Three Queens of Cerberus

Three Queens of Cerberus Chapter 1 Ulysses’s POV I hate it here, this dark and cold place. No freedom, no movement. Just summoned to feed and pleasure Grand Elder Louise. I’ve been in this hell hole for three months; they never give me room to escape. They’d never have captured me, if I were eighteen. I’d be long gone, a hybrid were-tiger is much faster than any vampire. I lay in the daze feedings leave my mind in while he uses my body, feeling his cool seed spill into me. It disgusts me, and I can’t get off the bed fast enough when he pulls from me. “Perfection, as always, kitten.”, he sighs, laying back in his bed. I don’t respond, hurrying from the room to wash him from me, in hopes I don’t fall pregnant with that vile creature’s spawn. In the shower, I close my eyes and focus on my life before I came here. My home was beautiful, my parents were perfect and loving. Louise-Borne came and killed my family, taking me and my older brother to their coven. I haven’t seen Reynaldo, but I imagine he is in far worse shape than I. He was taken to the hoard, Louise kept me for himself, not caring that I’m underage. My room adjoins his, the only way out is through his bedroom. He keeps it well guarded, never leaving me unattended. Since the first time, when he stole my virginity, he’s the only one allowed to touch me. “No one else plays with my kitten.”, I hear his sickening voice in my mind. I dry off, dressing in all I have. I’m not allowed underwear or clothing. Just a simple silk nightie that barely covers my butt and dips low, exposing a large portion of my small breasts. “Lay with me, kitten.”, he calls me back to him. He has been the elder in charge through the day, he will sleep tonight and through the day tomorrow. I detest complying with his demand but climb into bed alongside him. He rolls into me, laying his head against my chest and running his hand up my bare thigh. I wait for him to sleep, wishing I could shift. I’d kill him the moment he was unconscious, damn the consequences. I hear his soft breathing and slide out of the bed, returning to my room that’s more a closet. I lay in my cot against the wall, praying to the Goddess to help Reynaldo and me. “Elder Louise.”, I hear Elder Borne waking him. “What is it?”, he mumbles. “The hybrid, he’s dead. It appears he’s hung himself. They found him in the cells at feeding time.”, my heart breaks. I cry into my blanket. Reynaldo gave up, they’ve taken everything from me. I hear him ordering someone to guard my door as he leaves to follow the other Elder. I cry myself to sleep only to wake in the late evening, biting back my moans as the searing pain spreads through me. I welcome it, finally, I’m shifting. I groan, turning into the cot as the ache spreads through me. Remembering all my mother had told me, I let the pain move freely. I feel my body growing hotter and the closet becomes cramped as my bones break; I grit my teeth to hold in the scream. The pain eases and I open my eyes, adjusting to how well I see in the darkness. Quietly rising, I paw the door open gently, peaking into the room. Elder Louise is sleeping in his massive bed. He’ll be waking soon. I stretch my sore muscles and get a look at the reddish orange fur and black stripes, matching the shades of my hair in human form. Climbing up on the bed, I’m much larger than Elder Louise now and it makes me smile. Now I’ll taste you, you sick bastard. I say in my mind before pouncing on him and locking my jaws around his head. He starts to struggle as I tear into his body with my claws, digging his heart from his chest as I gnaw on his head. The crunch of his skull ceases his struggles and I release him, looking down at his mangled body. I slice through his torso and dig my claws into his ribs, crushing them and ripping my way to his heart. The blood running over my tongue, and down my throat, as I chomp the soft organ, bringing me pleasure. I leap from the bed, blood splattering from my fur all over the floor. Looking around the room, I decide the window is the best way out. It’s only two stories, I can jump that easily, fully shifted. I’ve seen my mother jump down four stories; she’s told me it is in the landing. I’ve watched her, I can make it. I run, leaping through the glass and down to the ground; I land hard, rolling across the cool wet grass. The pain in my joints makes it clear it wasn’t as easy as she made it seem. My enhanced senses allow me to hear the vampire coming and from which directions. I jump to my feet and run away from them as fast as my legs will carry me. Not slowing even when I don’t hear them anymore, they’re not dragging me back to suffer the fate Reynaldo had. I’ve run for hours through the night, changing directions to throw off them tracking me. The sun rises ahead of me, that must be East. I scent the rushing water and know I’ve reached a river, but not which. It could be Azreras or Azora. I’m not entirely sure where I even started from, and I’ve been making large circles. I wade into the river, enjoying the cool rushing water and drinking my fill. It relieves the ache in my muscles so I wade out further, careful not to go too far. The dams have opened, this water is moving swiftly. It will yank me down with it if I’m not careful. I rinse Elder Louise’s blood from my face, splashing water when I shake. “Hello, beautiful.”, I hear from the bank and I turn, locking eyes with a very large lycan of some kind. He has bright yellow eyes and dark spiked hair. The sharp angles of his face and the short stubble coating his jaw make him wickedly handsome. I watch him squatting on the bank, tilting his head curiously. What is he? He forces a link open in my mind, I feel him pressing. I don’t resist because I’m not shifting back to speak with him. “What is such a beautiful creature doing all alone out here?”, his deep voice is as soft as a whisper in my mind. I’ve not linked before but find it easy enough to answer him. “Running.” “From or to?”, he questions. “From.”, I return, guarding my mind as my father had taught me. I’ve always had the gifts of his; I can guard my mind as well as dragonian, and I can make truth and lies impossible to differentiate. That is why the vampire believed I was only fifteen, they thought they had time before my first shift. “What chases you, beautiful?”, he asks, searching over our immediate area, finding nothing. “Vampire.”, I answer honestly. I’m certain I’ve lost them, but they’ll be coming. They can scent me as well as I scent their hoard. He furrows his brows slightly, “Where is your streak? Surely, vampire would not descend on a streak.” “I have no streak, I’m hybrid. My family did not survive them.”, I answer, feeling comfortable telling him the truth. Something about him is soothing, he makes me feel safe. “I scent the Elder's blood on you, beauty. How did you escape them being so near?”, I’m glad it’s his blood he scents. “I crushed his skull and ate his heart before fleeing. They aren’t fast enough to catch me out in the open.”, I return, leaving out the three month stay. That might give my true age away. “How old are you?”, he sits on the bank, making himself less threatening in hopes that I’ll come toward him. “Twenty-four”, lying to make myself younger had not helped me with the vampire. Making myself older, I can work and move freely without a guardian. Lycan do not view eighteen year olds as fully mature. He’ll never know I’ve lied. I was careful, adding the ring of truth in case he is also hybrid and can hear it. “You could come with me. My kind rule the rivers and neutral territories. No vampire would dare chase you.”, he offers. “What are you?”, I move a little closer, but stay out of his reach. He’s alone yet seems care-free in this very dangerous area. That would mean he’s either very quick himself, or more deadly than the creatures surrounding him. His is definitely my most appealing offer, at the moment. The alternative is entering neutral zones without him. I have nowhere else to go. Even in Tiger Territory, thousands of miles from here, hybrids are not accepted. That was why my mother left when she mated my father. He grins at me, flashing his straight white teeth. “Reptilian lycan. They don’t like me either, beauty.” Reptilian lycan are very similar to dragonian, I’m happy I chose to add that ring to my lie. He would’ve caught it immediately. “You’re the Dark Prince?” “I am not. I lead his armies and train his guards. My name is Tiberius, you can call me Tie.”, he returns. “Ulysses.”, I give him my name. “Unusual name for a female.”, he comments. “My mother did not wish for my gender to be known by my name alone. Better to be assumed male.”, she had told me this many times. “Wise woman, your mother. Will you come out to me?”, he waits patiently at the bank. I slowly exit the river, still out of his reach a little way down from him. He watches me shake the water from my fur. “You’re truly mesmerizing.”, he compliments as he stands slowly. “If you shift, I’ll clothe you, beauty.” “I do not wish to shift.”, I’ve never shifted back, I’m not sure how. I don’t know that I trust him anyway. My odds against him are much better in this form. “Fair enough.”, he steps down into the water, conjuring a large raft and holding it at the bank. “Come with me, Ulysses. You can always leave, if you don’t like it there.”, I hear his truth. He has no intention of holding me against my will. Tiberius’s POV I’ve yet to see her human form, but I feel she’s mine. I’m drawn to her. With no family remaining, she has to be mine. There are none for the bond to be reflected through. She’s the most incredible tiger I’ve ever seen, larger and more muscular. Her body is at least eight feet long and she weighs nearly seven hundred pounds. Her fur is a rich red-orange that contrasts those black stripes beautifully, with a white silky belly. Her eyes, a crystal green, draw me to her, holding me captive. I shift, dragging her downriver as she lays quietly on the raft. “When is your birthday, Ulysses?”, I ask, needing to know how long I’m to wait before our bond grows stronger, and she feels me too. “Today.”, there’s a sadness beneath her words, probably over her lost family. “Happy Birthday.”, I know it isn’t a joyous occasion, but I’m pleased it’s only a year’s time. She’ll be mine entirely, for all eternity. “You’re too kind.”, she returns. I link Luka and Baxter as I reach our stop, shifting and pulling her to the bank to hop off. She gracefully leaps from the raft to the bank, landing lightly on her feet and turning to me. “I’m almost certain she is meant to be mine. Careful not to spook her, she may run. She’s a tiger hybrid, she’ll be near impossible to catch.”, I warn them. “We’ll not frighten your mate, brother.”, Luka promises. I pull myself out of the water, happy she doesn’t move away from me. “Luka and Baxter, the two that run this place with me, are on their way down. Don’t be frightened. They have no interest in harming you.”, I link her as I see them coming down the stone stairs that are built into the slope. She watches them, saying nothing in return, but I know she’s heard me. “Would you be willing to shift now? I’ll cloth you, no one will see you naked.”, I’m dying to see her, I need to get a better look at her. She’s hesitant, but I soon see her porcelain skin. I conjure underwear, jeans, and a loose-fitting t-shirt. I don’t know that she’ll feel comfortable with a bra, because she’d know I was staring at her breasts. They don’t typically worry over bras at her size. She’s not flat chested, but she’s small. She’s absolutely stunning, her long red straight hair blends to the deep ebony of her roots, her large green eyes appear brighter against her fair skin. She has a small mouth that fits her small round face. She’s tall, about 6’7”, only five inches shorter than myself. Her lean and muscular body reflects how well trained it’s been. She looks over herself, then me, before redirecting her attention to Luka and Baxter. “This is Ulysses, I found her at the fork. Beauty, this is Luka Vandergrift, the River Guardian, and Baxter Abernathy. We run the rivers and the rule the neutral territories.”, I introduce them. Luka offers her his hand as she studies him. Being reptilian, we have similar features and yellow eyes, but Luka has almost white-blonde hair and Baxter has a lighter brown. She accepts Luka’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Ulysses. Tie tells us you wish to stay. We’d love to have you, but I need to get you placed. How old are you?”, he questions. She looks young but were-creatures are difficult to gauge. They age well, appearing very young quite often. She was honest when she’d given me her age though. “Twenty-four.”, her voice is like a sexy purr, it travels through me in an instant, making me more certain she’s mine. She can scent my arousal and glances over at me, to be sure I haven’t moved toward her before redirecting her attention to Luka. “Don’t mind Tie, he won’t harm you.”, Luka assures her, “You’re old enough to stay in one of the cabins here alone, but until we’ve handled the vampire chasing you, it may be wiser for you to stay in the main house. You’d have your own suite there; would that be okay with you?” “I’d prefer the cabin.”, she answers, not wanting to be trapped in the main house with any number of creatures. “Very well. Can you tell me what happened that led you to being chased by vampires?”, he tilts his head studying her. The block she keeps on her mind doesn’t hide the emotions in her voice as she answers him, “My brother and I lived with our parents in Benton, about 140 miles West of Port Regalia. My mother was were-tiger, my father, an Elder vampire. Louise-Borne attacked, killing my parents and taking Reynaldo and I captive, injecting us with something to prevent us from shifting. Reynaldo told me to say I was fifteen, in hopes that it would make my odds better. It did nothing to sway Elder Louise’s interest in me. He had me taken to the coven and guarded on his floor. Reynaldo was taken to the hoards. We were there for some time, though I never saw Reynaldo again. I waited for an opportunity to escape, being kept as Elder Louise’s familiar. Reynaldo killed himself and the guards that always monitored the Elder’s floor went to assist removing him and securing new food sources for the hoard. I attacked and killed Grand Elder Louise before jumping out his second story window. I met Tie this morning.”, she answers. Luka’s mouth twitches, holding back his smile, “Elder Louise must have been incredibly surprised to have found you could shift.” “He wouldn’t have been for long, I crushed his skull.”, the venom there doesn’t make her voice any less sweet. Luka smiles then, as does Baxter, they like her fiery attitude as well. “Very well. We will deal with Louise-Borne should they follow you downriver, though doubtful. Your scent doesn’t exist on the water. You may stay here, train, take a position you believe you’ll be happy with. In exchange, your loyalty is to our kind. You become a guardian of the river and neutral territories. Do we have a deal Ulysses?”, Luka offers his hand again. She shakes his hand, “We have a deal Guardian.” He grins at me before looking back at her, “You may call me Luka. Tie will get you settled in a cabin along the river here. He’ll show you around and get you familiar with the training grounds. Welcome to Verbana, Ulysses. Your home is Vandergrift Manor now.” I’m excited to have her agree to stay, and even more so, she will be on the river with me. I’ll conjure her cabin near my own. I offer her my hand, “Come with me.” She accepts, taking my hand and allowing me to guide her upriver past several cabins. I tell her about the guards that live along the river, on each side. Most are reptilian, being non-communal creatures. The families live in the villages and the single guards live in the dorms at the main house. I point out my cabin as I conjure hers alongside it. She has some space from me, but she’ll be close enough for me to feel. We enter and I conjure furniture, kitchen appliances and dishes. In her bedroom, I conjure a full bedroom suit and have her tell me what she prefers wearing. Filling her closet and dresser with things I hope she’ll like. Then take her with me to the main house to show her around the wings and get her hygiene products from the foundlings’ wing. It is where we take the young ones rescued along the river. They’re monitored by women, referred to as the Aunts, and protected by our guards. I show her the guard stations and some of the trails, telling her where they lead. She’s free to shift and run as she chooses. It’s near lunch, by the time I’ve given her a full tour. “Are you hungry? Do you want to go eat with me? We’ll get you some groceries for your cabin while we’re out.”, I pray she accepts. As manipulative as I’m aware it is, I use something she needs to keep her with me. She nods, “Yes, I appreciate your kindness, Tie.”, it warms my cold heart. I’d kiss her if I thought she’d allow it. Walking her to my truck, I hold her door, linking Luka that I’m leaving. Baxter has picked up training today. Already having his mate, he understands my need to be with mine right now. I take her down through the market, telling her about the small town, before driving up into Tilmon. She’s faster than me, opening her door, but I hold it until she’s out of the truck.