Chapter 100
Chapter 100
The only thing that kept me from erupting into a revenge fueled rage was the fact that we still needed to get Alec out of here. Once Tori removed all of the tubes, including the steady drip of sedatives that kept him comatose, his eyelashes had barely fluttered. I t would be some time before he actually came to, but all that mattered was that he was finally home. Both Zayne and Kade supported Alec, draping on of his arms over their shoulders.
As we readied to get the h**l out of here, I couldn’t help but stop and place my hand against Alec’s face. He had thick stubble coating his chin and jaw, the same onyx color as his hair. As I trailed my fingers down his face, I could feel that wall holding back my emotions quiver. Alright, let’s get out of here.” I exhaled, pulling away from Alec with what I’m sure was a pained expression on my face.
If I stayed here any longer, seeing the physical effects of what they had done to him, I wasn’t sure there would be a house standing. I turned my back on Alec, and crept from the room. We moved a bit slower with Alec in tow, but the slower pace helped us remain quiet. We drifted through the top part of the house, to the stairs that were a complete safety hazard. We avoided the massive hole in the dry wall that exposed us to the street in front of the house. We were walking through the living room, towards the back door, when something caused me to stop. Tori, who had been walking beside me, stopped as well. Ava was taking up the back, making sure all the guards were still passed out. “What’s wrong?” Kade asked immediately, his eyes scanning the room. There were six of us, including me. I could feel all six of our emotions, though Alec’s were dull and watery in his d**g induced state. What had caused me to stop was the seventh set of emotions I felt. I blinked a few times and eyed the unconscious bodies on the floor. The two men were still slumped on the floor. “Weren’t there three men on the–“
Everything seemed to slow as the third man appeared from around the corner. I stood only inches from him, far too close to act so quickly. I first felt the roughness of his arm as he wrapped it around my shoulders. Then, I could feel the sharp pinpricks his lengthened nails left in my skin. My pulse thundered under his fingers, a frantic tune of mistakes, second chances, and whispered prayers. I knew that our one option at survival meant surrendering, but I couldn’t force the words past my lips. Even if it meant surviving, I wouldn’t choose to become someone’s weapon. Kade went completely still, his eyes honed on the man that held my life in his hands. Zayne, with actual worry in his eyes, supported Alec’s full weight so Kade could step forward. A low growl worked its way from his lips. The sound made my sweat turn cold, because I knew by the guard’s emotions, that he saw Kade’s reaction as a challenge. Just as I readied myself to tell Kade to lunge, a dreadful idea crossed my mind. It was one laced with temptation, but I was just desperate enough to try it. Before I had the chance to tryout my plan, Ava began to fling her arms out.
The air was ripped from my lungs faster than I could blink. I was pressed against this nameless guard, the sick stench of his body odor assaulting my nose. His hand was wrapped around my throat now, and the tips of his nails were piercing my skin hard enough to drawblood. A small trickle ran down my neck, itching as it dried onto my skin. “Don’t f*****g think about it!” The guard snarled at Ava, grasping my throat even harder to prove his point. I wasn’t sure if it were the strangled croak that left my lips, or the guards demand, but Ava slowly lowered her arms and lowered her head. The guard eyed us frantically, his fear and hatred meshing into one big blob. Really, Ava’s action hadn’t been completely useless. The guard was holding me even tighter now. My back was pressed up against his chest, and his b**e fingers touched the hollow of my throat. I had initially promised myself never to use my soul devouring abilities again, but wolves were very different from humans. Thalia couldn’t understand why I would amputate a part of myself, like willinglyBelonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
losing an arm or leg. Wolves were predator’s, who embraced every dark aspect of themselves. While I was far from a ruthless, cold-blooded, k****r; ‘Thalia was right, I couldn’t cut off a part of myself. I wasn’t sure if I could replicate what I had done to Desmond and his men. I had been running on pure adrenaline at the time–not abject fear, as I am now. Either way, I needed to be precise. If I took in a huge gust without k*****g him, I’d lose my life. Whoever this guard was, his reflexes were fast. His thumb tapped against the side of my neck, following the beat of my thundering pulse. The physical contact made things easier. Through his emotions I could feel the shimmering heat of his soul. The power that throbbed and pulsed where mortal eyes couldn’t see. My instincts told me to drink greedily, to take the power that’s been given to me. I had to fight, fight myself to keep from going into a frenzy. I reached out and brushed against that power, sinking my metaphorical claws just a few millimeters into it. I tried not to let my pulse convey the relief I felt when a trickle of strength and power began to seep into my weary bones. The guard let out a grunt, which made my pulse thunder even higher at the thought of being caught. “Stand down.” The guard snarled at Kade, who had been inching closer with every passing second. Kade’s eyes were lit cruelly, filled to the brim with carnal anticipation. If this man k****d me–Kade would eviscerate him. “I’ve already called back-up. Your b***h’s magic didn’t work on me.” My strength was building now, so I widened that hole which allowed his life source to flow into me. A heavy shudder wracked his entire body, jolting the claws that were currently in my neck. Kade leaned forward like he was going to lunge, but froze when he caught sight of my eyes. ‘Don’t move!” I threw my thoughts at him with all the force I had, begging him to stand down. Once the guard had stilled, he wobbled on his feet. “What–what the f**k are you doing to me?!” He rasped, and I tore open the barrier that kept me from devouring his strength. One rough pull of his soul–all that I could take with one inhale. I felt my body expand with the inhale, and the boundaries of my abilities stretch and groan.
The moment all of that power settled within me, I let it loose in one blast. A ring of pure energy left my body and sent the drained guard soaring across the room. I wobbled on my legs, finally free from the guard’s tight grip around my throat. Now that his hand was gone–I should be able to breathe. My hands flew up to my throat, and were instantly coated in the thick warmth that was my lifeblood. Kade rushed forwards just as I began to fall, catching me before my head could hit the floor. Everything seemed to blur as I watched the scene unfold. Zayne and Ava hovered over me, both pale- faced and wide eyed. Kade was saying something to me, pressing on my neck wound while trying not to cut off my air. I only seemed to tune back in when Tori dropped to her knees in front of me and took my face in her hands. All of the sounds and smells–they hit me at once. Ava was muttering to herself, shaking her head. Kade was frantically trying to stop the bleeding, telling me over and over again that I would heal. He knew that I had expended all of my energy throwing the guard off of me. I had nothing left to give. “Heal yourself!”‘ Tori shouted in my face; her shrill voice pierced my ears. I understood what she was saying, but I couldn’t force myself to form a response. I couldn’t feed from her–I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to stop. She muttered a curse and cocked back her hand before striking me in the face. I’m sure she hadn’t hit as hard as I made it out to be–but it caught my attention. I blinked a few times and stared at her, feeling numb and floaty. “Feed off my soul and heal yourself, Aurora!” Kade’s eyes darted over to Tori, desperate and wishing he could force me to feed himself. Somehow, I knew that my soul-eating abilities wouldn’t work on Alec or Kade. We were all pieces of the same soul, so feeding on them was like feeding on myself. Kade knew this as well, which is why he hadn’t offered himself up. “Don’t you f*****g dare.” Zayne snarled, charging forwards. His eyes flashed dangerously as they burned holes in the back of Tori’s head, but she wasn’t paying attention to him.
“Do it!” Tori shouted at me, her voice cracking as she gave me another shake. “No.” Zayne snapped, his voice resolute. His eyes were on me this time, bright and furious. ” Take what you need from me, Aurora. I would, however, like to request that you leave me alive.” I had no control as my magic lashed out and sunk its claws into Zayne Novak. It’s like it had been waiting for him to offer, and took without abandon as adrenaline fueled our will to survive. Zayne stiffened first, and a look of discomfort settled on his face. His skin paled and his body swayed before collapsing to his knees in front of me. Tori inched away from him, a conflicted look on her face. Her fingers trembled, and she brought them into her chest as though she were tempted to reach out and touch him. I noticed she made her decision when her eyes hardened, and she moved even further away from where Zayne crouched. Warmth flooded me, chasing away the cold and fogginess that crept at the edges of my vision. I could feel pressure and some pain as the wound in my neck finally began to heal. I felt each individual fiber of flesh knitting itself together, fueled by Zayne Novak’s life force. I slashed through my connection to Zayne the moment I was healed, even though all of my instincts were telling me to bleed him dry. I was healed, but far from being at my fullest strength. As I stopped feeding from Zayne, and we locked eyes, I realized I had just outed myself to the second most dangerous person in the werewolf world. Not only did Jaspar Fox know I was a soul-eater, but Marcus Novak’s son now knew as well. “We need to get out of here.” Zayne grumbled, forcing himself into a standing position. He wobbled for a moment, and I couldn’t help but notice the way Tori’s eyes darted over his shaking frame. “If he’s really called back-up, it won’t take them long to get here.” Somehow, the six of us managed to escape the house and make the trek back through the small patch of forest and to the sedan we had parked earlier. Zayne sat in the passenger, while Alec was seated between Tori and I. Ava was in the very back, nodding her head to whatever song was blasting through her headphones. I wanted to ask Zayne more about her, but none of us had been in a talking mood since leaving the house. I had been keeping a close eye on Zayne since feeding off of him. His skin had gone from sickly and
translucent to a semi-healthy shade within half an hour after nearly draining him. He was still weak, that I could tell from the way he grimaced and rubbed at his temples. It seemed as long as I didn’t drain someone entirely, they could survive after I’ve fed from them. “I’m willing to bet that there’s the back-up that guard was talking about.” Kade commented, nodding towards the other side of the highway, Six identical looking black SUVs sped in a uniform line. I placed my head against Alec’s shoulder and was grateful for the tint on our vehicle. In the midst of everything that’s happened, I had completely forgotten we weren’t supposed to have left the hotel–just as we weren’t supposed to have rescued Alec from Marcus Novak’s greedy clutches. We needed to keep our activities a secret, which also meant keeping Alec hidden away in the suite. With the help of his white wolf companions, Zayne managed to get us back up to our suite without being detected. He was obviously reluctant giving up any of his secrets, but did let it slip that he has a few friends in place as employee’s here in the hotel, which explained our backdoor entrance. Kade had just helped Alec inside the suite when Zayne turned and gave me a long look, one that made me feel a bit dissected and exposed. He paid Tori no mind, but he couldn’t erase what had happened here today. Their bond was stronger now, just from those simple interactions. “My father already suspects that you might be a soul-eater, but once he knows for sure, he will stop at absolutely nothing to own you.” He grimaced, and turned as if to walk away. I could sense his hesitation, just like I could practically see the unsaid words hovering over his lips. He let out a small sigh, one so quiet most would have missed it. “Should things go bad tomorrow, you’ll need to have an escape plan ready.” Torn between two worlds, born and bred in the shadows, Zayne Novak turned on his heel and vanished down the hall.