Melissa led Sarai and Mei Li and Heald out of Hannah's store.
"These witches could be a hell of a problem." Melissa whined as they walked towards the car.
"Don't worry, Melissa. I mean, you don't have to worry. We'll take care of it " Sarai smiled, kindly.
Melissa stopped and gazed at Sarai with her eyes narrowed in an offended look. "Did you just say that? We might not be close as family but you said earlier that a fucking Primordial is after you and your friends and you are here dismissing my help?"
"Oops! Don't be offended, lady." Heald stepped forward. "We really, really need your help. Even though you kicked my ass and as much as I hate that, I still can't wave off the fact that you will be of great help."
Melissa gave Heald a glance, then she sighed. "Of course, I can't leave her."
"What do we do now?" Mei Li asked.
"We move." Heald tilted his head.
"I have heard about the witches in Queens but I don't know much about them." Sarai squinted her eyes as they got under the sun, which was facing them directly.
"I know them and I'm considered a friend by them. So I think I know how we can do this." Melissa said, earning interested nods from the group.
"Then, let's move." Heald muttered and with a speed of light, ran around the car and by the time he appeared before the ladies again, the four doors of the car were already open.
Melissa's eyes dilated a bit.
"Don't thank me yet. Let's go get this done first."
They all entered the car with Melissa taking the wheels.
The car roared and veered off, reflecting on the glass door of Hannah's store. And on Hannah's face too. She was hiding behind the door and her eyes remained on the car as it zoomed out of sight.
A mobile phone beeped in her hand as she held it up to her right ear. Her eyes flashed as she muttered. "They are coming." She paused, and nodded. "Yes."
Then she disconnected the call.
*********
Night Hills.
The day is at its midpoint, and the sun is scorching. Even more than necessary.
Kylian ventured deeper and deeper into the woods. The thick foliages, already changing its color to a yellowish hue, hunkered tight above him, like a blanket threatening to swallow him whole amidst the silence that was around the woods.
His mind was heavy with thoughts. He couldn't get his mind off the fact that his mate's life is in danger.
His fingers twisted and fidgeted as he maneuvered his way through trees. His eyes trembling and his body heating up.
All of a sudden, he felt a warm liquid drip down his nostrils. He paused and touched it with his right hand.
What he saw next made his eyes flash.
It's blood.
"What the hell?" He whispered in shock and confusion.
Apparently, something is happening to him. But what?
"You are dying." The voice sounded so close like it's right by his ear, yet so far away as well.
Kylian stopped and looked around. "Who is that?"
"It's me, Eleodore. I need you to initiate your subconscious so we can talk."
At once, Kylian knew who it was.
"Lead Skull?" His eyes twitched as he muttered. "What do you want?"
"You owe me your life, I think you should learn to be more grateful and less hostile."
"What do you want?" Kylian lifted his two hands and his eyes constricted with confusion. "How can you talk to me like this?"
"You are weak currently, so is your soul and mind and if you don't do something about it now, you will die. I really need to talk to you now." Lead Skull's voice said again.
Kylian gritted his teeths hard. This has been happening ever since they got back from Akotal's castle. He's been hearing Lead Skull's voice in his head.
And he hasn't bothered to tell the others because they already have a lot to worry about other than to bear the burden of this too. So he kept it to himself.
"Being stubborn won't sort anything. Trust me, killing Akotal should be the least of your worries now." Lead Skull's voice sounded again, this time etched with concern.
Kylian didn't reply as he increased his pace towards the place he had in mind.
"They won't be of any help to you. You have to learn how to trust me. Afterall, I turned you myself. I could have killed you, you know."
"Shut the hell up!" Kylian growled and the Hawks perched on the trees nearby took to their heels, flapping their wings heavily as they scampered out of sight.
Kylian's eyes blazed and his lips trembled with rage as he muttered. "You turned me. My mother died because of me and I killed my tribesmen with my own hands. You gave me this life of unending pain. Now you said you could have killed me? Kill me! If that's what you want, then kill me."
Kylian's fist was so clenched that his bones creaked and almost popped out of his knuckles.
The voice was quiet for a while, like it's ruminating what Kylian said.
"You will soon understand my intentions and be at my feets, begging me because I alone can help you." With that, Lead Skull's voice in his head went shut.
Kylian blinked at this.
However, his thoughts were cut short, sooner.
"Hello, trespasser." A deep voice muttered.
Kylian turned to the voice owner and a towering body reflected in his eyes.
"I know. But I need to see the alpha." Kylian demanded, without feeling any fear because right now, he's in the werewolves territory in the Night Hills.
The towering man, definitely a werewolf, chuckled at this. "That I haven't ripped off your arms is already a grace. Get out of here vampire."
"This will be unto us all at the end. If that Primordial gets what he wants, he won't leave until he's sacked everywhere and turned this place into a hell for us all. Including you wolves. Remember you once obstructed his minions from getting what they wanted. The girl."
"But that was all over when I killed John and saved my pack from risking their lives unnecessarily."
A voice interrupted the conversation.
The hefty man stepped aside with an arched neck as a man with a bare broad chest stepped forward.
Bren, the werewolf who killed John the alpha to stop him from going against Akotal.
"Oh, no! The traitor." Kylian whispered and he realized at once that the wolves won't help him, no matter what.
"Get out of here, vampire. You and your colleagues will perish, no matter what you do. You should try and avoid this when you can."
With that, Bren and the hefty werewolf man walked away disappearing into the woods.
Leaving Kylian to himself.
***********
Queens, NY.
Melissa swerved her ways through the crossbay boulevard bridge at high speed.
Honks blared left and right and curses flew but she's unfazed.
Mei Li double tapped the screen of her phone. A deep sigh escaped her mouth.
"Can someone tell the lady back there that she should ease her mind." Melissa groaned from behind the wheels.
Sarai didn't even bother talking.
"How many hours do we have left?" Heald asked.
"Three hours before sundown." Mei Li responded.
"We are almost there." Melissa muttered.
She kept on swerving and turning.
And soon, a signboard read 'WELCOME TO WOODHAVEN'.
After about thirty minutes of driving again, Melissa went into a street of bungalows and one storey buildings, all made from red bricks and gray roofings.
As they drove past houses, there are people on the porch in front of each building staring at them as they went deeper into the street.
After driving at least four hundred meters on the one-way road that decided the street, Melissa stopped the car. It's the way end.
"How come?" Melissa's face had a confused look as she muttered. "This is not right."
"Cloaking spell." Sarai murmured and tugged Melissa in the arm. "Hey."
"En." Melissa turned her neck to Sarai.
Sarai motioned to the side mirror.
Through the side mirror, several women and men could be seen, approaching the car from behind, whilst muttering words.
Melissa's brow lifted in confusion when she saw this. "What the-"
Heald and Mei Li were tensed too. Why won't they?
A whole coven of witches are advancing towards them muttering words and whether they are enemies or not, they don't know.
What else could be more frightening?
Witches are more powerful in numbers.
"They are the Queens coven. But… why are they doing this?" Melissa whispered as she turned off the car's ignition.
Mei Li tilted her head with a not-so-cool look. "I don't think that's a good thing to do now that they are coming at us."
"Wait. We must be sure whether they are going to attack us or not."
"Should we be the one find out that? Witches are dangerous. One spell and my brain is fried up. So I don't think finding that out is a good idea." Mei Li protested hard.
"It doesn't work that way. Magic is complex. If she will do such a thing, it will take time. Like three minutes." Sarai pondered.
"And we have a vampire here who can cover a hundred meters in a few seconds. I think we will be safe." Mei Li finally calmed down a bit as she nodded to herself.
"No. If my guess is right, then we won't be able to move around. At least, not now." Sarai said and clicked open the car lock. She opened the door and stepped out under the shock gazes of the team.
Immediately she stepped out, she gripped her head in pain and screamed out in agony.
Then she lifted her hands in surrender as she screamed out with all her pain. "I'm not an enemy!"
The team seeing what's happening to Sarai stepped out too.
But the same thing happened to them. Their screams resonated around the street.
"We have to find it out ourselves." A woman, probably in her fifties, stepped forward. She's the leader of the coven.
Melissa grinned slightly amidst the grimace of pain that crossed her face as she muttered. "Sheila."
"Why would you bring in strangers, Melissa?" The woman, Sheila asked.
"They are my friends." Melissa struggled to say, the veins in her head that kept bulging brought unbearable pain on her and she couldn't bear it anymore. She fell on her knees.
Soon, Sarai fell. Mei Li followed. And finally, Heald.
"Your friends? Even a vampire?" Sheila asked.
"No, circumstances brought us together."
The old woman, Sheila lifted her hand and the witches stopped muttering words, which are spells.
The pain stopped too and the team felt at ease again.
Sarai was shocked as she pondered in shock, with grimace still on her face. "Why can't I ease myself of the pain?"
"Because your magic isn't the purest, Armadi witch. And apparently, our magic is more purer in nature than yours." Sheila grinned and then turned to Melissa. "What have you come here for?"
The witches, who are the street residents began to move away and soon they are all in their houses again, leaving Sheila with the team.
Melissa exchanged glances with Sarai who slowly, almost unnoticeably, shook her head to stop Melissa from saying what she's about to say. But Melissa looked away. "We need your help."
"And what could you possibly need from me?" Sheila smiled good-naturedly, making it look like she's not the one who earlier had led a coven of witches to inflict pain on the team.
Melissa tried to take a step closer to Sheila as she opened her mouth to speak but an invisible wall stopped her and she stared in awe.
Mei Li's eyes glinted. "Boundary spell. You're right, Sarai."
Sarai didn't reply and just stared with constricted eyes as her mind faraway.
Sheila gestured to a house at the left side of the road. "That way, let's talk at my place."
Melissa exchanged glances with Sarai then, nodded to Sheila. "That's good."
Sheila raised her index finger. "Except the vampire. I can't invite a bloodsucker into my home."
"Are we really doing this?" Heald sighed.
"Wait here." Sarai said with a reassuring nod.
Then, Sheila led Melissa, Mei Li and Sarai into her home, under Heald's watch.
***********