Stand down, wait for orders. Stop fighting.
It’s as clear as day and almost like magic, everything around me starts to separate as vampires and Lycan push away from one another and stumble backwards to tend to their own wounds. From harsh screams, tearing, and gnashing of teeth, comes the weird and sudden pause that lets the noise of the rustling trees sound louder than I have ever heard them. From chaos to calm, from blood lust to stillness.
The quiet of a battlefield in a temporary lull and yet I only feel fear intensify and nausea rises, that this is far from over and only the calm before the typhoon rips though. Everything relies on me now and whatever I say to convince Varro that the only death needs to be Juan’s.
Varro
The dark swirls around me like an oppressive, heavy cloak and I stand motionless, aware of bodies close behind me as we wait in the unearthly still. The sound of labored breathing suppressed snarls, and growls, as my flank of wolves grows to stand in a uniformed mass of protection.
“Lorey.” The familiar voice, followed by a swoop and gentle thud as my mate lands beside me in perfect poise. Appearing as if by magic. His hand skimming the back of my hair with gentle precision and a show of affection, and he takes a second to focus everything on me with a pause as he checks me over. Appearing from beyond the veil of shadows and trees and I’m instantly calmer, relieved at his presence. Less afraid when he’s by my side.
“Where have you been?” I whisper at him under my breath, not giving him a second to talk or question me. My eyes still fixed on the emptiness as I await Jasper’s reappearance. The vampires have all fallen back, leaving us out here as though standing on a stage and waiting on the curtain to rise. It’s a freakish still in the storm and a feeling that has me on edge, drowning in senses as my ability to sense the vampires overpowers me. They’re still close enough to make me antsy. My heart’s pounding through my chest with the heaviness of my own anxiety, trying not to fidget as we wait for the appearance of the man who can end this tonight.
“Fighting, trying to keep the valley wolves alive. There are so many of them and so few of us.” He shifts around me, eyes all over my body as he checks for anything untoward once more, not satisfied with his first appraisal. Always protective, always caring, and then places his palm on the small of my back and pulls me to his side so our bodies touch.
I throw a look up at him and can already tell by his scrapes and mud slick body that’ he’s been having a rough time in the valley. His wounds are slow to heal due to the frequency, so he’s covered in marks and grazes. His hair is messy, his eyes still glowing amber while in human form and I can feel the adrenaline pumping through him like hot lava.
“Have we lost many?” I try and keep my tone inaudible to the nearby wolves as my mate casts a quick glance back at them, instantly uncomfortable and shifts on his feet. His reluctance to answer is obvious.
“Hmmmm.” It’s a short and empty reply, but it speaks volumes to me. He knows it will ruin the morale of the ones closest and word would spread fast that many have died already. I don’t want to know how many are gone either; I don’t think I can handle seeing Varro if I know just how many lives have been pointlessly lost tonight. I would hate him before I can even talk to him, and it would color everything that came out of my mouth. I push it away as best I can and try to focus on the here and now.
“Where’s Meadow and the subs?” I change the topic and scan the dark again, yet the only faces I see are those who were already here, patiently waiting. In the back of my mind, I wonder where Juan is. He merged into the mess after the imprinting and he’s nowhere to be seen. Not that I care, as he has nowhere to run, and I am quietly confident that once Varro decides to pinpoint him, then he will be caught quickly. We no longer need to protect him, so everything has changed. Juan can try and escape this night, but fate brought us all together for this reason.
“Split up, spread thin. They are some of our best, so they went where needed. Without being able to link, I can’t be sure.”
My gut sinks and flips and I’m suddenly deflated and even more scared with the fact we have no contact with our most trusted. This is a mess. Our pack is disorganized without our ability to link and judging by Colton’s labored breathing, his gifts and strength are fading the longer we are out here. Objectively I know that if we keep going with this fight, we will lose. We never imagined it could even get this way.
“Carmen?” Colton flicks his glance to my side, devoid of her and only flanked by my guards. She swore to him to protect me and yet his furrowed brow and icy glare tell me he isn’t pleased she’s absent.
“Busy trying to disarm the sound for us, where I told her to go.” I nod towards the house and yet Colton’s head stops as he scans the faces to my left. His eyes suddenly coming to rest on something of interest that sparks a facial response; blinking in shock and then something warmer as his muscles relax and I spot a hint of a smile.
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