the heart, now does it, brother?"

Ales's hands clasped his ċhėst, his eyes wide with the knowledge his life was fading fast. "Why?"

Fern's lips snarled as he stepped closer to his brother as Ales fell to his knees beside his fallen guards. "You took something from me, and I did tell you I'd get it back... one way or the other..." He watches as blood oozed past the hands gripping Ales's ċhėst. "Not to worry baby brother, your family will be joining you soon... along with mother and father..." An evil smile curved his lips as he kicked Ales the rest of the way to the dirty floor of the cave.. "Αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη."