Chapter 115 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN
Chapter 115 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN
ELAINE
“You okay?” Luis asks, glancing sideways at me. His voice is calm, but I catch the tension in his jaw. He’s all lean muscle and quiet intensity, with the type of eyes that notices everything. I see why his Alpha wanted him here.
“Fine,” I lie, staring out at the passing trees. “Just not used to being the only witch in a truck full of wolves.”
Bale leans forward from the back. “You’re not fine. We can feel how tense you are and I’m sure it’s not because you’re the only witch here.”
“It’s not.” Luis says. “Before the blue moon, she used to come around us and try to get someone to sleep with her.”
Nice. Glad to know the werewolf memory is still as sharp as ever. Kai, Alpha Magnus’s son, watches silently from the back. He has Alpha Blood in him but his spirit and wolf are too calm. He’ll never be as powerful as Caius with that disposition.
“So what’s really bothering you?” Bale asks again.
“If I don’t want to tell you, I don’t have to.”
I’m tense because I want this to actually work. At the meeting, we tried not to be too excited at the idea but we all hoped it would work. Aliyah was a little jealous that she didn’t think of it first. If this mission is successful, we’re one step closer to defeating all our enemies.
After what feels like an eternity, Luis kills the lights and pulls off into a forest. “This is where we stop and continue on foot.” he mutters.
We climb out into the cool night. They hide the car with trees and branches and do a good job of making it look like part of the environment. Are they forgetting that I’m a witch and an illusion spell will be quicker and better than what they have going on? After they finish, I flick my wrist and the car disappears. I smile as they all groan.
“You could have done that when we started cutting up branches.” Bale says.
“It’s your fault for not asking me.” I say and walk past them towards our destination.
We hike the remaining few kilometers on foot. My boots sink into soft earth, and the weight of the big axe and blood vials in my bag reminds me what we’re here for. Bale catches up with me and leads, moving with surprising quiet for his size. Luis walks by his side while Kai stays close to me. Good choice.
We reach a small clearing shielded by thick oaks, a few kilometers from the truck. Perfect for waiting without being too exposed.
“Here,” Bale says. “This is close enough not to attract vampires or rogues.”
“The whole point is to catch a vampire. Let’s move closer.” I say.
“Moving closer is dangerous. Trust me. The vampires will come and we’ll catch them and do what we came for.”
We set up camp for the night. No fire, no tent. We just sit around in a circle and wait for the vampires to come. I mask all our scents except Bale’s. The vampires have to think he’s alone and come to get him. I decide not to tell him that he’s bait. He might not take too kindly to being bait. Twelve hours on the road and we can finally rest.
The wait stretches and tension fills the air. This is our one shot. If we don’t do it, we might never get another chance. Bale shifts his position, stretching his legs.
“Might as well talk while we can,” he says, voice low. “Get to know each other properly. Let’s start from Luis.”
Luis chuckles softly. “There’s nothing much about me. I was just a normal pack warrior until Alpha Caius chose me to drive his mate to her pack. Since then, I became important enough to be chosen for things like this.”
He’s proud about his importance to his Alpha and his pack. Wolf pride is always beautiful to watch. Bale turns to Kai next. “What about you? You don’t look like you want to be here.”
Kai rubs the back of his neck, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “I don’t. But I won’t complain. It’s important to my father.”
“And to you too. You’ll take over from your father as Alpha.” Bale counters.
Kai just smiles and doesn’t respond. Something tells me he’s tired of hearing that. Bales eyes meet mine. “What about you, Elaine?”
“I’m a witch. I’ve always been powerful and sure. But since finding out that our priestess is not who I thought she was, I’ve been floating. I need this to work so my sisters and I can end this war.”
“You and your sisters are less than twenty. I don’t see you ending a war by yourselves.” Luis says.
He’s not wrong but he’s not right either. We keep talking in hushed tones. Bale and Luis share hunt stories to keep us entertained. Kai tries not to enjoy himself but at the end, he’s laughing at the stories. A branch breaks in the distance and we all freeze. Cold spikes shoots down my spine.
“They’re coming,” I whisper.
We stand up and get ready for a fight as two vampires come out of the darkness, pale under the moonlight. Their eyes lock on us with hunger.
“Werewolves and a tasty witch,” one sneers, fangs glinting. “What did we do to deserve this?”
“We should signal the others.” The other one says.
“Why? The first one asks. “Are you not tired of sharing? Do you remember what if feels like to drink a wolf by yourself?”
Hunger blazes in the vampires eyes and he takes a deep breath. Bale shifts into a massive dark wolf and lunges at the first vampire, who dodges with unnatural speed, claws slashing across Bale’s side. I chant fast, flinging binding spells at the vampire. He hisses and falls.
Luis and Kai shift in a heartbeat, going for the other vampire. The vampire is faster and dodges them. I send a binding spell and that misses him and hits Luis. The vampire charges at me and claws my arm. I hiss in pain and turn around to find him. He can’t leave. If he does, we’re all dead.
Kai lunges at the vampire, knocking him down. He hisses at Kai and tries to shake him off when Bale shifts back into human form and pins the vampire down.
“Do it now!” he roars and I grab my bag and take out a newly sharpened axe and two vials. I go to where they are and with all my strength, I swing down and decapitate the vampire. It’s painful but that’s the only way to get blood from a vampire. Blood pumps from his neck into the vial.
“Bring more vials from the bag.” I say and Kai runs to get them.
I get three vials of blood from that vampire and four vials from his friend. Guilt tries to creep in but I remind myself that they would have killed us and not felt any guilt about it.
We’re all trying to stay alive.