Chapter 2 – I only exist…

Rick POV

I am so high up, an ordinary person wouldn’t see what is under this building. But I’m not ordinary. My vision is one of a kind, so I can even see rats, and also ants. This is the tallest fucking skyscraper in this lousy city. Well, it’s not Burj Khalifa, or Taipei 101, or not even close in height to New York’s Empire State Building, but when you got a job, you have to make the best of it.

I look up at the sky which is full of stars, with no clouds anywhere in sight. The moon is up, big and so fucking tempting than those eyes with a purple rim around the globes. I sigh and shake my head. Why do I remember her all of a sudden? It was so fucking long ago. It was like another lifetime. Like my whole life was just a blur after her. Life… do I even call this life? During the day, I am the most damn gentleman with the most elegant suit on, and smiling and shaking hands with those hypocrites all the time. But at nighttime, I am that fucking nightmare you’ve only ever seen in your deepest sleep. Or horror movies, if you’re into them.

Yeah, it’s not life, it’s only… existence. Every time I think of her, my heart is squeezing in my ribcage. I put my hand on my chest. Under the thick fabric of my leather jacket, I can still feel the scars. Scars, I hidden under tattoos. My breathing suddenly becomes heavy, when all the shit that happened that time, suddenly pushes through my mind. Memories I thought I hid well and for good, just plaguing my thoughts.

Why? That is the only question I couldn’t get the answer to after all this time. The betrayal, the dagger, and that hole in my chest… I try to even my breathing but it’s all so suffocating that I see nothing for a moment. Then slowly, my vision is clearing, and my mind lacks those memories. It’s because of Eliana. She enchanted me so anytime I think of her, that charm calms me the fuck down. I need to give her a gift card for the effort.

Now, I can’t think of anything else just my job. And my job is to find that scumbag and beat the shit out of him. But before that, I need to ask some questions. Andreas mentioned some dragon scales, he needs. I don’t know why the fuck he always searches for these kinds of stuff, but I gladly help him. He saved my life, it’s the least I can do for him.

But once again, as I scan the area, looking for that lousy excuse of a man, I find myself thinking of her again. Two weeks ago I dreamt about her. I never did before, and it really shook my world literally. I found myself beside my bed, sweating, and breathing heavily. But I don’t remember what it was about. I just remember her and her brown eyes staring at me and suddenly her left eye starts to shimmer and color the iris from the edge of the globe. She starts to scream and… then I wake up.

I don’t believe in that bullshit that: „when a person appears in your dreams, that person wants to see you”. Huh, that is really fucked up. First of all, she died in my arms, so there is no way she wants to see me. Second of all, she tried to kill me. If she really wants to see me, it means, she wants to fucking try again. Even from the other side, she haunts me.

I shook my head again, realizing that son of a bitch is behind me. He actually thought I wouldn’t see him? I scoff, then slowly turn around but he’s already attacking. Okay, then let’s have some fun. As his fist connects with my face, I smile. That scum just made me furious…

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After 2 hours and my not-so-subtle torture technique, I realize that man is not so easy to break. Not my fucking problem, I always liked a challenge.

Since my recovery from this fucking wound, I was a zombie inside, but soon the constant nagging from Andreas I became annoyed. He said he had something that will make me angry. And he was fucking right, my zombie state quickly switched from what I heard.

Andreas and I came up with a plan to handle my anger. And it worked… for a time being. I turned into a scout, an interrogator, and an executioner. All at once, and I fucking craved it every time.

No matter how many times I went into assassin mode, always felt empty after that. Something was missing and finally, Andreas came forward with a suggestion. Sex can fill that void in me. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into…

I fucked hundreds of women, in merely two months and I still wasn’t satisfied. I hoped I can leave it all behind, but it never happened.

Many years later, or was it decades? I don’t really remember, but a woman, named Denise, a pretty, young, ebony delicacy introduced me to BDSM. Pain and pleasure combined helped the hole in my heart and slowly everything about Beth faded into darkness.

This phrase took slightly more time to transform into boredom. It still wasn’t enough and I fucking didn’t know what to do this rage inside me…

And sometime later Eliana confessed she charmed my memories of her. I was surprised but wasn’t mad at her, but it still didn’t calm me enough to not abuse to powers I have over some people.

Oh, and the torture I enjoyed… I smiled knowingly and that scumbag just spits his blood on my face.

"So, you don’t want to talk?" – asked, my voice low and dangerous, and wiped his juicy spit off my face.

"Nothing to say…" - he spat. – "Then, let’s play!" – I said and zipped my jacket open. I pulled two syringes out of my hidden pocket.

"What is that?" – his voice was shocked as if he already knew it.

"What is what?" – his eyes stared at the items in my hands. "Oh, these?" – pointed to the liquids in my hand. "It’s just something to help you open your mouth" – I smirked evilly before striking those things to his neck. He screamed in agony, and trashed in the chair I made him sit in. I loved when they screamed, it just made me… excited.

The room I dragged him into after I stopped his attempt to punch me in the face again was dimly light. The walls were dirty and the hard paint was falling off. The smell was just the icing on this fucking day. Like someone died in here… ugh… hated rooms like this, but it fucking made me intimidating in their eyes. I paced in the room, waiting for the poison to take an effect. Nothing really happened…

You know, the thing is I can sense someone’s abilities, even the hidden ones. I didn’t feel him, but now, I do feel it. He can absorb any poison. Why didn’t I sense it before?

"Something’s wrong, big guy?" – my eyes widened, as I fixed my state on him. "Or do you want me to call you, hybrid?" – I tried to keep my face expressionless, but it wasn’t easy. Noone before knew that about me. But it won’t change anything, my plans for him just became wilder.

"You can call me whatever the fuck you want. I will get that information" – I moved close to him, slowly leveling my eyes to his. "One way or another…" - my face become dark, I silenced my heartbeat, and I looked like a fucking statue. Being a hybrid, I am a half-werewolf and half-vampire. But my vampire side was stronger, that is why I can’t communicate with my wolf as often as I liked. My abilities also came from my mother’s heritage, which is why I was so surprised that Eugene, my wolf talked in my head.

'Your bloodsucker side might be scary for some weak lowlifes, but this one needs someone stronger.' – he suggested I turn into a wolf. Yeah, not happening.

'Last time you said the same, and I needed stitches all over my body over a week…' – I remembered that painful memory of Tribalt, the biggest dragon kingdom in the world. If I didn’t shift back in time and use my wings, I would be fucking dead. 'It wasn’t my fault, I had him. You just decided to go the other way.' – I scoffed at him. Yeah, did I say he was also delusional? 'No way, we need those locations, and you know it' –tried to reason with him, but he was just as stubborn as me.

'He also has pieces of information about Andreas and…' – he hesitated a bit, but blurted it out – '…and our… mate too'. I froze in my tracks. What did he just fucking said to me?

'You know she’s gone… and she betrayed us…' – I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. It was still hard to think of her, and Eugene and I have a silent agreement, we won’t talk about her. EVER!

"Tell me what you know and your death will be as quick as lightning" – I said to this weird creature before me. "The Moonlight Killer pack never tells you the truth about your uncle" – I smirked, that is more like it. "What… no, I meant… what have you done?" – he asked in disbelief.

"You reverse the roles here, scum" – I looked into his eyes hard, then pushed myself from where I was standing, behind him. I deliberately failed to mention, what was in the syringes. One of them was wolfsbane, the world’s most powerful poison for werewolves. The other one… well, if I was failing to recognize my enemy by scent, what would only happen three times in my entire life, I would always use Veritaserum. "You better tell me, what your pack is hiding" – I smiled menacingly.

"I can’t… they… will… kill me…" - I put my hand on his shoulder and leaned forward so I can whisper in his ears. "You’ll die anyway… but you should thank Moon Goddess that I will take your life" – his breath hitched and I knew I got him.

"Andreas… made a weapon and soon… he will… cut out everyone who… resist him" – hmm, that one was news, even for me. Not that I didn’t expect something big from him, but still… that was huge. "Tell me about the dragon scale" – I ordered.

"You shouldn’t worry about dragon scale, no matter how… powerful it can be" – I growled, making him inhale sharply. "I won’t ask again" – he nodded his head and told me everything about it. Locations, guards, powers and it was fucking interesting. Hungary… you fucking kidding me, right? I moved away from him and drew a frustrated hand through my head. Fucking Hungary… great!

"And if you hurry, you might find… something else there" – this time, he smirked. "What?" – I asked, and he slowly moved his head toward me. His face was full of bruises, courtesy to me. "Not what… who…" - he laughed like a madman. I stood there, waiting for him to finish. He did eventually, I glared at him and he gulped loudly. I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes, but soon, it turned into something else.

"It would be great to live and tell the tale later… but I guess I will die tonight" – I was in front of him in a mere second and grabbed his hair to lift his head. – "Do not play games with me." – I growled in his face. He just smiled and said those words, which broke my fucking heart again.

"I guess, the hybrid… got a second… chance… with his purple… eyed… huntress…" - still smirking as he empathized with all the words.

What the fuck did he just say?