by Anna Santos
In the distance, the sound of flapping wings caused a sense of calmness to wash over me. I wasn’t imagining it. There were no birds cruising the night, none that big. But, the woods were too thick for the gargoyles and angels to use them to their advantage. Plus, they didn’t know I was there and, as soon as I screamed for help, the wolves would jump on me and the specter would suck my life force out before Jacob could reach me.
Catching my breath, I used my hands to propel me and gained the speed I needed to sprint. Then, I jumped and climbed a tree, only to use my new found ability to scan for an opening in the woods. Needless to say, my movements attracted the wolves’ attention. Their growls and voices echoed in the night.
The moon was shining bright in the sky when my head pierced through the summit of a Norway spruce, and I scanned for my flying saviors. To my dismay, they were flying away from my position. Not all hope was lost, though. I could see an open area in front of me. Therefore, I screamed and shouted while waving my arms.
The wolves couldn’t climb trees, but it didn’t stop them from bashing their bodies against the tree so that I would lose my balance and fall. I hugged the trunk, its needles prickled at my skin. It worked. The multitude of gargoyles and angels were turning around, probably alerted by the howling of the wolves.
I couldn’t stay there. I had no idea if the specter had the ability to glide his ghostly form to the top. It probably did. So, I climbed higher and, trusting in my strength, I propelled myself to a new tree, and then another. Wings would have been awesome, but with the lack of those, I needed to be resourceful. It turned out that angels and vampires had a lot in common. I had seen vampires using their super-speed and strength to escape werewolves in the woods. Now, that I knew where I had to go, I jumped between trees to increase the distance away from the wolves. I landed on the forest floor and ran as fast as I could. It turned out that I had been holding back. I bolted and managed to knock down a couple of trees when I wasn’t fast enough to avoid them. I was stronger than a werewolf and as fast as a vampire. This would have been fun if I wasn’t running for my life.
Putting my arms in front of my face to protect myself from the branches and the vegetation, I arrived at the clear area and sank to my knees on the damp floor of the meadow. A landscape of wildflowers glimmering with the moonlight displayed before my eyes. Gazing up at the sky, however, there were no signs of my saviors.
Standing up, I brushed my soiled hands against my pants and ran through the open field. I stopped when I saw a wolf baring his teeth at me. They were used to hunting bigger prey, so maybe they had been luring me here all along, where they could surround and attack me. Looking around, I realized that I was trapped. Other wolves were closing in on me in a circle. Behind my back, Simon arrived in his human form as if trekking in the woods on a chilly night.
His sarcastic voice filled the night. “Cami. Cami. Did you really think you could escape me?”
I spun around to watch him as I pulled my hair back. His eyes narrowed at the tattoos circling my arm and shining under the moonlight.
“What the hell is that? You let him mark you, angel slut!” He spat at the grass with hateful eyes flashing from green to orange. Then, he removed his shirt which indicated that he was going to shift. “I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart so that the specter can finish you off. They like the angelic life force. It’s a delicacy, apparently. After I’m through with you, I’ll feed your brother to my wolves and kill your angel lover.”
I clenched my teeth but said nothing to his venomous words. He was waiting for me to do something foolish and attack him first. He would jump and shift in a second, lunging at my neck. I wasn’t going to fall for that. Plus, the sound of flapping wings drew a smile on my lips.
Simon must have heard them too because he lost his cocky grin and shouted, “Attack her!”
In the midst of growls and wolves coming at me, I was able to hear, “Jump!”
So, I jumped, after kneeling and propelling myself up with all the strength I could manage. I watched how two wolves landed where my body used to be, missing their target, and hands grabbed me under my arms. I was lifted higher. When I caught my breath, I realized that I was flying.
“Jacob?”
“It’s Cedric, Camille,” a guttural voice replied. “Release the nets and grab them alive,” the prince ordered.
I looked behind, my eyes almost popping out with the vertigo. The other gargoyles aimed and released the nets to fall on the ground. I looked down and saw the werewolves exposed in the meadow. Some were already struggling with a net. Meanwhile, the specter and Simon were nowhere to be found. He must have run away.
Some gargoyles landed and grabbed the werewolves inside the net and then took off.
“Where are we going?” I asked, extremely uncomfortable with the height.
“We are joining the others. Jacob is worried sick.”
“Fly higher,” I demanded, moving my feet up, so they wouldn’t touch the summit of the trees.
“Just don’t tell Jacob we did this,” Cedric shouted as he lifted me higher in the air and turned me around to face him. “Put your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist. Watch the wings,” he instructed as I saw his gargoyle pale form for the first time.
I did what he told me because it was scary to fly that fast and feeling so helpless. “Why are you paler than the rest of them?”
“I have no idea. I have always been like that since my curse was activated. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes,” I shouted, so he could hear me. The wind whipped my hair around my face. “Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to the campsite where you’ll be safe. Then, I’ll fly back to help attack Simon’s compound. We have the location, thanks to you. Jacob must be barging in as we speak.”
“No! I want to go with you. Just give me a weapon! My brother is still inside. I know the location of the prisoners. Simon is returning to his pack. I won’t be left out.”
Cedric gazed at me. “Jacob will kill me if something happens to you.”
“I’ll kick you in the groin if you don’t take me with you!”
Cedric’s crystal blue eyes rolled in their sockets. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, showing his pointy teeth.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What?”
“You just reminded me of someone. I’ll take you with me, and I’ll keep an eye on you. But first, we need to go to the campsite. Later, I’ll fly you to where your mate is, but you need to fight for your life. If something happens to you, it will happen to Jacob as well. You are connected.”
“One more reason for you to take me to Jacob.”
“You are stubborn just like him!”
It was my turn to roll my eyes then I remembered to inform him. “Another thing, they have a specter working for them.”
The prince cursed under his breath and flew faster as I watched his matching bat wings propelling us forward and increasing the cold dread inside my stomach. I held him tighter and took notice of how the other gargoyles were flying close by.
Chapter Fourteen—Confrontation
When we arrived at the campsite where the surveillance van stood, we were informed that Jacob and the others had already left to attack the compound. Meanwhile, Cedric returned to his human form and knocked on the door as the other gargoyles stood nearby, watching the perimeter. We climbed inside and looked at the colored monitors where green and red signs displayed the geographical location of friends and foes using a satellite feed.
“In which building are they keeping the prisoners?” Cedric asked me.
I stared at the screen with squinted eyes. There was a meticulous layout of the buildings in the compound.
“I was unconscious when I arrived, but they took me to a barn, and I could smell animals like pigs and chickens around us.”
“It’s a big farm. Does the original layout say where the barn and the cattle were housed?” Cedric asked one of his men who was handling t
he system operation via a computer.
The man pointed at the plans. “There are two barns, but one of them has a corral for cattle attached. So, it must be this one. There are also other detached buildings facing into the yard where they might be keeping more prisoners or the arsenal.”
Cedric rubbed his chin and patted the guy’s shoulder. Looking at me, he asked, “Do you remember anything else?”
“It took us two minutes to go from the Alpha’s house to the barn where my brother was.”
“Did you see any weapons inside the main house?”
“There were a few handguns and semi-automatic pistols over the table, and the werewolves were armed.”
“Maurice, is Jacob wearing an earpiece communicator?”
“Yes, a few of our men are also wearing headset cameras, and we are receiving the images here,” he said, pointing at another screen which was displaying multiple camera feeds on one monitor.
I breathed out, exasperated. “Could someone tell Jacob that I’m okay? I don’t want him doing anything foolish.”
“I’ll open a secure channel,” Maurice said, typing on his keyboard. Then, he called Jacob’s name and handed me his headset. “He wants to talk to you.”
I placed the headset over my ears and breathed out. “Jacob?”
The sound of his voice made my heart flutter. “Are you alright? What happened? I was waiting for you to call.”
“I couldn’t teleport. I’m sorry. But, I escaped. Cedric is here with me. We are going to join you.”
“No, stay there. It’s dangerous.” As soon as he said that, I heard the sound of something exploding. They had already engaged in combat, and it didn’t sound good. “Honey, let me talk to Cedric and, please, stay there. It’s not safe here. I don’t want to have to worry about your safety.”
“I need to free my brother!” I complained.
“Maurice is sending the coordinates. We’ll reach the barns and free the prisoners. Please, Camille.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to help him. Voices calling his name and screaming in agony echoed on my end of the line.
“I promise to stay here,” I agreed when he called my name again with a pleading voice.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Let me talk to Cedric.”
“I love you, too.” Then I gave the headset to Cedric. “He wants to talk to you.”
I didn’t listen to what Jacob told Cedric. I just wiped my eyes and stared at the monitor where the red and green dots kept glowing and moving around the satellite image of the compound. I also peeked at the cameras and witnessed them barging in the houses and killing werewolves who shot at them.
I hoped to see Jacob or even my brother being saved, but Maurice explained it was the strike team. They were there to eliminate the werewolves in the main buildings, find the arsenal, and put an end to Simon. However, there was no intel about Simon’s whereabouts.
One moment I was asking Maurice if he knew which dot on the screen was Jacob and the other an alarm sound went off followed by an explosion. My body flew back against the metal followed by the monitors and then the broken glass, plastic, and the bodies of everyone else inside the van. I tried to hold on to something. Not believing that this was happening to me, that my body was being tossed around as the van kept rolling and slamming against the floor. I heard the prince calling out my name. I heard the others growl in pain and realized that I was also screaming at the top of my lungs as electricity and small explosions resonated around me.
Shards of metal and plastic hit against my body. Before I blacked out, a disturbing thought rushed to my mind. We were being attacked. Somehow, Simon’s men found us.
When I came to, my body hurt like it had never hurt before. I had a hard time focusing on what was going on around me. My vision was blurry and my ears were ringing, silencing everything around me. I felt the gravel under my palms when I pushed myself up. My vision slowly focused on the scene before me as if it was a screen shimmering.
Someone had saved me from the wreckage. Meanwhile, I was in the middle of a protective circle of six gargoyles fighting werewolves, one of the gargoyles being Cedric and one of the wolves being Simon. I would recognize his gray wolf's form anywhere. However, we were outnumbered. There were at least twelve wolves and one mean looking specter shooting blasts of white light from its hands. His ghostly form was covered by a dark hooded cloak like some sort of grim reaper, minus the scythe.
I shook my head and was finally able to hear Cedric’s distressed voice, “Send angels! Can you hear me? We are under attack. We need angels. We are fighting against a specter.”
Before I could get up to help, I felt a sharp pain in my ankle and my leg shook. I looked back and saw the wolf that attacked me. A gargoyle landed next to it and clasped its claws around its neck, breaking it and throwing the wolf in the air against the bushes.
“We need to get you out of here,” he said, showing me his hand. All of a sudden, he moaned in pain and straightened up. Another wolf had plunged its teeth into his shoulder and had drawn blood. He shook his body, flapped his wings, and tried to get rid of the beast. Until the wolf gave up and rolled on the floor with a distressed whine.
I heard more howls, whines, and punches around me as everybody was fighting for their lives.
The angels finally came.
I heard the rustling sound of their wings, and then Jacob screaming my name. It all seemed so far away because my mind couldn’t focus. It was as if I was underwater, submerged further down, and unable to breathe. I was trying to breathe, but the air wouldn’t fill my lungs.
Jacob’s distressed voice reached me again, “She’s bleeding. Bring William.”
Blackness engulfed my vision. Pain flooded my body and mind. The cold nothingness embraced me.
The next time I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling and heard faint beeping sounds. I looked around and noticed that there was a heart monitor machine on my left and a window on my right. The inside of my nostrils hurt every time I breathed, and it was as if I had a huge rock crushing my stomach, preventing me from moving. My throat felt so dry that I wasn’t even sure if I could talk. I moaned instead and a warm hand grabbed mine.
“Camille,” Jacob’s sweet voice filled the room.
Tears rushed to my eyes and the beeping sound increased.
“Don’t try to move. I’m here. Everything is alright. Breathe deep and relax.”
I nodded as images of what had happened rushed to my mind. “Water.”
Jacob helped me drink through a straw.
“Where’s Thierry?”
He sat on the edge of the bed. Terror overtook me because I expected the worst.
“He’s fine.”
I released a breath. “Are you telling me the truth?”
“I will always tell you the truth. He’s in another bedroom, healing. He lost a few of his fingers. Some of his ribs are still broken. He had a dislocated knee and a head injury, but he’ll live.”
“And the prince?”
Jacob’s expression tensed. “Cedric is well. When I arrived, you were bleeding to death. The specter was draining my men and the angels had to fight him. Cedric tried to capture the Alpha alive. But…well…”
I sighed in relief. “Simon is dead.”
Jacob nodded his head while his eyes looked guilty.
“Are you sure he’s dead? He’s not going to rise from the grave and terrorize us again, will he?”
“We have burned his body. He’s gone forever.”
I looked at the white wall in front of me that had a TV. Intertwining my fingers, I thought about what my future would be like from now on. I felt no remorse or pity for knowing about his death. I was simply relieved.
“Good. He’s not going to be missed,” I voiced my feelings as my hand grabbed Jacob’s. “How long was I out?”
“Two days.”
I mentally counted the days inside my head. Then, I tried to move my body, so I could hold Jacob. “You have no idea
how much I wanted to be with you when I was…running for my life. I couldn’t teleport, and then I was dying…”
Jacob leaned forward and put his arms around me, carefully. We hugged each other, and I burst into tears.
“Why are you crying, honey?” His hand caressed my tangled hair as my body shivered against his warm one.
“I thought I was dying and…I would never see you again. I would go to hell, and you would disappear…”
His lips touched my cheeks. “But you are still here. I’m here. Nothing can stop us from being together. Your brother is safe. We can take the trial and get married.”
I stopped crying as I drowned in his shining eyes. He was also crying. Silent tears trailed down his cheeks. I kissed his tears and nodded.
“Jacob, how did Simon find us at the campsite?”
Jacob gulped, his warm voice feathering my lips. “Cedric believes that he followed you when the prince grabbed you from the woods. With a specter on his side, the creature followed you to the secure location and led the werewolves there. Then, his men attacked the sentinels and the specter tried to blast the van with you inside. Cedric managed to pull you out before it exploded.”
I puckered my lips. “How many people died?”
“We had more injured than anything else. There were zero casualties for gargoyles or angels. Though, some of the vampires and wolves were killed. Once the Alpha died, the rest surrendered.”
I nodded as my fingers caressed his handsome face.
“Camille,” a voice shouted from the entrance to my bedroom. I looked up and saw Aaron’s smiling face with a bouquet of roses. “I’m glad you woke up. Jacob was going insane. I brought you these from all of us.” He showed me the flower arrangement.
I frowned. “What are you doing here? It’s still daytime.”
Aaron smirked again with a huge grin as he scratched the back of his neck. “Didn’t Jacob tell you?”
“What?” I looked at Jacob.
“He found a mate. A lot of them did. The rejected girls Simon kept in his compound, the majority of them restored their bond with their mates. However, a few didn’t and found a new match. Aaron was one of the lucky ones.”
