KEILAH
I stared at Damien, my mind whirling with a thousand thoughts. His sudden appearance left me speechless, and the raw intensity in his eyes sent another shiver down my spine. The anger in his voice cut through the night air, sharp and cold. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to find the words to explain myself.
“I-I saw something,” I finally managed to stammer, my voice trembling. “Those men… they were up to something, and I had to know what it was.”
“And did you find out what it was?” he demanded, his voice sharp, cutting through the darkness. The fury in his tone was unmistakable, and it sent a fresh wave of unease through me.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself. “I was about to, but… things didn’t go my way,” I admitted, the frustration in my voice matching my racing thoughts. I could still see the shadows moving in the forest, the broad man’s hand holding the gold jug, the council member’s secretive actions. It was all so close, and yet I had nothing to show for it except the gnawing fear that I was in way over my head.
Damien raked a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. “Don’t you realize how dangerous it is out here for you to wander alone?” he snapped, his voice rising. “Do you think everyone loves you so much that they’ll just let you go on your merry way if they see you?”
His words hit me like a slap in the face, but before I could let the hurt settle in, anger flared up inside me. “You don’t have to remind me,” I shot back, my voice trembling with emotion. “I know it already. And trust me, I don’t care anymore if they love me or not. The love I receive from Ralph is enough to care.”
“Does he know you’re out here,” Damien asked, his tone laced with sarcasm, “pretending to be a specialist spy?”
“No,” I admitted, my voice quieter but no less resolute. “But he has enough on his plate already. I thought… I thought maybe I could help, that I could do something useful.”
Damien sighed, the sound heavy with exasperation. “Keilah, I know you want to help. But this-this isn’t the way. You’re putting yourself in danger, and you’re only going to make things harder for Ralph if something happens to you.”
His words stung, but deep down, I knew he was right. I’d acted on impulse, driven by a need to prove myself, to protect the people I cared about. But in doing so, I’d nearly walked straight into a trap.
I sighed, the weight of Damien’s words pressing down on me. “I know, Damien,” I murmured, my voice softer now. “You’re right. I’ll go back. Dahlia’s probably looking for me by now anyway.” I glanced up at him, the frustration still simmering in my chest. “But before you take me back, tell me-what are you doing here? How did you know about today’s fight and where it was going to take place? Do you have a spy in Ralph’s house?”
Damien’s eyes narrowed, his expression hardening. “What I’m doing here is none of your business, Ms. human,” he replied coldly.
“Of course, it’s my business, Mr. vampire!” I snapped, my voice rising. “This is a special day for Ralph, and I won’t let you or anyone else ruin it. I know you’re not here with good intentions, but please, whatever you’re planning-let it wait until the fight is over…”
Before I could finish my sentence, he moved with lightning speed, his arms wrapping around me as if I weighed nothing. In the blink of an eye, he whooshed me through the air, the world around me a blur. I barely had time to register what was happening before I found myself back at the cave. He set me down gently, his expression unreadable, and without a word, he vanished into thin air like a wisp of smoke.
Still puzzled, a sharp voice snapped me back to reality.
“Keilah, do you want to get yourself killed?” Dahlia’s voice was laced with anger, cutting through the fog in my mind. I turned towards her, feeling a pang of guilt as I saw the fury in her eyes.
“I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, taking a step towards her. The anger in Dahlia’s expression softened, and for a moment, she just stared at me, her lips pressed into a thin line. The silence between us stretched, and I could see the fear lingering in her gaze. It made my chest tighten with regret.
“Please, don’t do that again,” she finally said, her voice trembling slightly. “I was so scared that something bad had happened to you. I don’t know what I would have told Alpha if…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head as if trying to shake away the worst of her thoughts.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself before looking at me again. “What were you doing out here alone in the first place?” she asked, her tone more controlled now but still tinged with concern.
“I just… I wasn’t feeling well,” I replied, trying to sound convincing. “I came out to get some fresh air, to clear my head.” The lie felt heavy on my tongue, but I wasn’t ready to tell her the full truth.
She didn’t say anything more. Instead, she grabbed my arm and started pulling me back inside the cave. “Come on, we need to get back,” she said, her voice still holding a trace of anger. As we hurried inside, she added, “Ralph and Zac are in the ring.”
My heart skipped a beat at her words. Ralph and Zac-already in the ring?
The moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere hit me like a wave. The air was thick with tension, and all eyes were on the centre of the ring, where Ralph and Zac stood facing each other. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the scene. Each of them held a gold jug in their hands, identical to the one I’d seen in the forest. My heart pounded as confusion washed over me.
“Dahlia,” I whispered urgently, my eyes never leaving the scene before me. “Why are they holding those gold jugs? What’s in them?”
Dahlia’s gaze flickered toward the ring, and I saw the hesitation in her eyes. She opened her mouth to respond but seemed to be searching for the right words. “It’s… a ritual,” she began slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. “The jugs contain a special liquid, a mix of herbs and other things. It’s part of the fight, a test of strength and resilience.”
“A test?” I echoed, confusion knotting my thoughts. “What does it do?”
Dahlia hesitated again, her eyes clouded with worry. “It tests their control,” she finally said. “Over themselves, over their powers. Whoever can withstand the effects the longest has the advantage. But it’s dangerous. It can push them to their limits, and if something goes wrong…”
The unease in my chest grew heavier as I watched the scene unfold before me. The image of the council member pouring something into the gold jug in the forest replayed in my mind. My heart raced as I struggled to connect the dots between what I’d seen and what was happening now.
My thoughts churned with the fear that whatever was in one of those jugs might not be just a test-it could be something far more sinister. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, the pain grounding me in the present but also amplifying the dread. What if whatever they added to those jugs was meant to Ralph to harm him? The thought made my stomach churn, and my breath caught in my throat.
Time seemed to slow as Ralph and Zac raised their jugs to their mouths. My panic surged uncontrollably, the sight of those jugs about to be consumed, pushing me to the edge.
I couldn’t take it any longer. The image of Ralph falling victim to whatever was in that jug was too horrifying. My voice broke through the silence like a thunderclap, desperate and frantic.
“Stop!” I shouted, the word tearing from my throat. The cavern echoed with my cry, the sound ricocheting off the walls and filling the space with raw panic.
Heads turned toward me, eyes wide with shock and confusion. Ralph and Zac paused mid-action, their eyes flicking toward me as the tension in the room reached its peak. Dahlia’s grip on my arm tightened, her own face a mask of concern and confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Ralph’s voice cut through my thoughts through the mindlink, a mix of irritation and worry lacing his tone. His eyes bore into mine, demanding an explanation.
“I-” I began, but my words tangled in my throat, tripping over each other in my frantic state. The gravity of the situation paralyzed me, even as I tried to gather the scattered pieces of my explanation.
I couldn’t find the words, couldn’t force my thoughts into any coherent explanation. The truth lodged in my throat, tangled with the certainty that if I revealed what I knew, no one would believe me.
Before I could even process what I was doing, I bolted down the cave steps, my feet moving of their own accord. I could feel the eyes of the crowd on me, their confusion and shock palpable, but I didn’t care. I had only one thought in my mind-protect Ralph, no matter the cost.
I reached the edge of the ring, bending low over the steel chains that marked its boundary. Ignoring Ralph’s sharp, questioning voice in my mindlink, I slipped into the ring, my eyes locked on the gold jug in his hand.
“Keilah, what the hell are you doing?” Ralph’s voice cut through the air, sharp and bewildered. But I ignored him, my focus solely on the gold jug. Without hesitation, I snatched it from his grip, the cold metal biting into my fingers.
“Keilah, stop!” Ralph shouted, reaching for me, but I moved too quickly. I raised the jug to my lips, the bitter scent of its contents filling my nostrils. The crowd gasped loudly, a collective intake of breath that echoed off the cave walls.
I tilted the jug and drank deeply, the liquid flooding my mouth with a strange, bitter taste that sent a shiver down my spine. It was unlike anything I’d ever tasted-metallic, earthy, and tinged with something darker, something I couldn’t quite place. But I forced myself to swallow, feeling the burn as it slid down my throat.
The crowd’s gasp grew louder, a wave of shock and disbelief rippling through the cave. But I didn’t let it distract me. I dropped the now-empty jug to the sandy ground with a hollow clang and turned, making my way toward where the council members stood.
My eyes zeroed in on the one council member I’d seen in the forest, the one who had poured something into the jug. His eyes blazed with fury, his jaw tightening in barely contained rage. But I didn’t flinch. Instead, I smiled-a small, defiant curve of my lips that held a silent victory. I had done it. Whatever he had planned, whatever poison or foul magic had been meant for Ralph, I had taken it upon myself. Ralph was safe, and that was all that mattered.