by Leia Stone
Kai sat up quickly and grabbed his head. Raj looked at Kai murderously. “I’m going to kill that witch.”
I stepped forward. “No, you’re not. She has my protection and since I found your daughter’s mate. I figure you owe me.” I smiled a little for good measure. I was sure deep down past the Alpha bullshit, that he was a nice guy.
His father looked pissed for a second and then appraised me with pride. “She is your perfect match.” Then he met my eyes. “Welcome to the family, Aurora.”
He stood and left with the rest of the council.
I ran to the door just in time to see a few pack members driving a truck full of water bottles up the driveway. Kai followed after me.
“What happened?”
I shifted. ‘I’ll tell you on the way.’
Alliance
Kai didn’t question. He shifted instantly and followed my fast pace down the mountain towards the small town of Sandy. After explaining to Kai that we had sent a message to all wolves about the water, I also explained about the call from RAIDOS.
‘So we are meeting the humans at the Sandy water plant to fight vampires together?’ he mocked.
‘Yep.’
‘Well they better not get in my way.’ He sped past me, dashing through the trees. We could get there faster in our wolf form. People would mistake us for a blur of an animal. Sandy was a 20 mile run as the crow flies. If we had taken a car it would have been a 50 mile winding road drive. After about twenty minutes of relentless running, we made it down the mountain and out into the heavily populated area. We slowed near a gas station. A black helicopter could be seen landing in the distance, in the general area of the water facility. We weaved in and out of a few cars and back onto a side street void of people.
There we sprinted to the water facility gates. It was dark out but my werewolf eyes could see a commotion just inside. The black helicopter had landed near a side entrance and the RAIDOS team had trickled in a gate that had been blasted open. A few of RAIDOS agents were perched on the roof and were using crossbows to shoot at the vampires. There must have been fifty of them. They were protecting six large drums of liquid silver. A few pack members had already arrived and were fighting alongside the RAIDOS team. A female vampire rose into the air and flew on top of my back. I rolled quickly hearing the satisfying crunch of her bones beneath my big wolf body. I twisted out of her grasp and turned to face her. It was the vampire queen from that night in LA, Layla. Kai was preparing to pounce on her. She looked right at him and whispered, “Freeze.” He didn’t move. He barely breathed. It was like he was made of cement.
‘Compulsion,’ he said into my mind.
Then she looked at me. “You will change into your human form and offer me your blood.” I could hear strange sounds in her voice. Were those hummingbird wings? However, I felt no desire to do as she asked. Her compulsion didn’t work on me. I lunged for her throat with my teeth bared. I got in one good bite before she ripped my body away with a gripping force. I felt a few ribs crack, and I howled. A flaming arrow cut through the sky and landed in her shoulder. She hissed and her face took on a predatory look. Her strawberry blonde hair singed with the flame. All of a sudden Kai was broken free of his compulsion and lunged at her abdomen. Layla yanked the silver-tipped flaming arrow out of her shoulder and in one quick movement rammed it into Kai’s hind leg.
“No!” I screamed and involuntarily shifted into my human form. Mist began to pour out of my hands. I couldn’t stop it. I could hear fighting behind me. The mist was swirling around my body like a funnel. It was like it was waiting for me to tell it what to do. Kai had retreated a few steps.
“Attack!” I screamed and put all of my intention into the mist. Like it was a living guard dog. Like I could command it. The mist suddenly turned into thousands of bees. They covered Layla’s body like a coat of black fur. The buzzing was deafening. The sky shuddered and lightning crackled. Layla began to fumble backwards but the bees moved with her. I turned to Kai who was dragging his hind leg, the arrow still in it. I yanked the arrow out and we both turned to the entrance. There were five barrels of silver untouched. RAIDOS and our pack had taken care of most of the vampires but a dozen or so remained. Seeing their queen covered in a blanket of magic bees, they began to advance on us.
“Shit.” I breathed and shifted into my wolf. Kai stood in front of me and growled. His back leg was quivering with the weight of him standing on it. The bees began to dissipate, as I realized one of the people I mistook for a vampire, was in fact the dark witch from LA. She raised her hands and black smoke began to leak from her palms.
‘Don’t breathe it in!’ I told Kai.
Just as the wave of black smoke came towards us, I felt a cool mist at my back. I turned to see Sylvia and her coven. Their arms outstretched, white mist rolling on the ground making the black mist retreat. Layla was nowhere to be seen.
“All alone, Prudence?” Sylvia screamed at the dark witch.
Prudence laughed and it raised the fur on my back.
“I don’t need a coven. I am more powerful alone!” She roared and sent a blast of hot air at us. Kai and I retreated to the side parking lot, while Sylvia and her coven threw spell after spell at Prudence. I could see Kai was hurt badly from the silver arrow. We were snaking our way along the trees towards the front door, when Layla and two vampires jumped out. Two of the vampires distracted Kai, while Layla grabbed my back fur and yanked. I yelped out in pain. I couldn’t do anything. I was hanging midair from her arm by my back skin, yapping with my teeth at nothing. I shifting quickly to my human form and grabbed Layla’s arm and snapped it in half. She screamed but quickly smiled.
“Atta a girl.” Then she pounced on me, taking a hold of my hair in her hand and exposing my neck. I tried to wiggle out of her gasp but she was fast and strong. I felt her teeth sink into my neck before I could even try to get free. Pleasure and disgust exploded inside my belly. It felt like I was eating the most delicious meal in the world. My mouth salivated. On the other hand I was being bitten by a vampire! I shuttered. These two feelings warred inside of me. Finally, I felt myself being torn away from her. Dr. Tavern held a long sharp samurai sword. Layla’s mouth was dripping with my blood. Oh God.
Dr. Tavern advanced on Layla. But Layla smiled. It was the creepiest, blood-coated, sharp-toothed smile. Then she ran. She fled fast into the woods and my stomach dropped.
I looked at Dr. Tavern. “She drank my blood! That means she is fertile for the next few days! She can have a child.”
I shifted into wolf form and began to go after her. Dr. Tavern said something over an ear piece and I heard helicopter blades above me. Two RAIDOS members hung from ropes that dangled from the helicopter.
I heard foot steps behind me. It was Kai. I glanced back, happy that he was helping me pursue Layla. Together we could take her down. Just as I glanced back, his back leg gave out with a snap and I saw him roll. Twigs and leaves scattered in the air. I skidded to a halt.
‘Kai!’
‘I can’t run that fast with a silver injury.’
I crouched over him now, assessing his leg. It was bad. The wound wasn’t healing. It was open and leaking clearish fluid. Let RAIDOS handle Layla. My mate needed me. I shifted to human form.
“I want to try something,” I told him. I held my hands over his leg. The muscle was twitching. The mist began to pour from my hands and Kai’s nostrils flared.
‘Magic,’ he commented. I nodded. HEAL. I told the mist. I closed my eyes and I imagined all of the skin stitching together and becoming pink and then pale. I imagined his fur, fluffy and thick. I heard him panting. If I had this magic inside of me then maybe I could do something good with it. I opened my eyes. Kai was standing and staring at me in fear. I looked at my hands and shook them, stopping the mist. His leg…. It was healed. No gash, no blood, no pain. I could hear his heart beating fast.
‘I’m a witch,’ I said half to myself. I could hear the whine of helicopter blades off in the distance
.
‘You’re a witch,’ he agreed. His yellow eyes appraised me. ‘A pretty sexy, amazing witch.’
I smiled. “Let’s follow that helicopter.” I grabbed my neck. The two pinprick bite marks were pulsing. I shook off the thought of what it felt like when she bit me, the pleasure and disgust. I shifted to my wolf form and took off after Kai. He ran easily now with no sign of a limp. The multiple shifts were starting to drain my energy. I was getting hungry.
‘Max is at the water treatment plant. He said the rest of the vampires have fled. One drum of silver made it into the water supply,’ Kai told her.
We were approaching the sound of the helicopter now. It hovered above us. The two ropes dangled from above and snaked across the ground. One of the RAIDOS agents was knelt over another agent.
“He’s dead, and the vampires got away,” the agent told us without looking up. I inhaled deeply. I couldn’t pick up Layla’s scent. I felt bad that one of their people had died for our cause. I heard footsteps behind me and Dr. Tavern and another agent stopped when they saw the body.
“Brent,” Dr. Tavern whispered, a tear fell from her cheek. It was then that I realized, the RAIDOS humans were a pack. This was their family, united with one cause, to protect their kind. We weren’t so different. I tipped my head back and howled in grief. Kai joined me. Dr. Tavern composed herself and spoke over her ear piece. Two men repelled from the helicopter with a rescue basket and a bundle of clothes. They loaded Brent into the basket and Dr. Tavern nodded at Kai and me. “Can you become human? We need to talk.” They turned their backs as we shifted to our human forms. I shrugged on the black sweatpants and t-shirt. Kai put the pants on but left the shirt crumpled on the ground.
‘They smell like someone else,’ he told me. Typical Alpha. Didn’t want to smell like anyone else.
‘I’m not complaining.’ I winked.
Dr. Tavern extended her hand to Kai and looked at his forehead, not quite meeting his eyes. Smart girl.
“I’m Dr. Tavern. I have been authorized to be the communications expert between our two parties.”
Kai shook her hand. “Do you do everything you are authorized to do?”
She smiled devilishly. “Not always. You don’t exactly get chosen to join RAIDOS because you followed the rules all your life.”
Kai’s deep laughter cut the tension that had been mounting and her two partners relaxed.
‘I like her,’ he told me.
‘Me too,’ I agreed.
“I am Kai, the Alpha of the Mount Hood and Portland, Oregon territories. I have been authorized by the werewolf council to tell you what I deem necessary.” There was no mistaking his subtle threat. Kai was in control of this conversation. Dr. Tavern nodded.
“The deputy director of the intelligence division has briefed the President on this situation tonight. I have received word that it is now our mission to gather intelligence on Queen Layla and any vampire spawn she may birth after having fed on Aurora.”
My hand went to the bite marks on my neck. Kai glared at Dr. Tavern. “Do as you please in regards to the vampires.”
Dr. Tavern leaned in and produced a small silver disc from her pocket. She clicked a button and it glowed red. Her two agents began to walk away. Kai grabbed my hand and creased his eyebrows. Then she lowered her voice. “It has also been brought to my attention that if the vampire does in fact prove to have a successful birth, Aurora is too much of a threat to be allowed to roam freely. We are to take her into custody to run tests at that point.”
Kai opened his mouth to shout something but she placed a finger over her lips, then she clicked the disc and the red light went away.
“We will be in contact with you. If the vampires move to harm any humans, we may ask that you return the favor we gave you today.”
Kai was grinding his teeth. I stared into Dr. Tavern’s eyes, there was something there…. kindness and fascination. She was intrigued with our species. If Layla gave birth, they would capture me. Run tests?
‘You’re mine. No one is taking you anywhere.’
“Any final words Mr. Krishna?”
I saw Kai’s face fall at the knowledge that they knew his last name.
“Yeah, tell your boss to keep his drones off my mountain.” He shifted tearing the sweatpants in two and Dr. Tavern’s eyes widened. She didn’t look away. I was right, she was fascinated. She looked at me.
“I’m a person, I have a family. I’m sure you know about my non-profit that helps hundreds of women and children every year?” I questioned her.
She grimaced. “Yes, we are aware of your philanthropic efforts.”
“What does Layla do?”
Dr. Tavern chewed her lip. “She owns a few night clubs and an anti-aging skin crème line.”
“Ahh, well thank God for her.” I laid the sarcasm on thick and shifted. I took off after Kai. It was important to me that the high ups at RAIDOS didn’t lump vampires and werewolves together. We were nothing alike. If they thought they could just wipe me out because my blood could grow the vampire race, they had another thing coming. Did I have two enemies now? The vampires and the humans?
I ran alongside Kai as we met Max and the others at the front of the water treatment plant. None of our wolves had died.
‘If RAIDOS hadn’t helped us this would have been a lot worse,’ I told Kai.
‘I know.’
‘Dr. Tavern didn’t have to warn us about them taking me if Layla has a child.’
‘I know,’ he said again.
I sighed. I didn’t know why I was sticking up for them. Then I laughed out loud. Sylvia and her clan had joined our group.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“We thought humans were a weak race.” I gestured to the pile of ashes that symbolized dead vampires.
Max chuckled. “Guess we gotta up our game and buy a helicopter.” He nodded to Kai.
“Consider it done.” Now Kai smiled.
New Family
A month had passed already. It was a rough two weeks with no shower. We had been bathing in freezing cold creek water and only drank bottled water. When the running water tested negative for the silver particles, we were finally given the all clear. Kai had ordered a device on every water tap on every pack members’ house that glowed blue if silver was present. This would prevent future attempts. So today I packed my bags to accompany Kai to his sister’s wedding in India.
We drove with Akash, Max and Trent to the airport. I hadn’t heard anything from RAIDOS. I didn’t know how long it took for a vampire pregnancy to show. I knew Kai was working on something. He had a plan A, B and C in case certain things came about. I didn’t want to be involved. I focused on my Circle nights with Sylvia and her coven. I was learning about my witch powers. Diya had been video chatting me and Emma nonstop lately to show us last minute things for her wedding and to get our opinion. I was excited to have her and Jai join our pack; we had grown close.
Kai told Emma she couldn’t travel pregnant and left most of the pack behind to protect her. Only the five of us were going. We boarded the private plane and took our seats. The same stewardess that we had on our LA flight was there to help us. Max appraised her body and then caught me looking and blushed. Kai poked him with an elbow.
“Why not ask her on a date?” Kai challenged when she was out of earshot.
Max’s face looked pained for a second and then it was gone. “I was just looking. I’ve had my great love. Anything else would taste like orange juice after brushing your teeth.”
“I’ll ask her on a date,” Akash said, grinning. One stern look from Kai had him staring at his shoes.
I laughed.
‘What does Max mean?’ I asked Kai.
Kai looked at Max sadly. ‘He was mated for four years and she died about twenty years ago during labor with their first child. Neither of them survived.’
I tried to control my breathing and my face. I didn’t want Max to know we were talking about him. I swallowed h
ard. ‘That’s horrible. What happened?’
‘The baby shifted into wolf form during labor, while inside her belly. The placenta tore. They both bled out. She couldn’t heal fast enough.’
My hand went to my mouth. ‘Could that happen to Emma?’
‘I won’t let it.’
Oh my God. Why hadn’t I thought about this before? Of course werewolf pregnancies would be hard. You were carrying a shape shifting baby! Emma would be okay. I told myself. I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep. I awoke as the plane landed.
We were greeted at the airport by Jai, Diya, and the buffest man I had ever seen. He was seriously like a Vin Diesel, with hair. Kai embraced the large man lifting him off of his feet. The man ruffled Kai’s hair and then turned to me. He placed his hands in prayer pose and bowed lightly. “Namaste, Aurora.”
I grinned. “Namaste.”
“I’m Nikhil, welcome to India.”
Kai punched him in the shoulder. “He is my middle brother and my father’s second. He has a weak right hook and makes horrible chai.”
Jai leaned into my ear. “I’m his favorite brother though.”
I laughed as Nikhil retorted something about working on his boxing.
I looked over Kai’s shoulder to see Diya kissing Trent. I smiled. Weddings were fun. Kai cleared his throat loudly and they broke apart.
“You aren’t mated yet. Get over here,” he scolded Trent. We all laughed.
I took in a deep breath. India. It had a distinct smell. Your clothes smell of spices for weeks after you’ve left. I had missed it. After grabbing our bags, we made our way outside. The road was packed with cars, rickshaws and motorbikes. We all piled into two waiting taxis, I sat in back with Kai and Nikhil.
Nikhil turned to Kai. “We lost a few wolves protecting the water supply from the vampires, but thanks for warning us.” He tipped his head to me and smiled. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. If I hadn’t had that vision and warned everyone… I shuttered. I smiled back.