Chapter 103 — Small chat

I found myself walking through a dense forest, the air damp and cool on my skin. The trees were so close together that barely enough light from the moon filtered through the branches.

I came across a clearing and in the middle of it was a crumbling building. It was tall, medieval-looking, and despite its crumbling walls, it was breathtaking.

The church.

It was the first time I had seen the exterior, and when I walked in, the interior was just like the familiar one I had seen a couple of times in my dream. Immediately, my gaze fell on a woman; Elara. She knelt by the altar, her hands placed on her heart and her head tipped upward as she gazed at the sky. She looked like she was in the middle of a prayer.

“Elara,” I whispered when I was close enough to touch her.

She turned to face me, and for some reason, tears were streaming down her eyes. Just as I was about to ask what the problem was, she cut me off.

“You made it.”

“Yes, I did. I’m in Transylvania,” I knelt on the ground directly beside her, “Where do I find here? What directions do I need to take? Where do I need to go?”

She smiled tenderly, “You’ll be brought here in no time. Do not worry. My sisters will help you.”

My eyebrows furrowed. What Sisters? I wanted to ask. I couldn’t just rely on that. What if these sisters of hers never showed up? How would they even find me?

As if she read my mind, she spoke, “They’ll come to you, and when you meet them, tell them to take you to Elara, they’ll understand. You’ve come this far,” sensing my doubts, she reached out and cupped my cheek, “Trust me, I’m not going to let you down now.”

Nervous, I decided to take her word. She was right. I couldn’t have gone through all the trouble and she’d let me down just like that. But something bugged at the back of my mind, and I needed to find answers.

“The red-eyed monster; It’s following me, it haunts my dream. What does it want from me? I need answers, please,” the desperation in my voice was evident.

Suddenly, everything around me began to fade away, and I reached out desperately as if trying to grasp the dream before it would go away.

I jolted awake, my body trembling as I breathed heavily. I looked around as I realized where I was. Why had I woken up all of a sudden?

As my vision finally adjusted, Devyn leaned over me, his eyes glowing a bright blue.

What’s going on?

Seeing Devyn in that state meant something was wrong, and I could feel something was coming. I sensed it in every fiber of my being, from the hairs on my skin standing on end to the reckless pounding of my heart.

“We have to leave, now. Or innocent people might get hurt,” there was an urgency in his voice.

Recalling how that concierge’s brain spilled out, fear crept into me, penetrating my bones. I didn't even need to ask any questions as I sprang to my feet. Luckily our things were still in the car, so we weren’t carrying anything.

Just when I was about to open the door and exit the room, Devyn grabbed my arm, his face bearing a serious expression.

“We can’t go that way, come,” I understood why instantly.

He swept me in his arms, my legs hooking around his waist as I clung to him desperately. Our chests pressed against each other, and I could hear the frantic beating of our hearts.

To my surprise, Devyn pulled open the window, and as he leaped out, stories below, It felt as if my heart jumped down the building with him. I was shocked to see it was nighttime already.

How long had I been asleep?

Quickly, he rushed to the car, not bothering to drop me yet. Upon reaching the car, he placed me gently into the passenger seat, hooked my seatbelt, and walked to the driver’s seat.

“They’re coming, aren’t they?” I muttered breathlessly, my heart still racing.

He looked through the rearview window, “Yes, and they’re close,” his voice suddenly turned cold, colder than it had ever been, “We’re definitely being stalked closely — that explains why they keep finding us.”

An uneasy feeling washed over me, and I felt shock travel through my body as an image of the red-eyed monster flashed through my mind.

I swallowed, “Something else is coming. I can sense it, and it scares me.”

His eyes softened, as a concerned look creased his face. He grabbed my hand in his, giving me a reassuring squeeze. He brought it to his lips and murmured against it.

“I’m going to protect you. Nothing is gonna happen to you. I promise.”

There was a tone in his voice that dissipated all fear and cleared my doubts, leaving me with hope.

I raised my head high, “And I’m going to protect you.”

He wanted to say something but thought about it. He smiled and said instead, “I trust you.”

He turned on the ignition and drove out of the parking lot with remarkable speed, and calculated precision.

When we got on the road, headlights appeared behind us as the same black sedan car raced towards us.

“They’re here,” I said, and I gathered he already knew that.

The car closed in, quickly approaching us as Devyn accelerated. We sped along the road, and when woods enveloped us, Devyn took a sharp turn, veering off the road and into the dense forest.

Once we were deep enough and far away from people, he packed the car and locked the doors, keeping me in.

“Stay down and don’t get out this time,” he warned and I nodded, “Let me finish this.”

When I heard the sedan’s tires screech, I crouched down. Devyn got out of the car, and the audible snap of bones filled the air as he shifted into his wolf. Growls, snarls, whimpers, and the sound of vicious biting echoed through the woods.

I covered my ears to shield the noise. Worried, I peeped through the window to see if Devyn was safe.

A dismembered limb suddenly collided with my window, blood splattering in all directions. I almost let out a scream but somehow pushed it back.

‘What did I tell you?’ I heard Devyn’s voice echo through my head and I knew he did that on purpose.

Trembling, I crouched back, deciding to not peep again.

Clearly, he was doing fine.

Bile rose in my throat, a reminder that I could never get used to this level of brutality.

When the battle finally ended, there was no sign of Devyn. Heart racing, I gradually lifted my head, scanning around for any sign of him.

A sudden tap on the window made my heart leap out of my throat, and when I turned, it was Devyn, now in human form and naked.

I unlocked the door, and he moved to the backseat, probably to get his clothes. As he settled into the driver’s seat, the lingering coppery smell of blood that wasn’t his filled the car.

When he turned to look at me, I glared at him, a deep scowl creasing my face, “Don’t ever throw limbs at me again. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’ll keep throwing limbs until you learn to fucking listen,” he paused, “And you’re too young and healthy to have a heart attack.”

I rolled my eyes, as the car engine came on, “Let’s get out of here.”

As I relaxed in my seat, Devyn switched on the headlights. The blood drained from my body when I saw what stood ahead of us.

Three massive men stood in front of us, and when I saw their red glowing eyes, a gasp escaped my mouth.

They’re here.

A growl reverberated through Devyn, his canines erupting as his eyes glowed. Without hesitation, he got out of the car to face them.

No.

Unease washed over me. He didn’t know what these people were and what they were capable of.

“Devyn! Don’t. They could hurt you!” I exclaimed, trying to stop him but he didn’t listen as he shifted back into his wolf.

Before my eyes, the strange men shifted effortlessly and rapidly, into the monsters from my nightmares.

But this wasn’t a nightmare. They were real.

Heart pounding, I rushed out of the car and ran towards Devyn. I had to stop him from attacking before they would hurt him.

“Devyn!” I ran, the wind knocking me against I breathed heavily. Right on time, I threw myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his thick neck and gripping his fur.

He stopped and turned his head to look at me, his eyes holding a questioning yet angry expression

“I’m not going to let you jump into a fight until we figure out who they are,” I whispered to him as I ran my fingers through his fur, in an attempt to calm him down. Then I turned to look at the monsters.

They were even more menacing in real life.

Swallowing the lump that formed in my throat, I raised my chin high, pushing back every fear in me.

I considered communicating with them, to know exactly who they were and what they wanted, since Devyn wasn’t ready for small talk.

I spoke out loud enough for them to hear.

“Let’s have a small chat. Tell me, Who are you and what do you want?”