After another explosion rattled the ground beneath the Casa, everything came to a complete stop. Another quake followed a minute or so later, and the ground in the garden gave out and collapsed into an enormous hole that looked like a bottomless pit from afar.
Then anarchy broke out as rebels climbed out of the hole and onto solid ground.
Outside the Casa, flames could be seen everywhere following a series of explosions. Every house and business in the vicinity of Gillen's House of Champion was ablaze. Even the arena. Velarians screamed as a swarm of Lycans and armed rebels stormed through their city. They were merciful toward people who were afraid and begged for their lives, but they were completely ruthless toward the Velarian soldiers and anybody else who had intervened to stop them in their path.
Velaris didn't see it coming. There was no warning before the attack. People began to yell.
"Rebels! Rebels in the city! Prepare to fight for your beloved Velaris! "
"Rebels! Defend your city against these filthy creatures!"
"Velarians, defend your city!"
In a matter of seconds, Gillen and his high-ranking officials began yelling instructions, and his army and soldiers shifted and fought back. He ordered his Commander to take Kara outside the Casa and to safety as the rebels attacked with overwhelming force. They were all over the place. With the Velarian soldiers caught off guard and now spread out all around Velaris, fighting back rebels as well as trying to preserve the entire city from the horror it was steadily becoming, Gillen and his soldiers were outnumbered.
Out in the courtyard, Lucas tried to shift but failed. With the choker still around his neck, he just couldn't bring out his wolf. So he armed himself with two swords and sliced his and Harper's way through anyone who tried to obstruct their path and prevent them from escaping. He just had his human ability to rely on in the absence of his wolf, and he was clinging to it as the pressure built up inside him.
Two vampires charged toward him from opposite directions, one on his left and one on his right.
"Caution! Take cover!" he ordered Harper, nudging her to a corner behind a pile of rubble. He waited until the vampires were inches away from him, but they immediately rushed after Harper. They were well aware that she was human, and they were taking advantage of the chaos that was surrounding them.
Using his might, Lucas hurriedly pushed himself off the ground and into the air. He spun around in a full circle before slicing off both of the vampires' heads. A plummeting mass of their decapitated bodies dropped to the ground.
"They－" Harper gasped, her voice breaking.
"－Wanted to drain the blood out of you. They're taking advantage of the situation," Lucas explained. "Let's go! Let's go!" He was about to take a step when someone ran up to him.
"Where do you think you're going, pup?!" It was Makani, Gillen's foul fighter.
"Get out of our way," roared Lucas.
Makani burst out laughing. "Are you forgetting something, pup?" He pointed to the collar that was wrapped around Lucas' neck.
Lucas flashed a sly grin. "No, I haven't. Have you? His gaze fell on the collar that was around Makani's neck.
"No. And I'm going to have fun killing you." Makani thought a feigned motion to the right when he abruptly moved left would be a sure way to swipe at Lucas, but the latter shocked him.
Makani imagined he was being stealthy when he approached Lucas from behind. On the other hand, Lucas took him by surprise when he backflipped over him just as his blade stretched out to seize the opportunity.
Lucas' sword swiftly cut through his throat.
Harper swallowed, her face contorted with disgust and discomfort. "That was quick," she said as they dashed to the torn-down wall near the hanging garden at the back of the Casa. As she looked around, though, she realized that they were surrounded by either Lycans or vampires and a platoon of soldiers in shining armor.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing was happening. Velaris was actually under siege, providing them with an opportunity to escape.
"Wait! What about Francine?" She took a breath.
"What about her?"
"We can't just leave her here, Lucas."
"Francine is an incredibly skilled vampire. Trust me, Harper, she is more than capable of defending herself." Lucas reached out and grasped her wrist. "Let's go."
"No!"
"This could be our only chance to get out of this hellhole. Okay? And Francine could already be on her way to Moorland. And have you forgotten that she nearly killed you?"
"There's no need to bring it up." She glared at him. "And it doesn't matter whether she tried to kill me or not. She might need our help."
"Harper! Don't do this, please! Although it appears that Velaris is on the losing end at the moment, Gillen has allies. Reinforcements may already be on their way. We have to get going! Come on!"
"All right, you go ahead." She retaliated by shoving him hard. "I'll go look for Francine, and we'll catch up with you."
Her arm swung out to push him out of the way, but Lucas grasped her wrist and dragged her to him until he was staring her in the eyes. "No, Harper, I can't lose you again. You're not going anywhere!"
"No! Please, Lucas, let me go!"
As they argued, the vampiress, unbeknownst to them, had already escaped the prison underground during the last explosion and was now fighting her way out of the Casa.
Francine's strength returned with the blood of every guard she had defeated and killed, and her wounds healed quickly.
She sprang into the air to gain a better view of everything that was going on.
Once she had gotten high enough on the rooftop, she began scanning the ground. More insurgents were clawing and climbing their way out of the hole in the ground. She almost let out a breath of relief, but it was swiftly replaced by a sharp hiss from the sting of something sharp. She looked down and saw a blade as it went through her ankle.
"Shit!" She knew that those Valerian vampires who were blind enough to fight beside Gillen would follow her. Quickly, she wrapped her legs around the vampire's head and repeatedly hammered the claws protruding from her middle finger into its head.
"Die, you son of a bitch!" She spat furiously and maneuvered them both as a Lycan lunged for her. When she turned around, the beast flung his clawed fists at her face. She dove right, but the sharp edge of the Lycan's claws scraped across her cheek.
Her rage erupted as she saw the cut burn. She charged toward the beast with such speed that it didn't have a chance to swing again before she drove the claws in her index and middle fingers into its throat and then into its temple.
The lycan gulped and gagged on blood as she pulled their bodies closer together, driving her claws deeper.
When gravity pulled them down, Francine twisted her ankles and snapped the neck of the lycan she was still holding onto. She let him go and used his body as a landing pad, which only landed her in a worse situation. At least five of Gillen's bodyguards had gathered around her. They looked at her with arrogant expressions, certain they'd win, as she was outnumbered.
She knelt beside the dead Lycan and gently lifted it off the ground. Then, as the vampire guards looked on, she sank her teeth into the Lycan's neck and sucked on its blood. A few seconds later, she flung the beast's corpse aside and wiped her blood-stained mouth with her forearm before moving carefully around, taking in each of the vampire guards one by one, as if she were waiting to see who would make the first move.
She used this moment to allow the strength running through the Lycan's blood to fill her.
She softly savored the feeling of it growing.
*Just a couple more seconds*...
So... this is how things are going to play out, right? Five full-grown vampires against one vampiress?" she said this in jest, buying herself some more time.
The guards' expressions went from smug to hungry. They assumed they'd have a good time tearing her heart apart. But Francine, on the other hand, was not a run-of-the-mill vampire. She was of royal descent, and she was able to take on any challenge or opponent. She understood, though, that if they attacked her at the same time, they'd most certainly get her. She knew right away that she had to avoid being cornered or pinned down at all costs.
One audacious vampire snarled, "You filthy slave." He grinned, flashing his fangs as he spun his blade around his hand, looking very pompous.
But Francine only gave a lazy grin. Her eyes narrowed at the arrogant one. He was pallid, with a narrow face and a bushy beard. She had always despised people with bushy beards, and just looking at the vampire made her even more infuriated.
"All right, gentlemen, shall we?" She could feel the throbbing in her veins. As her fangs began to descend, a gentle smile formed over her lips.
It was time to finish them all.
"I'm going to enjoy sucking you off dry," the arrogant vampire grinned.
Francine responded with a disgusted expression on her face. She knelt slowly, gathering all the energy and strength she had just taken from the lifeless Lycan.
Then, she charged at them, giving each of the vampire's hell.