“I’m the one who’s giving you five seconds to let him go before I sink my claws into her neck.” A gleeful voice split through the air, sending dangerous chills down Damon’s spine. Her neck? He wasn’t talking about Sarah, was he?
Slowly, Damon turned his head towards Maxim who was being followed by two black rogue wolves; one already shifted while the other was still in human form.
Upon seeing the sight of Maxim holding his battered mate, Damon’s hand unintentionally loosened around Kevin’s neck. Kevin immediately used the chance to pluck each of his fingers from around his neck and swiftly escape his clutches, running over to Maxim’s side.
“W-what did you do to her?” His shocked eyes rolled up and down her body over and over again… as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach and blood was seeping from bruises sprawled over her body. From the way she was close to tumbling over backway, she probably couldn’t even stand on her own. “What. the. fuck. did. you. do?!” Damon repeated, his voice low and threatening as his hands returned to his side.
“It seems like you don’t realize who’s currently in shit right now. It’s not me nor you… its this little human who has absolutely nothing to do with this and…” Maxim ran his nails along her neck. “… the helpless kid growing inside her. You won’t let them die will you?… that’s if the kid isn’t dead already.”
Damon’s eyes twinkled with confusion. “K-Kid?”
“You hadn’t realized?” he rose a brow and then a few seconds passed before he burst out laughing. “Oh my, I think I ruined the surprise!”
Damon’s hands that were balled into a fist slowly unfurled as shock coursed through him. Now that he thought of it, pregnancy could have been the only reason why he felt her scent had gotten stronger. Why didn’t he think of it? Why had he been so oblivious? If he had realized it sooner then he would’ve postponed this whole battle to a later date and then maybe this all wouldn’t have happened…. Maybe all this could’ve turned out differently.
But he was too rash… this was his fault, his and his alone.
“It was definitely entertaining to see you struggle to live, but what will you do now? It’s either you let them both die or you give up now… which will it be?” Maxim smiled from ear to ear. It was obvious that he was enjoying Damon’s turmoil. “Come on. It isn’t that hard to chose, is it? I thought Alpha’s treasured their bloodlines over everything else. And out of respect for atleast coming this far, I’ll atleast let the child live. Besides, I wasn’t even planning on hurting your mate this badly, but she was hellbent on not rejecting you. This is your fault for not teaching her how to behave.”
Damon stared at him, for a long while at that. His long stare was simply for the sole reason of displaying his sheer anger, rather than to scout a decision. He needed not to think before he acted, because there was absolutely nothing to think about. He was going to surrender…. because it was the only thing he could do in this situation.
“Fine. You win.” He slowly held his hands up in surrender. “I’ll-”
“N-No.” A soft repetitive whisper cut him off. “I’m fi-fine. Just–” Sarah swallowed the metallic liquid in her mouth as she struggled to speak. The view around her was blurry and her whole body was burning with immense pain. It was a mystery how she even managed to release a few words. “Ju-Just kill th-them all.”
Damon knew exactly who had said those words, yet his eyes didn’t move towards her. This was his choice to make. Whether to die or to save her. Obviously there was a fifty percent chance that Maxim would still kill her even after he perished, but he’d take the risk anyway if it meant that he’d atleast die with a little hope left in him… hope that she would still be alive after he died.
“I’ll let you do what you want.” He continued. “… but you better kill me on spot, because the moment I get my hands on you… will be the moment you die.”
Maxim quickly made a gesture with his chin and within an instant, one of his lackeys pinned Damon to the ground and sunk his large wolf teeth into his neck enough to draw blood. One slight movement from either of them and his life could be in grave danger.
Maxim cheerfully shoved Sarah in Kevin’s direction and he quickly shuffled to point his gun at her head. Anyone could tell that he was still ruffled by his near death experience a little while ago. He was making it pretty obvious.
“When I give you the go, kill them both.” He said, his words addressing both Kevin and the rogue.
Kevin’s eyes widened. “But-”
“Do you want to die?” Maxim snapped. “Shoot when I say so or you’ll be the one with a bullet in your skull!”
Reluctantly, Kevin nodded. He had no one to back him at the moment so his authority basically laid beneath Maxim’s feet now. It was either he allowed himself to be killed or he followed his lead. The latter was his best choice in this case.
“I thought you said you’d keep her alive!” Damon growled from the floor, his hate-filled eyes glaring up at an elated Maxim.
“I said I’d keep the kid alive, not her. Ain’t that right? But sadly, if the mother dies, the child dies as well. It’s above my capabilities to save it.”
“You fucking m-”
“What the fuck’s going on?!” Katie’s voice came first and then her figure slowly emerged from behind the wall before entering through the door. All eyes turned to her furious form. She had struggled her way through the battlefield after hearing a few gunshots from the inside. She knew that something bad had happened but she didn’t expect to see this.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt them… you said you’d only make her reject him! It doesn’t look like that’s what you’re doing!” Her eyes were as fierce as a tiger’s as she pulled back her arrow and lifted her chin. “This arrow is laced with wolvesbane so you better tell me what the hell is going on!”
“She wasn’t going according to plan.” Maxim explained as he paced calmly through the crammed space. He didn’t seem all that worried over her sudden appearance, but Katie didn’t take notice of that. “… so we had to take some drastic measures.”
“Drastic measures? She looks like she’s about to fucking fall over! Release them and let’s leave this place quickly. Their reinforcements have already arrived and we are bound to lose… no, we’ve already lost.”
“So what if we’re losing? I want my revenge no matter what and I will have it…”
“Stop going on and on about a stupid revenge. How will you get your revenge when you’re dead?! Let them go and leave this place–”
“Or what? Will you shoot me if I do this!?” He swiftly grabbed Kevin’s spare gun from his left holster and shot Damon once in one thigh and once more in his shoulder.
Damon bit down on his cheeks. Despite the pain that ravaged him, he didn’t let Maxim have the pleasure of hearing a single squeak escape him. But the wolvesbane in the bullets plus the amount he inhaled not too long ago, was gradually making him weaker. Because of it, his wounds wouldn’t heal as fast as before so the pain was more harder to bear than ever.
“I seriously will shoot you!” Katie warned.
“Or this?” Ignoring her warning, Maxim then turned his body in Sarah’s direction and aimed the loaded gun at her head. In turn, Kevin bit his bottom lip nervously while Katie’s eyes widened and Damon’s body stiffened in dread.
Maxim grinned. The abounding fear tainting the air around him was what he had been yearning for. It was what he lived for… especially Damon’s.
“Stop this madness! You won’t be able to get out of here alive.” Damon snared.
“Who cares? I told you, didn’t I? All I want is revenge. I want to see your face when I blow her brains out!” He cackled as his index finger torturously moved towards the trigger.
Katie tightened her hold on the arrow and before anything else could happen, she pulled it further backwards and with a deep breath, she released it into the air.
Everyone expected it to hit, but unfortunately, it didn’t. Before the arrow could pierce him, Maxim lowered the gun swiftly, grabbed the rogue he brought with him and pulled him in front of him, causing the arrow to perceive through his heart instead. Then, he lifted gun once again, rested it atop the rogues shoulder and without an ounce of hesitance, he pulled the trigger thrice in total…. one bullet in her shoulder and two in her chest.
“I bet you thought I wasn’t this good with guns?” He laughed as he threw his lifeless comrade aside. “Surprise! Surprise!”
A low gasp escaped Sarah’s bruised lips while on the other hand, Damon’s face remained as emotionless as ever. He felt absolutely no ounce of remorse for that traitor. His mind was solely focused on finding a way out of this… atleast a way out for Sarah. But the solution wasn’t coming to him… in fact, there could very well be no solution at all. But Damon couldn’t accept that fate. They shouldn’t die… they couldn’t die. And he’d make sure of it… even if he had to stoop lower than he ever did before.
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do without a fight.” Damon squeezed out. “I’ll call off my army, hand the throne to you, give you all the riches I own… anything!” For the first time in his life, Damon was pleading. “But just let her live.”
Maxim shook his head while licking his lips. “All I need is for you and everyone related to you to die. Now boys… get ready to kill these fuckers when I tell you to.”
Though death awaited him whenever he stepped out of this place, Maxim was still as hysterical and gleeful as ever. He was finally getting what he wanted…. revenge on the man who had locked him up for years. He had waited a long time for this very moment and now, he’d get to watch Damon die before his eyes. Today would definitely be the best day of his life!
With his grin still set on his lips, he opened his mouth and got ready to voice the words that would make him the happiest man alive.
But in the midst of his euphoria, Katie who was barely breathing on the floor, locked her fingers around her bow. Pain erupted in her shoulder and chest but nonetheless, she sucked in a heap of air and reached behind her, pulling out the last arrow she had stacked in her bag. She set the bow and arrow in place before lifting it lightly off the floor. Then, she shifted her eyes to the scene before her and was ready to aim…
But sadly, she was not even sure what she should have been aiming at…. whether at the rogue holding Damon hostage, the Hunter pointing a gun to Sarah’s head or Maxim.
If she saved Sarah, then she probably wouldn’t even make it out of here alive since she’d literally have three enemies to evade.
If she saved Damon then he probably wouldn’t even be able to save Sarah… nor himself considering the gunshot wounds he had and the deep bite mark in his neck.
And if she tried to kill Maxim in one blow, there was still no telling what his lackeys would do to avenge him.
So then, what was she to do?! Who should be left to die? And who should she save?!
But she didn’t get enough time to make a final decision, because within a few seconds Maxim had shouted his last command.
“Kill them!”
In the spur of the moment, Katie quickly shoved her thoughts aside and released the last arrow in …..’s direction!