(WARNING: this chapter contains lots of violence! Please be aware if this is triggering!)
Please stop me before I kill again...I can't help myself anymore.
********
(ALTHEA'S POV)
It's been five hours.
Where is Aiden?!
I'm sitting in a small cottage of sorts with Pandora, holding a cup of tea to my lips while staring blankly ahead at the trees outside.
"Thea?"
I turn my head around, blinking.
"Yes, Pandora?"
"Where is she? It's been so long...what if she's hurt?"
I turn away, not wanting to admit how scared I am.
"Yeah...I can ask Myra, perhaps. I don't really know where she went though."
Pandora stares down at the crackling fire before looking back at me.
"I can't be the only one who thinks this whole situation is weird, am I? Dax...if that's his name...he seems...I don't know...off."
I purse my lips.
"I thought so too but I didn't want to say anything..."
A loud thump is heard on the roof and Pandora immediately jumps up.
"What was that?!"
"I...umm...I don't know!"
Pandora sets her stuff down, running towards the door.
"Wait! They said we shouldn't go out..."
"Screw what they said, Althea! What if something's actually wrong?"
She opens the door and I scramble after her, exiting the small home.
Pandora shields her eyes with her hand, squinting at the door.
"There's something there."
"What?!"
I look up, and Pandora runs forward, jumping up to grab onto the roof, heaving herself up.
She looks down at me, before disappearing over the side.
"Wait—Pandora?! Pandora, where'd you go?"
I recoil when I hear a loud scream, then a loud thud.
********
(PANDORA'S POV)
I climb up onto the roof, throwing myself over the edge.
My foot hits something and I let out a yelp, looking down.
I let out another scream, this time louder, falling backwards with a thud before hyperventilating.
"Pandora?! Are you okay?!"
"A—it's a body, Thea!"
"What?!"
Althea climbs up, throwing herself over the edge.
She looks down, her hand flying over her mouth.
"No..."
She drops down, feeling the woman's neck and wrist for a pulse.
"Please no..."
She grabs the woman's hands, before shaking her gently.
"Is she...?"
"She's dead. Pandora she's dead."
"Who is that?"
I look down again, the woman so disfigured and bloody that I can't tell who she is.
My eyes then catch on a slip of non-bloodied platinum hair.
Oh no.
"She's dead, Pandora...Myra's dead."
********
(MYRA'S POV)
FIFTEEN MINUTES EARLIER...
I stare blankly at the dark forest, feeling a small stab of pain in my stomach.
Hunger.
I haven't eaten in two days now.
I probably should go find something.
Morphing back into a wolf, I exit the premises before venturing into the thick woodlands.
There must be something...but what could I possibly eat when all I do is drink blood? Or eat humans.
Goddamnit.
I'll just eat berries.
They're back at base.
I morph back into a human, walking closer when I here the crunch of a leaf.
Huh.
I turn my head over my shoulder, narrowing my eyes.
"Is anyone there? Don't be afraid."
Nothing.
Aren't I stupid?
I turn back around when I hear a small laugh.
"Aren't you just adorable..."
"What?"
I turn around, seeing two coyotes a few feet away.
I back away a few steps, and one of them smiles.
"Don't be scared, little wolf. We'll go easy on you...I promise."
They both morph into humans, one a girl and the other a guy.
They look at me like I'm a giant steak and I frown.
"I won't hurt you or anything...just don't come near me! Please!"
"We don't have to go near you to catch your scent, babes..." the female says, and the male laughs.
"I can already taste her..."
I take another step back, bumping into someone's chest.
I let out a small gasp, feeling someone's hands restrain mine behind my back before feeling someone's lips against my neck.
"Aren't you a sweet little thing?" The male chuckles, and I stay frozen in fear.
"Please...spare me! I didn't do anything to you!"
"You didn't...but we sure are hungry...aren't you a fool for not bringing that other wolf with you? What a shame, what a shame...now you'll serve as our dinner...or a surprise to your new mortal friends."
I hear the female scoff.
"Oh please...save some of the fun for me, Kai."
Kai grumbles behind me, dragging his clawed hand down my back.
"Fine, Sakura."
The pretty coyote girl slinks towards me, grinning.
"I can see it in your eyes, babes...you don't want to die, do you?"
I shake my head rapidly and she cocks her head to the side.
"You'll be able to...to live in the afterlife, you know? Even though you're already here. You won't have to feel pain anymore...you can get out of this prison."
She smirks, circling around me.
"Since I feel bad for you...I'll have you choose how you die. But first...slow, or quick?"
I stare at her blankly.
"You're not going to kill me."
"Slow or quick?"
I open my mouth to say something and she shakes her head.
"Too slow! We're going with a nice slow death. It will be painful. Do you say we...I don't know, choke you? Drown you? Cut every limb of yours off, one by one? Or maybe...maybe we hang you? Skin you? We can fry your skin into chips later...or, last thing...shoot you with a silver bullet? Those kill you werewolves slowly...but I heard they cause a lot of pain."
Sakura smiles, pulling down the sleeve of my shirt slowly before pointing at a large scar.
"I've seen this...you try to cover it up, don't you? A sad reminder of the torture you endured while you were part of that other pack, no? You got shot...once," she points at my leg, "twice," Sakura lifts up the corner of my shirt to point at my stomach, "three times. You let them torture you, Myra, why is that?"
She drops my shirt, taking a step back.
"I don't have to tell you anything, Sakura, Kai. I don't."
"But don't you want to let off what has been on your chest for nine years? Since you were twelve?"
I move my eyes to Kai who looks at me slyly.
"I—how did you know that?! How do you—"
"Shhh..."
They both look at me mischievously.
"We know more than you think...but don't let that hold you back, Myra darling. We know you must feel..."
"Troubled." Sakura finishes, and they both smile.
"Please just let me go! I have to go back!"
I make a move to turn around and Sakura fires a shot, watching as it goes straight through my head.
I fall onto the ground with a loud thunk, and Kai's eyes widen.
"You shot her?!"
"I had to!"
They both look down, seeing my blue blood pool around me.
"Cut her up."
Sakura throws a large knife at Kai who shrugs.
"Alright. Sorry, sweetheart."
After mutilating my body to the point of no recognition, both coyotes grab it and teleport onto a tree, dumping it off before watching it land on a cottage's roof with a thud.
They disappear, leaving no evidence behind besides the smile they carved into her face.
*******
(CARDEN'S POV)
"Key?! Key to what?!"
Rylan chuckles at my cluelessness and I give him a warning look.
"You won't be doing that damn attractive chuckle when I shove a knife down your throat, Rylan. What fucking key?! What are you talking about?!"
"You are too clueless, Carden. And it's actually funny when you try to be threatening. The key to the Gray Coat chest. What I'm sure a lot of your little friends are looking for."
I continue walking, glancing up at him every now and then.
"And I need to know this why...?"
"Oh you'll want that key when you hear about it. Lakeyn? Fay? Maera?"
"Ooh...is that who I think it is?!"
I hear a melodic voice echo through the door, and it opens by itself to reveal three girls sitting in a lagoon.
They are definitely beautiful, and definitely sirens.
"Rylan! My favorite man! Or at least one of them...those twins you know are a real catch."
The one with dark maroon hair grins.
"Alaric and Alec? We all know every female supernatural creature likes at least one of them."
The siren with gold hair rolls her eyes.
"Oh shut it Maera! You're into girls so it doesn't count."
"Doesn't mean I don't have common sense, Fay."
The one with green hair sighs.
"Will y'all shut your fins for once?! We have company."
"Lakeyn, if you don't—"
They both turn around, and smile tightly at us both.
"Hmph. What do you want?! And who's the snack next to you?"
Maera grins and my eyebrows furrow.
"Snack? Me? I think you might have the wrong person..."
"I don't think they do, Cardi."
My eye twitches and I give him a look from the corner of my eye, whacking his head.
"Ew! Stop it! No Cardi! Just Carden."
He smirks.
"I will call you what I please, pumpkin. If you have a problem you can make me shut up. With your lips."
My jaw drops in shock and I turn back to the sirens, giving them a look.
"What is this key? And where is it?"
"Oh...this?"
Lakeyn holds a bronze key, and I shrug.
"I don't know. I don't know what this key is all about in the first place."
"The key to Gray Coat's chest...that chest holds the power of all the gods combined, because when the child with most potential was born, a little bit of all of them would be given to him or her. But...they never found that child...nor did they know who the hell this child was meant to be. The secret to who that person is and the vial with their powers are in here. We'll give you guys this key..."
The three sirens give us both a naughty grin.
"Only if you tell us where Aiden Weiss is."
*********
(ALARIC'S POV)
I wake up, stuck in a dark cage above the ground.
What the fuck?!
Where am I?
I look down, grimacing when I see the floor underneath me.
Blood.
And lots of it.
I hear a ghostly sort of voice, a woman's.
"You smell different when you're awake, Alaric."
I snap my head around, seeing a thin woman sitting in a rocking chair with a needle and thread, sewing together what seems like a—
I gag, snapping my head in the opposite direction, dry heaving in the corner of the cage.
The woman was sewing together someone's severed head.
I hear her giggle, then a sigh.
"Underneath all those clothes you must be a wonder, Alaric."
I turn my head back over my shoulder to see her standing up, a few feet away from the cage.
"Who the hell are you?!"
A giggle.
"I don't like to say...but we can see ourselves together. Then I'll never have to let go."
I back away to the other side of the cage, and she frowns.
"You're pretty. I bet you have a pretty scream. Scream for me? Just once? Maybe it'll give a hint to your friend on where you are."
"I—what?! What're you talking about?!"
She grins.
"You finally spoke! And Hazel...I think she is? I lured her here. And if she doesn't find you in two hours I'm going to kill you. You better hope she can, because I'd like to know what you look like without skin."
*********
(HAZEL'S POV)
I run through the multiple dark halls, halls that echo with crying children and creepy nursery rhymes.
The further I go the more I realize I'll never find him in this fucking maze of a place.
Where even am I?
I continue running until I stop, my heart thumping loudly against my chest.
I heard something...but what was it?
I slowly turn around, my eyes catching on a small girl holding a ripped up piece of paper.
I inch towards her, and she hands the paper.
"She told me to tell you that your time's almost up."
The child disappears into thin air and I look down at the piece of paper, unfolding it to see the Sigil of Lucifer across it, then three words underneath it.
Left, right, above.
********
(ALEC'S POV)
I grasp into Aiden's body, looking down at Davina.
Poor girl.
"Davina...it's not safe here. Come on."
I hear her chocked sobs, and see her gripping onto Clarity's hand.
"I can't leave her! Leave me here with her, Alec!"
My eyes snap from hers to next to her, widening when they catch on Bailey and Hades.
In cages.
Aiden wouldn't be happy if I didn't help them.
I place her down, cringing at her blood staining me before snapping the cage doors again, pulling her mom out before dragging Hades out as well.
How did she manage to get them?
"Bailey? Hades?"
He opens his eyes, staring at me blankly.
"Alec? Is that you? Why the fuck do you have blood all over you? What in the world did you do?"
"Not my blood. Aiden's. Will you be able to teleport yourself and Bailey back? I need to help them."
I nod my head towards Davina and the two bodies.
"What happened to her?!"
"She was shot...I'll help her. Just go."
Hades tales Bailey and disappears into thin air, and I take Aiden back off the floor, frowning down at Davina.
I can't leave her here.
"Davina. Come. Now."
"But—please, you don't understand! I can't lose her..."
I take Clarity's body in my other arm, sighing.
"Better? I'll take her with us. Now come on."
Davina nods, and I teleport us back to the house Hecate provided for us, dropping Clarity gently on the floor before doing the same for Aiden, looking down at her.
"Stay with me...you'll be okay...Davina?! Gauze?!"
She nods frantically, throwing a roll of gauze at me.
I wrap it over her wound to stop further bleeding, sighing.
I remember what my dad taught me four years ago...seal the wound with plastic to keep air from being sucked into the wound. That can prevent the development of a collapsed lung.
But first I should do CPR.
I don't think she's breathing.
I press down on Aiden's chest.
Do what they taught in high school.
Thirty chest pushes and two rescue breaths.
I continue to push down on her chest, before leaning over to blow air into her mouth.
After around three minutes of doing that I hear a gasp, and Aiden's eyes shoot open.
"Alec—"
"Shh..."
I hug her, and she coughs, falling back onto the floor.
I pick Aiden up and lay her down in a bed, and she holds up her hand.
"Wait! What're you doing?! They're in trouble! The—"
"Shh, Aiden."
I walk back over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Give me your hand."
She weakly lifts up her hand, placing it in mine.
I hold onto it, looking back at her.
"Love you, babe. I just have to do something."
"I...I love you too...what're you doing?"
I smile sweetly.
"Just don't look...okay?"
"But—"
"Okay?"
"Okay."
I lift up my other hand, fangs extending in my mouth.
I bite it, cringing when I start to bleed.
"Open your mouth."
Aiden looks at me strangely before opening her mouth, and I place my hand against it.
"Mmm! Mmm!"
"Drink it."
She looks like she's about to throw up, swallowing some before switching her attention back to me.
"All of it, sweetheart."
She swallows some more and I pull my hand back, watching as she starts coughing.
Color goes back into her face and Aiden stares at me.
"What did you do...?"
"I bit my hand and made you drink my blood."
She looks at me, disgusted.
"Ew!"
"I know. But...if you want to heal that would be the way to go. Do you not feel better already?"
"I...well...yeah. I do."
"Thought so."
I plant a kiss on her forehead, and stand up.
She tries to get up as well and I gently push her back onto the bed.
"You need rest, sweetheart. I was doing CPR on you for three minutes straight. You were shot in the chest. Don't try and get up."
Aiden grumbles something under her breath before laying there, her eyes tracking me as I walk towards the door.
I walk outside to see Davina standing there, her eyes wide.
"Is she okay?"
"I don't know...definitely better than before. I'm going to have to leave her there for a while. How are you feeling?"
Davina frowns.
"I finally found her again and she died...she killed herself, Alec. She killed herself."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll be fine...just umm...wait..."
Davina looks at me wide eyed.
"Open the door."
"Why?"
"Open it, please."
I open the door to the room Aiden's in and her eyes widen.
"What?!"
I turn my head too, and let out a stream of curses.
"Fuck."
There's no more Aiden, but just a empty bed and an open window.
********
(STELLA'S POV)
SEVEN HOURS EARLIER...
I stare at the men wide eyed.
"But—"
"You have to bring her back dead or we'll kill you anyone you know."
I shut my mouth and nod silently.
"Okay. Okay I'll take her! I just can't kill her. I'll bring her...but I won't be able to."
"Fine...as long as you keep your end of the deal we're fine, witch. Now what're you waiting for?! Go!"
********
FIFTEN MINUTES EARLIER...
I hop a fence, seeing the large White House the men said she would be in.
I see a window, and with my X-ray vision see right through it.
She's in there.
This is going to suck.
I float up to the window, opening it quietly before sliding in, throwing my hand over her mouth.
I bring my finger shakily to my lips, shushing her as she tries to let out a scream.
I grab her just as I see the knob turning, jumping out the window with her before disappearing into thin air.
********
(HAZEL'S POV)
Left, right, above.
I stand there for a good few minutes when it clicks in my head.
Those are coordinates!
I jump up and down to celebrate before clearing my throat, running to the left.
After a long run down the left hallway, I take a right...and he should be...wait a minute.
He should be above me.
When I turn around I realize I ran into a room, and when I look up I see a shit ton of large black cages.
What the fuck.
My hand goes over my mouth in shock, and I hear the small creak of a rocking chair.
"You're late."
I turn around, seeing that same woman from the elevator sitting in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth with something next to her.
Something—wait—that's not something...that's someone. What is that?!
"Come closer, dear. I feel your eagerness."
I walk closer and let out a loud scream, falling backwards.
I run into one of the cages, turning around to see a skeleton.
I let out another scream, and the woman grins.
"I see you saw him, then."
"What did you do to him?! What did you do to Alaric"
"Made him a pretty doll. I have always had a strong urge to dig my fingers into a person's eye sockets."
She grins.
"But don't worry. I didn't do any of that."
My eyes widen with fear and she taps her hand on the armrest of the chair before speaking again.
"It doesn't taste like chicken, you know. People who've never tried it always say that. It's more like beef than anything."
I let out a noise of disgust when I realize what she's talking about.
The woman sighs again.
"He's okay. He's alive. This is not him...but a clone. I twisted this clone so you could know what would've happened. But since you came in time...I might as well kill you both now."
She stands up, walking past me to open a cage, pulling someone else out.
She drops them next to me, and I look over to see a beaten up Alaric who looks like he's going to pass out.
"I'm so sorry..."
He looks at me from the corner of his eye, shaking his head.
"It's not your fault."
We both cringe at the sound of a knife being sharpened, and when we turn around we see her with a butcher knife and a large shard of glass.
"I like to use glass instead of a scalpel. That's the way my dad used to do it; that's the way I do it. But let's get started now, shall we?"
*********
(RYDER'S POV)
After around an hour and a half of going to every single temple we just about give up.
"Where the hell could she be?! We literally went to every temple in this fucking area!"
Mal and Ryan look at me blankly.
"I gave up forty minutes ago." Ryan says blatantly, and Mal rubs her forehead tiredly.
"Honestly at this point I think Adrienne set us up."
I shrug.
"Could be a possibility. Probably what happened. But what if—"
"She didn't lie."
We all turn around, our eyes widening.
"Holy—"
"Shit."
I finish, and we all stare wide eyed at Stella herself.
"You guys better come now. Before Aiden gets killed."
********