“Here!” The main doors are thrown open, disrupting us, as a heavy figure is tossed into the center of our haphazard group. It’s so fast it catches me off guard and we all stare as Juan’s bound figure slides across the floor in a dramatic fashion. Sliding to an abrupt halt, as he stops in a center stage area of our clearing.
Bound and gagged, wriggling for his freedom and yet the only emotions coming from that pitiful figure are rage and disgust. I can taste it even from here. He has not a single ounce of remorse or regret. There’s no fear in what’s to be done to him but rather outrage that we would treat him this way. Juan is insane. I can’t believe he hid it so well for so long while we all lived under his reign.
Darrius walks casually towards Varro and gives him a low bow. Bending and staying put as a sign of respect and I get the chills from his presence in a way Varro has never caused. Darrius is the kind of vampire you know the horror stories originated from.
“The witch held up her end of the bargain. She said she will come to Ladrikmorra for payment in a few days. She isn’t needed here anymore.” He straightens up, keeping his eyes on the floor, much like our pack does to me and Colton.
I blink at Darrius in surprise and then glance at Meadow in confusion. It would be nice if the witch told us goodbye at least, or some sort of debrief after helping us these past days. She can’t have left without so much as a ‘see ya’. It actually angers and hurts me to know she finished her task and left without a word, as though we meant nothing to her.
“Leyanne never changes. Swoops in to do the bare minimum when she feels others are being blatantly thick, then leaves without a word, off to another adventure. Don’t expect sweet farewells or tears, Alora. That witch is three thousand years of bad mood and loner attitude. Be glad she did anything to help or was pleasant in anyway. She is notorious for not giving any kind of a rat’s ass.” Varro casts me a smile that doesn’t meet his eyes and waves away my frown as though I am being too sensitive to this.
I’m a little gutted because I thought we meant more than this. This isn’t even truly over yet officially, and she just swoops off into the darkness before sunup.
“To the problem at hand. Now, what are we going to do with you, Mr. Santo?” Varro turns his full attention to Juan, eyes locking on his prey as they glow to an almost unreal red that finally sends the shivers through my soul. A change in his features as he scans his prey properly and the whole room around us turns deathly silent.
Juan
I can’t tear my eyes away from Juan, as he sits helpless in his binds on the dirty floor. All eyes around the room on him, except Colton’s. He’s turned away and seems unable to bring himself to look at all. A sense of desolation swirling around him like a dense fog. I sense Sierra and Radar entering the room from the main door, followed by more pack wolves and realize we now have an attentive audience to our ex-alpha’s fate. It feels like we are hitting some sort of crescendo in a power struggle that began long ago in this very house.
“You think you’ve won, just because you have me here?” Juan sneers my way, eyes amber and full of hatred yet he stays in human form, and I wonder why. He’s stronger as a wolf and more likely to make a break for it that way, so I don’t get why he’s sitting human and even seems strangely calm and submissive. I ignore his attempts to bait me and keep my expression blank as though I couldn’t care less about his predicament. To me this is already over.
“I think you misunderstand the meaning of winning, my dearest fellow.” Varro snorts and walks to him confidently. Tall and straight and exuding confidence. Swaggering as his dark robes trail behind him and he suddenly strikes me as an Asian warrior of old. Long dark hair, tailored clothes, under a thick opulent cloak. Like some historical Joseon drama villain and all that’s missing is a sword. He’s so different to Darrius, with his modern tailoring and short and clean-shaven style. He has old world about him and yet it somehow suits a Lord of the vampires to be this way.
“Pahh…. Look around. I may not be their alpha anymore, but I’ve left them cowering and forever to remember who I am. The greatest power of Lycan in a long time. I will go down in the history books.” Juan smirks, shrugging his large shoulders and seems oblivious to reality. Completely unaffected by the fact he is a prisoner and about to face a fate worse than death from here on in. I baulk at the fact that maybe Juan was always this mentally unstable and yet somehow only got worse as power went to his head.
“We call that delusion. A tale of what not to be.” Colton chips in, low and almost unheard, and finally turns this way. His eyes slow to trace a route to his father’s figure and he looks away again the second they land on him. The pain etched for a moment on that handsome face. My heart constricts for him, knowing how much of a war must be going on his mind over this.
“Is it? I’ll go down in history for …….”
“Destroying your pack, ruining your own home, losing the trust and loyalty of many? Which part of that is admirable? You’ll be remembered as insane.” Colton barks right back, cutting him off and finding strength in his own anger. Unveiled hatred beginning to show once more as his guilt is faded out by his father’s arrogant words.
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