April
Darkness envelops us.
I have no choice but to rely on Nik to guide me through the pitch-black, slightly damp cave. My feet slip on slick rock and his arm fastens around my waist, holding me against his side.
After we have been traipsing along for some time, panic starts to set in. "How far do these caves stretch?" I ask him in a hoarse whisper that seems to echo around us.
"How am I supposed to know? Unlike your werewolf Prince, I don't often go frolicking through these woods," comes Nik's irritated reply.
"What if we can't find our way back out?" I sound afraid now, unsteady.
His arm tightens, his hand squeezing my hip. "I'll be able to get us out, don't worry."
But I am worried. Worried about the pack, worried about myself, worried about North and Harper...most of all, I am worried about Reed. If he is dead...I don't know what I'll do.
It feels as though a part of me would die as well.
Ten minutes later, Nik abruptly halts, yanking me to a stop as well.
"What's wro–"
"Sh." His hand clamps over my mouth, silencing me. I try to pry his fingers away, but his grip is hard like granite—not painful at all, just immoveable. He leans down and I feel his breath tickle my temple as his thumb strokes over my cheekbone. "They're right ahead of us," he whispers in my ear and lifts his hand fractionally. "What's your plan, dorogaya?"
"I don't know," I breathe. "I hadn't thought that far ahead."
He makes a low sound like this doesn't surprise him. "Stay here. I'm going to kill them."
"Wait." I grip onto the sleeve of his shirt. "You go in there snapping necks and ripping off heads and they might kill Reed and the other werewolves. We don't know where they're being kept."
"Then what do you propose?"
But it's too late. We have been too conspicuous and we hear shouts and snarls from deeper in the caves. I cower back into Nik, who pushes me behind him, though it's still too dark for me to see anything.
I can hear and feel them though. They flood the cave channel that we stand in, crawling along the roof and surrounding us. Dozens upon dozens of vampires.
I know Nik is far older than them and far more powerful...but at what point does quantity overpower quality? He won't be able to take them all on.
"Nikolai!" Comes a jovial voice. It seems close and far away all at once, echoing and bouncing off the rock walls surrounding us. "Come into the light!"
The vampires shove me forward into Nik and I hear him shove them back. He holds me close and we move forward.
"Keep your mouth closed," he mutters to me. "I mean it, April."
My breaths come out in short, sharp bursts.
We round a corner, still inundated with vampires, and finally I can see. Flickering, cold light illuminates the cave around us and all I see is the glaring, red eyes of vampires staring back at me.
I shiver even closer to Nik and his arm goes tight around me.
The channel we're in opens up into a massive cavern. Lanterns hang strategically around the entire space, casting it in a cool, bluish hue.
The vampires in the cavern aren't immediately noticeable, sticking largely to the shadows, but when my eyes adjust fully, I can see that there are so very many of them. More than I even imagined.
There are chests of clothes and other belongings scattered around. It's like the lair of a dragon.
At the far end of the cavern, on a jutting out, raised ledge of rock, stands a terrifying man dressed in white.
White suit, white shoes, white hair and pale skin. Even his eyes are an almost translucent color.
His tips his chin up, studying Nik and I.
"Nice place you've got here, Wickham," Nik notes with his usual air of nonchalance. "Real cozy."
Wickham folds his hands in front of his pristine suit and a smile tips up the corner of his mouth. "Not all of us like to live in centuries-old castles, Nikolai. We've been very pleased with our new...dwelling." He looks around the cavern and the various vampires glaring and snarling at us from every corner of it.
"You've been busy. How many Nightcrawlers have you turned this year alone?" Nik questions.
Wickham chooses not to respond, instead stepping off the ledge and landing gracefully on his feet, even though it's quite a drop.
He walks toward us with measured footfalls, his vampires parting like a sea around him. If possible, I cower even closer to Nik.
"We're here for the wolves, Wickham. Hand them over and we'll leave," Nik says.
"Ah, the werewolves." Wickham nods. "See, I'm far more interested in..." His eyes pin to me. "You."
I swallow thickly. Nik inches in front of me.
Wickham comes to a stop, still staring straight at me with light eyes. "A werewolf's mate. A vampire's Kindred. Truly, a marvel. One of a kind."
"Enough chit chat. Hand over the werewolves or I start ripping off heads," Nik states.
Wickham's gaze flicks to him. Then, he slowly lifts his arms and the Nightcrawlers descend.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: How I picture Wickham below. Thank you for watching.