Loving the Fallen

Chapter twenty three: familiar

I stepped back as if the man had grown three noses, and Orion took the moment to be the one to step closer to him.

"When? How did she go?" Orion quickly asked. He was probably frustrated because he didn't hear anything, which was unusual for him.

My jaw locked in place, unable to say any words. A sense of betrayal engulfed me, and it was also hurt and shock.

She really left.

"There's a guard that offered her freedom for a price. I don't know what that price is but she agreed. I promise I tried to stop her." He was quite literally sobbing, "Please, I really worry for her. Please find her."

"Which guard? Stop speaking in snippets." Orion snapped, his frustration growing.

"She called him Jakob! She said she would meet him outside."

Orion snarled, his eyes darkening.

"Show us exactly where she was supposed to meet him."

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Laelynn's point of view

I made a terrible mistake.

And I regretted it more than anything.

My eyes were closed shut, tears slowly running down my burning cheeks. I couldn't believe what I had done. I completely fell for whatever Jakob had promised me, and now he had kidnapped me.

Worse of all, I involved Jillian in this mess.

"I'm sorry, Jillian. I didn't know he would do this." I apologized to her. She didn't respond to me, which I deserved. Eren warned me every time about the danger that came with the other males, but I never listened to him. Now I was paying the price.

The car was speeding down a bumpy hill, which made me think that he was driving in the forest. The castle was on flat land, so it was supposed to be a smooth road. I felt my leg bump to the corners of a box whenever the car jerked too hard, making me hiss in pain.

Where is he taking us? Why is he doing this?

"Orion," I whispered, hoping that he could hear me. "Please find me, I'm sorry for leaving you."

"I want to be with you. Both of you." I said out loud.

The car skidded to a stop after at least half an hour, the force making me crash to Jillian. She shoved me off her, and I softly apologized, shifting away from her. I heard Jakob slam the door, and his footsteps disappeared. I held my breath, trying to listen outside.

"You're late." I heard a voice say. It sounded familiar.

"One of the humans gave me a little problem." Jakob responded. I opened my eyes and wiped my tears, listening to the conversation.

"How many do you have for me today?"

"Two. I'm expecting three more next week. I just need to convince them to escape like I did with these ones."

"They'd better be sexy. They need to be a hit in the market."

Market? They wanted to sell us?

But... Only vampires sold humans.

"He's working with vampires?" Jillian whispered in surprise. I couldn't see anything in the trunk, but I nodded anyway.

"Calm down. They're beautiful. They belonged to the commander, and the Lord Ries himself." Jakob approached the trunk of the car. He pulled the door open, my hand quickly rising to shield my face when bright light hit me. A flashlight was pointed at me.

"I hope that doesn't mean they'll be coming after me." The voice said, more feet approaching us.

"Don't worry. They'll replace them within a week." Jakob responded. "And the cycle will continue."

A large hand yanked my arm away from my face, and I met red eyes that belonged to the vampire. My lips parted when I recognized him. The Handler.

He also seemed to recognize me because he grinned like a chesire cat. "Well, well, what a pleasant surprise."

Jakob stared at him suspiciously, "You know her?"

"Know her? I personally sold her to your boss." His eyes ran up and down my body, making me tense. "She's looking thicker than I remember. Maybe I'll end up keeping her as my toy." He reached for my face in an attempt to stroke it, but I pulled back. He cackled, licking his crusty lips disgustingly.

"Hey, no touching without paying." Jakob said, taking the attention off me. "I risked a lot to get her. Now I need to go back before that party ends."

"Don't worry, I'll pay right now." They turned around and walked off, leaving us inside the opened trunk.

They left it wide open for us.

I looked ahead. It was a bunch of trees. What if I just ran in there without them noticing? Would I be able to escape?

Jillian obviously had the same idea because she slowly sat up and peeked outside. When she saw that the coast was clear, she carefully stepped out. I bit my lip, realizing that this was stupid. They were supernaturals. They didn't need to restrain us or look after us because they would find us easily if we escaped. They were faster, stronger, and had the best senses.

"Jillian, don't." I warned her softly. She ignored me, slipping her foot out. When she touched the ground successfully, she looked around one last time before dashing for the trees. I contemplated on following her but decided that it wasn't a good idea.

She was about to reach the treeline until I saw something moving towards her at the speed of light. In a blur, it tackled her to the ground and clung onto her. I gasped when she screamed, seeing the Handler holding her tightly. I wish the headlights of the car didn't let me witness this.

Jillian screamed, and I also screamed loudly when I saw him sinking his teeth into her neck. He kept his grip around her tight, and I choked out a sob when I thought I heard a bone snap. He wasn't just feeding from her. He was killing her.

"Zachary! You're killing her, dammit." Jakob intervened, reaching for the vampire. He ripped him off Jillian, who fell on the floor limply. I didn't know if she was still breathing. It didn't look like it.

I felt my tears staining my face.

"I didn't kill her." The Handler breathed out, wiping his bloody mouth with the sleeves of his jacket. "I just made sure that she can't try to escape anymore."

"You broke her leg."

"For good reason," the Handler said. "They are no longer your concern. I've paid you, so go home."

Jakob shook his head in disapproval but walked to his car. When he reached me, he held my arm and pulled me out of the vehicle, leaving me on the cold grass. When he shut the trunk, I realized that he was leaving.

Leaving us behind.

"No! Jakob, please! Please don't leave!" I begged him, crawling towards him. He turned to look at me, not showing an ounce of remorse for me.

"Sorry, princess. A man has to do what he has to do. It's a cruel world we live in."

With that, he shut the door and drove off, leaving me back in the hands of The Handler.

Don't forget to...
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