Chapter Three

Night falls and her touch haunts my flesh.

I want more of it.

Every caress she gives, every whisper she speaks, every curiosity that falls from her tongue, I want them for myself.

When she touched me, my body ached to burst free from the stone and capture her, whisking her away into the mountains. I knew she was important when I smelled her from the lake as I was swimming in my crocodile form.

Important how?

I'm not sure.

Every single monster that lives inside me roared from her scent. The gargoyle growled, the crocodile vibrated, the vampire craved her blood, the jellyfish tentacles around my cock charged with electricity, and the ghost wanted to possess her body.

This is who I am now and the grace I had as a man, is gone.

I do not care about anything other than having her as mine.

She wants a protector.

And I will do so much more than that.

Because I am not the gentleman I was raised to be, but the monster I am meant to be.

The beast I was created to be.

Flashback

I'm thrown into my room, naked and shivering. I'm covered in sweat. My teeth are chattering as my body tries to adjust to the changes happening inside me. Lifting my hand, I stare at the new adjustments made to me.

Every day that passes, I notice something new about myself, and the humanity inside me gets more distant. One moment I'm angry… soulless, and the next, my human nature bubbles inside my chest, reminding me it's fading away.

Right now, the man is at the surface, and I'm not sure how long that will last.

Bumpy, greenish-gray skin covers my hand, slowly fading up my arms. My nails are long and thick, pointed, and the color is an off-white. The rest of my skin is cracked and gray, reminding me of stone.

Lifting my fingers to my lips, I hiss when I rub over an elongated tooth.

A fang.

My head begins to pulse, the pressure mounting until a scream of pure agony rips through the concrete jail cell. My body ignites, and every nerve ending is set ablaze. I flop to my back, my skin sticking to the cold, damp floor.

The ceiling blurs. The lights bend. The floor sinks. I lift my arms, reaching for something, anything, and notice I'm able to see through myself.

I gasp when the world rights itself. The pressure in my head eases and I'm able to catch my breath.

Until the pain rips through me again, paralyzing my lungs, and my entire body becomes invisible.

Again.

I hate it when this happens. It hurts like fucking hell. Like a bomb is going off inside my chest, over and over, the fuse being reignited just when I think the explosion is over. I squeeze my eyes closed, waiting for this episode to pass, and take a few deep breaths.

The more I calm, the more my solid figure forms.

I lift my arms to check, breathing a sigh of relief when I see my human-ish form. The stone-like crocodile skin is much more welcome than being able to see through myself.

Groaning, I roll to my side, spitting blood on the floor. I must have bit my tongue with my new fangs. My entire body feels like it's been hit by a fucking truck. I manage to stand, limping for only a moment before the gash the guard left on my thigh heals. The skin stitches itself back together, the dripping blood recoils into my body, and I'm left with no scar.

As if the torture didn't really happen.

Exhaustion hits so hard, that I stumble backward until the back of my knees hit the cot nestled in the corner of the room. A growl builds in my chest, my new beasts angry at being imprisoned.

I want out.

Cracking my neck, I lean back on my hands and tilt my chin to my chest.

I'm able to see everything. The new me.

My chest has crocodile skin fading to cracked stone on my stomach, down to my thighs, and the rest of my legs.

It's what is between my legs that bothers me more than anything else.

Hundreds of long skinny tentacles surround my cock. They sting too. The scientist, the one with the glasses, tests them every chance he can get. He relishes in how my body has changed, especially my cock.

He's fascinated.

The shaft has completely changed. It's bigger, wider, and on the sides are what look like folded ribbons. In jellyfish terms, my shaft is the oral arm, and the head is the umbrella.

And let's not forget my fucking tail.

According to Glasses, it's because of the gargoyle DNA.

A laugh bubbles free, a hysterical manic bellow that has me holding my hand to my stomach as reality hits me for the thousandth time being trapped here.

The door swings open to my cage and the extra eyelids I have, courtesy of the crocodile DNA, flicker.

"Your eyes reflect the light just like a crocodile does."

A hiss vibrates the tip of my tongue as I stare at the guard who decided to come into my cell. He takes out his taser, pressing the buttons to show the electrical charge zapping between the silver prongs.

"But you see, Patient Zero, you are what the scientists call a failed experiment. They don't like that you can shift into multiple forms. They want a test subject who has abilities without shifting. You're able to do both and that's too much. You'll be a variable they can't control eventually."

I stand from the cot, straightening to my new height, and tower over the guard. My tail whips from behind my back, curling around my leg.

He looks me up and down, biting his lip, and begins to undo his pants. "Why don't you be a good freak and come get on your knees before I kill you? Might as well make that pretty mouth useful before dumping you where no one will be able to find your pathetic body."

I roll my head over my shoulders, inhaling the putrid scent of his sweat. For someone who spews threats, he reeks of fear. Cocking my head, the extra eyelid slides over my irises again.

"Maybe this will help get you in the mood." He tucks the taser into his pocket, reaching into the other to pull out a recorder.

He chuckles before his thumb slams down the red button.

Thunder plays immediately, clashing with the loud hiss of rain.

I swallow, fighting the urge filling my cock.

"Oh, that sounds nice, doesn't it? I bet you're dying to mate, aren't you? I can help you with that."

The vibration of need begins to become too much, and my cock hardens until precome drips from the slit, falling onto the floor.

I've learned thunderstorms— rain for the most part— are an aphrodisiac to saltwater crocodiles and can trigger a mating response.

In my case, I become blinded with lust, and nothing else matters except mating.

"I'll hate to kill you. I think you're perfect and unique. There won't be another like you. I need a taste, Patient Zero. You know you want to." He places the recorder on the floor, the thunderstorm sounding from the device becoming louder with every passing moment.

My claws elongate and I curl them into my palms, reminding the little bit of humanity that is left inside me that this isn't what I want.

None of this is what I want.

"Get on the bed."

"No," I grit out. "I'm stronger than the last time you walked in here. Try it and see what happens." My teeth flash and the urge to rip his throat out is a savory taste on my tongue.

But I want to play with my food first.

He pulls out the tranquilizer gun from his holster that is slung low on his hips. His pants are undone, his shirt half tucked in and half pulled out of the waistband. The guard, Franklin, aims the gun at me, licking the sweat from his top lip.

His teeth are a disgusting shade of yellow and I have no doubt that peanut shells are in his pockets.

"I said get on the fucking bed, Royals. I'm going to fuck the last remaining shred of what makes a man out of you. You are nothing, do you hear me? Useless. Worthless. No one wants you. You have no place in this world. I'll make your last time having sex worthy. I'll let you have one last orgasm. At least you'll have that."

I take a step forward, my cock still hard from the thunderstorm in the room, and I want nothing more than to seek relief.

He pulls the trigger, and the dart pierces the air. My chest shifts, my instincts calling upon my gargoyle, and from my ribcage to my shoulders turns to stone. The dart hits, clinking pathetically against my chest.

It falls to the floor, rolling to my feet. I bend down, pinching the small syringe between my hands, and hold it up. The needle is slightly bent from hitting my chest and by the look on Franklin's face, he wasn't expecting that.

My advanced hearing picks up on his rapid heartbeat and the sound of his nervous swallow. I inhale his fear again, feeding portions of the primal beasts. His blood begins to flow faster, the scent of the iron-laced drink has my tongue going dry.

I'm thirsty.

I blur until I'm standing directly in front of him, so close, I can see every pore, every bead of sweat. My vision focuses on the small droplets of salty water on his forehead, slowly dripping down his face.

"I bet you thought that would work," I grumble, my claw sliding under his chin.

Adding pressure, I force him to look up at me and pierce the skin with the point of my nail. Blood runs down my claw, yet it isn't enough to stop me from meeting his gaze.

"I think you forget who is in charge here now. It certainly isn't you."

He lifts his radio, his hand trembling. Static announces itself when he presses the button and he opens his mouth to speak, but my tail wraps around his throat. I snatch the radio from him, crushing it into pieces without any effort.

I'm beginning to like this new me.

"You'll die for this."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Franklin." My tongue flattens against his cheek, and I lick the sweat from his cheekbones. Keeping my tail around his throat, I drag my nose across his thin beard and whisper, "It's not nice."

He stiffens in my hold, the only parts moving are his wide eyes, darting back and forth. My brows crease with wonder when his arms stop moving and his knees bend.

Unraveling my tail, I let him go, and Franklin crumbles to the floor.

"You can't move, can you?" I ask him, but all he does is let out a groan.

What could have caused this? I'm learning so much about myself, my body, my abilities, and everything I can do. While it's disturbing, I have to get used to the new me or life will be so much harder.

And I am so sick of living a hard life.

I snap my fingers when the idea strikes. I flip him onto his back, his entire body dead weight.

"Look who is worthless now," I singsong, my voice deepening. "You're supposed to kill me, right?"

His eyes dart up and down in a yes motion.

"I could do that to you right now." My entire body vibrates with the need to mate from that damn recorder, but I don't have it in me to turn it off.

The desire feels too fucking good.

"I'll leave you alive because the thought of you living with the fear in the back of your head of what someone like me can do to you, maybe, just maybe, you'll be smarter with how you treat us going forward."

I straddle his waist, my tail gravitating to his throat again so his eyes lock with mine. "I'm going to take care of a problem you've created."

The tip of my tail spreads his mouth open while my hand drifts to my cock. I give into the vibrations, allowing the need to wash over me. I don't look away from him as I stroke, faster, and harder.

"Isn't this what you wanted? You wanted to make sure I got off, right?" I spit in his face, enjoying the fact that he can't wipe it off. "They didn't warn you that I'd be at my strongest when they sent you in here, did they?" I bend down, gripping him by the roots of his hair, and lick the shell of his ear, my saliva soaking into his skin. "Don't you think that's a little questionable, Franklin?"

A small squeak leaves his throat.

I straighten, letting him see all of me, and his eyes fall to my cock.

What I scent is more than fear. It's terror.

And it only makes me harder, adding to the wicked lustful frenzy that is in my veins.

"Fuck." I roll my head over my shoulders, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth. "Feels so good. It's been so long." I close my eyes, my fangs stinging my bottom lip.

A need pulls at the back of my mind, a flash of an image dancing at the forefront of my thoughts. I toss my head back, my long blonde hair skimming the middle of my back when I see a clear picture.

A woman.

She's beautiful.

Dark hair, black as my newly appointed soul, with eyes so blue, they are nearly clear. They pierce me, the unknown woman sending my need to mate into a frenzy. I fuck my fist harder imagining her. Her pink lips are delicate. The bottom is bigger than the top, puffy as if she has a habit of nibbling it between her teeth.

Her eyes are red-rimmed and even with the brief image, her pain feeds the new sadistic parts of me.

Mate.

Mine.

Beloved.

Fated.

Synonyms of the same word slam through my mind all at once. Whoever this is, she's important, and I have to find her.

I open my eyes to see Franklin and his face morphs into hers, my mind playing tricks on me. I know it isn't her, I know, but the thought of being so close to what belongs to me, has come jetting from my cock.

His muted attempt at a scream ruins my orgasmic moment with my mate. I groan when another rope of pleasure falls onto his lips. Tears stream down his face and that's when I notice the electricity firing in my come.

Bright blue bolts of light fire within the bioluminescent spend.

I glance down, noticing a hue of neon blue glowing from my cock and tentacles. Another wave of vibrations builds in my chest for my mate. Only she isn't here. It's just the tape recorder.

With a snarl, I bend down, wrapping my hand around his throat. "You'll do best to tell them you killed me and got rid of the body. If I find out you didn't, I'll come back here, and I'll make sure you'll never be able to move again. Am I clear?"

His eyes do the upward and downward motion again.

I use his head to push myself up onto my feet, the back of his skull banging against the ground which knocks him out. He looks like a mess.

Roaring, I step on the recorder, ending the constant loop of rain that is driving my desire crazy.

When the sound ends, I'm able to take a deep breath, the vibrations slowing to a stop.

Stepping onto his chest, he gasps for air the more pressure I apply. "I hope my come burns your fucking throat any time you begin to speak." I stroll to the wall, the gray concrete walls tempting me to test fate.

There's no way I can get through it, but I have to try. It's the only way out of this prison. If I go through the door, there might be a chance I won't make it out at all. I don't have a grip on my abilities yet. Every day there is a new one, every day I find out something new about myself, and every moment, my humanity gets further away.

I don't mind.

My humanity is what got me here, but it isn't what is going to get me out.

I focus, wondering which beast I need to bring to the surface. The strongest, the one that can take the weight of each block that makes my cell.

There's that nagging in my head, the pressure. It builds to the point my eyes water, only this time, I let go.

I stop fighting it.

I accept.

A bass drop sounds as my body turns from solid to invisible. My ghost.

Stretching out my arm, I test to see if this will work.

My fingers vanish first, and a slight tingle rolls up my arm. I laugh in disbelief, wiggling my fingers to make sure I'm not seeing things.

Alarms blare. Loud wails in sync with red blinking lights let me know that playtime is over.

"I hope the next time I see you Franklin, it's in Hell, where I can torture you and be rewarded for it." Holding my breath, I leap through the wall, the tingling sensation crawling all over my body, like an itch I can't scratch.

Cool air hits my face, and the night sky is a welcome relief because I haven't seen the sun in months.

And then I fall.

Wings spread from my back, but I keep my invisibility, not wanting to alert anyone. My focus is on finding the woman who entered my mind somehow, heading in the direction completely opposite of where my old home is.

I'm not that man anymore.

I'm a monster and my beasts— I— want someone who couldn't be further away from home.