Children of the Goddesses (completed)

Confrontation

Laila’s POV

            My pulse raced as I watched Ethan and Corin dashed in the direction that we came from. Dread overcame me as the image of Ethan’s cold face and stern voice before he left with Corin, replayed over and over in my mind. I feared for the safety of the other warriors and Betti but increasingly, I feared for myself. What were the chances that one of our cars would be forced off the road the moment we resumed our journey after an attack from human snipers? What if the werewolves start to suspect that I had something to do with these attacks? After all, the she-wolves that I had overheard at their pack hated vampires and even the werewolves and witches with whom I had fought alongside in the Alliance Army were at times wary of vampires. 

            I didn’t see what had caused the crash as everything happened too quickly and by the time I realized that something was wrong, it was too late. Dillon was now in the driver’s seat and I was in the passenger seat beside him as we waited for Corin and Ethan to figure out what had happened. I could smell the anxiety rolling off Dillon and it was mixed with some fear and suspicion. Cautiously, I tapped him on the shoulder and asked warily, “did you see what happened to the other car?” 

            Dillon was silent for a moment and I could tell that he was struggling to find the right words. “It’s alright, just tell me what you saw,” I said softly. 

            “Something slammed into their car. It was fast, really fast, supernaturally fast. It just came out of nowhere and I don’t know, I’m not sure but I think the thing was, forget it, I don’t know what I saw, ok,” Dillon rambled in frustration as his hands ran through his hair. 

            “A vampire,” I whispered hopelessly, “you think you saw a vampire.” I could feel tears welling up in my eyes but before I had time to cry, the door on my side was yanked open and a hand held my arm in a death grip. Screaming in shock, I turned and was met with a pair of cold honey brown eyes. My heart sank as Ethan pulled me out of the car and headed in the direction that we came from after commanding Corin and Dillon to stay in the car. As we turned around the bend of the road, the unmistakable smell of vampires filled my lungs, setting off every single alarm bell in my head. As the sight of a black overturned SUV came into sight, my blood ran cold and I felt like I was walking on leaden feet. The only reason that I was still moving forward was because Ethan was half dragging me towards the crash site. 

            "Who are you? And don't try lying to me! I saw you earlier today, basking under the sun with my own two eyes," Ethan snarled while glaring at me but his glare betrayed the hurt and the anger that his voice was able to mask. For a moment, I felt like maybe, just maybe, I had made the wrong decision and despite my misgivings, I should have trusted Ethan enough to tell him the truth. 

            Clenching my teeth nervously, I closed my eyes for a few seconds and made a decision that might land me in trouble and possibly jeopardize the fate of all vampires. "Would you believe me, if I say that I'm not a daywalker? At least not one of those that Lady Lae created? Would you trust me even if everything that I'm about to say sounds crazy?" 

            My question hung in the air and hope blossomed in my heart. Silence must mean that he was considering to trust me. If he would even consider it, that meant he wasn't like those she-wolves that I had overheard at his pack, and he might even believe my outrageous story of being the vampire who had helped to kill Lady Lae two years ago. 

Ethan’s POV

            As we approached the site of the crash, the undeniable smell of vampires filled our nostrils and there was no doubt that we were under attack. All five warriors and Betti were gone, and there were signs of struggle and some blood on the side of the road. This was no coincidence and I couldn’t help but start to suspect that Laila might have something to do with this. 

            Doubt was like a seed that, once planted, could only germinate and grow rapidly. Thousands of theories crossed my mind and I began to suspect that Laila might even be working together with these attackers. That would explain why her wound healed so quickly, because it was all planned. 

            Please don’t do anything stupid, Ethan! Please!

            My heart pounded as I ignored the pleas of my wolf. The evidence before us and the hypothetical questions from Laila were enough for me to declare her guilty. The few minutes of silence as I left her questions unanswered, was like an eternity as I battled Gower for control but in the end, reason overcame the heart. 

            "And why should I trust you, Laila? Your kind has done nothing but killed and destroyed everything in the way of your mistress. But at least the vampires that we fought at Wallace Bay were not liars. I don't know how any daywalkers are still alive, but if you weren't one, you would have burned to death when you exposed yourself to the sun during the day. I gave you chances to explain yourself but you chose not to. And now, it’s too late!"

            Laila’s face contorted in pain with each and every word that I said and I could feel her despair through our bond. It was weak, not like the previous times when I had felt her emotions but I could still feel it. 

            Ethan, stop!! You’re hurting mate, stop now!

            Tears streamed down Laila’s face and my resolve wavered but I reminded myself of my duty to my pack. My warriors and Betti were missing now, and it was my responsibility to track them down. The best way to do that was to get Laila to confess about what she had done. It broke my heart to see my mate in so much pain, but it was even more painful knowing that she might have betrayed us. 

            “I..I,” Laila whispered forlornly when suddenly, a silvery voice boomed into the night sky. 

            “Well, well, well, look what do we have here?” mocked the silvery voice. 

            A deathly pale man with pitch black hair and eyes stepped out from the shadows of the forest beside the road, followed by about two dozen other men. Only two others looked like him while the rest smelled human. I realized that their smells were completely masked and there was no way for me to sense them approaching as my senses were already clouded with anger, leaving me unaware of any subtle signs of the approaching enemies. 

            A soft whimper captured my attention and I turned around to see one of the men holding Betti’s limp body while pressing a pistol to her head. Her face was unnaturally flushed and I knew immediately that they must have injected her with wolfsbane. More men emerged from the forest with my bound warriors held between them. Just like Betti, all five warriors had been injected with wolfsbane and were unable to shift to fight, and even if we were able to fight, we were vastly outnumbered. 

            Get help from our pack and don’t come over. Vampires are here!

            I mind-linked Corin and Dillon quickly, hoping that I was in time before our entire crew was at the mercy of these bloodsuckers. Alas, I was too late, as I saw the brothers walking towards us with rifles pointed at the back of their heads. A growl escaped my throat as I turned my attention to the vampire who had spoken. “What do you want, bloodsucker?” I could see Laila cringing at my use of words but I couldn’t care less now. 

            Booming laughter filled the air before the same vampire spoke, eyes locked on Laila. “You see their true colors now, little one? These dogs can’t be trusted and at the first sign of trouble, they won’t hesitate to kill us!” The vampire started taking steps towards Laila and instinctively, I dashed to her side and pulled her behind me. Despite everything, not a single cell in me could resist the need to protect our mate but to my surprise, Laila brushed my hand off her arm and took a step to stand in front of me protectively. 

            “What do you want?” Her voice was cold and devoid of all emotions but her trembling body betrayed her fear and for a second, I feared that I might have wronged my mate. 

            The vampire’s lips curled up into a wide smile as his eyes focused on my mate. “Direct, I like that. What I want is simple, little one. I want you.” 

            The blatant threat against my mate ignited a fire within me and I was about to shift to shred that vampire, when the gentle touch of my mate calmed me down. I looked down at her in confusion but she remained focused on that vampire.  

            “Would you let them go?” 

            My eyes widened in horror as I realized that I might have made a terrible mistake. 

            “No!” I growled as I grabbed my mate’s arms, fearing that if I were to let go, she would simply vanish. 

            “We won’t let them take you, Laila!” Dillon’s roar followed my growl closely and an uncontrollable surge of jealousy consumed me as my mate turned to smile at my warrior. 

            The vampire looked at us in amusement before nodding at the other vampires and humans around us. The pistol pressed against Betti’s head was lowered and the warriors were unbound as all of them slumped helplessly onto the ground. 

            “Anything for you, little one,” said the vampire solemnly as he extended his hand towards my mate. In that moment, something snapped in my mind and Gower was about to take over but in a flash, the vampire holding Betti threw her limp body at me while the vampire before us grabbed my mate and disappeared into the night. 

            “No! No!!” I howled in pain and desperation before shifting and trying to chase after them but even Gower was no match for how fast the vampires were. In the end, the brothers and I only managed to capture a few human bounty hunters before we had to give up. There were only three of us and the rest of our warriors and Betti still needed our help.