Gia watched as Theo's eyes turned from his normal deep brown to golden crescents. When they flicked to hers as a signal to run, she darted behind one of the vampires and off into the trees toward the portal they had entered from, pounding the earth as hard as she could until she heard him bringing up the rear behind her.
Theo was faster than she was, but he was trailing behind her as a guard, ready to ward off any assaults from behind. Whatever he had done to stall the vampires was unlikely to hold them for too long.
They veered further toward the overwhelming scent of blood, and then Gia saw the river. The blood red river gurgling and sloshing sickeningly against its gray bank. It looked like a gaping wound running down the middle of a corpse that had already had its limbs sucked dry. She slowed just from the shock of it.
Where did all of this blood come from? What could even produce that much?
Theo nudged her with his nose, pushing her forward in an attempt to snap her out of the daze that had slowed her steps. They continued running, but now a new terror was chasing at her heels. If they had this much death on their hands, the vampires were even more horrifying than she could have ever imagined—more than any lore had painted them to be.
These were not the simple kind of predators that stalked their prey from the shadows. They were not feasting on one victim at a time. The kind of gluttony fueling this river could only result from genocide on an astronomical scale.
The realization of that horrifying fact finally caught her in its net, and she slowed down to a trot, unable to get her legs to continue cooperating. She was going to die. They were all going to die. They were going to be fed into this river just like the millions that already had. Its thick red liquid sloshed again, splattering up in a small cascade as if echoing the truth of her thoughts.
That much death—that much death was incomprehensible, and suddenly her own life, the one tiny life that she lived seemed so insignificant. No creatures responsible for this river would ever see one life as precious or worth preserving. They held no respect or value for life at all. Why would they? They were literally not living.
"Gia!" Theo growled.
He had turned back into his human form because he couldn't get her to snap out of whatever was happening to her. She didn't even feel the bite he gave her on the thigh to try to get her to move. She didn't yelp or anything. What the fuck was wrong with her? Did those bastards bite her and inject her with some kind of neurotoxin? Her pupils looked completely blown.
"Gia!" He growled with the resonant depth of the ancestral Alpha that ran in his blood, and this time the instinctual part of her brain snapped to attention, and she cowered, trembling under him in submission to her leader.
If there was anyone who could save her from the visceral terror of this place, it was her Alpha. Theo might not be that yet, but he was the next best thing. He was here to protect her. That was his role. That was his promise. She was going to be okay.
Theo heard the two vampires hiss back to life from where he had left them stunned without the use of any of their senses. It was a simple enchantment his mother had taught him when he was just a pup. He didn't have near the abilities that she had, but he was capable of a few things that at least served to give him the upper hand when he was in a pickle. And this was one hell of a fucking pickle.
"Gia, go home. Run and don't look back. And don't tell anyone about this place that you don't want fed into that river," he said, maintaining that depth of tone that kept her focused on his words and the command they were giving. "Do you understand?"
She whimpered an acknowledgement.
"Good. Go!" He roared, and she took off like there were truly vampires hunting her this time.
His chest heaved, and he sighed, watching her go until he couldn't see her anymore and he was certain she was going to make it. They were not that far from the portal. She was going to make it. She had to. And just to be certain that she would, he ran back toward the two who had finally straightened themselves out enough to start their pursuit again. If they wanted someone to chase, then he would give them someone to chase.
————
"Did you hear that?" Cora asked, straightening from where she had been crouched on the ground, running her hand over the soft tips of the bright green grass that smelled so fresh and welcoming. Even in the near dark of coming night, the green was nearly blinding after so much gray. It was a small victory letting this growth run free from where it had been straining inside of her to release itself, but it was a victory nonetheless.
"Hear what?" Penelope turned to gaze in the direction where her daughter was looking.
Cora didn't answer. She was straining to listen for more whimpers that sounded almost canine in nature. Was it her imagination after seeing the wolf last night? With all of the commotion this morning, she had almost forgotten about that magical encounter with the giant wolf who had been just a breath away from her.
When she didn't hear it again, she turned to her mother with a frown. "Whimpers."
"Whimpers?" Penelope repeated in surprise.
Goddess, was the lycan nearby? The blood drained from her face. Their situation here was going to get complicated really quickly if that were the case.
Cora nodded, biting her lip and gazing back toward the white woods. The charcoal of night had descended, and she couldn't see anything further than the blanket of green she had created.
If there was truly a wolf here in Gray Vale and it had not yet been caught, she was going to make the east lawn a haven for it. Maybe she could actually host some animals in this desolate place. A hopeful smile bloomed on her face at the thought.
The palace was a tomb, but this part of Gray Vale would be absolutely radiant. Maybe then her wolf would visit her again.