Mist (Book Three of the Royals Trilogy)

Chapter Six

Right before dusk, Blair, Mark and I were standing by the gate, waiting for Melissa and Gideon. Around us, Hunter were murmuring and chatting in small groups. A few were preparing to leave for the night. It was the first time I saw so many Hunters laughing and looking relaxed, it was something unusual yet very cool. 

"Sorry we're late, we got held up at the training room," Melissa said nervously as she fast-walked towards us. Gideon was trailing beside her, both of them looked relaxed as if they had been recently talking and clearing the air between them. 

"Not to worry, our van is still outside," Mark said calmly while Blair stayed silent. She looked distant and at the same time annoyed. She was eyeing Gideon and Melissa closely but kept her comments to herself. 

"We should go before it gets dark," I said as I gave Mark a look. We told Hunter Liam to meet us there once it was dark, it was better to arrive before he did. Everyone nodded and we walked out of the camp. I could feel a couple of curious glances thrown our way, it could have something to do with the fact that Melissa and I weren't born in camp and even so, we were friends with Elda's three children. 

"I'll drive," Mark said and nobody objected since he was the one who knew where we were going. To my surprise, Gideon said he'd prefer to go in the back with Blair and Melissa, so I was sitting shotgun with Mark. It was the first time we had been alone since the date the night before. Gosh that feels like so long ago, I thought to myself as I stared out the window in silence. He turned the van on and drove into the darkening night.

The silence between us wasn't uncomfortable but what was a bit unsettling was that I could feel Mark's worried glances that he threw my way once in a while but I decided it would be best to wait for him to say something.

"You didn't tell me you were getting nightmares every night," he started to say. 

I turned to look at him and chuckled softly, "I wasn't aware of that until Blair pointed it out to me this morning. I don't think there's nothing to worry about and the doctor said that I was fine. He said it was probably a side effect of the mission."

Mark tensed, "do you think it may have something to do with the-"

I knew where he was going and I interrupted before he could say anything. "No, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the bond. I told Blair the same thing this morning and that's because I'm sure." 

"Maybe just like there's the Darkness for unbonded supernatural mates and beloveds, there's something similar with human mates that presents itself as night terrors," he said nervously and I laughed softly. 

I held his free hand in mine and gently ran my thumb over it repeatedly as I looked at him intently. "Mark, nothing like that is happening. The bond is gone and there is no need to worry about that," I spoked to him softly and with my voice, Mark relaxed and let out a sigh. Thankfully, he didn't press the subject and remained silent the rest of the drive. He held my hand in his. His touch felt natural and... comfortable, as if we had done this a thousand times before. 

We reached a big building, it was really tall. It was kind of a cylindrical building, like the touristic destination in Pisa, Italy. "Wow, I had never seen this building. You said it is a mall right?" I asked in awe as I kept my gaze fished on the building as Mark drove us to the underground basement. 

Suddenly, Mark pulled his hand away and I saw as he gripped the stirring wheel tighter. "What's wrong?" I asked in confusion. 

Mark eyed the sideways mirrors a couple of times before he answered, "we're being followed." My eyes widened and I looked at the mirrors and saw a truck behind us. 

"Are you sure?" I asked warily and Mark nodded. 

"Positive, they've been behind us for a couple kilometers. It isn't a coincidence and I can guess who they are," he murmured tensely.  

"Elda sent them," I said without expecting an answer. Mark nodded stiffly as he made a sharp turn. Our friends in the back yelped in surprise and I heard a thump as someone fell. 

"What was that?!" Blair yelled through the metallic wall between us. 

"Sorry, we have a situation," I called from the cabin. There was no reply and I pursed my lips together as I saw the van making the same turn we did before. "They're still onto us," I whispered and I head Mark let out a sigh of frustration. 

"Hold on," he called and then stepped on the gas. I held on to my seatbelt as Mark maneuvered in the underground parking lot, going up and down floors, making sharp turns until he finally stopped and parked on reverse. As soon as the van was parked, he turned the van off along with the lights. "Get down," he whispered at me as he got out of view.

I mimicked his actions and heard a vehicle coming closer. Mark was peaking his head carefully as to not be seen. I kept low on the ground and quickly sent Blair a message through our wristband that said, keep quiet. There was no response but I knew she had seen it. 

The motor of the van sounded much closer now, it was going slowly through the parking lot. I wanted to take a look outside but I controlled the urge. After a couple of minutes, I heard Mark let out a deep breath, "they're gone. I think we should wait a little longer before we move to another spot," he suggested and I nodded. I wasn't sure if he could see me but I didn't say anything. 

Time passed painfully slow and by the time Mark finally got up, I looked at my watch and saw only 20 minutes had passed since we had entered the parking lot. "That was odd," I said and he nodded as he turned the ignition on. The van rumbled to life and Mark began to drive slowly to another park of the parking lot. 

When he was satisfied with a spot, he parked the van and both of us got out quickly. We headed to the back and opened the door for our friends. The first thing I saw once the door was open was Blair's confused, yet annoyed stare. Melissa was holding a hand on her forehead and Gideon helped her jump off the van. "What was that? What happened?" Blair demanded. 

Mark sighed, "we were being followed. I had to lose them." 

Blair frowned, "I think you just made them more suspicious." She had a point but I still thought it was best to lose the Hunters chasing after us. 

"Let's get moving, I still think they're here," Mark said as he looked around the parking lot for any signs of another van. 

Gideon had remained unusually silent the whole way. He even let Mark and I lead the way when he was the one who preferred to lead. 

We were waiting for the elevator to descend to our floor when we heard footsteps behind us. My eyes widened as I recognized the Hunters' uniform, it was the same one we were wearing. I tensed and clicked on the elevator button again even though it wouldn't make the elevator go faster. 

"Hunters, Huntresses..." called the leading man of the group walking towards us. When they reached us, their eyes studied us cautiously. "Trainee," he continued as he looked at Melissa with a cold glare. "Camp Leader Elda has sent us to come look for you. She found it odd you were going to spend the evening out of camp and that you brought a Trainee with you." He raised an eyebrow at Melissa who was looking uncomfortable. 

Trainees and children were the only ones who were forced to stay in camp to ensure their safety and to make sure there was always someone at camp guarding and looking after the children. Melissa was the only one who was out. 

"We have an explanation, when Huntress Skylar first joined our camp, my sister and I took her out to the city to show her a couple of signs to recognize supernatural creatures in real life," Gideon intervened. In shock, I turned to look at Gideon, eyeing him closely. "We thought it would be best to do the same with Trainee Melissa since she's not accustomed to our life and she is supposed to be catching up so we thought it would be best to take her somewhere crowded on a day that Hunters are free of their responsibilities early." It was a good excuse, considering that on most days, Hunters spent most of their time working until after dark. 

"I understand Hunter Gideon and we know we can trust your word. Nevertheless, your mother has sent us to follow you," the man said sternly, making sure he sounded like there was no room for negotiation. 

"We just came to get something to eat first, we'll be here a while," Mark spoke up as he pointed at the elevator. In that moment, the elevator chimed and the doors opened for us. We began to step inside and the group of Hunters started to follow us. 

"Sorry, there's no room for more," Blair said coldly as she blocked their path until the doors began to close. She and the other Hunters fixed their glace on each other in a hostile encounter. Once the doors were closed, Blair randomly clicked on a number. "They're not going to give up, we should go to a random floor and then take the stairs."

I nodded in agreement as the elevator began to ascend. The elevator moved up 4 floors before stopping. The door opened revealing a very dark room. "What is this?" I asked as I tried to figure out if they were stores or a food court. Turns out it wasn't either. 

"This is the movie theater, the first two floors are stores, the third one is the food court and the fourth one is the movie theater but it's still not open for business yet," Mark explained as he took out a flashlight and began looking for the door that led to the stairs. 

"You really know a lot about this place," Blair murmured, her voice clearly held surprise. 

Mark shrugged, "I did my research before deciding where we should meet." I smiled and gently brushed my shoulder with his. He gave me a sly smile and I couldn't help but feel tingly inside. 

Mark led us to a door at the far left and opened it for us. "On what floor is the restaurant?" I asked, expecting the answer to be on a nearby floor. 

"It's on the eight floor," Mark responded nonchalant and I looked at the stairs leading up, they seemed endless. 

"What? You could have told us that before to pick a floor closer to the restaurant," Melissa murmured under her breath as she walked in behind me. 

I chuckled and began to walk up the stairs and the others followed after me.

...

Four floors later, we arrived to the eight floor. Melissa was the one who was trying to regain her breath. She was seated at the waiting area on a couch, she was massaging her legs and trying to take deep breaths. Gideon was by her side, trying to help her. 

The hostess eyed us closely and studied our uniforms with a confused and unsettling expression. "How may I help you?" she asked expressionless as we walked towards her. 

"We have a reservation under the name Marcus Argent," Mark said calmly while the hostess looked at her screen. She turned to look at us once more and nodded. 

"Yes, follow me Mr. Argent," she said hesitantly as she took the menus in her hands and led us towards an empty table next to a window. Beside me, I could feel Blair tense up, when I turned to look at her, I realized she was eyeing the people who were already seated at their tables. They were not your usual human families or couples, these were businessmen and important people. They were dressed in expensive looking suits and the women who accompanied the men wore long dresses and had their hair pulled back in elaborate styles. 

As we walked past their tables, they gave us hostile looks and shocked expressions. They couldn't understand what a group of young adults dressed in similar black clothing were doing in a elegant restaurant such as that one. Some even whispered amongst themselves as they pointed at our direction. 

I couldn't help but scowl, I had never liked snobby people or pretentious hypocritical ones. Still, we ended up in a restaurants filled with them. 

The hostess set our menus down and we all took our seats. I sat next to mark and Melissa and Blair left the spot between her and Mark unoccupied for her father. "I'll send your waiter to come take your order," the hostess said nervously before rushing to the entrance. 

The restaurant was bright and elegant. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings and illuminated the every section of the restaurant. The tables were round and all ranged from different sizes. A long white tablecloth covered them and the neat, spotless, white plates were neatly placed in front of us along with clean, crystal, wine cups and shinning silver utensils. This was the restaurants I usually preferred to avoid and I could see the others were uncomfortable as well. This was going to be interesting.