What is the plan

What is the plan
Chapter 164 

Ruby’s POV

And then the suction feeling finally stopped as I slowly began to feel my body again, the feeling of my limbs returning slowly again and I slowly peeled my eyes open, my vision blurry for a second before the dark features of the room slowly came into sight. 

My head felt heavy, like it was filled with water or something and I just remained laying on the bed as I took in a deep, shaky sigh. The air in the room was cool, but there was no one around and I felt a sharp, stinging thirst in my throat that made it hard to even swallow.

I was just about to move out of the bed, my hand reaching for the edge of the mattress, when the sound of a muffled conversation from the balcony got to my ears. I froze in my steps as I strained to hear what was being said.

‘’Yes, I just had my fears confirmed, there is indeed an army and its not a small one. The drones couldn't stay in the area due to the heat down there for long, but there was an estimate of at least two hundred thousand of the shadow armies…’’ A familiar voice gave the report sounding very serious.

I searched my mind, but I still couldn't quite picture who the owner of the voice was, so I just focused in on listening, my ears pricking at the mention of such a massive number of the shadow army. Two hundred thousand? 

‘’That is definitely a large number and you are most likely right too. Those missing humans were used for some kind of ritual by the shadows and it most likely needed the power from the red moon in the vampire realm to make it worth the while. 

I can be positive this didn't just all happen at once, we just caught on to it too late.’’ Thane’s voice was calm as he replied, even as a harsh gust of wind at the balcony whistled through the gap in the doors, blocking his voice out for a minute before it settled. 

‘’The letter you mentioned…’’ the other person began, and I was sure it was about the packaged letter with the shadow that had been sent earlier.

‘’Us moving out tomorrow will depend on my mate's wellbeing first. If she is fit to make it to tomorrow, then we will need a small team while the rest will be on standby. This should be easy to do seeing as the venue is in the central square. To not put him on guard, he probably just wants to talk. I’ll go in with her and hide in her shadow…’’ Thane’s words trailed off as he went silent, probably deep in thought and trying to see if there was a loophole in his plan that would take him unawares. 

Having heard enough, I finally moved from my spot, tossing the huge bedsheet to the side with a loud rustle. My feet swung around to land on the floor, and I stood there bare-footed, feeling the coldness of the floor against my skin. 

I noticed my dress had been changed while I was outvand happily i looked down to see there were no scars on my body where I could remember being burnt by the fire at the house. It was all just smooth skin, and to top it up I felt in great shape, my muscles feeling energized rather than weak. Just how long had I been resting anyway? It felt like I had slept for days.

‘’Good, keep your eye out for any sneaky move from the humans, it wouldn't be beyond them to want to work with the shadows and then pull a stupid stunt,’’ Thane hurriedly said as I got closer to the balcony.

I could see the silhouette of a woman on the other side with blond hair give a short, sharp nod and the next second she went hopping off the balcony and into the night just as my hands reached out to pull the drapes apart to let me through.

‘’Who was that?’’ I asked as I crossed the threshold of the balcony, my voice sounding a bit raspy from the sleep. The cold blast of air outside immediately hit me hard tossing my long hair around in every direction it could find, turning me a mess as well as blinding me and stinging my cheeks as the wind picked up. 

‘’The hell!’’ I growled in annoyance, my hands flying up to wrestle with the long mostly white strands now that kept whipping harshly against my face. 

In the next second, the stinging stopped and the hair was gone from my eyes. I felt Thane’s large, warm hand on my nape as he gathered the huge mass of my hair in one smooth move, perfectly securing it atop my head so the wind couldn't catch it anymore. 

‘’You now carry around a hair tie with you?’’ I asked, a small chuckle escaping me at how smoothly he had managed to get my hair into a tight bun. I leaned back slightly into his chest, feeling the firmness of him behind me.

‘’Nope, just used your own hair to hold it in,’’ he replied easily. I noticed his voice had shifted, getting even softer and lower than it had been when he was speaking to that person just minutes ago. ‘’And that woman just now was Lydia, one of the vampire heads.’’ Thane continued as his arms wrapped around me smoothly, pulling me into his embrace where i belonged.

He held me deeply, his chin resting on my shoulder as the dark drapes of the balcony danced behind us. ‘’So how do you feel? Any pain, any dizziness? Do I need to get the healers back in here?’’ he asked calmly, his nose slowly nuzzling into the crook of my neck.

‘’No, not at all. I feel great actually.’’ I replied. My hands came up to slowly pat his arms where they were locked around my waist, trying to calm the restless energy I could feel vibrating off him. 

Even though he was trying to hide it, I could feel how tense his entire body was. He felt cold to the touch, almost like his shadows were standing on guard just beneath his skin, waiting for an excuse to lash out. 

‘’I’m fine Thane. Really,’’ I repeated again, trying to assure him that I was fine. That seemed to finally do the trick as I felt his muscles untense as he let out a long breath, his head moving to lay a soft kiss on my forehead.

‘’I would have skinned Lucas right out of his scales for letting you out in the first place but I know you like him too much for that. Besides, I heard he saved your father when the blast hit. That's the only reason i haven’t tossed him in the garden yet,’’ Thane continued not even sounding like he would do that to Lucas.

‘’Thankfully, he is perfectly healed now and your father is in good shape too. They’re both resting in the west wing. I loved that you took care of the attacker yourself, though. It was really a soft death for him compared to what I would have done to him for attacking you.’’ Thane finally pulled me an inch away, his hands resting on my shoulders so he could look down at me.

‘’Hmmm. Is that really what you want to talk about? I don't think so,’’ I said, going straight to the point. I stared deep into his eyes, and it felt like I could read every single thought that passed through those blue depths that  were dancing with tiny tendrils of shadow, swirling around his pupils like it was stormy.

‘’You want to deal with the shadow once and for all don’t you?’’ I suddenly said, watching his eyelids dilate as if he was shocked I had caught on so fast. 

He didn't say anything at first, but the way his grip tightened on my shoulders told me everything I needed to know. ‘’Well, I want that too. I'm tired just sitting around and watching it keep taking things from me one by one. So, what is the plan?’’