Not right away though, first, we’re gonna play a little game.
*******************************************************
Sammie’s POV
It’s been two weeks since we all learned from Maleyna’s video, about our supposed destinies and since then, Shay, Astrid, and I have been spending most of our time over at Blood Moon Pack training. We train for six days a week, two days of training per specialized defenses against our three combined strengths, Vampire, Werewolf, and Witches: with Sunday being our chill day. Each day, Devon would instruct his strongest warriors to join us in the training regimen, since each of us needs to be prepared to not only fight but defend ourselves against whatever Dasha’s planning.
Today’s my day to lead the training regimen. I know his pack members are still not the most comfortable with my presence, but it is obvious that they are also very receptive to my intentions. Every time I spar with his pack members including Devon, Michael, and Aiden, I always emphasize the importance of their need to fight me with full force. I can tell at first, because of my small stature, several of the males did not take my words seriously and underestimated my abilities. They held back greatly, and it wasn’t until I began tossing them all on their pompous asses that their male egos were bruised enough to where the real sparring began. Even still, I always held back a lot, careful not to inflict any real detrimental damage to anyone. Jareth would have been proud of his protégé. He was a great fighter and taught me everything I knew, making me a deadly adversary if provoked. My true vampire nature was a side I kept well hidden from others. It was safer that way.
I was currently preparing to have an exhibition spar between myself and Devon to display some of the basic defense moves that the wolves could use to their advantage. All of a sudden, Devon, Michael, and Aiden stood deathly still as if they were having some invisible conversation. I knew they were mind linking and the grim look on Devon’s face when he glanced over at me told me that whatever it was, was not good. Seconds later a few of the pack guards frantically rushed over to where we all stood.
“Alpha!” The head guard bowed to Devon, but I noticed that his eyes held a look of terror; even more so when they darted briefly over to my direction.
“Speak.” Devon directed him.
“Sir, there’s been an attack at the northwest border of the territory. A few newly turned pups were found … slain sir.” He looked down at his feet. It was clear that whatever he had seen was taking its toll.
“Rogues?”
“No Alpha … n-not rogues. I mean, at first sight, we thought it was and I immediately sent some of the men to scout and see if they could track the culprits down, but I remained with the pups sir, and upon further inspection …. It wasn’t rogues sir. These pups were torn apart and bled out to the point that their remains were virtually a pale pink, almost white hue. They were bled out before they had been ripped to pieces, but no rogue did this, nor any wolf, “ his hazel eyes glanced over at me then immediately looked down. “This was the work of a vampire sir.”
An older woman, probably in her thirties suddenly broke through the crowd. Her dark hair was in disarray and her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying.
“You!” She hissed at me “Your kind did this to my sons!” All eyes rapidly fell on me.
Well shit, this won’t end well…
Instantly I was aware of who she was. She was the mother of the murdered pups and she was walking directly towards me filled with rage. She clenched her fists till her knuckles turned white and a growl began emerging from her chest before she suddenly lunged forward and shifted; her Copper-colored wolf now charging savagely in my direction.
I admit I was dumbstruck for a brief moment and Devon noticed my shock. He tried to step in between us both but held my hand towards him and shook my head not to intervene. I stepped past him prepared to take on her aggression towards the one person that in her mind was responsible for her grief.
Me. The Vampire.
I would defend myself, but I would not fight her. She needed to let out her rage and I would accommodate her in her pursuit. Eventually, she would calm down but for now, I was focused on dodging her attacks, every strike, lunge, everything she fought with I stayed silent and averted them all. In the end, she finally stopped her assaults and shifted back to her human form, and crumpled on the ground sobbing uncontrollably.
I looked at Devon despondently and he nodded.
“Michael, Aiden … Please carry Mrs. Ramirez to one of the pack hospital VIP rooms so that she can lay down in privacy. I’ll inform Dr. Morisaki to meet the three of you there with a sedative prepared.”
The two men gently picked up Mrs. Ramirez's frail body and quickly left the area as everyone around us watched with forlorn looks strewn across their faces.
“Devon, I- “
A grievous sigh escaped his lips as he shut his eyes and pressed his fingers between the bridge of his nose.
“Not now Sammie,” he quietly uttered, “I think it’s best if you head home. I … must tend to this situation right now. There’s a lot of tension amongst the pack members, I can sense it, but they are trying to respect me by holding back. Right now, I need to allow them the time to grieve at their loss and you being here is only making it harder on them. I’m sorry baby, but you need to understand it isn’t you. It’s just-”
“My kind,” I whispered feeling a little dejected. I carefully placed my palm against his heaving chest.
“I get it Dev. I’ll leave. But I still think it’s best if the pack warriors continue with their training, so I want to leave Shay and Astrid here. Their mates are here so I’m sure they will be safe. Please take care of Mrs. Ramirez and let me know if you need me for anything. I agree it’d be best if I stay away for a while.”
Devon nodded his head in understanding. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. His pack needed him, and I needed to show his people that I was no threat to them or their Alpha.
I reached for his hand and held it with my own “Hey, I’ll be at home. Whenever you are able, you know where to find me. I’m not going anywhere.”
He gave me a small smile and I leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips before I quickly dashed back to my empty home.
*******************************************************
When I walked inside, I grabbed a couple of blood pouches from the wine cellar and slowly made my way upstairs to my room. I sighed at the saddening events of the day and decided to relieve my stress by grabbing the book I had been reading off my nightstand. I stepped out onto my balcony ready to slump onto the big comfy chaise lounge to continue reading my book from where I last left off. A sudden noise off towards the outlying trees broke the silence causing me to snap my head up at attention.
I dashed over to the balcony railing scanning my surroundings and that’s when for one brief second, I saw someone. I blinked my eyes, and, at that moment, he was gone but the vision of him was unmistakable.
It was Jareth.
In haste, I leaped my balcony and headed to where I saw him but as I had feared there was no trace. No scent. Nothing.
Had I imagined it? I couldn’t say. It all happened so quickly that it was a possibility that I saw what I wanted to see. I mean, it was an emotional day, and I was reeling from its effects. The grief and pain of loss may have reopened my own wounds. Maybe I was manifesting things because of that. I shook my head and made my way back inside my empty home. Once again, I was alone. My ghosts haunting me. I leaned back against the glass patio door and slid down as tears began to fall.
Chapter 6
Sammie’s POV
Well, three days have passed since that horrible incident occurred at Devon’s pack, and other than a few texts here and there, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of anyone. Dev apologized for his inability to spend time with me but because of the attack, their pack was on high alert; meaning he had to make sure his people were prepared in case of another one. Apparently, the death of the three boys wa
s only part of it. Shortly after the Mrs. Ramirez incident, Devon got word from a few males that their mates were missing as well as a few unmated males and females all roughly around the ages of twenty to twenty-five. A total of nine missing pack members in all. Evidently, this attack was calculated and now the pack was in turmoil, leaving Devon to focus all his time and energy on tracking down the culprits. Astrid and Shay opted to help perform locator and tracking spells to assist but to no avail. We had a strong hunch Dasha had her hand in this.
I decided to see if there was anything I could do to help on my end so I called the Vampire Council to see if they knew of any feral vampires that may have been spotted near the pack’s territory. It turns out, Devon’s pack was not the only one hit. Two of our own clans were dealing with the same issues only this time the culprits appeared to be werewolves. It took all I had to explain to Lord Danesh, the chief council’s representative of our territory, that Blood Moon was not at fault. In all honesty despite the newer generation of vampires and werewolves trying to maintain some seldom of peace between the two species, the older generations still have a deep hatred for one another. Needless to say, Lord Danesh was old school, so I really had to prove that the attack on the vampires was not the work of Devon’s pack. After I explicated the entirety of events surrounding the attack on Devon’s pack lands, as well as asserted the substantiation of extreme similarities between the two strikes, Lord Danesh seemed to consider what I had told him to be accurate. He advised me that he would notify the Council as well as her highness, the Queen and that they would take their own proper measures to investigate the matter.
I thanked Lord Danesh and informed him that should we uncover any new information that may be beneficial to reveal those responsible for the assaults that I would notify the Council at once to which he hesitantly acquiesced to do as well. Once off the phone, I texted Devon and informed him of the latest turn of events as well as the open line of communication that we needed to consider in order to learn anything regarding the assailants. I truly hoped that if both our kinds were working on tracking down these psychopaths that maybe we’d be able to stop them. Although the feeling of dread I felt over these incidents didn’t seem to have confidence in it. I genuinely hoped I was wrong.
I wasn’t.
***************************************************************
I was awoken by the pale faces of my two best friends around three in the morning. Their swollen eyes were indicative that they had been crying. A Lot.
I immediately leaped out of my bed and wrapped my arms around my two BFFs.
“Shhh… What’s going on babes?” I asked as I placed my hand on the side of each of their desolate faces.
“Oh, my Goddess Sammie … w-w-we just found o-out and it’s bad Sammie … really BAD!” Astrid trembled as she crumpled to the floor sobbing.
I dashed out of my room, immediately returning with two bottles of water for my dear friends. I hoped that I could eventually help them calm down enough to elaborate on what was going on. I knew whatever it was, it had to be bad but what I heard was devastating.
*******************************************************
3rd Person POV
Sammie motioned for her two friends to sit on her bed as she knelt in front of them both. She held each of their hands in hers as she tenderly ran her thumb across each attempting to calm their distressed demeanor. “Shhh.” She cooed again. “Whatever it is I promise, we’ll get through this. But I need you to tell me what’s going on so that I can help you. Please. What happened to my girls? Hmm?”
It was Shay that broke the painful silence. She looked at Astrid for reassurance who then nodded in acquiescence and spoke.
“As you know, Astrid and I belong to a coven, The Daughters of Hecate. It’s an old powerful coven that Maleyna and Dasha were also a part of. Our coven isn’t just a coven, it’s a sisterhood. We pledge our lives to each other and to the Goddess Hecate. With that pledge, we are bound to one another by blood rites. This bond is meant to create a balance amongst our sisterhood so that none could harm the other. Normally when one of us harms the other it would be felt by the other remaining sisters and the power that once encompassed not only the fallen sister, but the assailant as well would be spread between the sisters of our coven. The thing is, as with all magics, there are loopholes, some more obscure than others but they exist nonetheless. Seemingly, Dasha must have discovered her away around the bond.”
Shay paused and took a sip of water pondering her next words.
“Without warning, she and her army mercilessly slaughtered our entire coven. We received word this morning from one of our sister covens who are the direct descendants of the Pendle witches; after they received a small token as a warning and declaration of what had taken place.”
“A token?” Sammie inquired, as a feeling of dread slithered its way along her spine. Shay continued her recant of what had happened. “One of our sisters was … with child. We had planned to hold a birthing ceremony for her daughter in a couple of weeks. Whoever … Whatever murdered our coven, they … t-t-they took the unborn child and w-wrapped it in a cloth stained with the b-blood of our sisters and delivered her to them. The only saving grace is that the baby lived. Despite everything that little girl survived. Goddess! Who could do such a terrible thing, Sammie? What kind of monster? “Shay choked back on her words sobbing uncontrollably.
“I don’t know Shay,” Sammie whispered despite knowing who was responsible; but to acknowledge the level of mercilessness that Dasha is capable of would only instill fear in her. And that was an emotion that Sammie did not want nor need.
The women sat in silence. There were no words that could be spoken to alleviate the feeling of sadness, dread, or even anger that embodied their every being.
After what felt an eternity, Shay stood up and motioned for Astrid to follow suit. Sammie, who had been sitting on the floor, looked up at her friends and stood to embrace them in a tight hug.
“I’m so sorry you guys. Do you need me to do anything? I’m assuming that Dev and the guys know since you were with them?”
“They know but we wanted to see you before we left.”
“Left … where are you going?”
“Astrid and I have been summoned by the Grand Coven. They’re concerned about us and need to make sure that we receive special training for what is to come. Despite Dasha’s attempt to annihilate our entire coven, Astrid and I still remain; the strength of our sisters was passed to us as well. We need to learn how to harness our newfound strength in order to try and level the playing field. Dasha has proven she is a formidable witch, and she is only getting stronger.”
“When are you leaving?”
Shay looked down; a tinge of guilt edged across her face. “Now, Sammie … we just didn’t want to leave without seeing you and warning you about what Dasha has done.”
Sammie knew that despite her trepidations she needed to support her two friends. It wasn’t about her; it was about her friends and making sure they overcame their grief. This was a painful loss for them and engulfing themselves in the warmth of their kind would help heal the wounds the lay deep within them.
Sammie nodded in understanding and looked at her friends as an affirmation that they were making the right choice by leaving.
“Well my lovelies, I can’t say that I won’t miss you both. But I want you to take all the time you need. I love you both and only want what’s best for you two and if that means being apart for a while. I’ll be ok.”
Shay and Astrid’s eyes glistened at the sentiment “We love you, Sammie.”
Sammie chimed in “I love you guys too.”
“You sure you’ll be ok while we’re gone? I know Dev’s been busy for the last few days, but he really misses you girl.” Shay asserted.
Sammie nodded her head making sure to keep up her peaceful façade. Sammie didn’t want to make her girls worry on her account. They already had enough to deal with including having to le
ave their own mates for a while. Everyone needed to make sacrifices. Sammie shrugged her small shoulders and smiled.
****************************************************************
Sammie’s POV
“I guess you two better get going. I’m sure the Grand Coven wouldn’t be too keen on your lateness because of me. You two be safe and don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I promise. I love you two a LOT. So, you better make sure to text me every day or else face my wrath.” I smirked as I arched my shaped brow.
“No...”
“Yes”
“Please no, Sammie …. Not that”
“Oh yes, Shay … exactly that. If you two don’t text me at least once a day, then you will have to spend the entire day watching every single Twilight movie.”
Astrid gasped in horror “No!”
“Yes, not only that but I’ll make sure to sing along with the songs in the movies and we all know how lovely my voice is.”
Shay cringed in horror. That’s right I was a terrible, terrible singer. So bad in fact that my high school choir teacher requested that I transfer to drama instead. Not one of my finest moments. The three of us broke into a fit of laughter. Once we finally settled down my two friends stepped a few feet away from me.
“Well, I guess that’s time buddy.”
I nodded and waved them my goodbye to which they returned the same gesture.
Shay and Astrid clasped each other’s hands and began to chant in some ancient language native to their kind. In an instant, they were gone.
Chapter 7
Sammie’s POV
After my friends left, I drank a few pouches of warm blood I was planning on settling in for the night so opted to take a cozy bath and relax with a bottle of wine and my book. After everything that’s been happening these last couple of weeks, I simply felt like being a homebody.
TWISTED FATES BOOK 2: EVEN MORE TWISTED Page 4
