Cursed

SIXTEEN

The second one was answered quickly.

"Wake up, girl!" A sharp voice boomed. "Fucking spells." The same voice muttered quietly after, the sound of footsteps fading away caressing Mack's ears painfully. A drawn-out groan tumbled from her lips, the sound of footsteps getting louder again. A pointed gasp escaped her as rough, strong fingers dug into her jaw, tilting her head upwards until she was looking into dark brown eyes.

"J-Joshua?" She croaked, voice shattered from her drowsy state. The man's lips curled into a menacing smirk, a dangerous flame flicking in his eyes. "What am I doing here?"

"All in good time, sweetheart. We just need to wait for my abomination of a son to arrive and the party can get started." Joshua spoke, a malevolent glint in his tone that made Mack sick to her stomach. He wasn't the good guy in this situation, and she definitely wasn't safe.

"W-what do you mean 'get started'" she stuttered out, eyes blown wide with fear as the man stalked around her - like a predator hunting its prey. A dark chuckled filled the tiny shed.

"You'll soon find out, my dear. No need to worry yourself, yet." Joshua cooed sinisterly in her ear, body looming behind Mack's and sending a crawling shiver up her spine that made the girl's entire body quake with terror.

"Joshua!" Mack gasped at the loud shout of Kai's voice, muffled by the creaky walls of the little shed. "Joshua get out here!" Kai bellowed and the feeling of Joshua's breath on the back of Mack's neck as he let out another deep, dark chuckled made the werewolf want to vomit.

"Show time." The witch murmured, an evil smirk gracing his thin lips.

A shrill scream ripped from Mack's throat, right knee buckling slightly but her hanging frame was kept up high but the ever-rattling manacles, causing a burning pain to spark in her upper torso where her body stretched. Mack didn't dare look, her eyes clenched shut as the pain climbed up her leg and through her body, head pounding.

"KENZ!" Kai boomed, the little, flimsy door of the shed flinging open, crashing into the weak wood behind it and shaking some of the shelves lining the walls. There he stood, panting and shaking with anger, eyes dark with an unreadable cloud as he stared at Mack's tear-stained face and the sight of his father stood with a smug smirk behind her.

"Nice of you to join us, Malachai." Joshua finned malevolently, another pained scream echoing from Mack as she felt a searing, sharp pain stabbing through her left arm. The burn didn't leave, the bones being torn apart by the harsh binding.

"Stop!" Kai shouted. "Leave her alone!"

"I don't think I will." Joshua smirked. "You see, I think you need to be taught a lesson. Ever since this girl has come into your life it's been nothing but trouble - mixing with werewolves, steeling magic...I might just have to lock you up." Joshua said, almost sing-songy towards the end. "But I'll start with getting rid of her." Joshua spat, just as three bones broke in Mack's body.

Her ear-piercing screams and pleas brought a siege of tears to Kai's eyes, but an amused glint to his father's.

"Why are you doing this to her." Kai demanded.

"To show you the monster she really is." Joshua said sternly, muttering a spell under his breath to speed up her transition.

"P-please! Make it stop! I can't take it anymore, please stop!" Mack cried, voice shattered with exhaustion and pain.

"Stop it! Just- take me instead! Punish me! Not her," Kai pleaded, eyes pooling with tears once again.

"Boy, don't you see that I already am? By hurting her I am hurting you much more." Joshua confirmed. When Mack looked up again, her eyes were rimmed with gold.

"Stop it!" Kai shouted. Joshua laughed darkly.

And then Mack was truly changing.

Joshua used his powers to disconnect the thick chains from the ceiling, instead rooting them to the concrete floor. And when he was finished, a wolf stood in Mack's place.

"Time for the grand finale." Joshua smirked, hand raising. "Phasmatos superous em animi..."

The pained whimpers of the wolf made Kai wince and Joshua laughed mockingly at him.

"Don't tell me you feel bad for it, Malachai?" Kai raised his head with anger storming in his eyes, yet he was helpless. The whimpering had stopped, the wolf's body still. A shift happened in Mack, her shaking body reverting back.

Kai was quick to rush to her side, arms wrapping around her and cradling Mack's body to his.

"I've got you, I'm here, Kenz. Please- please just come back to me, please." Tears dropped onto her cheeks, a salting sheen over her sweat covered skin and she slowly blinked awake.

A smile broke out on Kai's face, but it was soon replaced by a fearful grimace as her strained voice filled his ears.

"I love you, Kai. With all me heart. Remember that." Mack's lifeless eyes bore into the ceiling, shining with a gloss of tears, but lacking the glint of life they usually held.

Kai's lip trembled uncontrollably, wobbling as his grip on her body slowly loosened. He didn't even get to tell her he loved her one last time...

"I'm done!" Kai's voice bellowed, his tear stained face ripping away from Mack's limp body, rolling lifelessly from his lap and dropping to the stone-cold floor. Kai slowly raised to his feet, head raising. He looked straight into Joshua's eyes as he spoke, clearly. "Do you hear me!?" He continued, noting the way Joshua's throat bobbed as he sealed thickly, trying to contain the fear he suddenly felt for his son. "I lost everything! You made me lose everything!" Kai boomed, rage written over his features as he spun to face his father, face red.

Kai advanced on Joshua, hands fisting the older man's shirt collar tightly as he pushed him up against the gritty stone wall. Kai looked into his father's eyes as he spoke, heavy breaths panted between them as Joshua cracked - showing his first sign of fear towards his son since the first time he saw Kai siphon.

"And you will regret everything you ever did to me."

END