The sun had long set when we took the road to the pack. It split off from the main road a few miles away from the school gates. Blurred by a spell and guarded by a couple of warriors for good measure, the road cut through the trees and led right to the heart of the pack.
"Remember I told you that we talked to the rogue vampires?"
"Yeah," Orla said. Her hair looked darker in the dimly lit car, but her eyes were still a clear blue and a sparkling obsidian.
"At first, they weren't very helpful. They were too sick. Sam could get nothing out of them for the entire night." I paused. "Until I showed up. One of them was suddenly very talkative. Although he didn't make much sense, at least he wanted to talk."
"Really? Why you?"
"It's not really me that got them to talk. It's because they smelled your scent on me."
I glanced at her frown. She caught up quickly. "Because they smelled a human on you? Or because they smelled me on you?"
"The latter."
Her surprise was evident. "Why?"
"We don't know yet," I replied as the cover of trees thinned out and the pack glimmered into life. I slowed the car and let her take in the pack village. It was a small settlement, with unpaved pathways cutting through it, mostly with one or two-story cabins. We left the car in a small parking area at the edge of the village where all pack vehicles were kept, and moved on foot.
"So, you guys think if I'm present there, the rogues might talk," Orla said, taking in the village as we walked through. The few pack members outside all stared at her, nodding their heads in greeting as we passed by.
"That's what we think." I sighed. "I was against it, at first. But it's your call. If you don't want to go near them, don't."
"I'll do it. You'll be there, right?"
"Of course."
She smiled. "Then it'll be fine."
Her trust warmed my chest. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Vlad will be there, too. He wanted to meet you."
"Vlad is...?"
"Sam's sire," I replied. "The vampire who turned him. He's the head of the strongest and most ancient vampire coven in the world. He himself is the first vampire."
"The first?! Ever?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"The first of his kind. I don't even know how old the man is. No one really does. Except him, I guess."
"Wow," she breathed out, then giggled. "So he's literally older than the dirt we're walking on?"
I chuckled, shaking my head at her. "Yeah, literally"
"It's amazing, though. To live for such a long time. He must have seen so much. It's inconceivable."
"True. I don't know how he did it. Especially without a mate."
"He doesn't have a mate?" A sad note weakened her voice.
"He didn't find her yet. Some people say he doesn't have one at all. But you never know. I mean, after I found you, anything is possible."
As we walked deeper into the village, more wolves seemed to be out and about. Gossip travels fast in a pack of wolves. The majority of the cabins were open, spilling out light. People were standing in clutters in front of their houses. I could only feel curiosity and innocent interest. They gave Orla kind smiles when they caught her eyes, and my wolf settled down.
"I like it here," Orla mumbled, waving to one of the pack elders. An old female who sat on a rocking chair in the porch of her house. I bowed my head towards her, and she gave us a smile.
Relief flooded me at Orla's words. I guess I'd been worried. "Good. This is your home too, now."
Her smile turned radiant. Looking around the village with shining eyes, she whispered to herself, "home."
"There are more cabins tucked away in the woods, for people who want more privacy. But the majority of the cabins are cluttered around the pack house."
"The pack house?"
I pointed at the big cabin at the end of the pathway. "It's the biggest cabin in the pack. It's basically a communal space. We host events and group meals there. And it has offices for administrative work and meetings."
As usual, the pack house was surrounded by young wolves who hung around, their laughter echoing in the night. Lights spilled out of the open doors and every window. I waved a hand and received several deep nods. But the star of the show was Orla. Everyone seemed enraptured by her, whether it was simple curiosity because their wolves recognized her as their queen or something else, it remained to be seen.
The ground floor of the pack house consisted of a large living room, set up with several couches and seating arrangements, currently empty because everyone was outside after hearing Orla was in the pack.
A hallway led to the kitchen, where the clatter of dishes and the voices of pack members on kitchen duty echoed. A door opened to the indoor cafeteria and another outside, where an outdoor dining area was set up in the back. Orla and I headed to the second floor. We found Dad, Sam, Haley and Vlad standing in front of a room in the hallway. The smell of the rogue vampire lingered in the air. He must be behind that door.
"About time. Good evening, Little Red," Sam said, straightening up from where he leaned against the closed door.
"Good evening," I answered.
Orla watched Vlad, the new face. Broad-shouldered and standing at almost six feet six, he was a big man for a vampire. His three piece suit fit him like a glove, tampering down his impressive size. His hair was pitch black, and bright blue eyes seemed to glow against pale skin. He looked barely in his early thirties, but he was the oldest person I knew. Perhaps the oldest one in existence.
He gave Orla a once over, with a quick glanced at her neck I didn't know what to make of.
"Vlad, meet my mate, Orla," I said.
His usual blank expression warmed a fraction. "A pleasure. I heard a lot about you."
Orla smiled. "Only good things, I hope."
Vlad smiled back. "Interesting things."
Now that he met her, I truly hoped Vlad would have an explanation about all the abnormal things Orla could do. As Orla had put it, he was older than dirt. He was bound to know something.
"I had the vampire transferred into one of the guest rooms here," Dad said through our link. "I know you don't want her to go down to the cells. And I don't want her first visit to the pack to be there."
Relieved, I nodded my gratitude.
"Let's go, then," Dad said. "We don't want to set him on edge, so only Orla, Ezra and Vlad will go in. We'll watch from the door."
Haley squeezed Orla's hand before Vlad opened the door and we stepped inside. The room was dark. The only light came through the hallway.
Orla stepped closer to me, blinking hard. I turned on the light for her sake.
"Thanks," she whispered.
The rogue's scent intensified. The vampire huddled in a corner of the empty room. He was unchained. But the chains would be redundant with Vlad around. He would know before the guy even made a move.
He'd changed from the rags he'd been wearing when we first caught him. His eyes were edged in red. Sweat gleamed against his skin and stuck his hair to his forehead. The excessive sweat was his body's attempt to get rid of the silver with which we dosed him.
As soon as Orla stepped inside, the vampire snapped his head up. His nostrils flared, and a sheen rolled over his eyes.
Orla's pulse quickened. The smell of her fear made me want to whisk her out of here. She was terrified, and rightfully so. This rogue was one of the group who'd been trying to suck her dry only days ago.
"That's her, that's her," the rogue muttered, inching closer. Vlad mumbled something under his breath that even my hearing couldn't pick up. The vampire froze, wide eyes fixed on Vlad. His brain might be muddled, but he certainly didn't forget who Vlad was.
The rogue leaned back into the wall, his fear thick in the air. He gave a hesitant nod, his gaze flickering between Orla and Vlad.
"Do you know her?" Vlad asked.
"We know her. Her blood is good. Tasty." He looked at Orla, a slow grin stretching across his face. "You're tasty. Special. He gave us the blood when we did as we were told."
"Who gave you the blood?" Vlad asked.
"Him. He had all of it. All of the good blood. He gave us some and it was really good. So good." He smiled at Orla.
"He's not making any sense again. Just repeating what he already said," Sam muttered from the door behind us. I had to agree with him. I guess being in Orla's vicinity didn't work as well as we thought it would.
Orla took a deep breath and whispered, "I can try."
My jaw clenched. "Orla-"
"Trust me," she whispered, taking my hand in hers with a smile. "You're here, right?"
Saying no to those big, pleading eyes was beyond me. Especially when I knew she was right. We were all here. He wouldn't be able to lay a finger on her.
"Alright," I growled out.
She let go of my hand and stepped closer to the vampire. I stuck to her like a shadow. Sitting on her haunches in front of him, she smiled. "Hi."
The vampire, whose gaze never left her, cocked his head to the side. His eyes flickered to her neck, and his tongue flicked out to lick his chapped lips.
My entire body was coiled to spring. The vampire simply blinked.
"I'm Orla," she said. "What's your name?"
The vampire frowned, as if trying to remember something. "My name..."
With an encouraging smile, Orla edged closer, much to my disapproval.
The vampire squinted his eyes, holding his head. "My name. I have a name... it's- it's- It starts with N." He grunted, screwing his eyes shut. "N-No...Noah. Noah!" His eyes shot open and he beamed at Orla. "My name is Noah. I remembered!"
"That's very good," Orla said, her voice warm and her smile genuine. Her fear almost disappeared now. "It's very nice to meet you, Noah."
The vampire dropped his hands and cocked his head, wonder written all over his face.
"Anyway," she said. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about that man? The one who gave you the blood? Can you do that, please?"
The vampire's eyes flickered to her neck before he shook his head, as if to clear his mind. "The man. He- he gave us the blood."
"Do you know his name?" she asked gently, dipping her head to catch his eyes.
"No one knows his name. They all call him Sir, or Master. No name." He frowned, sounding almost dejected he couldn't answer her question.
"It's okay, Noah. That's good. Maybe you can tell us what he looks like?"
"He- he- he had black hair. Long. Long black hair. And he always wore black. Black," he said, looking into her eyes like they were the thing that made him hold onto the last thread of sanity.
"Okay, what about his eyes? Did he have a tattoo or something unique?" she asked, trying to come up with a lead.
"His eyes were black, too. Everything was black. Black and red. Tattoo...tattoo..." he mumbled, holding his head again, his face scrunched up. "V! He had a V. V and one. On his hand. On his fingers."
"Okay. That's good Noah. Uh..." she looked up at me in question, not knowing what to ask.
"Where?" I mouthed.
"Noah," she spoke gently again. Noah's face was twisted in pain. "I'm sorry you're in pain, but can you tell me where you met him? Or where we can find him?"
"The bar," he said. His breathing grew more labored. He closed his eyes. "The bar. He's always in the bar. But under. Under."
"Where is that bar?"
"I don't remember. I don't know. Only he knows. I don't know!" His eyes snapped open and his hands dropped. His eyes looked empty again, the little sanity he'd regained earlier fading away.
He smiled and leaned forward. "Oh, he knows Orla. He knows you. He knows your name. The prince's mate. He knows yours. He screamed it all the time, Orla. He screamed it all the time," he said, a sick feeling crept up my throat. "He thought no one saw him, but I did. She was screaming, and he was screaming your name while he held her. He was screaming your name when-"
I pounced on him before he could finish those words. Vlad's steely grip held me back. I almost shook him off if not for my father's intervention. He pushed me back and dragged me outside the room. It all happened so quickly, a blur of time and space.
My growl echoed around the walls. Fur pricked the back of my neck. The vampire's words echoing in my ears, planting fear in my heart, and my control threatened to snap.
"Calm down. Now," Dad said, standing in my face and blocking my view. I closed my eyes and focused on the thread of Orla's scent around me. After several minutes, my heart rate settled down and my wolf receded to the back of my head.
My father took a step back, clearing my view. Haley had her arm around Orla, whose eyes looked huge in her pale face.
I rubbed my face. I didn't want to lose control in front of her. But remembering the bastard's words made me crave his blood, and the blood of the mastermind behind him.
I sighed and opened my arms. Orla immediately walked into them, her breath shaky.
"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered, nuzzling her hair. She shook her head, melting into my embrace.
Through the door, I could see Vlad inside with Sam, who had his hands on Noah's head. Orla pulled back and looked at them. "What is he doing?"
"He's looking into his memories," Haley replied. "The vampire seems more lucid when talking to you, so he'll see if there's anything new."
Vlad stepped outside and closed the door on Sam and Noah. "Let's leave him to Sam for a while."
"You did good, girly," Dad said.
She did. It was hard to believe that only weeks ago she was a human who knew nothing about our world.
Dad looked at Orla with a small smile. Haley raised her brows. Dad's smile were even more rare than mine, especially after my mother had collapsed.
Orla shrugged. "Thank you. I just talked to him, though."
"You managed to get something out of him. There's a lead we can follow now," Vlad said, leaning against the closed door. "However, I'm afraid I have some news. I'm not yet sure if they are good or bad."
"What is it?" My dad asked.
Vlad looked around. "We should speak in private."
Dad nodded his head down the hallway. We filed into one of spare meeting rooms and settled down around the long wooden table. Haley closed the door. The rooms were soundproofed, so there was no risk of anyone overhearing.
"What is it, Vlad?" Dad asked.
"Drake, the vampire who attacked Orla. You've sent him with a missing fang. Sam's work I presume? He's always been fond of ripping out fangs," Vlad said. I wish Sam had taken the other fang as well.
Haley chuckled. "Yep."
Vlad nodded, meeting my eyes. "He grew his fang back."
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
"It's only been a month!"
Dad, Haley and I exclaimed in disbelief. That was impossible. Ripping out a fang was one of the cruelest ways to punish vampires. Their fangs would take decades to grow back, maybe years if the vampire was old and powerful. Having a few centuries old vampire grow a fang in a matter of a month was impossible.
"I've seen it myself," Vlad said. "The bastard has been hiding it. But the last time I paid him a visit in the island where he's exiled, I found traces of both fangs on a deer. When I checked Drake, the fang wasn't fully grown out yet, but it was enough for him to break through skin and get blood."
I leaned back in my seat, my mind swirling with the implication of Vlad's words. The only thing that could have made Drake's fang grow back that quickly was...
"Why are you all surprised?" Orla asked. "Can't vampires grow fangs back?"
"They can," Haley replied, frowning in thought. "But it takes decades, years at best. It's only been one month since Drake lost his."
"How did he grow it back so quickly then?" Orla asked.
Haley's eyes widened as she looked at me. Dad, too, must have come to the same conclusion.
"I have a theory," Vlad said. We all stared at Orla.
Orla looked between us. "What?"
"That night," I said, "the only thing he'd done different that night was drink from you."
Orla's breath caught. "Y-you think my blood made him grow his fang back that quickly?"
"That's a strong possibility," Vlad said.
She frowned, her pulse picking up. I hated seeing her afraid and not being able to do anything about it. I hated this feeling of helplessness.
Pulling her chair closer, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She put her hand on my thigh and gave me a brave smile that settled my wolf.
She was here. She was safe. Everything else, we'd deal with together.
"What do you think, Vlad?" Dad asked.
Vlad leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his fingers linked together. "I had a close eye on Drake. The only blood he had consumed after Orla's was of animal source. No one but me visited him." He paused. "I have never seen a human do what Orla can, in all the years that I've lived. But, the good thing is, everything she's able to do is positive. She hadn't harmed anyone so far. Quite the contrary."
Quite the contrary, indeed. Noah was more lucid after simply talking to her for a few minutes. And Drake had regenerated his fang in a matter of weeks.
The question was why.
Why was she able to do all those things? Things that even the oldest among us couldn't explain.
I looked at her. She frowned to herself, rubbing the middle of her chest. I couldn't help but feel this was only the beginning of what she would show us.
--- ---- ---
Hey guys! I hope you're doing well.
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Another chapter of His Miracle Mate next Wednesday iA!
And another chapter of Learning to Live Tomorrow!
Much love <3 <3 <3
M.B.