Chapter 145: Déjà Vu

I see Felix fall and my heart seizes in my chest. I run towards him and the girl, just as Ivanov is trying to grab her. I growl at him and bare my teeth and he looks down at me in horror. Then he pulls a gun and aims it right at my head. I shift back to human form and the moment it takes for him to blanch in shock is enough for me to knock the gun out of his hand.

“What...what are you?! Ved’ma! I will kill you witch!” he shouts, sputtering over his words. I start towards him and he backs away. His words aren’t backed by his body language. He is genuinely afraid of me.

“Leave the girl alone! Or I will kill YOU!” I reply.

“She’s my niece!” he says, and now I’m the one staring in shock. The battle rages around us and Felix lies bleeding on the ground, but I have to know the truth.

“I never meant for her mother to die, I only meant to kill her father. She belongs with me, she’s my blood,” he tells me.

“What kind of man threatens his own niece?” I ask incredulously.

“You don’t...deserve her. She deserves to be in the light...not the darkness you inhabit,” Felix speaks up. His wound looks severe and he’s fading fast. Ivanov looks down at him in rage and lunges. The little girl steps in front of Felix and looks up with hard, wise eyes.

“I hate you,” she says and spits at his feet. Ivanov’s expression looks hurt but then turns to determination as he moves to grab her anyway. Then he crumples to the ground as Felix pulls the trigger of a gun I didn’t realize he was holding.

Derek and Logan are nearby, fighting to keep others from our protected circle. Both Natasha and I drop to our knees next to Felix and I grab his hand.

“Felix, stay with me. I’m going to get you help, somehow. Just hold on,” I say through my tears. He smiles at me and then looks at Natasha.

“Keep her safe...take care of her...promise me,” he says with pleading eyes.

“I promise. Felix, I swear she will be loved and protected,” I tell him. Tears are flowing down my face and a sharp pain is echoing in my heart. I smile at him; to let him know it’s going to be ok.

He has a smile on his face as the light leaves his eyes. Natasha is sobbing over him and I grab her and hold her tight. We don’t have time to grieve; I have to get her to safety. I look up and the battle is still being waged around us and our numbers are dwindling. I wish I could use my powers right now but I don’t know if they will work on humans, or at all.

I hear a howl and when I look up I see Marcus charging towards us with a large group of wolves behind him. How did he know? Derek looks at me for a brief moment and he nods to me, acknowledging that I need to get Natasha out. I shield her with my body and run into the house, down into the basement where we were being held. It’s the only place bullets can’t get to.

“Natasha, listen to me. I have to go back out and help them. Can you stay down here and be a good girl?” I say.

“No! Don’t leave! What if they kill you? Then I won’t be protected like you said!” she cries. I know she’s only a little girl, but she does have a point. I feel desperate because I want to join the others but I really don’t want to leave her by herself. My prayers are answered when I hear Olivia’s voice.

“Lily!” she shouts.

“Down here, Olivia!” I shout back. She has a shotgun in her hand and she looks different, maybe a little tougher than before.

“How did you guys know we needed help?” I ask her.

“Felix called us. Marcus had some friends in the area so he called them too. We got here as fast as we could,” she says.

“Felix...he...didn’t make it,” I tell her. She looks as upset as I feel and I embrace her. She squeezes me tightly and when she lets go I see tears welling up in her eyes, which she quickly wipes away. Then she gathers her bearings and turns to Natasha.

“Hi, I’m Olivia. What’s your name?” she says and holds out her hand.

“Natasha. Are you nice?” she asks her pointedly. She is a smart, brave little girl.

“She’s very nice, Natasha. Olivia is a very good friend,” I say. She nods at me, accepting my approval.

“I have to get back out there. Will you stay with her?” I ask Olivia.

“Yes. Go. Make sure our boys make it out in one piece,” she responds. I hurry back up the stairs and shift again as I run out the front door. Our odds are looking better with Marcus and his extra men.

Ivanov’s men have already started to leave, knowing that their boss is gone. Antonio’s men are still fighting and shooting, but the look in a lot of their eyes tells me they are questioning their purpose.

I jump into the middle of the battle, fighting in between Marcus and Derek. I feel a sense of déjà vu and I hope that this will be the last time we have to do this. I see Logan take a bullet out of my peripheral vision and rush over to him. He was shot in the shoulder and he’s bleeding badly, but it’s not a fatal wound.

All of a sudden, everyone stops fighting with the sound of three successive gunshots and a shout from the front porch of the house. I look up and Antonio is standing there, holding Olivia with a gun to her head. I see Marcus start towards them but Derek prevents him from getting any closer. Antonio stares at all of us with a mad look in his eyes. My heart is in my throat as I search for Natasha and wonder what this monster has done to her.

“Nobody move! This fight is over,” Antonio yells out. Then he says with a demonic smile, “And it looks like I’ve won.”