Chương 56: Chapter 56
☆ ☆ Beta Morgana ☆ ☆
A little over two hours had passed, and Darius had fallen asleep; I was unsure if he was exhausted or if it was due to the blood loss he had sustained. Regardless, I still looked over to ensure his chest rose and fell. We were in Tennessee now near Knoxville, where we would turn north to head into Kentucky on our way back to Alpha Gray's pack house.
I was still a little upset that Darius had decided that he didn't want me to go into battle. It was selfish and my current pack was depending on me. He would have to understand that my decision wasn't to spite him but rather to increase our chances of survival. Besides, I was a strong warrior, and I had a great sense when it came to tactical strategies.
I turned the radio on to give myself some background noise as I drove. I was getting sleepy, too, but I needed to keep going for Darius and my safety. If I got too tired, I would have Darius call Ulfric Draven to see if there was a nearby pack that would allow us sanctuary for a period of rest.
If I recalled correctly, from my documents at home, there was one pack in Kentucky and two packs in Ohio that were offering manpower for this battle. We would likely seek refuge there if we needed to rest during this eleven-hour drive. Darius grunted in discomfort as he shifted, and I reached over to comfort him with my touch, gently stroking my thumb on his arm.
His body felt hotter than usual, but I didn't find it strange; who knows what those dirty bloodsuckers were carrying and possibly infected him with. Luckily, we healed faster, and I would anticipate with some rest and the right concoctions of medications that, he would be back to normal in a few days.
The trauma and blood loss that he has suffered would have killed a normal human. My stomach felt knotted as I thought of poor Kara, who was obviously suffering at the hands of her captors. Her mate would be wrathful if he discovered that she had been hospitalized because of their treatment of her. I wondered if we should let him know, unsure if it would be to our benefit or detriment.
I pondered over the possible outcomes while I drove. I knew that we couldn't tell him right away; we would need to save the information for the battle. While I was in the hospital room, I had taken photographs of her lying in the bed; she looked frail and delicate, as though she would break at the slightest touch.
The bruising was so prominent against her skin that even in the dimly lit room, you could still see every detail on her neck. They told a story of torment and a near-death experience if you could imagine something so horrid. That was just on her neck; who knew what other injuries she had sustained that were hidden under the covers.
Her injuries would be better described with pictures as opposed to the words I had, and that's why I decided to document them. I knew her injuries wouldn't be fully realized by the others from my retelling that we were up against cruel, sick, and heartless creatures without them.
I only hoped that our shortened reconnaissance mission could provide some insightful information; I knew that my blunder had ruined the stealthiness of our mission and that we had lost the element of surprise. I could only assume that they would have tightened their security measures as a result. They would be foolish not to.
I needed to stop for fuel soon; we were sitting at a quarter of a tank. The SUV was spacious enough, but it was a gas guzzler. I shook Darius gently to wake him, not that he could help in his current condition, but I'd feel safer with an extra pair of eyes. Still drowsy, he muttered, "What's going on?"
I replied, "We need to stop for gas. I just wanted to wake you while I get out to pump." He nodded and sat up, "Where are we at?" I responded, "About ten minutes into Kentucky, I saw a sign for a Shell Station on the interstate, so I pulled off." He stretched and tried to come to life. "How are you feeling?", I asked, as I pulled up next to a pump.
"A little warm...", he paused, "and drained." He chuckled at his own pun, and I rolled my eyes as I hopped out of the vehicle. I checked the surroundings and inhaled deeply; the sickly, sweet stench of rotting bloodsuckers was nowhere to be found. I sighed a breath of relief and inserted the credit card to pay.
I was shocked; it took over $70.00 and five minutes to fill this tank back up. As the counter ticked and the more time passed, I felt a growing sense of unease fill me up. We couldn't be sure that they weren't following us, and until the sun rose, I would feel anxious. Vampires could easily run faster than the posted speed limits, and they didn't tire as long as they were well-fed.
After fighting in our hotel room earlier, I was sure that they were. I was just thankful they underestimated us, probably thinking we were lower in the ranks of our packs. I shuddered to think that if there had been a few more, we would have met our demise tonight. The waxing crescent moon was comforting, too.
I put the cap back on and replaced the pump before getting back in. "Had this been a new moon, we would have been at a significant disadvantage; we got lucky tonight.", I said, as I grabbed Darius' hand. He nodded, "I know. That's why I was worried earlier; I'm sorry if I made you angry earlier, but I don't want to lose you."
I squeezed his hand tightly in response, "I don't want to lose you either, mate." I took another moment before cranking the SUV and getting back on the road. "You can go back to sleep if you want.", I said as we continued north. Darius shook his head, "I'm feeling much better; I am getting hungry, though."
"We have cold pizza in the back." I chuckled. He licked his lips and undid his seatbelt so that he could reach back to grab the box. He stacked two slices on top of each other as he sat back down in the passenger's seat. He refastened his seat belt and took a bite. "It's not that bad room temperature.", he said. I glanced at him skeptically.
It was nice having him awake for the drive; more entertaining than the radio by far. I was glad he had an appetite, though; that meant the promise of healing to me. When werewolves were close to death, we tended to stop eating for several days, and then we discreetly disappeared from our packs, usually shifting one last time and running as far as our feeble bodies would take us.
It was beautiful yet heartbreaking to see how we returned to nature in our final moments. Our bodies fed the world around us, allowing future generations to thrive. Darius interrupted my thoughts when he went to grab another slice or two of the Roni pizza. He sat back down and said, "What are ya thinking about?" I smiled, "I'm just happy that you're eating and healing."
He added, "I think that vitamin K helped; thank you for getting it for me." I nodded, "Remind me to thank my sister when we get back to the pack house. After all, it was her suggestion." He chuckled and was in much better shape after eating. His eyes were even more vibrant than before.
"Are any of your wounds still bleeding?", I asked. He looked over his body and said, "Everything looks dried up on my clothes, so that's a good sign, right?" I nodded in agreement, "Do you think Ulfric Draven will answer if you were to call him now? He replied, "I'm not sure why?"
I sighed, "I was curious if one of the packs could provide sanctuary so that we could get some well-deserved rest and recover a bit more." I paused, "I'm almost positive there is one pack here in Kentucky and two packs in Ohio, but I'm not sure where they are." He nodded, "I can try."
The phone rang to no avail, so Darius left his brother a message to call us back as soon as possible. It seemed Ohio was our destination for refuge. Darius rubbed my shoulder, "If you're getting tired, I could drive for a while." I smiled, "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to drive for a while?"
He nodded, so I pulled off on the side of the interstate, and we swapped seats. I grabbed one of the pillows and the comforter from the back of the SUV and snuggled in after I fastened my seatbelt as Darius drove off. I was lulled to sleep as he hummed the melody to Cover Me Up.
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