Chapter 23
Blood
***
Leila was torn between the two. Her widened eyes looked from one to the other until she could no longer hold the tension between them. She pulled her arms away from them.
Hunter glared at her while Duncan let out a deep sigh as he gave her a short glance.
“What is wrong with you two?” Leila asked curiously as she folded her arms in front of her chest.
She wasn’t annoyed but she was purely intrigued and bewildered. She couldn’t understand the sudden animosity between them when they had just met.
“I think, your neighbor likes to talk to you. I will just be outside, Leila.” Duncan suddenly stated and went out of the house before she could say more.
Leila let out a deep sigh as her lips parted because of what happened. Then, she faced Hunter.
“What is your problem?” She asked him seriously.
To be honest, she was totally unaware of the reason for his irritation. Prior to their journey back here, he was fine. He even watched me while I prepared the ingredients. His mood suddenly changed when Duncan arrived.
Which she couldn’t believe it, either. Duncan is her childhood friend. He might be worried because she is there alone. He could be very protective of her most of the time especially when he saw Hunter here with her.
Even way back then, he was like that, and she couldn’t stop him in doing so. She thought that was because he was treating her like his younger sister.
Hunter clenched his jaw as he stared at her.
“Just tell me what is wrong with you, Hunter. Because I can’t understand why you are being like this.” Leila asked trying so hard to maintain her composure.
However, Hunter just ran his fingers in his hair like he was frustrated over something but he wouldn’t say it.
Her left brow shut upwards.
“I just don’t like him, okay? He has this air of… arrogance and he even… Damn it!” He murmured his last words.
“Huh?” She uttered as she couldn’t understand his words.
“You know what? Stop being with him and let him be. He is just so-”
“Look, Hunter. Duncan is my friend who is kindhearted to visit me here. Besides, stop calling him arrogant as if you aren’t.” Leila impatiently stated before going out of the house to follow Duncan.
She didn’t know what’s gotten to Hunter for acting that way. But she knew better. Being with him for the past few weeks, she had already known a bit about him. Unlike Duncan who might be very upset about how Hunter was behaving.
Leila looked around as she tried to look for Duncan but he was not there. She tried walking to the pathway near the woods but to no avail.
“Duncan?” She called his name.
Then, she shivered all of a sudden when she realized what had happened a few days ago. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she realized that this wasn’t a good idea and that she needed to go back and asked Hunter to help her find Duncan.
No matter how embarrassing that is, she wouldn’t want to face another set of rogues in front of her with their teeth flashing and their bloody eyes glaring at her.
Her breathing hitched as she tried to calm the fast beating of her heart. She didn’t want to panic but she was inside, no matter what she did or thought to distract herself.
She bit her lower lip but as she turned her back to the woods, she realized that she had a long way to go before reaching her house.
Then, a loud thud stopped her tracks as she found herself trapped with five huge rogues around her.
Her lips parted as she tried to breathe. Her eyes moistened as shock started to creep in into her system.
She looked around but she realized she was already far from her house. She was already in the woods.
Leila thought that she should have thought about it already!
“W-What do you w-want?” She tried to ask but no one replied.
She was thinking of calling Hunter at the top of her lungs when someone from the woods appeared. A man with grayish hair appeared. It seemed like he was the leader or something. He had pale skin, black thick eyebrows, and a pointed nose.
“Don’t think of shouting if you don’t want your friend to be dead.” The man uttered using his low and eerie voice.
Her eyes widened when she realized Duncan.
“Where did you take him? Where is he?!”” She demanded as she tried to act defiantly.
But the man just smirked at her arrogantly.
“Follow us if you want to know.” He simply stated and turned his back at her like he didn’t want to hear anything from her anymore.
Leila swallowed hard as she tried to fight the urge to simply run away.
She thought that it was her fault that Duncan was here. It was her fault that his life was at risk. And she must help him.
They lead her towards the depths of the woods.
However, a few more minutes later she couldn’t see Duncan.
What if they had just tricked her into coming with them?
“Where is Duncan? Or do you really have him?!” Leila boldly inquired.
But the man didn’t reply as he continued his tracks towards somewhere. Leila pursed her lips together as she tried to find a way to escape. She must do something to go back and tell Hunter everything.
It was just so stupid of her to think that she could do something to rescue Duncan by herself.
And when she found an escape, she immediately ran back to the road. Although it was all vague to her whether or not it was the right track that she was heading.
“F*ck it! Follow her!” The man with grayish hair ordered the rogues.
She could feel their presence. She could feel her legs wobble. But she didn’t want to stop. Her tears trying to slow her down as she blinked her eyes to let it fall and clear her vision from all of the tears.
For she knew that she had to be strong… She had to escape… She had to run for her dear life.
A soft sob escaped her lips but she suddenly felt a throbbing pain at her back… The reason why she was pushed to a steep cliff.
She rolled to the ground hitting her… giving her bruises and pain all over her body.
And the moment her body stopped; she felt the throbbing pain at her temple. She could smell the steely blood around her.
A loud growling sound resonated throughout the entire woods but she couldn’t feel anything anymore.
‘Is this the end of me?’ Leila mentally asked herself.
And before she could find the answer, everything just went black.