The Lycaetos

Chapter 29: It hurts more when you can't see it

Suddenly I feel something in my chest, paralyzing me near completely. I can't move my lips, my arms, or even my fingers. I can only just barely move my eyes enough to see what's going on around me. 


Hunter's hands are glowing purple. What looks like chains marks are cutting across his neck, also glowing purple. Yet he seems unfazed. 

Kirsa looks to be having similar chain marks on her neck and wrists, Mik too. 


Mik also seems not to care or even try to fight it, Kirsa on the otherhand...

Let's just say her attempts to stop it only made it worse. 


Hunter spoke once more, "It's not safe for your family here Kirsa, you must leave."


Kirsa continues to struggle as the cuts get tighter. She doesn't seem to be as paralyzed as Mik and I. I'm unsure if it's truly Kirsa's strength, or if Hunter did this on purpose. 


I want to help, or at least step in, so badly. I don't know what to do to stop it. Never have I encountered this before. 


Kirsa responds again, tone still even regardless of the injuries, "This isn't fair Hunter, you'll leave Ara with no one."


"She'll still have you, just not be with you." Hunter counters. 


Kirsa glares, but finally stops moving against the magic. It still cuts into her skin. 


Fear drops into the pit of my stomach, and I remember all those feelings of fear I've had for Hunter since he changed. 


Indeed that fear was still there. 


'Comforting.' 


Not so much right now. As if reading my mind, Hunter's gaze darkens as he looks toward me for a moment. 


I start to feel a mild hint of the magic's pull loosening. 


I try to speak again and the sensation of a rubber band flicking at my tongue jolts me. Nothing still comes out. 


Mik rolls her eyes. Hunter turns back to staring down Kirsa.


The gaze he looks at her with, gives me chills. The way his eyes glisten in a type of threat that gave way how much he was holding back. As if saying, these chains could get  much worse than they already were. 


His voice is icy as he speaks again, "No one will question this time what happened with our kind, because  you can smell the Queen's magic on me, but I won't be able to make an excuse for you next time...You will go."

Suddenly the feeling is gone. All sensation hits me like a ton of bricks. The magic dissipating before my eyes. I almost fall over. I shift my hands to help keep myself up. Heavy breathing like I'd been running for miles and miles. 


There's an ache in my chest that won't let up. I try my best to ignore it. 


The purple glowing is gone, and the marking has disappeared from Kirsa and Mik's skin. Only with bloody marks left on Hunter's neck. Which he doesn't seem to notice nor care about. Not even wiping the blood that's slowly trickling down to his chest.  


Instead Hunter moves his shoulders forward and his elbows onto his knees in a very threatening pose. 


I catch my breath. 


"Hunter-" I speak, he turns to me, "who is this Queen? The other Lycaetos mentioned her too."


I needed answers. With that, maybe I could convince him to let Kirsa stay... but maybe he was right. Would it be too dangerous to keep her here? 


Kirsa still has a firm glare, but she leaves her head tilted away. Which tells me she might be thinking the same thing I am. Before Hunter can answer my question about the Queen, Mik does instead. A smile on her lips as she speaks, a hint of affection in her voice. 


"The current Queen of werewolves, you've met her before. She's the one who gave you the necklace. She knows something about your kind that you don't; she's trying just a few little steps to help just little enough to not get caught by the earth King- to maybe one day undo the damage your kind will inflict... just as your kind did on their planet- "


"our planet."  Hunter interrupts. 


Mik nods, replying, "Still do the ends justify the means?" 


Hunter suddenly looks down. Gripping his right hand into a fist. I'm still completely confused on what's going on. With Mik's answer, and Hunter's reaction, I understand less than I did before this. Though still I'm trying to connect the dots with what I already know. And what I know is that something bad is going to happen, and it will be the Lycaetos fault, our fault. This must be tied to that. I want more information, though as I sit and wait for either Mik or Hunter to speak more about it, explain everything. I just get silence. 


All of us here, quiet. 


Kirsa looks at me, then away again. A sigh from her lips. 


Finally Hunter speaks again, "I can only protect you Ara, and those you want protected... but for those you want protected who aren't Lycaetos like us, it must be secret..." 

How? Why?

Hunter continues, "As you've probably guessed, this city is mine... This city is also one of the major factions for us Lycaetos because I'm a diamond claw."


"Like me?" I spit out, remembering the previous events. 


His glare darkens, back my way. 


"Ara you can not tell anyone that you are a diamond claw."


I cross my arms, grit my teeth, a look at him back. 


"Why not?" I ask. 


Hunter shakes his head left to right. Lifting his arm up slightly to rest it against his chest as he shifts his body away from me and more toward leaning back. 


He answers with a monotone voice, "Ara, we need to go home and Kirsa you need to leave the city."


I speak out to protest but with one more cold look, Hunter stops me. 


"Now." He commanded. 

It was Mik who sighed in defeat first. Nodding to me. 


Kirsa really had to go.