Eighty one

JASON

There was something truly horrific about watching your allies die. Even the volatile ones.  As David dropped to the floor with petrified eyes, my heart skipped a beat because his death was more than losing an ally. Our lives were on the line. Seconds trickled by. It turned to minutes but the worst had yet to happen. I took one good look at myself then at Sofiane. We were still very much alive. I wasn't even sure what to believe anymore but one thing was painfully clear, I was terrified. I hated to admit it but for the first time in a long time, dying scared me.

Lilith licked her bloody fingers and let out a maniacal laugh. "How unfortunate," She said, her eyes sewn onto the body on the floor. "He broke the spell before he died. How noble."

Did that make things better or worse, I pondered. I reckoned with the latter because, in all honesty, I expected nothing but the worst from the now late surviving Blossom Warlock but David had proved me wrong. Despite the lie he told, he chose to sacrifice himself for my cause. Something he didn't have to do. I felt unbridled rage bellow within me like stoked fire. The air turned pungent. Hostile intent flared from every corner of the room.  Fangs bared and claws unsheathed. The odds were against us considering we were going against the countess of blood, a literal immortal. However, werewolves were beings of pride. We never went down without a fight. I let my wolf take a fraction of control. My body twisted and my bones distorted. I felt myself topple twice in size and the bloodlust within heightened. Sofiane remained in his human form. He seemed very keen on keeping Olamide in his grasp but that was not entirely the truth. Sofiane's face was riddled in horror as his gaze remained fixated on David's corpse. He was David's brother-in-law. Of course, he was shattered.

"Trust me, Alpha Jason, you do not want to take me on," Lilith warned. She then sauntered over to Yasmin and yanked the witch by the hair. "Don't tell me all it took was one blow to dampen your fire." Yasmin nodded in the negative causing Lilith to lean in closer. "Then finish the relic while I deal with these brutes."

"Alright." Yasmin declared with fear marbled in her eyes. I watched Lilith grip the witch by her collar, throwing her to her feet with ease before facing Sofiane and me squarely.

"Let's finish this. Shall we?"

I wasted no time. With my heightened speed, I galloped in her direction and elbowed her in the skull. The force of it sent her flying backward. She hit a pillar, demolishing it to mere piles and rubles. My attack did fair damage because the downside of her skull; the jaw especially became indented by the sheer force of my assault. Before she had the time to regenerate or counter attack, I morphed to my human form, and clasping to my last stake, I went it for the final blow. I had never had reasons to battle vampires so I had no idea if my attack would have any effect on the countess of blood. She was different from the others. She had faced greater enemies and still conquered them. I drove the stake in with all of my might. It made an awful screech as it lanced through skin, flesh, and bone. Lilith screamed. She recoiled backward before bursting into a laugh that sounded more like a battle cry of a bloodthirsty warrior. I took a step back, sparing Sofiane a look. Things had gone from bad to worse. The least I could do was make sure that my mate was safe. Sofiane could do that. The spell Yasmin cast to send every intruder in the house into a state of chaos with the shifting doors and distorted hallways was probably still in utilization considering the witch in question was still alive and I theorized that if Sofiane walked out with Olamide before Lilith could respawn, there was a chance they could escape. So I took it. It was selfish, shallow, and un-alpha like but I barely cared. Olamide's safety was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

"Run," I screamed at Sofiane with all the air in my lungs. I was not entirely sure if my pheromones had somehow jerked Sofiane out of his grief but my shout called his attention. He threw Olamide over his shoulder in response and took for the door. I turned away to face Lilith. Her gaze had darkened. Her palm fingered the left side of her ribcage as she plucked out fractured pieces of splintered wood from within her chest.

"I am not a mere long teeth Alpha Jason. I am the fucking source." She mouthed with pride before charging at me. She was quicker and far more animalistic. Before I could shift back to my werewolf form, Lilith kicked high, clocking me in the jaw. An infuriating ring exploded in the crevices of my ear. I smelled blood and in seconds, I felt a hot liquid trickle down my mouth. My jaw was dislocated to the left and blood dripped out of the corner of my mouth and ears.

"Did that hurt, Alpha?" She didn't wait for a reply. Her knees sang in the air as quickly as the last onslaught. The end of her shockingly pointed stilettos plundered into my throat. I swung at her legs but her senses caught on to my counter. With one hand, she grabbed my hand and squeezed, crushing my bones with ease. Another hand balled into a fist gutted me in the stomach, shoving me to the air, sending me to the floor, and causing me to slide close to Satake's still limp body. Yasmin Maplewood was walking up to us with that accursed sickle in her hands. She intended to finish what she started.

"We are so fucking dead, aren't we?" Satake mused, struggling to stand up to his feet. I didn't even bother to try. I had broken a rib or four. My right arm was mangled. My voice box was severely damaged and so was my jaw. My whole body ached so much that I had to agree with Satake's pessimistic outlook of things. We were indeed dead meat. My gaze drifted in Sofiane's direction. He was at the door. I watched him open it and walk through. At least, I could rest easy knowing they were safe. Imagine my shock when Sofiane was kicked back in by two men with exposed fangs. The fight, I had to accept was far from over.

***

OLAMIDE

My body being slammed into the ground was all the motivation I needed to rouse. Sofiane was before me, fighting off two vampires. He booted tall, banging one on the jaw. The other grabbed his leg while it was still in the air and shoved, sending him to the floor. He twisted into a crouch and stabbed the stake into one of the vampire's shoes.

The predator yelped and softened his clasp on Sofiane enough so that he could slip free. Before Sofiane could move away from him, the vampire grabbed him by the hair, jerking it so he rebounded against his chest. He dragged Sofiame toward the door before tossing the werewolf out the door and banging it shut.

I followed them with my eyes cautiously, the stake Sofiane had attacked the vampire with was on the floor, so close to my reach. My eyes darted towards the stake then back to the vampires. I wished I had the strength. I wished I had the courage but none of that resided in me.

"Bring the girl." The vampire woman from before commanded.

"Of course, Lilith."

As they both approached me, a hot drip of crimson splattered on my cheek. My eyes popped out in horror as I watched a hand bloom out of one of the vampire's chest. The bloodsucker's beating heart was still in the assaulter's hand. grasp through the rib cage. The assaulter flicked his hand out to shed the vampire’s tattered heart, The second one turned to face the fellow. Deji dropped the vampire, which spasmed and screamed as his body caught on fire. It took seconds for the piping hot flames to consume the vampire as dust clouded the air.

"Mamuwalde, what are you doing?" Lilith stammered.

"The name is Ayodeji." Deji rebuffed, plunging towards the other vampire. He made a spade of his fingers and shoved them into the vampire’s chest. It wasn’t an easy task, but the pressure with which he thrust up his arms penetrated skin and muscle and slid between ribs. The heart pulsed slippery against his squeezed fingertips. Gritting his fangs and jabbing harder, he pierced through the heart muscles and tore out the entirety of the vampire's spine along with its heart. Blood splashed on my face as I watched my brother murder a person but the strange warm fuzzy feeling within me couldn't allow me to acknowledge how messed up the scenario in front of me was. My brother walked up to me and offered a helping hand. "Why would I ever let you hurt my sister?"

Deji remembered.