The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness
Chapter 59

- ENRIQUE ~

"I hope you learned your lesson," I remark as I get back into the car, and he climbs into the passenger seat.

"I apologised..." He pouts sulkily as I start up the car and drive towards the sea where the bodies have been found.

I had already demanded that the place be closed in the evenings through to the morning for any tourists or beach-goers. But clearly, the mayor has not bothered heeding my f*****g orders.

I made it clear until the attacker was found we needed to be on alert. I take my phone out, calling the so-called mayor, more like a hijo de puta. My eyes flashing with irritation, this could have been prevented. I had men and women who were professional divers out there, but I was under the impression he had placed a curfew in the area.

The phone cuts but I call him again. He will take my call, or I will fucking run for mayor myself.

Just when I'm prepared for the call to go to the answering machine again it's answered. "Ah, Señor Escarra!" Mayor Rio says. "What a pleasure to have you call-"

"I am not calling for useless formalities. Three people are dead, one of mine and two of yours. Care to tell me why you have not closed off access to the waters during the night? I made it clear to you that we had to, I even offered you my men to secure the area." I growl.

"We can't close a public place like that... it's not so simple-" "Step up mayor, or I will go directly to the governor," I threaten.

"I... now with the elections coming up that is unfair, you have to understand there are legal things that need to be filed in such cases, documents and permissions-"

"People are dying. That is above any law. Get it done and enforce the curfew. From tonight no one will be allowed near the shore down there, if I see one civilian there, I will speak to the governor myself."

"That's impossible, besides you have to understand security itself will cost

"My men will handle security if paying for security is your f*****g issue. Just get the word out. This area comes under your care Rio. These deaths are on your f*****g head," I snarl.

"I... very well then, as long as you cover the job of security, I will make the announcement public."

"Make it fast. I'll be watching before I take matters into my own hands." I already have a meeting scheduled with the governor, but he doesn't need to know that.

"No need. It will be done. Now. About those bodies-"

"When I fucking say, don't get ahead, this is a serious matter," I answer coldly before I hang up tossing my phone down.

Cabrón.

'Alpha, Joseph, we can't replace him or get in touch with him. He was one of the divers last night...

My heart thuds as I stare ahead. Joseph... I'm certain he only turned twenty a few weeks ago.

I clench my jaw as I park up, and we get out. Glancing at the waters, I mind -link Juan. 'So, we can presume he might be in the waters?'

'Most likely I'm afraid. We have thirty people in the water looking for him as we speak, Alpha.' Juan replies.

'Get me a kit ready. I'll join them. I say as I spot Juan at the edge of the water. The waves are crashing against the shore angrily and the tide is vicious today. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Narugi.com. Visit Narugi.com to read the complete chapters for free. "Alpha, I don't think that's a good idea," he says, bowing his head when he spots us.

My eyes flash as I look at him. "That's my warrior out there. If his body is down there, I'm retrieving it," I say quietly.

"We are working."

"GET ME THE KIT NOW!" I thunder, making a few of the other men turn towards us before one rushes off to obey me. My command rolling through the air.

"Forgive me, Alpha."

I stare down at the water, thinking the sea was fucking vast. "Were the human bodies taken away?"

"Not yet, Alpha, but we will hand them over once we have checked them over."

I nod as I begin undressing until I'm only in my boxers.

"It's too dangerous, Enrique," Carlos states the obvious.

"I'm not asking you to join," I reply. "Give me the gas kit."

He looks uneasy as he glances back at the other men before one of them helps pass it to me. "Alpha-"

"This is my fucking pack, my fucking responsibility, so do not tell me what to do!" 1

"Alpha!" A man bursts from the water, removing his mask. "The current is hard to swim against, even for us. We aren't able to go too far out. A storm is coming."

"I'll manage." If that's true, we might lose his body entirely. 1

I put on the diving gas kit before I step into the water. "How long can I survive without oxygen with one of these?" I look at the watch that will warn me when my gas runs low.

"You can last longer without exerting yourself, but you're big, Alpha. I'm thinking thirty minutes max depending on how deep you're going. Noone can say exactly, keep an eye on your levels."

"Right," I say, putting my mask on before I dive in. Thirty minutes, more or less, doesn't matter. I will replace him...

I can feel the current fight against me and I am running low, but there's something deep down here... I can feel the faint pulsating of energy... I need more time, maybe I should have brought a few extra cylinders...

But I'll return to check that another time... I keep swimming, looking for any sign of Joseph, hoping I replace something.

'Alpha, you need to surface. It's been too long. Juan's voice comes.

'I'm...' I trail off when I see something far below me. My heart skips a beat as I swim faster, my eyes honing in on what I now realise is a bloody body of- I turn the man around. Joseph! I found him!

But my stomach twists when I look at the thing he's got his arms wrapped around tightly and I instantly let go of him.

F**k!

Joseph's body is covered in bites and chunks of his flesh are ripped off his arms, neck, and chest. But his own claws are dug deep inside some kind of animal...

The strange spikes that I can see along its back are not something I've ever seen before, and I don't think it belongs in the water... it's obvious by the way the things bit into his chest that they both died fighting one

another. Marks just like on all the other dead bodies litter Joseph's skin, his diving suit all torn up.

My heart is thudding as I realise that Joseph might have just discovered the answer to these attacks. The beeping that I'll be out of oxygen soon is still going off, I should have been heading back up long ago.

Hoisting the bodies up, I push up and begin swimming upwards carrying the two bodies along with me. When the tank finally is used up, I keep going, holding my breath as I gaze upwards waiting for the light of the sun to show me I'm close enough. 'Alpha! Are you there?'

'Yeah, I found him.' I answer, feeling my body strain as I keep going. A little more... a little more....

Soon the black abyss changes to blue and finally I can see the light, almost there!

Breaking the water, I gasp for much-needed air, filling my deprived lungs before I look around; in the distance on the shore, I can see Juan and Carlos standing there.

'Enrique! Are you ok?!' Carlos asks, panicked.

'I'm fine,' I say, frowning as I begin swimming towards shore. Juan and Carlos wade into the water, both reaching out to take Joseph from me only for Carlos to jump back when he sees the thing attached to Joseph's body.

"Holy Goddess!"

Juan takes the bodies, although I see him look disturbed at the attached creature.

"I think we just found our attacker," I say, still breathing hard. The moment we're back on land, Juan, who looks extremely repulsed, places the bodies on the ground and I crouch down prying the thing from Joseph's body. I try not to throw up as I extract its sharp teeth from Joseph's chest.

I look away for a second as I push the creature off him.

"He's... he fought to the end..." Juan says, "From the look of his tank and clothes, he was attacked and tried to fight them off."

"And he didn't call for help?" I ask sharply.

Juan frowns, "Really, Alpha. He didn't..."

I nod as I look at Joseph's body.

The bite marks are definitely the same as we have seen on other victims, including the one in his chest where we had pried the creature off him.

"This is it... The creature we have been looking for..." I say as Juan uses his foot to flip it onto its back.

"The question is, what the f**k is it?" he murmurs.

We fall silent, staring at what looks like a mix of... I don't know. Part of it reminds me of a lizard, but then there are parts of it that look like a dog or a cat.... The body is not scaled. It does have spiky scales around the flanks and behind the hind legs as well as larger ones from its head down to its tail.

"It looks like a mix of a dog and a rat," Juan says, obviously as confused as I feel.

"The size is that of a large dog," I muse. "It's not from this world, that much I am certain off... whatever was-"

I'm cut off suddenly. "It's a chupacabra," Carlos says suddenly.

"A what?" I ask, grabbing a rod and prodding the thing.

"Madre told me about them in her stories of old folklore. They're vampire- like creatures that s**k the blood of livestock and naughty children," he says, his face pale.

I cock a brow. "Oh yeah? Well, seems like they target a lot more than naughty kids..."

We fall silent as we stare at the creature. We might not know what it is, or where it f*****g came from, but what we do fucking know is we have a lead.

Thanks to Joseph.