Claimed by the Beast(18)

He dialed the phone, glancing around nervously as he waited.

"Dr. Dennison, please. This is Lance Weston." Silence while he waited.  "Hello, Dr. Dennison. Yes, that's right, a bit under the weather …  You  did what? I told you I would be there." He was becoming angry, she could  both hear and see it. "No, Dr. Dennison, it is not ready to be sent  ahead of my arrival. I'm sorry. Who is on his way to the lab?" This  pause went on for a much longer time and Lance seemed to calm down just a  little. "Fine. No, they won't know at the lab. I'll meet him myself.  No, no need to come to my home. It's too far out of town. That's right.  All right. Good bye, Dr. Dennison."

He hung up the phone and turned to her. She stared back at him,  realizing she was naked. He walked toward her and she sat up, trying to  cover up as much of herself as possible.

"Can I have something to wear?" she asked.

"No you cannot. Not after that stunt you pulled. I can't trust you, Rachel."

"I'm cold."

"I'll turn the heat up."

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked, afraid of the answer even as she knew it.

"I'm going to take some eggs from you. That is all. But first, I need to  prepare another sample for Dr. Dennison." That part he said more to  himself than to her.

"I mean after you take what you want to take? What are you going to do to me then?"

He looked at her for a while, his eyes moving through a series of emotions. "You'll be fine, Rachel."

She knew as he said it that she wouldn't be fine at all. She began to  shiver all at once, as if just understanding the seriousness of her  situation. He didn't look at her. Instead, he went upstairs then  returned a few moments later with a blanket he draped over her  shoulders.

"You're going to hurt me, aren't you?" she asked. "I'm not going to go home again, am I?"

He only studied her for a moment, then tucked the blanket tighter around  her shoulders. "Shh. Of course you'll go home," he said.

It was a lie and she knew it.

At that point, she watched as he took some things out of the  refrigerator, arranging and pouring and mixing. After some time of this,  he labeled two vials, set them aside, and checked his watch.

"I have to go out for a while. Do you need to use the bathroom before I go?"

She nodded. He unlocked her cuffs and she held onto the blanket over her  shoulders as he led her upstairs. She didn't try to fight him, knowing  he could overpower her easily, afraid of what he would do to her for  trying. Her only hope now was Elijah.

"When I'm back, I'll make you something to eat."

"What if something happens when you're gone? I'm locked up in here, if there's a fire … "                       
       
           



       

"You'll be fine, nothing will happen. Sit down, Rachel."

She sat and he bound her, again taking care to wrap the blanket over her  shoulders. He collected one of the vials he had prepared and placed the  other one in the refrigerator. She listened as he climbed up the  stairs, closed and bolted the door behind him.





Chapter Twelve





The scent led them to a large home at the end of a cul-de-sac. Marcus and Elijah slowed to a stop and looked at one another.

It was Marcus who communicated first. She's here.

This is also the source of the scent, Elijah said.

You mean stench. Christ, it's unbearable here!

Marcus began to move toward the house. Hold on, brother.

Just then, the garage door opened and a car pulled out. The man inside  paused, scanning the area while the garage door closed. He pulled out  onto the street and stopped again, rolling down his window. He scanned  the woods and for a moment, Marcus wondered if he'd seen them because he  seemed to look straight at them, directly into the woods where they  hid.

But then the window rolled closed and the man drove off.

Marcus and Elijah shifted to human form and looked at each other. "What the hell was that?" Elijah asked.

"I swear he saw us."

"I wonder if that is Professor Lance Weston," Elijah said.

"I'm going to kill him if he's hurt her. Let's go, she's here, still inside," Marcus said.

The other houses were far enough away that they didn't worry about being  seen, but they walked to the back of the house, scanning the area even  though there was no other scent or sound to pick up.

"Door's locked," Marcus said. Then, without hesitation, he threw his weight on it, busting through the back door.

"Subtlety was always your gift," Elijah said, following him in.

They scanned the kitchen, noting the mess there, the dishes scattered,  some broken glass on the floor. A partially eaten piece of meat sat on a  plate, the knife and fork set on top of it as if someone had been  interrupted while eating the raw steak.

"It stinks in here. It's whatever was at Rachel's house."

Marcus walked toward the living room but they both stopped when they  passed the door that had obviously just recently been installed.

"Look at these," Marcus said, touching the indentations that looked as  though someone had been pounding on the door. Someone with quite some  strength. Or something. "She's behind this door, she's got to be," he  said, trying the door but finding it secured.

Just then, they heard the sound of the garage door opening. The looked  at each other and both went immediately to hide. They watched as, after a  moment, the man who had driven off walked into the house from the  garage, too consumed in his thoughts to notice the state of the back  door. In fact, he was muttering to himself and looked quite angry.

He didn't pause at all but took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the  basement door. Once he pushed it open, Marcus heard Rachel gasp and he  and Elijah both charged after the man.

"What the-" the man began when Marcus jumped him, both of them tumbling  down the stairs, sending the vial he held crashing on the floor.

"Marcus!" Rachel called out.

He held the man down and turned to her, taking in her small form, naked, bound, and shivering in the corner.

He roared an inhuman roar and turned to meet the eyes of the man he held by the neck. "I'm going to kill you!"

Elijah was at Rachel's side in a moment. "Are you all right? Did he hurt  you?" he asked, examining her already, looking at the bruises on her  neck, the outline of the hand clear there.

"What did you do to her?" Marcus yelled, rising to his feet, dragging the man with him.

"Let me go!" the man yelled, grasping his head, squeezing his eyes shut in obvious pain.

"He's changing. Marcus, he's shifting!" Rachel yelled.

Marcus watched in amazement as the man before him opened his eyes again,  the now suddenly dark eyes. His face grew red and a sound came from his  chest. He pushed Marcus off with a strength that doubled Marcus' as his  clothing tore from his limbs and that sound turned into a roar loud  enough to be heard for miles.

"What the hell … ?" Elijah said. "Shift, Marcus!" he yelled.

Marcus stood stunned for a moment longer, watching as the man turned  into what looked to be a nine foot tall creature. It was hideous, not  man, not wolf, just an abomination.

"Marcus!" Rachel yelled.

Marcus shifted then and the two ran at the creature, managing to bring  him down when Elijah bit into his leg. Marcus was on top of him but the  thing pushed him off and stood, turning to them and roaring again.  Marcus lunged at it but only managed to take him back a few steps,  toppling him into the counter, sending glass shattering. At that, the  creature stopped and something happened that Marcus couldn't understand.  He expected a fight but instead, the creature looked at each of them,  focusing the longest on Rachel. Then, just as Marcus and Elijah both  lunged at him, he threw them off, ran up the stairs and out of the  house. The brothers followed but the creature disappeared at a speed  much faster than theirs into the woods. Elijah remained outside watching  for him, but Marcus returned to the house, shifting to his human form  as he did, and ran down the stairs.                       
       
           



       

"Rachel!" he called out, running to her.

She cried when she saw him, mumbling something, trying to pull her arms  free but unable to. He gathered her in his arms and held her, her naked  body trembling against his as she wept.

"Shh, it's all right. You're safe now, he's gone. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

That only seemed to push more tears from her eyes as she looked up at him, trying to move her hands to touch him.

"I thought you'd never come back," she said, sucking in breath. "I thought you were dead."

"I'm so sorry, Rachel. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere ever  again." He looked at her hands. "Do you know where the keys are?" he  asked.