Fate Stained - Part Two
Chapter 19 - Hell’s Parasite

The air rushed back into my lungs as Flynn released his invisible hold on me and I fell swiftly to the ground.

I’d felt power before, hell, I was mated to one of the most powerful beings on the face of this earth…one of. But this power that Flynn emanated was something different…something else entirely. I wouldn’t have gone so far as to say that it was dark, it wasn’t dark; not really. But the power had been contained and restrained for years, neither Flynn or his animal being able to truly reach their full potential. But now there was nothing holding it back and without something to focus that energy and pent up frustration on…Flynn was a danger to us all.

I shook my head and my limbs, trying to release the residual magics that still clung to my body. But I didn’t have long to regain my composure. The cabin shook, windows smashing and pictures falling from the walls as Quinn and Flynn’s beasts crashed into one another. I barely had a second to scramble to my feet as the gold and silver tribrids rolled across the floor, taking out anything and everything in their path.

“Jayce! Get out of there!”

The sound of my father’s voice was barely audible over the gnashing of teeth and the tearing of flesh. I stood in shock, staring at the battle of the beasts that ensued in front of me. Brother versus sister. Warlock versus Queen. Gold versus silver. Wild versus tamed. My body twitched with the urge to shift and help my Luna but I knew I couldn’t reach my wolf even if I needed too. Flynn’s power had sucked everything out of me, it was as though he’d taken my wolf’s strength and merged it with his own. Thankfully I could still feel my wolf inside me, but he was tired and weak, unable to help his mate.

A pained cry echoed through the room and I almost ran towards Quinn as she landed with a thud on the ground. But the second I moved in her direction her eyes darted over to me, anger and fear blended within the ice blue.

Get out of here! He will kill you!

I hesitated. Quinn cried out again as Flynn bit down on her leg but she quickly kicked him off, healing before he’d even hit the wall.

I mean it Jayce. I can’t have you as a distraction. Go!

The feel of my father’s hand gripping my bicep alerted me to the fact he was standing right beside me.

“Jayce. You have to trust your mate. Let’s go”

In a daze Dominic dragged me from the cabin, dust and roof tiles falling around us as we exited what was left of the front door.

I’d left her. I. Left. Her.

“Alpha! You even think about going back in there and I will personally sedate you. You hear me?!”

I turned to Moira, her face set in a hard line. She gripped a metal box in her hand which looked as though it contained about twenty vials of animal sedative. Enough to sedate a…Warlock-tribrid? One could only hope.

“And how do you expect to get that into him?” I asked the wolf doctor.

Moira shrugged.

“Quinn has a plan. She told me she needed the sedative and a holding cell ready, thats all I know”

Quinn had a plan?

“Where’s Fern?” I growled, looking around.

“Onyx took her back my place with Norah. Blake is hold up inside with them and has cast a spell on the house to hopefully keep Flynn out…” Cameron muttered.

My eyes then fell to Kyanite, sitting on the ground, staring at Dominic’s cabin like the pathetic, useless piece of shit that he was.

“And where were you when Quinn needed her mate?!” I snarled and stormed towards the panther, but he didn’t even look at me, didn’t acknowledge my existence at all.

I reached down, grabbing the prince by the neck of his shirt and dragging him to his feet.

“Fucking look at me!” I growled, shaking him.

“Jayce! Let him go!”

Both Dominic and Mason ran towards me, one grabbing Kyan and the other pulling my arms back to release my grip. I let go of the poor excuse for a mate, he wasn’t fucking worth it anyway.

“I had to sedate his panther” Moira spoke up.

I watched as Kyanite slumped back down on the the ground, his eyes having not left my father’s cabin once.

“It took several of us to get him out of there when Quinn shifted, I had to inject him…it was the only way. So don’t think I won’t do it to you too”

“No need” I answered dryly, “Flynn made sure that my wolf wouldn’t be coming out to play anytime soon”

Quinn POV

My body was thrown into the ground time and time again. After each impact Flynn would allow me to scramble to me feet before grabbing me in his jaws and throwing me across the room like I was a rag doll. I silently cursed myself - had I taken my lack of energy into account I might have opted for a different plan, but it was too late now, this had to work.

You feel that rage? It’s empowering, isn’t it?

Flynn’s beast roared in response to my mind link as I winced again, trying to scramble to my feet whilst slipping on the bloody floorboards.

What would you know about power? What you have is nothing compared to me!

The golden creature’s claw swiped across my face and if it hadn’t been for my lightning fast reflexes he would have taken out an eye. It was clear that it was only Pieter at the wheel right now. I didn’t know where Flynn was, but the voice that spoke to me through the bond link was wild, animalistic and oddly familiar.

You’re right - I panted, dodging another blow - I can’t imagine how this must feel for you, how freeing this must be to finally unleash after all this time.

The monster snorted and, I might have been wrong, but almost seemed to hesitate slightly before charging at me again. I wasn’t fast enough this time and Flynn’s teeth sunk deeply into my shoulder. I roared in pain, the sound being quickly choked out as blood filled my airway. Coughing and spluttering, I felt like I was drowning as I struggled to take a breath. The golden beast dropped me to the ground, a flap of my flesh being left behind in his teeth.

That stupid wolf doctor thought she could tame me, domesticate me! But in the end, all Flynn needed was the distraction of a pretty girl to let me take charge.

Rogue’s essence flickered a little bit, like a flame caught in the breeze. It was a sensation I hadn’t experienced before and I felt my healing slowing as I fought to remain in my current shifted state.

Can you feel that? - the voice drawled inside my head - That’s me, sucking the power from you. You see, Flynn may be a powerful Warlock but for someone with immense focus…the boy is easily distracted…

What the hell was he on about?

I bared my teeth, my claws digging into the floorboards as I used all my strength to push myself up on to my feet.

Your bear appears to be your weakest animal, I can feel her close to giving in…Is that because she doesn’t have a mate anymore maybe?

Another wave of power-sucking magic shook my body, my muscles spasming just like Jayce’s had earlier. My stomach turned, I knew now what he was doing - he was trying to make me shift back by siphoning the power from my animals.

I’m not here to fight you or to make you rein yourself in Pieter! Flynn doesn’t want that either. I’ve never once smothered Rogue, sure, to begin with there was a juggle but the unity between ones humanity and animal creates a stronger force.

The sound that rumbled through the golden monster’s chest could have almost passed for a laugh. He stalked towards me on all fours, the crackling energy in his eyes looking like blue whirls of lightning as he drew closer.

You stupid girl - he sighed - Pieter. Is that what your brother calls the animals that take refuge in his pitiful brain? Well…Pieter was as easy to control as the Warlock was. I found their weakness- that girl. Mortals, You’re all the same.

My eyes narrowed on the monster, my mind processing the nonsensical dribble that flowed through our link. Maybe without the searing pain that ricocheted around my skull I would have been able to understand what he was going on about but as my concentration dwindled so did my energy. I looked down at the floor quickly, noticing the drip-drip-drip of blood on the floorboards. As the drips hit the wood, splashes of red flicked up, coated my paws, and it was then the I realised the blood was coming from me. I wasn’t healing.

A weak whine escaped between my lips, as if it had been Rogue’s last ditch effort to hold on, but I knew she was exhausted. The power it took to keep my body in this current form was not something that I had right now and as my bones cracked and realigned, I knew I was in trouble.

What do we have here? Just as I thought, your bear has gone. Well, aren’t you a pretty blend of wolf and panther.

Pushing myself up on my feet was slightly easier now as I didn't have as much weight to lift as before. I elevated my head and locked eyes with the monster.

Just because you share your body and mind with Flynn, doesn’t mean your power or abilities need to be quashed - I breathed, even the energy of communicating through our link seemed to drain me - We want to encourage your power, help it grow and thrive. Imagine the good you can do in this world with it!

The golden tribrid reached forward, a ginormous panther paw gripping me around the throat and lifting me from the ground. I wasn’t small, my panther-wolf blend being twice the size of a normal shifter wolf, but Flynn held me up as if I weighed nothing. I struggled in my brother’s grip and he laughed again, this time through the link, the sound sending chills through my spine.

More bones within my body began snapping and twisting as Flynn pinned me back against the wall. I felt my panther retreating inside me as my body took on the shape of pure wolf.

So your wolf is your strongest animal is it? Interesting.

Please Pieter! You don’t have to do this. Please give us a chance. Your power won’t be caged like it was in Hell. Just trust me.

I cried out. My body shifting again as the last of Rogue’s essence boiled down into nothing. My hands flailed erratically and uselessly in front of my body as I attempted to grab on to anything to support my weight. Flynn’s response to this was only to tighten his grip more around my throat, my vision beginning to darken as the oxygen to my brain was cut off.

You still don’t get it, do you? Pieter’s not here. This isn’t a matter of an unrestrained animal. This is so much more than that. I thought you would have figured it out by now Quinn…or maybe that parasite that’s growing inside your womb is sucking the life out of your brain too…

My eyes regained their focus slightly, maybe it was Rogue giving one last burst of strength to help me get out of this mess or maybe it was her shock - our shock - at the words that flowed through the mind link.

I— I’m pregnant?

The golden beast laughed, the sight of my flesh still between his teeth making my stomach heave.

You are. And I’m so sorry that you won’t get to experience being a mother for the second time, because this time it will be you who is dead. Maybe Zeus will think about that next time he fucks with my Underworld. He really didn’t think that I would just ignore the fact that he took my Warlock, my Panther Prince and my Shifter Queen?!

“H-Hades?” I managed to choke.

The monster almost smiled, it’s gums curling up and over his razor sharp teeth.

The one and only.

Rogue was silent, as though this piece of information was the last nail in the coffin. She was gone, giving up as my brain struggled with it’s fight for oxygen. Hades had taken over my brother’s subconscious, how? I didn’t know. It wasn’t meant to go down like this, Atropos had assured us that we could all leave Hell - but here I was, once again fucked over by the Gods. And, then there was the other piece of the puzzle - I was pregnant. Jayce had been right all along.

The image of Delilah’s perfect little face danced around behind my lids as they drooped tiredly over my eyes. I had a life growing inside of me, I was meant to keep it safe, and instead here I was just giving up because I wasn’t strong enough to fight back.

This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be how it all ended. I deserved more, I deserved my baby, my happily ever after. I deserved to live!

Reaching forward, my hands wrapped around one of the beasts muscular, hair covered arms. It’s eyes locked with mine and I stared into them, stared past the swirls of lightning and power, passed the darkness - that was quite clearly Hades’s essence, wrapping it’s tendrils around Flynn’s soul - and stared deeper, deeper into where I knew my brother was lying.

You have to fight - I pled, my voice a weakened cry through our link - I know it’s hard and I know you’re tired, but I need you to fight. If not for me, do it for your niece or nephew, their life depends on you. Please Flynn. FIGHT!

The beast’s grip loosened ever so slightly. Not enough to allow me to break free or even catch my breath, but enough to let me know that my brother was still in there and he’d heard every word I said.

If Flynn still had some level of awareness then maybe, just maybe, all hope was not lost.

Nice try Shifter Queen, but you’re going to need more than just pathetic words to break your brother from the mental cage that I’ve got him in!

The reprieve around my neck was short lived, the golden fist tightening again until black spots filled my vision and ringing filled my ears.

With the last ounce of energy, last ounce of hope I had left, I whispered a silent prayer and hoped to the Gods that they were listening.