The Beasts Within: Tower Chronicles, #1

By William Tower and Angel Sylvester Tower

In a world full of magic, a lone family line stands against the creatures who would destroy humanity. A family who has grown through the centuries and has operatives in all major cities hunting down any who feed off of or breed by destroying human lives. No matter the costs or the innocent creatures who happen to simply be born different.

A young family member learns the truth about his family the hard way after he is cast out due to misfortune. His life changes in an instant as his world of hunting is changed to a world of defending those he once would have slain. To heal himself he must come together with the monsters he once thought were unredeemable.

'The Beasts Within' is 70,000 words of fantasy realism with a family concept that mars the upbringing and the future of the hero who fails to see himself as a hero.

William and Angel Tower were born in and around the Houston Texas area. They married after years of working in the bar and music industries. They are coming up on their six-year anniversary. They both have been avid readers since childhood enjoying the literary works of such well known authors as, R.L. Stine, J.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Ayn Rand, Rick Riordan, Scott Westerfield, Terry Blackstock, Orson Scott Card and many others.

Though their tastes vary in many aspect of their lives William and Angel have found reading and writing to be a passion for both. With dreams of owning their own home, with a large library one day, on hold for now they enjoy their time together any chance that emerges.

Thank you for your time in regard to our first attempt at a series of novels which will tell the story of Liam the Tower of Lupa.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Tower
• Release date: May 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223314493

Book preview

I am dedicating this book to my wife. She believed in me no matter what. Her life will be the inspiration for many more books and events. She was my love and my editor. She was the greatest person I've even known. Angel Sylvester Tower made me write this. I hope you'll enjoy what she inspired. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 1: The Curse

Jason could see it before the lights went out. Unfortunately, the change always sent out a wave of energy that blew the fuses. It was pitch black now so he couldn’t see a damn thing. Hunting was so much harder in the dark. Not impossible, but more difficult.

A shadow blurred past the window. The room was empty except for a single door and a single window. It was large. Jason guessed that it was an auditorium or band room. The walls were covered with acoustical foam. Every sound that was made soaked into the walls and dissipated making it impossible to tell where the noises came from.

The school was old. It had been abandoned years before his prey moved in. There were water marks in the ceiling from leaks in the roof. Jason could feel the wind blow through the building sending a chill through him.

He stood on the balls of his feet ready to jump, spin, or run! He knew this one would be different than the rest of his hunts. This one knew ahead of time that he was being hunted. This was his home. His territory! He knew every nook and cranny of this place. No doubt he was hiding somewhere. Biding his time and waiting for Jason to make a mistake.

His eyes finally began to adjust to the dim light. He wanted to pull out his flashlight, but he knew that would only give his position away all the quicker. He sniffed the air and waited. He hoped he would smell anything to point him in the right direction. The whole room reeked of the same stagnant musk.  He wouldn’t find any hints that easily.

He moved as quietly as he could. His clothes were made to stay tightly to his body. No matter how his body moved, morphed, bent, or contorted it wouldn’t rustle in the wind. It wouldn’t make a sound. His bare feet felt the cold stone as he slowly walked towards the door.

He knew as soon as he got in front of the door the light shining in would give him away. It might have already done so since he was now in the middle of the room away from the window.

The footstep came from his left. Jason could feel the air rush passed his face as he bent backward to avoid the knife that had been aimed at his throat. Planting his hands firmly on the ground Jason did a back bend and pushed himself into the air feet first. His eyes searched for any movement following the knife.

He found it.

Coming straight at him still wielding the knife. Bloodlust flashed through the barely visible eyes of his attacker. The long hair covered most of his body. He had removed all his clothes. Knowing as Jason did to prevent any moving clothes from making sound. His skin was either darkened or covered with hair as well. No light shone even though he was Caucasian. Jason landed on his feet and jumped forward striking his attacker in the stomach and spearing him to the ground.

Jason could feel himself falling forward on top of his attacker. Just before they struck the ground Jason felt himself being lifted by a pair of feet. He was tossed backwards into the air. The wind was knocked out of him as he struck the ground. He couldn’t wait to regain his strength he had to get up. Jason pulled himself up as fast as he could and ducked into a summersault rolling as far as he could before jumping to his feet and into a corner.

You’ll never stop me It sounded like more of a snarl than a statement. I’m not the only one. We will kill all of y’all. The y’all made Jason laugh a bit to himself. He was hunting a Texan again. No wonder it was more difficult than usual.

That’s fine. Jason began crawling slowly on all fours ready to pounce when he saw the opportunity. I’m just going to keep trying until one of us is dead. He couldn’t resist. He had to taunt his prey. Just a bit at least. Y’all, he said it with a much over animated Texan accent, can keep coming and I will always win. I always have!

Jason crept closer to the middle of the floor. Staying as close to the ground as he could he watched everything in front of him to prevent getting flanked. He was on edge he could feel it in his bones that something wasn’t right about this one. He knew better than the rest how much you could give away just by wearing clothes. He knew to get close to the windows or the doors to keep light on your side.

Jason was watching the room as best he could, staring into each corner hoping it would reveal its secrets. The door flew open and as Jason’s head turned, he saw a shape fly out. He was at the door before it had time to shut fully. Jason threw it open and waited. He wouldn’t make the mistake he had once before. Rushing out into the hall after someone nearly got him killed as they swung a blade at his stomach from the other side of the door.

His ears perked up as he heard footsteps running a bit farther down the hall. Jason jumped out and turned in the same moment. His right foot landed squarely on the wall. He pushed off and hurled himself down the hall toward the pounding heartbeat he could hear all the way from there.

The footsteps halted after turning a corner. Jason knew it was a trap. He knew he needed to stop. He knew full and well that he wouldn’t be happy if he barreled headfirst around that corner. Unfortunately, it was no longer up to him. He was moving too fast. He tried to stop but instead he changed his direction so that he would slam straight into the wall. His arms helped prevent him from smashing his face into the schoolhouse wall.

Jason threw himself backward as quickly as he could after the hit and stood in amazement at the three arrows protruding from the wall he was just thrown against. He moved with every ounce of strength he could to the adjacent wall preventing his opponent from seeing him. Slowly he caught his breath.

Wow. That was a good move. I did not expect you to throw yourself into a wall just to avoid a trap. His voice sounded truly impressed. Y’all have never been that smart.

I could say the same for y’all. I must admit you are the most difficult of all I’ve taken down. Jason stood waiting for something to come at him. Waiting for a sound to help him find his assailant. I must ask what your name is. I would like to find out what made you so special after I kill you and to make sure I wipe out any others like you.

That’s when Jason heard him make his final mistake. Jason heard the cross bow being pulled back. He knew this was his best chance. He grabbed hold of the walls corner and flung himself to the right of the hallway. With the speed no normal person could match he landed on the wall just in front of his attacker. As he swung the crossbow Jason lunged for him.

The bolt flew through the air in the tiny area between him and Jason. Its razor-sharp edge sliced a deep gauge in Jason’s thigh. Jason didn’t have time to even react to the searing pain. He reached out and grabbed the man by the throat. Jason landed hard on one leg. He had a hard time holding him still as he tried to balance on one leg. The wound on his leg shooting searing hot pain through him.

Now Please! He whispered into his ear What was that name again? He grinned as he articulated the next sentence. I would like to find YOU ALL quickly.

A small laugh escaped the man’s lips as he was released just enough so that his vocal cords would work. "The name is Liam. Liam Helling. Aka Van Hellsing. Family changed the name years back. The family that is now behind you.

Jason spun on his heels. Two shotguns and three crossbows were aimed at his chest. His claws had released Liam and he dropped to the floor. Liam stood slowly rubbing his neck. He moved sideways to get out of the line of sight and that is when it all clicked into place for Jason.

The building reeked of Liam, but the man couldn’t leave that much scent everywhere.

He bared his fangs!

Liam couldn’t move that quickly, hiding in the auditorium before Jason had even entered were others. When Jason changed the energy, he released through the entire building, killed the power plunging the entire building into darkness. All he could do is smell for them. They had all lingered here to long for him to tell the difference.

He looked around for a way to escape. The glint of silver shown from everywhere around him. They had lured him here by placating his strength and intelligence that the other wolves they had hunted never showed. Jason was the only of his kind he knew that could control his animal rampage. Still, it did him no good.

Jason had stalked Liam here. Jason thought he was alone. Jason was wrong. Jason had made his final mistake. As the shots were, As the bolts flew at him, Jason tried desperately to at least take Liam out with him. The one that had played him so well was just out of arms reach.

The bullets hit first. Pure silver like the arrowhead that had sliced through his leg. Jason lunged at Liam. The strength of the crossbow hurled the bolts into Jason throwing him backwards, yet he made it to Liam. He caught him with his right hand.

Jason pulled Liam down on top of him and whispered quickly in his ear. Your family will now kill you or you will kill them! With that Jason bit Liam on the shoulder. Before his life faded away, he launched Liam as far down the hall as he could. Jason’s dying breath rung out through the building. Run for your life Liam. Run!

Chapter 2: Marathon

Liam was stunned. He sat there blank faced and angry. He had allowed himself to be bitten. It was now his responsibility to allow his crew, AKA family members, to lock him up, and test him daily for at least a month to see if he had inherited the immunity to shifters, or if her would become a wolf man. If the latter, they would kill him.

Liam was tall for a normal man. He reached a towering 6 foot when he was bare foot. Though most men thought he was a giant he was considered to be the runt of the Hellsing clan whose height was typically around 6’5" or 7 feet tall. His hair was so blonde it was almost white in the sunlight. Though he kept his hair military style his auburn almost reddish-brown beard was wiry but well maintained. The angular features of his face complimented the slim but muscular torso perfectly. The fact that he was a descendant of Van-Hellsing himself gave him his height and coloring, but dedication to the hunt and his family’s distain for sloth gave him his physique.

The Van-Hellsing of the old world had been immune to shifters venom. He could be bitten scratched gored or clawed and never contract the mutating DNA. He was also immune to being killed by weapons of any kind other than that made from the bone or claws of wild animals. That part was a gnarly piece of magic that he had made a bargain for. No one knew what his side of the deal was, but the spell had been inherited through the generations. Even Liam himself was almost fully immune to being harmed by blades and even small caliber rounds wouldn’t penetrate his skin. Though the pain from being hit with a tiny metal object moving that fast still didn’t leave the greatest of memories, he would live.

Liam had never been bitten before. He had never been tested against venoms to see if he was immune. He was a loyal blood family member of the Van-Hellsing clan, and he would do his duty. His honor was bound to the fact.

Still, he sat there dumbfounded and horrified. Would they just opt to kill him on the spot? They were all family. Not immediate. The family genes had been spread far and wide long ago. The group he was with today had simply needed a bit of tech work done and Liam had been the closest family member with the skills needed. He knew HIS family would test him and then put him down gently if it was needed. Liam didn’t know this family group.

Did he trust them?

Liam! You doing ok over there? That sounded like the leader of the group. His name was Travis. He was a native of Fort Worth. You look a little bloody and gaggy. He laughed as if seeing a human being getting sick at the thought of hunting and slaughtering a humanish being was completely absurd.

I... I didn’t know them. He uh... They all began to start walking towards Liam. There was a total of five left. They had started with eight. Well seven if you didn’t count the freaked out and scared shitless Liam. He ... bit me. Liam finally stammered out while being surrounded by his ‘Family.’

Oh wow. That sucks man. Justin murmured. You’ve been tested before though, right?

That was always the first question. Liam stood on shaky legs and grimaced at the group assembled before him.

No... I. a gun cocked near him. Liam spun to the sound looking for the face who was ready to take him out. I’ve never been so much as scratched before. I have to be evaluated now. The group before him looked at each other questioningly. I need to head back to the office and find out if I am immune or not. Liam looked at Travis with a weak but passable military like authority.

Another gun cocked on the other side of Liam. Travis smiled warmly and stepped up beside Liam. Travis’ arm was soon wrapped around him good naturedly. Well, we will have to keep you under guard until we get there you know. The closest ‘Office’ is about 4 hours away near Lufkin. That wasn’t such a terrible thing Liam was used to riding with a group of gun touting mercs. That was basically what his whole family tree was filled with. You see though, Liam’s stomach hit the floor. There is one slight problem with heading back to Lufkin right now. We had orders to head back to where we first saw this guy and find his pack.

Liam knew something was off about these guys the moment he saw them yesterday. They needed someone to set up the traps and the surveillance for this operation but that was all. The job was done now and there really was no more need for Liam. They could easily drag Jason’s body around town and lead the rest of his pack back to this school. Jason’s scent was already pretty strong in the area after all.

No worries, guys.  Liam tensed as he remembered rumors about groups taking out loaned out family members instead of wanting to risk the cred of not finishing a job they contracted. I can head back by myself if needed. There really isn’t any chance of anything happening in four hours either way. A knife was pulled from a sheath near Liam’s back.

Liam moved without thinking. Years of training and hunting had taught him several things. First a moving target was always harder to hit than a still target. Second even though these guys had night vision goggles on the movement this close to them could be fast enough not be unseen. And lastly, they didn’t want Liam getting back to the office. It would been seen as weakness in certain groups.

Liam’s shirt was slashed but the blade didn’t break skin. The first shot went wide to his left, missing him by a few inches. Travis was the problem. He had been directly next to Liam when this all began. The bullet hit Travis but was too small to do any damage to his Van-Hellsing skin.

The room descended into chaos. Flashes of gun fire circled Liam. Not all family members were weapon immune. Even if they were they could be taken down by enough shots or shots to the right part of the body. Luckily, no one in this part of the family knew Liam’s immunities. Well other than that he had never been shifter tested. Liam dropped to the ground quickly moving on all fours. He didn’t want to hurt anyone but was willing to do just about anything to get out of here safely.

Travis had been pushed back a bit by the rib shot he had received. Travis lost sight of Liam in that instant. Liam crawled under the desks in the room and around corners as quickly as he could. He never looked over his shoulder. That was a death sentence in a hunt. He scrambled to the desk closest to the only door exiting this room. Of course, there was a guard though. It was Arnold. He was mostly brawn. He was strong enough to go toe to toe with an unchanged wolf and hold his own.

Arnold had his googles on but was trying to look around the corner, not under the table before him. Liam searched for a moment looking for something heavy but found nothing other than a stapler that had been carelessly dropped on the floor. Liam grabbed with his right hand and tossed it as hard as he could onto the other side of the room. It shattered a window, and you could nearly feel every head turn to face that direction. Arnold stepped forward squawking into his radio. Do I need to come join you guys? He had not been told what was going on at the moment. The less who knew fully the better. My family will be launching an inquiry into this incident whether I survived or not. I may not be important to every family member, but to those I was a part of I was their only son.

Arnold took a few more steps inside to try and see around the corner. Liam’s stealth was not that of legend among his people, but he could easily pass a dumbass who was listening intently to an earpiece. Or so her thought. Liam had made it out into the hallway just as Arnold turned around to go back to his proper position. Arnold saw Liam and yelled. I’ve got someone at the entrance. He then let loose with a small barrage of silver bullets aimed directly where Liam’s head would have been.

Van-Hellsing family will not die easily from bullets of silver. They would however loose an eye or get a wicked concussion from one hitting them in the head. Especially if that bullet hit him in the temple. That hurt like hell. You’d be hearing bells for days as well.

Liam sprinted for the exits. It helped that not all of the traps had been set off. Liam knew where every last one of them was since he had set them all. He dodged to the left of a flame thrower trap. There was a shotgun trip wire he jumped over. A couple other projectile silver stakes were still viable down this hall. Apparently, no one had come this way. Liam smiled. He was the only one who knew where all the traps were. The team all wanted to be in the room where the final kill would be. That way they could all claim they took it down Together. Liam was the bait and the mastermind of the trap.

Let’s see how this turned out... Liam smiled as he thought to himself. He made sure to run directly into every trap that was still live in front of him. Dodging to the left or right to stay as hidden as possible from the pack of rabid Hellings chasing close behind him.

He turned a corner to his right and got clipped by a gunshot coming from behind him. At the same time,