Lunar Eclipse / Blood Magic

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - PART ONE

Cami's scream launched Lukas straight into action. 

In the darkness, his night-vision made out the large fallen tree blocking the entirety of the empty road. His foot slammed the brakes but even with his near-perfect reflexes, they were too close. He jerked the wheel to the right, so the brunt of the impact was to his side. Thankfully, the breaks on the Jeep were good, but they still hit at a high enough speed for the airbags to deploy.

Lukas' face smashed against the glass of the side window and the top of his head impacted against the edge of the door, his body exploding in bursts of pain. As soon as the car came to a stop, he looked over at Cami. Her head seemed to have mirrored his own – but because of her height had only hit the window – and she was cradling the side of her head.

"You okay?" He said to her, scanning her body for any other injuries.

She seemed disorientated but eventually she nodded her head slowly. "Yeah... I think I'm good."

Lukas took a deep breath and rested his head back. "That was close."

Not a second after he said that, an arrow came crashing through the windscreen and impaled his shoulder.

"Lukas!"

He grunted in pain and looked down. He cursed foully at whose arrows they were. 

"Get the fuck down!" He said to her, reaching across and pulling the lever of her chair, causing her to fly backwards so she was horizontal for when the next arrow came flying through the windscreen, missing her by an inch.

He did the same to his own chair and reached under Cami into the backseat footwell for his duffel. He rifled around, cursing all the while until his hand rested on the butt of his handgun. He pulled it out, checked it was loaded, took the safety off, and cocked it.

"Close your eyes." He told her, shooting out the rest of the windscreen.

Lukas then snapped the end of the arrow off and lifting himself up. He bit back against the pain as the wood slid from his body. Quickly, he looked ahead into the forest, from where the arrows had come from. When he saw a crop of white hair appear, arrow drawn, he shot his gun first and released four bullets in succession before dropping back down.

"Lukas, who are trying to kill us this time?" Cami whisper-shouted.

"Faeries." He said rifling in his duffle for his iron bullets

"And what do they want with me? Turn me or kill me?"

"They want to kill you so you don't give the Vamps an advantage and reason to come after them." He grabbed the specialised magazine and replaced it quickly.

"What the fuck is wrong with your fucking world!"

Lukas would've laughed if he wasn't trying to get them out of this alive. "Just stay down, okay?"

"Why, what are you going to do?"

"I'm getting us out of here."

He tried the engine, and just as it turned over, another arrow was fired. It hit the grill and imbedded somewhere, causing the engine to sputter out. That cued another round of swear words from both of them.

Next Lukas tried his door but he was blocked in by the tree. He checked his exits and with not a lot of cover he was left with one option.

"Remember stay down, okay?" He said to her. "Tessa gave you a Beacon, right?"

Cami nodded.

"If I go down, use it, they'll be here within moments, they'll save you."

Her eyes widened in realisation, grabbing his arm as she shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous Lukas. They'll kill you."

"Cami." He was firm with her, there was no use in coddling her. "We don't have a choice. Find the Beacon." He searched into his duffel again and pulled out a couple of his best and favourite iron daggers, another handgun, a couple clips of ammo, and a trusty grenade. Lukas knew he could definitely take a couple of them down before they got him. But he was certain they would get him. A Faeries Knight's aim was too good for them not to.

He pulled the pin out of the grenade and threw it out in their general direction. "Remember. Beacon." He said right before the explosion. Whilst the debris was still falling, he catapulted himself out.

As soon as he cleared the Jeep he was shooting from where he had seen them. Although, through the smoke he couldn't see much, but he knew they would be able to see shit either, and that was his only advantage. He'd emptied his first clip on both guns when an arrow embedded itself in his thigh.

Lukas' leg gave way, but whilst he was half kneeling, he reloaded and was back to shooting. He heard a scream and knew at least one of his bullets had found his target. But soon enough he was out of ammo, so pulled his knives out of his back pockets. His skin was rippling with the need to change, but that would only make him a bigger and easier target right now.

As the smoke cleared, he was just about to charge, he could probably slice a few a them up before they took him down, when one of the Knights came out from behind the tree. His bow was drawn and as his face flickered with recognition.

The Faeries cocked his head, lowered his bow and said, "Lukas?"