Chapter 12

Sometimes, it is nice to go home.

Kal took a mighty step backward; some would have called it jumped, but her feet never left the ground, and her eyes never faded from the sight of chaos before her. She had heard the others talk about what it was like when Thomas let the Minotaur fully out and how the beast could cause endless amounts of damage. The sight of the nine, maybe ten-foot-tall half-man, half-bull tore into the lobby was almost beyond her understanding. The six- or seven-foot-long black and red horns stuck far beyond Thomas's head, and his eyes burned with the same red fury, but there was almost some glee in the monster.

She had, of course, seen the Minotaur in all its glory before doing acts on the stage and playing around with the other actors, but Charon had long warned her about how deadly Thomas could be if not under control.

If Thomas set the monster free, which was something he feared all his day, then the chaos, gore, and death would be that of Hell. Her hands went to her mouth as her eyes were wide, watching men be thrown about and cut up by the horns. The air in the lobby was filling with a thick smell of blood, heavy in iron and sweat, along with cries and gunshots.

The bullets almost seemed scared of the monster going wild, but a few hit their mark, only enraging the beast even more with pain. He dashed for those men cooler under the threat of death as many of them broke their standing, running for their lives or jumping behind the bar. The monster bull crashed into the long and large bar, upending it and smacking it against the back wall. Men roared for only a second before they stopped being crushed to death.

He turned, huffing and puffing with more enemies rushing in to attack him. Back at the Big Top, Thomas wore specially made pants to allow him to change into a beast; now he stood with nothing on, and he was there for all the world to see cloaked in blood.

Dathen was running for his life as his men moved to shield him, but there was nothing they could do to stop the monster. Thomas took a mighty step towards them; some of the men shook like a leaf on a tree, and others let a river of fear run down their legs, but they all stood there with their weapons pointing at the towering beast.

She now understood Thomas's fear of setting the Minotaur free. It truly was a storm of pure lust and rage. She even saw the monster smile a little, stepping up to the line of men about to open fire. She heard the thunder of the guns, but a hand grabbed her, pulling her to face Carter. He was almost as mad as the monster ripping people apart.

"What is this?" he asked, pointing at the Minotaur. "What have you brought here?"

"My friends," she said, standing right up against him, "and they will never stop coming for me."

"You dumb bit �" "he was about to shout along, jerking a pistol out to shoot her, but three knives nailed into his arms, causing him to drop the pistol and making Kal jump back from him. He looked down at the hilts of the knives, turning to see Benjamin swinging a chair right at the man's head, breaking it against him. The hit spun Carter around before he crashed to the floor and was knocked out cold. The knives would fade in time the moment Benjamin walked out of the room, but for now, they sat in him, allowing blood to leak out.

"Ben," Kal said, jumping into his arms, and the large man held her tight against him. "You guys came for me?"

She almost couldn't believe it; then again, she should have known they would come, that Azrael would send someone to get her.

"We would never leave you, darling," he said, pulling her closer and kissing her cheeks. There was always fear with Kal when she hugged Benjamin that his stomach would swallow her whole, but it was only the blades that folded back into his belly.

She broke away from the man, about to say something else, when they heard the massive footsteps of the beast, and they spun to see the monster staring down at them. He was breathing hard with burning rage in his gaze.

"Oh, s**t," Benjamin said, taking a step back and holding up his hands. "Don't be mad, horny, I was just hugging a friend."

The bull huffed, bearing some of its teeth.

"I mean it," Benjamin said.

Thomas took a step towards Benjamin, but Kal jumped between them with a strong look on her face. She had her hands on her hips the way she did when she was mad, and one of those hands jerked up, putting a finger into the monster's face.

"Stop it," she ordered. "Now, Thomas."

The bull monster huffed hard, stepping closer to her and trying to stand taller, but she stomped one of her feet, wagging her finger at him.

"I mean it," she said, "stop it. Calm down, now."

He shook his head, spinning on his heels and walking away as he headed back for the doors of the elevator. The closer he got to the doors, the more the monster started to fade, and he lost some of his height and muscles. He soon became a normal man, stepping into the steel box to gather up his clothes. He had to pile them against the wall, knowing he would need them after the battle. The bullet holes were already starting to heal with such quickness it was a sight to behold.

She had always wondered how he became this monster, but Thomas would never speak of where the beast had come from, and she didn't push the matter. She had heard it was a curse, and it seemed to be true, but again, she never pushed the matter too much.

"Come on," Benjamin said, grabbing her hand, "we need to get going before the law shows up."

"They won't," she said, "but I want to go home."