Phoebe POV
It was all starting to piece together.
Catherine, who wanted to use power instead of peace.
Catherine, who complained about being second, no promised throne.
Catherine, who knew where our dinner would be held.
Catherine, who had extra information given to her.
Catherine, who gave me those muffins I gave Felix which made him sick. Those muffins.
He smiles but then it slowly fades. His hand moves down to his stomach, clutching it. "Lix, are you alright?" I ask him. His face goes sour as if he'd just digested lemons. "I'm okay. My head just started blaring, I'm gonna go and get some air."
And ever since then, Felix changed. So was Catherine the one corrupting him?
Catherine was the only person who I thought understood me throughout my time in Mount Verona. She was the only one that really got to know me and get close. She taught me how vampires are. She's the whole reason why I really stayed here.
But now that I think of it, all she ever really wanted was the throne. And she was using me to get to it. She was using my brother. She was using my family.
But if Catherine was the reason for all of this, that means that Nick was wrongly imprisoned.
And I needed to get him out.
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Running through an empty castle, dress tearing apart and heels in my hands. My foot jumps over broken glass shards and bleeds onto the ground, painting red stains onto the stone floor. I needed to tell Chase everything. The entire castle had been emptied out, guards surrounding the city and on the lookout for the black witches. I'm sure Catherine had something to do with that too. Everything's starting to come together. But nothing makes sense.
"Nick!" My voice echoes throughout the entire dungeon, my projection jumping from the walls and surrounding me. The dungeons are empty and quiet, lonely and still. "Nick!" I call out again, but no answer. Pacing back and forth, I look through every cell. My head turns from right to left, peeping through and looking for Nick. My eye catches on something at the very end of the hall. A paper hanging from a nail in the wall, holding it up. I march towards it, praying that it has the location of the prisoner's and which cell they're in. With my luck, it happened to be printed in very faint markings.
Nicholas Fang , C37
And with a small glance at the paper, I turn my head and dash for cell 37. My hair flies in my face when I do so, sticking to the gloss on my lips and making it hard for me to maneuver.
"Nick!?" I then yell, calling into the hallway and the cell numbers appear to be in their 40's. I'm almost there. "Nick!" I yell louder, hoping to find him somewhere. The cells are empty and filled with dust. I've never been down here before and to be honest, I was expecting a hall full of criminals that had been thrown into their cells, crouched down in the corner and throwing rubber balls at the wall which they spent their entire day doing.
Which is quite disappointing.
My head is tilted to the right, counting down the numbers on the cells as they slowly decrease their way to 37. 39, 39 and finally, 37.
But when I stop in my tracks to greet Nick, I find myself staring into an empty prison cell. Dusted. Cobwebbed and dirty, like no one ever lived here. "Nick?" I whisper, stepping into the cell and examining it's status. Then out of nowhere, I feel tight arms circling around my waist, pulling me back downwards and closer to its figure. Another figure steps into view, pulling its hands over my mouth and shutting them tight. My legs kick over me, pushing onto the figure in front of me but it only steps closer, embracing my entire body. It's chin pressed against my shoulder as it slowly nears my ear. And a deep, familiar voice whispers, "sleep."
And my eyes close shut, my grip loosening and I feel like floating.
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Everything was a blur. When my eyes slowly started to lift, my lashes were too heavy. "She's up." I hear a muffled voice in the distance, calling out to someone on the opposite end of the room. Room? Where was I?
My eyes lay open and looked up at the ceiling that's slowly blurring from the bright white light that's hung right above me, shining its light down onto my body. I'm flat against a rubber mattress, blue and dusty that looks like a sleeping bag. I feel motion to my side, slowly stepping towards me. My vision is still a blur so when I look up, the figure is only a dark blob against the light. But then he starts to speak.
"Good morning, My Princess." Lupus. My body shoots upwards, demanding my core to push myself up. My hands bring themselves backwards, pushing back on the uneasy mattress laid underneath me as I slowly start to sit upwards. "Not so fast, princess." Lupus then interrupts, pressing his palm on my back and supporting me as my body starts to fault. "Lupus," I murmur, my eyes adjusting from the haze I was in. "Shh. I will get you some blood so you can regain some energy." He says, getting up from his seat and leaving the room.
The door closes behind him and I'm left in this dark room, alone. "She needs some blood." I hear Lupus telling someone. "She's a vampire, werewolf, and a white wolf. Her energy regains with or without blood." Another voice interrupts. I know that voice. "Please, I don't think you understand. She needs blood." Lupus argues. It's silent for a few moments but then I hear a long, dry sigh being drawn out. Who was Lupus arguing with?
A few moments of waiting, my energy started to contract, leaving me drowsy and delusional. The door clicks open and I feel another presence step into the room. It's dark at the back of the room, so I can't make out what or where he'd gone. "Lupus," I start to murmur. "I need to go back to Chase. I have to tell him something." I explain but my words feel like slurs. "You won't be stepping foot in that castle for a while." He speaks, but instead of the soft and genuine voice that Lupus usually speaks in, it's harsh and deep. And not Lupus.
He steps forward, his masculine frame coming forward and stepping into the light. The light shines down on him, glowing over his platinum blonde hair. His jaw seeps out of his face, defining it over his neck. His crisp white shirt looks untouched, crumpled but clean. The veins in his hands tense when he brings them around his small torso, wrapping them around him. It's Felix.
My lips part in shock, letting out a compressed gasp. "Lix," I whisper, stunned. The corners of his lips tug upwards into a small smile as he lets out a chuckle. He sits down beside me where my legs lay and his hand grazes my calf. "Hey, little sis." Little sis. My Lix is back. My mouth can't restrain anymore. I smile so godly and leap forward, wrapping my arms around him. He's shocked by my actions and tenses but when he registers me and where I am right now, he smiles and brings his arms around my torso while burying his head in my hair. "Lix." I say, breathlessly while staring up at him. "Phoebe."
Lupus comes along with a bottle of disinfectant spray in his hand. His sleeves are rolled up and his hands seem to be shaking. He steps forward and sets the bottle on the table beside the mattress and sits cross legged at the very end. "There isn't any blood." He then announces, taking a bit of the spray and rubbing it on his wrist. "You'll have to take some from me." He then says. Pushing himself forward, he slowly braces himself by shutting his eyes shut and taking three deep breaths. His hand finds his way just underneath my nose and I suddenly feel the need to taste blood on my tongue. That sweet sensation that trickles down my throat and sends all my adrenaline all over my body. I need it.
My mouth opens, revealing my hungry fangs as they slowly start to pierce into Lupus wrist. His blood pours out while I suck into his skin, inhaling all of his blood. I pull back, startled as I start to lose control of myself. Felix's eyes are wide open. His hands cup my cheeks and his thumbs pull on my top lip. "Holy shit." He mutters. "You have fangs."
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After drinking from Lupus's wrist, my energy had returned to me and I felt rehydrated. Nick came into the room a few moments after. It was the three of them who kidnapped me. Well, took me. "When I was in the dungeons with Felix, we talked." Nick explains to me. Apparently they were both set up by some corrupt spirit that took over their senses. Catherine. "So how did Lupus get involved?" I ask, turning to Lupus. He smirks back at me, "Cause why the hell not?" Lupus followed along with Felix and Nick. Him and Nick apparently got close, omega things and technically he was still under Felix's command. So whatever Felix does, he does with him.
"So you kidnap me, why?" I then ask. "And what was with you and saying I couldn't go back to the castle, Lix?" I add. Felix shakes his head and shrugs. "Anyone could have done it, Pheebs. I need you to be safe. With us where I know you can't be harmed." He sighs. "Chase will be fuming when he finds out you're gone." Lupus adds, chucking a corn kernel into his mouth. "Oh, he already has. There are guards all around Mount Verona searching for you." Nick explains.
I need to tell them about Catherine. I need to tell them about what happened at the castle. I need to tell them everything. "My princess, are you alright?" Lupus asks, his hand placing itself on my shoulder. I shudder at his touch, my body going rigid. "Little sis, you look like you've seen a ghost." Felix chimes in. I look up, scanning each of their faces. "I think Catherine is the one behind all of this." I say instantly. Nick goes rigid and suddenly looks shocked.
"Phoebe," He starts. "I think so too."