Page 19

chapter eighteen

Enzo

“ You’re moving too slow,” the vamp tells one of the young recruits. “Trust your instincts. Try it again.”

I smile as I watch her train the wolves. After the situation at that house where she didn’t want us to go to the council, I realized she’s hiding something. It took my talk with Torak for a plan to form.

The best way to beat a leech is to join them. Vampires are manipulative, untrustworthy, and disloyal creatures. I was going to run her game on her. To figure out what she was hiding, I needed to gain her trust. So, I’m playing the friendly role.

It took me a few days to figure out how I was going to get close to her. I knew I couldn’t just walk up on her and start talking. She wouldn’t believe that. Thankfully, the little sister gave me an opening. Their little spat in the dining hall gave me a way to start the conversation.

Now, a little over a week later, she’s fully in my web.

She looks over at me and smiles when the wolf she was training finally does what she asks. I wink at her. The blush that fills her cheeks catches me by surprise.

“Don’t like this,” my wolf growls in my head.

Not for the first time, he’s made his feelings known about my new plan. I won’t lie; I get that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that tells me I might be doing something wrong. However, the thought quickly flees when I remember who and what she is.

“Relax, okay. I’m just doing to them what they do to everyone else.”

“Not her,” he argues. I don’t know what the hell is up with his infatuation with this vampire lately, but whenever she is near, I can’t keep his attention off her.

The vamp turns back to the recruits, moving on to one of the other boys. I glance over at the trainees. Nael catches my eye. He is glaring at the vampire. Since the day she showed back up to training, he has been unhappy. He keeps his distance, but the way he looks at her lets me know he’s fully against her being here.

I wasn’t lying when I said the guys wanted her back. Alarick had been on my case since I told him she wasn’t returning. The recruits complained shortly after. They felt she taught them some valuable lessons that day. However, Nael wasn’t thrilled.

Walking around the training circle, I go to stand beside the angry wolf.

“Whatever animosity you got toward her, bank it.”

He glared at me. Fire flickering in his gaze. “Since when did you become friends with the leeches?”

This kid had potential. But Alarick was right. He’s a hothead that needed to be humbled.

“Let the shit go. There are certain things you don’t need to know about going on.”

He turns his body to face me. “You’re a traitor to your people,” he snarls. Everyone stops what they are doing and turns toward us. I keep my face neutral even though my anger is boiling up in me.

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

He steps closer to me. “I know that you can’t be trusted. You parade around town with that blood sucking bitch like it’s okay.”

My wolf snarls in my head. I grab the pup by his neck and slam him to the ground so hard he whimpers. He fights to get up, but my knee on his neck has him stuck.

“I don’t give a shit about you not liking her, but you will never disrespect a woman in front of me by calling her a bitch.”

Yes, I’m running a game on the vamp, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let him call her out her name.

Leaning down to his ear so that only he can hear me, I say. “You’re angry because she kicked your ass. Don’t be stupid. Look at the bigger picture. We have her right where we want her.”

Confusion pinches his brow before understanding loosens it. He nods his head. I lift off him, pulling him up with me.

“You will apologize to the vampire for calling her a bitch,” I tell Nael.

He looks as if the thought alone would kill him. However, as he stares back at me, I know he understands why he needs to.

He turns to her. “Sorry,” he mutters before walking away.

She shakes her head as she walks over to me.

“So, blood sucker and leech are okay. But you draw the line at the b word.”

I chuckle because she has a point there. “Hey, I’m learning to be friends. I didn’t say it would happen overnight.”

Her laughter stops, but the smile on her face remains. “Is that what this is?” she asks, pointing between the two of us. “You’re trying to be my friend?”

Shrugging, I say. “I guess that’s what we can call it.”

Once again, she watches me closely. Those intelligent eyes seem to dissect me. I keep my smile on my face. She turns away from me, cutting her eyes off to the woods.

“Yeah. Okay,” she says before walking back over to the recruits.

“Whatever you’re plotting is dangerous,” Alarick says, coming up to my left.

I turn to look at him before turning back to the vamp.

“Who says I’m plotting?”

He scoffs. “Well, if you’re not plotting, it’s even more dangerous.”

I glance over at him. “Relax, Alarick. It’s not like that.” I turn back to her.

She directs one wolf to charge at her. As he draws close, she spins around to her backside, stepping out of the way. Her curly hair is braided in a French braid. The long plait hangs over her shoulder. She’s once again in one of her long sleeve thermal shirts. Exertion has her pecan brown skin flushed. Sweat beads over the bridge of her button nose.

“You’re staring,” Alarick says, bringing my attention back to him.

I clear my throat, placing my gaze on the recruits.

“I’m just keeping my eye on the enemy.”

He snorts. “Yeah. Keep telling yourself that.”

Before I could ask him what he meant, the vampire freezes. Her body goes rigid.

“What’s wrong?” I immediately ask.

When she looks at me, her fangs are poking out from her lips. We all take a collective step back.

“Blood,” she says. “A lot of it.”

Alarick lifts his nose into the air and sniffs. “Wolf blood,” he clarifies.

Just then, a piercing scream cuts through the forest.

“Marley,” the vampire whispers, then takes off.

I leap through the air and come down in wolf form. I don’t have to check behind me to know that Alarick is with me.

A howl goes up, signaling danger. I push my feet faster, passing the vampire. I follow the sound of the howl.

When two young wolves carrying the bloody body of Torak come out of the woods, I stop in my tracks. The young she-wolf that’s following them is in tears.

I transform right as Chayton shows up.

“What’s going on?” he asks as the boys drop Torak’s body to the ground.

I kneel beside it to listen for a heartbeat. It’s so faint I can barely hear it.

“We need to get him to his mom,” I say to Chayton, who is standing over me with a pale blank expression.

Her scream alerts me to her presence before I see her.

“Tor, baby, wake up.” Phaedra pleads as she drops down beside him.

“What happened?” I ask the two boys.

“Vampire,” the young she-wolf says.

Just then, a bloody Marley walks out of the woods. Her sister rushes to her. Her eyes rake up and down the younger one.

“I’m sorry,” the young vampire repeats.

Phaedra leaps to her feet. “You monster,” she screams as she tries to attack Marley.

Michaela steps in front of her. Her eyes daring Phaedra to take another step.

“Did you do this?” Chayton snarls at Marley.

Marley shakes her head vehemently.

“She didn’t do it,” the she-wolf says. “She saved us.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask. The young wolf was talking too slow for the situation.

“Torak and I were in the woods. We knew the female vampire was following us. She’s been doing it for days. Torak wanted to piss her off.”

I didn’t give a shit about this teen lovers' quarrel. I needed to know what happened.

“Who attacked Torak?”

“Another vampire. Some guy. He came out of nowhere.”

“Human-turned,” Marley cries to her sister. “I tried to fight him like you taught me. He bit me, Michaela.”

The oldest vamp once again freezes.

“Torak tried to fight it off, but he couldn’t. If she hadn’t come along, we both would have died.” The young female wolf points to Marley.

Phaedra goes back over to Torak, kneeling down at his side.

“Thank you, Marley,” Chayton says. She nods her head in her sister’s arms. “We need to get Torak to the infirmary so that Phaedra can work on him.”

“Chayton,” Alarick calls out. “It’s too late.”

He looks down at Torak, who is no longer breathing. Phaedra lets out a wail as she buries her face into his chest.

“No. Please. No,” Chayton mumbles as he drops to his knees beside his nephew. I turn away from the scene. The kid was young and had so much potential. He didn’t deserve this.

“You have to do it.”

I turn to look at a teary-eyed Marley. She’s pleading with her sister. Michaela is trying her best to keep Marley calm.

“I can’t,” Michaela grits out. “It won’t go over well.”

“No,” Marley shouts. “You have to do it.”

“What is she asking you?” I demand.

Marley slips away from her sister and takes a step forward.

“My sister can bring him back.”

“What?” Chayton asks standing to his feet.

Michaela grabs Marley and shoves her behind her. “My sister is being ridiculous. You guys aren’t interested in that.”

“What aren’t you telling us?” I ask.

Marley is still fighting against her sister’s hold as she tries to get to Torak.

“She needs to give him blood.”

“Marley, be quiet,” Michaela argues.

“No,” Marley yells, once again slipping out of her sister’s hold. “Now is not the time for secrets. No one cares that we’re royals.”

The collective gasps that go around echo through the trees. Chayton turns to me. His nostrils flare. Not only did we let vampires into our pack, we let royal vampires in. The worse kind. Royal Vampires are entitled, power hungry, pricks. They think the entire world should lie at their feet and the moment it doesn’t; they throw tantrums.

“Save him,” Marley cries out again.

“They don’t want me to. Read the fucking room for once, Marley.”

Marley stops fighting and looks around at the stone faces staring back at her. She finally sees why her sister didn’t want that information out.

Had Chayton known she was a royal, I don’t even think Luna would have been able to convince him to let her stay.

“How can you save my son?” Everyone turns to Phaedra. She’s still kneeling beside Torak’s body.

“Phaedra, be careful what you’re asking,” Chayton snarls. “She can’t be trusted.”

Phaedra cuts her eyes to Chayton. “I’ve been telling you to get rid of them for months. You did not heed my warning. Now is not the time to take a stand.” She turns back to the vampires. “How can you save, Torak?”

Michaela watches Phaedra closely. “I’m a royal, an old one. My blood has the power to give him life. But it has to be given shortly after he dies.”

“Will he be... Like you?”

I can’t believe Phaedra is even considering this.

“He already has supernatural blood in him. So he will remain who he is. But he will forever have a connection to me.”

Phaedra looks down at Torak. She strokes his cheek before turning back to the vamp.

“Do it.”

“Phaedra, think about this.” Chayton warns.

“I’ve already thought about it,” she snaps.

Michaela sighs as she comes over to Torak. She kneels down beside him.

“Open his mouth and hold his head back. White Wolf, I need you to hold him still. He’s going to move.”

Alarick goes over to Michaela and kneels beside her. Phaedra opens his mouth and holds his head back. Alarick holds his arms down.

The vamp bites into her palm. I turn away at the sight of her fangs sinking into her flesh. When I turn back, her hand hovers over Torak’s face. Drops of her blood drop into his mouth.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” someone says behind me.

Right before our eyes, Torak’s chest rises and falls. Michaela places her palm right up to his lips, and he sucks. He takes large pulls from her as if he’s drinking from a straw.

She has to tug to pull her hand away. The moment she does, he thrashes about as if something is fighting to get out of him.

“What’s wrong?” Chayton asks stepping forward.

“His wolf is fighting against my blood. It’s a common reaction. He will be fine in a minute.” I notice she doesn’t sound right. When Marley walks over and helps her stand, she stumbles.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s difficult to do what she just did,” Marley answers. “It’s why I couldn’t do it. I’m too young. It’s even harder when you’re not well fed.”

“What do you need?” I ask Michaela. “Deer?

She leans against her sister. “No. Deer won’t help. I’ll be alright.”

Once Torak stops thrashing, his body goes still, but he’s alive.

“He will wake in a few hours,” Michaela says in a soft voice. “He’s going to be starving and horny. Bring him food and keep him away from females for the next 24 hours.”

I watch as Marley helps her sister walk away. I’ve never seen her so weak.

Chayton steps up beside me. “She saved him. Even when she didn’t have to.”

“She’s a royal,” I state the obvious.

He sighs, running his hands through his hair. “I can’t toss her out. Not after what she just did.”

I turn to look at him. “I wasn’t telling you to.”

Walking away, I leave him there with his nephew.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back.” I say without turning around.

My feelings are conflicted. There is a part of me that wanted to kill her for her secret. A royal vampire has snaked their way into our pack. However, her saving Torak has proven that she isn’t completely evil. Maybe it’s part of her plan. All this time, I thought I was drawing her in, but she was luring me. Maybe that’s why I’m heading to find her some blood.