Of Vengeance and Beauty
Prologue
By: Sailor Raspberry

The sun was setting in an aura of pink and orange, leaving her hair silver in the pressing evening. She emerged from the sidewalk, walking confidently through the tall, metal gates and up the cobblestone pathway.

Serena Lockeheart eyed the courtyard before her, eyes blue and dusky and speculating, sweeping across the finely sculpted hedges and blooming flowers. From the outside, Cryptid Academy appeared exquisite; its large, stone structure gave off an ominous appeal.

Switching her valise to her opposite hand, she gripped a bronze doorknocker, allowing its weight to thump back down onto the wooden frame.

After many knocks, the large doors creaked open, revealing a dark-eyed woman frowning down at her.

Serena examined her face before grabbing up a pile of skirts into her palm, curtsying politely.

"Very pleased to be in your acquaintance," she said, hair falling over her shoulder, eyes catching and holding the other woman's. They were startling violet, intense and contemplating. "Serena Lockeheart."

She pursed her lips, braided hair swinging as she stepped aside, beckoning Serena into the building. "You're late."

Serena straightened, biting back a scowl. "My apologies, I must have lost track of time."

"Yes, well, the headmaster doesn't appeal to lateness. That's just a warning on your part, Ms. Lockeheart." The woman led her through the hazy hallway, peering at her from the corner of her eye. "I'm Raye Merrick, by the way."

Serena smiled, flicking a piece of hair back over her shoulder. "The name suits you well, Ms. Merrick."

She let out a bark of laughter, turning a corner, revealing a new hallway. "Please, call me Raye. I'm not one for formalities."

"Then I must insist that you call me Serena," she smiled slightly, tightening her grip on her valise as she glanced around the hallways.

Raye seemed to notice her sudden nervousness, for she turned to face her, stopping in front of another pair of doors. "Don't appear anxious in front of the headmaster. He'll use it against you one day."

Serena's eyes grew round as she was ushered through the doors. Four new pairs of eyes turned to her.

She gulped, suddenly left deserted as Raye stationed herself on the opposite side of the room, beside a blonde man with equally contemplating eyes.

"Ah, Ms. Lockeheart."

Serena's head swung to the middle of the room, to the man standing behind a great wooden desk, with intense blue eyes and long, graceful limbs. He tipped his head toward her, smiled, "A pleasure for you to join us here at Cryptid."

Serena felt her cheeks redden, blazing, and she did her best to fight it back. "Please, call me Serena." She curtsied, dipped her eyes to the floor. "And you are..."

The man chuckled, noting the tint on her face. He came around his desk, forward to her to take her tiny hand in his, "Darien Repens," and he placed a soft kiss on the pale skin there.

Serena's skin prickled, tingling, but Darien was already moving back, a small knit in his brow. She frowned. "Mr. Repens, is everything alright?"

Her frown deepened as he turned his back to her. "My apologies, Ms. Lockeheart." He was back at his desk, fingers tracing along the edge as he went to sit down. "I think introductions are appropriate." He looked over at the four others who stood off to the side.

The blonde-haired man, the one Raye had wandered over to, stepped forward, "Jadeite Garnant."

A tall, brunette headed woman curtsied slightly, "Lita Maughan."

A man, also brunette, bowed, "Nephrite Apperson."

Raye nodded her head, moving across the room, "Come now, Serena, I'll show you to your bed chamber."

Darien watched as Serena followed Raye out of his office, did not speak until the door was closed securely behind them, and he did so through a smile. "Lovely woman."

Lita crossed her arms. "Darien."

Darien glanced over to her, eyebrow raised. "Yes, Lita?"

She pursed her lips. "You're being strange."

He only tilted his head at her. "I'm sorry. I do not know the meaning of that word." Then, when they shuffled their feet, eyeing him, he straightened up. "You can move along now. Review your notes. Prepare for class."

The three obliged, catching his hint, and they quickly exited, shooting outlandish glances over their shoulders as they did. Classes ended an hour ago.

Darien heaved a sigh, slumping back into his chair. He tapped his fingers along his desk, squinting his eyes at the wall. "Serena Lockeheart." He glanced toward the closed door, thinking. "She smells like strawberries."

Serena collapsed on her bed, skin still tingling, bothering her.

She glanced around the room, at the small desk and bureau. A single candle glowed dimly by her bed, but it did nothing to light to room, so she scooted around on the blankets, finding and curling around her pillow. "Darien Repens." The name make her stomach twist, tight and dancing, felt like a child, like she should be whispering to friends about her schoolyard crush.

Pursing her lips, she sat up. She had spent hours on a train, and she felt restless.

There was a soft knock at his door, jerking him from his thoughts. He blinked, looked down at his book, at the page he had been trying to read for the past hour. He folded the corner of the page and shut the cover gently. "Enter."

Serena's blonde head peered through the doorway, eyes searching for and finding his. "I need a favor."

Darien raised an eyebrow, removing his reading glasses, and his heart maybe skipped a thrumming beat. "And what would that be?"

Her cheeks tinted pink.

The two walked slowly down a staircase, pathway guided by the gentle flickering of the torches hanging from the walls.

Serena laced her fingers behind her back, let her eyes slide up toward his face. "I'm really sorry to bother you. I couldn't find Raye, so I thought-"

Darien kept his attention ahead. "No need to apologize, Ms. Lockeheart. It's my pleasure."

Serena flushed, cleared her throat. "Call me Serena, Mr. Repens," she whispered, letting him grasp her elbow to guide her to a stop.

Darien flashed a smile, "At your request, then." He pushed open a door. "Serena it is." He motioned her inside, giving her access to the stalls."However, in return, I insist that you call me Darien."

Serena managed a quick nod, mouth working at a reply, but then Darien was stepping back, away, toward the opposite wall. She watched, silent, blinking, as he rolled his head on his shoulders, like trying to work out a kink. She cleared her throat. "Are you feeling well, Darien?" She took a hesitant step forward, voice dropping to a whisper. "You seem pale." She lifted her hand, but stopped herself halfway. His breathing grew heavy.

She steeled herself against her hesitation and let her hand rest tenderly on his forehead. He inhaled sharply through his nose, eyes suddenly startlingly, brightly blue. She frowned, hard. "Darien, you're burning up."

Darien gently pried her fingers away, and a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. "I'm fine, Ms. Lockeheart," he said, harsh, and he saw her face fall, saw her expression close. "I'm fine," he said again, kinder, and let her hand slip from his. "I trust you know how to find your way back to your chamber."

Serena stared at him, let her eyes drop down his front, to his twitching hands, clenched tightly at his sides. "Are you sure you're all right? You're sweating..."

Darien's jaw clenched hard. The hair at the base of his neck stood.

"Darien..."

The echo of a howl chased the goosebumps down his spine. He had to leave.

Serena's eyes were wide when he looked back over to her, her shoulders growing tense. "You have wolves on the premises?"

Darien growled, deep in the back of his throat. Serena froze, and he could smell the fear on her. "I apologize," he forced out, stepping backward. "They seem to like the forests outside the school's property." He took another step, searching for the staircase. "I should chase them off. They might scare you. The students."

"I'm not scared," she rushed out, and her eyebrows drew downward as he stepped up the first stair.
"And that isn't very safe. Please, allow me to assist."

"It isn't a task for a lady, Ms. Lockeheart. I won't allow it." He was slowly moving away from her.

Serena sputtered. "Excuse me, but that last time I checked, you were not my father!" She crossed her arms. "I am plenty capable of assisting you, if you're going to play that game."

Another impatient howl ceased the air, and then suddenly Darien was running.

Serena gasped, watching as he took the stairs two at a time, and she scrambled to pick up her skirts. "Rude," she scoffed, and tripped her way up the stairs to follow him, pigtails trailing after like two great, silver ribbons.

The door that led to the back of the academy was found wide open, and she skidded through it, skirts hitched up and eyes wild with anger.

Footsteps padded softly across damp grass, and she whisked around, eyes blazing blue. "Darien! I find your childish behavior very-" and her sentence stilted off, heavy skirts falling from her grasp as her arms dropped limp.

Before her, a great, black wolf, eyes piercing blue through the dark. A set of canines, shining and long and eerily beautiful, glinted at her, mocking her, and Serena stilled.

The wolf began circling her, calculating and graceful, shoulders dropped low, snarling. He easily reached her hips, and he slowly closed in.

Serena whimpered, chin jutting out as the wolf sniffed at the dip of her back, poking and prodding, curious.

She was gasping, alert, and the wolf growled, lips pulled back, teeth showing.

He came around to her front, looked up at her, but she trained her eyes ahead, lips pressed tightly together. The wolf nudged at her, and when she didn't budge, he pushed harder, forcing her down, and her chin was beginning to quiver, fingers grabbing a palm full of grass as the wolf's pink tongue licked up her cheek.

She was in a squat, fighting back fear and the welling in her eyes, and the wolf took a final, deep sniff at her. And then he pounced.

Serena hit the ground screaming, as sharp teeth bit into her neck, paralyzing, and finally tears fell over, pain and fear and sharp, deep devastation.

The wolf pulled away, staring into her face with hard, blue eyes, and she felt the blood running. He dipped his head again, licked.

And then he was changing, limbs elongating, snout shortening, pupils dilating, taking the form of a new creature.

"Darien?" she whispered, eyes wide, body frozen, and he stared into her face again, eyes searching hers before he lowered his head, pressing his mouth against her neck.

She was stuck, trapped and unmoving beneath him as his tongue lapped gently at her bleeding wound, a hum of victory vibrating through him.

"Get off of me," she hissed, and slowly she could move again, so she pressed her hands against his chest, pushing hard.

He paused for a moment, considering her request, and she continued to struggle, but she was weak, head dizzy, and Darien nosed up under her jaw, sniffing.

Her stomach swooped, eyelids fluttering, and she was hit with such a sudden feeling of excitement and fear that her hand lifted to grasp his jaw, shoving him away hard. He let her push him, smiling as he went, and her defiance grew.

She struggled to her feet, dizzy and stumbling, and got nowhere as his long fingers wrapped around her ankle, dragging her back down so she fell in a cloud of dirt and dust.

"Where do you think you're going?" he whispered, intertwining his fingers with hers to bring her hand up beside her head, holding it there, trapping her. "Mate."

"What?" Serena asked incredulously, shaking her hand free and wriggling as he instead grabbed her jaw to tilt her head to the side, so he could examine her neck. "What did you just call me?"

Darien pursed his lips, and then, considering it, lowered his mouth to pull her earlobe between his teeth. "The bite was a little deeper than I expected. You'll probably need a bandage."

"Wha-" Serena, strength ebbing its way back into her, pushed at him. "Get off of me, you...you...God! I don't even know what you are!" She was shouting, and he just smiled, shushing her.

"I'm insulted," his voice was nothing more than a whisper. "Don't tell me you've never heard of a werewolf before."

Serena gasped, and then suddenly he was kissing her, snaking a hand around the back of her neck to angle her head up, deepening the kiss and meeting her tongue between their sealed mouths.

She whimpered, gripping his shoulders tight because she didn't know what she was feeling, a burning hot, searing sensation deep in the pit of her stomach. He smiled against her.

He pulled away, leaving her gasping for air, and she stared up at him, lips parted and eyes flickering over his face.

Darien stared back down at her, smirking as he swiped a thumb along the corner of her mouth. "Beautiful," he murmured.

Something in Serena's mind clicked, and she pushed at him until he went, rolling off of her and to her side. Still struggling to catch her breath, she pushed shakily up onto her feet. "Werewolves are just myths," she said, breathless. "This is just some ridiculous dream."

Darien, one eyebrow quirked, sat up and leaned back on his palms, watching as she stumbled away. "Sorry to break it to you, love," he called after her, "but this isn't a dream."

Serena shot a glare over her shoulder, pressing a hand into the burning bite on the side of her neck. Her hand came away sticky. Darien chuckled behind her. "I'm leaving," she said, and didn't stay to hear a reply.

She could feel his gaze follow her as she disappeared into the building.