| Supernatural Fiction posted April 23, 2018 | Chapters: |
-Prologue- 1... 
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Sins of Chaos/A Novel of the Breedline series
A chapter in the book Sins of Chaos
She-Wolf
by scongrove
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
Previously...
As the Breedline species—a race of humans born with special powers and the gift to change into wolf form—finally destroy Dr. Hubert Crane and his unholy creation of Breedline hybrids, they are faced with something far more dangerous... and deadly. When widespread reports of gruesome attacks on homeless victims sweep across Berkeley California and the San Francisco Bay area, two local human Detectives are desperate to catch whoever is responsible for the disturbing and heinous crimes. But... they are not prepared for what they discover and find themselves powerless when they encounter three malevolent supernatural beings called... the Fury.
Abbey, desperate to keep her she-wolf at bay, has been on the run from ruthless scientists—backed by wealthy and dangerous prospects dealing in drug and human sex trafficking—who will stop at nothing to use her to locate her beloved Steven for his unique abilities of healing.
With the help of the Breedline species and a group of highly trained soldiers whose special skills go beyond the norm, the human race finds hope of surviving the dangers that are fast closing in. But will the combined efforts be powerful enough to save them?
While war wages on, Sebastian continues to suffer Lucifer’s curse—trapped in a coma and forced to face the forgotten trauma of his childhood. And the only way to awaken from his hellish nightmare, Sebastian must hand over his son Arius to the dark side.
Continued...
Prologue
Located in a prison laboratory in Munich, Germany, ten years ago...
Steven woke with Abbey next to him, her head resting against his chest. Even her legs were entwined with his as if she were anchoring herself to the only solid thing in her life. Her body molded to his like a glove. A perfect fit.
He was tempted to roll over and slide between her legs and make love to her. Instead, he watched her sleep peacefully. Just being able to hold Abbey felt good.
While snuggled against her, he listened to the sounds of Abby’s soft breathing as it lightly brushed over his skin. As the strands of her long, auburn hair closest to his mouth fluttered with his breath, he gently smoothed them away. And then the past suddenly assailed him. Steven would never forget the day Dr. Hans Autenburg—a ruthless German scientist, backed by an underground group of military officials and wealthy prospects—locked him and Abbey together in a cell. They were just five years old. She was like a feral animal trapped in a cage.
The unethical scientist had a mission when he found out Abbey inherited her mother’s genetics. He wanted to create a new breed of species, combining Steven and Abbey’s DNA.
Born in Dr. Autenburg’s lab in 1981, Steven had no knowledge of his birth parents and no official identification. After discovering his true identity, born half-Breedline and half-Adalwolf—a human-wolf-like creature with healing abilities—Steven had endured years of painful experiments.
When Abbey’s parents, Jonah and Mary Winthrop, were discovered in the rainforests of Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Autenburg’s men forced them into captivity and kept them caged in the same compound for research.
At first, Jonah and Mary refused to reveal any information about their species. But when Dr. Autenburg found out Mary was pregnant, they surrendered the truth after he systematically tormented them with threats against their unborn child. With similar abilities as Steven, Jonah had inherited the genes from an Adalwolf. Mary, on the other hand, was something entirely different. Her ancestors had descended from the old legend of the lycanthrope, except the moon had no power over them, and it couldn’t be passed on to others like a virus. It was passed on through genetics to the female offspring, known as a Lupa... a she-wolf. Mary could shape-shift into a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature. Her species were considered dangerous... cursed. It was the reason why Jonah and Mary secluded themselves deep in the rainforest, far away from humans, until now.
In 1975, the group of scientists funded a project interested in psychic and telepathic power. They wanted a way into the heads of foreign government to gain their top-secret weapons. And then it all changed when they discovered the Breedline species. It marked a complete turn for other possibilities. The scientists tested them extensively until some of their experiments transformed into a monstrosity. They created a new breed of hybrid Breedlines... far more dangerous, and capable of surviving silver. After their transformation, they remained hybrids, no longer possessing the ability to shift back to their human forms.
Five years later, Dr. Autenburg inducted Dr. Hurbert Crane into his team of colleagues. With an odd resemblance and similar trademarks of the evil leader of the German Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, Dr. Crane searched out individuals with unique abilities. Forcing them into captivity, he studied each and every case of unexplainable gifts. Some proved to be useless, but there were others who clearly displayed resourceful talents and rare genetics.
Focusing back on reality, Steven wrapped his arm around Abbey and pulled her closer. As her eyelids fluttered and opened, she lifted her head, and sleepy blue eyes gazed into his emerald green.
Steven’s face softened as the memories of the past slipped from his mind. “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her forehead.
“Good morning,” Abbey muttered around a yawn.
As Steven looked into her eyes, everything else seemed the world away, and they seemed removed from reality. Even though the bitter truth was waiting outside their cell, it was nice, just for a while, to get a sense that the only thing that mattered was right here in his arms.
Abbey, short for Mary Abigail, had been Steven’s reason to live. It was his life mission to do everything in his control to keep her safe. Even if it took power to move heaven and hell, Steven had promised her father—the only family member Abbey had left since her mother died in childbirth—he’d find a way to escape and get Abbey far away from an eternity of torment and endless painful experiments.
He shook the thought off just as she whispered in a sleepy voice, “I’ve never had a better dream.”
At that, glee entered his eyes. Steven smiled and lifted his brows. “Was it about me?”
She nodded and let out a sigh. “I’ve had so many nightmares,” her voice trembled, causing Steven’s brows to tighten. “It’s the first time,” she paused as tears clouded her vision, “I’ve dreamed... good. You make me feel safe, Steven.”
He closed his eyes and held her more firmly against his body. He inhaled deeply, wanting to savor this one moment in time. Regardless of the fact she felt safe with him, he was overwhelmed with helplessness. So much regret surged through his body, wondering how he was going to keep Abbey out of harm’s way. But for once, her sleep wasn’t consumed by torture and death. And then revenge gripped Steven by the throat.
The pain in her voice made him want to kill Dr. Autenburg and every person who put their hands on Abbey. But he hadn’t seen anyone in several days, except the guards who brought their meals.
Steven opened his eyes, and his scrambled mind could only come up with one promise. “No matter what happens,” he let out a deep breath, “I’ll always be with you. I love you, Abbey.”
She wiped her eyes and said, “I love you, too, Steven.”
Her soft voice settled over him, soothing some of the tension. As Abbey moved closer to Steven, the blanket fell away, baring her breasts. As she hovered above him, a spark of desire resonated from his eyes, but they also flashed with uncertainty. It was gone almost before she registered it happening, but his eyes never lied. They were the doors to his soul.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
At the same time, Steven reached for her, Abbey leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, just once. Heat licked from the brief contact, warming him to the bone. And then she stared back at him, her eyes content, and there was a hint of something else there. Was it fear?
He smoothed his thumb over her cheek to reassure her.
Abbey felt a wall crumble inside her, falling away like the blanket covering her naked body. She fell back against the pillows as Steven positioned himself above her, resting his weight atop her soft curves. Their skin brushed together in a tantalizing caress. Her fingers stroked the masculine contours of Steven’s back and trailed further to his firm hips.
They made love, gasping and panting as their intertwined bodies came together again and again. Steven was hers, and she was his, Abbey thought, as they ascended the heights of passion. Right now, she didn’t want to think of their fate, or all the pain they’d suffered and would suffer again. She only thought of this blissful moment, lying in the arms of her beloved.
An hour later, after their lovemaking and drifting into a deep slumber, Abbey suddenly came awake in a panic. Lifting her head, she looked at the clock by the bed. And then she reached out to Steven and nudged his arm. “Steven, wake up,” she whispered, her voice laced with concern. “It’s almost noon.”
Before he got a word out, the lock on the door clicked. A chill slithered up his spine, realizing they’d let the morning slip by. Steven quickly reached for the blanket and drew it over Abbey.
His eyes widened in quick alarm as the door swung open. As armed men barged into the room, Steven shot to his feet and stood beside the bed, shielding Abbey.
When one of the guards aimed his weapon, pain seared into Steven’s shoulder, leaving him dazed as he staggered to his knees. They’d shot him with a tranquilizer gun. His arm went numb as he tried to stumble upward and right himself so he could get to Abbey, but the drug had already taken effect. As Steven fell forward, he heard Abbey scream, and then everything around him blurred. He was utterly unable to protect her, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Steven failed Abbey’s father. He’d failed himself but most of all, he’d failed the one thing that mattered to him. As the room around him faded to black, a single tear slipped from the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry,” he gasped, his voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry, Abbey.”
****
Hours later, Abbey awoke from heavy sedation and looked wildly around her, trying to perceive her surroundings. But what she found brought back all the memories of the endless lab tests she’d suffered as a child. Treating her less than human, Dr. Autenburg’s men shackled her wrists and ankles like a dangerous animal, bound to the wall by thick chains. Even though someone had clothed her, Abbey’s state of mind was physically exposed, and vulnerable.
Her breathing came out erratically as she glanced around the enclosed, dark space she was trapped inside. Gritting her teeth, she pulled and tugged against the tight restraints until they cut into her skin.
A noise filtered through the walls, coming from the next room and she froze. It was the disturbing sound of a blunt object hitting flesh. Sudden terror tore through her body at the sound of a high-pitched shriek, the sound of someone in unspeakable agony. As the screams persisted, Abbey recognized the voice.
Abbey scooted against the wall, lifted her head toward the ceiling and closed her eyes, squeezing them tight. “Oh, God, no,” she gasped. “Father...”
She tucked her knees against her chest and rocked herself back and forth, weeping, not just from fear, but from the horror her father was enduring. Both Dr. Autenburg and Dr. Crane had tried to break her until she no longer cared whether she lived or died. When their tireless efforts to force Abbey to shift into her Lupa failed, they became frustrated. Her ability to withstand pain was proving difficult. It was hard to hurt someone who just didn’t care. But what she did care for was her father and Steven.
When the door opened, the flash of light blinded Abbey. With her eyes squinted, she could barely make out the images that entered the room.
“You’ve proved ein disappointment,” Dr. Autenburg said in a thick German accent. “Now your father vill pay zee price for your continuous defiance, Fraulein Abigail.”
Abbey scrambled to her feet as they shoved her father to the floor.
“Father!” she cried out.
The door slammed shut behind him, plunging the cell into temporary darkness once more.
She dropped to her knees and tried to wrap her arms around him, but the short chains that bound her wrists and ankles wouldn’t reach far enough.
“Oh my God,” her voice trembled. “Daddy, are you okay?”
His breaths came in low pain-filled rasps as he reached out to her. “I’m okay, sweetheart,” Jonah said in a whispered voice.
“I’m so sorry,” she pleaded with her sobs. “It’s my fault. They’re punishing you because of me.”
Abbey could feel his battle as he struggled to move. Then slowly he maneuvered himself closer and grasped a hold of her hand. “No, Abbey. Don’t blame yourself for this. You didn’t do anything.”
Abbey never felt so helpless in her life. She didn’t know what to do—she wanted to offer him comfort if nothing else. Lightly squeezing his hand, she whispered, “What did they do?”
“Ah, honey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay,” Jonah gritted out. “Nothing’s broken. Besides, you know I will heal in no time.”
Abbey knew her father was an Adalwolf, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering because she refused to turn. Rage built in her veins until her blood simmered and boiled. She could feel the she-wolf from inside itching to be released. Abbey hated Dr. Autenburg and all his bastard colleagues as much as she imagined ever hating anyone, but here and now, her anger was dangerous.
“Those bastards,” she spat, her voice ending in a growl. “I’ll make them pay for what they did to you.”
Jonah squeezed Abbey’s hand to offer her comfort and tensed in pain. “Please, sweetheart. You’ve got to stay calm. Don’t let your anger get out of control.”
She could feel his gaze burning into her even though the darkness prevented her from seeing much more than the outline of her father’s face. Slipping his hand from hers, he reached up and caressed her cheek. Abbey knew what he was telling her. He’d always warned her as she grew up. Don’t let the anger take control, Abbey, even if it came to the worst. Never reveal your Lupa to them.
“You’re a survivor, Abbey. Don’t worry about me. What they’ve done to me is nothing I can’t heal from, honey. Have faith that I can endure and don’t react to anything they do to me.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. It was telling that even now when her father appeared so beaten that his strength held them both up. If he could suffer so much, then so could she.
“What do we do, now?” she asked, infusing strength into her voice.
“They’ll probably leave us here with no food or water. Try to wear us down. If that doesn’t work, they’ll take another shot at me.”
Despite her restraint not to become angry, she couldn’t control the shiver that racked her body.
“Maybe if I turn... I can somehow, get away.”
“No, Abbey,” Jonah interjected. “You do nothing, and I mean nothing. You do whatever it is you have to do to keep from turning. Trust me, honey. I’ve tried using my Adalwolf against them. They will only sedate you. I’ll get us out of this Abbey, I swear.”
The door suddenly burst open bringing with it a blinding flood of light. Jonah lifted himself upright on his knees, and Abbey didn’t know how he’d managed after what had been done to him only moments ago. She knew it had been excruciating as he got to his feet, his hands fisted at his sides.
A stream of German erupted from the doorway and two men came into the room and took Jonah by the arms.
Stay calm; Abbey silently said told herself. Don’t lose control. She wouldn’t give in to the anger. Her father wanted her to stay strong, like him. She wouldn’t fail him, especially when he was sacrificing so much for her.
Moments later, Abbey’s mental focus snapped to full attention as she fell back against the wall to steady herself when a distant explosion rocked the compound. And then the door flew open, but this time, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
“Abbey.”
“Steven?”
“Yes, baby. It’s me,” he said, rushing toward her.
Abbey opened her arms and swallowed back a sob. The shackles attached to her wrists rattled as Steven gathered her close. “Abbey,” he said gently. “It’s okay now.”
Her knees buckled as realization set in. Steven tightened his arms around her before she fell. Abbey anchored herself to him, holding on for dear life.
Steven pulled back and ran his hand over her face, wiping the tears away. “Abbey, we need to get out of here now,” he said. There was fear in his voice despite the fact that his words came out steady.
“What happened?” she said, her brow wrinkled in question.
“I’m not sure.” He shook his head. “I barely made it out of my cell. The walls completely collapsed. We’ve got to go before the whole compound crumbles.”
She lifted her bound hands and extended them forward. “How are we going to get these off?”
When Steven reached for the chains that were attached to her ankles and wrists, Abbey shuddered as she looked into his gaze. Steven’s emerald green eyes shifted into a shimmering white glow. They reminded her of two brilliant, sparkling diamonds.
She watched as Steven began to shift into his Adalwolf. His body transformed into the most beautiful creature. His skin took on a luminous sheen, expanding until his frame grew twice the size. Powerful muscles bulged atop his bare chest. Claws jutted from his hands and feet.
Without any effort, Steven snapped the chains like twigs, freeing her ankles and wrists. “Abbey, let’s go,” he said, his voice sounding deeper and distorted.
As he reached for her hand, another blast hit the compound, shaking the walls. Steven quickly grasped a hold of Abbey to steady her.
With his hand gripping hers, Steven tugged her forward. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
When they got to the center of the facility, Abbey stopped when she heard screams in the near distant. “Wait. What about my father? We need to find him.”
“We don’t have time, Abbey,” he said, pulling at her arm. “If we wait any longer, we’ll get trapped inside.”
Abbey’s expression became desperate. “But... we can’t just leave him behind. What about the other prisoners held captive?” she pleaded with him. “We can’t let them all die.”
Steven shook his head. “I promised your father I would get you to safety.”
When Abbey opened her mouth to disagree, windows exploded everywhere, sending slivers slicing over her small frame. Then she hit the floor as Steven threw her down and covered her with his body. A portion of the ceiling came crashing down, nearly hitting them, and electric lights shattered in an explosion of glass and sparks. Only the glow of a few fluorescent tubes lit their surroundings, casting flickering shadows over them.
“Cover your ears!” he yelled.
Abbey barely had time to cover her ears before a tremendous impact shook the compound, as though a bomb had gone off. The palms of her hands did little to drown out the concussion of the blast.
Before she could collect herself, Steven was dragging her to a small opening in the wall a distance away.
Panic flooded Abbey as she grasped at the fate of her father. “No!” she screamed, a growl forming at the back of her throat. And then unbridled fury took control, awakening the Lupa from inside her.
As Abbey embraced the change, bristling dark fur erupted from beneath her skin, and her teeth tugged painfully at the roots. She no longer looked human as she rose to her feet. Her eyes were pools of molten blackness. When her petite frame swelled to massive proportions, shredding her constricted clothes, Steven shouted, “No, Abbey! Please!”
But it was too late. Abbey’s transformation was almost complete. A canine snout protruded from her face, and sharp teeth filled her gaping jaws as she threw her head back and howled, echoing across the facility and beyond.
With a driving force to rescue her father, Abbey dropped onto all fours and bolted toward a long passageway in the building, putting as much distance as possible between them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steven caught sight of dust and debris raining down from above. Shit! He ducked into a narrow hallway as the ceiling came crashing down into the center of the compound with a thunderous roar. Chunks of concrete slammed into the floor like meteors. Steven threw a hand up against the wall to steady himself. When tremors shook the floor, he began to fear that Abbey would be buried alive.
Was this an earthquake? He wondered, momentarily pausing in his attempts to break free and search for Abbey. No, more like an explosion, taking place somewhere within the facility. He had no doubt someone or something was attacking.
More rubble fell from the ceiling as the battered structure settled in the wake of the eruption. Steven’s glowing eyes tracked the falling debris, and at last, the deafening roar of the desolation died down enough that he could actually hear himself think. Had Abbey survived?
Steven glared up through a massive opening in the ceiling when he heard the sound of a helicopter hovering in close proximity. Then, without warning, it opened fire on him with its heavy artillery, and Steven took a hit, mere inches from his heart. He immediately grabbed his chest, covering his bloody wound and roared furiously. He quickly ducked for cover as more bullets blasted from above.
When the fire ceased, an eerie silence descended over the compound. As Steven peered up through the dusty debris, the chopper had mysteriously disappeared. And then Steven saw the only exit that hadn’t completely buried beneath all the destruction and rubble.
He wandered out into the opening of all the devastation and his eyes stared blankly ahead. He couldn’t comprehend what he was looking at. It was a young woman... kind of. She was more of a luminous, ghostly figure standing before him. She was beautiful... beautiful in the ethereal way of angels, with an unearthly glow emanating from her. Was she an angel? The white orbs of her eyes glowed, and her feet hovered above the ground as if she was floating in mid-air.
Steven frowned. “Who... are you?”
“My name is Lilith,” she said, her voice casting in an echo. “Are you a prisoner here?”
Steven’s eyes went over the transparent apparition, but his face was reserved as if he wasn’t sure what to say. He stared at her in silence and nodded.
Lilith brought her glowing hand forward. “You’re injured,” she said. “I can heal you.”
He flinched in response, and put his hand up, rejecting her touch. “I’m an Adalwolf. I can heal myself.”
As she lowered her hand, she seemed surprised at his declaration.
With dread, he looked to the long passageway of the facility to the place he’d last saw Abbey. In the relative silence, the destruction of their surroundings sank into Steven, the hollow sound of the wind blowing amplifying the emptiness.
Oh, God, he thought. Did Abbey make it out alive?
As Steven struggled under the weight of his thoughts, his instinct was to search every inch of the compound until he found her. Instead, he turned toward Lilith and spoke through what was clearly a tight throat. “Can you help me find my beloved?”
“I’m sorry.” There was a stretch of silence. “They took her and all the others that survived.”
Steven glanced nervously over his shoulder at all the disarray. As he refocused his gaze toward Lilith, he raised a speculative eyebrow. “Did you do this?”
“Yes,” she quickly replied. “You need to leave now. I’m going to turn what’s left of this place... to ash.”
Before Steven turned to leave, he said, “Wait. Do you have any idea where they took them?”
“The place where it all started,” Lilith said as she looked back at Steven, “to an underground research facility in Berkeley, California.”
Steven nodded. “Thank you.”
Lilith’s chest ached at the tone of his voice and the fact that there was nothing she could do to relieve his suffering. She hated sending him out to search for his loved one alone, but she had a personal mission, and this was something she had to do on her own.
Funny, though, as Steven walked away from the wreckage, he had the oddest sense that he was going to see Lilith again.
To be continued...
Previously...
As the Breedline species—a race of humans born with special powers and the gift to change into wolf form—finally destroy Dr. Hubert Crane and his unholy creation of Breedline hybrids, they are faced with something far more dangerous... and deadly. When widespread reports of gruesome attacks on homeless victims sweep across Berkeley California and the San Francisco Bay area, two local human Detectives are desperate to catch whoever is responsible for the disturbing and heinous crimes. But... they are not prepared for what they discover and find themselves powerless when they encounter three malevolent supernatural beings called... the Fury.
Abbey, desperate to keep her she-wolf at bay, has been on the run from ruthless scientists—backed by wealthy and dangerous prospects dealing in drug and human sex trafficking—who will stop at nothing to use her to locate her beloved Steven for his unique abilities of healing.
With the help of the Breedline species and a group of highly trained soldiers whose special skills go beyond the norm, the human race finds hope of surviving the dangers that are fast closing in. But will the combined efforts be powerful enough to save them?
While war wages on, Sebastian continues to suffer Lucifer’s curse—trapped in a coma and forced to face the forgotten trauma of his childhood. And the only way to awaken from his hellish nightmare, Sebastian must hand over his son Arius to the dark side.
Continued...
Prologue
Located in a prison laboratory in Munich, Germany, ten years ago...
Steven woke with Abbey next to him, her head resting against his chest. Even her legs were entwined with his as if she were anchoring herself to the only solid thing in her life. Her body molded to his like a glove. A perfect fit.
He was tempted to roll over and slide between her legs and make love to her. Instead, he watched her sleep peacefully. Just being able to hold Abbey felt good.
While snuggled against her, he listened to the sounds of Abby’s soft breathing as it lightly brushed over his skin. As the strands of her long, auburn hair closest to his mouth fluttered with his breath, he gently smoothed them away. And then the past suddenly assailed him. Steven would never forget the day Dr. Hans Autenburg—a ruthless German scientist, backed by an underground group of military officials and wealthy prospects—locked him and Abbey together in a cell. They were just five years old. She was like a feral animal trapped in a cage.
The unethical scientist had a mission when he found out Abbey inherited her mother’s genetics. He wanted to create a new breed of species, combining Steven and Abbey’s DNA.
Born in Dr. Autenburg’s lab in 1981, Steven had no knowledge of his birth parents and no official identification. After discovering his true identity, born half-Breedline and half-Adalwolf—a human-wolf-like creature with healing abilities—Steven had endured years of painful experiments.
When Abbey’s parents, Jonah and Mary Winthrop, were discovered in the rainforests of Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Autenburg’s men forced them into captivity and kept them caged in the same compound for research.
At first, Jonah and Mary refused to reveal any information about their species. But when Dr. Autenburg found out Mary was pregnant, they surrendered the truth after he systematically tormented them with threats against their unborn child. With similar abilities as Steven, Jonah had inherited the genes from an Adalwolf. Mary, on the other hand, was something entirely different. Her ancestors had descended from the old legend of the lycanthrope, except the moon had no power over them, and it couldn’t be passed on to others like a virus. It was passed on through genetics to the female offspring, known as a Lupa... a she-wolf. Mary could shape-shift into a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature. Her species were considered dangerous... cursed. It was the reason why Jonah and Mary secluded themselves deep in the rainforest, far away from humans, until now.
In 1975, the group of scientists funded a project interested in psychic and telepathic power. They wanted a way into the heads of foreign government to gain their top-secret weapons. And then it all changed when they discovered the Breedline species. It marked a complete turn for other possibilities. The scientists tested them extensively until some of their experiments transformed into a monstrosity. They created a new breed of hybrid Breedlines... far more dangerous, and capable of surviving silver. After their transformation, they remained hybrids, no longer possessing the ability to shift back to their human forms.
Five years later, Dr. Autenburg inducted Dr. Hurbert Crane into his team of colleagues. With an odd resemblance and similar trademarks of the evil leader of the German Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, Dr. Crane searched out individuals with unique abilities. Forcing them into captivity, he studied each and every case of unexplainable gifts. Some proved to be useless, but there were others who clearly displayed resourceful talents and rare genetics.
Focusing back on reality, Steven wrapped his arm around Abbey and pulled her closer. As her eyelids fluttered and opened, she lifted her head, and sleepy blue eyes gazed into his emerald green.
Steven’s face softened as the memories of the past slipped from his mind. “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her forehead.
“Good morning,” Abbey muttered around a yawn.
As Steven looked into her eyes, everything else seemed the world away, and they seemed removed from reality. Even though the bitter truth was waiting outside their cell, it was nice, just for a while, to get a sense that the only thing that mattered was right here in his arms.
Abbey, short for Mary Abigail, had been Steven’s reason to live. It was his life mission to do everything in his control to keep her safe. Even if it took power to move heaven and hell, Steven had promised her father—the only family member Abbey had left since her mother died in childbirth—he’d find a way to escape and get Abbey far away from an eternity of torment and endless painful experiments.
He shook the thought off just as she whispered in a sleepy voice, “I’ve never had a better dream.”
At that, glee entered his eyes. Steven smiled and lifted his brows. “Was it about me?”
She nodded and let out a sigh. “I’ve had so many nightmares,” her voice trembled, causing Steven’s brows to tighten. “It’s the first time,” she paused as tears clouded her vision, “I’ve dreamed... good. You make me feel safe, Steven.”
He closed his eyes and held her more firmly against his body. He inhaled deeply, wanting to savor this one moment in time. Regardless of the fact she felt safe with him, he was overwhelmed with helplessness. So much regret surged through his body, wondering how he was going to keep Abbey out of harm’s way. But for once, her sleep wasn’t consumed by torture and death. And then revenge gripped Steven by the throat.
The pain in her voice made him want to kill Dr. Autenburg and every person who put their hands on Abbey. But he hadn’t seen anyone in several days, except the guards who brought their meals.
Steven opened his eyes, and his scrambled mind could only come up with one promise. “No matter what happens,” he let out a deep breath, “I’ll always be with you. I love you, Abbey.”
She wiped her eyes and said, “I love you, too, Steven.”
Her soft voice settled over him, soothing some of the tension. As Abbey moved closer to Steven, the blanket fell away, baring her breasts. As she hovered above him, a spark of desire resonated from his eyes, but they also flashed with uncertainty. It was gone almost before she registered it happening, but his eyes never lied. They were the doors to his soul.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
At the same time, Steven reached for her, Abbey leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, just once. Heat licked from the brief contact, warming him to the bone. And then she stared back at him, her eyes content, and there was a hint of something else there. Was it fear?
He smoothed his thumb over her cheek to reassure her.
Abbey felt a wall crumble inside her, falling away like the blanket covering her naked body. She fell back against the pillows as Steven positioned himself above her, resting his weight atop her soft curves. Their skin brushed together in a tantalizing caress. Her fingers stroked the masculine contours of Steven’s back and trailed further to his firm hips.
They made love, gasping and panting as their intertwined bodies came together again and again. Steven was hers, and she was his, Abbey thought, as they ascended the heights of passion. Right now, she didn’t want to think of their fate, or all the pain they’d suffered and would suffer again. She only thought of this blissful moment, lying in the arms of her beloved.
An hour later, after their lovemaking and drifting into a deep slumber, Abbey suddenly came awake in a panic. Lifting her head, she looked at the clock by the bed. And then she reached out to Steven and nudged his arm. “Steven, wake up,” she whispered, her voice laced with concern. “It’s almost noon.”
Before he got a word out, the lock on the door clicked. A chill slithered up his spine, realizing they’d let the morning slip by. Steven quickly reached for the blanket and drew it over Abbey.
His eyes widened in quick alarm as the door swung open. As armed men barged into the room, Steven shot to his feet and stood beside the bed, shielding Abbey.
When one of the guards aimed his weapon, pain seared into Steven’s shoulder, leaving him dazed as he staggered to his knees. They’d shot him with a tranquilizer gun. His arm went numb as he tried to stumble upward and right himself so he could get to Abbey, but the drug had already taken effect. As Steven fell forward, he heard Abbey scream, and then everything around him blurred. He was utterly unable to protect her, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Steven failed Abbey’s father. He’d failed himself but most of all, he’d failed the one thing that mattered to him. As the room around him faded to black, a single tear slipped from the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry,” he gasped, his voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry, Abbey.”
****
Hours later, Abbey awoke from heavy sedation and looked wildly around her, trying to perceive her surroundings. But what she found brought back all the memories of the endless lab tests she’d suffered as a child. Treating her less than human, Dr. Autenburg’s men shackled her wrists and ankles like a dangerous animal, bound to the wall by thick chains. Even though someone had clothed her, Abbey’s state of mind was physically exposed, and vulnerable.
Her breathing came out erratically as she glanced around the enclosed, dark space she was trapped inside. Gritting her teeth, she pulled and tugged against the tight restraints until they cut into her skin.
A noise filtered through the walls, coming from the next room and she froze. It was the disturbing sound of a blunt object hitting flesh. Sudden terror tore through her body at the sound of a high-pitched shriek, the sound of someone in unspeakable agony. As the screams persisted, Abbey recognized the voice.
Abbey scooted against the wall, lifted her head toward the ceiling and closed her eyes, squeezing them tight. “Oh, God, no,” she gasped. “Father...”
She tucked her knees against her chest and rocked herself back and forth, weeping, not just from fear, but from the horror her father was enduring. Both Dr. Autenburg and Dr. Crane had tried to break her until she no longer cared whether she lived or died. When their tireless efforts to force Abbey to shift into her Lupa failed, they became frustrated. Her ability to withstand pain was proving difficult. It was hard to hurt someone who just didn’t care. But what she did care for was her father and Steven.
When the door opened, the flash of light blinded Abbey. With her eyes squinted, she could barely make out the images that entered the room.
“You’ve proved ein disappointment,” Dr. Autenburg said in a thick German accent. “Now your father vill pay zee price for your continuous defiance, Fraulein Abigail.”
Abbey scrambled to her feet as they shoved her father to the floor.
“Father!” she cried out.
The door slammed shut behind him, plunging the cell into temporary darkness once more.
She dropped to her knees and tried to wrap her arms around him, but the short chains that bound her wrists and ankles wouldn’t reach far enough.
“Oh my God,” her voice trembled. “Daddy, are you okay?”
His breaths came in low pain-filled rasps as he reached out to her. “I’m okay, sweetheart,” Jonah said in a whispered voice.
“I’m so sorry,” she pleaded with her sobs. “It’s my fault. They’re punishing you because of me.”
Abbey could feel his battle as he struggled to move. Then slowly he maneuvered himself closer and grasped a hold of her hand. “No, Abbey. Don’t blame yourself for this. You didn’t do anything.”
Abbey never felt so helpless in her life. She didn’t know what to do—she wanted to offer him comfort if nothing else. Lightly squeezing his hand, she whispered, “What did they do?”
“Ah, honey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay,” Jonah gritted out. “Nothing’s broken. Besides, you know I will heal in no time.”
Abbey knew her father was an Adalwolf, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering because she refused to turn. Rage built in her veins until her blood simmered and boiled. She could feel the she-wolf from inside itching to be released. Abbey hated Dr. Autenburg and all his bastard colleagues as much as she imagined ever hating anyone, but here and now, her anger was dangerous.
“Those bastards,” she spat, her voice ending in a growl. “I’ll make them pay for what they did to you.”
Jonah squeezed Abbey’s hand to offer her comfort and tensed in pain. “Please, sweetheart. You’ve got to stay calm. Don’t let your anger get out of control.”
She could feel his gaze burning into her even though the darkness prevented her from seeing much more than the outline of her father’s face. Slipping his hand from hers, he reached up and caressed her cheek. Abbey knew what he was telling her. He’d always warned her as she grew up. Don’t let the anger take control, Abbey, even if it came to the worst. Never reveal your Lupa to them.
“You’re a survivor, Abbey. Don’t worry about me. What they’ve done to me is nothing I can’t heal from, honey. Have faith that I can endure and don’t react to anything they do to me.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. It was telling that even now when her father appeared so beaten that his strength held them both up. If he could suffer so much, then so could she.
“What do we do, now?” she asked, infusing strength into her voice.
“They’ll probably leave us here with no food or water. Try to wear us down. If that doesn’t work, they’ll take another shot at me.”
Despite her restraint not to become angry, she couldn’t control the shiver that racked her body.
“Maybe if I turn... I can somehow, get away.”
“No, Abbey,” Jonah interjected. “You do nothing, and I mean nothing. You do whatever it is you have to do to keep from turning. Trust me, honey. I’ve tried using my Adalwolf against them. They will only sedate you. I’ll get us out of this Abbey, I swear.”
The door suddenly burst open bringing with it a blinding flood of light. Jonah lifted himself upright on his knees, and Abbey didn’t know how he’d managed after what had been done to him only moments ago. She knew it had been excruciating as he got to his feet, his hands fisted at his sides.
A stream of German erupted from the doorway and two men came into the room and took Jonah by the arms.
Stay calm; Abbey silently said told herself. Don’t lose control. She wouldn’t give in to the anger. Her father wanted her to stay strong, like him. She wouldn’t fail him, especially when he was sacrificing so much for her.
Moments later, Abbey’s mental focus snapped to full attention as she fell back against the wall to steady herself when a distant explosion rocked the compound. And then the door flew open, but this time, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
“Abbey.”
“Steven?”
“Yes, baby. It’s me,” he said, rushing toward her.
Abbey opened her arms and swallowed back a sob. The shackles attached to her wrists rattled as Steven gathered her close. “Abbey,” he said gently. “It’s okay now.”
Her knees buckled as realization set in. Steven tightened his arms around her before she fell. Abbey anchored herself to him, holding on for dear life.
Steven pulled back and ran his hand over her face, wiping the tears away. “Abbey, we need to get out of here now,” he said. There was fear in his voice despite the fact that his words came out steady.
“What happened?” she said, her brow wrinkled in question.
“I’m not sure.” He shook his head. “I barely made it out of my cell. The walls completely collapsed. We’ve got to go before the whole compound crumbles.”
She lifted her bound hands and extended them forward. “How are we going to get these off?”
When Steven reached for the chains that were attached to her ankles and wrists, Abbey shuddered as she looked into his gaze. Steven’s emerald green eyes shifted into a shimmering white glow. They reminded her of two brilliant, sparkling diamonds.
She watched as Steven began to shift into his Adalwolf. His body transformed into the most beautiful creature. His skin took on a luminous sheen, expanding until his frame grew twice the size. Powerful muscles bulged atop his bare chest. Claws jutted from his hands and feet.
Without any effort, Steven snapped the chains like twigs, freeing her ankles and wrists. “Abbey, let’s go,” he said, his voice sounding deeper and distorted.
As he reached for her hand, another blast hit the compound, shaking the walls. Steven quickly grasped a hold of Abbey to steady her.
With his hand gripping hers, Steven tugged her forward. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
When they got to the center of the facility, Abbey stopped when she heard screams in the near distant. “Wait. What about my father? We need to find him.”
“We don’t have time, Abbey,” he said, pulling at her arm. “If we wait any longer, we’ll get trapped inside.”
Abbey’s expression became desperate. “But... we can’t just leave him behind. What about the other prisoners held captive?” she pleaded with him. “We can’t let them all die.”
Steven shook his head. “I promised your father I would get you to safety.”
When Abbey opened her mouth to disagree, windows exploded everywhere, sending slivers slicing over her small frame. Then she hit the floor as Steven threw her down and covered her with his body. A portion of the ceiling came crashing down, nearly hitting them, and electric lights shattered in an explosion of glass and sparks. Only the glow of a few fluorescent tubes lit their surroundings, casting flickering shadows over them.
“Cover your ears!” he yelled.
Abbey barely had time to cover her ears before a tremendous impact shook the compound, as though a bomb had gone off. The palms of her hands did little to drown out the concussion of the blast.
Before she could collect herself, Steven was dragging her to a small opening in the wall a distance away.
Panic flooded Abbey as she grasped at the fate of her father. “No!” she screamed, a growl forming at the back of her throat. And then unbridled fury took control, awakening the Lupa from inside her.
As Abbey embraced the change, bristling dark fur erupted from beneath her skin, and her teeth tugged painfully at the roots. She no longer looked human as she rose to her feet. Her eyes were pools of molten blackness. When her petite frame swelled to massive proportions, shredding her constricted clothes, Steven shouted, “No, Abbey! Please!”
But it was too late. Abbey’s transformation was almost complete. A canine snout protruded from her face, and sharp teeth filled her gaping jaws as she threw her head back and howled, echoing across the facility and beyond.
With a driving force to rescue her father, Abbey dropped onto all fours and bolted toward a long passageway in the building, putting as much distance as possible between them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steven caught sight of dust and debris raining down from above. Shit! He ducked into a narrow hallway as the ceiling came crashing down into the center of the compound with a thunderous roar. Chunks of concrete slammed into the floor like meteors. Steven threw a hand up against the wall to steady himself. When tremors shook the floor, he began to fear that Abbey would be buried alive.
Was this an earthquake? He wondered, momentarily pausing in his attempts to break free and search for Abbey. No, more like an explosion, taking place somewhere within the facility. He had no doubt someone or something was attacking.
More rubble fell from the ceiling as the battered structure settled in the wake of the eruption. Steven’s glowing eyes tracked the falling debris, and at last, the deafening roar of the desolation died down enough that he could actually hear himself think. Had Abbey survived?
Steven glared up through a massive opening in the ceiling when he heard the sound of a helicopter hovering in close proximity. Then, without warning, it opened fire on him with its heavy artillery, and Steven took a hit, mere inches from his heart. He immediately grabbed his chest, covering his bloody wound and roared furiously. He quickly ducked for cover as more bullets blasted from above.
When the fire ceased, an eerie silence descended over the compound. As Steven peered up through the dusty debris, the chopper had mysteriously disappeared. And then Steven saw the only exit that hadn’t completely buried beneath all the destruction and rubble.
He wandered out into the opening of all the devastation and his eyes stared blankly ahead. He couldn’t comprehend what he was looking at. It was a young woman... kind of. She was more of a luminous, ghostly figure standing before him. She was beautiful... beautiful in the ethereal way of angels, with an unearthly glow emanating from her. Was she an angel? The white orbs of her eyes glowed, and her feet hovered above the ground as if she was floating in mid-air.
Steven frowned. “Who... are you?”
“My name is Lilith,” she said, her voice casting in an echo. “Are you a prisoner here?”
Steven’s eyes went over the transparent apparition, but his face was reserved as if he wasn’t sure what to say. He stared at her in silence and nodded.
Lilith brought her glowing hand forward. “You’re injured,” she said. “I can heal you.”
He flinched in response, and put his hand up, rejecting her touch. “I’m an Adalwolf. I can heal myself.”
As she lowered her hand, she seemed surprised at his declaration.
With dread, he looked to the long passageway of the facility to the place he’d last saw Abbey. In the relative silence, the destruction of their surroundings sank into Steven, the hollow sound of the wind blowing amplifying the emptiness.
Oh, God, he thought. Did Abbey make it out alive?
As Steven struggled under the weight of his thoughts, his instinct was to search every inch of the compound until he found her. Instead, he turned toward Lilith and spoke through what was clearly a tight throat. “Can you help me find my beloved?”
“I’m sorry.” There was a stretch of silence. “They took her and all the others that survived.”
Steven glanced nervously over his shoulder at all the disarray. As he refocused his gaze toward Lilith, he raised a speculative eyebrow. “Did you do this?”
“Yes,” she quickly replied. “You need to leave now. I’m going to turn what’s left of this place... to ash.”
Before Steven turned to leave, he said, “Wait. Do you have any idea where they took them?”
“The place where it all started,” Lilith said as she looked back at Steven, “to an underground research facility in Berkeley, California.”
Steven nodded. “Thank you.”
Lilith’s chest ached at the tone of his voice and the fact that there was nothing she could do to relieve his suffering. She hated sending him out to search for his loved one alone, but she had a personal mission, and this was something she had to do on her own.
Funny, though, as Steven walked away from the wreckage, he had the oddest sense that he was going to see Lilith again.
To be continued...
As the Breedline species—a race of humans born with special powers and the gift to change into wolf form—finally destroy Dr. Hubert Crane and his unholy creation of Breedline hybrids, they are faced with something far more dangerous... and deadly. When widespread reports of gruesome attacks on homeless victims sweep across Berkeley California and the San Francisco Bay area, two local human Detectives are desperate to catch whoever is responsible for the disturbing and heinous crimes. But... they are not prepared for what they discover and find themselves powerless when they encounter three malevolent supernatural beings called... the Fury.
Abbey, desperate to keep her she-wolf at bay, has been on the run from ruthless scientists—backed by wealthy and dangerous prospects dealing in drug and human sex trafficking—who will stop at nothing to use her to locate her beloved Steven for his unique abilities of healing.
With the help of the Breedline species and a group of highly trained soldiers whose special skills go beyond the norm, the human race finds hope of surviving the dangers that are fast closing in. But will the combined efforts be powerful enough to save them?
While war wages on, Sebastian continues to suffer Lucifer’s curse—trapped in a coma and forced to face the forgotten trauma of his childhood. And the only way to awaken from his hellish nightmare, Sebastian must hand over his son Arius to the dark side.
Continued...
Prologue
Located in a prison laboratory in Munich, Germany, ten years ago...
Steven woke with Abbey next to him, her head resting against his chest. Even her legs were entwined with his as if she were anchoring herself to the only solid thing in her life. Her body molded to his like a glove. A perfect fit.
He was tempted to roll over and slide between her legs and make love to her. Instead, he watched her sleep peacefully. Just being able to hold Abbey felt good.
While snuggled against her, he listened to the sounds of Abby’s soft breathing as it lightly brushed over his skin. As the strands of her long, auburn hair closest to his mouth fluttered with his breath, he gently smoothed them away. And then the past suddenly assailed him. Steven would never forget the day Dr. Hans Autenburg—a ruthless German scientist, backed by an underground group of military officials and wealthy prospects—locked him and Abbey together in a cell. They were just five years old. She was like a feral animal trapped in a cage.
The unethical scientist had a mission when he found out Abbey inherited her mother’s genetics. He wanted to create a new breed of species, combining Steven and Abbey’s DNA.
Born in Dr. Autenburg’s lab in 1981, Steven had no knowledge of his birth parents and no official identification. After discovering his true identity, born half-Breedline and half-Adalwolf—a human-wolf-like creature with healing abilities—Steven had endured years of painful experiments.
When Abbey’s parents, Jonah and Mary Winthrop, were discovered in the rainforests of Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Autenburg’s men forced them into captivity and kept them caged in the same compound for research.
At first, Jonah and Mary refused to reveal any information about their species. But when Dr. Autenburg found out Mary was pregnant, they surrendered the truth after he systematically tormented them with threats against their unborn child. With similar abilities as Steven, Jonah had inherited the genes from an Adalwolf. Mary, on the other hand, was something entirely different. Her ancestors had descended from the old legend of the lycanthrope, except the moon had no power over them, and it couldn’t be passed on to others like a virus. It was passed on through genetics to the female offspring, known as a Lupa... a she-wolf. Mary could shape-shift into a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature. Her species were considered dangerous... cursed. It was the reason why Jonah and Mary secluded themselves deep in the rainforest, far away from humans, until now.
In 1975, the group of scientists funded a project interested in psychic and telepathic power. They wanted a way into the heads of foreign government to gain their top-secret weapons. And then it all changed when they discovered the Breedline species. It marked a complete turn for other possibilities. The scientists tested them extensively until some of their experiments transformed into a monstrosity. They created a new breed of hybrid Breedlines... far more dangerous, and capable of surviving silver. After their transformation, they remained hybrids, no longer possessing the ability to shift back to their human forms.
Five years later, Dr. Autenburg inducted Dr. Hurbert Crane into his team of colleagues. With an odd resemblance and similar trademarks of the evil leader of the German Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, Dr. Crane searched out individuals with unique abilities. Forcing them into captivity, he studied each and every case of unexplainable gifts. Some proved to be useless, but there were others who clearly displayed resourceful talents and rare genetics.
Focusing back on reality, Steven wrapped his arm around Abbey and pulled her closer. As her eyelids fluttered and opened, she lifted her head, and sleepy blue eyes gazed into his emerald green.
Steven’s face softened as the memories of the past slipped from his mind. “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her forehead.
“Good morning,” Abbey muttered around a yawn.
As Steven looked into her eyes, everything else seemed the world away, and they seemed removed from reality. Even though the bitter truth was waiting outside their cell, it was nice, just for a while, to get a sense that the only thing that mattered was right here in his arms.
Abbey, short for Mary Abigail, had been Steven’s reason to live. It was his life mission to do everything in his control to keep her safe. Even if it took power to move heaven and hell, Steven had promised her father—the only family member Abbey had left since her mother died in childbirth—he’d find a way to escape and get Abbey far away from an eternity of torment and endless painful experiments.
He shook the thought off just as she whispered in a sleepy voice, “I’ve never had a better dream.”
At that, glee entered his eyes. Steven smiled and lifted his brows. “Was it about me?”
She nodded and let out a sigh. “I’ve had so many nightmares,” her voice trembled, causing Steven’s brows to tighten. “It’s the first time,” she paused as tears clouded her vision, “I’ve dreamed... good. You make me feel safe, Steven.”
He closed his eyes and held her more firmly against his body. He inhaled deeply, wanting to savor this one moment in time. Regardless of the fact she felt safe with him, he was overwhelmed with helplessness. So much regret surged through his body, wondering how he was going to keep Abbey out of harm’s way. But for once, her sleep wasn’t consumed by torture and death. And then revenge gripped Steven by the throat.
The pain in her voice made him want to kill Dr. Autenburg and every person who put their hands on Abbey. But he hadn’t seen anyone in several days, except the guards who brought their meals.
Steven opened his eyes, and his scrambled mind could only come up with one promise. “No matter what happens,” he let out a deep breath, “I’ll always be with you. I love you, Abbey.”
She wiped her eyes and said, “I love you, too, Steven.”
Her soft voice settled over him, soothing some of the tension. As Abbey moved closer to Steven, the blanket fell away, baring her breasts. As she hovered above him, a spark of desire resonated from his eyes, but they also flashed with uncertainty. It was gone almost before she registered it happening, but his eyes never lied. They were the doors to his soul.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
At the same time, Steven reached for her, Abbey leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, just once. Heat licked from the brief contact, warming him to the bone. And then she stared back at him, her eyes content, and there was a hint of something else there. Was it fear?
He smoothed his thumb over her cheek to reassure her.
Abbey felt a wall crumble inside her, falling away like the blanket covering her naked body. She fell back against the pillows as Steven positioned himself above her, resting his weight atop her soft curves. Their skin brushed together in a tantalizing caress. Her fingers stroked the masculine contours of Steven’s back and trailed further to his firm hips.
They made love, gasping and panting as their intertwined bodies came together again and again. Steven was hers, and she was his, Abbey thought, as they ascended the heights of passion. Right now, she didn’t want to think of their fate, or all the pain they’d suffered and would suffer again. She only thought of this blissful moment, lying in the arms of her beloved.
An hour later, after their lovemaking and drifting into a deep slumber, Abbey suddenly came awake in a panic. Lifting her head, she looked at the clock by the bed. And then she reached out to Steven and nudged his arm. “Steven, wake up,” she whispered, her voice laced with concern. “It’s almost noon.”
Before he got a word out, the lock on the door clicked. A chill slithered up his spine, realizing they’d let the morning slip by. Steven quickly reached for the blanket and drew it over Abbey.
His eyes widened in quick alarm as the door swung open. As armed men barged into the room, Steven shot to his feet and stood beside the bed, shielding Abbey.
When one of the guards aimed his weapon, pain seared into Steven’s shoulder, leaving him dazed as he staggered to his knees. They’d shot him with a tranquilizer gun. His arm went numb as he tried to stumble upward and right himself so he could get to Abbey, but the drug had already taken effect. As Steven fell forward, he heard Abbey scream, and then everything around him blurred. He was utterly unable to protect her, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Steven failed Abbey’s father. He’d failed himself but most of all, he’d failed the one thing that mattered to him. As the room around him faded to black, a single tear slipped from the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry,” he gasped, his voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry, Abbey.”
****
Hours later, Abbey awoke from heavy sedation and looked wildly around her, trying to perceive her surroundings. But what she found brought back all the memories of the endless lab tests she’d suffered as a child. Treating her less than human, Dr. Autenburg’s men shackled her wrists and ankles like a dangerous animal, bound to the wall by thick chains. Even though someone had clothed her, Abbey’s state of mind was physically exposed, and vulnerable.
Her breathing came out erratically as she glanced around the enclosed, dark space she was trapped inside. Gritting her teeth, she pulled and tugged against the tight restraints until they cut into her skin.
A noise filtered through the walls, coming from the next room and she froze. It was the disturbing sound of a blunt object hitting flesh. Sudden terror tore through her body at the sound of a high-pitched shriek, the sound of someone in unspeakable agony. As the screams persisted, Abbey recognized the voice.
Abbey scooted against the wall, lifted her head toward the ceiling and closed her eyes, squeezing them tight. “Oh, God, no,” she gasped. “Father...”
She tucked her knees against her chest and rocked herself back and forth, weeping, not just from fear, but from the horror her father was enduring. Both Dr. Autenburg and Dr. Crane had tried to break her until she no longer cared whether she lived or died. When their tireless efforts to force Abbey to shift into her Lupa failed, they became frustrated. Her ability to withstand pain was proving difficult. It was hard to hurt someone who just didn’t care. But what she did care for was her father and Steven.
When the door opened, the flash of light blinded Abbey. With her eyes squinted, she could barely make out the images that entered the room.
“You’ve proved ein disappointment,” Dr. Autenburg said in a thick German accent. “Now your father vill pay zee price for your continuous defiance, Fraulein Abigail.”
Abbey scrambled to her feet as they shoved her father to the floor.
“Father!” she cried out.
The door slammed shut behind him, plunging the cell into temporary darkness once more.
She dropped to her knees and tried to wrap her arms around him, but the short chains that bound her wrists and ankles wouldn’t reach far enough.
“Oh my God,” her voice trembled. “Daddy, are you okay?”
His breaths came in low pain-filled rasps as he reached out to her. “I’m okay, sweetheart,” Jonah said in a whispered voice.
“I’m so sorry,” she pleaded with her sobs. “It’s my fault. They’re punishing you because of me.”
Abbey could feel his battle as he struggled to move. Then slowly he maneuvered himself closer and grasped a hold of her hand. “No, Abbey. Don’t blame yourself for this. You didn’t do anything.”
Abbey never felt so helpless in her life. She didn’t know what to do—she wanted to offer him comfort if nothing else. Lightly squeezing his hand, she whispered, “What did they do?”
“Ah, honey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay,” Jonah gritted out. “Nothing’s broken. Besides, you know I will heal in no time.”
Abbey knew her father was an Adalwolf, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering because she refused to turn. Rage built in her veins until her blood simmered and boiled. She could feel the she-wolf from inside itching to be released. Abbey hated Dr. Autenburg and all his bastard colleagues as much as she imagined ever hating anyone, but here and now, her anger was dangerous.
“Those bastards,” she spat, her voice ending in a growl. “I’ll make them pay for what they did to you.”
Jonah squeezed Abbey’s hand to offer her comfort and tensed in pain. “Please, sweetheart. You’ve got to stay calm. Don’t let your anger get out of control.”
She could feel his gaze burning into her even though the darkness prevented her from seeing much more than the outline of her father’s face. Slipping his hand from hers, he reached up and caressed her cheek. Abbey knew what he was telling her. He’d always warned her as she grew up. Don’t let the anger take control, Abbey, even if it came to the worst. Never reveal your Lupa to them.
“You’re a survivor, Abbey. Don’t worry about me. What they’ve done to me is nothing I can’t heal from, honey. Have faith that I can endure and don’t react to anything they do to me.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. It was telling that even now when her father appeared so beaten that his strength held them both up. If he could suffer so much, then so could she.
“What do we do, now?” she asked, infusing strength into her voice.
“They’ll probably leave us here with no food or water. Try to wear us down. If that doesn’t work, they’ll take another shot at me.”
Despite her restraint not to become angry, she couldn’t control the shiver that racked her body.
“Maybe if I turn... I can somehow, get away.”
“No, Abbey,” Jonah interjected. “You do nothing, and I mean nothing. You do whatever it is you have to do to keep from turning. Trust me, honey. I’ve tried using my Adalwolf against them. They will only sedate you. I’ll get us out of this Abbey, I swear.”
The door suddenly burst open bringing with it a blinding flood of light. Jonah lifted himself upright on his knees, and Abbey didn’t know how he’d managed after what had been done to him only moments ago. She knew it had been excruciating as he got to his feet, his hands fisted at his sides.
A stream of German erupted from the doorway and two men came into the room and took Jonah by the arms.
Stay calm; Abbey silently said told herself. Don’t lose control. She wouldn’t give in to the anger. Her father wanted her to stay strong, like him. She wouldn’t fail him, especially when he was sacrificing so much for her.
Moments later, Abbey’s mental focus snapped to full attention as she fell back against the wall to steady herself when a distant explosion rocked the compound. And then the door flew open, but this time, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
“Abbey.”
“Steven?”
“Yes, baby. It’s me,” he said, rushing toward her.
Abbey opened her arms and swallowed back a sob. The shackles attached to her wrists rattled as Steven gathered her close. “Abbey,” he said gently. “It’s okay now.”
Her knees buckled as realization set in. Steven tightened his arms around her before she fell. Abbey anchored herself to him, holding on for dear life.
Steven pulled back and ran his hand over her face, wiping the tears away. “Abbey, we need to get out of here now,” he said. There was fear in his voice despite the fact that his words came out steady.
“What happened?” she said, her brow wrinkled in question.
“I’m not sure.” He shook his head. “I barely made it out of my cell. The walls completely collapsed. We’ve got to go before the whole compound crumbles.”
She lifted her bound hands and extended them forward. “How are we going to get these off?”
When Steven reached for the chains that were attached to her ankles and wrists, Abbey shuddered as she looked into his gaze. Steven’s emerald green eyes shifted into a shimmering white glow. They reminded her of two brilliant, sparkling diamonds.
She watched as Steven began to shift into his Adalwolf. His body transformed into the most beautiful creature. His skin took on a luminous sheen, expanding until his frame grew twice the size. Powerful muscles bulged atop his bare chest. Claws jutted from his hands and feet.
Without any effort, Steven snapped the chains like twigs, freeing her ankles and wrists. “Abbey, let’s go,” he said, his voice sounding deeper and distorted.
As he reached for her hand, another blast hit the compound, shaking the walls. Steven quickly grasped a hold of Abbey to steady her.
With his hand gripping hers, Steven tugged her forward. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
When they got to the center of the facility, Abbey stopped when she heard screams in the near distant. “Wait. What about my father? We need to find him.”
“We don’t have time, Abbey,” he said, pulling at her arm. “If we wait any longer, we’ll get trapped inside.”
Abbey’s expression became desperate. “But... we can’t just leave him behind. What about the other prisoners held captive?” she pleaded with him. “We can’t let them all die.”
Steven shook his head. “I promised your father I would get you to safety.”
When Abbey opened her mouth to disagree, windows exploded everywhere, sending slivers slicing over her small frame. Then she hit the floor as Steven threw her down and covered her with his body. A portion of the ceiling came crashing down, nearly hitting them, and electric lights shattered in an explosion of glass and sparks. Only the glow of a few fluorescent tubes lit their surroundings, casting flickering shadows over them.
“Cover your ears!” he yelled.
Abbey barely had time to cover her ears before a tremendous impact shook the compound, as though a bomb had gone off. The palms of her hands did little to drown out the concussion of the blast.
Before she could collect herself, Steven was dragging her to a small opening in the wall a distance away.
Panic flooded Abbey as she grasped at the fate of her father. “No!” she screamed, a growl forming at the back of her throat. And then unbridled fury took control, awakening the Lupa from inside her.
As Abbey embraced the change, bristling dark fur erupted from beneath her skin, and her teeth tugged painfully at the roots. She no longer looked human as she rose to her feet. Her eyes were pools of molten blackness. When her petite frame swelled to massive proportions, shredding her constricted clothes, Steven shouted, “No, Abbey! Please!”
But it was too late. Abbey’s transformation was almost complete. A canine snout protruded from her face, and sharp teeth filled her gaping jaws as she threw her head back and howled, echoing across the facility and beyond.
With a driving force to rescue her father, Abbey dropped onto all fours and bolted toward a long passageway in the building, putting as much distance as possible between them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steven caught sight of dust and debris raining down from above. Shit! He ducked into a narrow hallway as the ceiling came crashing down into the center of the compound with a thunderous roar. Chunks of concrete slammed into the floor like meteors. Steven threw a hand up against the wall to steady himself. When tremors shook the floor, he began to fear that Abbey would be buried alive.
Was this an earthquake? He wondered, momentarily pausing in his attempts to break free and search for Abbey. No, more like an explosion, taking place somewhere within the facility. He had no doubt someone or something was attacking.
More rubble fell from the ceiling as the battered structure settled in the wake of the eruption. Steven’s glowing eyes tracked the falling debris, and at last, the deafening roar of the desolation died down enough that he could actually hear himself think. Had Abbey survived?
Steven glared up through a massive opening in the ceiling when he heard the sound of a helicopter hovering in close proximity. Then, without warning, it opened fire on him with its heavy artillery, and Steven took a hit, mere inches from his heart. He immediately grabbed his chest, covering his bloody wound and roared furiously. He quickly ducked for cover as more bullets blasted from above.
When the fire ceased, an eerie silence descended over the compound. As Steven peered up through the dusty debris, the chopper had mysteriously disappeared. And then Steven saw the only exit that hadn’t completely buried beneath all the destruction and rubble.
He wandered out into the opening of all the devastation and his eyes stared blankly ahead. He couldn’t comprehend what he was looking at. It was a young woman... kind of. She was more of a luminous, ghostly figure standing before him. She was beautiful... beautiful in the ethereal way of angels, with an unearthly glow emanating from her. Was she an angel? The white orbs of her eyes glowed, and her feet hovered above the ground as if she was floating in mid-air.
Steven frowned. “Who... are you?”
“My name is Lilith,” she said, her voice casting in an echo. “Are you a prisoner here?”
Steven’s eyes went over the transparent apparition, but his face was reserved as if he wasn’t sure what to say. He stared at her in silence and nodded.
Lilith brought her glowing hand forward. “You’re injured,” she said. “I can heal you.”
He flinched in response, and put his hand up, rejecting her touch. “I’m an Adalwolf. I can heal myself.”
As she lowered her hand, she seemed surprised at his declaration.
With dread, he looked to the long passageway of the facility to the place he’d last saw Abbey. In the relative silence, the destruction of their surroundings sank into Steven, the hollow sound of the wind blowing amplifying the emptiness.
Oh, God, he thought. Did Abbey make it out alive?
As Steven struggled under the weight of his thoughts, his instinct was to search every inch of the compound until he found her. Instead, he turned toward Lilith and spoke through what was clearly a tight throat. “Can you help me find my beloved?”
“I’m sorry.” There was a stretch of silence. “They took her and all the others that survived.”
Steven glanced nervously over his shoulder at all the disarray. As he refocused his gaze toward Lilith, he raised a speculative eyebrow. “Did you do this?”
“Yes,” she quickly replied. “You need to leave now. I’m going to turn what’s left of this place... to ash.”
Before Steven turned to leave, he said, “Wait. Do you have any idea where they took them?”
“The place where it all started,” Lilith said as she looked back at Steven, “to an underground research facility in Berkeley, California.”
Steven nodded. “Thank you.”
Lilith’s chest ached at the tone of his voice and the fact that there was nothing she could do to relieve his suffering. She hated sending him out to search for his loved one alone, but she had a personal mission, and this was something she had to do on her own.
Funny, though, as Steven walked away from the wreckage, he had the oddest sense that he was going to see Lilith again.
To be continued...
NOTE: This is not part of the chapter. A reference for terms and cast of characters, especially for new readers:
BREEDLINE - A species of humans that have the ability to change from human form into a wolf. They are not like the old legend of the Lycanthropy myth. Breedline species can shift into their wolf at will. The moon has no power over them. They do not pass their ability to other humans with a bite or scratch like the Lycanthropy myth.
The Breedline gene is passed down to offspring that are born identical twins. Although they live amongst humans, their species must be kept secret.
In wolf form, they have super strength, speed, and heightened senses. Compared to humans, Breedlines have tremendous advantages when it comes to health. Their bodies heal fast and are not subject to illnesses or diseases. The only thing that slows their healing process is silver. It is their kryptonite. Besides old age, a silver bullet to the brain is the only thing deadly to the species.
All males change into their wolf at the age of eighteen. Females do not go through the change until they make love to their Breedline bonded mate.
BREEDLINE TWINS - Identical twins that are born from either one or both parents of the Breedline species. They have a strong, unbreakable bond from birth, are born with telepathic abilities, and have the power to sense the other's emotions or injuries. In some cases, the bond between twins are so strong, that if one dies, the other twin may pass on, especially if they don't have a mate.
BREEDLINE BONDING - The male Breedline spends their life in search of their bonded mate. When the male comes in contact with her, he instantly feels a simultaneous, desirable attraction and she becomes the most important thing in his life. He is there to love, protect, and cherish her until death. Once they are mated, they bond for life. It is possible for them to have more than one mate in their lifespan.
BELOVED - A word used by a Breedline to express the bond to their mate.
DOUBLE BONDED - In some cases, male Breedline twins bond with the same female but one will carry a stronger bond. Usually one of them must sacrifice for the other twin.
BREEDLINE COVENANT - The Breedline species must live within the boundaries of a Covenant, which is only formed with their species. The Covenant is governed and ruled by a head council. The council keeps their laws in order and oversees the species population.
THE BREEDLINE QUEEN - Over centuries the Breedline Covenant is ruled by a true queen. If there is no queen living, the Covenants are governed by an appointed head council until another one is born. A Breedline queen is born once every one hundred years. Her massive stature, black fur, and red eyes are the queen's trademarks. Her alpha wolf has twice the strength, speed, and size of any Breedline. The queen is expected to rule over all the Breedline Covenants where she will be respected and obeyed by all Breedline. This is their absolute True Law.
THE QUEENS RING - This ring has been passed down to all Breedline queens for generations. When the new queen places the ring on, it instantly shifts in size to fit her finger.
TRUE LAW - All Breedline Covenants have an ancient book of laws. If either sex disobeys the Breedline laws, they can be shunned, or no longer protected by their Covenant. If a Breedline takes another life out of revenge, or evil - other than protecting their life, and the life of another - they will never have the ability to shift back human and cast out as a rogue wolf.
ROGUE WOLF - A Breedline shunned by their Covenant for taking another life out of revenge or evil and forced to live as a wolf until death without the ability to change human again. Some rogue wolves form into packs, which can be dangerous for other Breedline species.
RED (BLOOD) MOON - When the full moon passes through the amber shadow of the earth, producing a midnight eclipse visible across North America. So begins a lunar eclipse tetrad, a series of four consecutive total eclipses occurring at approximately six-month intervals. This incredible light beams into the heart of earth's shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the moon into a great red orb. During this time, all Breedline species that are mated have a strong desire to create an offspring. This is also a time when Breedline females are more fertile for the conception of twins.
CHIANG-SHIH DEMON (Kiang shi, a.k.a Ramael Arminius) - An ancient demon that inhabits the body of a Breedline fetus before it's born, or during a Breedline's death. It continues to take the soul over the natural lifespan of the child, or the deceased Breedline. When the demon possesses a fetus, it breaks the bonding and telepathic abilities of their twin when they are born. If the demon possesses a deceased Breedline's body, it must do so before the soul passes on. If the soul is not intact, the body will soon die.
In most cases, the Chiang-shih demon will take the life of the other twin, even before their birth. The twin that is born with the demon will bring only evil to whomever they encounter. Their sole purpose is to gain full control of another soul and seek world domination.
There are two ways the demon is cast from the soul it possesses: by its first-born son, and the Angel of Mercy, Zadkiel. The Beast is the only one who can kill a Chiang-shih demon.
THE BEAST - He is the second born son of the Chiang-shih demon. When provoked into a rage, he will shift into his Beast instead of his Breedline wolf. The Beast is an enormous, dangerous two-footed creature that has wolf-like features. One bite has enough venom to kill the Chiang-shih demon and leave the soul of the person the demon possessed unharmed.
SHADOW WALKER (a.k.a Shadow Figure, or Black Mass) - The perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly interpreted by the Breedline as the presence of a malevolent entity. When a Breedline species dies and does not pass on to the other side, they are left to roam the earth as a shadow of themselves - a ghost. They will not pass on until they have settled unfinished business before their death.
ZADKIEL (Tzadqiel, a.k.a "Righteousness of God") - The Archangel of freedom, benevolence, and mercy, and the Patron Angel of all who forgives. Breedline species tradition considers him to be the Angel of Mercy.
SUCCUBUS (a.k.a CREEPERS) - Creatures that search for, and feeds off the blood of the Breedline species. Creepers are skilled at extreme sexual pleasure, and the ecstasy they create is exceedingly intense and highly addictive. They cast off a scent that hypnotizes Breedlines into overwhelming sexual urges. They use their human-like bodies and beautiful features to control and influence their thoughts.
They have the ability to reach into the Breedline's mind during sleep, casting a spell of dreams about sexual contact, or intercourse. And one much less obvious manifestation of Creepers is nightmares - realistic, graphic, terrifying nightmares that rob the Breedline of sleep. Over a period, it can lead to severe fatigue and depression, leaving them emotionally and spiritually drained. Death can occur if they completely take over the Breedline's body.
HALF-BREED - This species is born with the genes from both Breedline and succubus. They can bond with either a full-blood Breedline or another half-breed. They do not have the ability to change into the Breedline wolf, but they do need blood from them to survive. With the power to hypnotize, most Breedlines have minimal respect and credence toward the half-breed species.
WICCA (or Wise One) - According to the Breedline species, a Wicca is the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy. A Wicca is also considered to be a demonic spirit. It is unclear to the Breedline if they act under the orders of the devil, or they are simply not understood and treated as outcasts. They have the ability to do white magic (good) or dark (evil).
GUARDIANS (a.k.a Spirits of the Forest) - They originated during the Middle Ages with the purpose of protecting all creatures, especially the Breedline, from the destruction of any creation made by a dark Wicca. They have the ability to stay invisible with the power to move through any barrier and over any distance instantly.
THERIOMORPH - This species is born with the genes of a Breedline, but do not have the ability to change into a Breedline wolf. They shape shift into an enormous black panther. They possess powers of mind manipulation and random visions of the future. They must use the drug dopamine to suppress their urges. Their eye color shifts into a glowing lavender when their Theriomorph nature takes over. The Breedline see them as a threat to their species.
ADALWOLF - A species that has the power to shift from their human form into a beautiful creature, three times the size, resembling half man and half wolf. Born with super-strength, they can move from one place to another in supernatural speed. Their eyes take on the appearance of two-shimmering diamonds. With the power to regenerate their own cells, an Adalwolf will stop aging at thirty. The moon has no power over them. And an Adalwolf is immune to silver. They can bond with any species.
Steven Pasquale (a.k.a Steven Craven) - He inherited the genes of a Breedline and an Adalwolf. He was taken from his mother and forced to endure a life of endless, painful experiments by two German physicians; Dr. Hans Autenburg and Dr. Hubert Crane. Without the knowledge of his real family, Steven finally manages to escape his captors, locating his biological parents and fraternal twin, Tessa Fairchild.
Lisa Wellington (a.k.a Lilith) - She is a Breedline with the gift to heal. After she becomes pregnant with twins, she mysteriously disappears. Taken against her will by Dr. Hans Autenburg, she is forced to endure a life of torture. After years of experiments, her human form is altered into a creature that goes against the laws of nature. With her memory completely erased, Lisa is transformed into Lilith. Her bonded mate, Kenneth Craven desperately searches for Lisa for years. But when their telepathic connection is severed he losses all hope of locating her and his unborn twins.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. BREEDLINE - A species of humans that have the ability to change from human form into a wolf. They are not like the old legend of the Lycanthropy myth. Breedline species can shift into their wolf at will. The moon has no power over them. They do not pass their ability to other humans with a bite or scratch like the Lycanthropy myth.
The Breedline gene is passed down to offspring that are born identical twins. Although they live amongst humans, their species must be kept secret.
In wolf form, they have super strength, speed, and heightened senses. Compared to humans, Breedlines have tremendous advantages when it comes to health. Their bodies heal fast and are not subject to illnesses or diseases. The only thing that slows their healing process is silver. It is their kryptonite. Besides old age, a silver bullet to the brain is the only thing deadly to the species.
All males change into their wolf at the age of eighteen. Females do not go through the change until they make love to their Breedline bonded mate.
BREEDLINE TWINS - Identical twins that are born from either one or both parents of the Breedline species. They have a strong, unbreakable bond from birth, are born with telepathic abilities, and have the power to sense the other's emotions or injuries. In some cases, the bond between twins are so strong, that if one dies, the other twin may pass on, especially if they don't have a mate.
BREEDLINE BONDING - The male Breedline spends their life in search of their bonded mate. When the male comes in contact with her, he instantly feels a simultaneous, desirable attraction and she becomes the most important thing in his life. He is there to love, protect, and cherish her until death. Once they are mated, they bond for life. It is possible for them to have more than one mate in their lifespan.
BELOVED - A word used by a Breedline to express the bond to their mate.
DOUBLE BONDED - In some cases, male Breedline twins bond with the same female but one will carry a stronger bond. Usually one of them must sacrifice for the other twin.
BREEDLINE COVENANT - The Breedline species must live within the boundaries of a Covenant, which is only formed with their species. The Covenant is governed and ruled by a head council. The council keeps their laws in order and oversees the species population.
THE BREEDLINE QUEEN - Over centuries the Breedline Covenant is ruled by a true queen. If there is no queen living, the Covenants are governed by an appointed head council until another one is born. A Breedline queen is born once every one hundred years. Her massive stature, black fur, and red eyes are the queen's trademarks. Her alpha wolf has twice the strength, speed, and size of any Breedline. The queen is expected to rule over all the Breedline Covenants where she will be respected and obeyed by all Breedline. This is their absolute True Law.
THE QUEENS RING - This ring has been passed down to all Breedline queens for generations. When the new queen places the ring on, it instantly shifts in size to fit her finger.
TRUE LAW - All Breedline Covenants have an ancient book of laws. If either sex disobeys the Breedline laws, they can be shunned, or no longer protected by their Covenant. If a Breedline takes another life out of revenge, or evil - other than protecting their life, and the life of another - they will never have the ability to shift back human and cast out as a rogue wolf.
ROGUE WOLF - A Breedline shunned by their Covenant for taking another life out of revenge or evil and forced to live as a wolf until death without the ability to change human again. Some rogue wolves form into packs, which can be dangerous for other Breedline species.
RED (BLOOD) MOON - When the full moon passes through the amber shadow of the earth, producing a midnight eclipse visible across North America. So begins a lunar eclipse tetrad, a series of four consecutive total eclipses occurring at approximately six-month intervals. This incredible light beams into the heart of earth's shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the moon into a great red orb. During this time, all Breedline species that are mated have a strong desire to create an offspring. This is also a time when Breedline females are more fertile for the conception of twins.
CHIANG-SHIH DEMON (Kiang shi, a.k.a Ramael Arminius) - An ancient demon that inhabits the body of a Breedline fetus before it's born, or during a Breedline's death. It continues to take the soul over the natural lifespan of the child, or the deceased Breedline. When the demon possesses a fetus, it breaks the bonding and telepathic abilities of their twin when they are born. If the demon possesses a deceased Breedline's body, it must do so before the soul passes on. If the soul is not intact, the body will soon die.
In most cases, the Chiang-shih demon will take the life of the other twin, even before their birth. The twin that is born with the demon will bring only evil to whomever they encounter. Their sole purpose is to gain full control of another soul and seek world domination.
There are two ways the demon is cast from the soul it possesses: by its first-born son, and the Angel of Mercy, Zadkiel. The Beast is the only one who can kill a Chiang-shih demon.
THE BEAST - He is the second born son of the Chiang-shih demon. When provoked into a rage, he will shift into his Beast instead of his Breedline wolf. The Beast is an enormous, dangerous two-footed creature that has wolf-like features. One bite has enough venom to kill the Chiang-shih demon and leave the soul of the person the demon possessed unharmed.
SHADOW WALKER (a.k.a Shadow Figure, or Black Mass) - The perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly interpreted by the Breedline as the presence of a malevolent entity. When a Breedline species dies and does not pass on to the other side, they are left to roam the earth as a shadow of themselves - a ghost. They will not pass on until they have settled unfinished business before their death.
ZADKIEL (Tzadqiel, a.k.a "Righteousness of God") - The Archangel of freedom, benevolence, and mercy, and the Patron Angel of all who forgives. Breedline species tradition considers him to be the Angel of Mercy.
SUCCUBUS (a.k.a CREEPERS) - Creatures that search for, and feeds off the blood of the Breedline species. Creepers are skilled at extreme sexual pleasure, and the ecstasy they create is exceedingly intense and highly addictive. They cast off a scent that hypnotizes Breedlines into overwhelming sexual urges. They use their human-like bodies and beautiful features to control and influence their thoughts.
They have the ability to reach into the Breedline's mind during sleep, casting a spell of dreams about sexual contact, or intercourse. And one much less obvious manifestation of Creepers is nightmares - realistic, graphic, terrifying nightmares that rob the Breedline of sleep. Over a period, it can lead to severe fatigue and depression, leaving them emotionally and spiritually drained. Death can occur if they completely take over the Breedline's body.
HALF-BREED - This species is born with the genes from both Breedline and succubus. They can bond with either a full-blood Breedline or another half-breed. They do not have the ability to change into the Breedline wolf, but they do need blood from them to survive. With the power to hypnotize, most Breedlines have minimal respect and credence toward the half-breed species.
WICCA (or Wise One) - According to the Breedline species, a Wicca is the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy. A Wicca is also considered to be a demonic spirit. It is unclear to the Breedline if they act under the orders of the devil, or they are simply not understood and treated as outcasts. They have the ability to do white magic (good) or dark (evil).
GUARDIANS (a.k.a Spirits of the Forest) - They originated during the Middle Ages with the purpose of protecting all creatures, especially the Breedline, from the destruction of any creation made by a dark Wicca. They have the ability to stay invisible with the power to move through any barrier and over any distance instantly.
THERIOMORPH - This species is born with the genes of a Breedline, but do not have the ability to change into a Breedline wolf. They shape shift into an enormous black panther. They possess powers of mind manipulation and random visions of the future. They must use the drug dopamine to suppress their urges. Their eye color shifts into a glowing lavender when their Theriomorph nature takes over. The Breedline see them as a threat to their species.
ADALWOLF - A species that has the power to shift from their human form into a beautiful creature, three times the size, resembling half man and half wolf. Born with super-strength, they can move from one place to another in supernatural speed. Their eyes take on the appearance of two-shimmering diamonds. With the power to regenerate their own cells, an Adalwolf will stop aging at thirty. The moon has no power over them. And an Adalwolf is immune to silver. They can bond with any species.
Steven Pasquale (a.k.a Steven Craven) - He inherited the genes of a Breedline and an Adalwolf. He was taken from his mother and forced to endure a life of endless, painful experiments by two German physicians; Dr. Hans Autenburg and Dr. Hubert Crane. Without the knowledge of his real family, Steven finally manages to escape his captors, locating his biological parents and fraternal twin, Tessa Fairchild.
Lisa Wellington (a.k.a Lilith) - She is a Breedline with the gift to heal. After she becomes pregnant with twins, she mysteriously disappears. Taken against her will by Dr. Hans Autenburg, she is forced to endure a life of torture. After years of experiments, her human form is altered into a creature that goes against the laws of nature. With her memory completely erased, Lisa is transformed into Lilith. Her bonded mate, Kenneth Craven desperately searches for Lisa for years. But when their telepathic connection is severed he losses all hope of locating her and his unborn twins.
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