“Why? You have guards.” I stated, knowing that Nightingale was going to kill me when he found his mate.  

She sighed and looked down at the bedspread. “I’m sick of feeling helpless, like I need others to protect me.”

The look in her eyes told me that someone had hurt her badly, that she’d been abused. I fully understood why she wanted to learn self-defence but unlike when I train the enforcers, this would be one on one and I would need to know exactly what happened to make her feel the need to protect herself. If I decided to help her that is. “Tell me what happened and I will teach you.”

A tear slid down her face as Riley nodded and bowed her head. “How much do you want to know?” She muttered.

“Let me in your mind and you won’t have to tell me.” I whispered, waiting for her to comply.

Nodding I felt a rush of emotions, memories, pictures.

“So movie marathon?” I asked Matt and Jesse who were lying on either side of me on the spongy green grass of the school oval, looking up at the clouds, it was a beautiful day and I had on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved, tight white shirt. We were discussing what we were going to do tonight.

“Well some of the boys on the team were coming over to play Black Ops, eat and watch a few horrors.” Jesse chuckled, knowing full well that I would be there, probably acting like one of the boys- I was pretty pro at Black Ops and I could match them in an eating contest but never win- they’re teenage boys, like I’m going to beat them in an eating contest.

You’d think that I’d be fat if you saw the amount that I ate and you’d have a conniption if you had to pay the food bill on one of our sleep overs. But I love running which keeps it off and my metabolism is good to me.

“Fine, but the movies can’t be horror- can we watch Beastly?” I asked hopefully, getting groans in return.

“We’ve seen it like five hundred times and although you may not be sick of seeing a shirtless Alex Pettyfer, we all are. Anyway with seven football players like us to protect you and scare away the monsters you’ll be fine.” He looked over at me and winked.

“You wish.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. After a few seconds of silence we all cracked up laughing.

“You’re going to get it now!” Matt jumped up and grabbed me, Jesse, Archer and James- all from the football team and friends of theirs and mine following suit.

“Don’t you even dare!” I screamed as they all descended on me, fingers wriggling over my body, tickling me till tears were running down my face.

“Uncle!” I screamed.

They all laughed and fell back onto the grass with me, apart from Matt who pinned me down, still tickling me.

“M-matt s-stop!” I yelled at him.

“Not until you say ‘Matt is the hottest stud muffin in the whole wold’.” He grinned evilly at me, still relentless in his torturous tickling.

“B-but why would I lie to you?” I asked innocently as he stopped tickling me so I could hear me.

“Wrong thing to say!” He yelled.

“Fine! Matt is the hottest stud muffin in the whole wide world!” I screamed, much to the amusement of Jesse, Archer, James and all the guys who were playing football and who had stopped to watch my torture. 

“Could Riley Tyler please report to the main office.” The slightly nasal, crackling voice of the admin lady’s boomed over the loudspeaker on the concrete grandstand. I pushed Matt off, stood up, dusted my jeans off, picked up my bag, slung it over my shoulder and walked towards the grey, one story building that served as the school office.

I knew that I was either in trouble for being too loud in class with the boys, or for back chatting the teacher- who was being a bitch to me- she hates me!

I reached the office in under two minutes, and walked up to the counter. “Riley Tyler?” I asked the admin lady. She looked up at me with a pitying expression and handed me the phone.

 “Hello?” I asked, not knowing who to expect. No one called the school unless it was an emergency.

“Is this Riley Tyler, daughter of Cole and Fran Tyler?” A female voice asked.

“Yeah. Why?” I asked curiously.

“There was an accident involving your parents they were side swiped by an 18 wheeler, we tried as best as we could but your parents died in the ambulance.” She said sadness evident in her voice. It took a few seconds to sink in.

When it did the phone dropped out of my hand and landed on the floor, I sank down next to the phone dangling by its cord holding my hair, with one thing going through my head- my family, my protectors, my friends, the people who love me unconditionally were gone forever.

I vaguely heard people shouting, and people were kneeling beside me, shaking my shoulder, asking what was wrong. I tuned them all out, as I felt warm, salty tear slide down my cheeks.

“Everyone back away from her!” A voice yelled, the principal I’m guessing.

“Riley you need to tell us what happened.” I snapped out of my trance to hear her say.

“M-my p- parents…” I let out another sob and buried my head in my hands.

“Your parents what?” She asked gently.

“T-they’re g-gone.” I sobbed and curled into a ball.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for her rush of emotions. When sorting through people’s minds I could see everything as they’d seen it. Their thoughts were my thoughts, their emotions mine. It was an intimate bond that was forged between two people when they let you in to see their darkest moments.

My breathing was heavy and ragged as I watched my adoptive ‘father’, my guardian- Paul, pace the forest floor with an evil, malicious, sadistic glint in his black eyes. Probably thinking of new ways to cause me as much pain as possible- he seems to be very creative.

I was in absolute agony. Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the blood covering me, pouring out of every cut and scrape on my body- coating my clothes and pooling at my feet in a puddle of crimson red. It felt like Paul had been kicking, punching and cutting me for hours, before pinning me to the tree by my shoulder with his huge hunting knife and playing darts- with me being the dart board and his smaller blades the darts. Time had lost all meaning, only the rising sun gave any indication of the hours that had passed.

I had come home from school today, thinking about what I should get him for dinner- hurrying to start cooking before my tormentor woke up. As I rushed into the lounge room, on my way to the kitchen, Paul grabbed me.

I was terrified, helpless to do anything; I always froze up around him. No one knew what happened to me at home; no one asked questions- they didn’t have a hint of suspicion. If Paul ever found out that someone knew, their life would be in danger- I don’t want to put that on someone.

After a few slaps, punches and kicks to my ribs, he had dragged me out into the woods and started cutting, stabbing, hitting, kicking and throwing me around; anything to cause more pain, and this time I knew that I wouldn’t see tomorrow.

I was pinned to the base of the biggest, mossiest tree in the forest that surrounded my new ‘home’- a very small, shoebox house with only two bedrooms on the outskirts of the forest surrounding Mount McKinley in Alaska. But hey, the scenery is beautiful with misty mornings that made the forest seem mysterious and beautiful, an snow-capped mountain in the back ground, at sunset it was gorgeous pinks, yellows, red, oranges, purples and blues of dusk beautiful on the pure white of the snow- not that I have enough time to enjoy it with Paul’s constant ‘punishments’ or beatings.

The reason, I found, to why I was getting ‘punished’ today was because one of his friends had died and he seemed to think it was my fault. And as always he had to take it out on me, putting the blame to me- disregarding the fact that I couldn’t control it.

He stopped pacing and I saw the cruel smile planted on his face as he started pulling out the smaller knives, only to plunge them, once again, into bruised parts of my body.

As he sank a smaller blade into my shoulder, I focused on the happy memories that I had left of my family, trying desperately to ignore the pain, and blood pooling at my feet.

“N- no daddy stop!” I screamed, trying to control my laughter. I tried wriggling away but he kept attacking my sides, relentless with his tickling. I loved my dad, he was my idol and I was a daddy’s girl through and through.

My father, Rob, was a handsome man with thick black hair, a kind smile, straight white teeth and deep green eyes. Mum was leaning against the door frame smiling at us rolling around on the floor, and chuckling as I screamed for him to stop.

“Help me mummy!” I yelled in the general direction of the door.

“Sorry pumpkin, but you started it.” She smiled, and walked back to the kitchen to keep baking her cake.

“Daddy…” I said as I gave him my best puppy dog face. Making my eyes wider and water, pouting my lips.

“Yes pumpkin?” He stopped tickling me and sat up- the face works every time.

“Can we go have some cake?” I asked.

“Sure thing pumpkin.” He picked me up and walked out into the kitchen, giving my mum a kiss on the cheek.

I watched them in admiration- someday I hoped to have someone to love and protect me like my mum had my dad.

All the pain and dizziness running through my body returned full force as Paul pulled out his big hunting knife that had been holding me into place- making me plummet from the tree into the red pool of gore at my feet, coating me in vile crimson blood. I don’t think I could last much longer; it almost seemed like a mercy to die.

Kneeling down to my level, he still had that sick, sadistic smile on his face. That wasn’t what scared me the most though, oh no, it was his teeth. Sharp as steak knives and much longer than any normal person’s teeth, I knew that Paul was not human. In the back of my mind I knew exactly what he was but I didn’t want to accept it.

“Such a waste.” He said, stroking my face, most assuredly leaving a bloody handprint.

A sob escaped me as he roughly titled my head to the side and pressed his face in the crook of my neck. Who knew that it’d end like this? Life was unfair; I got good grades and was a decent person, I loved my family and friends yet I lost it all in one day.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I resigned myself to my fate. I had been so strong, I just wanted to it to end. I was done. Even if he didn’t kill me right now, the blood loss surely would.

I made no sound as he roughly dug his teeth into my neck; I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing the sound of my pain, not this last time.

My heart was beating so fast I thought I felt like I might have a heart attack. The sounds of my racing heart drowned out all else as I felt the life slipping out of my body.

A snarl, so loud and feral it shook the ground and a sob escaped my lips no matter how hard I tried to stop it; if Paul or the blood loss didn’t kill me, a wild animal would.

Paul roughly pulled his face away, dislodging his teeth and taking part of my neck with him. God it hurt, it hurt so much. My eyes snapped open and my world blurred, sounds and touches felt distant. I could make out Paul crouching beside me, his movements frantic.

He raised his mouth to his wrist and soon it was covered in red. Blood. He forced my mouth open and a coppery, sour taste filled my mouth.

He covered my nose and I was forced to swallow the foul substance before he let me breathe. He was tackled by a huge sooty blur and I was alone again.

I felt numb as I lay on the rocky ground in a pool of blood, muffled growls, snarls, hisses and screams reached my ears. The sun rose over the horizon, bathing me in its light and temporarily blinding me from the sheer brightness.

With on final shriek, everything was silent. Black spots danced in front of my eyes and I closed my eyes, welcoming the darkness, the numbness; doubting that I would wake up again.

She whimpered as I dug deeper, seizing the one memory that she had suppressed the deepest.

My lower lip wobbled as they bought a chair into the room complete with manacles on the legs and arms. They pushed his body into the chairs and locked him into it. I saw how the metal burnt his skin, how much pain it caused him; he shouldn’t have to go through this!

Tears leaked out of my eyes as I ran, angry tears; Paul had no right! Messing with me was one thing, but you should never mess with my family!

I ran faster and faster as I kept my eyes on Matt.

“Amazing.” I heard Liam breath; I didn’t care though, someday he’d pay for his betrayal and that day would come soon. “She’s about to break the treadmill speed; slow it down!”

I felt the surface underneath me slow down and I wanted to keep running but they would do something bad to Matt if I didn’t comply; I knew they would.

Two huge vampires unchained me from the treadmill and lead me over to a weights bench, cuffing me to a pole set above my head.

I could hear Matt growling quietly and I hands shook as I held onto the bar. I was so mad. My fists clenched and I heard the groaning of metal as the bar bent under my hands. The two men stood on either side, next to a rack of weights. “Start.” Liam said.

I hissed when they slotted the first weights and lifted the bar. It felt like nothing, I tried deep breathing to calm myself down but every time I tried to think of something else, the image of Matt silently screaming in pain came to the forefront of my mind.

I don’t know how long I managed to hold the weights above my head, or how heavy it got, but I knew that it must have been substantial as when my arms gave out, it too three vampires to carry the weights and another to unlock me.

I sat up and almost fell back down, feeling so dizzy.

“Riley!” Matt’s voice was but a whisper but I hear him loud and clear. I felt a tear escape my eye and slid down my cheek as I looked at him. His wrists and ankles had burn marks form the metal and I saw that he had been crying; I didn’t blame him, it looked painful.

I held back a sob when he cringed again, his ankle coming into contact with the chair.

This couldn’t be happening! Not to Matt! Why? Why were they doing this too him?

I walked over to him slowly; falling down in front of him I rested my head on his lap. “I am so, so sorry.” I whispered.

“It’s ok Riles.” He whispered.

“Why would he do this to you? Why come back for me?” I asked, more to myself than the people around us.

 I looked up at Matt through misty eyes and could only see pity. “Because you’re pretty; he took interest in you because you’re pretty, and so, so innocent.”

I felt the air shift and Liam’s voice ordered the others in the room behind me, “Take her back to the room.” I thought he meant the adjacent room but when they grabbed my arms and began dragging me back towards the door I panicked.

“No! You’ll hurt him! No! Let him go! No!” I screamed, scratching at the men trying to take me out of the room. I thrashed, kicked, punched, scratched and when they stepped back I looked over to Matt and froze.

“Now Riley, you wouldn’t want your friend to be hurt now?” Paul asked, holding a long, sharp blade to Matt’s neck. “Move.” He ordered, digging the end into his skin, a drop of blood slowly sliding down his neck. He winced in pain as Paul dug it deeper and I was livid; first they chain him to a chair with some kind of metal that burnt his skin, now they threaten him with a nasty looking knife.

I hissed; actually hissed at Paul and pushed the guards away from me. “Don’t. Don’t hurt him. Let him go!” I shouted. How did I know they wouldn’t just kill him once I left the room?

“Riley move!” Liam ordered.

I turned to him and glared. “How do I know you won’t kill him?” I asked, a tears sliding down my cheek. I was scared, so scared; not for myself though, I didn’t know if Matt would be alright. They had hurt me; but I wouldn’t let them hurt my friend. He didn’t deserve this.

“You have my word a-,”

“Your word means nothing!” I screamed, walking up to him and slapping him hard. “You gave me your word once and you betrayed me!” I yelled.

He opened his mouth to speak but there was a great rumbling above my head and screaming; inhuman hisses and growls.

I looked over to Matt and everything stopped.

I watched horrified, unbelieving as the knife ran over his throat, slicing deep. Crimson blood ran down the front of his shirt as he gurgled; his lungs were filling with his own blood. It was horrifying to see his windpipe, hear his desperation.

A booming sound was heard as I felt anger; a rage I’d never felt before envelop my body. Paul had just murdered my best friend, my brother.

“No, no, no! Matt!” I yelled, running to him and dropping down in front of him, tears pouring down my cheeks. “No, no, no! Don’t leave me!” I screamed as his head lolled to the side, blood still pouring out of his throat rapidly.

His eyes became vacant and drooped closed. “No, no, no!” I screamed, holding his head in my hands.

I heard Paul’s laughter as people tried to seize me. I grabbed their heads and smashed them together, blood running down the side of their faces as they collapsed to the floor, sides of their faces caved in.

Paul stood just behind Matt and I lunged for him with a scream, throwing him to the floor. A loud crash sounded from above as I grabbed Paul’s throat. He tried throwing me off him but I held on and hissed when his nails cut into my skin.

I clawed at his eyes with one hand, the other holding onto his throat. “Bitch.” He spat at me, grabbing my throat and squeezing. Unlike him, I actually needed air and I became panicked as he squeezed tighter, my windpipe being crushed.

I tried to push him off me but it didn’t work; I was beginning to feel weaker as I choked for air. I reached out my hand and it touched a cold object, sticky with a liquid. I looked out of the corner of my eyes and almost screamed; it was the knife and my hand was covered in Matt’s blood.

As black dots appeared in my eyes I grabbed the handle and swung it towards Paul in utter desperation. He looked down at me in shock as I dug the blade deeper into the back of his skull. Blood dripped down my arm, covering me with more of the gore, mixing with Matt’s blood.

His grip loosened on my throat and his body slumped onto me, crushing my small, bruised frame. I pushed him off me as growls sounded right outside the door and loud bangs echoed through the room. I felt numb. I crawled over to where Matt was slumped and looked into his brown eyes.

They were lifeless.

I sobbed as my vision blurred and tears slid down my cheeks; he was dead.

He was dead because of me; my best friend. All my fault.

I buried my face in my hands, smudging more blood all over myself.

 “Send more men, they’ve almost breeched the door!” Someone shouted near me, though they sounded a thousand miles away.

I felt someone grab me and I didn’t fight, I was numb. I kept my eyes looked with Matt’s; though he would never see again.

I couldn’t fully wrap my mind around the fact that he was dead, gone. I guess I expected him to jump up and tell me that it was all some bad, sick joke.

But it wasn’t.

He was gone. Forever.

A loud, ear piercing bang echoed in my ears as the giant steel door exploded into a thousand pieces of shrapnel, flying through the room and hitting many of the occupants. I felt someone’s arms wrap around me as a cold piece of steel was held to my throat. “Do not move.” I heard Liam say from behind me.

I swallowed thickly and watched as wolves filed through the door.

“Oh god, Riley!” I heard someone scream; though it sounded like Jessie.

I broke down again; please god don’t let him die too!

Two people were dead because of me; I didn’t want to add Jessie to that list.

My eyes drifted over to Matt again and I wanted to kill Liam like I’d done Paul; never had I hated anyone more.

A loud growl, a roar sounded as a huge black wolf appeared in the doorway; the same wolf that’d saved me all those months ago. It wasn’t enough this time; he may have found me, but it wasn’t enough this time. It was too late this time.

“Step back or I will slit your mate’s pretty little throat.” Liam ordered. “I don’t want to but I will if I have to.” He said, almost to himself. I didn’t believe him; didn’t believe anything he said.

Reached up and wiped my eyes so I could see and looked Drew in the eyes. “The moment he gets out of here, he’ll slit my throat.” I felt the pressure of the blade on my skin and I swallowed. “Get out of here; before they hurt you.” I whispered.

I heard Jessie growl as his eyes fell on Matt’s still body, still trapped in the chair. I squeezed my eyes closed at his mournful whine as a tear trickled down my cheek.

When I opened them the look on his face broke me.  I flung my head backwards into Liam’s face as I stepped on his foot and elbowed him in the gut. The knife dug into my neck cut deep as I ducked out of Liam’s arms while he was shocked. Blood gushed down my front and liquid trickled down my throat as I fell to the floor, a giant shadow flying over me.

I turned around in time to see Drew bit into Liam’s face. My heart pounded in fear as I watched the fight. Liam was stronger than Drew, but Drew looked absolutely enraged.

I raised a hand to my throat as Liam hissed and threw Drew off him, smashing him into one of the concrete walls with a force that looked like it could’ve broken ribs. Blood seeped between my fingers as I took shallow breaths, feeling extremely light headed. I felt some gentle lift me as Drew pounced on Liam and bit into his chest, clawing his legs and going for his throat. Another wolf, Jessie, broke from the group and ran to where Liam scuffled with Drew.

I watched transfixed in horror as Jessie pinned Liam down and Drew went in for the kill, grabbing Liam by the throat and ripping so violently his head flew across the room. Jessie whined as Liam’s arms unwrapped themselves from around his body and fell to the ground; a rib jutted out at an odd angle, broken.

I couldn’t hold on any longer and closed my eyes as it all became too much.

Perhaps for the last time.

This innocent little angel had killed a man. Not just any man, a vampire. It haunted her to this day and weighed so heavily on her conscience that I know she would never forgive herself, no matter how badly he hurt her, no matter how many horrific things he’d done.

I withdrew slowly and looked into Riley’s eyes. “I will help you, I understand now.” I whispered.

“Thank you.” Her tone matched mine and we sat in silence after, obviously bringing the memories back bought home old ghosts and I honestly don’t blame her, our Queen is strong and I have admiration that she is still such a beautiful person inside and out. The exact opposite of me. Where she is kind I am cruel, where she is patient I am impulsive, where she is forgiving I am vengeful, where she is loving I am hateful. Riley is so full of love and kindness, while I am only full of hate and resentment, bitterness and betrayal.

“Shit!” Riley exclaimed, jumping up at staring at the door.

My head snapped to her and upon seeing no physical signs of distress I looked at her confused. “Drew and the boys realised that I wasn’t in our room. They’re coming for me and Drew is pissed.” As she finished talking the door opened, revealing a very angry king, snarling and growling at me.

“You’ve gone too far hunter, where is my mate?” He growled in a hoarse voice, sounding more wolf than wolf.

“Asking me for a personal favour your majesty.” I spat, glaring at him as his hands morphed into claws.

“Drew calm down, I was asking Rory for a favour.” Riley said pushing past me and placing her hand on his chest, her hand moving with his erratic breathing. The only thing Nightingale noticed were the crystal tears on her cheeks and almost in a blur he transformed into a giant black wolf, twice the size of mine as Riley was grabbed by one of her friends, Jesse I think.

I growled as Nightingale circled me, both in warning and frustration at the fact that I couldn’t shift because I would kill the babies within me. I shot a look at the door and realised that Riley’s friends had it blocked with their tall frames. When Nightingale appeared in front of me I growled at him and placed a hand over the tiny, almost undetectable swell of stomach. “If you dare attack me I will not be held responsible for your injuries, just because I can’t shift doesn’t mean that I’m harmless, just because you’re king doesn’t mean that I won’t protect myself.”

He growled and shook his head, drawing closer to me, snapping his jaw.

‘My mate tells me that you have agreed to help her.’ His voice echoed in my mind as I let him in. Only the king could telepathically communicate with wolves not in his pack. I was merely strong enough to push my way in and take control, while he could only talk.

“This is true.” I confirmed.

‘She tells me that she opened up to you.’

“She did.”

‘She tells me that she trusts you.’

“She shouldn’t.” I said taking my eyes off Nightingale for a mere second to look at Riley. “And it should not be so easily given.”

He nodded and shifted back, as naked as the day he was born. I kept my eyes fixed on his face. “I will hurt you if you hurt her; I will make sure that you know pain like you’ve never felt if you hurt one hair on her head.”

I shot him a cold, pain filled smirk. “Nothing you can ever dream of doing to me will make me suffer, seven hundred years under Rieker cannot compare to anything you could ever dream of.” I said my voice void of emotion.

For the first time I saw the kings eyes fill pity but it was gone in an instant. I held up my hand as he opened his mouth to talk and shook my head. “Don’t, don’t try to understand; you never will.”