Chapter 13
”Why are we sitting in your shed?” I asked as I reclined in a lawn chair. War was passing out ice-cold beers, and Thane found an old record player in a box that actually worked.
“I thought we could give them some space to settle in,” he said, sipping from the bottle, his eyes running over me leisurely.
“I find it rather comfy,” Thane said as he placed a dusty old record under the needle. Bluesy music from centuries past began to play.
It was cold in the shed, but roomy, and with four bodies filling it up, it didn’t take long to warm up, especially after Thane magically lit several camping lanterns.
There were lawn chairs for each of us, so we sat in a circle.
The flickering light cast a comfortable orange glow around the dark space.
It wasn’t a rickety old shed, but rather a small garage-like storage space that didn’t have much in it save for a dozen or so boxes and some knickknacks or sporting equipment.
“So, this is your hideaway from the world?” I asked War.
“For about a hundred years now. I come up here whenever I can’t take the city anymore and need a break.”
“That’s smart. I would give anything for a place like this.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome here whenever you want, Trix. What’s mine is yours.”
Thane tilted his head at his brother, a knowing look in his eyes. “I never thought I’d see the day The Executioner finally fell.” War glared at Thane but didn’t argue.
"What’s the deal with that anyway?” I asked. I never had the balls to ask him, but I was so curious.
“It’s a long and bloody story,” War mumbled around a pull of his beer.
“I tell it best, I reckon,” Thane said.
I looked at War, and he just shrugged, not arguing. He was a man of few words. The complete and utter opposite of his brother.
“You’re familiar with the doctrine wars, yes?” Thane asked. Gareth visibly tensed, and War’s eyes were far away. I nodded. “Well, my brother, here, was a general. When we exposed ourselves to humans, there were uprisings. They called us monsters and demons.”
Typical. Humans were still that way. My uncle was a prime example of the hatred that just bred more hatred if it wasn’t dealt with.
“Warrik was put in charge of a small squadron to quell one such uprising. It was bloody and brutal, but he did what had to be done,” Thane continued, taking a sip of his own beer.
I looked over at War again and saw the pain etched on his face. I reached out to take his hand in mine, offering comfort that I knew wouldn’t fix anything but might help just a little bit.
Thane cleared his throat before continuing. “The humans didn’t take kindly to being bested by monsters like us, so they captured him during the day when vampires slept. This was before daylight potion.”
My head spun with all the possibilities of what could have happened next.
“Their scientists wanted answers about our abilities and physiology." He took another slug from the bottle before going on: "They experimented on him for months while we searched for him."
My mouth dropped open as my brain valiantly tried to wrap around it with too many questions racing through me. What had they done? How much damage?
"He still carries those scars," Thane finished quietly after finishing off his beer with an audible gulp. He was being purposefully nonchalant, as if telling a bedtime story.
It felt like hours passed while I sat there, soaking up this new information.
Finally, War chimed in, his voice quiet yet raw, emotion dripping behind every word "On my last day held captive, a guard slipped up, and I took the opportunity to free myself. But once I was out, it was a bloodbath.”
Thane’s face had gone solemn. “They’d starved him while he was in there.
So, when he was free, he unleashed himself, killing thousands in the war camp.
The humans never saw him coming. The media called him The Executioner, because once he was coming for you, there was no hope of escape.
He was bloodthirsty and brutal, and he was exactly what our people needed to win. ”
My heart raced as War's words sank in. The thought of him being tormented for years on end, only to be unleashed with such fury upon his release, sent chills down my spine.
I looked over at War and saw the pain still etched on his face. I couldn't help but wonder how many more scars he carried beyond those that were visible.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered, squeezing his hand a little tighter.
War turned to look at me with eyes full of sadness and something else—something raw and primitive that made my stomach twist with both fear and desire.
"Sorrow won't change anything," he growled slowly before standing abruptly from the chair. The air around us shifted as if there was an electrical charge building up inside him. It was almost suffocating in its intensity.
Before I could say anything further, War said he needed some air, leaving us sitting there watching him go.
Thane broke the silence by slamming his empty bottle onto the wooden work bench beside him before turning toward me. "He needs someone like you."
"What do you mean?" My voice came out softer than intended. Someone like me? What did that even mean?
"He's been through too much death, and he’s secluded himself instead of dealing with it. He buries himself in his work and barely has a life anymore. Maybe you can make a difference."
"The doctrine wars were bloody for all of us,” Gareth added. He stared blankly ahead, as if his mind was elsewhere. Or…else-when. “We lost a lot of wolves. A lot of pups, too. About half our pack was decimated. It took us decades to rebuild what we had.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, reaching out and gently squeezing his hand. “I’ve only read about the doctrine wars, but it’s different hearing it from people who were there.”
After a moment of silence. Thane and Gareth went on about the old days after the war, reminiscing about the beginning of the Coexist Doctrine and the first sanctuary cities being closed off from the rest of the world.
So much history that I wasn’t there for. I just listened patiently, but my mind couldn't help but drift back to War. The way he had looked so lost and angry sent shivers down my spine. It was a look that said so much without words—pain, rage, sorrow, and desperation.
Without really thinking it through, I stood up from the chair and followed after him outside.
War was standing by himself against a wall on the far end of the house, arms crossed, as he glared out into the dark forest.
Wolves howled in the distance, and bat wings fluttered. The forest was alive and singing, even on a cold winter night.
"What do you want?" His voice came out low and strained as he turned around to face me.
I paused at the bite in his tone. "I just wanted..." My sentence trailed off as I met his eyes. They were vampire black. For several seconds, we just stared at each other wordlessly.
"Why did you follow me?”
"I don't know," I admitted softly before taking another step closer toward him. "I know that was hard for you, and I thought you could use a little comfort, that's all."
"Comfort?" He scoffed bitterly before turning away from me once more. "I've been looking for comfort since they took everything away from me. Nothing has ever worked."
"Maybe because you're not supposed to try finding comfort alone, War..."
He spun to face me again. "You have no idea what it’s like to live with people who can never understand.
Who look at you, and all they see is a fucking monster.
A killer. A fucking Executioner. You’re new to this world, but believe me, Darklings have long memories, and apparently, so do humans.
I’m a bedtime story, Trix. A cautionary tale, and I’m just... tired.”
I could see the weight of his words crushing in on him as he closed his eyes for a second, clenching and unclenching his fists. I knew what it was like to feel alone in this world, but War had been through more than anyone should have to bear.
"I'm not scared of you," I said quietly, approaching.
"That's because you don't know me," he replied bitterly.
Hurt lanced through my chest. "Then let me get to know you. Let me see who Warrik really is. Not the Executioner. Just War."
He looked at me skeptically before shaking his head. "You wouldn't want that."
"How do you know?"
"Because there are parts of myself that even I can barely stand. There are things so fucking dark within my soul that would make your blood run cold."
I stepped closer and placed a hand on his arm.
"We all have darkness inside us; it doesn't mean we're monsters or killers. It just means that this world isn’t fucking fair. It never has been. Sometimes, we have to fight back against it, but it still doesn’t make us monsters. You’re a good man, War. ”
He turned toward me slowly until our faces were just inches apart. "You think so?"
"I do," I whispered back before closing the gap between us with a kiss. I pulled back, looking up into his eyes, which had shifted back to their normal color. “I know you are. You’ve shown me as much when you literally abandoned everything just to keep me safe.”
His lips twitched beneath his scruff. “I might have had other motivations for doing so.”
I laughed, shoving his chest playfully. “Well, you don’t see me complaining, do you, big man?”
He ran his fingers through my curls and breathed a heavy sigh of what sounded like relief. At least I hope it was. “Alright, you win for tonight. Let’s get back in there before Thane starts tormenting your mate with his weird-ass music.”