Joelynn was greeted home by the smell of bacon, eggs, and blueberry pancakes. She smiled as she saw Eva trying hopelessly to flip a pancake into the air with a spatula. "Hey cousin, whatchya up to?" Eva turned and laughed, "I'm making us some breakfast. How do you want your pancakes? Burnt or crispy?" Joelyn grimaced and grabbed a piece of toast from the counter, "Ummm...I think I'll pass, thanks. Congrats on the article by the way." "You saw it?" Eva beamed. "My editor was pretty pleased with it." "Is it true that he skins them alive?" Joelynn sat at the kitchen table while Eva put a plate of food in front of her. Eva wasn't the best cook but she was about seven years older than her and she always tried to take care of her. Joelynn was grateful to her. Eva was like an older sister, a friend, a cousin, and a mother all rolled up into one. Eva cocked her head to one side before answering, "Well from what I understand, he skinned the faces of the first two victims after they were dead but can we talk about something else during breakfast?" Joelynn shrugged so Eva grinned and asked, "How's Jacob doing?" It was a topic they always discussed and Joelynn rolled her eyes, "How many times do I have to tell you? He's gay, Eva!" Eva looked as though she didn't believe her. Joelynn laughed, "Eva! Stop trying to hook me and Jacob up. I'm not lying to you...he really likes guys." "If you say so," Eva said before shoving a giant piece of burnt blueberry pancake in her mouth. Joelynn laughed. Eva didn't believe that Jacob was gay. "Maybe it's just you he doesn't like. He's too good-looking to pass up. Does he like older women?" Eva joked. "Eww...will you stop Eva!" "Eww? I'm not that much older than you! You act like I've got one foot in the grave," Eva said indignantly. "Well if you're on the wrong side of twenty-five, you might as well," Joelynn teased. "Youngsters these days have no respect!" Eva joked in a fake older voice. Then she tossed a piece of burnt pancake at Joelynn, "I'm not even thirty yet so don't go there Joelynn." Joelynn laughed and tossed the pancake back to Eva. "So what about you? Meet any hot guys lately?" Joelynn wanted to steer the conversation away from her lack of a love life. Eva gave a dramatic sigh, "No. I have yet to meet my Mr. Right or even a Mr. Wrong for that matter." "What about that Detective Gonzales or David? I can tell you from experience that dating a cop can be fun." Eva almost choked on her pancake. "Joelynn! When did you date a cop? I know a lot of officers. Who was it? Someone I know?" Joelynn shook her head, "This is exactly why I didn't tell you. He dumped me anyway so it doesn't matter." By her expression, Eva could tell her cousin was upset, "Did he break your heart? Who was it? Tell me and I'll get-" "Stop!" Joelynn was laughing. "Stop talking about me when we were talking about you. So David or Jerry Gonzales? Who'd you rather date?" "Joelynn...Detective Gonzales is old!" Joelynn smirked, "Not that old...and I didn't hear you say anything about David." Eva rolled her eyes, "David is my friend. Besides he isn't into monogamy." Joelynn speared some eggs with her fork, "He's pretty cute. If you don't want him, I'll date him." Joelynn gasped when she felt the egg that landed on her chest.

IV

“Demon King Seeks Queen: Who Will be the Unfortunate Bride?” “What kind of crap is this?” Detective Jerry Gonzales wasn’t having a good day. He threw the morning newspaper onto his desk. He couldn’t believe that Eva Lewis would write such BS. Just last night she was crying that the Demon King was after her and now he had to read her article about some serial killer like he was some prince searching for a princess. To top off everything, he was told last night that the FBI was going to be taking over the case. He was pissed and he needed a scapegoat. Jerry looked at the newspaper article again and sneered. Eva Lewis was making a name for herself by sensationalizing the deaths of three innocent women and he didn’t like it…not one bit.
~MEANWHILE~
Still at home, Eva woke up early and decided to go jogging. The sunlight streaming through her window made her feel brave. She called her editor and told him she wasn’t going to make it into work today. Eva needed the run to clear her mind. As she walked out her door, she picked up the newspaper that was on her front porch. As she read the article, she wondered if Detective Gonzales was right in saying that she was glorifying a killer by writing these articles about the Demon King. She put the paper back on her porch and began jogging to a nearby park. Eva loved to jog. She got her best writing ideas when she was jogging. The rhythm of her own breathing always calmed her. She let her mind wander to the night before. Finding the crown of flowers in her car had been frightening but David had to be right. It had to have been a prank. No one came to attack her last night. It was just a prank. She thought about Detective Gonzales’ warnings. She wasn’t the only one that was writing stories about the Demon King but she had given him the name and when she wrote her articles about him, more newspapers were always sold. Would it really make a difference if she stopped writing the articles? Probably not. Should she stop writing the articles? Eva struggled a bit with coming to a decision. She had been running for forty minutes and was almost on her way back home. If she stopped writing the Demon King articles what difference would it make? Other reporters would continue to write about him. She might as well continue. After she reached her house, she picked her newspaper back up from her porch. She entered her house and wondered when the hell Joelynn was going to be home. While Eva was at home waiting for her, Joelynn Lewis was at her best friend Jacob’s house. “Jacob! Jacob Torres wake up. You have to go to work you dumbass.” Joelynn was shaking her still sleeping friend. She had spent the night at his house because they had stayed up late watching scary movies. Jacob worked as a waiter at a nearby Mexican restaurant so he had to be up early. Joelynn took a pillow and hit him with it. He woke up instantly. “Que paso?” He asked. “What happened?” Joelynn repeated in English. “What happened is that your favorite girl in the whole wide world just woke you up so that you won’t lose your job!” “Dios mio!” Jacob quickly got out of bed and started getting ready to leave the house. Joelynn laughed. She adored Jacob. She probably would’ve been in love with him if he wasn’t gay. Joelynn sighed and looked at the time. She knew she had to be getting home soon or her cousin would worry. She told Jacob she was leaving and then stepped outside. In front of his door was a newspaper. Joelynn picked it up and read the article, “Demon King Seeks Queen: Who Will be the Unfortunate Bride?” Joelynn shivered. She had heard the stories from Eva on how he skinned the faces of his victims and she pitied the woman who would be the Demon King’s bride.
~AT BCT ENTERPRISE~
Stella sat at her desk looking at her smart phone’s screen. She hadn’t gotten a single message on her Love Match mobile application all morning from her blind date at the coffee shop. She scrolled the messages from last night. “So sorry... caught at work. Forgive me?” Stella had responded with, “What happened?” “Work emergency. Really want to meet you. Rain check?” At the time, Stella didn’t know if she should or shouldn’t reschedule. It had been a blow to her ego to have waited at the coffee shop in vain. She had waited for over an hour before she got his message. She messaged him back, “Idk. I don’t like being stood up.” “What can I do to make it up to you?” As a joke, she wrote, “I like flowers.” He hadn’t responded after that. Stella sighed, “I probably should’ve just rescheduled.” As she was about to pull up her e-mail, in walked her boss Tom McDaniels. “Mr. McDaniels, I didn’t expect to see you this morning. I thought you were taking leave. Is everything okay?” He stopped and looked at her, “What’s that supposed to mean?” He didn’t wait for an answer. He just strolled past her giving orders, “Get me some coffee and the files on Tel Corp. I don’t want to be disturbed for the rest of the day.” He walked into his office and let the double doors slam behind him. Stella shook her head. Tom McDaniels was a handsome man but he was also a cold man. Any other woman as his secretary would’ve been attracted to him but there was something about Mr. McDaniels that didn’t sit well with her. Her inability to be attracted to him may be why she lasted so long as his secretary. She was used to his mood swings and quick temper. There were times where he was incredibly kind and thoughtful. Unfortunately there were also times that he was distant and condescending. After bringing her boss his coffee and going back to her desk, she checked her phone messages again. Nothing. Stella was about to bring up her e-mail again when a deliveryman came into her work area. Stella smiled. He was carrying two dozen long stemmed red roses. “Are you Stella Meyers?” Stella’s lips curled up in a smile, “I am.” The man asked her to sign for the roses which were meant for her. Stella excitedly opened the card that came with the flowers, “Am I forgiven yet? Meet me at the coffee shop 9:00 tonight.” Stella mentally thought of what she should wear and quickly grabbed her mobile phone to message him that she would make it. In her excitement, it never occurred to her to wonder how he knew where to send the flowers as she had never told him where she worked.

Paula was gone. The words felt like deep scratches against his heart. Paula was the woman he had always thought of when he imagined his future or remembered his past. Paula had been his eternal crush. It wasn’t until he felt something wet on his face, that Tom realized he was crying. Here he was, sitting in the dark, bawling like some kid. How pathetic. Suddenly, a strong rush of anger hit him. Paula had left him. It didn’t matter that she never really belonged to him or that she was taken against her will. Bottom line…she was gone. She had left. Tom stood up and turned on an old rock song from the seventies. He let the heavy beats of the music wash over him and then started rummaging through a trunk in his closet. He tossed out old papers and pictures, letting them fall haphazardly on the floor. When he found what he was looking for, he grabbed a black sharpie from a drawer in his computer desk. He opened his old high school year book and began looking for pictures of Paula. One by one, he colored over her picture with his dark marker as if trying to wipe out her existence in his life. Each stroke of his pen felt like a cathartic release to him. He briefly thought of who would tell Samantha about Paula, but then shrugged. It wasn’t his problem anymore. As he marked out Paula’s pictures, he noticed that there was another person marked out in his book. He shut his eyes to stop the memories from resurfacing. “Christopher,” he whispered. Tom threw the yearbook against the wall. He made his way to the bathroom where he stared into the mirror. As the music continued to play in the background, Tom leaned towards his reflection. He slowly took out his green colored contacts. As he stared into the pale blue eyes he abhorred, his anger began to build. He was angry that Paula left him, he was angry at himself for being alone, and he was angry about what his blue eyes reminded him of. Without thinking, Tom lifted his fist and tried to destroy the image of his blue eyes. The mirror shattered against his fist but he didn’t feel the pain or acknowledge the small piece of skin that stayed embedded in his mirror. No, all he could feel was the overwhelming loneliness that engulfed him.

~ACROSS TOWN: LUDWIG NEWS BUILDING~

Eva Lewis sat in her living room recounting the day’s events. She was still very much shook up about the crown of flowers in her car but she reminded herself that this wasn’t the first time a reader had gone too far in the name of telling a joke. Once she had written a story encouraging people to recycle and to have the city charge an extra fee for residents of Ludwig to pay for recycling pick-up, only to wake up the next day and find bags of garbage thrown on her front lawn. Eva considered herself a strong person and not much scared her, but the idea of being on the radar of a serial killer wasn’t something she desired. Her friend, Detective David Wilson, thought it was just a prank. Eva hoped he was right. She relished in the idea of being the reporter that named the Demon King but didn’t want to be a victim of his. Eva took a deep breath and walked through her house again, checking that her windows were locked and that nobody was hiding under her bed or in the closet. She would have to remind her cousin Joelynn to start setting the alarm after she left the house. Eva thought of Joelynn who had texted her earlier, “Staying at Jacob’s tonight!” It was probably for the best that Joelynn wasn’t home. She was the only family that Eva had left. She would hate for something to happen to Joelynn because of a story that she had written. Eva picked up her phone and texted her cousin back, “OK be safe.” As an extra precaution, Eva grabbed a knife and hid it under her pillow. She was taking no chances tonight.

~OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF LUDWIG, TX~

He couldn’t believe how things were working out for himself. He laughed as he walked to his cellar. He loved this place. It was his secret room. Nobody ever disturbed him in his cellar. It was where he could work in peace. If anyone else ever found out about it, things would be over pretty fast. In the meantime, he was able to continue his game as long as he wanted. He looked at the newspaper article from the week before “Demon King Claims Second Victim.” If she only knew. He laughed again at the ignorance of the article by Eva Lewis. Demon King In his mind it was very fitting. He felt like a king and he was a demon to the core. He looked at the corner of his cellar. Remnants of his previous victims were piled up. He picked up a skull and laughed. “Second victim? I think not.” He let the skull fall from his hands and walked back to his laptop which lay on his workbench. He logged onto a site that he had been visiting lately: Love Match. Some unfortunate woman was about to make a date with death.

“James don’t you have some reports to file or something?” David asked in a low tone. James Smith looked at Eva and finally understood. He gave a crooked smile and answered, “Right. It wasn’t you. You were probably at home…reading or something.” After David’s fellow detective awkwardly left, he turned back to Eva, “I’m sorry about that Eva. I think he was dropped on his head as a baby too many times. I wasn’t with a blonde last night. I don’t even like blondes. I prefer brunettes.” Eva didn’t seem to notice that he was clearly complimenting her dark hair. “David, someone broke into my car! I don’t know who did it but they left this behind,” Eva held up her crown of white flowers. David quickly stopped thinking of blondes versus brunettes and looked around as he grabbed her arm, asking her to follow him. He took her to his desk and asked her to repeat what had happened. Eva shared what had happened from the time she left her place of work until she saw him and asked, “It’s him, isn’t it? It’s the Demon King?” “Eva, calm down. It could’ve just been a prank,” he said as he tried to reassure her that she had nothing to be worried about. “Just a prank? Why would anyone do this as a prank? What kind of sick person would do this?” “I know you’re worried but as far as we know, he hasn’t done this with the other victims. Also, look at this,” he held up the crown of flowers. “These are roses Eva. The Demon King has been using peonies.” “What? Peonies? Are you sure?” Eva grabbed the ring of flowers and her shoulders slumped in relief. Maybe it was just a prank. David asked, “Is your cousin Joelynn still staying with you?” When Eva nodded, he told her to go home and relax, “If anything else happens, call me on my cell. I’ll come running Eva.” Eva smiled as she looked at him. “Thanks David.” Eva hugged him but he hugged her for a longer time than what was necessary and Eva laughed, “David, you can let go now.” David smiled at her, “Just making sure you’re okay, Eva.” She gave him a weak smile and walked out of the police station, bumping into Detective Gonzales. “Are you still trying to get information on the murder outside of town? Lewis, you need to call it a day already,” Jerry said angrily and tried to get past her when she stopped him. “I thought he was after me…but it was just a prank.” Eva held up the flowers. Detective Gonzales didn’t show a response but after a long moment of silence, he gruffly asked, “Are you okay?” Eva shrugged, “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Jerry cleared his throat, “I’m sorry to hear that you were scared, but I’m glad it happened. You need to know how dumb it is to glorify this killer by calling him a king.” Eva nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to argue with him. She just wanted to forget the entire incident. “I better get home.” Jerry took the crown of flowers from her before she left. He walked to his partner’s desk. David saw the flowers in Jerry’s hand and spoke before being asked, “Her flowers were roses but I convinced her it was a prank. I told her he only used peonies. The crowns are different but I think we should still send a few officers over to drive by her home.” “Why didn’t you tell her the truth?” Jerry asked. David sighed, “Because I didn’t want to scare her when it’s probably just a prank. Remember last year when she wrote a story about outlawing guns? She ended up finding dead animals on her porch. She writes a lot of controversial stuff and it sometimes causes readers to do stupid things. This guy hasn’t been leaving crowns. He just strikes and besides, the flowers are different.” Jerry began to head back to his desk when David said, “Hey Gonzales, what’s that in the cuff of your pants?” Jerry was about to ask him what he was talking about, when David bent over and picked it out. It was a single white rose petal. Jerry took the petal from David and shrugged. He walked back to his desk. He looked at the crown of white roses that he had taken from Eva and then looked at the crown of white flowers from the murder scene that were now on his desk in an evidence bag. It’s a good thing Eva didn’t see them or she would know that David hadn’t told her the truth. He didn’t lie exactly but it wasn’t the truth either. Jerry really didn’t see how the two crowns were all that different. The flowers in the evidence bag were plain white roses and the flowers that Eva had were also plain white roses. Eva’s flowers were only different because of the baby’s breath that had been woven into the crown…as though hers were special. Jerry smiled and held up the single petal that had been caught in the cuff of his pants. He let it go and chuckled as it drifted into his trashcan.

III

Stella Meyers was going to be late for her date. She couldn’t believe that her boss at BCT Enterprise had been unavailable yet again today. As the secretary for a bigwig she expected the job to be demanding but this past week, things were heading into the ridiculous category. First he went on vacation which he then extended. Now he was telling her that he was taking a leave of absence. Could bosses even do that? Stella cursed him under her breath as she quickly got into her car and looked in her rearview mirror. She touched up her red lipstick and headed to the café that she was supposed to meet her blind date at. She had answered an ad on a local singles site. She normally wouldn’t do such a thing but desperate times called for desperate measures. It had been weeks since she had been out with anyone. A friend recommended the site to her and presto…she had a date. It was too hot to drink coffee but she could always order a peach tea. Stella looked around and waited. She wondered if she was too early. She checked the time on her phone and saw that she was only a few minutes early. She wore a short black dress and red pumps. She chose the outfit because it would be passable for work and for her date. Her red hair was up in a messy bun and she was fidgeting with her straw’s paper wrapper. Across the café, a man was watching her behind his newspaper. “So this was her,” he thought as an old eighties song playing in the coffee shop drowned out the din of the other customers. He focused on her red hair. He hated red hair. She looked anxious. He smirked as he thought of her waiting for her date that would never come. Slowly, he folded his newspaper and got up. He made his way to the exit, making a point to pass her table. She was checking her phone for any missed messages and didn’t notice him. He walked out the door and into the dry night air. He looked up and smiled in anticipation as he thought of the next step in his plan. ~AT THE LUDWIG NEWS BUILDING~ Eva Lewis was panicking. She could’ve sworn someone had been watching her and now she was holding a crown of flowers in her hand. The Demon King always placed flowers on the heads of his victims. She quickly looked around and through her backseat windows. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath and quickly exhaled deeply. No scary monster was hiding in her car. She hurriedly entered her vehicle, locked her doors, and dialed the number of her least favorite detective, Jerry Gonzales. He didn’t answer. Before she began reporting on the Demon King case, he used to take her calls. Now he ignored her. Eva didn’t quite understand what she did to capture his ire but now she seemed to be his least favorite person. She wouldn’t have bothered calling him if he wasn’t in charge of the Demon King case. Eva found herself driving to the police station before second thoughts could take over. Was this a prank? Was this a message from the Demon King? Eva didn’t know but she sure as hell wanted to find out. When she arrived at the police station, she asked to see Detective Gonzales. She was told that he wasn’t in. Eva was about to start making demands to see the captain when Detective David Wilson showed up. “Hey there Eva. What’s going on?” David looked concerned and he noticed the circle of white flowers in Eva’s right hand. Eva was relieved to see him. She liked David and they had been friends for years. He was always sweet and helpful. He had a reputation for being a ladies’ man but Eva never had a problem with him. Before Eva could respond, another detective came up to David laughing, “Wilson, I saw you with that blonde last night at the bar. Nice work bro!” Eva could see David’s eyes widen, “What the hell are you talking about Smith? I wasn’t with anyone yesterday.” Detective James Smith gave David a strange look, “I could’ve sworn it was you. Are you sure you-“

I actually thought the guy coming back was Carter but this ur story don get twist ooo

this selestian or watin wicked oo

II
~SEVEN DAYS EARLIER~
It had been the rehearsal dinner for Kevin Landers and Samantha Lake's wedding. As the best man, Tom McDaniels was obligated to attend. He had been feeling antsy as he had two business deals that needed to be dealt with but couldn't because he was busy at the rehearsal. When Kevin had asked Tom to be his best man, he had immediately accepted for two reasons. The first reason was that Kevin was like a brother to him. The second reason was Paula Masterson being one of the bridesmaids.
Tom glanced at the blonde woman who was currently pretending she hadn't just spilled red wine on the white tablecloth in front of her. He laughed to himself. She had always been a little clumsy. He found it endearing. As she looked in his direction, he smiled at her. She seemed surprised but nodded and smiled back.
Tom had picked up one of his plates and moved it as a way to signal for her to copy his actions. She smiled and looked around before nonchalantly picking up her plate and covering the red stain with her dinner plate. She looked back at Tom and winked.
Tom had gone to school with Paula but never really talked with her. It wasn't a surprise that she didn't remember him. Growing up, she was part of the popular group and he wasn't. Back then he was too young and scared to approach her. It wasn't until after he graduated, that he missed seeing the larger than life blonde that was always a little clumsy, always helping others, and never afraid to stand up for her friends.
He remembered their senior prom when she had been asked to attend by Johnny Joe Garcia, a kid with Down syndrome. Johnny Joe had asked her months in advance before anyone else could. Paula accepted his invitation and didn't seem the slightest bit embarrassed to have him as her date. When asked why she didn't go with her boyfriend to prom, she responded, "Johnny Joe asked me first." Tom wished that he had asked her before Johnny Joe.
Tom also remembered when she was a freshman and had missed school for over a week. Later he found out that was when her family had died in a car accident while she had been visiting her aunt. He thought for sure she would have turned into some kind of basket case but she was the same old Paula. She continued to smile and stay friendly with everyone. He remembered walking in on her crying one day in the choir room. She was all alone and he had intended to pick up some sheet music for an upcoming recital.
Paula was weeping and if Tom had been a braver man, he would've consoled her. Instead he watched for a moment and then silently left the room to give her some privacy. Tom understood what it felt like to lose family. He wanted to reach out to her but during those years, the social divide was too great and he was just some geek that she didn't even know existed. At that time he was content to just watch her from afar . During his college years, he still knew how Paula was doing through Samantha Lake, Kevin's soon-to-be wife. It was like Samantha knew that Tom had a crush on Paula. So Samantha always told him how Paula was doing. So when he was told that Paula was going to be part of the wedding ceremony, Tom was ecstatic.
Tom had been waiting for this moment. It had been years in the making. He was rich, handsome, successful, and now all he needed was Paula, the girl he could never get out of his mind. He knew that she was now an elementary school teacher and most importantly...still single. If things worked out with Paula maybe they would be the ones having a June wedding next year.
Still at the police station, Tom McDaniels shook off his thoughts of the past week and stared at the pretty brunette next to him. She shook his hand and introduced herself, "Eva. Eva Lewis. I'm sorry did you say your friend was missing?"
"Is missing," Tom corrected. Eva touched the locket she wore around her neck and mentally asked for forgiveness for what she was about to do but she had a strong feeling this man's friend and the lady at the murder scene were one and the same and she wanted the scoop. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry. How long has she been missing?"
Tom nodded, "Since five days ago." Eva gave a look of concern, "I'm sorry to hear that. The cops here are understaffed but they try to do their jobs as best they can. I know a few officers personally if you want to tell me about it. Maybe I can get them to make it a priority." Eva had cast the bait and was waiting to see if Tom would bite. Tom sighed. He needed any help he could get, "Her name is Paula Masterson." Eva smiled. Now she just needed to reel him in, "How long have you known her?" Eva noticed him adjust his collar before answering, "We went to high school together and were supposed to meet that night but she never showed up. At first I figured she just stood me up. I called her a few times but she never answered. Then I went to her hotel room and she still didn't answer. According to her reservation, today was her check out day but the hotel staff said she never did. We checked her room and her stuff was still there." Eva's curiosity was pricked, "How did you get the hotel staff to tell you that information?" Tom actually stiffened, "Well, to be honest, one of my friends owns the hotel. It wasn't that difficult and besides, I ended up paying for her hotel stay." Eva frowned. She wished she had rich friends that could easily break rules and get her private information with the exchange of money. It would definitely help her land more stories. Eva brushed her jealousy aside and asked, "How come you didn't file a report after two days? Why now?" Tom explained, "I was going to file a report but when I had questioned the front desk about her possible disappearance, one of the hotel staff members said they saw her leave with a man. I figured she really did just stand me up. Our friends Kevin and Samantha have been on their honeymoon. I was finally able to reach them and Samantha tried calling her and wasn't able to get in touch with her either. To ignore my calls is one thing. To ignore Samantha's is another. Now her phone is off or dead. Our friends are still on their honeymoon and I told them not to worry but something doesn't feel right. Why would she leave all of her clothes at the hotel? It makes no sense." Always one to question things, Eva couldn't help but wonder, "Why did she have a reservation at the hotel for so long after the wedding?" Tom shrugged, "I don't know but during the reception Paula had mentioned needing time for herself to relax." Eva took a moment to soak in all the information Tom had just given her. If her calculations were correct, Paula Masterson was the latest victim of the Demon King and she had an article to write. She looked at the time on her phone. She had a few more hours before she had to turn in her article. Eva was about to politely exit when a familiar voice came booming towards her. "What is she doing here?" Detective Jerry Gonzales snarled as he pointed to Eva. Eva took that as her signal to leave. She smiled at Tom and then turned to Jerry and his partner David. "It must be my lucky day to run into you not once but twice today Detective Gonzales," Eva said in a sweet voice, causing David to snort. He knew there was nothing but animosity between Jerry and Eva since she had started reporting on the Demon King case. Prior to it, Jerry got along with her just as well as all the other officers and detectives. "I want you out of here Lewis," Jerry gritted through a clenched jaw. "I know you do and I wanted to win the Pulitzer last year but we can't always get what we want," Eva grinned. "Are you here to see me Eva?" David interjected before Jerry could begin yelling at Eva again. She shook her head, "Nope. I came to bring Gina coffee." "Stop buttering up the other officers for information and leave. I don't want you interfering with my investigation," Jerry demanded. "I'm not sure why you're making my job difficult," Eva sighed. "I'm just trying to inform the public of the serial killer that's on the loose. That's not a crime." "You gave him the name Demon King! You're probably stroking his ego, making him want to kill more victims. You're so wrapped up in getting your next story that you probably never thought what these poor women and their families are going through," Jerry fumed. "How would you like it if he went after you?" David stepped forward and stood between Eva and Jerry, "Okay that's enough big guy. We need to get to work." Eva felt her stand taller and widened her stance. She hated it when men tried to bully her. She lifted her chin, "Well Detective Gonzales it looks like you have a serious case on your hands for the time being but I suspect that the FBI may be taking over for you in the near future." "What the hell are you talking about Lewis?" Jerry's hands were clenched, an obvious sign that he was upset. Eva, not one to be easily intimidated, answered him, "Well detective, it's not often that this small town gets its very own serial killer. Maybe your captain thinks you need some extra help. Oh by the way, this here is Tom. If I were you, I would talk to him." With that Eva sauntered past Jerry Gonzales and out the door. The angry detective watched Eva Lewis brush past him and muttered, "What a bitch." Then he looked at the man she called Tom and barked, "What do you want?" Tom took another deep breath to calm himself, "For the millionth time, I'm here because my friend has been missing for five days. I last saw her at a wedding where she was a bridesmaid." David chuckled and looked towards the door Eva just exited, "It makes you wonder how she does it." Jerry looked at Tom and frowned. He knew where this was heading. "What color was her dress?" "Yellow," the man answered. "Well ain't this a bitch?" Jerry cursed. Later that evening, Eva was ready to call it a day. She had finished typing out her article and had submitted it to Tony, her editor. He had promised to run it the next day. She was quite proud of herself. It read, "Demon King Seeks Queen: Who Will be the Unfortunate Bride?" Eva turned in her story and walked out the door. It was late but she didn't mind. She loved the dark. According to her thinking, the most interesting things happened when the sun went down. She walked to her car and paused. The hairs on her neck were standing up. Slowly, she turned around. She could've sworn someone was watching her. She shrugged off her fear, "This story must be getting to me." She could feel the skin on her arms get goose bumps. She quickly unlocked her doors and was about to get in her car when something caught her eye. It was on the passenger's side. It was a small crown of white flowers.

"I'm sorry?" the wife asked, not understanding what Eva was asking. "You said the killer was going to keep killing. Why would you say that?" Eva repeated. "He's gonna keep looking for his queen. He's looking for a queen...whatever that means. He wrote it in blood on my wall. Right above the headboard and you know that blood probably stained the headboard," the wife began working on a new nail and Eva grinded her teeth together to stop herself from yelling at the woman for trying her patience. "He wrote the message in blood," the husband explained. "What exactly did the message say?" Eva asked. Harry paused for dramatic effect and then leaned forward, "The search for my queen continues." Eva was shocked to silence and that hardly ever happened. It wasn't until she heard someone yelling at her that she got a grip on herself. "What the hell is she doing here? Get her off this property right now!" Jerry Gonzales, the head detective on the Demon King case, was shouting at the other officers to remove Eva, "Can't I trust you to keep these damned bottom feeders out of the way?" Eva turned towards Jerry Gonzales. He was a big guy in his late thirties. He had dark hair and eyes to match. He clearly didn't like her as his eyes were currently giving her the look of death. Eva held up her hands in surrender, "Calm down detective. This damned bottom feeder is leaving." She caught sight of Detective David Wilson, her friend and Jerry's partner. David winked at her and she shook her head and laughed. He was a notorious womanizer but Eva still considered him a good friend. He was also very useful in getting her leads on stories. "Hi Eva!" David called out to her. "Don't encourage her!" Jerry Gonzales yelled at his partner who just shrugged in response. Jerry looked back at Eva and scowled. "I don't know why I'm starting to see you at every crime scene, Lewis." Eva laughed, "My father was a reporter. My mother was a reporter. I'm a reporter. What can I say? Curiosity runs in my blood." "Didn't anyone ever tell you curiosity killed the cat?" Jerry sneered. "Yes but-" "Yeah...yeah but satisfaction brought it back. I've heard it before," Jerry muttered. Eva grinned, "Actually, I was going to say that curiosity killed the cat but so can ignorance." "You gotta be kidding me. That's it. Get out of here Lewis. I want the scene secured. That means no reporters!" Jerry was yelling at some officers who began scrambling to follow his orders. "Don't worry Gonzales. I'm leaving," Eva turned to David who was stretching his arms, "Bye David!" "Bye Eva! I'll see you later on our date," David waved. Jerry turned to face him, "Date?" "In your dreams David," Eva walked from the crime scene, her hand raised in farewell. "Most definitely," David smiled. Jerry shook his head in disgust as he passed his partner, "Pathetic." David watched Eva's car drive away from the scene and sighed, "Yup. Most definitely." Eva wasn't stupid enough to keep hanging around the scene of the crime. She decided to spend some time at the police station to see if she could pick up any news from the other officers. After driving for fifteen minutes, and stopping at a local coffee shop to pick up two lattes, she pulled into the police station and parked next to a black BMW. "Fancy," she thought to herself. As she strolled into the station, she couldn't help but notice a handsome man arguing with Gina, a police officer she considered a friend. She took in his expensive suit, Rolex, and leather shoes. "And we have a rich boy here folks," Eva thought. His face looked familiar but she couldn't quite remember his name. "I'm telling you, she's missing! We were supposed to meet and she never showed up," the handsome man was clearly frustrated. He slightly loosened his tie in frustration. The officer took a deep breath and said, "Sir, don't you think it's possible that she just stood you up?" Eva couldn't help but giggle. No woman or man for that matter would stand this attractive specimen up. He held an air of authority that Eva couldn't ignore. The man rolled his eyes, clearly not used to dealing with people that didn't automatically do as he said, "She hasn't been picking up her phone. She never returned to her hotel room. She never checked out and her friends haven't heard from her. She's missing dammit." The officer named Gina sighed, "Sir, if she was really missing, wouldn't her family be here making a report?" The man took a deep breath and said very slowly, "As I said before, she has no family." Tired of dealing with him, Gina handed him a clipboard, "Okay sir, go ahead and fill out this missing person report. Take a seat against the wall and then I'll be with you in just a few minutes." As soon as the handsome man sat down, Eva swooped in with her extra latte. She smiled at the officer that had just asked Mr. Handsome to take a seat, "Hi Gina. Latte?" Gina, a total coffee addict, smiled and held her hands out, "Eva, you're a life-saver. I wasn't looking forward to drinking the crap we have here in the break room and I've been working a double-shift. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" Eva smiled at how Gina's entire demeanor had changed from a moment before, "Trust me I know what you mean. I thought I'd stop by and bring you a coffee while I was listening for leads." Gina laughed. She had known Eva long enough to know her tricks, "Well take a seat and don't let Gonzales see you." "He already saw me at the crime scene earlier. I was kicked out. I promise to be quiet and just sip on my coffee," Eva laughed and sat next to Mr. Handsome who was trying to fill out his missing person form. Eva loved listening in on police chatter. Officers felt so comfortable at the station that they usually talked freely as they passed the main entrance. After ten minutes had passed, she finally got what she was waiting for. Two officers coming in were talking quietly but Eva still overheard one officer say, "The captain is asking the FBI to step in. Gonzales isn't going to like that." "Well it's not like he's getting any closer to finding this guy," the second officer replied. "Did you see the last victim? It looked like a horror movie was filmed where they found her body." "Yeah, she was out there for five days man. Ugh I bet that house smelled like death. She was wearing some fancy yellow dress too. You think he's dressing them up now?" "A yellow dress?" Eva said aloud. This seemed to get Mr. Handsome's attention. He turned his head towards her, "Excuse me? Did you say something?" Eva didn't bother to look in his direction. She was still trying to overhear what the officers were saying. The attractive man continued, "My missing friend...she was wearing a yellow dress the last time I saw her." Suddenly intrigued, Eva whipped her head around and found herself staring into the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. Mr. Handsome gave a single nod, "Hi. My name is Tom."

"Lewis? Is your story almost done?" Eva turned to see her
editor, Tony Sharp, standing a few feet away from her.
He was a stickler for deadlines. She stood up and winked at
him, "It's about halfway written, Tony. I just got the lead I
was looking for."
Tony shook his head in disapproval, "I think you're starting
to get obsessed with that Demon King."
Eva laughed, "Are you calling me one of his disciples?" The
Demon King had gotten quite famous online and new
threads created by his fans were calling themselves his
disciples. Eva could only imagine what sort of depraved
individuals worshipped a serial killer. She shuddered at the
thought and turned back to Tony, "I'm not obsessed with
the Demon King. I'm obsessed with having the best
headline."
"Yeah? Well I expect a good one for tomorrow's paper and
you're running out of time," he raised his arm and tapped
his watch for emphasis.
Eva gave a mock salute as he passed her desk, "Yes sir."
Before she left, she glanced at the framed picture of her
parents. It was identical to the picture she wore in a locket
around her neck. She stared at the image of her parents
and sighed. "Don't worry mom and dad. Unlike you two, I'll
be careful."
After she left the news building, she drove to the address
that was mentioned on the scanner. Police cars littered the
property. A distraught looking man was talking to a police
officer and a woman was standing next to him. "Probably
the wife," Eva thought. She looked visibly upset and kept
biting her fingernails in nervousness. Eva approached them
after the police officer walked away, "Hello, are you two the
owners of the house?"
The man was a portly fellow and clearly a hunter if Eva had
to judge him by the matching camouflage pants and shirt
he was wearing. He seemed willing to tell his story again,
"Yes ma'am. We had gone to my wife's sister's house for a
few days. When we came back the house stunk to high
Heaven. We called the cops as soon as we saw what
happened. I almost upchucked my liver, I was so shocked."
Eva smiled empathetically and asked, "Did anyone else
have access to your home? Did it look like someone had
broken in?"
The man looked abashed and shook his head, "We don't
always lock the doors since no one ever comes out here. If
we had been home this would've never happened."
"Don't blame yourself Harry. No one could've expected
this," his wife murmured in between biting the nails of her
index and pinky fingers.
Eva asked one last question, "So you don't have any idea
who the victim was?"
They both shook their heads. The wife said, "I can't believe
it. There was so much blood. I'll probably have nightmares
for weeks."
Eva knew from some of her officer friends that the Demon
King skinned the faces of his victims. She would bet good
money it was a blood bath in that home. The thought made
her shudder. Sometimes her job forced her to be braver
than she wanted to be.
"It was the Demon King wasn't it? And he said he's gonna
keep on killing," the wife shook her head. "Harry, maybe we
should move."
Eva caught on to her previous statement, "What do you
mean keep on killing?"
The wife spat out a piece of her fingernail and answered,
"It's so horrible. He wrote it on the wall in her blood. Harry
said it was red paint but I think he was just trying to make
me feel better. I mean where would the killer get red paint
from? Unless he brought it with him but I doubt that. Harry
must've lied. He knows I hate blood."
"She gets real squeamish when I bring home my kills from
hunting," Harry supplied to an uncaring Eva.
"Sorry to hear that," Eva said, looking around to make sure
she hadn't been spotted yet. All the other officers were still
busy so no one was paying any attention to the reporter
interviewing the homeowners. "I'm sorry but tell me again
why you think he's going to keep killing?"

2

The Texas heat was unbearable. Especially on days like this.
Days when you had to deal with blood. Lots of blood. Even
though he worked in the small town of Ludwig, Detective
Jerry Gonzales was never surprised by the crime scenes he
encountered. Still, he sure as hell wished killers wouldn't be
so messy about them. Forensics was already bagging up
evidence and other officers were taking pictures of the
crime scene by the time he got there.
"Gonzales!" Jerry turned to see the medical examiner, Mary
Johnson, flagging him down and on her way out.
"Hey Mary, what are we dealing with?" Jerry already knew
what they were dealing with but he wanted to hear it from
her anyway.
As usual, she was straight to the point, "Female. Mid-
twenties. Stabbed in the chest. Multiple contusions to the
head. She was killed about five days ago." Jerry saw a trail
of blood leading into the house and shook his head in
disgust.
"Yeah," Mary frowned, "He killed her outside and then
dragged her to the master bedroom."
"What a gentleman," Jerry muttered sarcastically.
"More like he didn't want any wild animals to take a piece
of her," Mary pointed to the trees in the distance, "This
place is so isolated who knows what could've claimed her if
she was left outside."
"Well he loves to put his victims on display so leaving her
out here wouldn't be an option," Jerry looked down at the
blood stained ground. "Damn, it looks like he dragged her
out from under the porch. Look at the path in the dirt. It
leads right up to the where he probably stabbed her."
Mary nodded, "It must've been a nightmare for her. Poor
girl. She probably didn't even know it was the Demon King
that had her."
Jerry grimaced, "Don't even say it Mary. Damn, I hate that
name. It just glorifies him into thinking he's something
better than a killer." Mary shrugged and told him she would
see him again at the station. Jerry waved her off as he
stepped inside. He was mentally prepared for what he
would see but even after being with law enforcement for
fifteen years, it still bothered him to deal with so much
blood.
"Sucks to be the SOB that owns this house. Can you imagine
coming home and finding this in your bed?" Jerry was
asked by his partner, Detective David Wilson. David Wilson
was handsome, young, and possessed a laid back attitude
that Jerry didn't appreciate.
"Yeah. Sucks to be him," Jerry muttered. Really he was
thinking, "It sucks to be this poor girl." She was the third
victim in two months. Jerry looked at the scene that lay
before him. A young girl in a long yellow taffeta dress was
on the bed with her hands on her stomach. She was
encircled in a shroud of her own blood. As Jerry Gonzales
slowly forced his eyes to look towards her head, he saw
what he didn't want to see. The girl's face had been
skinned. She had been robbed of her features and was only
left with her bloody skull. On her skull was a delicate crown
of small white flowers. It was then that he noticed
something that hadn't been at the other crime scenes.
"Son of a bitch," Gonzales whispered.
Above her on the wall, written in her own blood, were the
words, "The search for my queen continues."

~ACROSS TOWN~

Listening to her police scanner in the Ludwig News building,
reporter Eva Lewis smiled when she heard there had been
another murder outside the city limits. Her hands itched in
anticipation because she already knew who the murderer
was. It was the Demon King. Her Demon King. Eva smiled.
Coming up with the moniker "Demon King" was pure genius
on her part.
She didn't condone murder but when it helped her career
along, she couldn't honestly say that she hated it either.
After finding out that the man behind the murders placed a
crown of flowers on the heads of his victims, she thought it
would be fitting to refer to him as a king. This coupled with
his murders being so grisly and brutal...almost
demonic...made Eva come up with the nickname the
Demon King. Like a mother naming her child, Eva grew
attached to the Demon King. She often reminded herself
that what he was doing was wrong and he needed to be
caught but a small part of her still considered him hers in a
way. "Ugh I'm so twisted," Eva said disgustingly to herself.

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He quietly beckoned for her in the dark like a hunter searching for his prey, "Where are you?" His voice stretched out each syllable as if he were playing a simple game of hide-and-seek, "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Paula Masterson could feel the hard earth beneath her. She was panicking. Tears streamed down her face as she bit her bottom lip until she tasted the metallic sting of her own blood. She tried holding back her sobs as she hid beneath the porch of the small house that she had just escaped from. She could hear a creaking sound as his weight pressed into the wooden boards above her. He was close. She scrunched her body together as tight as she could, hoping she would become less noticeable. She could feel her dress pulled up around her waist, exposing her thighs to the cold night air. Her arms and legs stung as the dirt made contact with the knife wounds he had given her earlier. She didn't bother to think about her injuries possibly getting infected. She was more worried about staying alive. Less than twelve hours ago, Paula had been attending Samantha Lake's wedding. She didn't want to wear the bright yellow taffeta bridesmaid dress but Samantha was one of her best friends. She remembered joking with Samantha, "This dress will be the death of me. I'll die of embarrassment from wearing it! It's long. It's yellow. It's taffeta!" At the time Samantha laughed and said, "Oh stop...you would look great in a garbage bag. Taffeta ain't got a thing on you. Plus, if you wear it...I'll buy you some yellow undies to match." The joke had caused Paula to laugh but she made sure Samantha kept her promise. After Samantha's wedding ceremony, Paula had gone to the reception in the dress that made her feel like a walking banana. She remembered eating some dry salmon, making a fool out of herself with the chicken dance, and even photo-bombing quite a few pictures. Tom, the cute best man with the moss green eyes also came to mind. One look into his green eyes and she had fallen for him. Quite literally as she had accidentally tripped on the yellow monstrosity she was wearing and had landed in his arms. This led to him asking her to dance and the two seemed to hit it off. It had been quite a while since her last date and Paula was so looking forward to where things would lead that she even promised to meet him at his hotel room later that night. Paula tried to remember what happened after the reception but her head began to ache. She heard mewling noises and her eyes widened in panic as she realized they were coming from her. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands as more tears stained her cheeks. The footsteps had made their way off of the porch. She could hear the crunch of gravel as he walked close by. "Where are you?" he slowly asked again. Paula shuddered. The last thing she recalled was walking towards her red Kia. Then everything went blank. Less than fifteen minutes ago she woke up to an old song by The Partridge Family blasting through the air. Paula held herself still in her now torn yellow dress. Her shoes were gone and she had what looked like shallow knife wounds on her arms and legs. She was too scared to scream. She was on a bed that wasn't hers, in a room she didn't recognize, and she was bleeding. When she looked around, she was startled by what she saw. Knives, swords, and machete-like weapons decorated the walls. She thought about grabbing one but they were all secured in place. Luckily for her, Paula had taken a few self- defense classes that taught her to stay calm in crazy situations. She heard someone moving around in the room next door. She didn't have time to grab a weapon. She needed to escape. She inched herself off of the bed and tiptoed to the nearby window. She unlocked it and looked behind her before slowly pushing the window open. A loud banging from the other room caused her to jump. She turned her head and didn't see anyone behind her. The music continued to play and she took a deep breath as she quietly snuck out her only possible escape and found herself in the middle of nowhere. She looked around and saw nothing but land and trees. She felt a sob get caught in her throat as her idea of asking a nearby neighbor for help quickly died. There was nothing around her except land. Certainly no neighbors and most importantly, there was nowhere to hide. She couldn't help but think that no amount of self-defense classes could've prepared her for this. On instinct, she ran around the house to see if there was a car she could escape in. There was a van but there were no keys inside. It was then that she noticed the music had stopped playing. Whoever did this to her would soon notice she was missing. She saw that the porch was a couple of feet off the ground. It would be a tight fit but she squeezed herself under it. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," the voice called out to her again. Paula wanted to escape as fast as she could but that seemed more and more impossible. She had to wait for him to go back inside to give her enough time to run away. Maybe she would be lucky and he would get in his car and drive away. "I know you're here. I can still smell your blood." He took a deep whiff into the air and then smacked his lips in satisfaction. Paula stuffed part of her fist in her mouth to keep from crying out. She was trying to convince herself that he was lying. "I just want to play. Won't you come out and play?" He was speaking in a cajoling voice but his pouty tone frightened Paula. He was clearly getting tired of searching for her. Paula stayed deathly still. She could see his leather shoes from beneath the porch. She heard him step onto the porch and back inside. She heard The Partridge Family song turn back on. She was still silently sobbing with her eyes shut when she heard him again. "I see London. I see France. I see your yellow underpants!" Paula opened her eyes to see his leather shoes in front of her followed by a pair of gloved hands. She tried to scurry back, her screams drowning out his laughter. He pulled her forward, causing her to cry out in pain as she heard the pop of her shoulder being dislocated. Once he had her out of the porch she was kicking and screaming, begging her masked assailant to have mercy on her. She was so absorbed in trying to get free that she didn't notice the knife he pulled out. He pushed the sharp blade into her chest and she gasped. As the blood gurgled out of her mouth, Paula couldn't help but think about Tom, the best man with the beautiful green eyes. She thought of what could have been and then wondered if he was still waiting for her.



1

"Paul!" She said with a false air of surprise. She did her best to hide her glee at seeing him beneath her on the ground. "I am sorry, you were so right, these strange men kidnapped me," She added with a pitiful expression as she shifted away from him, "I do not know what came over me when I ran from your 'protection.'" The words that escaped her mouth sickened her, but they were necessary. They lured him into a false sense of security, and she needed to lower his defenses. He got up with a victorious snarl. "My dear Aly," He purred as he approached her. His tongue moistened his lips. "to think all I needed to do to get you to listen was to have strange men abduct you." She nodded with another step backward, "I am helpless without you." Despite her aversion to Paul Baellnar's words remained in her mind. Your feet are the guideline for your strike, make yourself a small target by facing sideways, but at least one foot should always be angled at your target. He chuckled, "enough of this game." Paul stepped toward her again, "You are the only one that does not know your value, and it is delicious. You are mine; you will always be mine." His eyes were hungry his hands twitched in anticipation. Alyenna began to lose control of her facade. Fury from years of oppression threatened to break through her theatrical wall. She had spent too many with Paul after he took her away from home her junior year. It had felt like a decade of mental and physical torture with no end in sight. Not until Baellnar and Aagi had freed her from that prison. How could she look at her warden and not strike? Baellnar's words again slipped into her mind. Defend only when needed, do not risk injury unless it is your last resort. She shook her head ignoring his words. This was different. She could do this; she could kill Paul. She felt a familiar growl deep in her soul. I do not belong to you. She felt her muscles coil. She forced her words to show the fear she needed him to hear. Just a little more, she thought still sidestepping his advances. "Paul you are so right you were the only one who was there for me when my family passed." Paul flicked his hand and in that gesture tore her sword from her grip. Regret filled her as she watched it land in the mud of the river bank. Idiot, you should have known there was more to this if he was here. Now there was nothing here to save her. So she continued to avoid him and play the part of the victim that he cherished so much. He fed off it like a leach. Sucking her dry while becoming crueler and stronger. Paul stepped closer to her. His face uncomfortably close to her own "I have a secret of my own Aly. Remember that 'family' who raised you? I was also there when they died." He towered over her using his size to intimidate her. His cruel smile sickened her to her core. The growl of fury crescendoed. She felt fire course through her veins. Alyenna's vision magnified, she could even see the delicate details of the frantic sprites. Their terrified expressions fueled the protective hunger that controlled Aly's transformation. Even the forest reacted to her wrath, as every animal from birds to wolves added their voices to the new cacophony. I dare you to say it you inglorious bastard! Aly lost all self- control. She imagined the power of a tiger as she ripped Paul's throat from his body. Alyenna felt hungry ferocity overpower her. She wanted it. She needed it. She would kill him. "Oh, Aly does not act so surprised." Paul purred, "you are a bright little girl. I know that you suspected me. Oh not at first, no, you were too overwhelmed with your grief. I saw your resentment in time Aly, and it was delicious to know you that you needed me so badly that you would never ask." He grabbed her. He had moved so fast she never saw it coming. He was a blur. "I did not have much magic in that world, but I had enough to pop the tire on that tanker truck." He threw his head back and laughed, a sound that in the past had terrified her. Now, Alyenna shook with vengeful fury, and clenched her hands into fists, in a vain attempt to hide her ire. Still unable to break his grip she bared her teeth at him and growled. Paul twisted her arm behind her, and he gestured toward the river forcing the sprites to act out the scene. Their bell sounds now high-pitched and painful. "You should have seen it! It was glorious watching their car go up in flames. Their screams. Oh, little mouse what cowards they were!" His face leaned in close to her she could feel his breath as he whispered into her ear. "Then watching your dad try to crawl from the car" he paused his lips made a sickening sound as his tongue tapped them rhythmically between each word. "he made it you know. I had to fix that." He paused pulling away enough to watch her expression. "Then all I had to do was convince your school I was some 'long lost' relative. His body pressed against hers. Good news Aly I am not, and you are quite a tasty little treat." To emphasize the story, one of the sprites fell dead into the river and sank below the ripples. Aly lost all control. The roar that had been rumbling deep inside her now came out and shook the forest around her. Her body began to transform. Claws erupted from her fingers a predatory instinct took hold of her mind. Fur began to form she nearly doubled in size. The metamorphosis charged by the fury that was coursing through her veins, as her body transformed alarm spread across Paul's face. He jumped away from her unable to maintain his grip on her now enormous foreleg. Her heightened vision delighted her. Her orange and black striped body rumbled with delight as she saw Paul sweat and cower in fear. Her claws sunk into the ground, her shoulders hunched, her tail twitching. Another ferocious growl sounded low in her throat that shook the ground. Her teeth bared menacingly at her tormentor. Birds began to dart at Paul from every direction, and he scrambled to his feet. He launched himself away from at an inhuman speed. Loving the feeling of power sweeping through her body she began to chase him. Her tiger form easily covered the forest ground beneath her. Despite Paul's inhuman speed she continued to gain on him. She was only a couple feet from him. He turned to her and screamed and threw some a smoke grenade and then vanished. Her new body ground to a halt and sniffed the spot of his disappearance. Her tail twitching in anger at his disappearance. She covered the surrounding area to catch his scent, but there was nothing. She began to feel her fury fade. The predatory mind releasing its hold on her. Fur began disappearing from her arms, her claws softening and becoming fingertips again, her tail contracting into her body. As the last bit of her animal form faded, she slunk down to the ground in exhaustion. She lacked the strength to keep her eyes open. She felt hands lift her delicately off the ground. She pressed against a hard body that smelled of lavender. She nuzzled into the smell feeling safe opening her eyes just enough to see Baellnar's sapphire eyes and silver hair. Reassured of her safety, she fell asleep in his arms and let him carry her back to the inn.
*** thank you for reading! Please comment if you enjoyed it!***

Chapter 11 - Predators and Prey


"I am there waiting, watching keeping to the shadows. But when you need me, I'll step out of the shadows and protect what's MINE."--Jbaby Writes

Alyenna wandered deep into the forest and only stopped when she almost collided with a whispering river. Tiny diamonds of moonlight danced on its smooth surface; its song was a dull roar in the otherwise silent forest. She took a sip of the refreshing crystalline water and found a tree on which to rest her back. Small blue sprites rose from the placid surface and danced along the edge. They picked up tiny shells and bits of moonlight as they moved. Each creature had a human top, but their legs were delicate scaled tails. To Aly, they resembled tiny blue-winged mermaids. The water sprites floated with the same dancer's grace as a firefly on a summer's eve. How could a place full of such beautiful magic be as cruel as they say? Alyenna felt her eyes cave under sleep's gentle hand. She could barely resist its hold on entranced by the flickering blue movement of the creatures before her. She heard the crunching of leaves under rapid footprints of an approaching animal. She smiled at the thought, What a wonderful world where I do not need to fear the creatures of the night, This gentle musing that evaporated in an instant. The water sprites darted and danced around her head emitting strange bell sounds in alarm. Alyenna waved them away as if they were mosquitos. "Okay okay, I will leave I am sorry." Aly stood up and stretched. When Aly turned, she saw Paul's dark eyes and cruel smile. "There you are, Aly," The night's shadows only darkened his already vicious features. His voice was a predatory purr. Paul seized her arm, and Alyenna trembled in fear. "I did warn you. I will always find you." "How?" She asked in a stuttering whimper, "How did you find me?" "Little mouse did you think you were the only being with 'magical friends.'" He grinned wrenching her arm painful and dragging her face inches from his. "Aly, what did I say about strangers." Her ale laden mental fog had dissipated as adrenaline shot like a California wildfire through her veins. Paul had a 'Hulk-like' grip on her arm. The strength and power of his hand crippled her and dark bruises formed under his fingers. Aly took a deep breath, to force her panic and weakness back down into the depths of her soul where it belonged. She could not let him control her anymore; this is what Baellnar and Aagi had trained her for. This was the exact moment that they had warned her about. In one deft movement, she contorted her arm; which broke his grip. She glared and jumped backward landing in a broad stance. As her arm slipped from his grip, she reached for his wrist and flipped him to the ground. She leaped in shock and examined her handiwork. She had accepted his power and control over her; she had allowed herself to be trapped by him. She let him whittle down her spirit bit by bit until not even instinct remained. She smiled at the realization that he did not have that power anymore. Aly relished in the moment as she watched that same realization mirrored in Paul's furious expression. For the first time in a long time ever she was not afraid of him. Alyenna knew she could not call for help, that admittance of weakness, would only encourage Paul. She whipped out her dragon-wing broad sword. Paul liked to play with his food, Aly was just returning the favor. Aly danced on her toes; she moved back and forth in a rhythm similar to the water sprites. Baellnar's words echoed in her mind, be light on your feet when your opponent is not. Do not let them catch you, or as they say in your world 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee .' She knew not to underestimate Paul, but she wanted so badly to toy with him as he did her. Baellnar's words of caution entered her mind. Play into his game until you can strike, distract your opponent in any way you can.

None of her companions were forthcoming about their destination. Even when Aly asked Roxanne, she would quickly sidetrack the conversation. Her only clue was the sporadic moments that Baellnar would sit up straight, listen intently, and change their direction. It was strange behavior and one that he was unwilling to explain. For all of his jeering and tomfoolery, he was very reserved when it came to anything personal. "oi pointy ears!" Aagi shouted at Baellnar as they were reaching the end of their 14th day on the road. Baellnar sighed and looked at his companion patiently waiting for him to explain his outburst. "it's been a 'ortnight since we 'ad a bed an' a shower. Oi for one am startin' ta stink sumptin fierce!" "I second that! Aagi I think not even flies can stand you right now!" Aly smirked at Aagi. The thought of a warm bed and a bath just too enticing to pass up. Baellnar sat in silence for a while staring at both of them. They happily waited for his response. Aly stuck her tongue out for good measure after several minutes of the staring contest. It took a moment, but Baellnar conceded. He sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine there is a town just over this hill we will stop there for the night. It will do the horses some good." No kidding you think you're sore, Philly just imagine how my poor little hooves feel! Sadie kicked her front hoof and shook it for emphasis. Aly chuckled and spoke for Sadie. "Sadie agrees!" The two men stared at her with that classic 'you're bonkers look'. It was in that moment that Alyenna remembered her deliberate negligence in letting them in on her secret. Aly was not comfortable with that ability and was still reluctant to share. She decided now was as good a time as any. Especially considering It hadn't just been her horse but several animals along the way that had sought her out for conversation. Many were excited that a furless two foot as they called humans could understand them. She forced the most casual tone she could. "what you can't?" Aly knew full well the answer would be a resounding 'no;' but that did not matter. Alyenna did not have a lot of practice revealing 'superpowers,' so she hoped they would forgive her lack of tact. "No," Baellnar said simply to her awaiting further explanation. When none came, he forced the conversation. "How long Aly?" "How long have I been in Tendaara?" She asked. "A little over two weeks." He answered her exasperated with her sudden desire to be difficult. She made a mockery of counting her fingers and then looked up at him smiling. "Then a little over two weeks." She spoke in a matter of fact tone. The conversation was uncomfortable and forced her into a state of disquietude. "Why have you been hiding this Aly we are your friends." his voice was a gentle whisper. Aly cursed him for the ease in which he could read her. Alyenna did her best to deflect the conversation through humor, which was her instinct in all matter of disagreeable situations. She batted her eyes in exaggerated flirtation. "Well, darling how else would I keep our relationship fresh? It's the little secrets that keep me interesting!" Aagi guffawed, it was an infectious deep belly laugh that broke up the moment. As it turns out Alyenna did not need humor, she just needed Aagi. "Break it up will ya? I 'ave beer ta drink an' women ta woo." Baellnar sighed and stared meaningfully at Alyenna for a long moment then turned his horse towards the town. About an hour later they arrived at the 'town.' Which was a strong word for an inn, a couple of small homes, and a general store? All the same, it was more civilization than Aly had seen in weeks so to her road worn soul it could have been New York City. A dusty road ran through the center of 'town,' and a sun-worn sign swung in the wind and read "Hatchville welcomes you." They led their mounts to the barn next to the inn paid the stableboy and then headed inside. The tavern portion of the inn was already full of weary travelers and bored townsfolk. Hatchville was obviously used to travelers so no one, so much as looked up as they walked into the room. Baellnar approached the innkeeper who was polishing glasses at the bar and began bargaining for their rooms. Meanwhile, Aagi made himself comfortable at a table by the fireplace and set about getting the barmaid's attention. Aly joined him and began to absorb the ambiance of the inn. It was well cared for but worn down. The furniture all had knicks and scratches from day to day use and in several bar brawls. The air was heavy with the stench of sweat from the local workers and dust from the travelers. Overlaying that was the most enticing smell that seemed to be getting stronger by the second. Her stomach rumbled in protest, just as three bowls of stew, a basket of oven-fresh bread, and three tin mugs of ale were plunked down on their table. Aly immediately grabbed a fresh roll and began digging into her dinner. Aagi downed his tankard right away, his eyes twinkling and held up his mug for a refill. The barmaid happily obliged and he leaned back in his chair pure bliss scrawled across his face. Baellnar stoic as ever careful and politely sipped his beverage and stew. Aagi was not satisfied with Baellnar's proprietary behavior, "Quit being' such a ninny, an' drink!" Baellnar chuckled, "Alright old friend how about a game of kings." Aagi lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, "We need all the beer!" He announced to the room. The waitress slammed several more mugs on the table, and Aagi cheered as she disappeared into the throngs of drunken miscreants. Aly felt a gentle pull on her heart as the night wore on. Somehow these two endearing buffoons had weaseled their way into her heart. Even her mind had come to terms with acceptance of them into her life. Her soul had been desperate for friends, and Tendaara had provided them. They had rescued her, had guided her, and had refilled her confidence. These two charming clowns had shown her that there was a world beyond Paul and that there were people who cared about not only her existence but also her well- being. Several drinks in Aagi had become distracted by a curvey red-headed barmaid, and she with him. Alyenna could tell, that even though the coin in his pocket drove her interest, she did enjoy the humorous nature of Aagi's flirtation. Alyenna swayed under the power of the ale and smiled at the pair. She had become so enthralled in her private reverie that she almost missed Baellnar's quiet departure. She could not let him leave her behind, and a small voice in the back of her mind pushed her to pursue him. She stumbled outside to find him grooming Aria and crooning to her in a gentle song. The words were oddly familiar to Alyenna despite the fact that she could not understand the language in which he sang. The beautiful chestnut mare nodded and butted him with affection as he worked to show her appreciation. Aly watched as she leaned on a wooden post for support. She too enjoyed the effect of his song. "What is she thinking Aly." His gentle voice broke her hazy reverie. Her heart raced, his voice had always been intoxicating. There was something about the soft moonlight and joy of the evening that amplified its effect. A warm western wind kissed her neck and pushed her toward him. His eyes bore into her soul, those two beautiful sapphire orbs that twinkled with depth and mystery. Allured by his gaze, she took an instinctual step forward. Alyenna was inches from him now, and in her inebriation, it was almost impossible for her to focus on the conversation. through her words, she said, "Only that she loves you." Aria whinnied and threw her head in agreement but looked directly at Aly. Nice cover little one, Alyenna felt herself blush, though she knew not why, as she rubbed Aria's forehead. She tore her eyes away from Baellnar and forced her focus to remain on the mare. "of all the magical gifts in Tendaara, yours is the one I would have wanted most," he said continuing his gentle ministrations. "But why did you hide it, Aly?" There was a deep pain in his voice as he asked the question. "Honestly I do not know" She felt ashamed of her secrecy, but because of her past, it was an impossible habit to break. She had wronged him with her secret. She felt her words tremble as they left her lips, "I have had to protect myself for years." She gazed at the moon unwilling to meet his eyes, "I guess it was a habit. An expression of understanding and sympathy crossed Baellnar's face. "I am sorry for what he did to you, Aly. I cannot imagine why he would do such things to you and I am sorry I could never stop it." The pain in his eyes was transparent, but she had no idea why. "How could you?" She soothed, "you were on the other side of the portal. As much as I would have loved to have met you earlier." She paused as she took a step closer to him. "My time in that world in a strange way has made me stronger. I had to discover courage through doing the impossible; it was me who had to take a leap of faith. I would never have believed in my inner strength if someone had swooped in before I had the chance to try. I had to rescue myself." Her words proved to her that the monster in the night that had held her captive for, she did not know how long, was a distant memory. Paul was back in a forgotten land which she did not intend to return. Aly was unaffected by the loss of phones or electricity, she had her freedom. "It does not matter anymore. I have you now," Aly spoke in, what she hoped, was a faint whisper. The wind at her back pushed her closer to him. His hand lightly cupped her cheek raising her face to his. "I would never hurt you, Aly." His eyes met her for an infinite moment. Her heart fluttered in her chest. Aly felt her the heat of her blood as it coursed through her veins, and her skin tingled under his touch. Baellnar retracted his hand; his eyes were wide with fear. He cupped his hand to his ear and stuttered, "I have to go." With that, he darted off into the evening mist leaving her behind, bereft. Aly was overwhelmed by her a tumultuous sea of emotions, so she fell into an old habit, she ran away into the dark woods that surrounded the town. As she slipped into the welcome shadows of the trees, she slowed her stride and proceeded to kick stones and mutter to herself in frustration. Dark eyes shadowed by loose ebony hair watched her from between the shadows.

*** Thank you for reading! Please comment if you enjoyed it!***

"I am there waiting, watching keeping to the shadows. But when you need me, I'll step out of the shadows and protect what's MINE."--Jbaby Writes

The small group had been traveling for several days. According to Alyenna's aching muscles and joints, it was more like months. Her legs vehemently protested the first few days, but now she was becoming numb to the aches and pains of her new world. When they were not riding, they were training. Aly trained with Baellnar and Aagi daily. She had to adapt to different styles and to understand an infinite amount of weapons that could to against her. While they rode Baellnar would point out the local flora and fauna and instruct Aly on what was safe to consume, what was not, and of course the dangers of the more exotic wildlife she had yet to encounter. Alyenna was never a particularly good listener, so she was only absorbing about half of what he said. The other challenge was not getting lost in the soothing tones of his voice. She tended to daydream and refocus when he would say critical things like "you aren't listening are you?" She, of course, had a crazy knack for remembering the exact sentence he said before that and repeating it, but he was suspicious none the less of her attention span. She was a much better student when it came to the physical training. Holding her dragon-wing sword gave her a sense of control in a world that was spinning even more and more out of her control every day. It helped her not focus on her oppressive destiny, and as painful as her stiff muscles were, she relished the pain. It meant that her strength was growing. For so long she had been weak physically and mentally. Now she had found peace in the rhythmic clashing of weapons. Though she still could not master the bow. She was beginning to develop her fighting style. She was quick and elusive, favoring her ability to fake and distract her opponent out and deliver a mighty blow to unguarded spots. She was especially good at dodging her opponent. She was nimble and bouncy, and it worked in her favor. She felt sly and cunning like a stoat. Her two trainers exceeded her in size, but they used that as part of her training. They had to show her that size and fortitude was not everything, and that it was possible to use their strength against them. Aly even bested Baellnar in some of their sessions, and exuberantly gloated each time. This new found mental and physical freedom gave her an overwhelming sense of self and purpose. She could put power behind her jeers at her friends instead of feeling that they were hollow and helpless. She relished this new confidence and knew she would never let it go again. Sometimes there were breaks in her training, and she would get a peaceful moment to rest. She still had her favorite book with her but reading it seemed redundant now. So it was in those moments of relaxation that Roxanne would take the opportunity to teach her about dragon lore. Which was decidedly much more interesting than learning about plants. She absorbed Roxanne's stories hungry for the details. They were so much more in-depth and colorful than any book she had ever read. Every once in a while she would react out loud to which her companions would stare at her curiously, and she would shuffle uncomfortably and pointedly ignoring them. The most fascinating of Roxanne's stories were the ones about Eleanor, the golden hero, from the books she cherished. Sure Alyenna was in this land 150 years after the fact, but she still loved those stories. To hear them from the perspective of those who weren't Eleanor was eye-opening. She would hear about their adventures in the form of ballads, folk songs, stories, poems, and of course prophecies. The breadth of Roxanne's folklore knowledge was incredible. She said it came from carting Aagi from tavern to tavern. However, Aly knew a bit about dragons and though Roxanne was not a full dragon. As a dragonkin, she still had the same instincts. All dragonkin have a treasure hoard. Each hoard is different sometimes its jewels, sometimes its weaponry, sometimes its lost relics of the sea and even rarer sometimes its knowledge. The latter was Roxanne's Draken hoard. Aly was sure of it.

"What the hell..." Clarissa muttered for a moment before realizing the lockdown alarm of our headquarters was blaring through the intercoms all of a sudden. All the students quieted themselves down from inside the training area and glanced around at each other, brows furrowing in domino effect. Some had already taken up fighting stances while others had their hands hovering over the hand guns in their back pocket. I felt the vibrations while still laying on the ground, and my breath hitched at the ancient sound I thought I'd never hear again. The room immediately transitioned to a sickening dark red as the alarm light was the only source of illumination for us. "Lockdown," I dusted myself off with ease as I hopped up off the ground and turned to Clarissa with a frown plastered on my face, "But... why?" My earpiece buzzed like an insect feeding on food and I had to clench my jaw together to withstand the amount of noise I was hearing both inside the training area and the little device placed securely inside my left ear. "-$$:&;@2&1&!.'a!" I cursed under my breath as Clarissa called order among the students, who were already at peace with the situation, or at least seemed like it. BWEEP BIP BIP BWEEP BIP BIP BIP BWEEP BIP BIP BIP BWEE- The alarm seemed to be the sole cause of my deaf ears. Its menacing, pulsating, rhythmic buzz and blare screeches like a chicken giving birth, threatening to rip my sense of patience and self-control with every passing second I lived on from this moment. "Children," I unconsciously let slip a hint of a growl to the kids, "Duck." I ripped out my own hand gun and blasted a deafening shot at the alarm bell, shortly after hearing the shattering of glass shards that rained down and smashed against the ground. The kids had bullet-proof vests on and all of them understood how to avoid falling objects from prior basic training, they should be fine. Did I mention it was pitch-black right now. The only sounds were of the faint alarm bells of other training classes closer to the R.U. building. We were the furthest from the headquarter's physical location. Clarissa and the students used their phones to turn on their flashlights temporarily. I met eyes with the confused kids, even Clarissa seemed to be concerned. Which she should. We've only ever had drills of lockdowns. An unannounced drill, was not a drill. While everyone accessed the situation the best they could and waited for the instructors to start informing them on what to do next, I connected my earpiece to the intercom of the large room so that I could hear the orders assigned to me. "Bullet 00, Agent W." The intercom blared through the tense silence and made everyone, including myself, to hold their breaths. The group started whispering to each other in front of me upon hearing a nonexistent rule. "There's no such thing," a short, pony-tailed girl said to her guy friend. The boy reverted to looking at me for answers. "Bullet 00?" the kid I battled with earlier questioned out loud, "That's not even in the rulebook?" "Anne, what's going on-" "Sir, with all due respect," I spoke up and silenced the room, "I'm teaching a class." "Report to the main floor, now." I clenched my teeth and cracked my tired neck with a gradual head-tilt to the side, "Agent W... reporting for duty." Sammy made eye contact with me as I checked my guns and loaded them with new bullets. I busied myself afterwards with supplying myself with a back-up gun just in case. "I'm counting on you Clarissa," I said as I checked my primary handgun and placed it securely in my back pocket. The woman nodded at me and patted my shoulders in understanding. Sammy reached out his hand and grabbed my forearm as I made a swift turn towards the door. When I turned and frowned at the boy, he still didn't let go and said, "You're... leaving again?" "Yeah, bud," I quickly flashed him a side smile, "See you soon." As I ran briskly away, the pounding rhythm that my ears picked up grew louder each second in my chest than on land. I fidgeted with my earpiece once I was well down the halls to connect to other agents. However, I could still hear Sammy's faint voice from back at the training area. "Liar." he would say. My chest tightened uncomfortably and I swallowed the lump that formed for a split second. "Jay," I connected to my team leader's earpiece from wherever he was in the R.U., "What's going on? Who's here?" The blazing noise rang in the background like a school alarm eager to wake up its person. There was a connection buzz and I took out my gun again just in case I ran into someone unwelcomed at the R.U. on my way to the main hall. "We're figuring that out," Jay's voice came in short responses as he too was running errands and loading his gun, "But we know one thing." "What is it?" I asked him as I turned on my heels and emerged into the main hall, where other agents were summoned and had come together. They all turned to acknowledge me in surprise, and then there was silence beyond silence, but everyone greeted each other briefly with nods. Jay responded shortly after with the answer to my pending question. "They're looking for you." A single shot rang through the headquarters. -
Guess who's coming back *wink wink*

Lockdown
"Loosen your grip, you're squeezing the life out of your sniping gun," My voice, amplified by a microphone, informed the group before me whose hold kept slipping and sliding in and out of position because their palms were sweating. Everyone was practicing with an actual sniping rifle for today's exclusive lesson, normally they'd still have to go a long ways until the R.U. Head director would even allow them contact with such a big weapon. "Anne," came a boy's voice from behind. I turned around to find Sammy trying to help a struggling Diana. He gave me a side-smile and motioned for me to come over. I came up to his group in a couple of long strides. Observing Diana, I detect she was struggling with steadying and accurately aiming her gun. "I can't seem to hit my target," Diana told me in a defeated tone, a bit dazed at herself, "m'am." My eyes traced the path her bullet would've gone based on how her gun was set up currently, and found that she, and surely a lot of other students to come, had made one big mistake that beginning snipers tend to make. "You need to find your own position after setting up your gun," I began, taking the sniping gun from her, "That's the basics, Greenwood. You seem to lack a bit in that area." Ignoring her look of regret from last night, I presented myself as volunteer and called for Clarissa to blast the directions for a one-on-one visual demonstration. "GATHER UP AND OBSERVE YOUR INSTRUCTOR," she declared, getting the students' attention immediately. This was what they signed up for, anyway. I brought the weapon in a far range from the students, always taking in the precaution that sniping bullets could easily pierce a bullet-proof suit. It was probably safe not to trust their lives in my hands anyway. I wasn't an angel. They should be okay at the least, however. For training we used light bullets, not nearly as impactful or lethal as the ones I carried around for missions. Inhaling slowly, I lowered my body and presumed Prone position. "Prone," Clarissa started the briefing to today's lesson, "Your most accurate field position for 'sniping.' Observe that her legs are not newly pulled out chopsticks running parallel to each other. Her body takes up a Y position. This absorbs the recoil and gives her better accuracy when taking up a shot. The rifle is inline with her body to make that possible. What's one thing that catches your attention?" "Adler," she pointed Sammy out. Sammy observed me and replied, "She's calm. For handling such a big weapon and knowing the pressure should be weighing her and someone's fate down, she's surprisingly calm." He ends almost with a smirkingly proud tone, yet staying modest. Bingo Sam-my-man. "Precisely," Clarissa clapped loudly, "Why?" "Cause she's not scared?" The kid I dealt with from before broke in, still salty about what happened. "Because she's maintaining her breathing," Diana gave her answer, and the correct one at it. Clarissa nodded, gesturing back to my form, "Her breathing heavily affects her shot. Everyone needs to find their own rhythm and-" BWEEP BIP BIP BWEEP BIP BIP BIP BWEEP BIP BIP BIP BWEE-