Lycan Blood

Page 22

Before anything else could be said, feelings of death swept down Dasker's spine, and a voice popped into his head. Alpha, we're under attack! They have witches! Dasker stood up, racing to look out the window. Circling his house were heavy groups of vampires, wolves, and witches, slowly entrapping them. The witches were muttering incantations, and the guards outside were falling down, shouting out in pain. A familiar face rushed inside. Ashton. "Alpha, they're taking down our guards with some sort of spell!"

"Protect Raven, I'll handle it," Dasker commanded, and Ashton nodded before quickly rushing down the halls. Dasker turned to his siblings, who were all already up and looking through the windows at the large masses closing in. "Get ready to fight," they all faced him. His eyes turned red from anger, and his veins projected from under them, indicating his thirst. "Don't stop until they're all dead."

Stepping outside, all five siblings felt the clawing inside their heads from the witches' spell, but they were able to tolerate it, unlike the wolves passed out around them. How they had made their way to his house without anyone mind linking him and warning of their presence was a mystery to Dasker, but he couldn't think about that now. Each sibling took on their own set of attackers, ripping through them like paper. They barely came out scratched after killing their first groups, and they could sense the fear of the rest of the attackers grow, though most didn't show it. They clawed at the vampires, countering their enemies' speed with their own, which was much faster. They fought until the grounds drowned in blood, and no longer were there any rivals still standing. Soon, reinforcements arrived and the passed-out guards regained their consciousness, though at the sight of the battleground they knew they were late. A feeling gnawed at Dasker's mind, and quickly he turned back to the house, dashing in. He darted into his room. Empty. Worry and fear enveloped him as he hurriedly searched each room with no sign of Raven. He couldn't hear her anywhere, and her scent trail was masked, the only traces of it lingered in his room. A sudden realization stabbed at his heart and mind. Ashton. He marched out of the house, his breathing loud as he gritted his teeth in rage. Cayden ran over to him, acknowledging his state. "This was all a distraction. He fucking took her!" He growled, his ferocity rapidly growing. "When I get my hands on him," He snarled in a breathy explosion of words, "I'll make him suffer."

With his hand firmly grasping her wrist, Ashton pulled Raven through the woods in a hurry. "Ashton, stop!" Raven tried pulling her wrist away, but he kept his grip.

"No, Raven. The Alpha made it clear that he wanted you out of there, away from the attack. I have to obey my orders." He lied, speeding up his pace.

"Where are we going?" She followed. He had convinced her that Dasker had ordered him to evacuate her and that he would meet her after the fight. In no way was she aware of the traitor Ashton really was.

"You'll see when we get there." He sped up. After a while, they reached an open plain. Standing around, waiting, were a group of unfamiliar people. At the sight of them, Raven struggled against Ashton's grip, suspicion growing inside of her. Not budging, he pulled her forward, leading her closer to them.

"Let me go!" He continued pulling her. Desperate, Raven grabbed his arm and sunk her teeth into it, biting hard until he let go in pain. As soon as he released her wrist, she pulled back and started running away. Before she could make it to the trees, though, a heavy body tackled her and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. She looked at him as he forced her closer to the unknown people standing before her. "Why are you doing this?!" Ashton ignored her.

"Well, well." One of the men approached her, a sadistic smile on his face. "This is the wolf that has the legendary hybrid wrapped around her finger?" He let out an evil chuckle. "I guess today we'll find out if he truly cares for you all that much." A woman approached, in her hand a needle. Raven struggled against Ashton's hold, which grew tighter as the woman pulled it up, injecting the liquid into Raven's body. "Nighty night."

When Raven finally awoke, she was lying on cold grass, her hands and feet tied up. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized she was still in the plains, and the unknown people still surrounded her. She didn't know for how long she had been out, but by the rising sun, she guessed at least a couple of hours. Her body ached, and pain seared through her muscles at the slightest movement. A younger woman approached her. "Don't worry, this will soon be over." What does she mean by that? Raven thought. She imagined the worst. They're gonna kill me. "You're not our target," The woman added as if she could read Raven's thoughts, "but I can't promise that your body will tolerate the change." The change?

"Positions, everyone!" The man from earlier called out, and the woman walked away. "They're almost here." After a couple of minutes, Raven began hearing an army of footsteps approach, and soon, familiar faces flooded her vision. She scanned over them before noticing a particular one, and relief flooded over her. Dasker! Once his eyes hovered over her, she saw rage stamped on his face and could sense his fury. Around him stood his siblings, who also had their eyes on her. She noticed Zara's face was as angry as ever, and Raven realized she had never seen this side of her. She took on a fighting stance, and her eyes shone gold. "What took you so long?" The man spoke up. As Dasker took a step forward, the man put his finger up in warning. "I wouldn't do that." Ignoring him, Dasker took another step. Voices echoed the land as the group of people standing behind the man began chanting. Suddenly, Raven cried out in pain as she rolled on the floor, her muscles stiffening as movement was forced upon them. Dasker stopped, growling as he registered what they were doing. His jaw clenched up.

"I'm gonna kill you," Dasker swore, his voice deep and full of anger. The man laughed in response.

"You know, I thought that was going to be my line," he mocked. "But please, do try. It'll only make it worse on your little girlfriend." Dasker glanced at Raven, who was desperately catching her breath in between her shouts of pain. "Now, order your pack to back up while we have a little chat." Dasker flicked his head back, signaling for them to back off a little. They obliged, but his siblings were more hesitant about it. Back up, but stay alert. If they try anything, move in. He informed them all through his mind-link. Once his pack was an exceptional distance away, the man stepped forward. "Tell me, what do you hope to do once the lycan presents himself? He will surely rob you of your alpha title and rule over your people, and what are you going to do about that? Oh yes, you're going to let him." Dasker's stare grew harder on the man and he let out a short growl.

"I will do so happily. Now, if we were talking about you and your people," he glanced at Ashton, his eyes lasering him with rage, "I would have to die a trillion times over, and even then, I wouldn't surrender my pack to your feeble and appalling rule." His words provoked the man, and at the movement of his hand, the witches behind him grew louder. Raven screamed in agony as the cracks of her bones could be heard loud and clear. It was obvious what they were doing; they were casting a spell that would force her to transform, while they amplified the pain beyond bearability. "Stop them right now or I will kill you right here!" He yelled, but the man did no such thing. The witches' chanting rose in volume, and Raven's shrieks of torment rang throughout the land. Dasker rushed forward, but an invisible barrier blocked him from reaching the man. He punched it with extreme strength, but it didn't budge. "Coward," his voice was thick with anger before he dashed over to Raven, and as soon as he did so, his pack charged forward. He held Raven in his arms, but it only worsened her pain. Her bones began breaking faster, and tears streamed down her face. He could hear her previously rapid heartbeat slow down drastically, and at that moment, pure fear overwhelmed him.