Twenty one

JASON

Dust particles danced through the stale air. I could notice that and more as I faced the congregation of werewolves; the folks we had converted and saved from another era of senseless and avoidable murder. Although, the peace and prosperity we had cultivated seemed to be threatened. Sofiane had stepped over the line. The goddess knew I wanted to kill that bastard but I understood him. The pesky fly might have become an itch we couldn't quite reach these couple of days but I comforted myself knowing Sofiane was unaware of the evil his mate had done. Candice Blossoms deserved what came to her and Sofiane Hobbstone was only fighting a one-sided battle that would wind him in a very difficult position with my trigger-happy brother if he wasn't careful. I refocused my attention on the crowd waiting for my speech. They were scared. My betas had filled me in on the recent pack gossip and some of it might be the backbone behind their fears. Many feared the Sofiane factor had been a convenient lie added by me and Devin to hide the truth that it was hunters who came after me.

Hunters... I scoffed at such an idea. The best those fools could do was take out their losses on omegas and delinquents. Devin had taught them one time too many that they were not at the top of the food chain anymore. The Crow held that spot now. That was what I needed to remember my people.

"Ahem," I coughed, gaining the attention of my people. Their eyes were fixated on me, boring into me as I began my speech. "I know we are all deeply disturbed about the incidents of this afternoon. Some of us have lost friends, sisters, brothers, and I have lost comrades who put their lives on a halt to be a part of our growth. I accept that I have been negligent and I take full responsibility for the tragedy the Crow has suffered today but I promise that their death was not in vain. They put their lives on the line to save my mate and I swear to all of you present today that I will avenge them. This time, Sofiane will not be going scot-free."

There was an uproar. They liked the sound of vengeance. I stepped down from the wooden platform erected in the clearing we adopted as our pack grounds and approached Devin to finally have a conversation.

"So, you're finally going to let me kill that disgrace of an Alpha?" Devin blew, the primal beast in him threatening to take over.

"No. I will be giving Satake the task of finding and killing the witch that dared side with Sofiane. You should know how to get under that Hobbstone bastard's skin now. But you know very well that is not the subject I wish to discuss with you. Where is he?"

"Who?" Devin played dumb while staring at a distance. I followed his gaze and it stopped directly at his vehicle. Without a second to waste, I pulled Devin by hand and led him to the car. The black Mercedes was packed amidst tree branches and away from the crowd. Devin reached for his trunk and swung the damn thing open. There was a man within, shrouded in darkness. I could smell vervain. Devin had probably pumped those shrooms abusively into his system but from the frown deeply written in the fellow's face and the fangs fiercely baring out, I guessed the vampire was still very aware of his surroundings and if he was aware, he could answer questions.

"Who are you?" I inquired dumbly, ridding Olamide's returned brother of the old socks Devin had shoved into his mouth.

"You know very much who I am." The vampire spat, glaring at me with nothing but spite. His black narrowed eyes suddenly relaxed. "I know you." He said, a hint of realization dawning in his expression. "I saw you in your brother's blood."

I choked at that statement. Was he... I tilted in Devin's direction in hopes that my hunch was wrong. Devin's expression confirmed my fear. He was one of Lilith's recent brides. Olamide's brother was a high-ranking vampire albeit a clueless one. He was also very important to Lilith, the vampire duchess, and that made everything further complicated.

"Your sister thinks you are dead." I finally spoke. "She has thought so for many months now. She has felt unimaginable pain because of you and grieved you as a true sister would. Why didn't you return when she needed you the most?"

I could not think of a reason. Somehow, this whole situation felt like a stage play being puppeteered by another of our enemies. Sure, I had no business with Lilith or any of her kind but that still did not lessen any of the suspicions that ran in and out of me. I needed an answer and it better be one that made sense.

"Her life was normal. Why would I want to ruin the simple life she had manage to rebuild for herself after my death? She had finally gotten a small job, a cat, and friends but you both decided to take that away from her."

"Your sister was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If it wasn't for my brother, your sister would be dead." Devin was sure to chip in, calm and collected as always.

"Well, what is stopping him from letting her go now? Her brother is a vampire. I don't think she will be spitting the secrets of what goes bump in the night anytime soon."

"I can't." I retorted sharply. He was suggesting that I reject her. Now that he had appeared, there was a powerful figure who could protect Olamide from my enemies. I could not pull the 'my enemies would come after her' card out anymore. I didn't think he realized the consequences he was bringing upon himself and Olamide. It was clear he was new to the supernatural society if he believed he could put anyone above Lilith. I truly feared for Olamide's life. Only then did it occur to me that I cared a little bit too much.

***

OLAMIDE

The front door of the hotel room finally opened. My hair was frizzy as I retracted the hairpin I had flicked in and out half the night. For the longest time, I doubted the hairpin unlock thingy they did in the movies actually worked. I had decided I wouldn't stay locked for a man who had decided to keep secrets concerning my family. If he wasn't going to give them to me, I was going to find them myself. I had no plan in particular but as someone who lived in the moments, breaking out of here was enough for me. My mind reeled on how I was going to cross the barrier Jason mentioned earlier. He had said something about no one being able to infiltrate. I wondered if the barrier would be a roadblock to my escape as I opened the door wider and caught sight of a wicked smirk. I had met him before.

"I see you are trying to escape." He gave a wink.

I believed this was Satake. An enemy put in place by Jason to babysit me. Unlike Axel who had a stiff demeanor, this one looked like he had charisma. I took a step back knowing I could be treading on dangerous waters. Sofiane's attacks had made Jason turn the dial by a hundred when it came to protecting me. The magical barrier was one thing but I was more than certain Jason would not leave me in the hands of an amateur. Something told me this charismatic smiling hottie was a ruthless killer when push came to shove.

"Are you going to stop me?" I played his game, choosing to have a conversation than to naturally bolt and possibly get knocked out and dragged back into the room.

"I have no choice, my Queen." He then proceeded to do a mock bow. It was stupid but I chose to play along, stretching my hands out in expectation of a kiss. Satake, a true sport, took my hand and planted a kiss. The moment his lips touched my skin, a warm sensation traveled through my hand followed by a series of colors radiating in hues of yellow, red, and gold like a faulty disco ball. It rippled along my arm as the warmth moved up to my heart.

"What the fuck..." I stumbled back in horror as the lights continued to spread across my skin like the blood in my veins.

"Are you okay?" Satake stammered, stepping back a notch.

No, I was not alright. As soon as the colors reached my chest, my whole world spun as if I was on a roller coaster and my vision blurred. I fell to my knees with a thud, panicky as the light continued to dance around my body like they belonged there in the first place. Magic. The panic led to hyperventilating, and my blurred vision began to glitch. The worrying figure that was Satake got replaced by that dreaded sight. The porcelain woman floated down smiling. I swallowed for air and choked on saliva as I relived the moment I drowned.

"We finally meet Olamide." The porcelain woman spoke as she touched my face. I struggled to keep my eyes open. I struggled to speak but my mouth and lips were so heavy. In the end, I accepted the darkness.