Chapter Twenty Seven
Rowan walked around the circle like a Sargent, explaining the plan for the third time. Mal, Aiden, Jeremy, Bret, Saxon, Dylan, Veronica, Jenna and I allowed him to explain it even though we all already knew the plan. If it makes him feel better to explain it multiple times, then so be it.
I tried not to think to much about it as he spoke. The more I think about it, the more scared I become. I can't afford to be terrified during this ambush. I can't be distracted. I wish we could just go now, get it over with. The waiting is the worst part.
"We leave in one hour," Rowan stated, finally stopping his pacing. "I advise you make the best of the time. Who knows what will happen tonight."
Everyone dispersed at his words. Everyone except Mal, Aiden and I.
"This is going to work, right," I questioned, biting my lip.
Rowan shrugged and cracked a half smile. "There's only one way to find out."
I shifted on my feet, not liking the answer. He didn't make me feel any better. If anything, that only made me feel worse. If Rowan thought this was going to work, he would say so. Avoiding the question was answer enough.
"They are going to be there," Mal nodded. "I can feel it. But there's something off. Not quite right. I have a bad feeling about this."
"We have no other choice," I sighed, running a frustrated hand through my hair. "If we don't go, then we are sitting ducks."
Mal nodded slowly. "I know. We have to go. But we need to be careful. My gut is never wrong."
"That's what I'm afraid of," I nodded grimly.
Aiden rolled his eyes, throwing his arms over our shoulders. "Stop being so grim. We know we will be able to ambush them. That's the whole goal. We should be celebrating, not sulking."
I laughed and shook my head. "I wouldn't go so far as celebrating."
"Aiden would take any chance to throw a party," Rowan smiled.
Aiden grinned wide. "That I would."
*****
I sat in the bushes, trying not to shift on my feet. The last time we did this, I had no problem sitting still. This time feels different somehow. Maybe it's because I know that they will actually be here this time. Or maybe it's because of Mal's warning. Either way, my body will not stop fidgeting.
Are you doing okay, Rowan questioned from his bush a few feet from mine.
I'm fine. Just nervous.
It's only been five minutes, Rowan laughed.
I practically groaned at his words. We've only been sitting here for five minutes, and yet it felt like an eternity. We still have an hour before the normal time that they would appear. How am I going to last an hour sitting here if I can't even last five minutes?
I don't know what is wrong with me, I admitted. Something just feels wrong.
I know, Rowan sighed. I could hear the disdain in his voice. This is our only shot. If we fuck this up, I doubt we will get a second chance like this. We just have to give it our all and hope for the best.
That was very helpful, thank you. I couldn't help but laugh in his mind, despite myself.
It made you laugh. Seems to me like it did it's job.
I groaned. Shush, you're distracting me.
Good. I could practically hear the wink he sent my way after his words. Thankfully, he cut the connection off and allowed me to properly concentrate.
The minutes ticked by slowly. I managed to stop fidgeting for a while, but barely. I could sense the unrest in the others as well. It's like we could all sense what was coming. I want it to just happen already. As scary as its going to be when it's happening, at least it will be happening. The anticipation is so much worse.
Then, something happened. There was a rustling in the trees from afar. My eyes zeroed in on it. I searched the area for any other movement, but none came. I refused to believe it was the wind, though. I can sense that something is out there.
I saw a flash of color, and then a vampire was running from the tree lines to the house we were all currently guarding. His movements were fast, fluid. But not fast enough. Rowan sprang from his hiding spot and tackled the vampire. Both men went rolling to the ground at the harsh impact. They were up just as quickly.
The vampire charged at Rowan, his teeth bared. My heart dropped into my stomach at the sight. However, Rowan managed to spin out of the way of the vampires grasp with a smirk plastered on his face. The vampire gritted his teeth together and whirled around, landing a swift kick to Rowan's stomach. Rowan recovered from the blow quickly and sent one of his own
I could barely even keep track of where the vampires body connected with Rowan's because of how fast he moved. Rowan was right. Once Cameron learns how to properly control his speed and use it to enhance his blows, he'll be unstoppable.
Yet, Rowan is just as incredible. He moves with a speed and grace that I have never seen before. The vampire may seem to have the upper hand, but Rowan seems to be toying with him. As if he's enjoying drawing out the fight. As if he could end this vampires life much quicker than it could blink.
"Do you enjoy killing innocent people," Rowan drawled.
"No one is innocent," the vampire hissed.
"Touché," Rowan laughed.
Rowan's face grew hard, as if he was tired of the game. Then, faster than I could even comprehend, Rowan was in front of the vampire and holding him in a tight choke hold. "I hope you enjoy hell."
Rowan began to squeeze. Tighter and tighter until there was a distinctive cracking sound, and the vampire was dropped onto the ground dead. Before anyone could feel triumphant, more vampires piled out of the tree's.
The plan was to let Rowan handle things for as long as possible, to not give away that there were more of us. Though, as capable as I'm sure he is, I refuse to let him face 7 vampires on his own. So I sprang from my spot in the bush and began to help.
Rowan eyed me out of the corner of his eye as he ripped the windpipe out of the vampire closest to him. I thought I told you to stay put.
And I thought you would have learned by now that I don't follow orders very well.
I turned my attention to the vampire nearest to me, flinging it into a tree across from me. I slammed it repeatedly, until there was a distinctive crack of the mans skull. I tried not to let the sound get to me as I moved on to the next vampire.
As I focused on one, another came creeping up behind me. I had barely enough time to spin out of the way before it came barreling beside me. I landed a harsh kick to his side as he ran past, making him spin out as he lost his momentum. I didn't waste any time as I ran over to him, wrapping my hand around his neck.
He stared into my eyes, no remorse there. He even smiled. I knew that I would be dreaming about that smile for a long, long time. But still, I squeezed my hand tight until the life slowly drained from his eyes.
It didn't take long for Rowan and I to take the vampires down. Once all of the vampires were disposed of, I turned toward Rowan, breathing heavily.
"That was too easy," Rowan stated before I could even open my mouth.
"That was easy," I questioned, raising my eyebrows, but couldn't help but to think that he might be right.
Mal said something would go wrong tonight. And how could we send a message if we merely killed a few of their people compared to the many they have killed of ours. Something isn't right.
"Something isn't right," I admitted.
I knew we were right when a knife came whizzing right toward my head. I just barely stopped it in time before another came launching at me. Many more weapons followed, and all of our people were jumping out of the bushes. The real ambush has begun.
At least 20 vampires broke the tree line, and my stomach dropped. We are horribly outnumbered. Stefan lead the group, a large smirk taking over his features. How did they know that we would be here?
I couldn't worry about that right now, as the vampires were now practically on top of us. I went after the one closest to me, launching him into a tree. These ones are much stronger than the ones Rowan and I just fought, as he barely even winced at the impact. I didn't give him the chance to recover, instead advancing toward him and forcing my mind into his.
It took a lot of pushing, but once I was in, I was able to order his brain to shut down. I'm not sure how I knew to do that, but it worked. The vampire quickly dropped to the ground, dead.
Refrain from using your powers too much, Rowan warned in my mind. Conserve your strength.
I nodded in response, knowing he would see it. Then I ran off, after the next vampire I would need to fight. Hopefully the others are doing well too. I don't want to even think about what I'll do if something happens to them. They will be fine. They have to be. I can't let myself think about anything other than that.
Dread coiled in my stomach when more vampires kept appearing. Where are they coming from? How did they know to meet us here? There is no way that they prepared for this at every sight. They knew we would be here. But how?
I grabbed the vampire nearest to me and snapped his neck as quickly as I could. It's easy to catch them once they are in motion, because any kind of touch kills their momentum. But when they aren't using speed, it's much harder.
As I fought, Bruce pealed off my skin to join me. He ran at the nearest vampire, a growl rumbling low in his throat. The instant the vampire saw him, his eyes widened. I tilted my head, wondering why the vampire feared my little wolf so much. I didn't have to wait long to get my answer, as Bruce lunged onto the man and ripped him to shreds.
Good boy.
I looked away from Bruce and grimaced. For every vampire we killed, three more took it's place. I have no idea how we could possibly end this. They are everywhere. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to not focus on the odds. We brought our most powerful warriors. We are going to be okay. We have to be.
I grabbed a knife from the ground and used it to slash at the vampire in front of me. He hissed, his body spinning around to face me. I met his stare head on and prepared for the fight. Instead of using his speed, he used his strength. He sent a round house kick to my stomach that almost brought me to my knees. Almost.
I recovered quickly, throwing a punch of my own. We circled each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. I decided to go for it, slashing at his stomach. He jumped out of the way, but as he did he landed right into one of my kicks. I used that moment of distraction to plunge the knife straight into his heart.
He paused for a moment, staring down at the knife. Then he slowly pulled it out, a grin forming on his face. Well, shit. Aim for the head next time. Noted. Why doesn't it surprise me that these evil creatures have no heart?
He slashed the knife out toward me, and I just barely got out of the way in time. He didn't stop, if anything now going even harder than before. He came at me, a large grin on his face. I dodged the knife, trying to find a different tactic. I need access to his head.
Before I could make any other move, a knife came whirring in the air behind me. I ducked, and it sunk right into the vampire's forehead. He thumped rather loudly to the floor, dead.
I turned around to see Mal standing there, grinning. "Looked like you needed a hand!"
I grinned back and tried to thank her, but another vampire came by to take over my attention. This one used speed, and I was able to catch him and snap his neck rather quickly compared to the last guy.
The vampires gave me a moment of peace so I took that moment to analyze the others. I scanned the bodies on the ground, a sigh of relief escaping when none of them were our own. Yet, a few people look harmed and a lot look tired. I don't know how much longer we are going to be able to hold out.
I spotted Bruce not far away, attacking two vampires at once. The odds weren't on his side, but he didn't seem to have a problem with them. Anyways, the vampires are terrified of him.
Belle came slithering up beside him, her body expanding as she moved. It didn't take long for her to be five times bigger than she was before, causing the vampires Bruce was cornering to widen their eyes in horror. Bruce continued to advance on the men, slowly. Tauntingly. Instead of going for the vampires' throat like he did before, he stepped back and let Belle to have her way with it.
Belle happily complied, slowly slithering up to the vampires paralyzed in fear. Once her entire body was wrapped around the first vampire, she squeezed tight. I had to look away, but the sound of the cracks could be heard throughout the entire field.
I turned my attention to Saxon, who flung a vampire into a tree. While he did so, another one snuck up behind him. He was too focused on the one to even notice the other one. I ran over there quickly, flinging the one sneaking up behind him into a tree as well. Saxon shot me a grateful smile as we both snapped the vampires' necks.
"Thanks," he grinned.
I grinned back and stood beside him, our backs to each other so that we couldn't get snuck up on.
"We need a new tactic," Saxon yelled over the noises of battle. "We aren't going to hold out much longer."
"I know," I sighed. "But what else can we do?"
"We could retreat," Saxon shrugged, "Stop while we are ahead. We have killed many of theirs, and they have killed none of ours. That's a win in my book."
"It isn't a win in theirs. This fight would have been for nothing."
"If you don't end the fight soon, then we will lose. And that loss will lead to the deaths of many of your people," Saxon warned me.
He's right. There's no way that we can win this. Right now, all of our people are alive. But they won't be for much longer if I don't get them out of here.
We need to get out of here, I murmured into Rowan's head.
I was thinking the same thing, he sighed. We did good here. We should get out while we are ahead.
But how, I questioned.
There's a pond up ahead. There are water wraiths there, awaiting a swift getaway.
I smiled. Smart.
Always.
We won't be able to all beline for it. We need to get a few people through there at a time. We will need a distraction.
Leave that to me. You just get out of here.
I laughed. We both know that isn't going to happen.
Rowan sighed. It was worth a shot. Get Bret and Veronica out of here. Then Dylan and Jenna. Then Jeremy, Mal and Aiden. You, Saxon and I will hold them off until we can join them.
I nodded and did as he asked, relaying the plan into everyone's minds. No one protested. They all knew that it was time to get out of here. It didn't take long for Rowan to make a distraction. He dove into the minds of multiple vampires, making them turn on each other. As the others tried to intervene, Bret and Veronica disappeared into the pond. Then Dylan and Jenna.
Jeremy, Mal and Aiden didn't seem as enthused about leaving, and stayed to fight for as long as they could. They couldn't just up and leave in the middle of fighting the vampires that they were currently fighting, anyways.
I called Bruce to me, not wanting him out fighting while we were trying to escape. He resisted at first, but ended up slipping onto my shoulder regardless.
I turned my attention to looking for Stefan, but he was nowhere to be found. Of course the coward would only show his face in the beginning of the battle and then disappear. A man like him could never actually join the fight.
Rowan continued forcing the vampires to fight themselves as Aiden, Mal and Jeremy finally made their way into the pond and disappeared. I eyed Rowan out of the corner of my eye, wondering what his plan is to get us all into that pond. It will be only a matter of moments before they notice that most of us have disappeared, and there is no way that all three of us could escape unscathed.
Before I could discover what his plan would be, however, a dart was being shot into my neck. My hand flew up to where it landed and ripped it out, flinching at the sting. I looked around for the culprit, my eyes landing on Stefan a few feet in the distance. I tried to slam him into a tree, but no tingles came to my finger tips when I tried.
My heart dropped into my stomach. The dart must have removed my ability to use my powers. I knew this could happen one day. It's okay, I trained for this. I can take this bastard down with my fists.
"Come to fight me like a man," I questioned, raising my eyebrows.
"Something like that," Stefan laughed, the sound sending shivers down my spine.
I narrowed my eyes and struck. I landed a harsh punch onto his nose, but he barely even flinched. Just that one punch made me feel whoosy, and I realized why he looked so relaxed.
"You drugged me," I accused.
"I would never be able to fight you fair," Stefan shrugged.
To sluggish to react fast enough, I could barely even do a thing as Stefan grabbed me and forced my back flush against his stomach. I felt something cool and hard against my temple, and my whole body went rigid.
Stefan cocked the gun and laughed, the sound earning the attention of Rowan. The look of complete and utter fear on his face when he took in the scene made my knees buckle.
"I would advise not trying anything funny. If I even think you're trying to enter my mind, I'll pull the trigger. Unless you think you can get into my head faster than this bullet can go through her head," Stefan taunted.
All of the vampires stepped away, not intervening. Rowan's whole body went rigid as he nodded. "What do you want?"
"I want Cameron," Stefan shrugged.
"He's not here," Rowan said slowly, his eyes staying locked on mine.
I tried to send him a reassuring smile, but the drugs were working rather quickly in my system. All I could manage was a sluggish half smile, and it only seemed to make him feel worse.
"Well, that's a pitty isn't it," Stefan sighed.
"Just let her go and I will bring Cameron to you," Rowan informed Stefan, his eyes sincere.
He means that. If Stefan let's me go, he will bring Cameron to him. He would risk the lives of everyone to make sure that this bullet doesn't go through my skull.
I can't let him do that. I tried to protest, but the only sound that came out of my mouth was a loud gurgle. Rowan ignored me, his eyes staring deep into Stefan's.
Stefan whistled. "I can tell you mean that. I would have so much power, bartering this girl. If even you, the Dark Prince, would hand Cameron to me, could you imagine what I could get?"
He was thinking aloud, not really having any intention of doing that, but I could hear in his voice how much it intrigued him. I could tell in that moment that he was considering it. I'm sure he realized his odds of getting me away from here without Rowan and the vampires killing him were slim to none.
"Just let her go," Rowan said slowly. "Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."
Stefan sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. The king is very interested in your Freya."
Rowan's body tensed even more, if that were possible. I've never seen him so out of his element before. I've never seen him lose his cool like this. If I could feel my body, I'm sure I would vomit right now.
"Please. Let her go," Rowan begged, his voice barely above a whisper.
Stefan laughed, loud and booming. "God, he was so wrong."
Who was wrong? About what?
I saw Rowan consider his options. His best bet would be to call Stefan's bluff. We both know he won't kill me. But the odds of Rowan getting us through all of these vampires is 0%. There's no way we are getting out of here. I saw the moment that realization dawned on him. The way his eyes glazed over, his hands shook. I know in a few moments, he's going to try. And it's going to get him killed.
I tried to tell him to stop. To tell him that I would be okay. Either way I'm not getting out of here. I'd rather he at least escape with his life. Yet, no warnings escaped my lips. I just pleaded with my eyes. Though, that did nothing as he refused to meet my eyes.
"I'm not going to ask you again," Rowan growled. "Let. Her. Go."
Stefan sighed and flicked his wrist. At the signal, one of the vampires turned and shot a dart similar to the one that was shot at me into Rowan. He cursed, loudly, and ripped it out.
"If you think this will stop me, you're sadly mistaken," Rowan grinned menacingly as he turned on the vampires nearest to him. Their throats were ripped out before I could even blink.
"I really didn't want it to come to this," Stefan sighed. "I really do like you."
Before I could process his words, someone from behind Stefan was throwing a spear. As Rowan was distracted ripping the vampires apart, he wasn't able to move out of the way fast enough. The sound of it slicing through his body will haunt me for the rest of my life. It was aimed at his heart, but landed just below it.
A hysterical scream escaped my lips as the beam slammed through Rowan. He stared down at it for a few moments, a bitter laugh escaping his throat. Then he dropped to his knees.
I tried to thrash, tried to do anything to get to Rowan. But it was no use. My body is too sluggish, too drugged.
He's going to be okay. He has to be. It missed his heart. He will heal. He has to.
Rowan slowly looked up, his pained eyes meeting mine. I saw the apology in them, and it broke my heart. Despite this being nowhere near his fault, he will never forgive himself for this.
"We will be seeing you again soon, I'm sure," Stefan sighed in Rowan's direction before leaning down to scoop me up into his arms.
I had no choice but to lay there and allow it. I can already feel my subconsciousness leaving me. The world is getting blurry, and my eyes are trying so hard to close shut. But I couldn't bare to look away from Rowan. He has to be okay. He has to. God, please let him be okay.
"You said she wouldn't be harmed," a familiar voice growled.
I tried to focus on them, tried to get my mind to wrap around who it was. I blinked a few times, until Saxon came into focus. Relief coursed through me at the sight of him. He's going to save Rowan. Get him back to Daemonium. That's all that matters.
"I'm so sorry, Freya," he murmured, not being able to meet my eyes. His voice is pained, guilty even.
Why would he be- no. NO!
Instead of making his way to Rowan's side, he made his way to Stefan's. Stefan smiled at his son, but Saxon didn't react. He just stood next to his father, his eyes downcast.
This cannot be happening.
Stefan turned away. Away from Rowan. Away From my freedom. My eyes drifted shut, not being able to stay open any longer.
The last thing I saw was Saxon walking side by side with with his father before my mind drifted off into nothingness.
The end
*Hey guys!
So... we've reached the end of book two!!! I'm sorry for another cliffhanger, but it had to happen. What did you guys think of Saxons betrayal?? Did you see it coming?
There's an authors note that I will be posting after this regarding the third book and it's REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU GUYS READ IT!!!
Pleaseeee read the authors note that I will post next. Please!!
I love you guys so much. You don't understand how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Every like, every comment. They make my heart swell and I just cannot believe that you guys have been following me on this journey for so long.
Again, you guys better read the authors note I am posting next!!!
For the last time of the second book, don't forget to vote and comment!
-Xoxo, Gab :)*