Chapter 17

TOMORROW?!” Iliana cried.

“You’re shocked. Why?”

“I just wonder why it was moved.” Iliana’s head throbbed greater that it did before. She felt her body temperature rising and her breathing changing.

“Are you okay?” The masked man noticed her behavior

“I-I’m fine.” She said “I just need to get some rest.”

“You’ve never seen an execution happening in front of you before, have you?”

“I have not.” Truly, she has never.

“You don’t have to look. Although, you will be at the stage with your mate. Get yourself ready.”

“Ready for…?” Iliana wondered

“You may or may not be giving them the blood.”

“The blood?” She asked.

“The poison.”

“No.” She stood up from the bed and started to pace around the room. “No, I can’t. I won’t. No way.” She strongly disagreed.

“You’ll take it up Alexander, not me. I only heard them say it in a meeting.”

“No. I will talk to him.”

“Why are you scared of doing it?”

“I don’t want my hands dirty.” She claimed

“You’ll be doing the right thing.” The masked man countered

“I won’t do it. I thought David and Erik were going to do the execution.” She recalled.

“Plans changed. Alexander will tell you about it, then, you can take it up with him.”

Iliana dreaded the thought of her feeding Samuel and Stuart the blood. She hoped and prayed that Alexander will oppose her doing it. Moreover, Iliana had to come up with a plan of liberation before the next day. With the change of location, she had to come up with a plan to get information from Alexander, but was there enough time? The execution was most likely to happen in before midnight of the next day. Will she make it before then?

16:23pm.

24hours left.

Iliana slithered around town trying to avoid the Shadow pack members that were in town. She knew very well that they were in trouble but there was no way to help them get out of it. Iliana did her best to get information from Silver Creek pack member on their awareness of the hostages. None seemed to have an answer or an idea of what she talked about. It was always an exhausting task for Iliana. It felt as though the pack of Silver Creek suffered greatly from ignorance. They barely know of any other pack that is not the Shadow or Silver Creek. It was disturbing. They all sounded…coerced. Only a few knew what was going on.

Iliana remembered Sophia as one person she has spoken to on two occasions. It was disappointing Sophia’s contact was not in Iliana’s phone. Iliana had no regrets about it, she only regret picking the phone to Damian.

As Iliana walked around town, she couldn’t help but feel watched. It was a regular show for many eyes to be on her but she felt so much malice from this anonymous eye.

“Rachel.” Sophia called from a short distance. Iliana was relieved that she had found one person she could talk to…or so she thought.

“I have been looking all over for you.” Iliana said.

“Me too.” Sophia said.

Iliana rose her brow, “You’re looking for me?”

“Not me, the elders.”

“why are the elders looking for me now?” Iliana asked herself. “Where are they?”

“Come with me.”

Iliana followed Sophia to the elders. It was a long walk but there was something she couldn’t shake off; the smell of blood intensifying.

They arrived at an old building. The windows were broken and it had no door. The paint of the building had gone. Plants grew at the corners of the walls covered in moss.

“Here we are.” Sophia said as she led Iliana in.

The interior was no more different than the exterior; rotten woods, exposed ceiling, damp walls. Aesthetically, Iliana enjoyed it. They, Sophia and Iliana, walked to the upper room. The voices of Catherine, Jacqueline, Rajesh, David, Erik and Alexander could be heard.

As they surfaced, their talking seized.

“Rachel.” Alexander looked at Iliana. It was Iliana’s first time of seeing Alexander’s face so brightly. His facial features were ever so refined–his lips, nose, cheek bones were so perfect to Iliana. However his eyes did not glow, it was still a magnificent sight. Iliana did not hesitate to go grab Alexander by his hand. While others thought it was a gesture of romance, Alexander and Iliana understood their own reason.

“Now that you’re here, Rachel, let’s go.” Rajesh said as he opened a door that was in front of them. The smell of blood escaped even more as Rajesh opened the door. They, one by one, walked into the room.

First, they were met with the hostages seated on the floor near a window. Their hands and legs were chained. They were still conscious. Iliana had a worried look on her face as she looked at Samuel and Stuart on the floor. They returned the look but it was hard to notice the expression from their bitterly bruised face.

“Rachel,” Rajesh stepped in front of her making her raise her head to him. “You will be the executioner.”

Iliana softly tightened her grip on Alexander. “I thought David and Erik were going to do it.”

“You won’t scar them or bite through their necks. If that were the case, then I’d rather have David and Erik do it. This time, we want to try something different.” Rajesh dipped his hand in the pocket of the coat he wore. He pulled out two small bottles that contained a red colored liquid. “This is ‘the blood’. Crafted so carefully by the best practitioners. It was designed to kill a victim without them noticing. One drink and after thirty seconds, they are gone; very painless. What do you think?”

Iliana was speechless and sick. There were no words she could muster up at that point. Her thoughts had gone far away. “I-I don’t know…what to say”

“If you’re wondering how I know these effects, I don’t. We will test it right now.”

“RIGHT NOW?!” Alexander felt Iliana’s temperature rising and her breathing unstable.

“Are you okay?” He whispered to her. She nodded in response.

“Bring him in!” Rajesh yelled. David and Erik walked into room, dragging somebody that seemed to be struggling but failed to properly moved. He looked beaten as well. Iliana recognized it to be Jack.

“Iliana!” Jack cried. “Iliana, save me.”

Rajesh looked at Jack with a confused expression and looked at Iliana who had a grim look. “Shut up.” Rajesh commanded.

Jack struggled even more to the point of transforming. He growled at everybody but could not keep it for so long. He transformed back and struggled to stand.

“Get him.” Rajesh said to David.

David approached Jack who looked scared and helpless. David looked deep into Jack’s eyes for a few seconds.

“Don’t struggle.” David said to Jack who was now unwillingly still. David pulled Jack to Rajesh and forced him on his knees.

“Now, Rachel, watch.”

Rajesh tilted David’s head upwards and had him open his mouth. A bottle was opened and the content was poured into Jack’s mouth.

“Swallow.” David commanded; Jack obeyed.

Rajesh looked at his watch and waited. Suddenly, Jack jerked up and fell to the ground and died.

Rajesh, Catherine, Jacqueline, David and Erik all let out maniacal chuckles. Iliana on the other hand, felt her spirit floating away from her body. She had just betrayed on of her own, worse; she let one of her own get killed right in front of her eyes.

“Wonderful. Didn’t see this one coming, did you, Jonah?” Rajesh expressed his happiness. He walked to Iliana and looked at her. He stretched out his hand that had a bottle.

“Your turn.”

“My turn?” Iliana’s mind raged.

“We realized that doing this publicly might not be a good idea, so why not privately? And with that, we can do it in an instant.” Rajesh said. “Rachel, I want you do have the honor of taking part of this. I want you to get rid of those two right here, right now.”

Iliana couldn’t breathe.