Chapter 22 Rion
RION
Asinking feeling settles in my stomach, burning up my abdomen, throughout my veins, lighting up every part of my body as the truth before me resonates in my mind.
Toman is dead.
And Kael is nowhere to be fucking seen.
Fear is palpable throughout the entire atmosphere, the energy warring between Jude and The Sanctum. Every single student present gapes in despair, rooted to the spot. The battle for control is undeniable, but it's Cordelia who clears her throat, standing tall as she speaks first.
“How dare you, Jude Forrester, show up here, repeatedly trying to overthrow The Sanctum. How dare you murder one of our own in cold blood,” she snarls, and Jude laughs, the sounds splitting through her tirade.
“One of your own?” he says with a scoff.
“Toman was one of mine. I do believe he's the reason I knew every spot to hit, every time to do it, and where to cause maximum destruction.
And he revealed to me when my plans came to fruition and Elodie became a member of The Vale.
If anything, I've done you a favor, cutting off the deadly vines of a traitor.”
My heart ricochets in my chest at the mention of Elodie as Saken’s voice cuts through the air.
“Bullshit,” he snarls, completely out of character, and my eyes widen in surprise at the older man's terse voice.
“See what you like, Saken. Regardless, he's dead now, but please, proceed. Continue with your wondrous game that you created. I'm not here to interrupt. I'm here to have fun,” Jude muses, and the temperature drops as nerves ratchet up a notch.
“You don't get to come in here and think you make the rules. You can't come in here and call the shots,” Anya bites with her hands braced, ready to attack as venom burns deep in her eyes.
“Oh, Anya. Sweet, sweet, Anya. Truly, I say this from the bottom of my heart, but nobody gives a fuck about what you or your little rodents have to say.
I'm here because I love a riveting game of hide and seek, and what better way to play than to have one of your little games set the perfect atmosphere?”
Cordelia huffs in disgust. “You have interrupted our trials enough. You are not here to—”
“I think we all know what I'm here for.” His eyes latch on to the girl beside me and my heart thunders in my chest until I think it might break a rib.
“But I do love the chase. Although, we are all aware that Elodie is a force to be reckoned with, and a simple game in one of your little trials won't guarantee me the prize at the end, so I'll lay this out instead.” He aims a finger in her direction.
“Bring the scythe to me, and I'll save you from death.” His words cut through the air, spoken to every student present as I instinctively take a step to cover Elodie. His eyes widen with glee.
“Oh, cute. Another wolf. Anya, remind him what I do to little pups that get in my way. You do remember your husband… don't you?”
Anya’s face pales, but the venom remains, her anger thrumming through the air. But it's not her that concerns me anymore, it's the students around us, all of which now have their eyes set on saving themselves from this monster.
Their new found ticket out of here just so happens to be my heart, my soul, my Petal, and it'll be over my dead fucking body that they get any closer.
Rikard clears his throat, yanking me from the spiral threatening to control my feral actions.
“The game today is to make it back to your institute alive.” His eyes are set on Elodie, who peeks out from behind me.
Rikard’s gaze quickly snags to Thorne for a beat too before returning to Jude’s, but it's the confusion etched into the facial features of the rest of The Sanctum that leaves my gut twisted.
Something tells me this wasn't the game. He's trying to help us, to help her, which only seems to solidify what Thorne told me on the way over here. The memory, the information he shared with Elodie, it’s true.
Rikard might be fucked up, but whatever he's trying to do, he's attempting to do it in our favor.
Cordelia grunts. “But that's not the—”
“Let the trial begin,” Rikard interjects, clapping his hands together, locking in the games as magic flutters over The Vale.
Every single person is looking at us right now as Thorne inches closer.
“I will drench this entire fucking land in darkness. While I do that, I need you to run.”
“We all need to run,” Elodie mutters, spinning on the spot with me right behind her and Ocean flanking her other side.
But before any of us can take a single step, someone chooses today to die as they charge toward Elodie.
Anger burns through them, hatred thick in the air as if they have a vendetta, but before he can get any closer, Thorne blocks their path, smoke drifting from his hands, swirling around his limbs, tightening, strangling.
“You don't have to do this, Dominic,” Elodie mutters, but he simply snaps his teeth in rage.
Dominic. I recognized his face but his name eluded me. I just know he’s an Institute Four student, based on the pink stitching on his blazer. It doesn’t matter, though. Now I'll enjoy remembering him dead.
Making sure Thorne doesn't have all the fun, I cut the distance, letting my wolf strength rise to the surface as I reach for his head. The sound of his spine snapping echoes around us, making sure everyone knows that the road to Elodie will not be a clear path.
I let the lifeless body slump to the ground and Thorne’s magic retreats. I can hear Jude snickering from his vantage point, taking in the carnage unraveling so quickly, but I focus my attention on Thorne instead.
“Take off with her. Now.”
“I’m standing right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” Elodie interjects, as if the swarm of students aren't inching closer, trying to get a clear shot.
I hear the familiar tears of clothes shredding as some turn into wolves, while the thirst for blood is thick in the air. Fuck knows what the damn witches will attempt, but I’m not willing to find out, and she shouldn’t be either.
“Please, Petal, buy us some time,” I beg, blindly pointing to where I can see Jude’s eyes piercing into my skin. “He just turned everyone against us.”
Ocean appears at my side, resting a hand on her arm as she gulps. “He's right, Elodie. Thorne can protect you, and we can slow them down, please.”
“We need to stay together,” Elodie insists, but her insistence unfortunately costs us valuable time as more bodies approach, bringing us face to face with the wrath of desperate students ready to take their prize.
Jude, on the other hand, has different ideas.
His fangs elongate as his eyes darken, his vampire rising to the surface as the rage he had contained is suddenly unleashed.
He reaches for the closest student to him, an oblivious girl from Institute One, and she doesn’t even see it coming.
He goes for her throat, crimson staining her skin moments later as her eyes roll to the back of her head and she falls to the ground.
Gasps ring out, the air thick with panic, and the wicked grin on his face stretches as he steps toward another random victim.
The guy he sets his sights on is more privy than the last target, and he shifts into a wolf instantly, ready to defend himself.
It’s futile. Jude moves fast, grappling with the four-legged figure until he’s in a vice-like grip, writhing on the floor before the vampire’s teeth sink into his flesh.
Horror is palpable as Jude rises to his feet, blood dripping down his chin as he smiles menacingly at the audience before him, all while The Sanctum stands frozen in place, doing nothing at all to defend the student body.
“Who’s next? Bring her to me, or it will be you,” he promises, kicking me into motion.
Refocusing, I trust Thorne and Elodie to hold up the rear as Ocean and I turn to face the opposite direction, ready for the onslaught barreling toward us.
Ocean chants under her breath, whispered words I can’t decipher, but I watch as people fall, stumbling over thin air at her command. She’s holding everyone back, so I need to start shredding whoever dares to step too close.
Determined to stay in my human form, I delve deeper and deeper into my wolf strength, too scared to shift and lose sight of my Petal.
My knuckles turn numb as I slam my fist in every direction. I feel in control, but I’m sure I look feral as I slam my hand into the side of someone’s head before offering someone else the same force straight to their gut.
It’s a sea of limbs, and we need to make our way through the bodies if we ever plan to make it out of here.
A knock on the side of my head catches me off guard, sweeping me off my feet, and I tumble to the ground. A vampire hovers above me, long fingers secured around my hands as they pin them above my head. Their teeth are elongated, ready to feast, but they picked the wrong wolf.
“Not today,” I snarl, kneeing them in their side and wrapping my legs carefully around their waist, coiling like a snake before I knock them off balance.
Pummeling them to the ground, it’s my turn to gain the upper hand, but instead of securing their hands, I pin their arms beneath my thighs and go for their throat.
I squeeze with everything I have, watching their face grow redder with every passing second as my pulse pounds in my ears.
But it’s not enough. It needs to be more.
Growling, my wolf burns from my knuckles, my hands shifting while I manage to keep the rest of my body at bay, my claws piercing into their flesh effortlessly.
Their body grows limp beneath me, but I squeeze for an extra few moments before I release them.
Wiping a hand down my face, red streaks my hands, and I don’t know whether it’s from them or me. Regardless, I’m quickly distracted by the next arrival as I launch to my feet, only to falter at the sight before me.
“Not now, Laurie,” I snarl.
I can’t deal with Professor Drayker and her bullshit right now.
But she ignores the warning in my tone as she takes a step toward me, her intent flashing in her eyes.
“It's time to leave now, Rion,” she murmurs, her voice soft and cajoling as she lifts her hands in the air. “This is not our fight. This is not our war. We must leave,” she repeats, and I shake my head.
Was she always this deranged? Or has it worsened since I pushed her away? I don’t care to know the answer, I just need her to disappear right now.
“Move before I do it for you,” I warn, not even contemplating asking her for help. I don’t trust her anywhere near Elodie.
Not now.
Not ever.
Instead of listening to me, she exhales slowly, plastering a forced smile to her lips. “Rion, don’t make me take your choices away, and don’t disrespect me and everything I have done for you. I will get us out of here and I will keep you safe, even if you can’t see that for yourself right now.”
“You’re not even making any sense,” I snap, ignoring her as a vampire moves on my right.
I move with ease, taking them down with my claws, only for Ocean to slam a blade into their skull before I can finish them off. Gaping at her in disbelief, my attention is snapped to the ground.
Where the hell are my axes? This would be a hell of a lot easier with them.
I had them when I left the institute, but in the haze since we arrived, I must have dropped them. Who the fuck does that? Panic floods my veins as I scan the area, and
my gaze catches on the worn metal nestled in the grass a few feet away. I snatch them up as quickly as I can, but the second I curl my hands around the hilts, I’m restricted by a boot pressing against my knuckles.
Rage burns through me, especially when I know exactly who it is. Turning a withering look her way, I snarl. “This is your final warning, Laurie. I will put this metal through your skull myself if you don’t back off.”
She preens at the threat, paying no heed once again. “You’ll do well to remember who is in charge here,” she hisses, adding more pressure to my hand.
I know what she’s trying to do, I can see it in her eyes. She’s trying to get under my skin, and as much as it’s working, it’s not enough.
She wants to see me shift.
We both know I’m feral and unruly when I do, but I’m also more likely to follow her wolf’s lead.
My limbs burn as I fight against the desire to completely shift, but before I can make contact, her other boot joins the party, smashing me in the face.
“I’ll take you whether you like it or not. You should know that by now, Rion,” she sings, her voice too light and airy to match her brutal actions.
“You sure as fuck won’t.” The snarl comes from above, hovering behind Drayker, but I can’t see her face, only the blade swinging in before it plunges into Laurie’s neck.
Her eyes widen, disbelief flashing across her face as she takes a step back, releasing me from her grasp as her hands find the hilt protruding from her flesh.
“You bitch,” she whispers, spluttering on blood as she sways before unceremoniously falling to her knees, revealing her attacker.
Ocean.
Laurie’s lifeless body slumps to the ground among the carnage we’re already drowning in, but my gaze remains locked on Ocean’s as she offers me her hand.
“Why did you do that?” I breathe, making no move to take her olive branch, and she frowns.
“I don’t know where the blade came from. I found it and used it, but she wouldn’t shut up so I interjected. Was that not okay?”
I blink at her, my chest tight.
“Thank you,” I rasp, unable to describe the weight lifted from my shoulders.
“That’s what besties are for, big bag wolf. Now come on. I think I see a path clearing.”