His Blind Mate

Chapter 17 Caught Off Guard

Raphael

    Siel took the driver’s seat after declining my offer and instead assigned me on the backseat with Luan and Reire. Peter was on the passenger’s seat, his fingers tapping on his thigh nonstop. We followed the SUV in front of us and two more followed behind us.

Not a single one spoke, the awkwardness building as the seconds ticked. The mindlinks had been established, each sister receiving a radio to allow communication between us and them. Luan had a tight grip on her bow; it looked almost painful. She kept her back straight as she faced forwards, body swinging slightly from side to side along the turns. Meanwhile, Reire looked out of the window, wearing a look of disapproval.

As for me, I tried to keep my legs as close as possible to give them more room. I should’ve been on the front, but Peter was clearly agitated with her around. Heck, we all were. Except some of us were better at hiding our discomfort. The omegas struggled the most, judging from how they excused themselves right after fulfilling their orders of serving their food or escorting them around the pack’s premises.

The sight of the three gammas left behind to guard the scene was an immediate relief. I hurriedly got out of the car and did a quick survey of our surroundings. If s**t were to hit the fan, our top priority was the sisters’ safety, primarily our Alpha’s mate, Luan Laister. Siel was taking no chances. He chose the best among us, each worthy of challenging him for the title of Head Gamma if they wanted. This time around, he was keeping Luan safe regardless of what the rest of the pack felt. 

A pool of drying red on the side of the road mixed with the scent of pine, earth, and wolves. Whoever left him here intentionally wanted us to find him alive, well, almost. The visible trail of blood from the puddle led into the woods, a clear indication that they were taunting us to follow them. Everything about this smelled like a trap. I’ll have to thank Kyhan for leavingYula out of this. If we weren’t so desperate for a lead, any lead to continue investigations and track down whoever was threatening the pack, we would’ve taken another approach.

The gammas cheerfully greeted Siel with boyish grins. They were trainees preparing for their shifting ceremony for the upcoming year. We’re lucky the perpetrators left them be, assuming they were still hanging around.

Siel merely nodded at their enthusiasm. “Good work,” he said. “Stay close to Raphael and leave the rest to us.”

One was about to protest but closed his mouth when Siel shot him a hard glare. “You all know your assignments, but I will stress once more that if you encounter an enemy, do not engage them. Draw them in towards the rendezvous point. Is that clear?”

A chorus of agreement along with nods answered him. The trackers paired up with their guards and went into the woods in different directions. The sisters had a little privacy to themselves before Reire and Penny eventually left. Siel growled a warning in my head before he took off with Reire, leaving his sister with the likes of us - a bunch of almost untrustworthy individuals.

“We’re in charge of ensuring nothing happens to these cars. Be on the lookout,” I ordered, and they were more than happy to assign themselves on the roof of each car, the twins sharing one. I took a deep breath to calm myself. They always … took things too lightly.

“What are you all doing! Get down from there this instant!” I growled, my annoyance at their nonchalance getting the better of me. Should anything happen to Luan, banishment was the least punishment we’d receive. With the ring Kyhan gave her, she was practically our Luna!

“Calm down, Mom,” said Blake, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

“We’re following orders,” Drake added as he pushed his blonde hair back.

“Get in the car!” I ordered the trainees. “Stay in there until they return.”

Again, they looked like they wanted to protest. Good for them to keep their mouths shut and do as they were told.

“You can at least set an example around the trainees.”

Babysitting. This had been my job for as long as I could remember. I had no desire to advance to a higher rank, having turned down the offer from both brothers many times before. It wouldn't be so bad if these guys learned to be more cautious instead of acting like carrying out a mission, an assignment, or a duty was some sort of a game.

Luan spoke, interrupting my line of thought. She frowned as she stepped closer to me and away from the puddle. "There’s blood scattered around us. Is this how rogues work?”

“It’s unusual, but rogues have always been vicious,” I answered.

“Something’s wrong with that blood. It smells different.”

It wasn’t in my place to question how she could act so normally - from walking with full confidence in every stride to keeping her calm around us. She seemed different from the Luan I knew two years ago. She’d matured and hardened into a gamma befitting of the Red Claw’s reputation, I was certain, but if this change was for the best, again, wasn’t in my place to tell.

“We can move a little further,” I suggested. I got the notion it was her first time leaving the Circle and was therefore inexperienced.

She gave a tight lipped smile. "It's fine. Just stay close to me and be as silent as you can."

What did I do?

My wolf surfaced. “Indirectly spat in her face that her observation’s not worthwhile?”

“s**t. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“A word of advice, Raph. Don’t underestimate her.”

He retreated to the back of my mind, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I wasn’t underestimating her …

Luan faced them, not a muscle moving. She stood as still as a statue, her hold on her bow relaxed. She showed no emotion on her face, which made the whole thing more unnerving.

I situated myself behind her just in case something came out of the woods that weren’t one of us. This went on for minutes, and since we hadn’t gotten a word from the trackers yet, they’d already gotten far and nothing had shown up yet. 

The rest shot me questioning looks that I kept ignoring for an hour. Unable to keep their curiosity reeled in, Peter spoke via the mind link.

"What is she doing?" he asked. It was amusing how the most annoying was on the receiving end this time around.

"Playing charades,” Blake said with a smug smile. “Poor girl’s been waiting for an answer.”

“I’m serious, you guys!” Peter replied. “That is seriously creepy!”

A monotonous voice interjected.  "We guard her. Trackers track."

"Rose, aren't you the least bit curious?" asked Drake.

"No," she answered. “Not our mission to interrogate.”

Peter groaned. “We can at least tell her to look the other way!”

“Good idea, Peter.” Blake all but held back a laugh.

“You tell her,” Drake coaxed.

“That’s enough! Let her be. Haven’t we all done enough already,” I reprimanded, and they all went silent. This was why she shouldn’t be our Luna. The mockery and insult behind her back, the guilt and anger that ran through the pack - we were able to keep the pack functioning, but the cracks were still there. The pack would never accept her. They just can’t. Kyhan needed to understand that before he came to a crossroad. Even though neither of them deserved it.

Blake pouted as he took in our surroundings and sighed. He jumped down, Drake following him. "This isn’t fun … at all."

"Hm. Not here for fun," Rose replied as she and Peter followed suit.

“Can’t we at least take a break?” he whined. “I want to go for a run.”

All eyes were on Luan as she moved from her spot towards Blake. The man stilled, an amused look in his blue eyes when she stood too close to him.

“What do -”

The words died in his mouth when Luan raised her bow and lightly tapped his head with it. "Please stay quiet and stay here. I won't hear them properly if you're too noisy."

She went back to her spot, unmoving like a statue while the rest of us held back a laugh. No one. No one had ever disarmed his guard that quick. Not to mention get away with it without a scratch. Blake shook his head in confusion, perhaps with his pride a bit hurt, yet with no intent to “put her in her place” as he often said.

"Amazing," Rose commented, her mouth partially opened.

Luan placed a finger on her lips, unaware of the gamma’s bruised ego.

I folded my arms. They returned to keeping their guards up and warily scanning the woods around us. Drake kept pressing his twin’s buttons by tapping Blake’s head. He’d want to challenge her, but he’d be taking on the Alpha if he did. I doubted Kyhan would let his precious mate discipline his gamma for him.

Just then, static sounded from the radio’s speakers. Before I could respond, Luan took a step back, her hand trembling. Her mouth fell open as she slowly shook her head.

“Ge - Get back,” she uttered, her voice thick. She turned to face me and shouted. “Tell them to return now!”

Howls suddenly came from all around us. They were far and yet the warning was loud and clear as it reverberated through the air. The gammas pulled out their guns. It didn’t take a genius to tell that we were outnumbered.

I tried to reach Siel but all I received was garbled sounds. Either the transmission was bad or they were too busy to reply. Nevermind. We had orders.

I grabbed Luan’s wrist and dragged her to one of the cars. The trainees got the message and turned the engine on. I signalled the gammas to follow, reminding them of our assignment.

I had too many questions for her. They all had to wait until she was back in the pack’s borders.

“Wha - What are you doing?” Luan tried to yank from my grip.

“We’re getting you out of here,” I replied.

Her brows furrowed as she resisted being dragged. She snarled, the first expression from her as she swung her arm and grabbed my wrist. My arm twisted, and she didn’t have to push me to the ground for my hand to let go.

“I am not leaving my sisters behind!” she growled.

 How long before they get here? An hour? Less? Regardless, we had no time to argue over this.

Luan suddenly nocked an arrow and directed it towards the woods. Nobody was lurking there. Nobody emerged. Not yet anyway.

“We have to go before they get here,” I urged despite the uneasiness in my gut.

There was something with us. I hadn’t noticed it’s presence until now, but it was there. The smell of death hung thickly in the air, driving away the fresh scent of pine. It smelled like there was a rotting corpse near us even though there was nothing but blood, grass, and earth.

The gammas had paused, taking in the sudden changes. I hadn’t realized my breathing had gotten heavier, the engine’s hum a dull sound in the background. Goosebumps littered my skin and as shameful as it was to admit, a rational part of my head wanted me to turn my back on her and run. To keep running until I was out of breath and far away from this presence. But my feet planted themselves firmly on the road, unable to take a single step.

Run? I never run. Am I scared? This all felt too familiar and yet too distant. Haven’t I feared no one and nothing for so long? Whatever it was, it was best to deal with it later. I had to take Luan and the gammas to the pack.

Luan breathed steadily. Perspiration dripped from her chin, shimmering under the morning sun. She gritted her teeth, arm muscles tense as she waited. “We can’t get away from it. It won’t let us.”

“What are you talking about?” Peter demanded, the nervousness in his tone unmasked.

The twins had dropped their smirks. Rose already had her gun pointing to the same direction Luan was pointing her arrow. Their sights were set on the woods, awaiting for whatever it was to show itself. Although, by this point, we already had an idea.

One word repeated itself over the mind link, confirming our guesses. Vampire.

I felt a surge of power run through me as Russ showed himself again. My senses sharpened.

“It is here,” he growled, low and laced with an anger I hadn’t felt from him before. “Kill it.”

I nodded to the gammas. They all rushed to my side as I gave out new commands. “Peter, Rose, take Luan and the trainees back to the pack.”

“Yes, Sir,” they answered at the same time.

“You two are with me,” I said to the twins. “We’ll stay and hold back anyone from pursuing them.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Luan answered before I could ask her to leave. “My sisters are still alive. So are the rest of the trackers. They’re running, all of them. We have to wait for them.”

Goddess! This stubbornness ran in the Laister blood! “We’ll keep this place guarded so leave now before the rogues -”

A soft laughter, one of absolute mockery, cut me off. Ripples disrupted the surface of the pool of blood. And from it, as if it was a hole that he swam through to reach the surface, a man drenched in the sticky liquid rose.

It was a sight I never thought I’d come across in this lifetime. Blood dripped from his body as he pushed himself out of the puddle, sloshing the thick liquid around. My gut clenched at the smell. He wiped the liquid off of his face. Deep crimson eyes trained themselves on us. He smiled, showing off his fangs.

My uneasiness grew, mind going blank on how to get Luan and my team to safety. How many more?

Penny’s argument made its way into my head. None of us knew how to fight a witch, but the same could be said when dealing with vampires. Unfortunately, they could walk under the sun without turning into dust because of sunscreen and we did our best to ignore each other’s existence. Perhaps until now …

He spoke with a nonchalant attitude, as if everything was a normal occurrence. “I can’t believe I had to wait for so long. I need a long bath after this.”

“Who are you?” Luan inquired, training her bow towards him.

He waved her off with a hand as he shook his body. “My name is not worth knowing -” he paused to smile before uttering her identification in a taunting manner, “- Luan Laister.”

I stepped in between them. “I assume it was your kind who captured our gammas? Are you trying to wage war, vampire?”

“On my own, no,” he answered as he reached forward a hand. “I’m not here to banter. Give me Luan and you can all walk away.”

The twins had begun to flank him, their eyes showing that their wolves were in control. An arrow suddenly shot through his chest, puncturing his lungs but not his heart. He looked at it with a mask of indifference and pulled it out of him like it felt nothing.

“Trust me, I missed on purpose,” said Luan, stepping in beside me. She had another arrow ready to make good on her promise. “What do you want from me?”

The vampire grinned. In the blink of an eye, he was behind us, clutching Rose by the neck as he lifted her from the ground. She struggled to breathe, kicking her legs in thin air. He caught Luan’s arrow, and on instinct, I drew my gun. However, Rose already had hers pointed to him and shot him multiple times.

Then he was gone, again, and the bullets hit the ground. Luan raised her hand to block his arm. In that brief exchange, I noticed his nails had lengthened into sharp points as if they were claws. Luan attempted to knee him in the groin, but he once again disappeared right before us.

He was fast, too fast for my eyes to follow.

He stood beside the puddle, a hand under his chin. “Interesting. Can you see me, blind girl?”

She simply nocked another arrow, back as taut as a string. “What do you want from me?” she repeated.

Russ was agitated. Anger boiled from him that I couldn’t understand. We disliked vampires, but his reaction was rooted from a shadow only he knew.

This was the least of my worries though. The vampire wanted Luan. She sensed something was wrong from the start but I shot it down. f**k. I had to get her out of here. As long as we were outside the pack’s boundaries, her life was at stake.

I’d never seen my team panic. They were always so composed, so relaxed even as we dealt with rogues thrice our number. Now, uncertainty wrote itself on their faces.

We were face to face with death itself. To kill death, we had to rip apart his vessel limb from limb or tear his heart out and destroy it. Russ was on board with either idea. Three of us should be enough to take him down while the rest escaped.

I repeated the plan over the link, and the rest agreed without hesitation. Siel and the others would be here soon, rogues hot on their tails. We weren’t enough, but f**k, I couldn’t take a moment to link the Alpha until I was in my wolf form.

The vampire chuckled. He brushed a tongue over one of his fangs as he pointed to his chest. “You should’ve gone for the heart the first chance you had.”

XXX

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A/N:

Sorry for keeping y'all waiting! Can't help rewriting this over and over. Gory images don't sit well in my head >.

The next one should be up soon. Just gotta figure out whose POV it should be. Any votes for Luan?

~C.C.~