Chapter 68: Ambush

"I have gathered 15 beast tails," Niccolo said the following day when I returned to the cave without him alone.

"I have 20," I said firmly, avoiding him and keeping my distance from him.

Niccolo noticed it before he sighed. "About last night—"

"I do not know what you mean," I immediately chimed in before he could finish his words. I fixed my hair which was tied up in a ponytail hairstyle. "It would have been better if we parted ways. Let's meet once we have accumulated the number of beast's tails we need."

He opened his mouth to think he would protest, but he backed down, looking melancholy. "As you wish."

I secretly gnashed my teeth, feeling annoyed for a moment. Why did I feel irritated that he easily agreed with it?

I silently castigated myself before I gathered all the tails I had taken from the beasts last night. I spent my time distracting myself but let the other animals run away from me. I had come to disturb their habitat, so it would mean that it would take a long moment before they would return to the lake again.

"We should head to the north," I said as I tied the tails on my back.

Niccolo stared at me. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he averted his gaze. "Yes, my lady."

Using that honorific by him was making my blood boil. He already called me by my name yet... Ugh! Why was I feeling this way?!

I was feeling frustrated. This was so annoying!

"Let's go." It helped mask my voice with coldness while having a stoic expression. It meant that he wouldn't be able to read me well. I would just keep my distance from him to avoid interacting with him.

I did not want to make any mistake of being able to be near him again.

Niccolo followed me until we were in the lake. I squinted my eyes when the surrounding was obscured with deafening silence.

"Niccolo...!" I turned at him, being cautious.

Niccolo nodded and drew out his sword from his sheath. "I am here..."

We dropped the tails we harvested as we were feeling our surroundings. Usually, this kind of silence in a time like this meant someone other than us had come here.

It also meant that the animals were hiding already.

"We should hide our items, Lady Dominixe. It is crucial—"

We both gasped when multiple arrows came from the east direction in an instant. Niccolo and I managed to evade it before I turned to him.

"Are you alright, Lady Dominixe?" Niccolo asked as he was still on guard.

"I am fine... You?" I oscillated my sword from left to right, becoming agitated.

"Likewise."

I felt relieved, but that was only temporary when we both felt something or someone moving with great agility as it circled us. I checked one of the arrows and smelled a strong scent of wolfsbane coated in it. I frowned and snapped it into two.

It was then I felt a presence coming from Niccolo's back and I quickly pushed him to the side and me that intruder.

It was no other than my 2nd sister having a smirk plastering on her lips.

"Surprise, 1st sister!" Britanny giggled maniacally.

"I knew that you would come to me, Britanny," I said as soon as our swords clashed against each other.

It was also when Warren appeared out of nowhere, holding his bow. "Well, well..." He was smiling from ear to ear before he glanced at Niccolo, who was being cautious of him.

I looked at them in disbelief. "Warren is not your partner, and so is you, Warren..." I exchanged glances between them before I pushed my sword against my sister. "You teamed with each other?"

Britanny smiled more. "What can I say? I am more invested in being Lord Warren's partner than the person I was supposed to be with." She approached him and clung to his arm. "Isn't that right, my lord?"

Warren nodded. His face was being turned to her before they exchanged a tongue-to-tongue kiss making my eyes widen in surprise.

That was when I grasped everything.

"You two are sleeping with each other..." I concluded, starting to laugh bitterly.

The present might have changed, but crucial events like this were still the same.

They both separated while a string of their saliva connected.

"So? You sound like I steal your ex-fiance from you, sister."

"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes. "You can have him as long as you please." My words brought annoyance to Warren. "Valerian was right before. Papa should have engaged me with my mate, not him. Valerian was more powerful than Warren. Right, Warren?" I asked in my sultry pitch.

In my peripheral vision, Niccolo was gazing at me. I glanced at him and saw the look of pride smothered on his face, which baffled me.

Why did he have that expression as if my words had brought him delight? It was not as if I was referring to him.

"Now I know you did not even protest and dismissed me so easily when Marquis Cantavalle called our engagement..." Warren growled, offended at my words.

"Tss!" Britanny scoffed. "Your deceased mate is supposed to be mine in the first place! That includes him! And him!" She pointed at Warren and Niccolo. "Why did you have to steal the man I had come to like, Dominixe?" She saddened her voice before she gripped her rapier sword. "Now, I am getting mad just by seeing your ugly face!" With that, Britanny attacked me.

"Dominixe!" Niccolo gasped and was about to help me, but Warren blocked his way.

"I am fine. Just deal with Warren. We cannot let them take our hunts!" Then I focused my attention on Britanny, who kept laughing maniacally.

"Come on, sister! Do not hold back! Are you trying to underestimate me?" She carelessly kept clashing my sword before she kicked me on my stomach.

"You are fucking insane..." I squinted my eyes before I lunged my sword at her, but she managed to evade it by ducking. I quickly evaded the tip of her sword that almost lacerated my clothes when I kicked it up.

On the other hand, Niccolo kept evading the arrows being thrown at him by using his wolf speed to get away from Warren. Even without his wolf, as he proclaimed, he was good at combat.

I was distracted by how awed I was before I realized Britanny had sneaked on me by throwing sand at my eyes.

"Fuck!" I shut my eyes closed and stepped back.

"Domi!"

"Stay there, Niccolo! Do your own! I can handle it there!" I said, hissing as I felt my surrounding.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes!" My head turned to the left, where I heard his voice. "I can manage..." I made a fighting stance along with my sword. "Damn you, Britanny."

Britanny giggled. "Well, it is not my fault if you are out of focus, Dominixe. Also, it looks like you are becoming a failure in fighting. You are lousy now, unlike before when you are firm and stronger. I can easily take you down even with that condition of yours. Papa is right. You have become weak ever since you met that mate of yours!" she said scornfully.

I gripped my sword's hilt upon hearing those words. "And I will never regret meeting Valerian. You will never understand since you did not experience how to be loved by such a wonderful man!" I barked before I concentrated on feeling more of my surroundings. "And do not underestimate me since I have gone the same training being blinded in my surroundings!" I did not waste any time attacking my second sister.

It was a good thing that I was still at my advantage. Papa's training when he had us being in blindfolded situations when it came to executing proper combat had paid off.

Britanny hissed since she knew that this was not going to put me at a disadvantage.

"Why can't you just die already?! Dominixe is supposed to be mine!"

Huh?

Why was Warren shouting all of a sudden?

I tried to hear their conversation, but Britanny was not bestowing me a chance since she kept attacking me from left to right, leaving me no choice but to concentrate on my surroundings so I could focus.

Even with my eyes closed, I could tell Britanny's swift movements. She was really sleek, and hard to find a weakness if she was in a solemn situation.

"Your skills are making me annoyed, Dominixe..." Britanny said when she noticed that I was in a defensive attack. "I want to kill you right at this moment."

I smirked. "Try me." I felt the presence of her sword coming underneath me, but I was quick to side it and kick her.

Britanny hissed. "If I cannot make you still, perhaps, someone's going to take this on behalf of yours."

I gasped when Britanny used wolf speed to go in Niccolo and Warren's direction. "Niccolo, look out!" I screamed his name as I was prepared to dash in their direction.

I knew what Britanny was going to do. She would put me at a profound disadvantage once she took out Niccolo first. Even though I could handle being alone, I couldn't just leave Niccolo alone.

No, something was telling me that I shouldn't let him die.

But I did not know where that urge came from.

"LILITH, NO! IT'S A TRAP!"

Before I could realize what he said and was blinded from worrying Niccolo, I felt something pierce my stomach. I gasped and coughed blood.

"Got you, sister," Britanny whispered to my ear. "You really have become weak."

"You bitch..." I coughed blood, feeling the poison lingering all over my body. I realized she used the highly concentrated wolfsbane we always used to slaughter an Alpha.

And now... it was used against me again.

"UNHAND HER! UNHAND MY—"

All of a sudden, I couldn't hear anything. There was this loud ringing in my ears as I dared to open my eyes even though particles of sand got into my eyes. My vision was blurry, but I saw Niccolo's figure kicking Warren's face before he rushed toward me.

"I am going to kill you this time..."

I looked at Britanny from her word, glaring at her before I used my ounce of strength to pierce my sword on her shoulder.

That was when I collapsed to the ground before I felt a familiar pair of hands cupping my face.

"Honeydew, no... Not again..."

"Val..." I muttered under my breath before I closed my eyes as my body gave up on me.