A Monster Inside Saga - Book Of The Sword - ITV Jekyll And Hyde

6 - Talk of the Devil

A wash of hate and a considerable amount of hurt rushed over Jekyll and with it came the unavoidable presence of Hyde. And this time he wanted answers, one way or another. A smile crept across his face as he glared at Lottie's door, and could only think what panic she had got herself into.
"Enough with the waiting", he said to himself in a low growl. "The curtain raises, the stage is set. Let the show begin". Flicking his coat, he walked downstairs and was invited by a table full of his family.
"What's this?" he asked.
"We never sit down as a family", Maggie answered, standing up and picking a jam jar from the middle of the table. It all looked rather... civilised. The table had a collection of preserves and a large rack of toast either side of it. A tall decanter filled with orange juice was being passed around. Every place had a lace doily and a crystal tumbler. Olalla shot him a look that cried out, 'Get me out of here', and he noticed she was cleaning her bloodspike underneath the table.
"You going to join us, Jekyll boy?" Garson enquired, hunting in his jacket pocket for his flask. He eventually found it and, while Maggie was distracted by her conversation with Ravi, poured a generous amount of gin into the remnants of his orange juice.
"I'm afraid Jekyll's on hold for a couple of hours. Though I would happily take up that offer", Hyde replied, picking up a jar of marmalade and tearing the lid off. He sat, feet up on the mahogany table, and dipped his hand into the orange conserve.
"He reminds me so much of his father", Maggie cooed, thinking of the little boy who sat at her kitchen table, her little Louis.
"How's Lottie?" Ravi asked. "I heard about last night".
"Ah, Lottie, Lottie, Lottie. You know-" he started, but felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as she entered the room.
"Talk of the devil", Garson muttered under his breath and Hyde looked around at her.
"Talking about me?" she asked nervously.
"Well, it seems that one of our little darlings has been telling porkie-pies", Hyde retorted, holding her by the collar of her dress and lifting her from the ground so her feet didn't touch the floor. "Know who that it?"
"Hyde put her down", Garson shouted and headed towards him, but then stumbled backwards. That gin was stronger than he had realised.
"I've no idea what you're talking about", Lottie answered, standing her ground even though she knew Hyde could kill her with his bare hands if he wanted to. Hyde sighed and put her down.
"Sit down, speak fast and speak the truth". She did as she was told, but saw Maggie's confused and slightly hurt eyes look at her in disbelief.
"What if I refuse?"
"Then I'll beat it out of you", Hyde answered without a hint of remorse. "So I would suggest you give me the answers I want".
"What answers?" Maggie asked quietly standing up from her place so she was at eye level with her grandson.
"Well, your so-called granddaughter hasn't been very honest with us, has she?" Hyde smiled, and for the first time the household had seen just how merciless that side of him could be.
"Is that what you do Hyde? Break people's hearts".
His smile dropped and he suddenly had a vision of Bella by the Empire. The whole point of having someone to love was that you made eachother better people. And Bella had made Hyde merciful, empathetic, a bit more like Jekyll perhaps, but he always had the overhanging feeling that he hadn't returned the favour. He may have had two sides, but he was still just one person. But he had chosen an MIO spy over her, a deed he was sure she still hadn't forgiven him for. He had broken her heart, whether he liked it or not.
Lottie had struck a chord, and she knew it from the way his face twisted into anger. Hyde walker over to her, eyes sparkling with a mixture of mischief and vengefulness, and pushed the chair she was sitting in back so that only two of the legs were on the floor. She looked utterly terrified, and he followed her gaze to Maggie.
"I'm not the heartbreaker here, sweetheart", he snarled and let the chair drop to the ground. "So, start from the beginning". Lottie breathed heavily, trying to hide how scared she was, and she saw Maggie nod from the head of the table.
"My name is Natalia Olejova, and I am an Amortidor monster".