19 | The Princess Charming
BELIEVE
Yria's POV
"Corey! COREY!" I screamed the name of the stupid and fickle assistant in the dressing room.
"Yes? Yes? I am here, miss!" The puny human came stumbling down the room with an iPad clutched to his chest, his chestnut hair tousled, his breaths ragged and his dark blue eyes red as if the weak human just woke up from his sleep. I gritted my teeth in his presence.
"You were sleeping on the job?!" I gritted my teeth before grabbing a hairbrush and throwing it at him.
"Ah! Please! I am so sorry, ma'am! I was tired and I thought your performance would last for two more hours." He tried to explain.
"Ma'am!" He screamed as I grabbed him by the throat, my fingernails grazing his neck harshly.
"No... please..."
"Puny humans! I should have known better when I hired you for the job. No amount of determination and hard work can keep up with the demand. I have specific needs! Why can't people keep up?!" I threw him off harshly again on the floor, his body slamming hard on the tiled floor. His grunts echoed with the music of the club but I was sure no one could hear us.
"I am so sorry, miss." He coughed out.
"Yria!" A voice boomed as the door was kicked down, making the wooden doors fall into splinters.
"WHAT?!" I whipped out only to see the two creatures who had confronted me out front.
"Leave me alone or blood will spill." I challenged them, hoping they would leave me alone after a threat. The burning sensation returned on my right thigh making me break a sweat. The huge man with chocolate skin ignored my word, his stance battle-ready.
He's a soldier...
Next to him was a young girl, her violet eyes going up and down on me, judging me. A sense of insecurity waved over me, sending chills down my spine that I couldn't help but put my guard up.
"The fuck do you want, bitch?! Stop staring at me!"
"You are in danger, Yria." The man warned and I scoffed.
"Monsieur Whoever-The-Fuck-You-Are, you have no idea who I am. I am in constant danger. This stupid bitch behind me failed me tonight that's why you found me in the first place." I glared at Corey who began to push himself up but stopped with one look from me.
"We're not here to harm you. We're here to help you."
"Help me? HELP ME?! I am perfectly fine until you barged into my life and here you are claiming to take care of me and that I am in danger? Excuse me and pardon my French. Dégage, j'essaie de travailler!" I cursed at them, telling them to get the fuck out.
"We're not leaving here without you." The man was firm with his decision with the way he crossed his arms at me stubbornly.
"Who sent you here? My father?" There was conflict in their eyes as I asked them. So it's not my dad. I scoffed, disgusted at the measures it would take to get me back to our kingdom.
"It was my mother?!" Unbelievable!" I threw my hands in the air in frustration. The weird blonde girl shook her head furiously, her hands forming an X sign.
"What is she doing? Can't she talk?" I fumbled on my words. The burning sensation returned on my right thigh and the air started to become hot.
"She can't speak. She's... mute. Are you... are you alright?" The large man began to approach me.
"You can't go near her." Corey jumped in front of me, his body shielding mine from their presence.
"Leave now, Sir. Take your friends with you. She clearly doesn't want you here so please.... Leave!"
"No. I-" The man's voice was cut off immediately followed by an intake of breath.
"We need to leave." He began to demand.
"Are you deaf? I said no!" I snapped out, my hands shaking.
"Wait, we-" Suddenly, screaming resounded in the club followed by loud popping noises that pierced horrors into my heart. I took a step back as chaos continued at the club next to us. Everyone froze, a knowing look passing on each of us. I knew those sounds too well. It has terrorized me as a kid and a source of my nightmares when the moon rose.
"What did you bring here?" I gritted my teeth as my tears began to flood my face. Humans... they can't take everything from me. They can't...
The howls of pain rang in the air and it didn't help that I already had sensitive hearing. Every gunshot made me jump and every body that fell on the ground made me want to vomit.
"We will explain later but right now, if we don't leave, they will find you. You know what happens to creatures like us when captured, don't you?" He asked me while humans continued to invade and bring death to the safest place I could ever be in.
My stomach dropped. I need to accept the situation at hand. "Corey, you need to leave and never look back."
"What?! Hell no! What about you? I-I can't leave you alone."
"I won't be alone." I looked at the two strangers who seemed dangerous for me to go with. They spelled trouble for me.
It's them or humans...
"No. No way! You can't leave with them, miss. You don't even know them!" A drop of sweat trickled down my cheek as the burning sensation on my thigh intensified. The weird blonde girl walked towards me, her hand reaching me and as she got closer, a wave of tranquility caressed me.
What's happening to me? I looked at the girl, bewildered. She could only nod at me, trying to convince me to take her hand.
The closer she was, the better I felt. I hesitated. What if this is a trap?
She nodded at me again, gesturing to me to take her hand. I sighed in defeat as more gunshots rained down the club next door. The sounds were getting closer and closer.
Closing my eyes, I took her hand. "Oh thank the Goddess!" I sighed in relief as I held her cold hand. It felt like holding a corpse with how icy her hand was.
"Yria!" Corey gasped in worry beside me, his hand on my shoulder trying to make me move away from her. The longer he touched me, the harder it was to ignore the returning burning sensation on my skin. I looked at the girl, searching for any signs of lies, malice or deception.
Nothing. Her violet eyes were pure and innocent with a mix of fear and anxiety. "Let me go, Corey." I calmly ordered and he obeyed immediately, not uttering any protest.
They were right. They're not lying. Something clicked in me, conviction solidifying my bond with them.
The burning sensation finally soothed into a numbing feeling and the rush of relief came over.
"I will be fine, Corey." I mustered a smile to my human. There was hesitation in his eyes, shooting a glance at me and then at the strangers.
"Follow them..." I pulled away from the girl as a woman softly whispered in my ear. No one was behind me. My heart skipped a beat, raising goosebumps on my skin. I knew by the authority in her voice it was her. The Moon Goddess spoke to me.
"I will be fine, Corey. I promise. If anything happens, you know I can easily kill them." My assistant swallowed his fear before nodding at me. He didn't like this one bit. I could see it on his face; the way he frowned at me while his eyes shot worrying glances at the two.
"Very well, Miss. If this is what you want, I will respect that. I mean it, Miss. Anything." He gave me a look I knew too well. I smiled at him and held his cheek. A tear slipped out and I chuckled.
"My little human. You are naive and yet brave. Thank you and I am sorry for being hard on you." My heart broke at the thought. I was a bitch to him and yet here he was, offering his life if anything happens to me.
"Thank you." My voice shook at my words before kissing his cheek. My tears damped his cheek but he didn't mind. His eyes held something I could not comprehend. Humans are complex. I could not understand them. Their bodies are weak but their souls are made of steel.
With a breath, I left a protective spell on him. "May the Moon Goddess protect you where light touches you and the wind caresses your skin."
He chuckled like always, fascinated by my so-called antics.
"Thank you, Yria." I took a deep breath and faced the two strangers in the room.
"Let's go." I nodded at them.
"What are your names?" Corey asked before we could leave.
"My name is Caius and this is Krian." He introduced themselves properly this time.
"Are you like her? Er... a mermaid?" The man chuckled at Corey's question.
"We belong to the same empire. If you have Jesus, we have the Moon Goddess and we are her Children of the Night but no, we are not mermaids like her. I am a gargoyle and she is uhm..." He looked at the young girl who seemed to wave off a sense of calmness for me. "She's a werewolf. Well.... A part of her is." He shrugged.
Corey then took out a business card and gave it to Caius.
"You can call me anytime." He offered and I smiled proudly at my assistant.
"We will. Thank you." Caius tucked the little card in the pocket of his pants.
"Let's go?" He asked me, tilting his head to the door while the girl named Krian tugged my hand.
"If you ever try anything bad to me, I'll kill you." I threatened them and they both smiled, unaffected by my words. They think it's a joke? I meant every single word I said.
"Whatever you say, lady."
The gunshots began to get louder causing Corey to jump in fear. It dawned on me. The closer they were, the lesser the screams were. They're cleaning up the building, making sure no one survives. The realization sent chills down my spine. How cold-blooded are they to do this?
Corey and my new group of supposed friends split after saying my goodbyes and taking the things I could only take. With a flick of my fingers, I removed the cloud of seduction in the air, making the customers' consciousness go back to normal. I felt the heavy spell still wrapped on Caius and Krian's friends however. I had no choice but to put them under earlier tonight. They were too powerful to see in their clear eyes what I was doing to my clients. I wanted them to be blinded by my beauty and give me what I want.
I bit my lip with guilt.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Vermont cried in panic as he pushed people away, trying to get to the exit door a few feet away from us.
"Vermont!" Caius called the man who has been taking care of me better than my own parents.
"Caius? Yria? What are you still doing here?! We're under attack!" He reached for me, his hand gripping mine tightly.
"You need to go, Yria!" He pulled me towards him before he continued to push against people who were now panicking.
"Wait! Our friends are back there!" Caius held my free hand, his hand holding me still, pulling from Vermont's force.
"You crazy son of a bitch! You want them to get her? You don't know her! You're risking her life!"
"I can protect her and you know that." Caius narrowed his eyes at him and I winced as Vermont started to pull me.
"Ow!"
"Vermont, go take care of your people and save your patrons. I can take care of them. I know you used her for your advantage in this club and do not dare tell me I don't know her. You know her better than I do and you still did this to her, to my friends and to your customers." His eyes darkened into black in warning.
"You-" Vermont was about to start but Caius growled at him, a loud vibrating sound echoing across the already chaotic room.
"Remove your hand or I will make sure you will never grow another limb." The man I came to know for just a few minutes threatened. I felt Vermont's hand coming loose and he sighed, looking at me then at Caius.
"Humans are attacking from the front. Use your power now to save your customers. You owe me this." I looked at Caius, bewildered at his order at Vermont. Who is this man to command such a high and proud Vermont?
"But the building-"
"You can rebuild it again. Do not run away from battle again." Vermont sighed as he looked around the trashed bar. Bodyguards have formed a barricade in the only entrance of the bar coming from the club, their expressions wounded as we heard more gunshots and screams of pain and anguish. I closed my eyes and breathed out, allowing myself to emerge faster from the spell I have given to the customers who were starting to awaken from their hallucinations. Our staff were already running, screaming for help, some tripping their feet from panic while others were demanding to get the door open so people could come in to take refuge.
I sighed in relief as I spotted Corey running towards the exit and disappearing from the view.
"In another moonrise, Cépan. Take care of yourself, princess." Vermont regarded us with a bow.
"In another moonrise, De Gaulle." Caius nodded at him.
"Live, Monty." I smiled at the man who gave me protection for the past five years. He could only nod at me, his eyes turning glassy with tears.
He turned away from us and went back to the guys barricading the door. Shouting out orders, Caius pulled me to the booth where his friends were. A dash of white hair flashed towards the booth and for a moment, I forgot the weird girl was with us.
"We need to go! Stand up!" Caius let me go as he began to try and wake their friends in the deep spell I have given them.
"Wha-what?" The huge blonde man groaned, blinking.
"I feel sick." The redheaded woman complained next, doubling over before vomiting her guts out. I bit my lip in guilt. I knew the horrible feeling people get from my spell, especially those who didn't have any interest in my performance.
The pale man with them just looked at me, his icy gray eyes held hatred for me. I just smiled at him, hoping that he won't hold it against me for basically getting him incapacitated for a long time.
"Follow me, everyone. We need to leave." Another round of shots rang in the air and the pale man became alert, his eyes going to the door being opened by the guards.
"What the fuck is happening?!" He demanded, staggering on his feet as he tried to stand up.
"I'll explain later. Please, follow me. We need to leave now." I grabbed him by the arm but he yanked himself up.
"Why would I trust you?" He snapped, anger evident by the way his nose flared and his brows furrowing in anger.
"Andros! Not now!" Caius lifted the redhead while the blonde girl started yanking the tall blonde man to stand up.
"Fine! Do not touch me, woman!" The man beside me gave me a hateful glare one last time before he zipped past us.
"What is he doing?!"
"Reinforcement. Come help us! It's your fault they're in this situation anyway." Caius made a small jab at my spell and I shot him a look. He just raised a brow at me, challenging me to deny. I mashed my lips together, hating the way he has the upper hand with me right now.
Without another word, we began to drag their disoriented asses out of the club. The intense cold air hit us the moment we were out of the back door.
"Oh my God! What happened?" I looked at the scene in front of me. More than ten men dressed in full battle gear with their guns scattered everywhere were sprawled across the pavement. Blood was splattered on the floor, their necks slashed with precision and their eyes open as if they did not expect the attack to happen.
"Andros happened." Caius could only reply before a black car slammed its breaks in front of us.
"Get in!" Andros rolled down the passenger's window, shouting. In a flash, we scrambled inside the car, dumping the large man inside like a rag doll before we all cramped up inside of the car. Krian jumped in the passenger's seat while Caius was with me in the passenger's seat, still carrying the redhead who seemed unconscious again. Andros floored on the gas and we all jerked backwards as he drove away from Club 88 like a madman.
"Is anyone following us?" Caius asked while trying to pat the woman's cheek lightly, trying to wake her up.
"No. I took care of everyone surrounding the club from the outside." Andros replied like it was no big deal wiping out an entire squad in the blink of an eye.
"You... you killed everyone?" I couldn't hide the tremble in my voice, becoming nervous of the man who had thrown a glare at me in the club.
"It's them or us." He looked at me in the rearview mirror with soulless eyes. I shrunk back on my seat.
"We need to leave the country." I suggested. Krian looked at me, her eyes giving me another look of sympathy. I didn't like it one bit so I gave her a once over, judging her for being weak in the hearts of others. She should not care for me. No one should. I can handle myself.
"Ugh..." The large man began to groan again, his face bouncing on the windows as we sped up the road of Paris.
"What's happening..." He slurred like a drunk man. I can't blame him. My spell was powerful enough to enchant everyone in the room.
I looked at my unaffected victims; Krian and Caius. How the hell did they manage to get out of my spell?
"Where you takin? Where? Where are you taking me?" The man groaned again, shaking his head.
Where are we even going? I stared at him like a fish out of the water, not knowing what to tell him.
I don't know where else to go. "I...I" I couldn't answer.
"Home. We're almost there." Caius replied for me. He regarded me with a nod, his arms still protectively wrapped around the girl.
Krian reached at our seat, tapping on the man harshly, her groans of annoyance mixing with the throttle of the car.
"Yria, can you try to make her brother sit more comfortably? Throwing him in here might be a bad idea now. We're cramped.... Fuck! I think I'm going to have cramps anytime soon." He groaned, earning heat creeping up my cheeks. I was an inconsiderate bitch. I looked at him who was trying to put distance from me while the man next to me kept being slammed on the window, with his body swaying from each turn Andros made.
"Oh! Right! Hold on!" I navigated Krian's brother to a more comfortable position, linking up my arm around mine to keep him steady.
Krian tapped my knee with her index finger gently, her soft gaze on me. "What?" She held her hand to her lips before moving it forward to me while she smiled sweetly.
"Uhm... What?" She repeated her gesture again as if that would help me understand what she wanted to say.
"She's thanking you." Caius translated what she was trying to tell me.
"Oh... You understand sign language?" He chuckled, shaking his head.
"No. Just learned a few things along the way. Andros and Taylor know sign language."
"Taylor?" I asked and he gestured at the half-conscious man on my left.
"What is he?" I poked his cheek and the man slapped my hand away, groaning away his complaint.
"A werewolf."
"They do not give the same scent. He is a pure werewolf and Krian is not. Are you sure they are siblings?" I asked before I could ever think what I just said. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Uhm..." Krian sent me a sad smile before her attention went back to the road ahead as if she wanted to avoid the topic.
"They are not siblings but they have a bond for life. It's a long story but I can tell you a shorter version of it to catch up. Taylor's real name is Sveinn and he was an Omega in his own pack. Pack war broke out since their pack was overruled by fear and ignorance."
"And loyalty to the stupid Alpha." Andros butted in our conversation.
"Ah! Yes, that is a factor too. They knew little about the prophecy and yet decided that the little girl needed to die so Krian's parents had no choice but to make her disappear from their pack. That's where Taylor comes in. With the help of the royal guards, he made it to New York, made a bond with Krian with the help of a solitary witch. The poor witch was killed a few days ago that's why the spell has worn off and well, here we are."
"You forgot an important detail, dude."
"Oh?"
"Yes! We visited my kingdom and there, it was revealed that she would really kill anyone who had hurt the Children of the Night. The Moon Goddess has given her the gift of Death to protect the empire. You have heard of creatures going missing?" Andros spoke calmly like he wasn't driving over the speed limit.
"I have heard of those, yes."
"The government knows she is a weapon of mass destruction, that's why they are abducting creatures left and right just to get her. They are closing in on us, unfortunately." He explained before he blew the horn hard.
"Ah! Move out of the way! Fucking slow drivers!" He cussed.
"A traitor is inside the empire." I deduced and Caius nodded at me again.
"Yes."
"It doesn't help that I smelled a scent that should not be in that ambush." Andros spoke while turning to a corner with tires squealing.
"Fuck! I think I am going to be sick!" The werewolf beside me groaned, clutching his head.
"Hey! No vomiting, mister! I have spent a fortune on my dress!" I slapped his back and he groaned louder.
"We're being chased by a bunch of armed men and you're worrying over vomit on your dress? Where are your priorities, lady?!"
"Are you insulting me now, Andros?" I scoffed, crossing my arms on my chest.
"Just hold the damn man and let's get to safety in one fucking piece!" He snapped at me before pushing the gas pedal again harshly, jerking us forward with its faster speed.
"You're buying me a good dress if he ever throws up!"
"The fuck? Hell no!"
"Hell yes! You drive like a crazy old man and if he throws up, this is your fault!!! Crazy bastard!" I threw him insult after insult, angry that he is degrading my priorities when I have worked hard to buy my dress tonight.
"You calling me crazy? Who the fuck gave a spell that made him like that? Made us weak to our senses, huh?!" Andros' voice raised and I gasped.
"EXCUSE ME?! If you were not there, I would have lived a perfectly good life, ya know!"
"ENOUGH!" Caius' voice boomed, making everyone silent. "You two are making things worse. Can we go back to what Andros has told us. What scent did you smell back there?" He asked, disregarding my argument with the pale man driving the Mercedes.
"There is a wolf scent helping the armed men. It was inside the club when I got out of the building."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Caius! I am fucking sure there was a wolf there. I swear. I maybe under the spell of that goddamn passenger princess we got now but my senses will never betray me."
"Excuse me?! You're calling me what?!" I gasped and Caius nudged me, his head shaking for me to shut up. I huffed out a breath. Unbelievable!
"Why would a group of armed men chase us with the scent of a wolf with them?" I could sense the conflict in Caius' voice.
"Like Yria said, we have a traitor in the empire." Andros confirmed what I suspected.
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