Here is the next part. Enjoy!
-Lia
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Jebidiah POV
I heard their footsteps running after me but they never stopped laughing as Zero threw profanities at all of them – except Krista. I turned around glaring daggers at them and they finally shut up looking terrified. Good! I was at the brink of murdering someone.
“Where is it?” I asked Vates who was looking anywhere but at me.
“About ten minutes away from here but that’s the weird part. I try looking for a vision for the first time and I was able to see the place but no entrance. There is some cave like thing ten minutes north of here.” She pointed in front of us.
“We are close then, so why isn’t he sending his minions to attack us?” Dean asked.
I thought about it and it hit me…”because he doesn’t see us as threats. If Arion is right, then all those lycans that attacked us were all him. This guy is strong. If he can make multiple copies of himself then none of us stand a chance!”
“We need a plan, a smart one before we get any closer to his lair – any ideas?” Vates asked.
“So far our biggest obstacle is Dahaka’s projection of himself. If we can get him to somehow fight us on his own, we –”
“Still won’t stand a chance.” Vates spoke cutting Zero off. We all stared at her in disbelief. She wasn’t really helping with the motivation factor.
“We need to fight him out here and not his lair. If he’s out in the forest, we can use the open area to our advantage to distract him while someone rescues Primula –”
“I will do that part.” I volunteered, interrupting Arion.
“Someone else should do it. You look like you will collapse soon.” Dean said with a worried look on his face.
“No, I think Jay should go,” my uncle disagreed before I could argue. “Here’s the plan so listen up. Jay will sneak into Dahaka’s lair but it is our job to make sure he’s not there. We need to get him angry so he can come out. If he does come out, do NOT even attempt fighting him because you will lose. The moment you see him run like you’ve never ran before. From what we saw he’s fast so be strategic about where you run of to – any questions?”
“How will we distract him?” Dean asked. That was a good question. How do we get Dahaka to come out?
“We make him angry. So get rocks, sticks, tree branches and anything you can find. We are going to vandalize his hide out.” Arion said.
“Are you sure that will work?” Krista asked skeptically.
“It will definitely work. He took crap from people for years; I’m guessing his days of doing that are over. So when we vandalize his lair, he will want to show us he’s boss." Zero smiled kissing her forehead. I was really happy for her; now she can finally settle down and be a little happy. She looked less depress since she found Zero.
After that we all discussed the plan further hoping and praying everything work out okay. Vates, who looked scared and hopeless, led us to his hide out. After a few minutes, we were standing in front a cave buried with trees. I could see how we missed it. We had to take lots of twist and turns to get there. Also, the rotten stench we smelt on the fake trail was faint but not as revolting as the previous.
Dahaka’s lair, the cave, was buried deep in the forest cover by thick trees not as big as the ones back at the neutral zone, but big enough for them to completely cover the cave. The place looked sinister and no amount of green trees could tell me otherwise. After looking around quietly, we found a small entrance big enough for one person to squeeze through. I have no idea how he got in and out since he couldn’t fit in the small hole. There must be a secret door or something.
I waited for the others to start their assaults before sneaking in. The sound of rocks, small boulders – Arion and Zero combine – and tree being thrown at the cave told me to sneak inside. I took one look at the others to see them drawing back as the lycanthrope projections of Dahaka came out howling at them. I turned from them squeezing my body inside. The place was not as big as I thought. I crawl on my hands and knees wanting to puke my guts out at the foul stench in the air. The rotten meat smell was making my eyes burn. I held my breath hoping I reach somewhere, anywhere soon. As I crawled, I felt something bumped my hands and I looked down. I drew back and almost screech at what I saw but I refrain from screaming.
My hands had landed on bones, skulls and skeletons of human remains. The place was dark, but my werewolf eyes were able to make out where I was going. I was actually crawling on what seem to be a small grave yard or dumpster for dead people. At the end of the narrowed tunnel I entered through, I reached a large room confirming my suspicion. The room was his dumpster for dead bodies, or bones depending on what he did with the people. I swallowed bile and clenched my teeth together to keep from screaming.
I entered the room full of bones and looked around while thinking of only saving Primula so I could continue going. There has to be an entrance somewhere, a place he must pass through to throw the bones in here, I thought to myself. I closed my eyes asking my wolf for strength. This was the first time I ever contacted him since Eligor ‘fixed’ me. He didn’t even waste time – he pushed himself into my consciousness increasing my strength and eye sight more than before. Oh I was still tired, but not as before. With our wolf eyes, we looked around, finding a door creaked open with daylight peeking in. I walked to it as quick as possible without making any sound. I slowly cracked the door opened, looking around for any sign of Dahaka.
This place was more than a cave. Right now I was looking inside a large room full of every torture device known to man. The place was basically a huge tortured chamber with metals and irons of sharp knives, hooks and things from medieval times. Hooks and irons were hanging up to the cave’s ceilings. I saw tables with thousands of those devices lay neatly down on them.
I step more into the room and stopped, my eyes widening and hands clenching in rage. Primula was chained, her hands and feet spread apart, clothes ripped, blood dripping down from her face, body; her mouth was gagged as tears rolled down her cheek. I ran to her, ripping the gag from her mouth. I reached up to her right hand, ripping the chain with all my might – thanks to the added strength of my wolf and the amount of rage we were feeling.
“You came for me!” she sniffed as I started on her right hand, then her feet, all the while making sure I didn’t touch any part of her body.
“Did he hurt you?” I growled menacingly.
“He said he wants me to be his mate.” She cried hysterically. I snapped my eyes to her tears fill ones. "I refused but he thinks it’s because of you I said no, so he went out to look for you." Her voice shook as she explained to me. I listened to her, removing the chain from her left foot. “You have to get out of here.” I snapped up, dropping the chain I just released.
“Yeah, we’re leaving now.” I told her taking off my shirt and handing it to her. The disgusting bastard had ripped the white shirt she was wearing with his claw. I could see the trail of blood his claw mark made on her stomach. The t-shirt was barely covering her breast – in fact any small movement and her chest would show. Her short jeans was also ripped to pieces but not enough for it to fall off.
“You should leave before he comes back.” I stopped from attempting to help her put on the shirt since she was shaking too much and gazed in her eyes; she looked terrified. I haven’t seen that look in her eyes for awhile now.
“What?” I asked stupidly. “I’m not leaving you!” I snapped at her.
“He will kill you if he finds you here.” She cried looking all around for him. Whatever he did to her, broke her; she reminded me of the Primula when we used to abuse her. It broke my heart to million pieces knowing she had to experience that again.
“A small price to pay for your safety,” I said simply, pulling her by the helm of my shirt that was more like a dress on her. I wanted us to get out as quickly as possible before he realized I’m not with the others.
“Why did you come for me? I was sure you would have abandoned me.” My jaw dropped and I turned back to her in horror. Is that what she really think of me?
“I would never abandon you, ever!” I gazed into her tear filled eyes making sure she got the message.
She shook her head, not believing what I said. I could see the doubt on her face. “The you back then never would have come for me.” She deadpanned.
I brought my face closer to hers making sure she understand what I was about to say. “I am not going to defend the man I was back then because he was a MONSTER! But believe me when I tell you the person standing in front of you is nothing like the Jebidiah before.”
She stared at me for a while searching my face. She sighed – “you all changed so fast, it’s unnatural..." she stopped but I got what she was trying to say.
“…and you are not sure if this change is genuine,” I finished for her and she nodded.
I could have raved about how I would never hurt or make her cry, but those were just words. She needed to see we really have changed through actions which doesn’t include spitting out words. We gazed at each other, unmoving – I savored every minute of it. Her tears stained face glistened from the daylight coming from the ceiling.
“Really – why did you come for me?” she whispered. I lean closer to her now, my lips an inch from hers. I could taste her breath on my tongue and it was intoxication. She didn’t stop me, only watch waiting for me, but before I could connect our lips, we heard a sound, snapping me back to reality.
Shit! He was back. We had wasted the only chance we had to escape but I didn’t regret anything. This was the first normal conversation I ever had with Primula so I was okay with us not using the oppportunity to excape.
To be continued!
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Chapter Twenty Three is completed and will be posted later today.