The Beast

20 - Paris?

Dominic

I rub my forehead and look around, what the hell happened? Lexie was nowhere to be seen but I assumed this was where she had gone, there was no other way. Reluctantly, I start walking down the dark street. My heart was pounding in my chest and my nerves were on edge. The place looked like the old quarters of Paris, yet everything felt different. The street lights were broken and in the houses the blinds were down so it was hard to recognize anything. Everything felt deserted and empty except for a few moths fluttering frantically around the few light sources.

"Did someone lose their dinner?" A voice is suddenly heard behind me and I quickly turn around and hesitantly look up at the man grinning at me. He looks like something out of a Viking fantasy movie with his long blonde hair, big biceps and Scandinavian accent. Two meters tall and wide as a house, and I am almost a little disappointed when I see that he is wearing ordinary clothes instead of leather armor.

"What?" I ask in confusion, taking a step backwards.

"Don't be afraid kid," he laughs, "I only eat humans when the moon is full."

"WHAT?!" I say again and open my eyes before looking for an escape route.

He laughs so loud his chest rumbles and shows two straight rows of chalk-white teeth in that bearded but rather beautiful smile with dimples in his cheeks. "Not in a joking mood?"

I take a deep breath and shake my head, "no, sorry I'm just a bit stressed".

"Who are you running from?" he asks, crossing his arms as he leans against the wall of the house.

"I'm not running, I'm looking for someone," I sigh, rubbing my bare arms for warmth.

"A human?"

I looked up at him questioningly, did I look like someone who'd lost their puppy? "Uh, yes?"

He nodded and looked me up and down, "are you new around here?"

"New?... here?" I looked at him in disbelief, "I was born in Paris if that's what you mean."

His questioning look shifted to obvious curiosity, "you don't know where you are then?"

"Not really," I admitted, looking around.

He smiled at me with a hint of mischief. "Have you noticed that things are different?"

"Uh... weird you mean?"

He nodded, "What's your name?" I studied him, wondering if I really could trust this giant or if I should turn on my heel and run for my life. "Okay, listen," he said with a smile, "you don't have to be afraid of me. It's the little ones you should stay away from, and anyone with long canines."

I frowned and looked completely lost, I had no fucking idea what he meant but the words made me shiver all over. "Dominic," I answered eventually and got a broad smile in response.

"Magnus."

"Okay, thanks for the warning, I guess, but I should go before..."

"Sure," he grinned, "but be careful."

I nodded a few times before hurrying past him towards a relatively well-lit street. What the hell was this place, I thought and looked around and where the hell had she gone!

The cobblestone streets were narrow and dirty, everything smelled different somehow, more like a pine forest than a city and the air, the air vibrated with some strange energy. Everywhere I went  felt eyes watching me, many small ones from the garbage cans and bigger ones from the street corners and I was pretty sure it wasn't rats and mice watching me. They looked hungrier.