The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 127: Find Her

Finnian and Luca crouched low, their forms barely visible in the faint, flickering light that crept from the corridor behind them.

The shadows of the narrow stone passageway seemed to close in around them, and the sharp tang of iron filled the air, a silent warning that Finnian and Luca were able to perceive, reminding them that they weren’t alone. Every step was taken with deliberate care, their movement nearly soundless as they pressed forward.

Luca suddenly grumbled under his breath as he tugged at the hem of the ill-fitting skirt he’d been forced to wear, his face expressing his annoyance. "I have to admit that I didn’t think of this, but am I seriously expected to fight in this ridiculous thing?"

Finnian shot him a sharp look, his expression tight with frustration. "You’re worried about your clothings while demons are prowling the halls?" His voice was low but edged with warning. "Tolerate it, unless you’d rather face them completely naked."

Luca scowled but said nothing in retaliation. As they ventured deeper, faint crimson smeared the dusty stone floor, and it drew their eyes.

Blood.

The crimson sight snaked toward a shadowed alcove just out of reach, where the darkness itself seemed to breathe as though it were alive, thick with an unsettling presence. A cold shiver coiled down Finnian’s spine as they edged closer.

"Do you think it’s from–?" Luca began, his voice barely above a whisper, but Finnian raised his hand, silencing him.

His instincts flared, a primal alertness tightening his muscles like a taut string on the verge of snapping. Finnian could sense that something was deeply wrong, a rather suffocating wrongness that clung to the air, and it grew more nauseating with each deliberate step.

Just then, a low, menacing growl rumbled from the alcove, freezing them in place.

Their gazes snapped to the source, watching as something shifted in the gloom. A hulking, hunched figure emerged from the gloom, its skin slick and gleaming in the faint light. Finnian’s breath caught as the creature stepped into the flickering torchlight, revealing itself.

The demon which was no longer in its wolf form, stood upright, a low mocking chuckle slipping from its lips, the sound too faint for Finnian or Luca too catch. Its pale, sallow skin stretched taut over a sharp, angular, gaunt face, while dark runes writhed like living creatures across its body, pulsing ominously in sync with its heartbeat.

Finnian’s pupils flared, his breath catching in his throat as memories came rushing back, sharp and brutal. As much as he was barely awake during the attack in his pack, this particular demon he remembered all too well, for its gaunt figure remained etched into his nightmares.

It had led the assault in his pack, and it was the same one responsible for the heavy collapse that buried Vivienne beneath stone and rubble. It was also likely the one that had had slit his throat, infecting him with its cursed blood.

Thinking back, a surge of rage coursed through him, igniting his instinct. His grip tightened on the hilt of his twin daggers, and the cold metals dug into his palms as his anger burned hotter, ready to strike.

"Ah, you survived," the demon sneered, tilting its head as it regarded Finnian with hollow black eyes that glittered with cruel amusement. "I was certain you wouldn’t make it through such an attack. Are the heavens offering you to me once more?"

Its mocking laughter filled the air, chilling Finnian and Luca to the bone, the sound creeping over their skin like ice. Finnian’s pulse raced, but from the surge of rage that twisted inside him.

Luca then nudged Finnian, eyes fixed on the demon’s claw that dripped with blood. "It killed someone."

The boy’s gazes fell to the source of the blood trail, and a girl, barely older than them, lay crumpled at the demon’s feet. Her vacant stare was fixed on the ceiling, but the horror lay in her mutilated body – her arms and legs grotesquely severed.

"Gods..." Finnian choked, bile rising in his throat as he fought the wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm him.

"She wasn’t even that delicious, but her fears were appetizing," the demon mused as it wiped the last traces of blood from its lips. It sat cross-legged on the floor, watching Finnian and Luca with a disappointed pout.

"I expected more," it sighed. "No one compares to that tasty morsel I devoured from your pack, little guy. Didn’t your sister take my head off last time, just because I complimented how sweet her friend tasted?"

The demons expression turned mockingly bashful, feigning embarrassment. "With a rod, no less! Do you have any idea what did to my reputation? She gave me a scare, but really, she would have killed me if only the rod was a cursed weapon. Is what I’m feeling the thing they call love? Can I fight her again?"

"Shut your mouth," Finnian snarled, fury surging through him like a wildfire as his blue eyes flared. "You think you’re funny? We’ll finish what you started!"

"Yeah, we can take em’!" Luca added, brandishing his blade, his eyes narrowing as he fixed the demon with a disgusted glare. "You mean to tell me if I give in to the curse, I’ll end up looking like that? Ugh, disgusting! You could at least try to be less hideous!"

"Who says you’ll likely care about appearances once you’ve embraced the demon inside? I honestly don’t know why you both choose to side with people who want to destroy you. You don’t know what you’re missing out on. Give in to the curse, my master will gladly welcome you."

"Stop talking nonsense," Luca shot back, his grin sharp with anticipation. "Not even the curse marks could force us to become ugly freaks like you, and you know why? Cause we aren’t weak!"

He pointed his blade at the demon, "I bet your master’s cowering with his tail between his legs if he keeps sending lackeys to do his dirty work. But you’re no better. There’s no way we’re letting you walk out of here alive."

The demon grinned wider, jagged teeth glinting in the flickering torchlight. "Ah, the little cubs want to play. I’d love to see you try. Really, entertain me with all you’ve got. Make it quick though... cause I might grant you two a very painless death. Honestly, I’m excited! Show me what you’ve learned."

"Shut up!" Finnian’s fury boiled over, his voice thunderous as the demon rose menacingly from the floor. Dressed in nothing but plain black pants, the demons raven-black hair fell spilled over its naked torso, and it looked quite amused since it couldn’t feed off their fears.

In a blur, Finnian lunged first, his twin daggers flashing in the dim light as they sliced through, aiming for the creatures neck. But to his surprise, the demon twisted away with inhumane speed, laughing as it dodged the blow.

Luca was right behind him, wielding a serrated long sword that gleamed in the half-light. He slashed at the demon’s side the moment it evaded Finnian’s strike, the blade cutting deep, but the demon barely flinched, its twisted grin widening.

"You boys really think you stand a chance?" It’s voice was dark, filled with taunting humor at their determination to end him. "This will be fun."

"You will pay for the lives you have forcefully taken!" Finnian attacked again, spinning low with his daggers as he aimed to hamstring the demon. The blade drove into its leg, but the demon hissed and lashed out, swinging a clawed hand towards Finnian’s face. Fortunately, Finnian ducked just in time, throwing a stunt and rolling away to create a safe distance between himself and the snarling demon.

It made sense why it hadn’t died when his sister struck it with a rod as it claimed. To kill a cursed demon, one equally needed a cursed weapon, and thankfully, Donovan had gifted him these daggers. If he could land a strike to the demon’s heart or brain, and deliver the right slash, it wouldn’t be able to regenerate and eventually wither.

Luca was beside Finnian, and their eyes glowed with the sign of their wolves as they lunged at the same time, their bodies moving with lethal precision.

—----- ⁠♡ —-----

While the ballroom was still occupied, Thadius had dismissed himself and ended up in the deserted corridor of the fortress. His heart pounded in his chest as he entered a shadowy room, and the moment the door closed behind him, he dropped to his knees. His entire body shook from fear as he pressed his forehead to the cold stone floor before the man lurking in the shadows.

"Did you gather everyone?" a deep, commanding voice asked. The only visible part of the figure were the black boots that gleamed faintly in the dim light. "I told you to gather everyone if you want me to spare your pathetic life."

"They’re all in the ballroom," Thadius responded, his voice cracking. "They will fall asleep within minutes." As he spoke the curse mark on his neck throbbed and twisted, spreading further across his skin to his hands, the searing pain nearly unbearable.

"I shall free you off the curse, once my mission tonight is achieved," the voice replied coldly. "There’s a woman I want, Esmeray – they call her. Blue hair, quite striking. Find her and bring her to me."

A pair of violet eyes, eerily reminiscent of Donovan’s, flickered in the shadows, and it glowed with an unnatural intensity before the figure disappeared into the suffocating darkness, leaving Thadius writhing in silent torment.