The Beauty's Hidden Beast

Vick's POV
"Vick..." A weak voice echoed inside the darkness.
I frowned. I still couldn't move, but I could finally see and hear.
A dragon was floating in the dark void, its body covered in blood, wounds, and bruises everywhere.
Four long tentacles were bound around it, each wrapped so tightly that it was hard to distinguish where one started and another ended.
What was going on? I tried to reach out, but my arms were stuck. My body was chained. I didn't know how much time had passed, but I needed to get the dragon out before it was too late. My beast was rejecting it. Its spirit was fading. It was dying.
"I don't know how to thank you enough," the dragon said in its beast language, its voice coming out in gasps, "Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to take my revenge. You made my last wish come true. I'm sorry. It seems like I won't be able to hold on any longer."
"Wait..." I struggled to break free, my head burning. "Just hang on a bit longer."
"If we don't make it," the dragon replied, the glow in its eyes diminishing, "Please tell her...I'm sorry. I won't be able to meet her."
"Wait!" I struggled harder, but the chains only dug deeper into my flesh. "Don't leave!" I begged, "Please, wait! We can see her again. We just need to activate my spousal imprint together."
I tugged at the chains, the ones I used to restrain my ancestors. The ancestors took advantage of my loss of control over my beast and escaped my grasp. They took over my body, trapping me inside this dark prison.
I've kept them locked here ever since they forced me to eat my mother's corpse. My father was one of the ancestors, too, so the idea of him not caring about his mate had been planted inside my mind, along with the others' voices.
"Just let go," the dragon said, "Or else your beast will reject you for good. You will never be able to get your body back."
"There's no giving up in my dictionary," I replied, trying to take control of the tentacles suffocating us both.
I inherited more of my mother's traits the anticipated. I leaned toward my human side, escaping the instincts that threatened to turn me into a savage animal. The more I suppressed my ancestors, the louder their voices would become. They wanted to breed and were unwilling to take no for an answer.
They've been filling my mind with violent and disgusting images of mating with anything that had a working womb, and it had been driving me insane.
Except for female pheromones, I couldn't see, hear, or feel anything happening outside of this prison.
Vampire females with strong pheromones like Precious' step sisters would make my ancestors go into a complete frenzy. How were they related to Precious, who didn't release the least bit of pheromones? She didn't, because she didn't want to. Her body was all in her control.
When you know that physical attraction is just chemical reactions and instincts, it start to loses its appeal. But when it goes beyond that, and you see a woman who doesn't need any of that to attract your attention, that's when you realize the beauty in the soul.
Compared to the ancestors, Rick's presence was like a gentle flame flickering inside the darkness. It brought me a sense of warmth and comfort, and we found ourselves getting used to each other's company.
We shared memories and experiences. Rick used to be held captive as well. The Empire experimented on his mother and his siblings. They bred them, cut their scales and skin, extracted their blood, and used them to enhance the army.
Precious used to kill dragons whenever she stumbled upon them. Instead of helping them escape from her father's clutches, she would secretly take their hearts and put them inside her father's people, letting them seek vengeance on the people who did this to them.
I could not, for the love of god, comprehend what the hell she was thinking most of the time. Her crazy experiments would, more than often, lead to the destruction of the greatest soldiers.
Dragons were vengeful creatures, and if their families or tribes were threatened, they would wipe out entire species.
"A cocky army is bound to lose," she would say while watching the possessed general destroy his assets, "It is a lesson you need to learn once in a while. Otherwise, you're going to start believing that your shit doesn't stink."
It was Rick's memory of her that I held onto the most. The dragon had been waiting for its chance, but the opportunity never came. She was dragged away before its very eyes and ended up being banned from setting foot in most of the Empire's territories.
"Come back. I want to play with Precious."
"..." I stared at the fifth tentacle that showed up in the dark.
"Do something," the sixth tentacle reached out, "Precious doesn't let me go near her."
"What are you?" I asked. Were they speaking to me? Or was this some sort of hallucination? I've never heard my beast call out to me. I didn't even know it was possible. "How come you never showed up before me or my ancestors in the past?"
"We only show up before Precious. Only Precious likes us."
I sighed. Of course. Why was I not surprised?
"When do you usually show up before Precious?" I asked patiently.
"When you are too tired to stay awake," the tentacles shook from side to side. "The ancestors refuse to go to sleep. You have to come back. You have to let Precious play with us again."
"I'll come back if you help that dragon," I quickly said, gesturing toward the wounded spirit, "Can you do that?"
The tentacles floated in silence. I wasn't a heavy sleeper. I needed to be alert at all times, always ready to strike. Did I accidentally slip into a deeper state of unconsciousness? No wonder Precious could go through the night without sneaking away. She wasn't alone. She had these things to entertain her.
"You want to play with Precious, right?" I asked, "If you accept the dragon, you'll have a new playmate."
"No." The tentacles poked the dragon, making it cry in pain, "We don't need a new playmate. The dragon hates us, too."
"Don't hurt it," I warned, "It's wounded. Be careful."
"You like the dragon more than us," they replied, suffocating the dragon even more, "You don't need us anymore. You want to replace us. You want us dead."
"Stop!" I yelled.
"Only Precious likes us," they continued, "She likes us more than you."
"Yes, yes, I get it. I'll release and play with you more often," I said, giving in, "If you accept the dragon as your playmate. Now stop hurting it. We need it alive."
"Promise?"
"Yes. Yes, I promise."
The tentacles wiggled when they felt my sincerity, seemingly excited.
The dragon's body glowed with a faint red light in response. The wounds started healing, but not fast enough.
"How are you feeling?" I asked the dragon.
"Much better," it replied, its voice barely audible, "Your beast's healing abilities are amazing. I've never seen anything like this before."
"Yeah," I agreed. You could chop off my limbs and they would grow back in an hour, no problem. Since the dragon was becoming one with me, its injuries started healing on their own.
"What about you?" Rick asked, "How are you holding up?"
"I've been better," I replied. My focus was split between taking the reins over my body and making sure my beast accepted the dragon wholly. I needed the beast's cooperation, too, so there was nobody to watch over the ancestors.
"Can you take control of my body while the ancestors are awake? You are not being suppressed like me, so it should be easier for you."
"We can't."
"I'll try to distract them after the dragon returns to normal. Take the chance to give it another shot."
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
YaYa's POV
I almost mistook him for Vick, but that guy would never act jealous so openly, especially not before the boys.
Confidence? Vick was full of that. Jealousy? Not a drop. He would rather eat glass than show insecurity about his relationship with me.
"...?" The man in question looked confused. "You don't like it, do you?" he asked, matching his words with his movements. His body was stiff as if he was trying not to move, but he couldn't stop the slight tremors. His right hand let go of the phone and reached out toward me, unnaturally slow.
I was a second away from bolting, but the familiar pattern in his behavior was starting to ring alarms in my head. His fingers stopped at a distance, and I had the urge to touch him to confirm my suspicions.
He didn't utter a word, but the "no, no" gesture he did with his left pointer said: no hitting.
I outstretched my hand and pressed it against his, the contact sending tingles all over my body. His hand was ice cold, the opposite of the scorching heat radiating from my own.
"It's you," I mumbled.
"It's me," he confirmed, already adapting to the situation. The self-slap that followed his words made me realize that his body and brain were currently not on the same page, just like when he was deep asleep.
"You remember me?" I asked, my fingers curling around his. We did our little funny hand dance together, which was an answer enough. I found myself grinning like a fool, a silly, giddy feeling filling my chest. Vick was there somewhere, "Why did you break my phone?"
His thumb tugged at my lips, tracing the curves of them. After making me smile more, it slid up to trace my eye shape.
His movements were careful and slow as if he were trying to wipe away sadness in my expression. It wasn't jealousy, after all. He just didn't want to see me sad, and destroyed the offending object that almost made me tear up... Karrak's phone.
Karrak made me feel things I didn't know were possible, but Vick made me feel things no other person could. One would give me heaven and set me free, while the other would give me hell and chain─everything for my sake, including kicking me out of my comfort zone.
"I missed you," I whispered, reaching up and pressing a kiss against his fingers. The thought of him no longer being here had almost crippled me.
His thumb lingered against my lips. Then, he made a quick sign gesture, combining a few words: I missed you too.
The boys surrounded us, suddenly feeling competitive. They knew I didn't love them equally. The truth hurt, but what could they do? They had all the time in the world to even out the score.
If Karrak had not warned my boys, they would not have kept such a close eye on Vick (I certainly wouldn't even if he had warned me). Muir took the most initiative, watching Vick's every step like a little determined hawk he was.
It wouldn't hurt me if Vick cheated on me as much as it would hurt him.
Vick's decision not to mate with anyone was ingrained in him from birth. It was a trait that wouldn't vanish just because he lost his memories. Nobody thought he would be capable of doing that. He stayed celibate for years, and it seemed impossible to imagine him losing control. Whoever was controlling his body was simply not Vick.
The ancestor's gaze was focused on his body as if trying to regain control, and he seemed to be winning, so I smacked his cheek. "Help me occupy him," I called out to the boys.
"..."The dickhead's gaze turned from his hands to my face, and I smacked him again.
It seemed like Vick needed a helping hand with distracting his ancestors, so he could take over the reigns. I was happy to lend him mine.
The ancestor was getting frustrated. After all his effort to break free from Vick's chains, it was all in vain. Not only did he have to deal with Vick, his beast and the dragon, he also had to deal with me...and my boys now.
"Dear, can the ancestors be removed from Vick's body?" Skaris asked.
"I doubt it," I replied, "You can't kill something that's already dead."
Curtis flicked his forked tongue, "I eat mine."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"What in the wild hells, Curtis." Mitchell said what was on everyone's mind, "How?"
"I open my mouth wide," Curtis said, clenching his fist like he was holding a bunch of invisible ancestors and pretending to bite them, "and swallow them. They taste bad."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"How do we pass this idea to Vick?" Bart asked.
The playful fingers that were stroking mine suddenly stopped. My little tentacles probably remembered why they showed up in the first place and finally passed Vick's message to us.
"Vick is struggling against the ancestor's control while merging with the dragon," I translated, "He's trying to break free, but they're keeping him tightly restrained. If we can distract them for a bit, it'll give him a better chance to take control."
Skaris bit Vick's ear, focusing on his head, "Like this? Does it work?"
Bart clipped Vick's nose between his fingers while Mitchell ran to the kitchen to pick up spicy peppers, and shoved them into Vick's mouth.
Muir managed their actions, keeping a close watch on Vick's expressions, "More spices," he ordered, "Make his eyes water."
Curtis didn't participate in the torment, preferring to cuddle with me.
"I got you some souvenirs," Romeo said, holding a large plate filled with snacks in one hand and drinks in the other. He placed them on the table, "Here. Try it. It's really good," he said and tossed the meat snacks to the boys, who easily caught them in their mouths.
I unclasped my bra, slid it off my shoulder, and tucked it into a bag along with a few snacks and drinks. Handing it to the vulture, I said, "Take this to your master."
I still had my shirt on, and returned to my spot on the couch.
Moments later, it returned with a new phone.
"What do I do with this?" Karrak lifted the piece of black lingerie. "You don't have to give me gifts, YaYa." His fingers stroked the black lace, tracing the curves, "Just seeing you wearing it is enough."
"..." This voyager had a lot of nerve to say that, "Give it back then."
He hid it inside his coat, "I'll keep it until you really need it. For emergencies."
One would think that he was being shameless, but the tone he used was dead serious. He sounded like he would treasure the stupid lingerie and not use it to satisfy his perverted fantasies as if I would believe it, "I don't want to be the only one being watched. That's no fun. Jerk off with it or something. I don't care. Give me some content to get off, too."
"I'm afraid the only thing you'll have to get off of is my shirt," he said while the vulture delivered his garment to me, "Maybe if you put it on, I might reconsider letting you have a peek of what's usually beneath it."
What CEE said about Karrak living by his rules and terms made a lot of sense. He was a creep; a creep with a code of honor so skewed that it was a mystery why I was even attracted to him.
He was supposed to be obsessed with me, right? So why wasn't he trying harder to win me over? The more time I spent with him, the more I felt like a chaser. He had the patience of a saint and the self-control of a monk. It made me feel like a horny, hormonal, sexually repressed mess.
My ego wanted to set him in his place, put him through a series of tortures, and see him fall at my feet, begging. But my ego didn't matter.
He did.
"I will never leave you alone, Yaya," Karrak said when he sensed the conflict inside me, "So, don't feel bad for wanting to kick me of a cliff and watching me fall, okay? I won't be offended, I'll only be happy that you thought of me."
Alright, this guy was officially insane.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Gold returned to the mansion and the scene of the crime. "..." He tried to ignore Vick's miserable condition while accepting a drink from Romeo, "Welcome back."
"Glad to be back," Romeo smiled and took it upon himself to peck the corner of the light bulb's lips, "Your looks are wasted on a sour face. Smile for me."
"..." Gold wiped the traces of the kiss with his hand.
Romeo didn't seem bothered by his rejection and leaned closer, "You can kiss me back, you know. I don't bite. Unless you ask me to."
"You are drunk," Gold said, taking Romeo's cup and placing it on the table. "Why does he look rejected again?" he asked everyone, gesturing toward the man whose head was currently resting on his shoulder.
"He is used to being the center of attention, not a decoration, I guess," I said, glancing at the man giving Gold a back hug.
Romeo wasn't one to force his company, but he was obviously expecting more after a long absence.
Bart was as dense as a brick and had too much fun messing around with the boys. I was whisked away by Curtis, who returned from his hibernation.
Romeo tried to be understanding and got slightly drunk while waiting for his turn. Everyone knew he had been managing the Empire in my stead but couldn't really imagine what that entailed.
It should have been his welcome party, but it became a celebration of Vick's misery instead.
It was safe to say that nobody gave Romeo the attention he deserved. It was lackluster, at best.
Nobody did anything to change that until Gold showed up. He was probably the only one who cared about anyone else besides me enough to intervene.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
I hope Vick's quirk makes more sense now. Yaya was right when she said his limbs had brains of their own. 🤣
Karrak not wanting to leave YY alone in a literal sense doesn't stem from his stalking obsession only. It goes far deeper.🙊
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