Free Web NovelChapter 106: Red & Raw
The cool midnight breeze fanned across my face as Blaise raced through the trees. All throughout, the snarls of the vampires had not ceased― they seemed to follow us through the dense forest until eventually, everything became silent. The only thing I could hear was the thud of paws against the dirt, thundering through as we sped away from the cave.
It was only when we were a good distance away did Blaise finally stopped. Damon, too, slowed down before halting, his snout in the air as he took note of our surroundings. Once he was sure that there wasn’t anyone else following, Blaise let me down. They shifted quickly, and within a second or two, they stood before me, naked as the day they were born.
I bit my lip, trying to focus my attention on the top half of their bodies. The moon was round and full tonight, and with no clouds obstructing its rays in the sky, I could see the marks that were across Damon and Blaise’s bodies. They were filled with scratches and open wounds, some healing right before my very eyes, while others remained just as raw and inflamed as though they were fresh.
A gasp spilled from my lips when I noticed a particularly bad gash across Blaise’s chest. If he was a human, he would have bled out and died from it. Blood was still dripping from the open cut and it didn’t seem like it was going to heal itself anytime soon.
"Are you alright?" Blaise asked the moment he shifted back to his human form. He took a step towards me, engulfing me in a hug, completely ignoring the wounds that littered his skin.
My fingers could barely find an unhurt patch of skin where I could touch― everything seemed as though they were coated with a layer of red. I couldn’t even tell if it was his blood or someone else’s.
"You came for me..." I murmured against his hold, my voice quaking as tears threatened to spill forth from my eyes. My chest clenched tightly when I felt Blaise’s hand running down my hair in an attempt to soothe me. That only made me want to cry harder.
"Of course I did," Blaise said. There was almost a hint of laughter tinting his voice. "Why wouldn’t I?"
"Because it’s obviously a trap!" I stated. "They were baiting you. The silver mines? Why do you even have that near your borders?!"
"We can’t exactly choose the exact geography of the pack lands," Damon said with a huff, to which I turned and glared at him. "We’re not playing some computer game where you could just refresh and reroll."
"I didn’t say it was," I huffed. "But thank you too. I thought..."
"We weren’t going to leave you there," Damon said, his voice gruff. He rolled his eyes, turning away from me. Yet, his words still warmed my chest.
"We’ll return to House Sirius," Blaise said, drawing my attention away. "Nicole needs to have a look at you to see if you have any injuries that need to be taken care of." freēwēbnovel.com
"Injuries? Me?" I echoed. "Look at you! You’re practically covered with blood!" I exclaimed.
"These will heal," Blaise said with a smile. However, I couldn’t help but notice just how false it was. There was no joy in it, and it seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than me.
"Get on," Damon commanded. He shifted back instantly, looking pointedly at me, who was still in Blaise’s arms. I couldn’t hear his thoughts but one look and I could practically already hear him speak in my head.
Exhaling loudly, I gave Blaise a small smile before making my way over to Damon, getting on his back. I knew why Damon was so quick to offer me a ride― he too knew that Blaise was in no condition to carry me the entire way. In fact, with the way Damon looked at Blaise even after I had climbed on, I nearly thought his instruction was for his brother instead.
Blaise merely shook his head before he shifted, his bones cracking and snapping as he transformed into the majestic wolf right before my very eyes. The moment he shifted, the brothers took off, leaving the mines behind us as we headed straight for House Sirius.
***
"What on earth happened?!" Nicole all but screamed as she hurried over to us, hovering by the bed that Damon had placed Blaise in.
The moment we reached the gates of House Sirius, Blaise had collapsed, unconscious. He shifted back into his human form at the last second and that was the only way Damon and I could heave him into the packhouse.
"Vampires," Damon answered, huffing. He wasn’t completely unharmed either― wounds old and new were scattered across his body. Dried-up blood stains adorned his arms. Yet, he cared none for it, his attention solely placed on Blaise while Nicole buzzed around him.
"I thought Blaise had them under control?" Nicole asked. She frowned at the wounds, watching as they remained raw and red even after she cleaned them. "This... This isn’t the full story, is it?"
"It’s a long story."
"Alpha," Nicole huffed, "I need to know exactly what happened if I am to give Beta Blaise the proper medication."
"The vampires kidnapped me," I said, piping up since Damon was so tight-lipped about it. "They brought me to the silver mines a distance past the border. Damon and Blaise went in to rescue me."
Nicole’s face paled at the mention of silver. She quickly dropped the tools and medication she had on hand, scrambling to the shelves in search of others she could use.
"Silver!" she yelled, exasperation coating her words. "Of all things! Alpha, this is why Kaine and I were so insistent on blowing up that mine long ago!"
"It could be useful against other packs," Damon grumbled under his breath.
"But it could also be used against our pack!" Nicole countered.
She dabbed some of the new medication on a cotton pad before placing it over the wound across Blaise’s chest. Even in his unconscious state, he hissed in pain, jolting a little as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
"And now vampires too?" Nicole mumbled to herself, shaking her head. Then, she paused, looking up with horror in her eyes. "Wait. Is this why Kaine was ordered to leave the packhouse just now?"
