Love's Curse Ch. 18

The man began to sweat. "I have nothing to tell a beast like you. You are not a man. You are an abomination."

"Such an observant man. Allow me to let you observer what I like to call pain..." He pressed firmer, the tip of his claw scraping against and digging into the very bone of the man's arm.

The bounty hunter screamed in agony. The pain was beyond anything he had experienced before. He would not give in! He was a thief, murder and worse but he had his own sense of honor. He had never given up a client's name. Ever.

"Just imagine boy, you have many, many more bone in your body that I can do so much worse to than this. Think about that before you speak."

The man looked at the Beast before him and pondered his options. If he spilled his guts the Beast might let him live. After all, hadn't the beast said he was a man? Was a client really worth dying for? "Fine, I will tell you what I know. The guy who hired me, his name is Falcor. He said if I did this job then some General would be pleased. That's it, I swear it."

The claw slowly twisted in his arm, ripping the flesh open wider. "Are you sure about that boy?"

The man screamed loudly and stared in horrified fascination as he bled. "Ye-yes!"

"Oh I don't think you are telling me the whole truth. What else did he tell you?"

The claw with drew again, lightly pressing against a point a little farther down once more, waiting.

This time the scream was longer and the bounty hunter almost fainted. "He said the General wasn't afraid of a beast and that the girl was magical. He said not to hurt her, that the general wanted her whole. Falcor also said that they would be able to observe me even though he wasn't really near me."

"How? By what means?" The claw pressed into his flesh, the rough claw tearing it open with agonizing ease.

The man bellowed his agony and thrashed about trying to get away from Aries. "I...don't...know! I swear it!"

Aries pulled the claw out. However, instead of leaving him be, he kicked him in the abdomen hard, sending him across the room.

The hunter's roar of anger ended when he crashed into an oak table and had the breath knocked out of him. Wildly he looked about and staggered to his feet.

Aries stalked over to him, flexing his claws, a terrifying glint in his eyes. "Well well, it seems you are made of some tough stuff there. Let's see just how tough you are shall we?"

Aries lashed out with his claws, he controlled the arc though, so only the tips of his razor sharp blades sliced along the skin of his chest, leaving five long cuts.

The man doubled over, wheezing as the pain licked his flesh and caused him to freeze as he panicked. He had to get away from this evil beast!

Aries smile widened into a feral grin, displaying his needle like fangs, the same fangs that had ripped apart hundreds of people over the years. "Oh little rabbit...there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide...."

"I can't wait until Falcor finds that pretty young woman. He said he was looking for a good fuck and since the almighty Beast Prince can't get it up and do her, then Falcor will do what a filthy animal can't." The hunter smirked and glared malevolently at the Beast before him.

Aries' eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin, but the smirk was still there, that everlasting never changing smirk. "Words will do you no good boy, because you see. You are in my domain now, and your precious little Falcor cannot save you, but from what I've seen so far, I doubt he would no matter what you did for him. You are alone boy, left to the wolves as it were...and lunch is about to be served."

He reached out and gripped the main by the throat, picking him up into the air. He slowly dragged the tip of his left claw along his victim's inside thigh, drawing blood where it sliced, and opening up his skin, stopping just short of the man's groin. "Perhaps I will make you my eunuch and force you to serve me once I remove your legs."

The man blanched, hissed from the newest source of pain and then in a fury, spit in Aries' face. "Go fuck yourself!"

The claw flicked down hard, severing the man's left leg at the knee, a dull sickening thud heard as it hit the floor. "You first..."

The hunter squealed in distress and came near to fainting at the sight of his now detached leg on the floor. "You will regret this! That girl can never love a monster!"

Aries could only smirk as he drew his large paw back, pausing for a moment to let his prey see the final moments of his life, "It's too bad you feel that way, because now I have to decorate the walls with your insides..."

He thrust his claws forwards, spearing into the man's gut, gripping his spine tightly and in one hard, agonizing motion, hauled down with all his strength.

The hunter didn't even have time to scream as his life was taken from him.

Aries paused for a moment once the deed was done and thought out loud before cursing softly, "Lynn will have my hide for this...you can't get blood out of silk bed sheets."

A sharp knock on the door was the only warning as Lynn hurried into the room. He looked about and sighed. "My Prince?"

Aries dropped the bloodied corpse in front of him and bowed his head to Lynn. "Forgive me, old friend, it seems I have irreparably sullied the bed clothes."

"The bedding can be replaced. What I don't understand is why this rage?" Lynn glanced down at the remains and grimaced. "I do not wish to pry, my prince, but if something has happened between you and Miss Lilandra, then I must know so that I can best help you both."

"I am fine Lynn, my irritations have been satisfied, and I am in a much better mood now. Have Karas send up a couple of his men to clean this mess up, it'll do their moral some good to see what we will do to those who threaten our empire."

Lynn made note that his prince had sidestepped the question. Very well, he would just have to ask Lilandra. "Yes, my lord. Will there be anything else?"

"Yes, tell Karas to look up a man by the name of Falcor. He is the next step on this road we must follow. Perhaps he can lead us to those who are in charge."

"As you wish. I will check on you in the morning. Good night, Aries." Lynn bowed and quietly left the room to do his Prince's bidding.

The prince nodded slowly before turning and walking towards the balcony, with a hard beat of his wings he launched himself out into the cool night air, enjoying the breeze flowing over his fur.

* * *

Lynn decided to first go downstairs and let Karas know about Aries' order and then he would go see Lilandra. It took him a moment but then he found the General. "Karas, a word with you!"

Karas looked up from piece of cooked meat he had been sneaking slices from and quickly put the lid back on, hoping Lynn hadn't spotted him. Hastily he turned away a moment and gulped down the last mouthful. "Yes Lynn, I was just admiring your uh...kitchen setup, it's very efficient."

Lynn chuckled. "Karas, you can eat as much as you want. Truly it will not inconvenience anyone. Besides, I'm hungry as well." He pulled up a chair, opened the lid and grabbed a few slices before munching on it. He sat quietly for a moment before speaking his mind. "Did you not find our Prince's earlier behavior odd?"

The general relaxed a little and sat opposite Lynn, picking up another thick slice and taking a bite from it as he thought about it. "In all honesty Lynn it has been many years since I last saw our prince. I would not know if his behavior is strange or not. Life changes people in unexpected ways. Perhaps this is simply his way of working through his problems? From the screams I heard earlier, he seemed to be quite enjoying himself. It was quite similar to the way he worked through his parent's death....only less mass genocide this time."

Lynn rubbed his jaw and pondered all angles. "I think it is something else that set him off. He worked some of his anger off on the hunter. And we got a name from it. Falcor. That's who the hunter said hired him."

Karas paused a moment, the name pricking up his attention, "Falcor did you say? Now there is a name I have not heard in some years now. I have a feeling I know the man he speaks of. He was a lieutenant for the water witch's army, a truly cunning man, never one to be underestimated."

"You mean he dealt with Zitomira and her ilk? Then this is bad news for us. There aren't many witches left of any of the Three Bloods that can assist us." Lynn paused and thought about Lilandra's display of power that had saved his life. Could she have the blood?

"Oh there are plenty out there Lynn, there are however, few who have the ability to tap into the real power of their bloodline. So far the best I have seen from the Earth line was a man who could light his cigar with his thumb, nothing more. With water, the best since the war was a farmer who could bring a light rain down on a certain field of corn once a month. It's nothing like the old days," his eyes darkened as he spoke next. "Not like the war when every person you fought might have an ability. When men around you burst into flames and the earth swallowed up whole battalions of men, only to be spat out again as your own side countered the spell."

Lynn shuddered. "Those were dark days indeed. It did not help that the Prince's parents were killed by a witch. I know that they were not all bad; many fought on our side. But for the most part witches tended to deal in the darker aspects of their powers." He shook his head. "If this Falcor is one of Zitomira's people, he may have the power. We need to come up with some plans quickly. I've located Gotred and sent a messenger to bring him home. The other two generals are still in the wind."

"I suspected as much, Albin was never one for staying in one place very long and Yearntil...you'd be lucky to find him even if he was on fire. I remember spending 4 hours looking for him only to find out he was following me around a few steps behind wondering where I was going."

Karas smiled slightly and shook his head, "It is good that Gotred is coming home though. We will need his strength and his battalion. Those monsters he calls men are the toughest blockers I have ever met."

"Yes, Gotred did tend to get many who were more brawn than brains but that worked well in battles where injuries might be numerous but the solider continued to fight. Men are not like that in this part of the world anymore." Lynn sighed. He really needed to go check on Lilandra.

"Not only that but they were skilled earth defense warriors. Every single one of them had mastered stone skin. You could hit them in the head with a battle hammer and they wouldn't even bat an eyelid."

He sat back and ate another slice of meat, "No one is these days, not since that day the prince ended the war. People are too afraid of those with abilities. They think they'll turn out just like him."

"And that's not true. Aries' power was sky-based. That heartless witch Zitomira twisted his power and forced him to his current form. You can only be turned into something else by another witch. You're not born in a monster form. This is why I hate having uneducated people. It makes it that much more difficult to change their wrong thoughts."

"Indeed, but not only by another Elemental user, it has to be your opposite. Sky is weak to Sea, Sea is weak to Earth and Earth is weak to Sky."

"I had forgotten the lore. Seven years is a long time. I've been far too busy keeping my Prince from going insane. And the number of young woman who have died because of his curse....It breaks his spirit. That's why Miss Lilandra is so important. I truly hope she can love him as he is, beast urges and all. Otherwise we are all doomed."

Lynn sighed quietly before standing up from the table, "Speaking of Miss Lilandra, I should go find her and make sure she is alright after last night. I am concerned something may have happened between her and the prince."

Karas nodded and stood up also, heading towards the pantry where the ale was kept, "Indeed, and I must make sure my stomach receives the proper care it needs!"

He chuckled quietly and nodded at Lynn before disappearing into the depths of the stores. Lynn could only roll his eyes at the general before heading out of the warm kitchens to find Lilandra.