At a door opening, she forced herself to stand and turned. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the agonizing pain in her stomach as she stared into brown eyes that she didn't recognize.
The male laughed as if he had lost his mind. Belinda glanced at the dagger with its blade piercing her golden and white gown. She tried to wrap her hands around it, but couldn't.
She was now seeing two of them.
Her eyes narrowed when Blake rushed into the bathroom. He grabbed the male by the back of the neck before slamming his head against the wall, cracks filling the air.
"Fuck." Blake grabbed Belinda's arm and they made their way through the large crowd dancing to the rhythm of the music at full volume.
No one had heard her scream...no one but Blake.
And no one even noticed that she was bleeding, blood staining her dress. Everyone seemed too enraptured in having the best time to notice anything around them.
"Where is Keisha?" She asked before groaning at the immense pain enveloping her.
Blake kicked the doors opened, presumably breaking them completely off their hinges. "She's fine."
When she began to doze off and loose her footing, Blake halted before cupping her face in his hands. "Stay with me."
"I'm tired." Her eyelids became heavy that they began to close on their own accord. The second she lost all strength to continue standing, Blake picked her up in his arms. Then, he was sprinting through the forest way too fast for any human.
But, at the moment, that was not her main concern.
When Blake halted, she forced her eyelids apart. All around them, men loomed out from within the darkness that enveloped the forest.
"Fuck," Blake muttered.
"I'm sorry," Belinda whispered. "Everything it's my fault." She motioned for him to let her down. Even though he obviously didn't want to, he listened.
After having difficulty standing straight without causing herself more pain, she glared at their enemies. "Why won't you leave us alone? I did what you asked of me!" She screamed in anger. "What the hell do you want from me!"
When one of the males got close, his gaze fell upon her neck, obviously searching for the necklace. "Come and find out if I have it or not!"
For a moment, she wondered how the male in the bathroom was able to harm her.
"Witch Magic is useless against Fae."
Belinda whirled around as Blake turned to face a short female with hair and eyes that seemed to match the color of the forest surrounding them.
Belinda wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the dagger buried in her stomach and began to pulled it out.
"Stop," Blake said. "I think it's best you keep that in there—"
Belinda yanked it out with a scream and took a deep breath, no longer feeling as if her lungs were being crushed. "I think this made the pain worse." When the faerie began to laugh, Belinda didn't think twice and flung the dagger toward her.
The faerie caught it without much effort. "Such a unique human you are! It is no surprise that you were chosen to be Fane's beloved." Her sinister laugh echoed through the forest. "You're blood must be exquisite! Wonder how much it's worth." The girl's smile vanished as she tilted her head a bit, pursing her lips. "Too bad you have to die."
Blake stood in front of Belinda. "I won't let you hurt her."
The fae's eyes were filled with curiosity. "Oh...this is a surprise." She smiled again. "But don't worry! We won't even have to lift a finger to end her existence."
Belinda screamed as pain engulfed her before her legs became to weak. She dropped to her knees, bending over just as she coughed. Black liquid splattered all over the grass beneath her.
"Let us through!" Blake shouted.
At sounds of bones snapping, Belinda forced herself to raise her head in time to see her friend drop to all fours and snarl like an animal. Her eyes widened as within seconds, he had shifted into a wolf.
She must have lost her mind and began hallucinating.
He snarled and growled before launching himself at the Fae. Belinda forced herself to stand, ignoring how her legs quivered irrepressibly. When the Fae conjured up a sword that seemed to be carved out of wood with flames flowing through it, Belinda sprinted as fast as she could toward Blake.
As the sword came down, Belinda raised her hand, on which she wore the bracelet her mother had gifted her and the necklace that her mother had made into a bracelet.
The fae had said the necklace didn't affect her, but Belinda truly hoped she had been lying.
The sword struck an invisible wall before shattering into a million pieces. Flames conjured up all around her as the Fae went flying in the opposite direction before slamming against one of many trees.
Belinda let out a scream of agony, the pain within intensifying. The men that surrounded them attempted to escape. Of course, they didn't get far. Red and orange flames enveloped them, devouring their bodies within seconds, leaving no trace of their existence.
Then, everything around her began to sway, but before she collapsed to the ground, Blake caught her and picked her up bridal style.
Within seconds, he moved through the forest not once having an issue seeing through the night. "That was brave, but please don't ever do it again."
"You were getting your ass kicked. I had to help you."
"I wasn't getting my ass kicked."
She managed a small laugh, which he returned. Something crashed against them, sending both rolling down a hill. Blake managed to take her hand just as they went over the brink of a cliff.
Her body slammed against the rocky side of the cliff. Heart about to explode, she glanced down, suddenly feeling nauseous. "Blake—"
At his groan, she raised her gaze to find the Fae standing on the edge of the cliff, smiling down at them. "What a predicament. You are too weak to hold on for too long, Alpha." Her smile grew from ear to ear. "Let her go... save yourself. You know not even you can survive such fall."
"When I get the chance, I'm going to tear you apart!" Blake shouted almost in a growl.
The Fae just continued to giggle.
"You better catch her!"
Who was Blake talking to?
When Blake released her hand, she tried to hold on to the rocks, but her fingers gripped nothing but air. Different emotions rushed through her as gravity did its job.
She felt betrayed by one of her best friends and terrified of dying.
How could he just let her go like that?
She was falling one moment, the next she was pressed against the rocks. Fane had saved her life one again. He held on to the rocks as from above, the agonizing screams of the Fae could be heard.
Belinda stared at Fane for the longest before he smiled. "It feels like it's been a long while doesn't it?"
She couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, it does."
"Well, are you two going to stay down there?" Blake chuckled. "Hurry the hell up."
After Belinda managed to get on Fane's back, he started to climb the cliff without much effort. Within seconds, they were at the top and Blake offered his hand to help them up.
Belinda got off Fane as she stared at the body of Fae on the ground, blood pouring from a large laceration on her neck into the blades of grass beneath her. Zaeley stood beside the body, her lips stained with blood that dribbled down to her chin. As she glanced at Belinda, her eyes swirled from crimson to their natural color.
"Fane feed her your blood, it will help heal her wound."
"Wait, what?" Belinda stepped away from Fane. "I'm fine."
Zaeley shook her head just as Belinda noticed the vampire who she remembered was called Zeref. "You both signed a contract—which means like it or not you are bound to each other." She glanced at Belinda's arms. "I'm surprised you're even alive."
Blake attempted to leave, but before he could could leave, Zeref stood in his way. "Niko, you are breaking way too many rules being in that human town."
"Niko?" Belinda asked. "That's Blake..." Her eyes narrowed. "Since when can you shift into a wolf?"
Blake seemed to hesitate. "I'm not Blake."
Her eyes widened as she met his gaze. "You—you're Niko? The wolf King?"
He simply nodded.
"So where the hell is Blake? Did you kill him?" When she attempted to get close, Fane held her back by the forearm. "Where is he?"
"He is fine...he is where he belongs." He grabbed the necklace around his neck, revealing the pendant that had been hidden beneath the collar of his shirt. It seemed similar to Fane's, except that Niko's had a moon not a sun.
After Niko removed the necklace, his hair and eyes started to change color. His eyes turned a bright green; his hair dirty blond. His face features changed a little, but not too much. Bewildered, Belinda stared at him.
"Blake is my twin. We were separated when we were children. Our human mother lied to our father and told him Blake had died. About two years ago, Blake and I found each other in the forest. I took him back with me to my home and he made the decision to stay and be part of our pack."
"But, why pretend to be Blake? Why trick us?"
He glanced at Fane then back at her. "I had my reasons...When we met, Blake had a scent on him, which belonged to my mate. I wanted to meet her so I asked a witch to cast a spell upon a necklace that I could wear in order to look more like him. Blake told me everything that I needed to know so that I would be able to act just like him. When I arrived in town, Keisha greeted me. I instantly knew she was the owner of the aroma that allured me. I couldn't leave after that, not without her."
"You broke many rules," Belinda said. "It is against tradition."
He shrugged. "I'm not known to follow rules."
"Fane, take Belinda to the cabin. I will go speak to her family to let them know she is okay."
After Zeref moved out of the way, Niko shifted into a wolf and disappeared in the direction of the high school, probably to find Keisha, who probably was worried about them.
Belinda moved to follow but a strong hand on her forearm stopped her. She met Fane's gaze before jerking her arm free. "I have to make sure Keisha is okay."
"She's fine," Fane said. "If something would have happened to her, Niko would have sensed it."
Belinda noticed Zeref and Zaeley we're gone. Her heart picked up pace as she realized she was alone with Fane. All the time they had spent together before were amongst their friends.
He took her hand that had the bracelets and his eyes narrowed. She stared at the pendant of the gift he had given her, noting the cracks and that now, it no longer seemed to have anything flowing through it.
"Ups. Sorry, I broke it." She laughed which gained her a sweet smile from him. "You don't happen to have another one?"
He shook his head. "It takes great magic to make one."
Minutes later, they had walked through a portal and ended up in the cabin. Now, she stood beside the fireplace, arms folded over her chest. When she noticed Fane staring from the sofa, she shot him a look.
"What?"
He grinned. "Are you nervous?"
"What? Of—Of course not." Damn, she didn't sound convincing at all. And the look he gave her then, made the butterflies in her stomach go nuts.
She glanced at her hands to notice that finally, the black markings began to vanish. When she raised her gaze, she met silvery eyes that gave her a look which took her breath away.
He grabbed the shot size cup from where she had placed it on the mantel of the fireplace. "Drink it. It will help heal your wound." The second they had arrived, he had rushed into the kitchen to retrieve a cup, bitten his wrist and filled it with blood.
Yet, even though her wound hurt like hell, she had doubts, remembering all the rumors of what vampire blood could do to a human.
"What if I become addicted to it—I've heard humans can lose their minds—"
"It's a small amount."
She took it when he got way too close and ducked under his arm that he had resting against the wall behind her to escape to the kitchen.
For the longest, she stared at the cup before taking a small sip. Her eyes fluttered close at the sweet taste. Before she knew it, she had drunk it all. Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to comprehend why on earth she would like it this much.
She placed her hand over the torn section of her dress to not feel any pain at all. It shouldn't have surprised her how fast the blood healed her wound.
"Are you feeling better?"
Her heart skipped a beat at his voice. "Yeah—It—It didn't taste as bad as I thought it would." Now, she faced him, keeping her gaze on the floor. "Do you have any clothes I can use? I would like to shower."
When he cupped her face and made her meet his gaze, warmth rushed into her cheeks. "My mother is brining all of your stuff."
"What? But—"
"You are safer here." Half his lip lifted into a smile. "I saved your life twice now."
"Oh, really?" She couldn't help but smile. "And What do you desire as compensation?"
His eyes dropped to her lips, flickering amber. She placed her hand on his chest, smiling at the fact she wasn't the only one whose heart was beating out of control.
She held his gaze as she moved her hair out of the way, exposing her neck. Fane placed an open mouth kiss on the spot before brushing his fangs over it, causing her to bite her lips at the soothing sensation that it evoked.
"Wait—"
At Abraham's voice, Fane pulled back but didn't face him.
"Ups," Kassie said before smiling. "Do you want me to return later?"
Belinda couldn't help but smile as she met Fane's lust full gaze. "Nah, it's okay, right?"
Abraham seemed to hold back a laugh. "Sorry—I tried to stop her. Humans can't sense what we can."
Fane's eyes finally swirled to their natural silvery color. We'll finish this later. At his voice in her head, she smiled which he returned.
Seconds after Fane stepped back, Kassie had Belinda engulfed in a hug. "Sorry, but I was so worried! This dude just ran out of the castle and so did his mom—they scared the shit out of me!"
"Did you know? About Niko and Blake?"
Kassie pulled away and wrapped her arms around herself. "Yeah—I was asked to not tell you...Blake wanted to speak with you first but with all the shit going on, he hasn't had any time at all. He is after all, the second in command."
Star walked into the house obviously holding back a laugh. "Hey, Fane. Are you okay?"
He simply nodded.
Belinda's eyes grew wide when Blake walked into the house. He smiled at Belinda which she returned before hugging him. "I should be furious with you."
"Forgive me," he began. "My brother wanted to figure out the scent I had on me....and he did. All he wanted was to spend time with his mate. It's pretty difficult walking away once you lay your eyes on the one destined for you."
Belinda averted her gaze, pain filling her heart as she realized in a little over two years, she would walk away from Fane.
Could she really do it?
Did it even matter?
Today, her enemies showed they cared very little if she did what they asked or not.
Either way, those she loved were in danger.
If she chose to stay by his side, did it mean she would be turned into a vampire?
She hadn't thought about that at all.
If she didn't, she would continue to age.
Star hugged Belinda before offering everyone some drinks and food. Soon, everyone was at the table eating. Belinda smiled as she stood across from them, a drink in hand.
These people present had become important to her. She never imagined they all would be such good friends, just as she never thought she would fall hard for Fane.
"What exactly happens after a chosen one decides to stay with their beloved?"
The house fell into complete silence, making her regret saying it out loud. Star was the one to break it with a laugh.
"Did Fane win you over?"
Belinda's cheeks grew way too hot. "I was just curious."
"What does happen?" Kassie asked as she glanced at Abraham. "You never told me either...why?"
"I would have to infect you my venom," Fane said simply, staring at the dinning table as he drummed his fingers on it. Then, his eyes met hers. "There is a high chance you can die."