Chapter 20 #2
Torin’s body swayed to the side, the sleepy chemicals infusing his bloodstream. But he kept fighting the vampire guard, with slower motions but still moving.
“We have to leave before Torin completely passes out, Hayden,” I said, and my bodyguard nodded.
“Let’s go toward the exit Torin came from, and then we’ll ask him for directions,” Hayden said as he punched a vampire, following with a powerful kick to his stomach.
“Wait for a moment,” Torin said.
He wasn’t walking fast, so by the time he got to Veronica, she had shot him a couple more times in his chest. Torin ripped the darts out and tossed them to the side. Then he grabbed Veronica’s gun and threw it behind him, and I picked it up.
“Let’s see how far down this goes,” Torin said, swiftly throwing Veronica over the bridge.
Her scream echoed for a while, and then it died down.
“She’s not coming back,” Torin said.
The abyss must have been deep enough that even a supernatural couldn’t recover from falling into it.
More vampires ran toward us from the opposite exit. I supported Torin by his shoulder with one arm, and with the other, I shot the gun at the vampires. Hayden fought them in front of us.
Torin’s crimson eyes were hooded now, blinking in slow motion.
His head bowed, and his feet dragged. He was one heavy, sleepy vampire, but Hayden and I managed to ask him for directions.
As we rushed as much as we could through dimmed tunnels, Torin muttered his instructions on where to turn left or right.
Good thing that Hayden understood and had a good sense of direction because I would have been lost without the men.
Finally, we arrived at a flight of tile stairs that led to the library. Both Hayden and I had to lift Torin as we climbed each step. My injured body already ached, but now I was exhausted.
Torin twisted his head to Hayden, and his words barely came out. “No matter what, save Anna first. If you have to, leave me behind.”
“No way you’ll be left behind,” I deadpanned.
Whether the vampire Queen got me or Torin, the outcome for the werewolf race and the kingdom were not good.
The vampires’ muffled voices and quick footsteps sounded behind us close by. They’d had a moment of panic as their leader was dead, so they must have regrouped and continued their mission to capture us.
I took a sharp breath as we stepped on the last tile and stood in front of the doors.
“The book.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe I lost my book.”
Hayden gave me a soft look and placed Torin’s arm over his shoulder. I ran ahead to hold the doors open.
As the men passed by me, Hayden said, “I’ll save his life because he did the same for me, but only this one time. I’m not planning on letting him win you over, sweetheart.”
Why didn’t this supernatural listen to me?
I sighed. “We’ll talk later, Hayden.”
We were in the library lobby, hidden by the large columns. The space was much smaller than the first floor of the London library. People walked around but didn’t pay attention to the shadows where we hid.
“We’re not walking out the front doors, of course,” I said.
“That way.” Hayden nodded, and I followed his gaze.
Double metal doors stood nearby, and I hoped those led to a side alley or the back of the library.
We moved toward the doors.
“I’ll get a car.”
He meant he’d hot-wire and steal a car, and before I could speak, something flying around caught my attention.
To my left, a staircase led to the library's second floor, and the oversized butterfly I’d seen in the London library fluttered around the handrails. I looked around, but no people were there to see it.
“Hayden, do you see…” I asked as the small creature hid at the side. “Did you see this thing at the stairs over there?”
“I don’t see anything, sweetheart, and we need to move,” Hayden said, sounding tired.
I barely moved my feet, but something drew me to the little creature, and it didn’t let me go.
I had to follow it.
I stepped toward the staircase but halted, remembering when I slowed down the King and his men at the annual winter hunt. Because of my slow pace, a warrior had died. If I followed the butterfly, I’d also risk Torin’s and Hayden’s lives and slow down our escape.
But the last time the butterfly led me to the secret attic, I found the magic book, which was now lost forever.
I could follow the butterfly and be back on time to leave with the two men.
“Hayden, I’ll meet you at the side alley. Wait for me in the car.”
Hayden’s eyes widened. “No, no way. Where are you going, Breanna?”
I started to walk away. “I have to find something.”
“You’re injured, sweetheart. Please come with me.”
I sent him one last glance. “I’ll manage. I promise.”
“You never listen, sweetheart.”
“Neither do you.”
Torin scoffed.
I climbed the staircase, and at the top, I twisted my head to find the butterfly.
“It’s bad timing now,” I muttered.
The library would be swarmed by vampires soon.
The same urge toward someplace in the library overtook me. It felt like a warm energy pulling me to walk forward. I spotted the butterfly and walked there as fast as my injured ankle allowed. By the time I got to the massive metal shelves of books, the creature was gone.
“Where are you?” I whispered.
I was, indeed, talking to a bug. But it must have heard me because the butterfly showed up at the end of the hallway, flying in circles in front of a built-in tall shelf with stacked books.
When I got there, the creature was gone. But that energy that brought me in front of the shelf grew even stronger.
I ran my hands over each book, touching, pressing, but nothing happened. I traced the spines, caressing each one in a desperate attempt to unlock a secret part of the library.
My pulse accelerated as incoming voices shattered the silence. The vampires must have easily followed me here. After all, my shirt was covered by my blood.
“C’mon, open. Do something.”
I exhaled slowly as the presence of supernaturals engulfed me. I was running out of time.
With cautious fingers, I explored the surface of the metal frame, searching for a hidden latch that would unlock.
As my touch lingered on a specific bumpy spot, I applied slight pressure, feeling a faint resistance give way with a soft click.
Holding my breath, I watched the bottom metal part swing open, unveiling a small, concealed space.
I yanked the secret door, and inside the hidden compartment lay a book.
I grabbed it. I’d lost one book today but found another magic book. I could feel its pulse against my fingers.
As I closed the secret compartment and turned around, a bone-chilling wave of supernatural presence washed over me. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the other end of the hallway, and I knew that danger had found me.
“There she is.” A loud male voice pierced through the silence, making me shiver.
A vampire appeared at the other end of the corridor and darted toward me.