010

~ROOK~

Cat's words of, 'I was raped, Rook. Tied up and gagged while the bastard raped me,' were stuck in my head. My fists clenched at the memory of her tears, the fear and pain in her voice when she'd told me. I didn't believe that she didn't know who it was. Cat had been a little hellion growing up, but I knew her better than she thought. She was staying mum about her rapist for my sake, not theirs.

The thought made me sick.

I took a deep breath, trying to push aside the rage that was burning a hole through my chest. I had to stay focused. The coven was in mourning, and Grandmother's killer was still out there. Now was not the time for personal vendetta.

Tannin had called me to see how I was doing, and the phone call had jarred the fact within me that I hadn't been to the bar in days. As such, I now found myself in my office, the music from the bar and the patrons' voices rattling through the walls.

The office was a mess, a stark contrast to the well-managed chaos of the rest of the bar. Papers and liquor bottles littered the desk, and my chair looked like it had been used as a punching bag. The smell of stale pizza and spilled whiskey hung heavy in the air, a scent that had become as familiar to me as my own aftershave.

I sat down heavily in the chair and began to sift through the mountain of paperwork, my mind racing with thoughts of Cat and her unspoken torment. The rage I felt at the idea of someone hurting her was a living, breathing beast inside me, and I knew that if I didn’t get it under control, it would consume me entirely.

As the night went on, and the bar grew louder, the whispers grew quieter. The distraction of work and the buzz of the bar was a welcome one, but it couldn’t completely silence the voices in my head. They whispered of vengeance and justice, of the blood that needed to be spilled to make things right.

The bar was packed tonight, and as the clock struck midnight, the crowd grew rowdier. A fight broke out at the pool table, and I sighed, setting down my paperwork. It was time to play bouncer again.

As I made my way through the throng of bodies, the music vibrating in my chest, I caught sight of Tannin behind the bar, her eyes flicking over to me with concern. Needing someone to talk to, I told her about what was going on with Cat.

I broke up the fight with a few well-placed words and a whole lot of glamour. The humans didn’t remember a thing, just that their night had taken a strange turn and they needed to get the hell out of my bar. It was a useful trick when you didn’t want to deal with the mess of a brawl.

After the troublemakers were escorted out, I made my way back to the office, the adrenaline from the altercation still coursing through my veins. I needed a drink. A real one, not the watered-down shit we served the normies. I poured myself a healthy shot of whiskey and downed it in one go, feeling the burn slide down my throat.

My thoughts returned to Cat, and I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of monster could do such a thing to her. Someone she had trusted, someone she had allowed into her life. It made me want to tear the world apart until I found him, until she was safe.

The whiskey was starting to kick in, and the rage was building again. I needed to get out of here, to find some way to channel this energy before I did something stupid.

I slammed the office door behind me, the sound echoing through the now-empty bar. Tannin looked up from where she was cleaning a glass, her eyes questioning.

“I’m going for a walk,” I told her, my voice gruff.

She nodded, understanding in her gaze. “Take all the time you need, Rook. I’ve got this.”

The night air was cool and damp, the kind of night that made you want to stay inside with a good book and a warm body. But I didn’t want comfort right now. I wanted answers.

The alley behind the bar was dark and reeked of piss and despair, but it was where I found my solace. It was where I could let the beast out without worrying about who might see.

I took off at a run, my feet pounding against the pavement as I made my way to the outskirts of town. The vampire in me craved the hunt, the thrill of the chase. And tonight, I was going to give it what it wanted.

The moon was high and full, casting long shadows as I prowled through the streets. My senses were on high alert, the scent of fear and deceit in the air. I could feel the presence of the supernatural community around me, but none of them dared to come close. They knew I was on edge, that I was dangerous tonight.

As I approached the old, abandoned warehouse that had once been a safe haven for the coven’s misfits, a foul scent hit me like a slap in the face. It was the smell of blood and magic, a combination that could only mean one thing: a warlock had been here.

My hackles raised, I made my way closer, my eyes glowing with a predatory light. The warlocks and I had an uneasy truce, but if one of them had dared to lay a hand on Cat, that truce would be over.

The warehouse loomed before me, a towering monolith of decay and secrets. The door was open a crack, and I could hear the faint sound of someone moving inside. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I might find.

With a silent leap, I was through the door and into the darkness, my eyes adjusting to the gloom. The place was a mess, with broken furniture and shattered glass scattered everywhere. The coppery scent of blood grew stronger, and I growled low in my throat.

The figure in the center of the room was a blur at first, but as my eyes focused, I could make out a man, huddled on the floor, his back to me. He was dressed in a torn, bloodstained shirt, and his breathing was ragged.

He looked up as I approached, his eyes widening with terror. It was the face of a coward, the kind of man who would rape a defenseless woman and hide in the shadows.

Without a word, I pounced, my teeth sinking into the soft flesh of his neck. He screamed, a high-pitched sound that was music to my ears, and I felt the hot rush of his blood fill my mouth. The beast in me reveled in the kill, but a part of me, the human part, felt a twinge of regret.

As his life drained away, I realized that this wasn’t the monster who had hurt Cat. But the rage inside me was too great to care. I had taken a life, and in that moment, it felt like justice.

The sound of sirens grew closer, piercing the night air like a shrieking banshee. The scent of fear grew stronger, and I knew the authorities were on their way. I had to leave, to find the real monster.

With a final snarl, I released the man. The blood on my mouth and chin made me look like a creature from a horror movie, but I didn’t care.

I slipped out of the warehouse and into the shadows, the sirens growing fainter as I disappeared into the night. My mind was made up. I would hunt the bastard down, no matter the cost.

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of the city and the promise of vengeance. I had tasted blood again, and now I was hungry for more. And I wouldn’t stop until Cat’s attacker paid the price for what he had done.