“Hey!” Caia yelled weakly at him. “It’s not her fault. I shoved her back in the elevator and stupidly took on Marita and the others by myself.”
The vampyre rolled his eyes at her. “You know acting the hero is going to get you killed.”
Annoyed at his proprietary tone Caia drew up all her energy and stretched onto all fours. She curled her lip up at him. “Don’t worry, vampyre, I’m not going to get myself killed and ruin all your plans.”
“Caia-”
But she wasn’t listening to him anymore. She pushed the change and a flow of beautiful warm energy rushed through her body, soothing all her aches and pains. She gave a bark of jagged pain as she felt a rib seal back into place: woof, she hadn’t even known one had cracked. As her muzzle grew out from her nose and her head morphed into wolf, her ears kicking back with the shock of how fast it was, Caia felt a new tooth grow in where the other had come out. Her wolf eyes watered a little but she was reassured by the fact that she wouldn’t have to glamour a new tooth and that her burns and blisters would be healed enough to merely leave her with red marks. Her skin would be a little sensitive but at least it wouldn’t be in agony. When she was sure her wolf had healed her as much as it could, Caia changed back, magikally clothing herself in well-worn jeans and a black t-shirt. Jaeden was by her side in an instant helping her to her feet.
“You OK?” she asked anxiously.
Caia could curse Reuben for making the girl feel bad. “I’m good, thanks.” She turned to her waiting comrades and then glanced at the containment center door. Lucien was right on the other side. Her heart flipped at the thought of seeing him. Goddess, it had felt like forever. “Let’s just get everyone out.”
Vanne strode by the lykans who were still standing around their kills. He threw the magiks a quick glance and seemed to shake his head in pity, muttering under his breath. Even from a distance Caia could make out the words with her lykan ears. She wouldn’t repeat them. They were kind of foul… something about Marita and Hades… with a lot of ‘bad’ words thrown in. He ripped the containment center door near off its hinges and Caia rushed to follow him in.
She was so distracted by the thought of finding Lucien she was barely aware of Vanne’s heartfelt curse before he ducked down in front of her. She soon realized why: he was avoiding the huge lykan that flew at him. Instead it landed square on Caia’s chest sending her crashing into Jaeden who had been right on her heels. Jaeden stumbled and fell to the floor taking Caia and the lykan with her. Caia ducked the lykan’s ferocious wide jaws as it lunged for her face and then screamed in agony as its teeth clamped around her shoulder and tore into her skin. She felt it tear through muscle and bone and the nausea sent her head lolling back, black spots floating in front of her eyes. Just as suddenly the wolf’s teeth were gone and its heavy weight collapsed fully on her. A warm, thick liquid soaked her stomach and ran down her h*ps and legs. She blinked, trying to clear her eyes.
“Cy? Cy, you OK?”
Was that Jaeden? She felt a tangle of limbs underneath her moving and her vision cleared. Jaeden’s blade was lodged deeply into the lykan’s belly as it lay across her. It wasn’t dead. It was whining and trying to move, snarling and snapping at Caia’s face. She thanked the gods it couldn’t reach. Before she could begin to panic at the thought of getting out from under it without being torn into again, its weight was lifted off of her.
Reuben. Her eyes widened in awe even as her shoulder flamed in agony. Reuben held the wolf with one hand clamped around its thick neck, his lips drawn back in a matching snarl, his fangs the only thing she could see. And then he squeezed, and the most horrific crunching, squishing sound could be heard as he crushed its neck in his bare hand. Its whole body went limp and Reuben promptly let the dead beast drop to the ground. Once the initial shock of seeing what she’d just witnessed wore off, Caia tried to move so Jae could get out from under her.
“ARRRGGGH!” she screamed and followed it by growls and whines. Her shoulder felt like it was about to detach from her body.
“Ssh, ssh, Cy,” Jae whispered in her ear. “Don’t move… oh Gaia… don’t move. Your shoulder, crap-”
“Jaeden, please refrain from making her panic,” Reuben snapped and moved around to the back of them. “I’m going to slide you gently out from under Caia. Before I do so, are you hurt?”
“Like you give a crap.”
“Jaeden!” he warned.
“No! I’m fine, alright, I’m fine. Just… help.”
Tears streamed down Caia’s cheeks as her shoulder throbbed with each movement underneath her but she was proud of herself for not screaming out loud again. That was until Jaeden’s feet slid out from under her and Caia hit the ground with a jolt. The blinding white agony induced an earth shattering scream.
“CAIA!” The roar of rage came from Lucien.
“Oh gods,” she whimpered. “Someone better go tell him I’m alright.”
Suddenly Jaeden’s face hovered over her. It was ashen as she glanced from her own face to her wound. “Vanne’s doing that. He fought the magik who runs the center. It wasn’t much of a fight. He’s got her unlocking the Council members and then they’ll get Lucien and Ryder out.”
The thought of Lucien finding her like this sent her heart thudding in panic. “No, no, no. Help me up.” She grabbed a hold of Jaeden’s collar, unthinkingly choking the girl down towards her. “He can’t see me like this. I have to change.”
Jae gently unpeeled her fingers and abruptly Caia’s panic took over at the pinched look on her face. “What?”
“Cy, you can’t change.” Jae shook her head. “There’s…” she gestured vaguely to her shoulder with a look of horror. “There’s too much damage – no don’t look!” She grabbed Caia’s chin and turned it away.
Too much damage. What the F! All of a sudden she was scared. As scared as she was the night the daemon had ripped her belly open. She felt her breathing pick up and she was sure she was about to start hyperventilating.
“Caia…” Now Jaeden looked panicked. She was immediately knocked out of the way by an irritated Reuben. He grasped Caia’s face in his cold fingers.
“Caia, look at me.” His black eyes took a hold of hers and she felt herself inextricably pulled into them. She actually felt her whole body diving languidly into those black pools and swimming right alongside him somewhere warm and sparkling. “Good, Caia. You’re going to be OK. We just need to get you bandaged up before you can change.”
She felt herself nodding, but the truth was she didn’t care about her shoulder anymore.
Swimming with Reuben was nice.
10 – The Fear that Feeds on Love
An unshakeable rage was pouring out of Lucien’s pores like smoke. A pale-faced Ryder was watching him warily as they listened for the next noise from outside their cell. The sound of a faint commotion had been going on for a while – they had already heard a door crash open and the growl of a lykan. Then a girl screamed and Lucien and Ryder had looked at each other in horrified surprise. Had that been Caia? And then the female magik who guarded them was shooting past their cell, her face readied for battle. It had barely been two seconds before her body went flying past the cell again, followed by a bristling Vanne. The girl screamed again and they heard Jaeden’s voice. Ryder forgot himself and had rushed towards the Plexiglas. Lucien grabbed him back just in time but he hadn’t let go of his shirt, his fist clenched in anxiety around the material. A howl of agony shook his last vestige of control.
“CAIA!” he roared and then it was Ryder who was pushing him back, having a difficult time of it too. Lucien didn’t care; he had to get to her, no matter what. He shoved Ryder off him and strode to the cell door but the idiot was on him again. They started grappling.
“Stop it,” a cool voice commanded and they both whipped around to see Vanne. He clutched a hold of a terrified guard.
“What is going on?” Lucien spat.
“We’re taking the Center back. Marita has flown the nest.” His dead eyes suddenly sparked with hatred.
Lucien put aside enough of his worry to ask, “You’re in on this?”
He nodded stiffly and pushed the magik against the Plexiglas. “Blair, free them.”
As Blair worked, he looked back up at Lucien and Ryder. “I’ve been working against Marita for a long time. Everything will be explained to you later.”
“Caia?” Lucien asked anxiously.
Vanne nodded sympathetically. “She’ll be OK but she’s badly hurt.”
Suddenly the energy on the Plexiglas buzzed like a broken fluorescent light and then disappeared. Blair’s fingers shook as she hurried to open the door with a swipe card. As soon as it sprang open Lucien rushed past them and turned to his right. A large crowd was gathered at the entryway surrounding something… or someone.
“The Council and their families,” Vanne explained the crowd as he strode past him, still holding onto the witch. “Now we need to rescue the children from the labs.”
Lucien wasn’t even listening. Ryder gripped his shoulder in comfort and the two of them took off after Vanne.
“Ladies and gentleman, you are needed upstairs where you can bring that riot back under control. Penelope we would grateful for your help with Caia once you’re done.”
She nodded, throwing Caia a sympathetic look.
“Marita is gone then?” One of the Council asked.
Marita’s husband – ex-husband? – nodded and began ushering them all quickly out of the door. The sight they left sent his heart plummeting to his stomach. His sister, in wolf form, sat rigidly, her eyes glued to Reuben who was hovering over someone lying on the floor.
“Ryder!” Jaeden flew up from her crouched position beside the vampyre and Irini and flew into his best friend’s arms. Lucien brushed past them as they began making out and his nose told him what he had feared.
“What the fu-” He grabbed a hold of the vampyre and dragged him out of the way. Reuben hissed at being manhandled but stood back, allowing him access.
Caia lay on the ground, her t-shirt and jeans soaked with blood – his nose told him it wasn’t hers thank the gods – but as his eyes swept the rest of her, his stomach flipped. Her shoulder had been turned into a frickin’ chew toy. Bone and muscle clearly visible. Blood, her blood, spread on the floor around it. His eyes met hers. She smiled. She actually smiled. “Lucien.”
He dropped to his knees and grabbed her hand in his. “Holy-” he choked. She was so pale. “I can’t leave you alone for a second.”
She made to shake her head but hissed in pain at the movement. “Nope. I guess you can’t.” And then she grinned at him again. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” he whispered hoarsely. And although she was wounded he was just so glad she was here, that nothing fatally bad had happened to her. He desperately wanted to know where she had disappeared to. Why Vanne was working for them? What Reuben had to do with it all? But instead he croaked, “I love you.”