Reaper's Word

Chapter 12: Narrow Escape

Isaiah couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the dark mane of hair come around the corner. Then her green eyes met his. He took off after Clair as Beta rounded the corner. He hadn't expected that, and had very nearly plowed right into him. As it was, it caused him to lose balance. That had slowed them both down, skidding to a halt.

She was fast. Faster than she had been some weeks ago, and she moved with more knowledge of how the house worked. Slamming into the panel in the wall and jumping down. Beta hit it first and went through after her. Then Isaiah went down.

He heard her shout something as she went into a room not far away. He knew that Zeta was there as well. She wasn't going anywhere now. Finally he'd catch her and that excited him greatly. He sprinted down the hall and came to a stop in the doorway. Zeta was crouched over Clair.

Clair was curled up on her side, and a small group of humans wished to get their hands on Clair as well. They wished to know her secret. Gustav wanted to know. Isaiah knew that Gustav was a psychic, and fairly strong. Able to read minds. He couldn't read Clair's and wanted to know her secret. Yeah well that made two of them didn't it?

When Zeta had lunged, Clair had hopped up like she had springs on her feet and run for the ladder in the room. He was there in an instant grabbing her. His quarry wasn't getting away from him this time. She'd fought like a hellion, he was shocked at this side of her. She was giving off so much fear that he didn't need to read her mind to know she thought that she was going to die.

His hand was bleeding slightly from the bite she'd given him. He held her still as he spoke to her, letting her breathe so she could speak. He took a deep breath pulling in the scent of her. He craved the smell of her like a drug. It was the scent of something he had to work hard to get, and it was satisfying to hold it against him. His body reacted to that immediately, oh please let her be worth it. He'd turned to take

her from the room. He was slightly lost in thoughts when she had stopped moving, and his front came against her back.

"Oh, god!" He turned his head as she spoke. Saw what had caused her alarm. One of the humans was holding some kind of small explosive. Shit, he didn't think this group was that smart. Looked like he was wrong.

Isaiah turned away just like Clair, as the human tossed it at Beta and Zeta. He gave a shout to them to move and they obeyed without question. The explosion was large for such a small thing. No one was able to move very far. The blast shot most of them in different directions. He let go of Clair as he was tossed backward along with her.

He hit the wall not far from them cracking it, and causing a hole. Clair hit the bench like chair and tipped over with it sliding to the wall stopping against it. She didn't move but he knew she wasn't dead. Isaiah stood up brushing the debris from him. He wasn't in the mood for this, but if he had to kill a few to make a point then he would.

The fires in the room were instantly put out. The room swelled with anger at the attack, fed by his own. The house was not happy and as it was an entity the air grew ice cold. Isaiah would have to move the chemicals around so this didn't happen. Nothing could be truly destroyed from the house, but it could be moved around to different locations. Once in the house, always part of the house it would be.

Isaiah looked to Beta who stood up shaking himself. It was Zeta that didn't move. She wasn't alive at the moment. When she came to, there would be hell to pay. Blood was soaking the floor below her and in her fur. Isaiah was angered by the sight, but not nearly as much as Beta was.

Alpha darted into the room and caught the sight of his sister and the hell hounds yellow eyes grew brighter. He tipped back his head and let out a howl. There were four humans in here, and none of them were leaving this room.

"Leave the one that threw it for Zeta." Isaiah decreed. His eyes black and all the doors in the room slammed shut. The one that threw it was unconscious at the moment, and when he woke he was going to wish that he had died in the blast.

Isaiah stood there letting the brothers have their revenge and content to watch as they moved in. He didn't even flinch at the blood that hit him from those that Alpha and Beta tore apart. Beta was vicious at his angriest, he could make

Zeta cringe and back off. He hoped that the rest that had ducked out paid attention.

Beta moved to the largest male. He was edging away from him to the ladder. Beta was on him before he could climb. The man's screams were loud but short lived as Beta tore into his throat. He shook him and then started tearing pieces off the man. Blood soaking everything near him and flinging around when he shook his head. Isaiah looked at Alpha who was more content to sit and hold the human by the neck killing him. Avenging what they did to his sister.

When they got to the last human who wasn't the one laying face down on the floor they went at her together. Isaiah moved to the unconscious man and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward Zeta letting him fall to the floor. He felt something wet hit his side but ignored it. Beta and Alpha were very close to him playing tug of war with the woman. He wanted to see the fear in the man's eyes when he woke. When he realized he was going to die. He'd thrown a bomb at him and the hell hounds, so he'd wait.

The woman's screams were annoying but once again short lived. Isaiah moved over to where Clair had fallen to make sure she didn't try something when she woke. His solid black eyes scanned the spot and moved slowly over to the door not three feet away. She was gone and the door was open.

He felt a tic work in his jaw. He was more than pissed right now and punched a hole in the wall turning. He told himself to remain calm. He didn't like to be frenzied but his most desired prey just escaped,

Zeta was harmed, and he was seething.

How the fuck did she get the door open?! He must have not paid attention after the others were caught. He rotated his neck and shoulder which cracked from the tension building up. He felt with his mind, but as always nothing.

"Fuck!" He shouted, losing his temper.

Isaiah turned and moved toward the hell hounds. Fine, he was going to enjoy the death of this human even more. Beta and Alpha nuzzled Zeta's still and lifeless form, as he approached. They backed up as Isaiah came forward sensing his mood and they didn't want to risk his anger so they gave him space.

"Drag him to the caves Beta." Beta grabbed the man by the leg. The sound of bones crunching with the force of the bite had Isaiah turning his head.

"Don't break it off, leave him for Zeta." He said coldly.

‘Yes. But he will wake first and can be in pain.’ Isaiah turned to Alpha. His voice very calm and very controlled, never a good sign.

"Go and see if you can track Clair down. I don't know how she got the door open. Bring her back to me, unharmed understood?" Alpha gave a bob of his head and padded from the room. Isaiah reached down and picked Zeta up. She weighed close to four hundred pounds. She was the size roughly of a small tiger. Alpha was the largest at nearly five hundred pounds in his real form.

Isaiah carried her to the caves and laid her down. These caves were unique a kind of magic running through them. It was the reason the house was built here. He very rarely came down here. Unable to move very far in them. He gave it to the hell hounds as a place they could be away from him if they wanted or the house. Just as they never came into his room without permission.

He looked at Beta. The man was coming around and Beta had his face very close to the humans. This brought a cruel smile to Isaiah's mouth. It also relieved some of the tension running through him. The man opened his eyes and jerked his head against the ground as Beta bared his sharp and wickedly curved teeth. Ignoring the two for a moment Isaiah glanced across the way.

He looked at the waterfall not far from him. Light spilled in from the hole where the water came down. Large amounts of vegetation hung down from it. The pool it fell into had a bright blue green color. There was a statute near the waterfall. A dragon in great detail, his tail curving around the island he sat on. His face tipped up, coming to a point as he looked with stone eyes to the opening.

Standing near him in the circle created by his tail was the figure of a woman. She had one hand on her face tipped down her stony hair falling around her. One arm straight out into the darkness, her palm up as if waiting for something to fall into it.

"What do you think of that?" He asked the human not looking at him and pointing to the statue. Then sweeping his hand toward the waterfall.

"I... just... I...don't understand." Beta growled, and Isaiah saw Zeta's chest rise slightly. Her ribs mending themselves, only a short time now.

"I'm asking what you think of the scene before you." Isaiah knew that the walls around the waterfall were carved with different mythical creatures. The woman was the only human thing in this cave besides the one about to die. This was a primal source of magic.

It was also the spot where Athena had been sacrificed tying him to the house. This was the root of it all, and the dragon ever vigilant of the opening above. It would tell him if someone tried to climb it. Tried to escape. So he brought this man here so the house could watch too.

"Nice." He gasped out looking at Beta.

"Has she moved?" Isaiah asked really looking at the statue now. If memory served him right he was sure that in the past her hands had both been on her face. The tail wasn't that close to her. It looked like the tail had shifted closer to the woman to wrap around her or something. Why was her hand up? He wasn't sure he liked it. Chances were it was an effect from Clair being accepted by part of the house. He needed to find her and reverse what she did. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

‘Yes. I haven't seen it move though.’ Beta mentally spoke to him. The human was confused and looked at Zeta thinking it was her he was talking about. He didn’t hear Beta speak.

"You have made me very upset human." Isaiah hissed ignoring the statue now. Things in this place rarely stayed the same. Constantly changing with the moods of the house or cave and those that lived here. That waterfall was the only exit out of here for the humans. The only way to get out truly. Though it brought you back through the yard and the hell hounds knew instantly the moment a human stepped out onto the grounds. The soul of this place was watching the exit. Anyone trying to escape was a danger to him and it.

"I'm sorry." Isaiah looked down at the pitiful human that had cost him catching Clair. He thought about breaking his jaw. However he still had a chance to catch Clair again. He'd killed Zeta so he would let her have the right to kill him. Still didn't change the fact he was seething inside.

"Not enough I'm afraid. She's going to make you wish you had died." He said, indicating Zeta.

"Please, is there anything I can do? Please, I'll do any task." He stuttered, looking at him, terror in his gaze.

"I'll let you go," Beta gave a growl at that, but the look from Isaiah silenced him. "if you can tell me where the woman I had in the room hides. I give my word. Seeing as you cost me catching her." He made this promise because he knew the man wouldn't know.

"I, we don't know. It's why we wanted her. We've noticed how she seemed to ghost around the place." Isaiah stood from the crouch he'd had, and heard Zeta take a shallow breath. Beta moved away from him. The man was in pain but too scared to make a sound.

"Then you are of no use to me." He stated. Then looked back at the swirling green pool and the design of the cave. He looked down at Beta.

"Do you think she could draw that? The movement?" Beta turned his head in contemplation. Of the hell hounds he was the one that enjoyed the novelty of art and music most. You didn't have to be human to enjoy certain things. Just intelligence.

‘Challenge.’ He thought and looked back at Isaiah. He sent Isaiah the desire to see more of her drawings. To him the art in the house had always been there. He had not understood how it had come to be. Now he wished to see it created.

"I have the same desire. We may have had it if this one hadn't screwed us over." Zeta moved with a slight whine as she was in a bit of pain. Her body battered and bruised. With a fresh meal she would be healed within the hour.

"You'll get yours." The man said angrily.

"I've already gotten it, you are not the only one trapped. Not being drained to sustain others' lives." Isaiah held his hands out to indicate his prison.

"I'm just waiting for the reward now." With that he turned and left the man there with the two hell hounds. Zeta sent him a gleeful and thankful feeling. Which he returned. These three creatures with him were the only things that he did have caring feelings for. He really didn't feel himself capable of caring. It wasn't an emotion he felt benefited the kind of creature he was. A dealer of death, pulled from the other side to use.

Isaiah went into the house. The door sealing behind him and a muffled shout came to him. He went up the stairs his eyes still a solid black. He needed to find something to kill or to destroy for himself. The humans in the house were laying very low right now.

He was patient, they'd come out when they felt it had calmed down. The house was giving off a vibe that wasn't all that kind either. It would give the humans up without a problem. All but one human and that annoyed him even more. However it was best she wasn't the one he found first. He thought about that and a slow smile spread over his face.

Perhaps it would be best that he found her first. At least for the others, there was more than one way to work off tension and anger. Some far more pleasurable than others. He'd already decided he would use Clair, fantasized about it. It was just a matter of time. He'd first learn what he wanted from her because he knew she was going to fail at truly pleasing him like the others had. Right now thought he needed something to focus on, to calm the seething anger.

Isaiah moved into a room and went to a locked cabinet. He pulled out a set of knives. He turned looking across the room and tossed them in rapid succession, hitting each of the stone heads that were set up. His accuracy precise, as it always was. He didn't know how to fail. He learned it and then did it. The only talent he didn't have to truly learn had been to play music. He could play any instrument that he put his hands on. An odd talent but one he enjoyed immensely.

He held out his hands and all of the knives came back to him. He tossed them again harder, sparks flew as the knives slid into the stone. They were imbued knives and wouldn't break. Besides the house would just fix them if they did. He was struggling to not let his frustration get the better of him, and this was not helping yet. No! He'd had what he wanted right in his hands and it slipped away!

He held his hand out and one knife rotated in the air above it. He stared at it for a moment and then at one of the statues. It shot right into it with a thought. He looked at the room and walked over to one of the head statues. He grabbed one and walked to the large window in the room. Still not happy, this

wasn't taking his mind off of it. Or her, that ghost of a woman living in his house. Thinking she could run away after he caught her.

"I need this." He said more to the house than anything else, it knew. It always did. He tossed the head through the window. Then with a movement of his hands all the glass smashed out the large window and then fell to the floor of the room. Isaiah moved through the room, any of the items that held glass exploded and then he went into the hall.

He'd not been bested like this before by anyone. Except the time he'd been stuck in here. It struck a nerve, he'd vowed that would not happen again, and look! Maybe it wasn't exactly the same with Clair, but it was getting there. Part of the house was protecting her damn it.

Doors he passed cracked and snapped open. He kept going down the hall at a slow pace turning and going into a dark room whose door was now open. He stood in the center of it and the light came on. It was a curved room with mirrors and they all exploded out shattering and falling to the floor around him. He stood there for a second and turned when he thought he heard movement. Let it be some stupid foolish human. He'd take his anger out on them.

Isaiah turned and stepped toward the door and looked out into the hall. No scent came to him, nor sound. For a second he swore that he heard the movement of clothing. However, not sensing anything, he turned back into the room and looked at the shattered glass.

He closed his eyes and every small shattered piece rose in the air. He cleared his mind to concentrate and held out one hand pointing at the very first frame that a mirror had been in. The mirror pieces shot into it, creating a spider web like effect. As he moved his hand each frame in turn filled and started to mend the moment it was back together.

This was finally calming to him. He didn't enjoy being in a rage because he liked to be calculating and in control. Managing to center his mind again, he finished with the mirrors and left. Destruction helped

with the anger, and concentration on putting it back together centered his mind. He would catch his desired prey. There was no escaping this house, it wouldn't protect her that much.