As I jumped to the next tree, I noticed that my ankle wasn't throbbing anymore and it actually felt pretty good. I might have a chance at running away from all of them. I would have to watch out for more bear traps. If it weren't for the one that I had found, I would have been long gone by now.
I went as fast as I could through the trees and I got ahead of the wolves to the point that I could lose them but that dang vampire was still right behind me. I zigged and zagged onward and managed to put a little distance between him and myself. Then I made the split second decision to jump down to the ground and run as fast as I could.
The wolves growled, but lost me. I couldn't hear the vampire and didn't want to turn around to look for him, so I kept going, looking for any kind of trap that might await me. I assumed that the vampire was still in close pursuit so I knew I needed to keep up the pace.
"Stop!" he shouted, not too far behind me.
I increased my speed. I didn't think that I could have gone any faster, but when I heard him, I found the inner resources to go faster than I ever had before. This would not be the last night of my life.
I had been so focused on the vampire behind me and the possible traps in front of me that I was completely caught off guard by a wolf to my right. He growled and jumped at me, knocking me onto the ground. I kicked him with both of my feet. He let out a yelp as he flew through the air, landing several yards away. He bore his teeth and began growling again.
He began walking slowly to me, growling as he made his way. I jumped up and bared my teeth at him. "I can bite you, too! I don't know if I can kill you, but I will find a way if I have to," I warned him.
The vampire was walking slowly toward me as well. I didn't know where to focus my attention. The wolf jumped at me, answering my question. I grabbed his ears and thrust his head as far away from me as I could. He was still growling and snapping and the vampire was still coming at me from the side.
I tried to break the wolf's neck but was at too bad an angle. I bit deep into his back and he let out a yelp and turned his head towards me with a renewed strength, breaking my hold on his ears. The vampire jumped on the wolf and sunk his teeth into him.
"Run!" he yelled at me.
"Tanner?" I screamed. "What are you—?"
"Just run!"
The wolf was growling and snapping at him. Tanner was holding it by its ears, away from him. "I'm not going to leave you! It can kill you."
"We can outrun it. Just go and I'll follow you. Once you're a good distance away, I'll take care of this thing!"
"We can both fight it!"
"Go!"
I hesitated for a moment and then ran. After just a few seconds, I could hear Tanner coming up behind me.
"What on earth are you doing out here?" I demanded.
"I'll explain it to you later. When we don't have a werewolf after us!"
"Why didn't you tell me who you were when I was running from you? I needed to let my ankle heal, not be running from you!"
"You didn't give me a chance! Let's discuss this later!"
I could hear the wolf growling and snapping, still close behind. "Fine, but I expect a good explanation!"
"We've got to run faster! We should be able to outrun a werewolf."
"I'm going as fast as I can!"
I heard a thud and turned to look behind me. Tanner was on the ground and the wolf was on top of him. I ran at it at full speed and pushed him off Tanner. The wolf went flying and landed with a hard thud against a tree. He yelped and started whining.
I grabbed Tanner's hand and yanked him up. We both started running again without a word. I couldn't hear the wolf anymore and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I see lights ahead! I think that's the parking lot!"
We managed to run even faster and I beeped my car unlocked. We ran inside, slamming the doors. We sat back, huffing and puffing, as we'd both pretty much hit our limit of running.
After our breathing returned to normal, I asked, "Where's your car? Where did you park?"
"I followed you here on foot."
"Why did you follow me? What were you thinking?"
"I could tell that you were up to something. At first, I just wanted to talk to you because I didn't want you mad at me anymore. But you were acting strange, so I decided to follow you. I knew that you wouldn't let me in on what you were doing."
"Figures."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"You can't just leave me alone. What if I were going to go make out with Cliff? What if that's what I was up to? If I don't tell you what I'm doing, there's a reason for it."
He looked hurt when I mentioned making out with Cliff. "Well, I wouldn't have stuck around to watch that. Trust me. But, I'd say that it was a good thing that I did follow you. You needed my help against those wolves."
"What I needed was to not think that I had four wolves and a vampire after me! I could have stopped to take care of my ankle in the trees. Instead, I was running from you. That brings me back to the question of why you didn't tell me who you were when I was running from you. Did you get some kind of pleasure out of me thinking that you were after me too?"
"How could you even think that, Alexis? I followed you out there to make sure that you would be safe. I'm glad that I did, because you were out there by yourself with a pack of werewolves under the full moon!"
"Why didn't you try to tell me who you were? That would have helped!"
"I told you. You didn't give me a chance to say anything. I tried to get close and you ran."
"I ran because I thought that you were going to kill me. You could have stopped chasing me. That would have let me know that you weren't after me."
"I was trying to protect you! I wasn't chasing you."
"How was I supposed to know that?"
He sighed and then muttered something.
"What was that?" I demanded.
"You have vampire hearing. You tell me," he glared at me.
I scowled at him. "I don't have a degree in mumbling. What did you say?"
"I said that if it had been Cliff instead of me, you'd be gushing all over him. Where was he, anyway? I didn't see him out there trying to save your life. He's probably back at his house, sipping blood while you're fighting for your life."
"He knows how to give me space when I need it. Let's get going." I started the car.
He shook his head.
I ignored him and started driving. We sat in silence for a while.
"I could tell that something wasn't right. That's why I followed you, Alexis. I wasn't trying to spy on you or ignore your desire for space. Something told me that you were headed for trouble. I don't know why I knew, but I couldn't ignore it."
I turned on the music and raised the volume up so that conversation would be next to impossible. When we got to the school where his car was parked, I turned to say something but stopped cold. He was sweating profusely. Vampires don't sweat unless something is terribly wrong.
"What's going on? What's wrong?" I demanded.
"I got bit."
TWELVE
My mind was racing. "Why didn't you tell me sooner that you had been bitten?"
"It wasn't bothering me at the time. Besides, I thought you wanted some space."
I glared at him. "Look, we have to find out what the cure is for a werewolf bite. I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but it can kill you!"
He sat back in his seat and closed his eyes.
I needed to call someone, but I wasn't even sure where to begin. Cliff wouldn't be happy about saving Tanner. Neither would Brooke. Clara would probably be up for some excitement, plus she was older and always seemed to know more about things.
I dialed her number and she hissed at me, "Where are you? Your family is freaking out. You spent the night at Brooke's last night and then didn't show up tonight."
"Couldn't you just use mind control on them? You're strong enough!"
"It tends to get a little tricky when there are th
ree of them and only one of me. Aside from that, they've already talked to Tanner's mom. Apparently he's gone, too. Do you know anything about that?"
I sighed. "He's with me. He followed me to—"
"If all of that weren't bad enough, I have Brooke and Cliff texting me nonstop because she's being bombarded with visions that she can't make any sense of, so the two of them are freaking out at me too. What's going on?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain. I just need you to answer one question for me."
"I think you should answer a few for me first, but go ahead. What's your question?"
"Do you know the cure for a werewolf bite?"
"What. Did. You. Say?"
"You heard me; there's no time to explain. What's the cure for a werewolf bite?"
"You're kidding, right? I've never dealt with one of those! They're thought to be practically extinct. There haven't been any known werewolf sightings in several centuries! Before I was even born."
"Yeah, well I can tell you that they're alive and well here in Delphic Cove. A whole pack of them. What's the cure?"
"What? How did you find out? How many are there? Where are they? I can't believe this! A single bite can kill a vampire!"
"This isn't the time! Tell me the cure!"
"I'll have to call Gessilyn! I'm sure she knows."
"She was able to get us back into the sun. Let's hope she can do this too. Call me when you find out."
I ended the call and started looking for the card that Dr. Robinson had given me when I saw him in the hospital. I couldn't find it anywhere and started to become frantic.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Tanner.
He was still sweating. "Just find the cure."
I finally found the card. I dialed the number.
"Dr. Robinson here."
"Doctor, this is Alexis Ferguson. We met—"
"You don't need to remind me, Princess. What's the matter? You sound upset."
"Do you know the cure for a werewolf bite?"
"Were you bitten?"
"Not me, but another vampire. Do you know the cure?"
"I can't believe they're coming out of hiding. It's been centuries! Two things are needed. First is to drink blood from someone in the line of the Fyrsturae."
"Okay, that's easy enough. He can drink my blood. What else?"
"The second is to drink the blood of a werewolf, ideally the werewolf who bit him. But any werewolf will do."
"Are you kidding me!?"
"I'm sorry. I wish I were. Without both of those, your friend will not make it."
"I don't suppose that you have any werewolf blood."
"No, I only keep human blood. I don't even know where you could find werewolf blood. Where was your friend bitten? I wasn't aware that there were any werewolves on this continent."
"They're here," I told him. "How long does he have before…?" My lips started trembling.
"If you can give him your blood soon, that will help to slow down the process. It will buy you some time. Not more than a couple of days, though."
I steadied my breathing. "Okay, thank you, doctor."
"Don't hesitate to call me back. I know how scary those bites are."
"You do? Have you seen one before?"
"I was bit once about four hundred years ago."
"You're that old?"
"Yes, I've learned a lot over the years. Let me know how it works out for your friend."
"Okay, thanks." I hung up the phone and turned to Tanner. "It looks like you're going to have to drink my blood."
"You know how much I hate that." He gave me a weak smile.
I reached over and ran my hand down his face and then cupped my hand under his chin. "I'm sorry for getting so mad at you, Tanner. You mean so much to me. I don't want you to die."
"That's why I'm a vampire in the first place."
"I'll do anything for you, Tanner."
"Then let me drink your blood. That's what the vampire doctor said, right?"
I put my wrist in front of his mouth and he bit down. I started to feel a bit weak, as he drank more than normal, but I didn't dare say anything. I felt like it was my fault that he'd been bitten. I probably would have let him bleed me dry.
He stopped. "Aren't you going to tell me to stop?"
I shook my head. "Take as much as you need."
"I'm not going to take enough to hurt you."
"Just take what you need. It's my fault that you were bitten, and you need my blood more than I do."
He looked at me with eyes full of concern. "I'm going to wait now, and if I need more, I'll let you know."
"You'd better. You need my blood, so take what you need. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
"Where are we going to get the werewolf blood?"
"If the witch doesn't have any, then we're going to have to wait until tomorrow. I'm going to get it from a werewolf I know at school."
"There are werewolves at school? Are you kidding me? Is that who you were following?"
"Yes. Why hasn't Clara called me back?" I wondered aloud and dialed her cell.
"You have impeccable timing," she said. "I just got off the phone with Gessilyn two seconds ago."
"Does she have werewolf blood? I already gave him my blood."
"How did you learn about the cure?"
"I'm not the only one with connections," I told her.
"Tell me who was bitten. It wasn't Cliff, was it?"
"Do you really think that Cliff would have let me walk into a pack of werewolves? Besides, I thought you said he wouldn't leave you alone tonight with the texting."
"Tanner let you near werewolves?"
"He didn't let me. He followed me, and neither of us knew there would be werewolves." I looked over at Tanner. He had stopped sweating and he looked like he was doing better. If nothing else, I had bought him some more time. Hopefully, he would be okay until morning. We weren't going near those wolves until they were back to their human form.
"Let me guess. You went on an adventure without telling anyone. You could have at least told me, you know that I'm not going to insist that you act proper and do everything by the book."
"Obviously I should have told you. I can see that now. Hindsight being twenty-twenty and all. Look, I need to know if Gessilyn has any werewolf blood. We've got half the cure already and it looks like it's already helping. He's stopped sweating. If anyone keeps that stuff lying around, I'm sure it's her."
"No, she doesn't have any. She's never had the need for any because nobody has seen a werewolf in centuries. Everyone figured that there were probably some in hiding, but in effect, they've been extinct."
"I guarantee you that they're alive and well. They've been hiding under our noses."
"Why here? What's so special about Delphic Cove? Unless somehow all kinds of mystical creatures are drawn there because of your presence."
"Why am I such a big deal? I know I'm the Sonnast, but why do other creatures care? Is it because I'm going to be so strong?"
She sighed. "Again with all of your questions. It's not my place to tell you, but there is a reason for that. You're going to have all of the powers and strength the Fyrsturae."
"The Fyrsturae? Don't tell me you can't tell me! What do you know?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you. You know that I would do anything for you, but it really isn't my place. I've probably said too much already."
"You can't do this to me! The curiosity is too much! I can't take it."
"All that you need to know is that when you have all of your powers and strength, you'll be the most powerful vampire alive. For now, just focus on Tanner. Your blood is so strong that I wouldn't be surprised if it alone is enough to heal him from the bite. But don't risk it. Find your werewolf buddy and get his blood."
"The werewolves are not my buddies. Most of them can't stand me. There's only one who has a particular liking for me."
"He probably wants something. Maybe he wants to make peace between the species, or h
e might think that you can help them somehow since you're the Sonnast."
I sighed. "You're probably right. He's clearly one of the top leaders. So, what should I do with Tanner until I can get him the werewolf blood? I can't take him to either of our homes. Our parents would flip out and send him to the hospital."
"You could always take him to Cliff's house." I could hear her smirking.
"Whatever! You're worse than no help."
"If he's doing better after drinking your blood, can he go home?"
"He does look a lot better, but I'm not going to leave him with anyone that I can't tell the truth to. I guess I could take him to Brad and Eric's. Have them keep an eye on him."
"So, are you coming home tonight then?"
"Have you been able to calm my parents down at all?"
"Not really. I can't get any of them alone to do any kind of mind control."
"His mom is freaking out, too?"
"I think she's on the verge of coming over here."
I wanted to pull my hair out. "What are we going to do?"
"Go drop him off at Cliff's house and then you can come home and tell everyone that he's spending the night at Cliff's. Then if he needs some more blood, he can drink Cliff's. It can be the blood of any descendant of a Fyrsturae."
"I'm not drinking his blood," Tanner said. "Not even to save my life."
"I hope you heard that," I told Clara.
"So stubborn."
"I heard that," Tanner said.
"Sounds like he's doing okay. Take him to those other vampires that you were talking about. They won't be able to help him though."
"They can at least watch him, and they can call me if he starts to get worse."
"Legend has it that a werewolf bite can turn deadly very quickly, without much warning. If you want him to live through the night, then don't let him get out of your or Cliff's reach."
"He could drink your blood, too. You're from the same line that I am."
"Just take him to those common vampires and stay there with him. I'll deal with the parents."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll get them to stop worrying."
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 47
