Tall, Dark & Heartless (Pyte/Sentinel #3)(2)

For a man that looked like a young boy there really wasn't much to do except hide out like the freak that he was. It was only a matter of time before the good townspeople chained him up and demanded that he be checked to see if he was a demon or a witch, again. Soon they wouldn't be satisfied with just throwing rotten food at him or spitting on him. When his aunt cast him out they would probably just kill him and be done with it.

Maybe that would be for the best, he thought, yawning as he found the pallet, which he'd made with leaves and old straw, in the dark and laid down. Maybe it would be for the best if he fell asleep and never woke up again, he thought as he drifted off.

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"Don't bother gettin' up," he heard Ian, his aunt's closest neighbor and the real owner of the cave, say as the cool tip of a sword registered in Caine's mind.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a hoarse whisper. Caine tried to move his arms and legs, but they were too heavy to move so he settled for opening his eyes and was forced to immediately shut them as bright light from several torches nearly blinded him.

"I'm not gonna ask ye again, what are ye doing on me property?" Ian demanded as the tip of the sword bit into his skin, making his over sensitized skin scream in agony.

"W-w-," he had to swallow hard to find his voice, "what are you doing, Ian?" he asked in a daze as the sound of his voice registered in his mind and when it did he nearly jumped to sit up, but thankfully he was still too weak to move.

"How do ye ken my name?" Ian demanded in a hard tone as a hand suddenly grabbed Caine by a handful of his hair and yanked him up until he was sitting, barely able to stay up on his own. He forced his eyes open and squinted at Ian and his two sons as they glared at him with their swords drawn.

"Why's he wearing Caine's plaid, Da'?" Seamus demanded as he gestured towards him with his sword.

He knew Ian and his family didn't like him, never had, but they'd never been this cruel to him before. Normally when they caught him on their property they normally set the dogs on him or shoved him around a bit. They'd never gone as far as to use their swords on him before.

"Just let me go and I won't come here again," he said, becoming more anxious each time he heard his own voice. It no longer sounded like the voice that he detested, the one that other lads mocked. His voice sounded deep, like a man's voice. In fact, his voice sounded a lot deeper than Jacob's and he suddenly couldn't wait to go hunt down his cousin and rub it in his face. It was finally happening. He was finally growing and not a moment too soon.

As soon as he finished growing he was going to leave the village since they'd probably just point at him and call him a freak for finally growing into a man, but that was okay. He always wanted to travel, but it had never been an option for him with the way he looked. Hopefully, he'd grow as big and tall as his uncle, he thought as he dropped his eyes down to his bare legs, and widened.

Why was everything in shades of blue? he wondered even as the size of his legs and arms had him grinning like a fool. It looked like he got his wish, but he'd bet that he was bigger than his uncle now. He moved to raise his arms, surprised that it took so much effort.

"Hands down!" Ian shouted and Caine automatically went to comply when something occurred to him. Not only was he probably bigger than them, but they were acting like they didn't know him. Could he have changed that much during a quick nap? He didn't think it was possible, but unless this was a dream that's exactly what happened based on what he was seeing.

Please don't let this be a dream.

"I'll only ask ye again! Where's the lad?" Ian demanded, making Caine cringe as a hundred other sounds suddenly made themselves known. He could hear each and every breath the men took, the sounds of their clothes moving, the sounds of the cloth and embers burning around the torch, the soft wind rustling through the trees outside the cave, and insects crawling through leaves. It was overwhelming and just when he thought that he couldn't take anymore his nose was suddenly bombarded with scents.

"I ken that he's probably not alive since he's not here an' no one's seen or heard from the lad in over a month, so tell us what ye did with the body!" Brandon, Ian's youngest son demanded.

Caine barely heard them as he struggled to work through the scents that were attacking him. He could smell the dirt, body odor, the scent of stale whisky and beneath all of those repugnant smells he scented something delicious, something that had his stomach growling and his body trembling with need. He looked up at the men as his sight suddenly shifted from blues of every shade to red.

The men gasped as they moved to step away.

"Monster......," Ian whispered as he slowly raised his sword to strike Caine, but he never got the chance. Caine suddenly found himself leaping on top of the man and knocking them both over in his clumsy, weak attempt to get at the delicious scent. He was barely aware of the sounds of the man's sons running and screaming as his eyes narrowed on the man's dirty neck.

He knew this was wrong and sick and that he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't help it. Before he knew what he was doing he was biting into Ian's neck and moaning as a rich, hot liquid poured into his mouth and God help him, but he'd never tasted anything more delicious in his life.

Tall, Dark & Heartless

Chapter 1