章節 23: 22

R U B Y

Have you ever been stabbed? Have you ever felt anything razor-sharp piercing into your body,

tearing through skin and ﬂesh? Do you have any idea how excruciating that is?

I could feel the man's pointed fangs slicing through my skin as if I was made of butter. I could feel his curved claws digging into my shoulders as he held me down to feed on me. I listened in abject horror as he slurped noisily on my blood.

So, this is how I die—being slurped on like a milkshake?

I screamed. My wide eyes that had been glued to the dark sky above in fright screwed tightly shut as I screamed for my life. I could feel my body growing weaker and weaker, the more he fed on me. My screams were mu½ed as he covered my mouth and forced my head to the side.

Xavier, Axel…are they dead?

Are they being fed on the way I am?

I could feel my tears sliding from my eyes. When I opened them, I could barely see the world around me now as blurry as an impressionist painting. I could still feel the pain in my neck, but it felt almost distant. I was dying.

That was when it appeared–a shadow above the vampire.

He was too busy feeding on me to notice it.

My eyelids felt like they were being weighed down by an anchor and though I tried, I couldn't call out to the shadow for help. I couldn't even move.

The vampire pressed down on my face and the world around me ﬁnally faded away.

I bolted upright, my hand gripping my chest as I gasped for breath. I started looking around me frantically, my eyes wide and my body shivering.

I was in a room, a dark room. For a second, I thought maybe it had all been a dream until my hand ﬂew to my neck. My shoulders slumped as I felt the bandage there. Unfortunately, it had not been a dream, but instead a real- life nightmare.

Xavier. Axel.

The names echoed in my mind and I looked around the semi-dark room once more as I got out of the bed.

Where am I?

My only hope was that whoever saved me also saved Xavier and Axel as well. I had too many questions and no one to answer them. I decided to look for someone.

The hallway was dark, but I could see light down the hall coming from a room. The tiles were cold under my feet, my steps slow as I walked on my toes to prevent any sound of my approach. Whoever it was in that room might not be friendly. I still didn't know why that person saved me, or what their intentions were.

I stopped walking as I held onto the oversized shirt I was wearing. Maybe it's the Council. Maybe they caught up with us just in time to save my life. But if it was the Council that saved me, then my survival was merely temporary. After they got what they wanted from me, my life would still come to an end, just at their hands instead. I need to ﬁnd the guys. I hope they are alive to be found. My chest tightened at the thought and I clenched my ﬁsts.

What was that man that bit me? I thought to myself as I continued walking. There had been just enough light for me to see his pale skin and crimson eyes. I still knew so little about the supernatural community, I could only guess that maybe he was a demon or a vampire. No, he couldn't have been. If Axel and Xavier couldn't tell what was hunting us by its scent, no way could he be a vampire. They would know what a demon or vampire smelled like, right?

From what I understood, werewolves used to act as protectors, assuming the role of watchdogs ‒ no pun intended ‒ for both the humans and the supernatural world alike. Now only some packs chose to function as guardians. Like Xavier's pack–they hunted down supernaturals who sought to create havoc or do harm. So wouldn't Xavier know any supernatural creature well enough by its scent?

Whispering voices met my ears as I drew closer to the door.

"We don't have a choice. We have to tell the others because they will be back. This will buy us time with the Council."

I felt a pang of relief as I made out Axel's voice, and then I frowned. Why was I so concerned for him? I rolled my eyes. I certainly was unhappy with his behavior towards me, but I didn't want anything serious to happen to him. Deep down, some part of me felt relieved he'd survived the attack.

"Once Ruby wakes up, we'll leave. Not before."

I closed my eyes and sighed as I heard Xavier speak. I walked into the room. Their gazes turned to me, but my eyes fell on a man standing to the left of the room.

His grey eyes found mine and he gave me a warm smile.

I returned it and looked away. "What's going on? What happened?"

Xavier walked over to me, his eyes glistening as he guided me to a chair. "Sit." He nodded almost imperceptibly at the

grey-eyed man and then he backed away.

The stranger then moved to approach me, a strand of yellow blonde hair falling onto his forehead as he bent down.

I pulled away somewhat as the unknown man reached out to me.

He paused. "I'm only going to check your wound."

I looked at Xavier and then Axel, who had his arms crossed over his chest. I frowned because there was a thin pink line running from his left cheek down to his neck. No doubt, a wound he had suffered at the hands of the unknown supernatural that had already healed.

I exhaled and allowed the man to remove the bandage from my neck, wincing somewhat as the tape pulled at my skin.

He nodded as he stepped back. "All healed."

"Already?" Xavier asked, and Axel moved forward to see my neck. A look passed between them.

I reached up and touched the area. True enough, I was healed. The area felt completely smooth as if nothing had happened. I couldn't feel any evidence of the horrible trauma I endured, not even the raised skin of a telltale scar left behind. "Is there a mark?" I asked.

The man shook his head. "There is none," he replied as he glanced at Axel and then Xavier. He crossed the room to throw my bandage in a bin.

I watched him with narrowed eyes. Who is he? Where the hell were we, anyway? How long had I been asleep in order for my wound to have healed completely? And how could I have healed without so much as a mark? That man—creature had ripped into my throat.

I hadn't realized I had been slowly massaging the area until Xavier held my hand. It was as if I could still feel something there, despite being healed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me, as he looked me up and down.

Suddenly aware that I was wearing nothing except a large T-shirt barely reaching my knees, my cheeks began to heat. "I feel ﬁne." I pulled my hand away and interlocked my ﬁngers on my lap. "I feel ﬁne, just kind of in shock, I guess. What attacked us? How long have I been sleeping?"

Xavier sat down across from me while Axel remained standing, his hazel eyes piercing into me.

I still couldn't understand why I was so panicked when he'd been yanked out of the car. I'd felt a stab of fear so strong, I could barely think. I don't want to care about him, but apparently, that isn't completely under my conscious control. Some part of me did care about Axel, whether I wanted to or not. When had this happened? Would I have ever known how much I cared about Axel if we hadn't been placed in a life or death situation? How could I have feelings for a man who once almost yanked my hair out from the root as he dragged me out of his dungeon?

Maybe because he showed you he wasn't a complete asshole by leaving with you and Xavier, thereby putting himself and his pack at risk.

"You've been asleep for a good while," Axel replied, his gravelly voice carried through the room. He then pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away. "We were attacked by vampires."

So, I was right after all.

I studied Xavier thoughtfully, taking in his beautiful face. As his eyes hadn't left me since I walked into this room. I thought I had lost him when I heard him screaming as he'd faced the vampire while the pain in my heart had damn near killed me. I sighed. "Why did neither of you know that it was vampires outside the car when you ﬁrst smelled then?" My

eyes drifted to Axel when he turned around to stare at me. "You two panicked."

"I didn't panic," Axel retorted.

I made a face. Who is he kidding? "Yes, you did. I was there...remember? Why don't you guys know what vampires smell like?" I stared at Xavier, whose lips formed a thin line, and I frowned. The room was ﬁlled with silence and my eyes found the blonde man who'd been listening to our conversation quietly.

He was holding his chin, a ﬁnger gliding back and forth over his lips.

No one seemed interested in answering me. Axel dug his hands into his pockets.

Xavier's soothing voice licked at my ears, "This is the ﬁrst time either of us has met a vampire."

Axel cleared his throat. "Vampires have been extinct for hundreds of years."

I frowned as I tilted my head to the side. "What?" The blonde man brieﬂy drew my attention as he left the room, then I glanced back over at Axel. He'd certainly piqued my interest with that unexpected statement. So, if vampires had been extinct for hundreds of years, how exactly had one just ripped into my throat?

Axel sat down and crossed his legs.

I noticed for the ﬁrst time just how exhausted both Xavier and he looked.

"What we know about vamps now comes from stories told to us over the years," Xavier said. "They were said to be bloodthirsty and animalistic, with no shred of thought other than the drive to quench their ravenous thirst."

Axel sat forward, his elbows on his knees. The strands of his hair loose from his bun slid forward to cover his cheeks. "Vampires were the parasites of the earth. Their only purpose was to exist, feed, and populate."

An image of the vampire that attacked me appeared in my mind as Axel spoke and a chill passed through my body.

"Their thirst for blood, any and every creature's blood, is insatiable," Axel went on. "As a result, they lived as outcasts. They belonged to no community, supernatural or otherwise, because they contaminated and killed everything they came into contact with. Years ago, werewolves, humans, and several other supernaturals banded together and waged war on them, wiping them out for good."

"Umm, I think they survived," I replied under my breath. "Clearly." Axel nodded. "They were said to be pale,

hideous creatures capable of turning any living being– human, werewolf, witch, anyone–into bloodsuckers like themselves. Their venom is so strong, it is capable of completely changing one's anatomy–completely erasing who and what you are. They were among the most dangerous supernatural beings in existence." He shook his head. "Still are, apparently."

I nodded.

Xavier ran his hand down his face, pulling his cheeks down. "I can't ﬁgure out how they've survived without anyone knowing. In all the stories I've heard, no one ever mentioned that their scent is so strong. How have they masked it for so many years?"

That vampire that attacked me had indeed been pale, but he hadn't been hideous. Maybe he hadn't shown his true self? He also hadn't seemed like a bloodthirsty, thoughtless creature. Well, bloodthirsty, maybe. But thoughtless? No, I'd gotten the feeling he'd been a lot closer to a human or werewolf in thoughts and motivations than Axel and Xavier's stories were depicting. "So, what are we going to do?" I asked as I looked at them both.

"We have no choice but to go back home," Xavier replied as he tapped a ﬁnger on the arm of the chair.

"No," I said as I shook my head. "I can't go back. The two of you know I can't. Vampires or not, the Council wants me dead. Have you both forgotten that?"

Axel huffed. "Forgotten it? It's the reason we left. It's the reason we were attacked by vampires. How can we forget, Ruby? You need to remember that they want Xavier and me dead as well now. This isn't only about you."

"Axel," Xavier said in a warning tone.

I bit my lip and looked away. Axel was right. My life wasn't the only one on the line here, but I was scared. Not only was I running from the all-powerful werewolf Council, but now there were vampires on the loose out there, ones that even intimidated two full-grown male werewolves.

These two men were alphas-to-be. In fact, Axel was an alpha in all but name. Yet, they had their asses handed to them when they'd faced off against that vamp. Sure, it had been a full moon, and they had been caught off guard. But still, I did feel terriﬁed of anything that could strike fear into these two men. I didn't know about the guys, but I wasn't interested in becoming some vampire's lunch, or worse, getting turned into a vamp myself.

"Ruby?"

I looked Xavier's way as my name glided off his lips like honey.

"This new threat, it's very serious," he said. "If vampires are back and we know they are, this means trouble. We have to warn my dad and the Council. Other packs need to know this. I don't know much about vampires, but if the stories are true, then the entire world is in danger."

"The stories are true," Axel added. "Even if they have been altered over time, the danger vampires pose is real. They are savages, and because of their infectious bite, they multiply quickly. We don't know how many people were turned before we were attacked."

I wanted to ask him why we couldn't simply call Mathieu and warn him, but I knew that would be selﬁsh. I'd been lucky to survive being bitten...I knew this. If vampires decided to attack now, how many more would die if they maintained their element of surprise? "Okay," I replied as I scratched at my brow and closed my eyes. I quickly reopened them when I started to get a ﬂashback of the vampire as he attacked me, his glistening white fangs aimed directly at my throat. "Okay," I repeated, as I rolled my shoulders and sat up straight. "We do need to warn everyone."

Axel sat back and reclined in his seat, his eyes lowering into slits. "There's a book that has been in my family for generations. Supposedly, it holds the history of werewolves and other supernatural beings. I was never allowed to look inside it as a child. In fact, it's been so long since I've even seen it that I'd almost forgotten about it." He looked back and forth between the two of us, a contemplative look on his face. "It contains information on vampires, their weaknesses, and how to ﬁght them. Any knowledge we can gain from it about vampires will be helpful since we know so little right now."

At this point, I was barely listening to him. My mind had

taken me back to that highway, to the moment when I felt my blood gushing from my neck as that vampire consumed it. My shoulder twitched, something like a phantom feeling still present there.

"Ruby?" Xavier called to me. My head snapped towards him. He stared at me with concern.

I looked away, my eyes downcast to the ﬂoor. "I thought I was going to die," I said under my breath. "I thought you were both dead."

"We almost were," Axel replied.

I watched him from under my lashes.

He looked angry, and I could understand why. He wasn't someone that liked feeling out of control—this much I knew. He got his ass kicked and I could only imagine the level of his rage right now. The severity of the cut on his face underscored just how close of a call it had been.

"Who was he?" I asked. "The shadow. You know the person that saved us? Did either of you see him?" I lowered my voice. "Was it blondie?"

Axel frowned as he rose to stretch.

The action struck me as odd. It seemed too mundane coming from Axel. I supposed he must be tired. He certainly looked tired, anyways. Why did it seem as if neither Xavier nor he had rested the way I had? I glanced over at Xavier.

He'd been propping his head up with his hand, his eyes staring ahead. He appeared lost in thought.

I realized he'd barely spoken. "How long have we been here?"

His eyes shifted to me. "We've been here for two days." "Blondie, as you called him," Axel interjected. "Wasn't

the one that saved us. We're at my safe house right now, and he's the warlock I hired to watch the place. He keeps the place protected with warding. Whoever saved us and killed those vamps, got us here in a matter of hours."

I frowned as my eyes widened.

"He said there was a knock at the door and when he opened it, we were lying on the ground outside." Axel pointed at my neck. "Your wound was already almost healed and only bleeding a little. The same goes for us and our wounds. I, for one, feel drained. That fucker almost drained me."

I understood now, that's why they looked so beaten.

"On the other hand, you seem to have recovered rather quickly, especially for a human," Axel continued as he studied me suspiciously. "A little warlock magic was needed,

but I would have expected your wounds to have healed slower. Your blood count would certainly take some additional time to replenish."

My eyes narrowed at his tone and the way he was staring at me. I shrugged, not sure what to say to him. How was I to answer that? "Considering this was my ﬁrst time having my neck ripped open by a vampire, I don't know what to tell you. We can compare how fast I heal if it ever happens again."

And just like that, my anger at Axel returned.

"Whoever saved us must have done something to save Ruby ﬁrst," Xavier said. "We were almost beyond the point of no return. It would have taken less effort to drain Ruby, I would assume, given her smaller size in comparison to us. Either way, I think it's clear that at least someone out there knows about these vamps and how to kill them. Were they just in the right place at the right time, or did they already know what was going to happen? And how did they know where to take us if this safe house is unknown to others, even Axel's pack?" He questioned, looking at Axel as he said it. Then Xavier stood and ran his hand down his shirt. "There are a lot of questions about how we survived. All we really know is that we did. But right now, getting back to the pack has to be our priority." He turned to leave the room and paused. "Come on," he said to me. "You need to eat."

My stomach chose that moment to growl.

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