R U B Y
Are you hearing me?"
It took a moment for me to realize Natalie was
speaking to me. I looked down at the backpack she was handing to me and nodded before taking it. "I'm hearing you."
She looked at me strangely for a moment. "We need to move quickly Ruby. I was saying there are tunnels under the house for situations like this. We'll be using them." She bent down to zip up her backpack.
"Yeah, I heard you," I replied.
Alex knelt at the large bag filled with weapons that he arrived with. The book he had told them about laid beside it.
It looked bigger than I'd expected with dark brown covering. If I were to hold it up, it would cover almost my entire chest.
"We need to move," Alex said as he placed three guns and several clips in his backpack while Xavier did the same. "My beta moved the majority of the pack, so I sent the rest packing. I was leaving when they attacked. I made it to my car and bolted then I figured they'd be coming here next or another set was already on their way here." He stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder. He held his hand up for silence and tilted his head somewhat. His eyes turned black
as he called on his wolf and I watched as the tip of his ears began to elongate.
His brows twitched for a moment and then stopped. "I can't tell how many of them there are but they're getting closer. They're…moving quietly but swiftly. The branches and twigs they don't miss are giving them away." He glanced over at Xavier. "You can smell them now, right?" Axel's ears returned to normal as his black eyes reverted to hazel.
Xavier nodded.
I swallowed despite how dry my mouth was. They're coming. Those monsters are coming here. I inhaled deeply but couldn't smell anything.
I threw my bag onto my back and remained to the side while they did their thing. I would only get in the way.
Xavier picked up a dagger and turned it over in his hand before putting it back in the bag and picking up a large knife instead. "I can't leave my men out there. They're being picked off one by one."
"If you go out there, you'll die," Natalie said. "You don't know if those men will die. We warned them when you got here about what to expect."
Xavier's jaw clenched.
"Those wolves are all dead," Axel suddenly said. Xavier growled now.
Leave it up to Axel to make a bad situation worse. "Three of my well-trained men were killed when they broke into my house and as I said, my pack has been incorporating some techniques that are supposed to work on them. Maybe some of your men will survive but you going out there right now is foolish."
Xavier's face was twisted with rage, but he knew Axel was telling the truth.
I also hated the idea of Xavier going out there. I hated the idea that we'd have to go through tunnels that would lead us
outside.
Why the fuck, do we have to go outside?
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I called on my anger and tried to push my fear deep down within myself. One of those leeches almost killed me and while we'd be running for our lives, I wouldn't be running while pissing myself with fear.
I opened my eyes and stepped forward. Bending down, I searched through the bag for anything that I could use to protect myself. I found two silver daggers that were long and pointy and looked more like ice picks. I secured one dagger up my sleeve as I wearing a long sleeve top under my jacket, I could feel it on my skin. I shoved the other into my waist and then picked up the dagger that was actually knife-like that Xavier had thrown down and shoved it into the side of my boot.
"Someone is ready for war, I see," Axel said. I gazed up at him.
He stared at me with a smirk on his lips.
I narrowed my eyes at him and he snorted and turned away.
I looked over at Xavier as he approached me and cupped my cheeks. "I want you to stay by my side. Do you understand? When I say run, Ruby, I want you to run."
A chilling howl that sounded like it was just outside the house chilled the blood in my veins.
Xavier's eyes turned black.
My heart started pounding against my rib cage.
Axel looked to the ceiling at the same time and Natalie soon did the same.
I had wonder what the hell they're all doing. "What's wrong?"
"Shh," Axel hissed.
I looked at Xavier, he placed a finger to his lips. I swallowed, the sound of my heartbeat hammering in my ears as he held his hand out to me.
They're in the house!
Swiftly, I placed my hand in his.
Natalie picked up the book on the ground.
I frowned with puzzlement as Xavier removed his bag and put it on in his front to cover his chest.
He turned his back to me while bending down somewhat. He looked at me over his shoulder and patted his back softly. After I climbed onto his back, Natalie led us out of the kitchen and past the lobby down a hallway to the right. I couldn't hear their footsteps despite how quickly they were walking and I knew if I'd been walking alongside them,
you'd hear the squeak of my shoes.
Natalie was in front with Xavier and me in the middle while Axel pulled up the rear. I tightened my hold around Xavier's neck and he reached up to run a hand down the side of my face.
All three of them came to a stop.
I thought maybe we had come to a secret door in the wall or something but then an odd odor had my nose crinkling with disgust.
My eyes widened with realization as I looked behind us. Xavier and Axel turned around at the same time.
A vampire stood behind us, a woman with the sides of her head shaved with the top in a ponytail. She hissed at us, baring her long fangs as her clawed fingers wiggles.
With the lights above us, I could clearly see her and the black veins running up her throat to stop just under her bottom lip. I hadn't noticed those veins on the vampire that attacked me, but it was night time after all and quite dark.
Her eyes were as red as the vampire's that attacked me.
She smiled, her mouth stretching wide.
My heart began to beat even faster, as Xavier bent down for me to slide off his back. I held onto his shirt as he stepped forward but he quickly freed himself and touched Axel's shoulder. He flicked his head to the side at Axel.
Axel stepped to my side.
My already wide eyes widened as Xavier's shoulder suddenly snapped.
"No," I said under my breath as I stepped forward. Axel grabbed my arm.
"No!" I said lower.
Xavier's back hunched and his shirt began to rip as he started to shift.
I removed the dagger from under my sleeve and Axel began pulling on my arm.
We can't leave him behind. There was no way in hell I'd leave him behind. Human or not I wasn't going to run!
The vampire hissed and Xavier's deep gravelly growl echoed through the house. "Remember what I said Ruby," his voice was contorted, a blend of the Xavier I knew and his wolf. He groaned as his right knee snapped. "Run!"
Axel's hold on me tightened and I had no choice but to run as he pulled me. Xavier charged forward and I saw a glimpse of dark brown fur appear through the torn skin on his back. We rounded a corner, our legs pumping to move us forward.
Tears were streaming down my face as I listened to Xavier deep howls and growls. I wiped at them and Axel released my hand as Natalie kicked the library door open and I ran inside after her. I stepped away from both of them, my hands on my head as they barricaded the door. "We can't leave him," I said under my voice before turning to face them. "We can't leave him! He can't fight them alone!"
Natalie shoved the book over to Axel as she walked over to a wall with a large painting of a ship being wrecked at sea.
I felt like this house was that ship.
She ran her hand against the side of the painting and then pulled and it moved away from the wall like a door. The wall behind it was plain but when Natalie pressed her hand against the surface where her hand was sunk in and a door suddenly popped open.
I turned to Axel. "We can't leave him, Axel. You said it yourself, we don't know how many of them are out there. He can't fight them all!" It sounded like the house was being ripped apart and each time I heard Xavier's thundering howls, the blood chilled in my veins.
"Please, Axel!"
He walked over to me and held my face gently as I held onto his hand. "I know," he replied and then released my face to hold my elbow. He pulled me to the open door where Natalie's waiting. I looked behind her at the dark passage before turning back to him. "Axel?"
He returned the book back to Natalie. "Go, both of you. I'll go back and help Xavier but I need the two of you to leave. Understood? Don't wait for us."
Despite being petrified of Xavier fighting alone, Axel leaving as well only made me feel worse. I didn't want to lose either of them and I doubt whoever saved us before was lingering somewhere around the house. I had to hold onto what small comfort I was getting from knowing they'd be fighting together. They'd both stand a chance by fighting together.
Natalie said, "Okay."
To my surprise, Axel reached out and held onto a strand of my hair. Time around us stood still as I watched him wrap it around his finger. "I'll get him back to you." He released my hair, watching as it quickly unraveled from around his finger and his eyes drifted to mine. "We'll see you soon."
My lips parted despite not knowing what to say. Why did this feel like he was actually saying goodbye? Why was it hurting so much? I raised my hand as if to touch him when he pushed me into the passage and quickly closed the door.
I stood there, scared and confused. With the door closed, I could no longer hear the battle within the house. I could only hear my heavy breathing.
Natalie placed her hand on my shoulder. "We have to go." I nodded and turned away then we both started running. The only source of light we had was the flashlight in Natalie's hand. I didn't even care above the rats and whatever other insects we ran by…I was too busy trying not
to imagine what was happening inside the house.
While running, the ceiling above us shook and dirt and dust fluttered down to us as we paused in fear. Natalie looked back at me, her eyes wide and we started running again, faster this time.
We must have been running for ten minutes when Natalie's flashlight revealed a door up ahead. We came to a stop and Natalie held her finger to her lips. She tapped her ear before turning the flashlight off.
I figured she was listening if anything could be heard from the other side but I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face. I listened as she started shu½ing around and then I heard a latch pull and she groaned as she started pushing on the door. I lent her what little strength I had and we got the door open.
We were in the middle of the forest, the darkness around us only made a little less so from the moon's light above.
Natalie adjusted her backpack and wrapped her hands around the book in her hand.
We both moved quietly through the trees first before setting off on a run.
Despite not being able to shift like a normal werewolf, Natalie still had amazing speed. I knew she was running at a pace to stay by my side, so I pushed all my energy and strength into my legs to push myself forward.
The same scent from before began to tickle my nostrils.
Natalie looked over at me as I looked at her.
Fuck.
She slowed to a jog and so did I. "Keep running," she said to me as she shoved the book to me and pulled two knives from her waist. I stopped jogging as she did and she hissed. "I said to keep running! I can't transform but I'm still a werewolf. I can buy you some time to get away. Two of them are coming. Go! Now!"
My body started shaking. I couldn't lose her. If she stayed and fought these things she would be killed, there was no doubt. "Come on Natalie, Axel said we should keep running. Don't do this, you can't fight them."
She turned to me, her eyes turning white as her claws began to elongate. "I said go!"
A vampire rushed towards Natalie while she was facing me.
As I screamed her name, a wolf appeared, jumping into the air and colliding with the vampire. They fell to the ground in a bundle of claws, fangs, growls, and hisses.
I gripped the book in my hand and started backing away.
Natalie stepped in front of me, as another vampire appeared, a woman. Her hair was dark and tussled. She smiled as she looked at me and smelled the air. She rushed forward and Natalie charged at her, she swiped her claws at Natalie that didn't step back fast enough and it ripped into her upper arm. Natalie growled as she slapped the vampire across the face and when she rushed at Natalie again, Natalie drove one of her knives into her throat before digging her
nails into her shoulder and throwing the wailing vampire, sending her skidding along the forest floor.
"For fuck sake Ruby! Run!" The wolf that had been fighting the other vampire yelped in pain. The vampire flashed his fangs at me and rushed forward but the wolf bit down on his shoulder and flipped him over his back. "Run! Now!"
I turned and ran.