Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

smiled nervously and nodded amongst their small circle, speaking in a low rumble. They continued their name-calling, but agreed amongst them that I wasn’t pretty enough for their attentions. I walked over to the door and with my back to them, I watched in the window beside me. They conspired against me weakly and I decided they were far too beneath my efforts.
    I walked off the train, noticing the cool breeze in the air, and the familiar smell of burned incense. It was a dark smell, musty and old like the soul it belonged to. It was winter and the smell of decay, but in a romantic hue, instead of the decomposition it truly was.
    I looked around, without seeing anything or anyone. I smiled at the true challenge of the night. There were many of them. Instead of winking home, I broke into a run. I winked a small distance and ran. They would have run me down, if I'd just run. I was fast but not fast like them.
    I loved the click of my high-heeled boots on the concrete, as I sprinted up the stairs past the old courthouse. My lungs pushed for air as my leg muscles flexed strenuously. My heart beat faster than I’d heard it beat in months. It was exhilarating. I almost felt alive.
    My bright-blonde hair flew behind me like a white cape, flashing in the dark night. I pumped my arms harder and pushed myself. I fled for the safety of my home. The guards put there would stop them, the hounds of the darkness. The ground swirled with the darkness that always surrounded them.
    I saw the street sign, just as I heard their feet catching up, and their breath nipping at my ears. I ran faster pushing harder, but they too were fast. I almost winked, but instead, met the challenge. They had been made strong, just as I had been. I felt the guards grab me in time, just as one of the filthy dogs leapt at me.
    I burst into a coughing laugh. I recovered from the excursion, bent over and smiling. I loved the feeling of my muscles in my legs contracting. “You filthy pups. You almost had me. Good job lads. Very excellent work. I won’t forget that foot race for some time. Maybe next time, I’ll wear bigger heels and I won't wink at all. That might give you a chance.” I waved goodnight to the shadows pacing in the background, behind the wall of guards.
    “ Oh, we’ll have you, princess. We’ll taste your dark blood soon.” A dark and frankly daunting voice rode the wind above me. I pulled my sweater around myself, as I curtsied. “The sun always wins lads and the north wind always loses. Goodnight, my fair princes.” My heart seemed to be making a desperate attempt to slow itself down. I waved once again, to the figures mulling around the road beyond me.
    I walked up to the old house at the end of the road and opened the unlocked front door. In a city as busy as Portland, I had always told her she should lock the door. The old bat couldn’t be bothered. She knew nothing in its right mind would ever attempt her front door. Except me. But I wasn’t in my right mind and we both knew that.
    She sat in the old rocking chair looking millions of years old, smiling. “Taunting your brothers of the night again?” she cackled as only an old witch could.
    I nodded. “Yeah. I can't help myself."
    "Did you take a life?"
    "I did. A girl's got to eat, you know?”
    Lydia smiled her old lady smile. “You could have some fruit like a normal girl. Maybe a steak.”
    I made a face. “Ewwww Lydia, you know I’m a vegetarian. Steak, yuck.”
    She laughed again as I walked to my bedroom.
    I lay back on my bed and relived the instant I pulled the soul from Peter. I imagined the freedom he felt. I imagined he flew away like a bird, to discover whatever his imagination could muster. He had been a Fae man before he became a monster, and with his death, the man was truly free of the monster. I knew I had made the right choice. He had made the mistake of being with that woman and her kids. He would never have been able to control his inner beast. I knew I was justifying my actions, but I needed to. For longer than one of my slow heartbeats, I envied him and let a single tear drop from my left eye onto the bed. I looked over at the window and wondered where Shane was at that exact moment? I smiled and blew him a kiss.
    No matter what, we were under the same moon.
    I fell asleep with his smile in my mind.

    Epilogue

    The dream was the same every time. The city stunk of decay and blood. Ruin was all around me. People were crying. In a panic, they all