Chapter 104

Chapter 104
Dren PoV

I didn’t expect things to go south as quickly as they did, I foolishly believed we’d be able to take at least one of the council members out, but that wasn’t the case. They all got away. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

And I’m fucking furious about it, especially after what they have done to my little sister. She’s the baby of the family, the youngest of all fathers children and we failed to protect her. Multiple times. Over and over again.

Back before we knew she was alive, we all thought she was murdered along with her mother, if we’d have known, we would have searched for her. Nothing would have stopped us, not even the hunter council.

But they hid her very well, right under our noses.

They kept her moving from town to town and from city to city, knowing we’d probably never know about her. But then she found Mihai, and he found us. I’ll be forever grateful for him for that very reason.

I didn’t originally think he was good enough for her, but I’ve been watching him over the last couple of weeks, and I see it now. I see the love in his eyes when he looks at her, and the way he’s gentle with her but no one else.

I also see the way he looks at anyone who hurts her, and they don’t tend to live very long. Which I’m perfectly happy about.

Mae needs all the help she can get, from family, from the Nati lords, and from the witches, because after what I witnessed tonight the hunter council are not going to stop until they have her back within their reach.

They’ll keep coming back for her, and we need to be ready for it. We need to be prepared for whatever they throw at us, because until they are wiped from this earth, they won’t stop.

I’m sure of it.

I help Mihai get my sister into the back of a truck, and he jumps in the back with her, leaving me and my father to drive. It’s a long way back, and the sun is coming up.

The sun makes us weaker, if they attack in the day with numbers, we could lose. But I am a born Nati, I know how to fight during daylight hours. I’ve had plenty of time to learn.

I hear Mae’s screams as I slowly slump in the drivers seat, my father climbing in next to me. He gives me a slow nod and I start it up, hoping we can get back before the worst of the serum hits her at full force.

I’ve seen it before, and there’s no cure. It had driven people mad, the pain too much for even a Nati to withstand.

“She’s going to suffer.” I say through gritted teeth, pulling out onto the road. “And there’s nothing we can do about it.”

I hear Mihai whispering softly to her, and I’m grateful he’s the one to hold her whilst she goes through this. I don’t think I would be strong enough to do it. I can’t stand watching those I care about suffer, and I’ve come to really care about my sister. She’s family, and family means everything to me, even if I don’t always say it out loud.

My father looks back into the woods as we slowly leave the dense trees behind. He’s worried about another attack, but I think the council are done for now. They’ve gotten their point across perfectly well.

They wanted us to know that they can hurt any of us, at any time, and we’ll always lose. We’ll always come out second. But that’s going to change, I’m going to make sure of it.

“I wish there was something that we could do.” Luthor sighs, shaking his head, looking defeated.

“Don’t give up, dad.” I say, my voice hard. “We have to be strong for her, the next two weeks are going to test us.”

“What’s the point in being there for her when we can’t take away the pain she’s in?” He asks, throwing his head back into the headrest. “I feel useless.”

“You aren’t the only one.” I say, my voice softer now. “But we can’t let her see how hopeless it is, she has to know there’s another side to this. The pain will end, but it will take time. We’ve seen this before.”

“We have seen this before, and I’ve seen men three times as tough as her claw at their own skin until there is nothing left.” His voice rises, his shoulders shaking with rage. “I saw a Nati rip out his own heart just to make the pain stop.”

“That’s why someone needs to be with her at all times.” I say, unable to stop the stress from seeping into my bones. “We can’t leave her alone for even a second.”

“She’ll hate that.” He says with a laugh.

“She can hate it all she wants, it’s for her own good.” I say, keeping my gaze focussed on the road.

“You’re right.” Luthor says, and it takes me by surprise.

It isn’t often he says those words to me. It isn’t often he says them to anyone. My father likes to be right.

Mihai grunts, and my father turns his head to look. “He’s trying to hold her down, she’s seizing again.” He tells me, knowing I can’t look. He laughs a little. “She’s stronger than she looks.”

I nod, my grip tightening on the steering wheel, “need a hand back there Mihai?” I shout.

“No.” He grunts, his voice strained. “I’m fine, just drive.”

My gaze flickers to my father, and he’s gone pale, his eyes on his daughter. He hates this, we all do, but what else can we do but just struggle through it with her?

We can’t stop it, not even if we wanted to. There’s no cure.

Gods above, I wish there was.

But there isn’t.

The hunter council have gone too far, all because they want her under their control. They think if they torture and hurt her enough, she’ll go crawling back to them just to stop it. But they’re wrong. They clearly don’t know her at all.

Mae is headstrong, stubborn, and foolishly brave. She’ll never bow down to them, especially not after this.

She’s going to come out of this stronger than ever, I’m going to make sure of it.

I’m going to make sure she makes them pay, for all of it.