Fairytales Aren't Perfect

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

        Demetrius Lancaster sat in the darkest part of the woods, with a sword in his tanned, callused hand. The man beside him held a gun. Lancaster hardly knew what a ‘gun’ was but he knew the purpose of it. To kill. For him, that was all he cared for. Demetrius Lancaster needed nothing good in his heart, he needed nothing bad. All he needed was nothing. Demetrius Lancaster was a cold blooded reptile – ‘The Snake’ was what they called him. The most feared and cunning of criminals on the western side of Karanan – a land like no other.  But he wasn’t in Karanan, he wasn’t surrounded by those who feared the very mention of his name, Lancaster had no idea where he was or how he got here, that is except for her, the only one he could think of.

“Have they found her yet? Have they found the girl?” Lancaster asked quietly, his dark calculating eyes watching the wolf that stood before him. The gunner beside him cocked his gun.

The dark grey wolf growled and shifted on its feet, its head tilted in defiance. It would not bow down to someone who wasn’t his Alpha.

“I said,” Lancaster stared at the wolf as the wind picked up, “Have they found the girl?”

A bubbly feeling of glee erupted in Lancaster’s stomach as he saw the wolf’s head bow in defeat before shaking its head.

Lancaster allowed of flicker of emotion to cross his handsomely cold face before he turned to the gunner who looked happy at the thought of killing something. Lancaster felt grim with the fact that he could not afford to kill this wolf. He couldn’t and wouldn’t waste.

Lancaster recognized the fear in his gut and he knew better than to ignore it for the simplicity that was bloodlust.

“Leave the mutt. We cannot afford to lose a spare,” said Lancaster. The wind in the trees howled disapprovingly.

The gunner beside him looked angry but he lowered his gun none the less. Out of the corner of his eye Lancaster saw the wolf sit back on his haunches, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

“Surge, do not think that you will escape your failures easily,” Lancaster said to the wolf, who immediately winced and backed into the shadows.

Lancaster smirked, even here, in another world he was the Alpha, he was the Commander, he was the leader. Although he may not have the best army, he had himself and that was all he had ever needed to succeed, him and a sharp sword.

“Retrieve her for me,” Lancaster said to the gunner. The man nodded and put his gun away in its holster.

“Where do I find her, sir?”

Lancaster smiled, thinking of the small blonde girl he couldn’t get out of his head, “You’ll know her when you see her. But just in case, think golden angel.”

    Melody’s hands twisted anxiously as Hello Kitty, whom she later discovered was named Karol, led them back to the party.

Melody could hear Ian and Hannah whispering behind her and her heart felt as though it was slowly withering in her chest. Now that she actually remembered and knew most of whom and what Hannah was, Melody wasn’t happy at all. Sure, she hadn’t completed the story and her memory of how the story ended was still fuzzy, but what if she had meant for Ian and Hannah to end up with each other?

Melody felt her chest squeeze with jealousy and small tears appear in her eyes, another reminder of what a cry baby she was.

She wasn’t sure if she had quite thoroughly thought through what it meant to have her characters in her books come alive. In a way it was nice because most of these characters had somehow been intended to be somewhat of friends but the uncomfortable reality was setting in – there was always a bad guy and Melody wasn’t too sure where they were.

“So you don’t have any, err, problems with what I am?” Jason asked from beside her, his deep voice just above a whisper as he held her hand, helping her over a fallen tree.

Melody managed a small smile though her thoughts were elsewhere, “Jason, if I created what you are I am sure as heck fine with it.”

Jason grinned and squeezed her hand, his light brown eyes sparkling, “So you really are okay with the fact I’m furry?”

“Yes,” Melody said, smiling and giving him a side hug that was slightly awkward due to the fact they were walking.

Jason’s face lit up and he returned the hug, “Great.” Melody smiled back and kept walking, aware of his arm still hooked around her waist. Melody blushed and looked down, the party lights in the distance.

        Ian glared at Jason’s arm circling Melody’s waist. That goddamn giant just couldn’t keep his paws off of her, could he? It was bad enough that he had walked back into the clearing and there wide awake was Melody sitting on his lap, but now he had the audacity to hug her?

Something began to rub his arm and it sent nasty, unpleasant shivers up his arm. Hannah.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” She cooed, her green eyes watching his blue one intently.

Ian uncurled the fist he hadn’t know he had been clenching, “It’s nothing.”

“It isn’t her is it?” Hannah hissed, “The freak?”  Doubt echoed in her eyes. They had already explained to her that they were somehow connected to Melody through some sort of fucked up magic, but it seemed Hannah could care less. In her eyes, Ian guessed, Melody was still an obstacle that needed to be moved, or more easily, blown up.                                                                         

Ian raised an eye brow. “Why would it be about her?” He asked innocently, the lie flowing smoothly from his lips.

Hannah analysed him like a cat analyses their prey. “No reason. But what I said earlier is still on. We need to crush her. And who knows, maybe we’ll end up going back if we do.” She sneered, “God forbid I stay another moment in this nasty town.”

Ian had already thought about the outcome of Hannah’s little plan, and although it would crush Melody, he seriously doubted it would send them back from wherever they came. Though the thought of hurting her felt wrong (in his heart and in his head), Ian was reminded of the pain he had felt because of her. He knew that it wasn’t her fault deep down of course, but on the surface he had no one to blame.

Hannah’s plan may have been backed up by jealousy and crazy illusions but Ian didn’t care, he had to hurt Melody Fitz because she had hurt him. He didn’t need love and she had forced it at him. Love was something Ian despised and how dare she throw it in his face? He had to hurt her because love was stupid and painful and in the end she would thank him. Love only led to pain and he knew the feeling well.

He knew he would have no problem with Hannah’s little scheme. H­­­­­e was Ian Wilder; he could be pretty persuasive, especially when it came to the opposite sex.

“Alright,” he said loudly, smiling down at Hannah and holding her hand in his. Out of the corner of his eye she saw Melody look of her shoulder and the hurt flash across her features, against his better judgement Ian’s heart stuttered and feel as though he hated himself. Damn her.