Chapter 115

Shiloh seemed almost amused as we listened to the fight outside. Messiah was grunting and cursing outside. Something bumped into the side of the van when Shiloh pulled out a cigarette.

He lit it with a flicker of flame on his finger and I gasped.

“You…You can make fire.”

“I can do a lot of things,” he said and took a deep breath, breathing out a puff of smoke.

The smoke was sweet rather than bitter like I thought it would be. It didn’t even smell like tobacco, but sort of floral. He huffed as the van rocked again.

“He must be pissed off,” Shiloh mused and glanced at me. “Makes since considering what we’re up against.”

“Are you talking about me?” I asked, glaring at him.

“What was your first clue?” He huffed.

“You can’t talk to me like that!”

“Oh? What are you going to do, princess?” Shiloh asked. “Call for your king? Him that pipe are going to have a hard time dealing with Messiah, let alone me.”

I grit my teeth. “Just because you can make fire doesn’t mean anything. Candido—”

“Is an elemental,” he shrugged. “So? Where do you think werewolves get their powers?”

“So, I was right.”

He clapped once. “Congratulations for figuring out something so simple. What’d you do? Read it in a book?”

I flushed and he laughed. “Unbelievable.”

“Well, how else am I supposed to learn things?”

He shrugged. “Instincts… Do you really think that the first time you met a vampire was when Damian was at Candido’s estate?”

I swallowed.

“Don’t you think it’s odd that you can’t tell us apart?” Shiloh asked as he took another deep drag of his cigarette. “Think some more, princess. Candido’s cock can’t be that good.”

I stammered.

“But I guess you’d have to have gotten there first with that whole twenty-year-old nonsense you wolves have and that marriage thing,” Shiloh rolled his eyes and took another drag. “You werewolves ritualized the fun out of everything.”

The door opened, and Messiah leaned in, covered in blood, and looking furious. He cracked his neck.

Shiloh offered him the cigarette and he took it as he sat down just inside the van and took a drag.

“They sliced the tires, and they’re closing in,” Messiah said. “Scouts. We need to move and send this useless princess back to her alpha.”

“I’m not useless!” I yelled. “I—"

“Beasts?” Shiloh asked.

“Many, big small, and in between,” Messiah huffed and looked at me. “You just had to piss him off didn’t you, princess?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Damian,” Shiloh said. “You and your little friend, whatever her name was. And I damn sure call you useless for getting captured not once but twice.”

“I wasn’t—” I shut my mouth thinking back to when first encountered Damian in the forest behind the estate then again at the New Moon capital. “How… do you know about that?”

“You recorded it,” Messiah said.

“But--- But you don’t have access to my phone! Or the Moon Shadow mainframe!” I said. “You couldn’t have gotten access to that recording.”

He snorted, “You think putting four marbles in four different cups makes it hard to count them?”

My heart lurched. “You… You were a part of the attack on the mainframe?”

“Wrong again,” Shiloh said. “One more guess, princess.”

My jaw trembled. I felt like my world was tilting on its side. They stared at me, but I couldn’t think of any reason they would have access to the mainframe.

Messiah scoffed and finished the cigarette. “Time’s up. If I’d known that your friend would me more useful, I would have taken her when I had the chance. Her hybrid too.”

I frowned. “Claire? Why would she…”

“She drank from him,” Messiah said. “Are you paying attention to anything? I know that hybrid at least explained why she’s so strong for a newly turned.”

“Getting almost drained by a baby--sad and embarrassing considering how old he is. He’s pissed.” Shiloh laughed. Fragile ego that one.” Shiloh jumped out of the van and looked around before looking back at me. “Let’s get going, princess. We’ll get you back to your precious king and pick up this conversation some other time.”

“Hedwig,” I said. “Was my mother’s name.”

Messiah clapped. “Congratulations on telling us something we already know.”

I glared at him. “Are you always such a jerk?”

“It’s part of my charm.”

I climbed out of the van and looked around. I didn’t recognize the area. The trees were tall and looming over us. It felt like we were somewhere else.

“Where are we?”

“It’s an illusion,” Messiah sighed and turned. “Are we sure?”

“He’s sure, that should be enough for you,” Shiloh said and turned, leading us into the darkness. “Stay behind me and in front of Messiah.”

I wanted to tell him to leave me alone, but I didn’t. I didn’t recognize anything nearby, not a scent or even the stars in the sky.

“He covered the whole area with this shit,” Shiloh huffed. “But he’s definitely weaker.”

“Who?”

“Damian,” Messiah said. “He’s seething and sloppy. He’ll be getting dangerous pretty soon.”

Slowly, the darkness and oddness of the area seemed to fade. The trees seemed to shrink. The stars seemed familiar and I could smell the smoke from the capital. We weren’t far I bet. We came up over a crest and I saw the capital not too far in the distance. We headed towards another van and Messiah opened the door.

“Get in.”

I hesitated and Shiloh rolled his eyes. He picked me up and put inside before climbing after me. Messiah climbed behind the driver’s seat and the van cranked up.

“Why was there another van?”

“So many questions.”

The van swerved violently and Messiah screamed, “Fuck!”

Something slammed into the van. A roar shook the air. It sounded like a wolf. Shiloh shoved me back and got out of the van. I tried to follow and run, but Shiloh shoved me back in and slammed the door. I tried the door again as I heard him shout.

“On your left!”

“Son of a bitch!”

I yanked at the door, but I couldn’t muster up the strength to open the door. I felt ridiculously weak. I turned and went towards the front of the van. The seats were too close together for me to reach through the seats to get to the locking control.

I pulled at the seats trying to tear them out of place or something, but nothing worked.

I screamed in frustration, banging on the wall of the van.

“Let me out!”

The van rocked and skidded. It turned on its side and I heard them fighting. Rocks exploded and pummeled the side of the van. It flipped over again and I groaned. Things went quiet.

The door slammed open and someone grabbed me. It smelled like a werewolf. My heart lifted.

“Candido, I—”

“Fuck’s sake!” Shiloh yelled. I heard the crackle of electricity and watched the trees glow.

As the figure dragged me around, I saw it strike a huge dark beast. Messiah twisted in the air, slamming his leg into a vampire’s neck. It cracked and the man’s head flew away. Electricity jumped between the body and the severed head set the body on fire.

“Who are you?” I pulled back from the person dragging me along. I couldn’t dig my heels in. I turned back. “Let me go!”

The person turned and dragged me around him. The hood was so deep that I couldn’t see their face. This close, I could smell a bunch of different werewolves on him, but it wasn’t like contact. It smelled like blood and it was tainted with another scent.

My stomach lurched and I started to struggle harder. I twisted in his grip and he shoved me down.

For a moment, I was back in the locker room. I shivered and screamed, kicking, and pushing at the hand. He settled his weight on my chest and pinned my arms down. I smelled something. I didn’t know what it was, but it was liquid and I screamed.

“Candido! Candido, help me!” I screamed. “Get off me. “Candido! Candido!”

I didn’t know if he could hear me. My eyes burned with tears and I screamed and screamed for him, but nothing happened.

He shoved the bottle in my mouth. It was sweet and a little metallic. My stomach turned and my heart raced. I tried to spit it out, but he covered my mouth and nose. My lungs burned and I tried to fight, holding the liquid in my mouth.

Lights flashed behind him, but I still couldn’t see his face.

Then, I couldn’t take it anymore. I swallowed it and gasped for breath.

He pulled his hand free, but by then, I was too weak. I heard my heartbeat beating in my ears. I felt it beating slowly and loudly in my chest like the vibrations were carried through my entire body.

I heard a soft murmuring and light seemed to drift over me, slowly washing over me and carrying me out of consciousness.