Chapter 37

Chapter 1:

Lucas’s P.O.V:

I traced one finger down the arch of her slender neck, her blonde hair spilled around her like a halo.

She arched up at my touch, her greedy eyes following my lips, down my throat. She went to raise her head, try and steal a kiss from me, but I stopped her with my hand around her throat. She needed to know that I was the one who called the shots here.

“Not so fast, kitty.” I whispered in her ears as I bent down to bite her neck and then licked at the sensual hurt, making her whimper.

The scent of her arousal was thick in the air and it was making my wolf rise to the front of my consciousness. I knew my eyes had turned topaz when I heard her gasp, both in wonder and a tiny bit of fear.

Good.

I used one hand to lift her back off the bed the slightest bit as my other hand travelled down her body, finding the strap of her bra and unhooking the material. I ripped it off her the next instant. Her breasts were already hardened nubs as they stiffened for lack my attention. I licked my lips and lowered my head to-

An animalistic growl tore through the room, making the woman scream as I sat up in bed, fully alert. Green eyes glittered in the darkness and I instantly turned on the bedside light to identify the intruder.

The woman screamed a terrified scream and wrapping the bed sheet around her body, escaped the room while screaming at the top of her lungs.

Alpha?

It’s alright Mark, just get her some clothes and show her to a guestroom.

I answered one of my most trusted soldiers before turning my eyes to the wounded man in front of me. Damien, the King of the land and vampires was standing in my room as blood dripped on the floor.

****

“How are you still alive?”

If looks could kill, I’d be a thousand feet under by now and knowing that there were actual rumors that Damien Vandolff could kill people with just a look, I turned my gaze away. I walked over to the fake fireplace on one corner of my room and knelt down in front of it. Reaching up the chimney pipe, I pulled out the small box that I’d kept for safety measures. Since Damien has ‘requested’ that I don’t call anyone else into the room, I was stuck playing nurse.

“Black rose petals and a stash of other God-knows-what’s you might find helpful.”I handed the box to Damien and watched as he removed his hand from his torso to accept the box and a fresh sprout of blood erupted from the cut. I winced inwardly; I couldn’t imagine the pain he was in and yet he showed none of it on his face.

“I kept those in case of any emergencies. You never know when a wounded vampire would end up at my door step.” I told him sarcastically as he opened the box, spilling half the contents on the floor before he found the rose petals and took them out of the vile.

“Why only intruders? Daylight bracelets need to be changed every two to three months.” He said, taking one petal at a time and sticking them in the wound one by one. It worked almost instantly, the blood flow halting after the wound was fully covered by dark velvety petals with drops of red.

I knew what he was implying and decided to put him out of his misery since he was already bleeding all over my room. “She’s not here.” That instantly got his attention as he looked up at me sharply. “She hasn’t been here for the past eleven and a half months.”

He frowned. “Then where is she?”

“Like I’d know.” I snorted and shook my head. “After she came back from the castle that day, she just packed and left with Neema. When I woke up the next morning, she was gone. Just like that.”

“You didn’t look for her?” There was an undertone of anger in his voice.

“I didn’t look for her?” That got me fuming. I strode up to him until I was only a foot away and towering a good few inches over him. I didn’t care that he was injured, the man probably deserved it. “I haven’t stopped looking! But she’s nowhere to be found! I searched every strip of land that I could, sent my men overseas, but there has been absolutely no sign of her for the past year. All I know is that she’s not on the run, or we would’ve found some evidence of her. She’s hiding somewhere; I just need to figure out where she is.”

“We,” said the arrogant son of a bitch. “We need to find out where she is and fast.”

“Why? If you wanted to find her you would’ve found her by now by teleporting to her already.” I sneered at him. “And why do you suddenly need to find her after nearly a year of staying away from her? You told me you cared about her, cared enough to keep her away from any danger that you can bring her. And yet, here you are, looking like death warmed over and ready to go on a quest to find her when clearly, you’re in knee-deep shit right now!”

“If it was up to me, I would have never put her in the middle of all this, but she has Neema with her and they’re both in danger.” Damien snapped back. “Her fate was sealed the day she decided to help Neema.”

That got my attention. “Danger? How? I’d put my best trackers after her and they had failed to find her. And if you’re asking for her here, that means you failed too. As far as I know, she’s safer than she’s ever been before. Why should you bring her out of hiding and place her in even more trouble?”

“Because the people who’re searching for her this time aren’t normal vampires or werewolves, they’re much too powerful, too dangerous.” Damien told me as he turned to face the night sky through the open windows. “They’re the reason I had ordered Trisha to leave me.”

Ordered her to leave? Is that what really happened?

“Who are they? These people that you keep talking about.” I asked him. “Why are you so scared of them that you had to push away the woman who loved you with all her heart, despite how you treated her?”

Damien turned to give me a sharp look. “I had to let her go, Lucas. You have no idea of the things I have to do to keep her safe! If you were in my shoes-“

“I would’ve damn well held on to Trisha and never let her go.” I spat. “You had your chance, Damien and you fucked up. You let her go. I won’t back down so easily this time.”

“For that, she has to remain alive first.”

A chill ran down my spine as the first rays of dawn hit the horizon. “What’s coming after her, Damien? Who are they?”

“The Council of Elders and their Death Squad.”