Chapter 48: Obsessed

The group had divided themselves into two. Edward went with Red and Valarie, while Ian and Edward went with Xavier who brought Sage along. Just as planned, Xavier’s group was ahead, while the other group moved through the trees like ninjas.

Red watched from above, her eyes narrowing as she saw how closely Xavier held Sage to himself. A pang of jealousy and anger surged through her, and she hated Sage even more for coming into their lives.

She was sitting on a tree, with others on different trees. She looked to Leo and gathered the courage to ask him a question. He was probably not going to answer her, but it was better to try.

“So… Edward, I was wondering what happened at Drake’s pack. Was Sage’s supernatural energy released or not?” Red asked, trying to sound indifferent, though inside she was desperate. She needed to know if Sage was a threat. If Leo knew her reason for asking, he definitely wouldn’t answer.

Leo’s gaze remained fixed on the group in front. “Why don’t you ask Xavier, or better still, Sage herself?” he replied, his tone dismissive.

Red rolled her eyes; she expected such a reply.'Why can’t he see how much this matters to me? Why does everyone act like Sage’s presence is normal?' She clenched her fists, trying to suppress her frustration.

“Let’s move,” Leo instructed before hopping to the tree in front of him.

Valarie, who was observing Red, jumped to her tree and gently held her arm. “Hold on. Why are you so worried about Sage? If you want to move on from Xavier, knowing more about his mate isn’t the best option for you,” Valarie advised, her voice soft but firm.

“That’s not it, or maybe it is. Xavier hasn’t said anything about our relationship. It’s almost as if he didn’t care if we were dating or not and just expects me to move on.” Red complained, her voice laced with sadness

“Well, that’s sad,” Valarie replied. She couldn’t relate to matters of the heart, as she had never been in love before, nor had she let anyone love her. She chased them away by talking rudely and acting like she didn’t see the signs that they were in love with her.

“I just want to know what kind of supernatural being she is. If she’s still human, there’s a chance her relationship with Xavier might not work out, except if he turns her into one of us.”

“I don't think she’s human,” Valarie replied, trying to spot the group below. They had walked really far while the girls were discussing, but Leo was a good distance from them, keeping an eye on the second group.

“What do you mean? That girl doesn’t have an ounce of supernatural energy in her.”

“Yeah, that’s because of the golden bracelet around her wrist. I don’t have good eyes like you guys, but you should be able to see it on her,” Valarie said, pushing Red's head slightly to the side of the tree.

Red couldn’t see the bracelet completely as Sage’s jacket sleeves were almost to her wrist. But she could make out an object reflecting light from Sage’s wrist. “What’s the bracelet for?”

“To suppress supernatural energy. The bracelet doesn’t give off any energy itself, but it’s a high-class item. Sage didn’t have it on until the day she came from the Dark Knight pack. You didn’t notice because all you were thinking about was getting Xavier’s attention,” Valarie said in disgust.

Red felt embarrassed for not noticing. With her skills, there was nothing she couldn’t pick up. She was good at noticing little details, yet something as obvious as a bracelet had passed her eyes. Red couldn’t help but question if she was losing herself because of the situation with Xavier and Sage.

“Why would they want to lock her energy after just finding out what it is?”

“I don’t know! Don’t ask me. Now let’s catch up with Leo and keep your head in the game,” Valarie said before moving through the trees.

****

The group had been walking for a while now but stopped for a moment. They could sense vampires not too far off, and the vampires could sense them too. They had to make a new plan. They were going to the enemy, and the enemy wasn’t just going to sit and wait for them to attack. They formed a circle, and Xavier suggested a new plan.

“I’ll keep moving forward alone; you join the others in the trees and get Valarie to mask your presence,” Xavier said and mentally slapped himself for not thinking about masking their energy before coming here.

“We should have done that from the start,” Ian said, his expression serious. Now that he was around the vampires, he couldn’t wait to make them pay for what they had done to the innocent people. He shared the same anger as Xavier, only he could compose himself and think things through before acting.

“I know,” Xavier sighed. He looked up to the trees but could only see Leo. ‘Where are the girls?’ he wondered. Not all of them knew how to suppress their energy, so they needed Valarie to help with a spell that could do the work for them.

Just as Ian and Edward prepared to jump into the trees, a sudden gust of wind whipped through their midst. They turned, eyes wide, to see Edward clutching his thigh, blood seeping through his fingers. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was enough to alarm them. Edward’s rapid healing kicked in, but the pain was still fresh.

A vampire that could mask his own presence had come to them, and no doubt it was a skilled vampire. Without his energy, it was difficult for the werewolves to keep up with his speed.

The next attack was aimed at Xavier, but Leo quickly jumped down from the tree and blocked the vampire's wrist from touching Xavier.

For a moment, they could see the figure attacking them before she zoomed off. It was a female wearing a ninja mask. They couldn’t see her face, but they knew it was a woman from her ponytail hanging outside the mask and her curvy figure.

“This is so annoying,” Edward commented.

“I think I know what she’s trying to do,” Xavier whispered. They had all gathered together, with their backs to each other and Sage in the middle. “She’s attacking based on strength. That’s why she attacked Edward first, then came for me. She attacks, then hides behind a tree close by, which is why we can’t see her coming. Leo, is she the only one you could spot from up there?”

“Yes. She was likely guarding the area.” Leo replied.

“There’s no way a vampire can be this fast. She’s probably using booster spells,” Ian said, anger ringing in his voice.

“No doubt,” Xavier agreed. It seemed only Leo would be able to match her enhanced speed. Xavier’s priority now was to keep Sage from danger, and he couldn’t do that if he was fighting.

“If they’re all using skill enhancement spells, doesn’t that mean we won’t be able to fight them with our small force?” Edward asked.

“We’ll deal with them, don’t worry,” Ian replied.

The vampire that was attacking them had stopped for a while to strategize. She was hesitant about whether to attack on her own now or run back and inform the other vampires that werewolves were coming.

Edward had come out of nowhere and was able to stop her attack, which made her hesitant. “I’ll go back to my group,” she finally decided before trying to run off.

Out of nowhere, a dagger flew through the air, embedding itself in her shoulder with a sickening thud. She screamed in pain, her cry echoing through the forest, revealing her position to the others. The dagger had pinned her to the tree, immobilizing her.

Red had seen a strange figure hiding behind a tree, and not far from the figure was Ian and the others. She didn’t want to attack the masked figure without knowing if she was an enemy or not, especially since the girl didn’t have any energy around her. But the girl’s sudden movement after staying still for a while had triggered her reflexes, and she threw the dagger, aiming at a spot that wouldn’t cause serious damage.