Ch. 66..70: The Werewolf's Vampire Mate Chapter 66-70
Chapter 66: Confused emotions.
Darrien.
What is he doing here?
My heart races in my chest as he walks into the house. He looks skinnier than the last time I saw him. He is just a kid Darrien, why haven’t you been able to stop thinking about him?
"Have a seat," Alanis tells him and he looks at all the chairs in the living room unsure of which to take. I smile because he is adorable. This was the last thing I expected. Seeing him here. In my house, looking so cute with his big brown eyes. I don’t know what is happening but he is watching me too. That same look is in his eyes.
The look of uncertainty.
The look of confusion.
I take a step away from the scene. Right now, Jabi is the only one that has seen me. I am like a fly on the wall to the rest of them. Alanis seems to be in his head. So, there is a total of four people in the room apart from me. Beau’s friend and the kid and my two brothers—Alanis and Eligio.
It’s weird that we have wolves in our home. A couple of months ago, we didn’t even want to be in the same space with them but right now all I want to do is ask a wolf if he has eaten today cause he looks fucking starved. Jabi looks unhappy and I hate it for reasons unknown to me.
"What is going on?" Alanis asks the other guy. I really can’t remember his name and it is not like I give a shit. I don’t suddenly care about the wolves. The only one I seem to be interested in is the kid. I don’t even know what this sudden interest is. I don’t think it is romantic. I don’t suddenly have feelings for him. There is just this protectiveness. This longing within me. He looks very fragile and I want to see him smile. I want him to be happy. Fucking hell.
I rest my back on the wall as I watch the scene play out. Jabi raises a brow with a smirk. He is the only one that talks to me freely. The conversations we had in his community made me feel like I was human. There is no pressure when I am tailing to him. I felt at ease and happy.
I smile because I don’t want to be noticed yet. Placing my index finger on my lips I shush him. He smiles even wider.
"Isabelle has been away from home for days. She has been looking for him. I spoke to her yesterday. She is still searching but there hasn’t been any progress. He was seen at a bar last night but he left pretty fast and no one could trail him. She is waiting to see if he will go there today."
Everyone is searching for Beau, but the only person that has everything to lose if he is not found is Alanis.
"I saw Beau today," Alanis blurts out and everyone is shocked.
I was with him all day. We both went to Maddie’s house. We didn’t see Beau. The only person we saw earlier was Cassius and he didn’t go there to fight. He is playing a game and everyone is giving him what he wants. They shouldn’t have gone to him. It was an obvious trap and I am surprised that Alanis will fall victim to that. He should know better than that. He shouldn’t have carried his Link with him, especially when he knew Beau’s kind was being hunted by this same man. I don’t want to let him know how I truly felt about the whole thing because he is going through so much right now.
Maddie shouldn’t have been his priority at that time. She is a bitch. I have always hated her. Never fancied her even when Alanis was so convinced that he could make her is Link, I knew it was all bullshit. I don’t want to be the guy that says ’I told you so’ but I actually told him so.
"In my head," he mutters like it even makes any sense.
The guy is losing his mind
Slowly.
"What do you mean?" The other wolf asks.
Alanis runs his hands through his hair and moves around the room, pacing. Eligio watches him curiously and I remain in my position like the creep I am. They don’t trust me. At least I am sure Alanis doesn’t trust me. He has never trusted me but suddenly I want to gain his trust. I want to be a real brother to him. The hatred I had for him was jealousy. I have always known.
"He said you’d know about it. A mind link. What is that?"
"Our minds are connected. We communicate through each other in our heads. We haven’t been able to communicate with Beau for the past two weeks." Rex explains.
Alanis seems to be grasping all they are saying. Is it possible for a vampire to have a mind-link with a werewolf? At this point in my life, I don’t even know what is possible and not. From the beginning of time, werewolves and vampires have been mortal enemies. There was a war and a lot of lives were lost. The contention was the only way that we could all live peacefully. Having the contention didn’t mean things were suddenly cool between our kinds but now there is mating going on between us. There are connections--I fucking want to pull the little kid closer to me. That is how badly whatever is going on in my head is.
"Did he tell you where he is?" Eligio asks him.
Alanis shakes his head "He doesn’t know where he is. He is in some kind of dungeon. The place is dark and dusty, there is a door that looks like a cage. He is in a fucking cage like some sort of animal." he cries.
If this was the old me, I will make some silly joke about the fact that he is actually an animal but I can’t right now. I have somehow learnt to read the room and the tension in this room is high. I can not be making silly jokes; not especially now that I want to make my relationship between Alanis better.
"It’s a good thing that you can communicate with him," I use this opportunity to speak up and all eyes turn to me. "Eligio can use this to see something, he just has to get into your head, somehow Beau is in there. It can show him something."
It is just a suggestion but here I am wanting to impress Jabi. Just the fact that he is here, watching me makes me want to be better. I want to protect him; I want to be someone he can look up to. I want to be his EVERYTHING.
"He is right," Eligio declares.
I smile feeling a sense of accomplishment. Jabi smiles at me and my cheeks redden from pure joy. Here I am blushing like a fool for this kid. He is a kid and I will never ever get involved with him in that way. At least not until he grows up—holy shit, what am I thinking? Do I want to get close to him in that way? This is not me, thinking about someone else so deeply. There is a thought in my head that I am not ready to admit, at least not to myself.
I am not ready to even go there.
"How will this work?" Alanis asks.
"I just have to get into your head, we can try this in my room," they all look at me and Alanis direct his request at me "Can you stay with Jabi?"
Frankly, I think this is intentional because deep down he is suspicious but he hasn’t said anything "Sure," they all walk out fo the living room and I am suddenly alone with the little kid. I don’t mind being alone with him. He is the only one I want to be alone with. I want to get to know him, ask him why he is so skinny?
"How are you holding up?" I ask as I take closer steps to him. I notice the rip on his jeans and this is not the stylish kind. I guess you can call everything these days fashion, but this was not intentional.
"As I can be," he shrugs and manages a faint smile.
He might be acting like he is okay but I can see right through him. He is hurting and I want to get to the bottom of whatever is going on with him.
"Why do you look so much skinnier than the last time I saw you. I thought werewolves re supposed to be really buff," I ask him cheekily. I am adding light humour to this because I want him to be comfortable with me. I want him to want to open up to me. Tell me his worries, his fears and the rest.
"I am not an alpha."
His words are blank like I am supposed to understand what he means. Is he telling me that only alphas eat?
"So?" I raise a brow. This is a challenge.
"I can’t hunt without an Alpha and Beau is missing. So I have no one to hunt with?"
I furrow my brows "Hunt what?"
He giggles at my curiosity and I roll my eyes. He is amused that I am such a novice when it comes to his kind.
"Hunt for food," he explains.
"You mean meat?"
He nods.
"What happens if you go alone?"
"I die," he tells me.
My heart races in my chest at his words. He can’t be serious about dying. Just the thought of him losing his life is heart-wrenching. I cannot imagine it, I don’t want to live to that day.
Fucking hell.
Chapter 67: Hunt with me.
Jabi.
’’I die.’’
It is meant to be a joke but the expression on his face tells me that he didn’t take it as one. His eyes suddenly become very red, in a swift moment. His breathing is heavy, his chest rises and falls and I watch him, unsure of what to say.
’’What does that even mean, why would you die?’’
’’It was a joke, I won’t die. I just won’t succeed in getting the desired effect. I am only strong when I am with an Alpha,’’ I blurt out because I don’t want to get him upset.
He stands up from the couch and I watch him walk out of the room. I don’t know what is going on but I hate myself for upsetting him because I don’t want him to leave me. I want him next to me, I like talking to him. This is not what I intended. After a few minutes of battling with myself internally, he walks back to the room and his face is blank. The anger that was surfacing seems to have vanished.
Good job Jabi.
’’Are you hungry?’’ he asks me suddenly.
I am hungry but I am not hungry for food. I need meat, I need to hunt. Hunting is the only thing that can give me the strength I need. He can’t help me, the only person that can help me is my mate and I don’t have a mate. I don’t know If I will ever find this person that is supposed to rescue me from all the turmoil I am in.
’’I ate before I came here?’’ I answer.
’’Do you want to try this hunting with me?’’
His question is ridiculous so I can’t help but laugh at how funny he looks right now. There is a serious expression on his face, almost like he has thought about it. It is funny because, how will it look? A wolf and vampire in the woods hunting for a deer. No one will even support it; hunting is a sacrilegious act between us wolves. I don’t even know if it is right to involve him in this.
’’It’s impossible,’’ this is my way of letting him down gently.
He smiles ’’Everything about us right now is impossible. I think you don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.’’
’’How will it work? you can’t turn into one of my kind.’’
He nods.
’’I am fast, I can stay next to you. Run by your side. Help you catch your prey. I can do all those things. And then you get to eat the meat you need.’’
He says it like it is so easy. I don’t think this is possible. It makes no logical sense. Even thinking about it is ridiculous but the look on his face. The determination in his eyes makes me want to try this. What will I lose by trying this? He will be there to protect me If things go wrong, at least he will have my back.
’’Why do you want to do this for me?’’
He shrugs ’’Why do you look at me the way you are right now?’’ he asks me out of the blue and not answering my question.
’’How am I looking at you?’’
He shrugs again ’’I don’t know, maybe like I am the only person you trust.’’
He is just guessing. There is uncertainty in his eyes but he is right. He is the only person in this moment my heart is beating for. I feel safe next to him. The feelings in me are confusing. I want to try this with him, I want to try other things with him. It is strange but I am ready to explore everything that he is.
’’I don’t trust you.’’ I lie.
He laughs ’’How do I know you are lying?’’
’’I am not lying.’’
The smile is still on his face ’’You want to deny it but I see right through you. I see the pain in your eyes. I might not know the details but I know you need an escape and I will be that for you.’’
All his words are confusing.
Why would he want to be that for me?
Why does he give a shit about me?
In all my sixteen years, I have never wanted to be any closer to anyone than I want to be with him.
What is going on?
’’I don’t understand what is going on right now.’’
He smiles ’’Neither do I but you’ve gotta eat and I need to feed you.’’
He says it like it is so easy. Just come on let’s go hunt a deer in the woods. All peachy to him but terrifying as fuck to me. I can’t refuse him. I want to spend more time with him.
’’Come on.’’ he stands up from the couch. I follow him trying to keep up with his pace.
’’Right now?’’
He walks out of the house and I follow him at his back. My heart is racing, a sudden excitement that I have never felt before. I want to explore this with him. The fear I had when we were talking about this is gone.
’’Yes.’’
He stops walking and my face hits his back from the abrupt stop. He turns around and I look up at him. I am just 5ft tall. This man in front of me should be over 6ft. He is over a foot taller than me, so looking into his eyes is impossible.
’’Do you have anywhere to be right now?’’
I shake my head.
’’Then let me do this for you. I know a place we can go to. We won’t use your turf, so none of your people will find us. It will be our little secret,’’ he winks and my heart melts. Slowly he raises his hand up and I quiver next to him. He brushes a strand of my hair off my face ’’You in?’’
I don’t even need to think of an answer anymore.
I am in for this fun ride.
****************
There are trees, the wind blows heavily. This just feels like our woods. It looks the same but the drive to get here was a different direction and it took us almost an hour. I rode in silence because I still don’t know what is appropriate with him.
When I followed Rex, I didn’t expect to meet him but now I am glad I listened to him and went.
Being with Darrien makes it all worth it.
’’How does this work?’’ he scratches the back of his neck nervously.
I smile with a shrug ’’I don’t know.’’
We are staring at the trees and the forest, no one is making a move. Hunting with beau, we all turn into our true forms and it becomes a competition. Survival of the fittest. An omega is supposed to follow their Alpha. Omegas are not supposed to surpass the Alpha. We hunt in a group, but this time is weird and different. It is just me and a vampire. Being here makes it sound even crazier.
’’What do you usually do?’’
’’I follow Beau, we change into our true forms.’’
He smiles ’’Okay, change,’’ he says it so nonchalantly. Like it is not a big deal. Meanwhile, I am freaking out. Changing in front of him will show him my vulnerability. I am not like the other wolves in my pack, I am small and fragile; just like my human form.
’’Right here?’’ I ask timidly.
He smiles ’’Yes.’’
I am not ready to get naked in front of him. I don’t want him to see me and hate what he sees. I am nothing special. There is nothing attractive about me. I am too skinny and too pale, I have no flesh on my body, just bones and skin
’’I have to get naked or lose my clothes.’’
He chuckles ’’I will turn around,’’ he turns around and the thoughts in my mind full of insecurities calm down. ’’Just let me know when you’re done,’’ he calls out to me.
Hurriedly, I start to take off my clothes, starting with my jeans and then my shirt. After I am done, I close my eyes because the transition is very painful for me. Beau told me it is not supposed to be this way, he said eventually when I find my mate it won’t hurt anymore. It is unfair that I was dealt with this plight. I feel like I was cursed. They say being a werewolf is a curse. Most times I feel cursed.
The process starts and I groan quietly, enduring the pain as my bones bend and break. It is slow, the transition takes a while and when I finally turn into my true form, my eyes find him. He is still standing in the same spot with his back facing me.
I crawl over to him until I am in front of him. There is a smile on his face when he notices me. I can’t talk so I just watch him as he waits. The smile widens as he reaches for me.
’’You are adorable,’’ he cries and pets my head, slowly until he reaches behind my ear. I close my eyes because his touch is soothing. It is the closest anyone has ever been to me.
’’Lead the way and I will follow you,’’ he says still petting me.
I have never led anyone in any situation. The excitement is there. The strength I didn’t know I had breaks out of me as I move away from him ’’Don’t you worry, I am pretty fast.’’ he winks at me.
Suddenly I am running into the woods with as much speed as I can muster and Darrien is beside me, keeping up to my pace. He doesn’t try to surpass me. He follows me and I feel ten times better than I did earlier today.
Chapter 68: Stay with me.
Darrien.
Running with Jabi is the freest I have ever felt.
This could literally become our thing.
If I have to do this with him for the rest of my life, I choose to gladly. His speed is fast. There is this very strong energy radiating from him. It feels like he doesn’t even need me to do this. He said he is too weak, he said he needed an Alpha but the person next to me doesn’t feel like he needs anyone. He is fast, nothing gets me tired but I feel this race with him.
I do everything with a certain amount of energy. I am fierce, always temperamental. I have always been that way. I don’t listen to people; I do things my way. There are no rules when it comes to me but with Jabi, I want to give him all the control. I want him to let me know what is okay and what is not. So, running with him is not a race. I am at his mercy. Wherever he goes, I follow.
He slows down his pace and I watch him. His eyes find me and it feels like he is smiling at me. Can wolves smile?
I see the deer as he turns his head towards it. This is his catch. This is what will give him the strength he needs.
I want to help him but I also know he needs to do this on his own. It defeats the purpose if I help him. He is strong, I believe he can do this on his own. He doesn’t need me but somehow, he has come to believe he can’t do anything on his own.
He stops moving and I stop with him. We are behind a bush, the animal seems to be eating the grass on the ground. I know the drill, watch your prey, catch them when they are unaware. Jabi seems to be stealth as he moves slowly towards the deer. The animal doesn’t seem to notice. This is good, now I just watch him at his marvel. I don’t need to do anything. He didn’t think he could do this on his own but he is doing great.
It is like a beautiful painting. A fucking masterpiece. I revel in all his glory as he leaps upward until the animal is in between his teeth. With his sharp jaws, I hear the snap and he gives the deer a quick death. This is everything to me. Watching Jabi in his glory. It doesn’t gross me out, there is so much blood. I am a vampire, I deal with blood all the time. I have had animal blood, there was a time when I swore off human blood. That was a dark time for me. Watching him devour the animal doesn’t scare me off. This is another layer of him, I peel it off slowly as I watch him. He eats like he hasn’t eaten in years, he has been hungry and no one cared to take care of him.
I take responsibility for his life.
I will be there to take care of him.
From now till my last breath.
*****************
"How do you feel?" I ask him as he puts on his t-shirt. There is a bright smile on his face.
This is the face of a happy person.
I don’t even need to ask.
’’Thank you for this. I didn’t think it was possible," he exclaims still smiling.
This is what I live for.
Putting a smile on Jabi’s face. From this moment on, I am inclined to make him happy. I want nothing else but this. I still don’t understand this. I don’t know if this is how a link is meant to feel like. It is all confusing to me but I want to explore this. I want him to grow up. I want him to have this smile on his face for the rest of his life.
There is no leaving his sight.
’’I told you It was possible," I tell him and he chuckles as he ties his shoelace. His sneakers are worn out with brown stains on the white edges. I have enough money to take care of him. I can’t wait for the day when he will let me. These are just shoes but it says a lot that he is still wearing them. I know for a fact that he is suffering in his pack. At least he had Beau when he was there but now, who does he have?
"How was the meal, it looked delicious from the way you devoured all the meat.’’
He nods his head and moves closer to me ’’It was the best I have ever had. Honestly, never tasted this good."
I reach for him and he doesn’t flinch or try to move away as I ruffle his hair playfully. His cheeks redden "Do you want to go back now?" I remember he came with that other guy.
"Not really."
I see it in his eyes, the same sadness that is always there. He doesn’t want to go back to his pack. I can read to him. That much is obvious. "what is your most favourite place that you’d want to go?"
He shrugs.
I grab him by his shoulders and pull him closer to me. There is a spark and it hits me quickly as I pull him even closer. He is shorter than me so he has to look up at me "Think, is there anywhere you’d rather be."
He closes his eyes and I watch him. I study his face. There is a little scar on the crease of his eyes. This is the first time I notice it. I mean this is the first time I have actually looked at him--I mean really looked at him. It looks deep like it hurt a lot but I don’t want to ask him right now.
"I don’t know....I’ve always wanted to go to the beach," he mutters finally and he opens his eyes to my smile.
"Let’s go to the beach right now."
I am being impulsive. This is unlike me. I don’t do things irrationally. I always try to be the best I can be. I don’t involve myself in things that could put me in trouble. I literally stole him away, they asked me to keep an eye on him. I took him out of the house without permission. I am mixing with a fucking werewolf.
But I want to do this.
I am excited to spend more time with him.
There was doubt in my mind about this being a link, fuck there is still doubt but the longer I spend with him makes it clearer.
"Okay."
We get to the beach in an hour. It is the one closest to my house. There is aa gleam in his eyes as I park my car in the parking lot. He is like a child. He is too excited and that gives me pure bliss. The sky darkens as the sun begins to set.
The day is already over.
I guess it’s safe to say I will be spending the rest of my day with him and it is the best feeling ever.
"I have never been to a beach before," he exclaims and I smile because he is experiencing a first with me. I want him to experience all the things he had been unable to with me. I will take him on the journey that comes with truly living. There are no confinements when it comes to life, he has been stuck in that pack for too long. They have kept him caged and in sufferings.
I will break him free.
"Come on."
We get down from the car and he walks next to me. He is so close to me and the more we walk the closer he moves to me. I like it, I want to shield him from all the problems that come with the world. I will gladly be his knight in shining armour. The man that will always protect him. That is what I feel for him, some kind of protecting bond. There is nothing romantic with us. Maybe this is the early stages. I don’t see him in that light.
Luckily, I am wearing sneakers today, so the sand that I really hate can’t enter in between my toes. See what I mean, I fucking hate the beach. You can’t bribe me to come here but for him. I will do anything.
"Wow," he exclaims as we get closer to the water. The waves are high, the sand is hot. This is everything I hate but it is with someone I suddenly care about, so I don’t mind. "The sky is beautiful right now." he sits down on the sand and I watch him as he looks up suddenly.
The beach is empty. It is getting late on a weekday. No one comes here on the weekdays. I walk over to him and sit down next to him, not minding all the sand.
So much fucking sand.
"Thank you for this."
I look at him and his eyes are glued to the sky. The sun sets slowly and he smiles as he watches it. This is a small thing but the look in his eyes tells me that it means the world to him.
"I want this every day," he breathes out and I watch him as he takes a deep breath "I have never felt this free in my whole life. The pack is suffocating me." his words are sincere.
It breaks my heart.
"I don’t want to go back. I wish I could let go of everything," the pain in his voice is breaking my heart.
"Stay with me." I blurt out without thinking.
He looks at me with wide eyes.
I mean every word.
I want him to stay with me.
Chapter 69: Progress.
Alanis.
Eligio closes the door to his room and I walk over to the bed, taking a seat on it. Rex sits down on the chair by his bedside table. He is not needed here but I wanted to leave Darrien alone with Jabi. I see something in his eyes every time he looks at the kid.
It is the same look I give Beau and if I have to be a matchmaker, then that is what I will do. I know he wanted that alone time and he can thank me later. Now all my focus is on Beau and finding him.
Eligio walks over to me and stops in front of me "This is the same process as last time. I want to get inside your head. See what you see, just let me touch you."
That is all he needs to invade my privacy. That is exactly what he is doing, crawling into my mind and seeing the things that should remain private. I don’t want to stop him because I need him and this power right now. If he can get into my head, then we can steal Beau’s memories. As long as we do this, we can find him.
"I’m going to start now." he places both hand on the temples on my face. His touch is soft, but his hands are cold. I close my eyes as I get weaker to his gift. His hands stay placed on my face and I wait. Wait for something to happen. Usually when he does this, I see whatever he is seeing.
"Think of him. What did you think of the last time you saw him?" he asks me, still holding me.
"I don’t know, I just saw his face in my head." I answer.
"Do that," he advices.
So, like the time in my car, I close my eyes and picture the man I love. I picture his smile, I picture all the remarkable features that I love so much about him and slowly he starts to show up in my head but unlike the last time, he is not alone. Cassius is with him, Beau is on his knees, he seems to be unconscious with Cassius looming over his head.
"What is he doing?" I can’t help but ask Eligio because I know he can see what I am seeing.
I literally just gave him my eyes.
"It seems like he is showing him something. I am trying to find a way into the memory."
I don’t know what he means but I wait. Cassius doesn’t speak, Beau doenst move. Slowly it feels like I am being transferred somewhere. It is a house, it is dark. I am in no control of where I go or what I see, all I see is the darkness.
"Where are we?" I ask El.
He sighs "I need you to be quiet." he warns me.
I oblige and wait, for whatever it is we are meant to see. Suddenly the room becomes brighter, so bright that all I see is red blood everywhere. There is blood on the walls, blood trails on the floor. This is the most gruesome sight I have ever seen and trust me I have seen a lot of shit in my life. I want to look away but no matter where I turn, the blood is everywhere. There are no bodies, I mean this is a murder scene but where are the bodies. Slowly the room shifts and I see a pile, a pile of people near a lit fire.
A man walks into the room, a very muscular man. He is dressed in only cotton shorts. No shirt, or shoes. He looks around until someone else comes beside him "Get them into the fire." he addresses the other person.
This person is clothed.
I have never seen this people before; I don’t know what the hell is happening. Why am I being forced to watch this?
What does this have to do with Beau and finding him?
’’Yes sir,’’ the other guy answers.
I watch him carry the man first and dump his body into the burning fire. His skin melts slowly. This shit is inhumane. This people were obviously murdered in cold blood by whoever these guys are and there is no remorse on their faces.
The toss all the bodies into the fire ’’One of them is missing,’’ the shirtless man points out.
’’I think he escaped. No one has been able to find him.’’
’’We can’t let him escape, you need to find him,’’ the man shouts so loud that it gives me whiplash. There is anger in his tone, anger in his eyes. This is just him telling the other man that they need to finish the last survivor. They want to kill whoever it is.
’’Yes sire,’’ he walks out of the room probably in search of the last person. The room starts to spin again and it looks like it is in rewind. Their bodies are out of the fire, this is before their deaths. We are in a room, it is dark. There are two beds with two figures sleeping soundly. I walk over to the bed and I see them closer. I recognise one of them, it is Cassius. He looks different in his sleep. He looks younger, happier.
A sound comes from outside and the other man jolts up with his eyes wide open. Cassius is still sleeping. The other boy runs over to the other bed and nudges him ’’Roger, wake up,’’ he whispers.
Roger?
So, his name is not even Cassius.
Who is this man?
Slowly Cassius opens his eyes groggily. His hair is matted over the pillow and confusion etches on his face ’’Gyles, what is wrong?’’ he questions.
Gyles pulls him off the bed gently ’’Someone is in the house, I need you to go out through the window, until I am sure everything is okay.’’
So, from what I can gather, this is Cassius memory and we are feeding them off from Beau. Somehow, I am no longer in Beaus’ head. I am in Cassius’s head and this is a painful memory. I can feel it, almost like his emotions are being shared with the memory.
’’I won’t go without you,’’ he cries trembling feverously.
The other man grabs him by both shoulders, he looks at him directly with a serious expression plastered on his face. Cassius seems to be the weak one in the pair, even though he is bigger in built. ’’You need to listen to me; your protection is my priority. I have to keep you safe.’’
Cassius shakes his head; he parts his lips but is interrupted by a loud crash from outside. I hear the cries of a woman. ’’I need you to leave, I need you to leave right now.’’ Gyles grabs him by his arm and pulls him to the window. The sound of footsteps come closer.
’’What if I never see you again,’’ Cassius cries.
Gyles smiles sadly ’’I will always be right here,’’ he places his palm on his chest. Cassius closes his eyes. Tears fight their way out of them and he tries to stop them from falling ’’Look at me,’’ Gyles urges.
Cassius opens his eyes ’’The years we have spent together has been the best years of my life. I will forever treasure my time with you. No matter what,’’ he leans forward and plants a kiss on his lips. The kiss is rough, it seems like they both know this will be the last kiss they share together. There is a certain desperation as their lips press together.
I want to say I don’t care about this, but this is the most heart-breaking sight ever.
’’Go with me,’’ Cassius pleads.
He shakes his head ’’I swore an oath, I have to make sure they are safe. I am bound for life.’’
I don’t understand what he means but I know he is walking to his death. He is walking into a losing battle and they both know it. ’’Go now, keep running, and don’t stop until you are far away from here, just like I taught you.’’
He gives him one last smile. Cassius climbs out of the window under the night sky and I follow him until he is out of the house and in the woods, running for his life. He runs until he cannot run anymore, he runs until he is far away from the house. Far away from the screams, he knows what is going to happen. We all know.
Without any notice, the memory is cut and I am looking at beau bit this time he is awake. With a dazed expression on his face. He is seated on the floor, still the same way he was when I left him.
’’That’s all for today,’’ Cassius informs him with a drag.
Beau shakes his head ’’This doesn’t change anything,’’ I don’t know what they are talking about but my Link is shaking. Whatever he just saw is affecting him a lot more than it did me.
’’I actually don’t expect it to, I just need you to see things from my eyes. Understand why i chose this path.’’
Beau stands up, he uses all his strength to get him off the floor. He is losing weight. In just two weeks he has lots so much weight. He needs meat and it doesn’t seem like he is getting any here.
’’You don’t have to do this. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. You don’t have to be this evil to avenge Gyles.’’
Cassius frowns ’’Don’t ever say his name,’’ he warns him and walks out of the room. I expect to be in the room with Beau, since I am in his head but my eyes follow Cassius out.
’’We are in,’’ Eligio blurts and I remember that he is here with me.
Okay, we are in his head, I need to find something. Anything that can lead me to Beau.
’’Keep an eye on him,’’ Cassius tells the guard by the door. The man nods his head as we walk out the halls and up the stairs. we follow him through the halls until he is out of the house. There we see him show a little bit of weakness, with his hands on his knees he takes a deep breath.
’’They will never understand,’’ he breathes out to the sky. I look around because I don’t care about him. Thee house looks familiar. This is the same house from the memory. This is the house he had to run out of. With my eyes roaming, all I see the is the trees and grass. The house is in the middle of a forest.
’’There is nothing here El,’’ I call out my brother’s name.
I feel his breathing. It is soft, I know he is focused. He is not as impatient as I am. ’’Look over the fence,’’ he tells me.
I look at the direction he is talking about and I see what he saw. A billboard, it is almost hidden by the trees but I read the words out loud and a smile forms on my face.
I know where he is.
Chapter 70: See you soon.
Beau.
’’You are mine.’’
’’And I am yours.’’
They were so in love.
Just like the love that I feel for Lanis. I can feel it and my heart breaks at the thought that they lost that love. All because of hatred.
I understand him. I just don’t want him to think I support what he is doing. Killing all those innocent people because of something that happened so many years ago.
His revenge is blindsided.
A group of werewolves planned a coup, to kill the vampires in their town. That is what I understand from what he has shown me so far. He is showing me his side. I don’t know their side of this and why they did it. I am not saying I am in support of what they did but they had to have a reason.
Werewolves don’t kill.
It is known to everyone in our kind. We don’t hurt vampires unless we have no other choice. Yes, this is mostly because of the contention but something must have happened. There is more to the story and he won’t tell me the rest. He will only show me the parts he wants to. The sob story that is his life.
He fell in love with the person that saved him.
I don’t know if Gyles was a good person because I saw him from his eyes but I know that he loved Cassius. He loved him so much, that in his last moments, he chose to make sure he was safe.
Watching their life, their relationship. I watched them grow from children to young adults. Gyles stopped ageing after some time, I knew he was turned. I know he was a vampire but Roger grew up from the hopeless child to a man. Gyles watched him grow and took care of him, along the line, they fell in love. I knew they were going to fall in love, from the moment I saw the look in his eyes. I knew he loved Gyles.
It’s sad, what happened to them but It doesn’t justify all that he is doing. Killing wolves because his family was killed by a pack. It was a gruesome sight, so much blood. So much anger. They killed them when they were asleep, in the middle of the night. They didn’t even give them a fighting chance.
That kind of anger is never understood.
I don’t believe in war.
I don’t believe in all the hatred that was formed, even though I don’t know the reason. There is always a better way to handle things.
Suddenly my father’s words spring up in my mind.
War in anger is never won.
He is doing things the wrong way and I will never understand.
I haven’t spoken to Lanis. I still feel him, I know he is thinking about me, but I still miss him. I still don’t have the strength to get out of here. Cassius is done showing me what he intended to, he has no use for me. Sooner than later he will do what he brought me here for.
He will kill me.
I see it in his eyes, the man is long gone. The moment he brought me here, that was the plan. Show me and then kill me, he won’t waste any time. So, the longer I stay here, the shorter my life span. I can’t win even if I fight. Everything that has happened just let me know how I am not ready, how I am not strong enough. Being the alpha is not as easy as I tried to make it out to be. I didn’t plan things strategically; I shouldn’t have gone in blindly when I knew that it was a trap. The pack couldn’t handle it, Cassius was already ahead of us the moment I walked into the building. He knew what he was doing, he used Lanis to get to me and I had my suspicions. Part of me wanted to talk Lanis out of it. Convince him to wait, to be sure, but I was scared that he would go without me and I would end up losing him. I knew one of us was not going to make it out, and I hoped it would be me. Better me than him. knowing he is safe is the only thing that is keeping me sane in here.
’’I know where you are.’’
I hear his voice. Just like the last time. In my head. He is talking to me right now. Closing my eyes, I look for him. his face is the first thing I see. His hair is dishevelled, there are dark circles around his eyes. He looks exhausted and it is all my fault.
’’I know where you are.’’
He repeats.
My heart beats faster from those words. I want to keep looking at him. I want to see a smile on his lips. I want him to be as he was, but I know that is asking for too much.
’’It’s too dangerous,’’ I tell him.
He smiles excitedly. There it is, the smile I was desperately looking for. He is in his room, rummaging through his clothes, he grabs a few of them and walks out of the closet to the bed. There is a duffel bag on his bed, the same one he put clothes for me the last time. It is empty as he tosses a couple of clothes into it.
’’I am not coming alone. El and Darrien will be with me. I spoke to bells earlier. She is on her way too.’’
His words are overwhelming.
He wants to save me, somehow, he found me. I don’t even know how he did but he wants to save me and i am scared that things wouldn’t go as planned. I am scared that something will happen to him because of me.
’’I will be fine.’’
He breathes the words out slowly, reading my mind. He seems so sure of himself. He wants me to trust him and trusting him is all I ever do. I trust Lanis more than I trust myself. He is my air, my oxygen, my life.
How do I survive without my oxygen?
’’Where am I?’’ I ask him.
He looks up and smiles brightly ’’Just a town away, I wondered why the place looked so familiar, it’s so close, and so easy to get to. I don’t plan to attack. I just need to get you out first. I know where you are.’’
He repeats over and over, the excitement evident on his face.
He probably can’t see me, right now, considering his eyes are open. The door of his room opens revealing his brother Darrien. He is dressed in a pair of black pants and a plain white shirt. His hair is cut lower than the last time I saw him, almost like it is a fresh haircut.
’’Are you ready?’’ he questions.
Lanis zips the bag up and this gets a raised brow in question ’’Why are you packing a bag?’’
He shrugs ’’It’s for Beau, he needs it right now.’’
My heart skips in my chest, the cold air in the room I am in hits my chest violently and I remember that I have no clothes on except the torn shorts. He is thinking about me at this moment. It seems like he is always thinking about me before himself.
I have never loved anyone more.
’’It’s a long drive. Come on.’’ He walks out of the room and Lanis smiles. He knows I am watching him.
’’I picked your favourite shirt,’’ he explains.
I know the shirt he is talking about. The one he lent me for the first time when I came to his house. I told him how much I loved the feel of the shirt on me. it hugged me so tightly and It kinda felt like we were closer when I wore his shirt.
’’I miss you so much,’’I blurt out because I can’t help myself.
He smiles softly ’’I will see you soon. Don’t worry, I won’t let him win. He will not take you away from me,’’ he assures me.
I feel this confident radiate from him. it is new and I love it.
The door opens and Bells barges in frantically. Her eyes roaming around the room ’’Who were you talking to, was it him?’’ she interrogates.
I haven’t seen Bells since I left her outside. She looks almost as exhausted as Alanis. This is taking a toll on all my loved ones and I hate that this is my fault. I don’t like the fact that I am the cause of all their pain and worry.
I am so grateful for this connection I have with Lanis. Seeing him gives me a chance to be close to him, being close to him reduces my worry, it reduces the fear within me. I know what he is doing when he is doing it. I don’t have to worry because I can see him. This link is happening because we both want it. I don’t think it’ll work if he shuts me out. I hope he never shuts me out.
I want this connection for the rest of my life.
’’Beau,’’ he answers her calmly.
She runs her hands through her hair ’’I haven’t been able to connect with him. is he okay?’’
He nods ’’He doesn’t have enough strength right now. This is already taking a heavy toll on him,’’ he is being diplomatic. Assuring her that I have not shut her out. Lanis is the only one I want this connection with, he is the only one I will use my last breath for.
’’I gotta go now babe, I will see you soon,’’ he breathes out. Bell’s watches him with uncertainty in her eyes.
’’I’m not leaving you,’’ I assure him.
He smiles.
Watching him walk out of the room, one thing I am sure of is the fact that I will make sure nothing happens to him, even if I end up dead.