Viggo stopped cold with a forkful of eggs halfway in his mouth. He turned his perfect face left, then right. His chiseled features wrinkled in confusion.

A rundown diner surrounded him: faded linoleum floor, cracked countertop. The overhead lights flickered to life as the sun set outside.

Thomas sat across from him seeming lost in the corridors of his own mind, his dark hair a mess. His brown suit stained and in disarray. More gray speckled his hair than Viggo recalled. Goosebumps rippled over Viggo’s alabaster skin.

Where am I? This isn’t right.

Movement caught Viggo’s eye and he saw a messy bun bobbing over the counter. An older waitress in a yellow uniform stood up and nodded at him from behind the counter.

“More coffee, hon?”

Viggo had trouble registering her words. His hands trembled as his berserker rage began to build. “No. Tell me. What the fuck is—”

 … Viggo found himself flying down a highway uncertain of how he got there. The sun-fried and cracked leather on the seats scratched his back. Light streaming through the windshield heated the leather making the seat even more uncomfortable as it sizzled against his skin. He stabbed at the air conditioner to no avail. The damn thing didn’t work.

The stale odor of old beer assailed his senses. The air vibrated with a rhythmic thumping making his body shake. The pounding beat came from the radio blasting, “The Way You Move.” He jabbed the power button with his finger bringing an end to the assault on his ears. Thomas sat beside him snoring. Viggo searched for a sign to tell him where he was. He saw one off in the distance and squinted. “Let’s see wh … ”

 … A piercing stab of pain in his stubbled head made him jerk the wheel. The tires screeched in protest. He slammed on the brakes causing the vehicle to swerve back and forth. The metal machine slid so easy there might as well have been ice on the concrete. Gritting his teeth, he regained control and pulled the car over.

Where am I? How’d I get into this car?

His arms shook. Sweat soaked through his My Little Pony Fluttershy t-shirt. He had to peel his hands off the wheel now twisted into a half-formed pretzel by his strength. Breaths came in ragged gulps while his heart beat so fast the muscle wanted to explode.

Several minutes passed before he was able to calm himself. Viggo turned to Thomas, who was still passed out in the passenger seat. His boss’s chest rose and fell with steady breathing. He shook his boss but Thomas didn’t wake. Viggo dropped his head back letting out a long breath before righting himself and stepping out of the car.

The black of night greeted him. Cool air licked his face. A highway ran in both directions. The thicket of pine trees on either side of the road seemed to close in around him. No moon. Creatures of the dark buzzed and groaned. The sacred symphony of the nighttime.

Damn, my head hurts. Where are we? Why can’t I remember?

He turned back to inspect the car. The rusted out, beat-up car appeared to be a Camaro.

Where did I get this piece of crap? Why can’t I recall?

He did remember Mindy. Orange sundress. Red Sox ballcap. Kind eyes. Easy laugh.

His heart stopped.

Where’s Mindy?

He checked the backseat of the car. No Mindy. No Mindy anywhere nearby. He worried his skull might crack open as a sudden pressure pushed against the inside of his head. He panicked.

“Mindy! Mindy!” His voice cracked. Throat dry as a desert. His words echoed. Only the wind acknowledged his cries.

She was gone or hadn’t been with them in the first place. There was no sign of her anywhere, like the woman never left Boston with them. Viggo recognized it was wrong, so very wrong. He tried to push the headache aside and remember what happened.

Boston … flashes of a smiling Thomas … a laughing Mindy … a dirty rundown motel … orange carpet scratched against his face … strange eyes …

The pain in his head exploded, forcing him to his knees. A shack in the woods filled his mind. Then the words.

Go south. Go now.

 … Viggo found himself face down on the asphalt, the coldness of it acting as a compress on his cheek. The coolness permeated his face bringing much needed relief from the pain. An antidote for his sweat soaked body. The words bouncing around his skull faded into silence. His yearning to help Mindy was pushed into the recesses of his mind, replaced with an intense need beyond his comprehension: DRIVE SOUTH.

Viggo struggled to his feet and stared at Thomas. Still seemingly asleep. Drool rolling down his chin.

A sudden confusion descended on Viggo as he wondered what he was doing outside of the car. Without further reflection, he dropped into the driver’s seat, slammed the door, turned the ignition, and peeled out back onto the highway, leaving streaks of rubber in his wake. As he drove, his rage boiled inside. As if he was in a fight but he didn’t see the opponent. His enormous strength coursed through his body. He bent the steering wheel back into a somewhat normal shape.

After a few minutes, Thomas yawned and sat up wiping the drool from his chin with one hand while rubbing his eyes with the other one. “Where are we going?” he asked, his Boston accent muddled by his exhaustion.

 “South.”

Chapter 1

The Dance of Pain

Lee

A Room with a Small Forest in the Corner

Lee’s screams shook the walls. They were powerful even though they were strangled. She’d made him open his jaws so wide. The bones in his face creaked with the force of the action. The muscles making up his all-too-human head were at the breaking point. The pain shot down his neck stopping at a knot at the top of his back and shoulders, making his feathers twitch. The muscles around his neck corded. His massive frame vibrated from the effort to move. His wings trembled. Claws yearned to extend. His legs quivered between the need to flee and the exhaustion wanting to drive him to the ground. Tears ran down his cheeks.

I gotta … Yukie … I can’t give in …

A woman stood before him with skin so pale she might have been made from moonlight. Silvery hair cascaded over the white dress clinging to her shoulders. The fabric fit her like a second skin. So thin, her ribs were easy to count. If he hadn’t been in such intense pain, he might have tried to tally them for kicks. The fact she was a third his size should have made her unimposing. Yet there he sat in horrible pain, in her control.

She leaned in close to his chest and tilted her breathtaking face up to stare deeply into his eyes and crooned, “Are you ready to tell me where she is?” The woman tousled his brown hair as if he were a small child before she plucked a feather from his wing and ran the plume across his face. “Blink twice for yes.”

He hesitated for a moment before he blinked twice.

An unkind smile spread across her face. A cruel aspect shaded her features. “Good, you can relax your mouth to speak.”

The pressure on Lee’s jaw lessened. He had control again but realized it wouldn’t be for long.He popped his jaw and neck several times before speaking.

“Well, skinny … I’ll tell you … ”

She leaned in close. Head tilted back. Her hands pressed against his chest with the delicate pressure of a lover. Her eyes sported an expectant glow while her face maintained the hard lines of cruelty.

“I’ll tell you to eat a cheeseburger cause you’re too damn thin. Then go fuck yourself you albino lookin’, cock suckin’, piece—”

She cut him off with a slap across the face. His eyes widened at the strength of the blow. His brain and mouth worked to expel another insult but he lost his chance.

“Open your mouth until the pain is almost unbearable and keep your jaw in that position until I tell you different. No talking.” Her lips pressed together and she pulled her arms in tight to her sides.

Lee couldn’t resist her, something about her voice. The purr in her tone had him caught.

Sweat beaded on his brow. He had a good idea of what was coming next, or at least he thought he did.

The waif of a woman pranced across the room and grabbed her brand from the blazing brazier in the corner. “I’m so glad you brought your sword here. A little work by the wizard geeks and we got something similar or somewhat close from what they tell me.” She turned as she twirled the metal brand in her hands. The pattern at the tip had burned pieces of his skin still dangling on the edges of the outlined shape. “Shall we go back to art? You keep healing so fast you truly make my attempts to create a beautiful mosaic on your chest a challenge.”

Oh god, not the burning again.

She stared at the metal rod in her hand. Her face twisted in disgust. The inanimate object somehow offended her. She tossed it aside. “Maybe not.” A sigh slipped her lips before her face brightened, eyes alight with mischief. “Maybe this instead.” She picked up his sword. The edged weapon was as tall as her, making her seem even more delicate. She lifted the weapon before her as if the hunk of metal held no weight, then sauntered towards him.

Go ahead, skinny. Stab me all you want. Won’t get me to talk.

“Have you ever tried sword swallowing, my feathery friend?”

What the fuck!

“Drop to your knees and tilt your head back.”

Lee fought to stop himself. Yet he dropped to his knees. He tilted his head back jaws still opened wide. He couldn’t stop her.

Her lips were silky and warm as she kissed him on the cheek. Her hand slid across his face in an almost loving fashion. “You sure you don’t want to tell me where the bitch is and why you’re taking all this pain for her? Blink twice again and we can talk.” Her eyes rose in almost genuine concern. “Don’t make me do this. I really don’t enjoy hurting you. Well, maybe I like it a little.”

He glared at her, willing his arms to move. His claws tried to extend in hopes he might have a chance to rend her throat. Nothing happened. His body was hers.

Fuck you, skinny.

The woman sighed and gave him a short, curt slap. Then kissed him on his forehead. “Have it your way, big guy.”

She rested the tip of the blade on his tongue. The sizzling noise made his stomach clench. The pain followed close behind. His body shook from the effort to break free of her influence. She pulled the blade back. A wicked smile played across her face.

Rage exploded in his chest. He laid a fevered stare on her and an animalistic growl rumbled deep in his throat.

I ain’t gettin’ beat by another teeny tiny woman.

Glee stretched her lips into a smile as she slid the blade into his mouth again.

Tears streamed. A scream trapped in his throat. The only sound, the searing of flesh as she forced the sharp piece of metal down his throat.

Her cheeks went rosy as she cackled.

The blackness of pending unconsciousness swirled around his vision. The last thing he heard was the woman’s laughter. The last scent he inhaled was the pungent aroma of burning skin as the surging darkness of his mind enveloped him.