by Anna Santos
“Isobel,” my grandfather whispered with a sweet, emotional voice. I smiled wider at hearing my second name, the name that was my grandmother’s. “You grew up so much, honey! I just saw you once when you were two years old. You also hugged me like this.”
“I did?” I asked, amazed. I didn’t remember that.
“You did. You asked me why I looked so much like your dad. I told you that I was your dad’s father, and you hugged me. You told me that you were really happy that your name was Anika Isobel, because Dad had a mom named Isobel, and Isobel was your favorite name.”
“I don’t remember that,” I whispered, emotional.
“You were too young to remember. But I thought you were adorable, extremely sweet and cute. I fell in love with you at first sight. I asked your father to bring you here to visit, but things were a bit complicated between me and your dad. He still resented my unwilling attitude in the past toward letting him go to be happy with your mom. But I knew the world would be cruel to them. But… now that I see you, I know George made the right choice.”
“Dad,” Eric interrupted, now near us. “Kevin is also alive. Did Shane tell you?”
“Yes, he told me after I had talked to you.”
“I need your help to save him,” I said, remembering we didn’t have much time to waste. We could catch up after Kevin was cured.
“Sweetie, you just need to tell me what you need, and it is yours,” Grandpa said.
I smiled at him, happy for his words. It really meant a lot for me to meet my family and be welcomed by them like that. My grandfather was really handsome, and he seemed really kind. He was tall like Eric, which made me feel small beside them both. I was still hugging him with my head leaned and my chin on his chest, so I could talk to him. He had strong arms and a wide chest frame. He also smelled nice, like lavender. I liked him already.
I told him the best I could about what had happened and how Kevin was in a deep coma, fighting for his life. I needed their blood to cure him and make him wake up from the deep sleep. They were more than happy to help and leave immediately to the clinic to start donating Eric’s blood, because he was younger and stronger. So while Eric was talking with his chief of security, arranging more cars and bodyguards to keep him and his father safe on the road, I tried to call Shane.
No answer.
After the third call, I grew frustrated. Was he ignoring my calls? He had better be busy or he would be in a serious trouble, even more so than he already was. I was being silly. He was doing his job, but I wanted him to know where he could find us since, we were leaving for the clinic. Therefore, I decided to reach him using our mind link. I was going to ask him if everything was okay, but all I got was a really loud, painful sound that made me shrug as I put my hands on my ears to protect myself. I thought my head was going to explode and my eyes were going to pop out from my skull.
What was going on? Why couldn’t I reach Shane? And where was that loud noise coming from?
“What is wrong?” Eric asked, seeming worried when he noticed my pained face.
“I was trying to reach Shane, but all I got was a really loud, painful noise that made my head hurt and my ears almost bleed!”
“Was it like a sharp noise that you hear when you are looking for a radio station?” The chief of security asked me. He was a werewolf, so I guess he could hear other frequencies that I didn’t and understood them better. But why did I hear that in my head when I tried to reach Shane? It had never happened before.
I nodded to him. “But one hundred times louder,” I added.
“That isn’t good. We are being attacked. You heard inside Shane’s head,” the werewolf explained, becoming paler. “We hear that when witches are attacking us and are trying to slow us down and stop us from hurting them. It leaves us defenseless.”
“What?” I asked, panic slowing my heartbeat and freezing my body. Shane was being attacked by a witch. It was all I understood, and it left me terrified.
“We need to send men to find out what is going on,” he said, holding his phone to his ear. “No one is answering at the police station.”
I was losing my ability to think straight, but I couldn’t agree more. I needed to go to town and see what was going on. “I need to go to Shane. I need… How do I get out of here? What is the shortest way to town?” I asked my uncle, impatiently. If I’d known where to go, I would already have been gone. I wouldn’t be wasting my time waiting for them to send men.
“And Kevin?”
“You and Grandpa go to the clinic. I need to go to Shane first, and then I’ll go to the clinic to meet you. They know you are coming. Jason texted me saying he had called them. They are making preparations to receive you. But I need to go, now,” I urged, looking at the garden and beyond the trees to see how far I was from town. In my vampire form, I could get there faster. “I need a weapon,” I remembered after shifting to vampire.
Eric said something to the chief of security, and the man properly set a plan. “We have weapons in the car. Aaron will take you to town, and I’m already sending more men there to see what is going on. I can’t reach Shane either or any other wolf that was supposed to be at the police station today.”
Those words only made me more worried. What if they were dead? And if Shane was… I could hear static, so he was probably still alive. Hurting but alive. I couldn’t lose any more time. “I need swords. Do you have any swords?” I asked the young man who came to take me to town.
“In the trunk,” he said, opening the trunk of the car to show them.
“Be careful,” Eric said with a worried face. I nodded and gave him a quick hug.
I went to the trunk and picked two swords after swinging them in the air, testing the weight of them. They were not as good as mine, but they would have to do.
“I’ll drive,” I said to the guy, taking the keys out of his hands before he could even blink. “You lead the way,” and I entered the car and started the engine.
Aaron just had time to sit and close the door before I sped my way out of there.
I used my mind link again, but this time to contact Jessica. It was a spell she had done for me to use for emergencies, and this was without a doubt an emergency. I would need her help if witches were involved. The only problem was that Jessica was miles away, and she could only give me advice, not real help.
I need your help, I said, using my inner voice, trying to get her attention. Are you sleeping? Jessie! Wake up! I really need you!
Calm down, girl! Jessica replied inside my mind. I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes and complaining at the noise I was making.
Did I wake you up?
No, I wasn’t sleeping. So, what’s up? Why are you shouting like crazy in my head?
I need your help!
Couldn’t you just use the phone?
I mentally growled, making my way down the curvy, dangerous road I was driving. Aaron held on to his seat with a scared look on his face and was probably also holding his breath. But I was in a hurry, and besides, of the all immortal things in my favor, I had sharper senses that allowed me to drive like this without crashing the car into pieces against a tree.
Okay, calm down. Tell me what is going on. Weren’t you at a family reunion? Jessica asked.
Yes, but now—wait how do you know that?
Who do you think helped Jason steal the files? she asked, probably pursing her lips, annoyed at Jason for taking all the credit.
Jason? Are you still with him? Please, tell me that you two are still in town, I asked, sounding hopeful. If only I should be so lucky as to have them backing me up.
Sorry, but no. We are in the car leaving. But we are not very far. Why?
Great! Turn around and come back to town. I need your help. There is something going on. Someone is attacking the town. I can’t contact Shane—a witch is using her power on him. Hey, it isn’t you, is it? I asked, frowning as I considered that fact. Who knew what those two might be doing!
No, o
f course not. I just hurt bad people”
Sorry, I’m going crazy. I really need your help. Witches are… complicated to handle. They have all those tricks. Please, turn the car around and come help me.
Okay, calm down. We have already turned around. We are heading to town again. And be careful, because if a witch is powerful enough to interfere with mind links, then you are all in deep trouble. Just try to keep her occupied until I get there.
I’m almost there. I can already see the buildings,” I said, happier because the town was in reach. My heart was pumping blood fast, and adrenaline was clouding my actions. Just get here fast, to kick the damn witch’s ass. I will kill her if she did something to Shane, I whispered, almost losing control of the car. I needed to slow down, for I was finally entering town and still had to figure out where the attack was being held.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Anna
I used my instincts to find Shane. After all, we were mates: even if I couldn’t access his thoughts, I could sense his presence and follow it.
I found Shane in a dark part of town, an industrial area with abandoned buildings and mostly storage facilities. His car was parked in an alley. All I had to do was follow the sounds of fighting and struggling. I could sense at least six other people there, whimpering and afraid. I could also smell two different races and a witch.
I used my stealth abilities to approach and scout the area for the attackers. I also wanted to see where Shane was and what was happening to him. However, I had to be smart and find out first how many attackers there were. I told Jessica the location of the attack. Once again I told her to hurry. If anything happened to Shane, I would lose my mind.
My heart almost stopped when I saw what was going on. There were six young wolves and a girl in a corner with a male vampire watching them, so they wouldn’t react or move. He had a gun in his hand. Next to them on the ground was a male body on his stomach. His face was not turned to my side, so I didn’t know who he was. However, he was still alive, even if his heart was beating slowly. He was unconscious. There was a weird looking pile of ash next to him soaked in blood.
I saw two more police officers on the ground a few meters from me: one seemed to be dead; the other was unconscious but had been shot. I couldn’t see Shane. I was seriously panicking after seeing the bodies of the deputies. Where was he? And, most importantly, what had happened to him? I was praying to all gods, existing and non-existing, for him to be alive. Fate couldn’t be so mean to me to make me lose another person who I loved!
Unexpectedly, someone was thrown in midair against a wall and landed harshly behind a canister in the back of the alley. I heard two pairs of feet approach, their shadows moving in the weak light of the alley. My senses knew it was Shane. I could hear his heavy breathing, the pain he was feeling. They were using him like a punching bag. My heart clenched inside my chest. I had to do something. However, I almost choked when I saw who was walking in that alley with his smug smirk. It was Vincent, Alaric’s evil right-hand man! He was a vampire; I had no clue about his age, but he had been turned by Alaric and they were inseparable. So my question was: was Alaric there, too? It didn’t look like it. I couldn’t sense anyone else there other than Vincent, Shane, and a girl (the witch, most likely).
“Tell me who she is,” Vincent growled, annoyed and he grabbed Shane and crashed his body against the wall. He stood him up in the process, and I could clearly see Shane’s pained face.
My heart felt tiny; I thought it was going to explode with hurt and fear. Shane looked extremely wounded. He was bleeding from his eyebrow, lip, and shoulder. Tears started burning my eyes, but I snapped from my thoughts when he let out a scream. Vincent had pressed two fingers in his shoulder wound. The scum was torturing Shane because he wanted to know something.
“Tell me!”
“Never!” Shane said, out of breath and pursing his lips as though trying not to scream again. He was trying to endure the pain and resist the torture.
“Hit him again,” Vincent ordered the girl who stood next to him and stared emotionlessly at Shane. She leaned her hand on his forehead and did something, because Shane started to scream intensely, as if he was being consumed by the most excruciating agony.
That was the witch torturing him—the loud noise I’d heard inside my mind. It was the witch who was blocking the mind link between wolves and their mates. Anger built up in me. I had to grab the wall with my nails to control myself from attacking them immediately. I had to be smarter and plan some kind of attack. Firstly, take out the vampire guarding the werewolves, and then go for the witch and Vincent’s head. I should go for the witch first: she was the most dangerous there. But someone had to take care of Vincent. I needed help, fast.
“Tell me who she is! I want to know who the hell the king’s granddaughter is!” Vincent ordered loudly, making my heart beat really fast, faster than before. He was looking for me, and Shane was being tortured because of me. I shrugged in pain and held back my tears. No time to cry, I had to do something to take Shane from there and save the kids.
The other vampire was still walking back and forth, staring at the group of young werewolves and a girl, who one of the boys was holding tightly, as if she was precious to him. The boys looked pretty beat up, too; they had probably tried to defend themselves, but I really had no clue what they were doing there. It was not a place for kids. The girl was sobbing, and the boy was trying to calm her down, but every time she heard Shane screaming, she cried more. I wanted to cry, too, because of that.
“What are we going to do?” Aaron asked from right behind me, startling me. I almost grabbed him and threw him across the alley. He was a sneaky one.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay in the car?” I demanded.
“I’m a trained bodyguard,” he said in a grumpy voice. “I can help.”
I guess I didn’t have any other choice. He was the only back-up I had. Therefore, I looked around again, trying to see if there were only three invaders. Vincent didn’t usually travel that light!
I needed to get Shane out of there! I wanted to jump on their necks and kill them, but I couldn’t be impulsive.
“The prince said to protect you,” Aaron insisted, since I wasn’t talking to him.
“You, protect me?” I snorted, amused. “Just follow my lead and try not to get yourself killed. I’m going to try to save Shane. Your task is to get the kids free and kill the vampire guarding them. Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes, I think so,” Aaron said, taking out his gun.
He was going to speak, but I held my hand to his chest and motioned him to be quiet. The vampire, who was looking at the kids, had stopped walking and was looking around, probably because he had heard us whisper and was intrigued. Then, all of a sudden, another vampire landed on the floor and walked to Vincent.
“We need to get moving. They have sent backup,” the guy said to Vincent.
“I still need information about the girl. Tell the others to survey each entrance and hold back whoever comes,” Vincent said.
I looked up, trying to figure out how many others he was talking about.
“When I attack the guy beating Shane, you attack the vampire,” I said to Aaron, and he nodded.
The other vampire, who had talked to Vincent, disappeared again onto the top of the roof. I jumped in the air and followed him in his super-speed mode. I needed to kill him before he called the others. I was faster than him. Besides, he was concentrating on running, so he didn’t hear me sneak up on him and slice his throat open. I held his body against me, covering his mouth so he didn’t make a sound. He was choking on his blood, but I needed to cut his head off or stab his heart so he would actually die. Therefore, I turned him around, and, with a fast and swift movement, I took his head off. The vampire disappeared in ashes blown away by the wind and carried into the moonlight.
I flinched when I heard Shane scream again. I focused my super hearing on what was happening far
below me.
“I will never tell you,” Shane’s tired voice said once more. He was getting weak and fatigued.
“So I guess I really don’t need you alive anymore, do I?” Vincent said in a mocking tone.
I felt my heart skip a beat, and I hurried to turn around and go to where they were.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” Shane asked, hit by a punch. He started to bleed from his mouth.
“Tell me who she is! I know she works at the school!” Vincent growled at him, angry.
“How do you know that?” Shane asked intrigued, his heartbeat increased with panic.
“We have the files,” the witch said to Vincent. She was using a mind link with someone. There were other people in town, probably at school, looking for the teachers’s files. “We can go and figure out the girl’s identity at home.”
“Alaric will not be happy with us. We lost our leverage here,” Vincent said aloud. “Stupid girl. She didn’t need to die.”
“We need to leave,” the witch urged him through pursed lips and clenched teeth. She was nervous and probably scared. She should be. I was going to kick her ass for hurting Shane.
I was on the top of the roof, staring at Aaron, who nodded his head when I signaled him; he would run to the vamp when I counted to three.
“What will we do with the kids?” the vamp asked Vincent.
“Kill the fucking hybrid scum and let the wolves live,” he said calmly. “This one, I will kill myself.” He smirked at Shane, taking from behind his back a silver dagger that was hidden under his coat.
“Now!” I rushed Aaron when I saw the vampire walk to the girl and all the wolves growl to protect her. She started to sob with fear, hiding her face in the boy’s chest. He had no intentions of letting her go. He was growling louder than the rest. But I didn’t have time to notice anything else. I just concentrated on the dagger that was aimed at Shane’s chest.
