ARTEMISIA
Everything around me is moving way too fast for my brain to register as it is still paralyzed by his scent and eyes.
Vampire!
My inner voice screams as a ringing in my ears takes over, overpowering everything Cassy is shouting in my mind.
“Bloody hell! Will you run away already!” He cusses, bringing me back to reality. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold him back!”
“Missy!” Mirella grabs my arm, pulling me to my feet just as Logan frees himself from the vampire’s grip, catapulting him through the room with a loud roar.
Our screams nearly overpower the sound of the wall crashing at the impact as we take several steps back. Mirella dragging me out of the way as pieces of the wall explode in our direction, and I still can’t grasp the situation.
Logan catches himself pretty fast, his claws already growing as he gets up slowly, fixing his gaze on the vampire who is lying under a pile of crumbled concrete.
‘Cayden! Cayden, help us,’ I open my mind link for the first time to him, not caring if I send my words to the entire pack by mistake.
I step in front of Mirella, my hyperventilation getting worse as Logan straightens himself up, turning towards us threateningly.
My eyes jump back and forth between the vampire standing up with a groan and Logan glaring at us like he wants to eat us whole.
‘There in a second,’ I hear Cayden’s voice echo in my mind, getting a new stream of strength to stream through me.
“Get it together!” I scream at Logan. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Shut up,” he shouts back, making us jump.
Mirella whimpers behind me as he already moves to attack me again.
‘I’ll take over. We got this! Don’t be afraid,’ Cassy says in my head confidently, making me gulp.
‘No! No! I’m not used to shift! That could go so wrong! Cassy!’ I scream back at her panicky.
I lift my arms in front of my face, wanting to defend myself and the Omega as Logan charges at me, only to be tackled down to the floor again by the vampire.
“Run! Now!” the vampire shouts at me, and I finally react.
Taking Mirella’s hand, I pull her up the stairs, a crowd of warriors followed by Cayden already running down to the ground floor.
“Are you alright?” He asks, holding me by my arms, and I nod.
He looks down the stairs, seeing his brother getting overpowered by the few wolves who manage to keep him at bay even if he gets to free himself from every wolf who attacks him. “Go! We got this.”
We pick up running again, climbing the stairs at record speed.
‘Drake!’ I scream in my mind as I’m running to my quarters with Mirella.
His roar rumbles through me, making my heartbeat calm down, ‘Already on my way, mate.’
We barge through our door, and I close every single lock while Mirella runs to secure the windows.
“What was that?” Mirella’s chest heaves as she stares at me, standing in the middle of my bedroom.
I slump to the ground, covering my eyes with my hands. “I don’t know.”
“That wasn’t a wolf’s aura… Is he a hybrid?” she asks, making me sit up again.
“What?”
Her eyes widen as she lays her hands on her stomach. “I mean… He was… What was that?”
“That’s why they have such a bad reputation… They don’t seem like wolves, but they are just awfully strong,” I answer her, smiling at her sadly.
She lets herself fall next to me, taking my hands. “Are you okay?”
I nod, forcing another smile. “Are you?”
“I think so,” she answers, scrunching up her nose.
We stay unmoved, holding our breaths even when the commotion stops.
It doesn’t take long until knocks resound from the door, followed by Cayden’s muffled voice. “Artemisia!”
Jerking up, we stay frozen to our spots just until the knocks resound again. “Open up!”
We look at each other uncertain about what to do as another set of knocks gets my heart to skyrocket.
“Go!” I whisper to Mirella and she gets up to open the door, only to be pushed to the side by Cayden.
I stand up, watching him coming into my room followed by a handful of warriors. He clenches his jaw as he looks at me, making me bite the nail of my thumb.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, frightened by the people streaming into my room.
“Everything will be okay,” Cayden tries to console me before instructing the men standing behind him. “Hold her as firmly as possible.”
My breath hitches in my throat as they grab me, pulling me to the bed to restrain me.
I start panicking, not liking Cayden’s gaze, and start fighting against them holding me down, even if there is no avail.
Mirella is standing by the door with a terrified expression as an old man with a long robe enters the room. His kind face is totally scrunched up by his wrinkles and he would look like the kindest grandpa ever if I wasn’t totally terrorised.
“Cayden? What… Who is this?” I breathe out, still fighting against my constriction.
The old man nears us calmly, smiling creepily without saying a word and lays his hand on my neck.
Cayden glares down at me, his hateful gaze freaking me out even more. “He is our elder sitting in the high council. We are going to punish Logan. Attacking you was the last straw.”
My eyes widen and I’m just about to say something as Cayden beats me to it.
“Please forgive me, my Love.” His words have barely entered my system as my body gets pierced by a searing pain.
My body shuts down entirely as I feel as if the old man is cutting a piece out of me.
I scream at the top of my lungs, feeling the tearing pain about to make me black out.
Cayden stands in front of me, clenching his jaw while his hands are balled to fist, and I guess he is just experiencing the pain along with me.
Only as the old man lets go of me, the pain resurfaces to burn right in my mark, and my brain starts to work again, making me grasp what just happened.
A short flashback flickers in front of my eyes, my heart remembering the pain I felt streaming off my mate in that moment.
‘They have the power to remove marks. Even from fated mates.’
The recognition of the fact that the old man just tore Logan’s mark out of me is the last thing that passes my mind before I faint.