Hell in his arms

CHAPTER ONE: Legends Legend whispers that long ago, vampires and werewolves walked among humans. Until blood was spilled and brother turned on brother. The war tore through the night, and the weakest prey, humans, were nearly hunted to extinction. But then, a weapon emerged that erased both vampires and werewolves from the world. The vampires bore the brunt of that strike. They were hunted down until nothing remained, or so they thought. Centuries passed. Humans rebuilt their fragile peace. Yet beneath the surface of New York’s streets, monsters still lurked. Werewolves, hidden in plain sight, covered in tailored suits, blending flawlessly with their prey. They ruled the city’s underworld, being untouchable and unseen. At the top of that bloody hierarchy was Cassian Virell. The highest of them all. And I was delivered to him, not by choice, but to settle a debt. “Ms. Hale, could you answer the question I just asked?” I blinked, caught off guard. “I’m sorry, Professor Caldwell. I didn’t hear the question.” He raised an eyebrow, his tone polite but firm. “I asked you to explain the core principles behind the theory we covered. It seems your mind was elsewhere. Is something troubling you, Ms. Hale?” I swallowed hard, forcing calm into my voice. “No, Professor. Just distracted, that’s all.” His eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle warning in his gaze. “I trust this won’t become a habit. The material is important, and you need to stay focused if you want to keep up.” “I understand, Professor. I’ll do better.” I barely managed to stay focused throughout the rest of the class. My mind was somewhere else, thankfully, the professor didn’t call on me again. Outside, Tessa and Eli were waiting by the door, their familiar faces gave me little comfort. Tessa and Eli had been my friends since middle school, we all stuck together, choosing this college in Brooklyn so we could stay near each other. “Tessa, Eli,” I greeted them, trying to sound normal. “Anya, what’s going on? You’ve been out of it all class.” Eli said, studying my expression. He had never been one to say too much. Tessa nodded, her voice softer. “Yeah, you’ve barely said a word. Are you okay?” I forced a shaky smile, I wanted to spill everything, but how do I explain that my mom was sick, and she needed two million dollars for a surgery none of us could afford? It was a burden I didn't want them to bear. “I’m fine,” I said, voice barely above a whisper. “Just… tired, that’s all.” We walked in silence for most of the way, the cool evening air brushing against our faces. Tessa and Eli lived a street across from me, so we always walked home together after class. “You sure you’re okay?” Tessa asked as we reached my gate. “Yeah, I am.” I lied. Eli frowned but didn’t press. “Call if you need anything, alright?” “Always,” I said, forcing a small smile. “Night, Anya.” The both of them chorused “Night, guys.” I stepped into the quiet house, the house was unusually quiet. No sight of my dad and the lights were off. I dropped my bag near the door and spotted the note on the console. “I’m at the hospital. I got the money… Love, Dad.” As fast as I could, I left the house and ran for the hospital. The hospital smelled like disinfectant and soap cleaners, I've always hated that smell. But for today, I'll bear it, I rushed to the front desk. “Excuse me,” I panted. “I’m looking for a patient. Patricia Hale. She should have been admitted today.” The nurse glanced at her screen, then looked up. “Room 308. Down the hall, to the left.” “Thank you,” I breathed and bolted down the corridor. My feet barely touched the ground as I turned the corner and found the room. The door was slightly ajar, I pushed it open and stepped in. Dad was there, slumped in a chair in the corner. He looked like he’d aged ten years overnight, his hair a mess, his tie was undone and his eyes looked exhausted. “Dad,” I whispered. His head snapped up. “Oh… my baby.” I ran into his arms without hesitation, like a child again. “I was so scared,” I choked, pressing my face into his shoulder. “You didn’t even call me—” “I’m sorry,” he murmured, holding me tight. “Everything happened so fast. I didn’t want to get your hopes up… until I had the money.” “How did you get it?” I pulled back just enough to look at him. He hesitated. “We’ll talk later. For now, let's pray for her, she’s in surgery.” I nodded, held his hand tightly as we sat, praying and waiting. After what felt like forever, the door opened and a doctor stepped in, still in his scrubs. His expression was calm. “The surgery was successful,” he said. “She’s stable. The next few days are critical for recovery, but she’s going to be okay. What she needs now is rest.” The wave of relief hit me, “Thank you,” I breathed. “Thank you so much.” The doctor nodded, then excused himself, leaving us in the silence that no longer felt quite so heavy. “She’s going to be okay,” I whispered to Dad. He nodded slowly, his eyes glimmering with tears. “Yeah. She is.” Morning light spilled weakly through the blinds, casting long shadows across the sterile white walls. I hadn’t slept much. Dad and I had taken turns dozing off in the two stiff chairs beside Mom’s bed, waking at every beep or shift in the monitors. Mom looked better, her skin had color again. She stirred as the door opened and the doctor stepped in, followed by a nurse. “Good morning, Mrs. Hale,” he greeted, glancing at the clipboard in his hand. “How are you feeling?” Mom pushed herself up slowly, brushing back a strand of hair from her face. “Tired,” she said. “But strong. I’d like to go home.” The doctor blinked. “Home? Already?” She gave a faint smile. “Yes. I’ve never liked hospitals.” Dad sat up beside me, rubbing his face. I kept silent, watching closely. “With all due respect,” the doctor said, flipping through a page on his chart, “you just came out of a major operation less than twenty-four hours ago. It’s standard protocol to keep patients for observation for at least two days—” “I know what the protocol is,” Mom cut in gently. “But I’m not most patient, Doctor. I feel stable. I’m alert. My family’s here, and I’ll get more rest in my own bed than I will with fluorescent lights and nurses waking me every few hours.” There was a pause. The doctor glanced at her monitors, then back at her. “You’re lucky,” he murmured, half to himself. “Very lucky.” He sighed and straightened. “Alright. We’ll monitor you for a few more hours, run a final round of vitals. If everything’s still looking good by noon, we’ll prepare the discharge papers.” Mom smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Thank you.” I reached for her hand and held it, trying not to let the tears rise again. She turned to me and squeezed gently. I didn't know whether I should be happy or worried, but If that was what mom wanted, then I try to believe she'll recover better at home. Noon came and we were discharged. By the time we got home, mom had fallen asleep in the car. Dad slowly lifted her from the car's seat and took her inside, I locked the door and headed inside. I too needed rest. I hadn't realized how long I slept till I heard a knock on the door. I roused and turned, groaning at the disruption. “You can come in dad.” The door opened, instead of the figure of my dad, I saw my mom, she held a plate in her hand. “Jesus! Mom, you shouldn't be doing that.” I staggered from the bed, drawing the covers with me, I reached her and took the plate from her. It looked like my mom saw the horror written on my face, she smiled and sat by the bed. "I'm fine sweetheart, shouldn't you be preparing for school?" she said, cupping my cheek with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "You’ve worried enough for both of us.” “It's Monday already?” I asked, she nodded still smiling at me. “But I shouldn't leave you, you're still recovering.” “You're father is here, don't worry about me sweetheart.” I got dressed and left the house, my heart still heavy for leaving my recovering mom. Seeing Tessa and Eli, I felt much relieved. Their voices, their teasing, it helped lessen the worry in my heart. We hadn’t met all weekend, I felt really bad for keeping something this important from them. I decided to tell them today, on our way back home. “My mom,” I said quietly, “collapsed on Thursday.” I said it out at once. They both stopped walking. I told them everything. The hospital. The surgery. The money. By the time I finished, Tessa’s jaw was clenched, and Eli looked like he’d been punched. “Are you serious right now?” Tessa snapped. “You didn’t think we deserved to know?” “I didn’t want you to worry,” I said. “It all happened so fast, I didn’t even know how to process it.” “You should've told us, Anya,” Eli said. “We’re not strangers. We’re your friends.” “I know. I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I really am.” They both looked really pissed, none of them saying anything for a while. “Fine,” Tessa said, finally breaking the silence. “We’re coming to see her. Now.” “It’s late,” I said, glancing at the time. “She’s probably asleep. Tomorrow, I promise.” They weren’t happy about it, but they gave in. We reached my street. And all three of us went still. Two Black Rolls Royce Phantom series sat in front of my house. Eli’s voice was low. “What the hell is that?” “Anya…” Tessa gave me a sharp look. I raised my hands. “I don’t know. Maybe someone Dad knows.” They stared at me, unconvinced. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, backing toward my gate. “Promise.” I slipped inside and shut the door behind me. “What do you want in return?” I heard my dad's voice faintly, he seemed to be asking someone. I turned the corner and stopped. There were four men. They all looked different, but one of them looked like he didn’t belong in this world. Not with his height, or the way his tailored suit clung to his broad frame like it was molded for war. He looked like he could rip a man in half and never break stride. His face was all sharp lines and cold beauty, his cheekbones looked like blades, lips pressed into a quiet threat, and eyes... those eyes. They were Amber and empty of warmth. He looked at me and pointed. “I want her.”