19. THE SOUTH REMEMBERS

JAYDA

The wind crashed against my face as I stood by the balcony, I tucked the loose tendrils of my hair behind my ear.

Every time I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but conjure an image of the little boy that died, I can't believe that I let it happen.

I could have done something. I spent the whole of last night struggling with the guilt that seemed to be eating me up, haunting my dreams and thoughts.

I tightened my grip on the railing, my anger building up. Was I selfish for picking my secret over the boy's life?

But I wasn't the one that cursed him. I turned around, making my way into my room. I had to fix this, I couldn't let things be like this.

I plopped down by the edge of my bed, staring at my ceiling. “Dove what should I do?” I muttered to myself.

Silence. Ouch.

Maybe I deserved that one. I grabbed my bag and hung it across my chest. I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I met boy's mother.

Apologize? Explain things? I couldn't even fathom what she would be feeling if she saw me.

I took a deep breath, straightening my back. Whatever it was, I'd be ready to face it. It was still morning time, the sun wasn't intense yet.

As I trudged down the road, the buzz of activities began to fade away. I was approaching a more secluded pathway. If I remembered correctly, this was where I forced Beta Axel to confess.

I picked up on a sound, rustling of leaves from a nearby thicket, causing me to halt. I quickly darted my eyes both ways, trying to assess my environment.

I could sense that I was in danger. The silence that followed brought me nothing it dread, because what usually followed silence was chaos.

A figure lunged forward, his shadow casting over my face as my eyes widened. I managed to step aside last minute, only getting body slammed and narrowing escaping his claws.

He landed in the ground, flashing the daggers for teeth that his jaw housed.

Werewolf.

I was being attacked by a werewolf. I felt a surge of energy coursing through me as I tried to run. But the rest of his crew creeped out of hiding, their growl a low warning.

I dug my hand into my bag and retrieved my trusty blade, pointing its shape end towards them. “Stay back!” I warned them.

But the biggest one growled, taking a huge step forward. I could feel the hairs on my skin stand erect.

I clenched my fists, primal instincts taking over as I lunged forward at the one directly in front of me, my wolf form manifesting as my body morphed into its canine form.

“Get her!” One of the voices ordered as he ran smack into me. I fell to the group, tumbling and raising dust. A searing pain resonated from my rib cage but I didn't let that deter me.

I swung my claw, connecting with him with a dry thud as my nails dug into his skin, leaving clean streaks of bloody lines on his face.

I was bit, causing me to yell as the others began to pile up on me.

I wasn't sure how long I could hold them off. The dust clouds rose, enveloping us as it obscured my vision.

I couldn't tell what direction my attackers were charging from until I was hit. I collapsed, feeling weak as my wounds began to bleed out.

Influenced by my primal instincts, I let out a shape howl, still trying to fend for myself with an injured limb.

Suddenly, a silhouette materialized in the dust, slightly larger than that of my assailant. He grabbed one of my attackers by the hind limb, sending him flying across the air until he hit the truck of a nearby tree.

The sound of bone cracking met my ears followed by the thud of a lifeless body dropping on the ground.

The other three jumped off me and surrounded the strange wolf. Upon closer inspection, I realized who it was.

Daemon.

He charged at them, grappling aggressively as he bit them, tearing through their flesh with his enormous bite force.

The biggest wolf faced him head on, colliding claw for claw with Daemon as they fought.

With one quick movement, Daemon took him off his feet, and delivered a killer blow to his truck, ripping this guy open as its visceral content sprawled out on the ground.

It all seemed to happen in a haze, four dead bodies laid before me, while Daemon was covered in their blood.

His chest was heaving as he took in labored breaths, panting heavily. I shifted back into my human form and so did he.

“Are you okay?” He asked, holding my hand to check for bruises.

I snatched my hand away from his hold, hissing as I registered the sensation of pain. “It's okay, I'll be fine”

From the corner of my eyes, the one under the tree morphed back into his human form, groaning in pain.

Daemon and I shared a look, he was alive. He tried to stand on his wobbly feet but before he could get too far, he slumped and fell.

My senses were instantly plagued with rage and I quickly went to him and grabbed the collar of his blood stained shirt, slamming his body against the tree trunk.

He let out a dry grunt. “Please, don't k-kill me” he stuttered. I tightened my jaw, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Who are you and why did you just try to kill me?” I asked through gritted teeth.

His breath hitched, seemingly caught in his throat. He swallowed painfully, a grimace maring his features.

“I'm just an ordinary guy from the south”

I tightened my grip on his collar, reducing his air flow. His face twisted into a frown as he struggled to breathe.

“Please let me go, someone sent me. I was only following orders” he let out.

I arched my brows, “What orders? And from who?”

“Jayda, it's not worth it, he's just a lowlife peasant, this is how they are” Daemon said, and before I could blink Daemon had swung his claws and dug it into the man's throat, snatching away whatever life was left. I let go of the man's collars and he crumpled to my feet, his blood staining the ground as it flowed.

“What the hell Daemon?!” I croaked, shooting an incredulous look his way.

His expression shifted, for a fleeting moment I seemed to have caught something. Fear? Anxiety?

I couldn't tell. He took a small step back, placing his hands against his waist. He let out a frustrated sigh.

“You're welcome” he quipped.

“Why didn't you let him finish his statement? He was going to confess!” I insisted, frustration bubbling within me.

“No Jayda, he was going to lie. You had him in a disadvantaged position, he'd say anything you wanted him to do just so you could spare his life”

“You could have at least let us hear it before killing him. What if he had some vital information? We don't even know who sent them” I argued.

“Fine, bring him back to life, you're a healer right?!” Daemon retorted, frustration evident in his tone.

“That's not the point! Besides I can't, I'm a healer not a necromancer!, I can only heal his wounds i can't bring him back to life" I spat, raising my voice a pitch higher.

Daemon groaned in annoyance as he approached me. “Why are we even arguing? What would you have done even if hypothetically, he told you who sent him?”

“At least I would know who sent him and I would know who my enemies were”

He gently grabbed my shoulders, giving me a slight squeeze. “We need to leave this place, we don't know how many more of these goons are coming, it's not safe for you here.”

I withdrew from his touch, still pissed by his actions.

“What were you even doing here?” He asked in a calmer tone. “Don't you realize how dangerous it is to leave without informing someone about your whereabouts?”

“I'm sorry, I didn't know that there'd be an assassination attempt on my life” I replied in a sarcastic manner.

“Let's just leave this place,” he said. I nodded and followed his lead. I couldn't help but take one last glance back at the dead bodies, before trudging forward.

The man said he was from the south, so I knew that this wasn't just random. It was deliberate, it had to be somebody that knew me.

I began to rack my mind, wondering who from the south knew about my current whereabouts and why that person wanted me dead.

I let out an exasperated sigh, I had to be more careful henceforth. There were too many people lurking around who wanted me dead.

I narrowed my eyes on Daemon's muscular back. Why was he acting so strange?

I had an inkling of doubt, I began to entertain the prospect that he somehow had a hand in what just transpired.