Lycan's Affection

Conaan stopped, his breath faltering a little as he took in the almost effeminate young man. He was trembling, and there was no way someone so drenched in fear could bring lies or hearsay to him.

"What did you say?"

His voice was low, so low it felt like it could break right in the middle.

Eric swallowed hard, his chest lightly heaving now. "It...it was...the night of the festival. Just on the outskirts, on the plain path to the palace. I...I saw them."

"Tell me. Name them." Conaan's eyes were wide now, his fingers immediately seeking his dagger.

"I...It..."

"Speak, young man. Speak. You have already wasted so much time. Do right by me and speak."

Eric swallowed. "I went into hiding. I was scared. It was terrifying. They...they...mutilated his body. They damaged it and it was...."

Conaan's breaths were heavy now, his hand tightening. He couldn't even bring himself to talk, for fear of what he would hear. For fear of knowing the torture that Brandon had gone through before his death.

"They were infiltrating the kngdom, probably using the festivities as a cover. Brandon tried to stop then, but...he soon surrendered, like he knew he was going to die. And once he did....Alpha Alexander's henchman took the first hit against Brandon, bringing him to his knees."

Conaan took a step back, surprise filtering in and mixing with his rage. "Alexander of Polaris?"

Eric nodded. "I would never mistake him, I was once his beta."

Conaan raised a brow. "Tell me why you are here, telling on him."

Eric swallowed. Conaan's confidence, the rage he saw in his eyes and the fierce protective instincts was contagious.

"He tried to kill his brother and I. And deposited us here. I was found by a family and I was recuperating with them. I always wanted to come to the palace and talk to you. Matthew..."

"He is with me. And I know his blood is of importance to me. So it must not be diluted."

Eric nodded. "He did say you would find out. He had so much trust."

Conaan gave a small sigh. "How did that bastard get into my kingdom?"

"He had help," Eric said eagerly now, his eyes seeking Conaan's. "Some man....I have never seen him before."

Conaan stopped for a minute, then suddenly broke into manic laughter, his canines turned into sharp fangs. His green eyes had turned a dark red tinted with specks of black, and he looked absolutely monstrous.

Eric found himself drawn to it, deriving strength from it. He had always been rather weak, but with Conaan here, he felt almost strong. Almost capable.

"Come with me," Conaan said simply, then walked away, all thoughts focused on a single objective.

Eleanor squinted downstairs. Conaan was taking so long, and it was starting to worry her. Suddenly, a single soldier walked past, his sword carefully kept in its sheath.

"Excuse me," she said, stopping him.

He turned, then gave a respectful bow.

"Do you know where His Highness is?"

He gave a small nod. "I am not sure, but he left with a troop of assassins."

Eleanor's frows burrowed. "I thought he was meeting someone?"

"He left with him," The soldier answered simply, then walked away.

Eleanor's brows furrowed hard as she thought of why. If someone met him and he had to leave with soldiers, then...could he have found Brandon's killer?

She immediately ran back in, grabbing her sword. Her dress was far too big, and she searched for something. Within minutes, she had her hair up in a bun, tighttght slacks replacing her dress and a loose blouse. She grabbed a cup filled with arrows and her bow, then grabbed her sword, before running down the stairs.

The troop of one thousand assassins surrounded Anderson's large manor, with Conaan standing in front. He had acquired a sword, and it was face down into the earth, his hands resting on the handle.

His eyes blazed, and Eric swallowed as he watched him. He was not sure what was going to happen, but he knew one thing.

Blood will flow. Blood shall flow.

"Anderson!" Said a commander, his voice penetrating the entire estate. "Reveal yourself to His Highness, immediately!"

Silence. There seemed to be no one and Conaan seemed to get even angrier.

"I...I will go..." Eric started to say.

"Stay back," Conaan interrupted, his eyes thinning.

"What if he does not emerge?"

Conaan raised a brow, then turned to the commander. No words were exchanged, but a meaning passed between them, and the commander briskly walked to the door.

Anderson was sitting in the large sitting room, his eyes wide with naked fear. There was no attempt to yield from him, because he could already smell it.

He could already smell his own death.

The commander said nothing to him, before returning back to Conaan.

"He is inside."

"Set it ablaze."

Eric's eyes widened, as without hesitation, the assassins started to build a fire around the entire estate, encircling everyone within it, including them.

Conaan pushed his hair back, then gave Eric the sword as he moved his dagger to the right. He watched as the fire started in front of him, roaring and soaring, covering the large manor. The fence was on fire too, and he waited.

Eric swallowed hard, his chest heaving as he tried to grab the sword and put it in place.

The fire covered the house soon enough, and Conaan took a step forward, his eyes squinting.

Suddenly, he broke into a run to the side of the house. There was a secret tunnel, and he bent to it, waiting.

Slowly, the cover started to rattle. Conaan gave a small noiseless chuckle as he moved away.

Anderson was smart, but not quite enough. It wasn't near enough.

Suddenly, Anderson burst out from it, just to have his neck caught in a deathly grip, Conaan's eyes coming to slow focus in front of him.

He gave a terrified gasp, his eyes wide, his feet slowly lifting off the ground.

"Co...co...conaan?"

"We meet again, Anderson."