Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Dad’s werewolf spy had scouted the vampire territory before we left the kingdom. As anticipated, he discovered a network of underground tunnels.
Once we entered the dense forest, I followed the spy’s descriptions of vegetation until we arrived at the entrance of the tunnels.
No one spoke as we all moved quietly and quickly, having memorized our plan of action.
We split into two groups. Lucy, several of her vampire guards, Hayden, and Alpha Leo followed me while the remaining Alphas, hunters, and vampires waited at the spot where we would drop the drawbridge from inside the castle.
Hoping our arrival would be sudden and stealthy, I breathed lighter when I reached a narrow burrow like the one our spy had described.
“This is it,” I whispered and dropped on all fours, venturing into the dark, treacherous tunnel and ignoring my escalating pulse—the first sign of my claustrophobia.
At first, only soil, tree roots, and darkness surrounded me. I willed my bracelet to light up and smiled at the bright hue of the flames. No dark magic yet.
The air tasted stale, and dripping water echoed through the narrow passageways. As I pressed forward, the tunnel narrowed, forcing me to crouch lower. My breath hitched, but I kept crawling.
The walls around me and the floor underneath my knees turned into hard cement.
The ceiling dripped with moisture, making the stone floor slick and treacherous.
My breaths turned short and uneven, and the first wave of adrenaline shot through my system.
The familiar signs of my fears of enclosed spaces I’d developed as a child came rushing back to me.
My stomach tightened, nausea swirling dangerously.
I bowed my head but kept crawling forward, maneuvering around the small puddles of cold water.
Heart pounding, I paused to place my hand over my chest, but my fingers felt numb.
Dropping my hand back to the cold stones, I tried to regain my composure.
I couldn’t lead my allies and warriors to a war while dealing with my claustrophobia.
But the walls seemed to close in, squeezing the air out of my lungs. Every inch of my body screamed to escape this confining space. My mind raced with thoughts of being trapped forever, of never seeing the light of day again.
Halting in my tracks, I closed my eyes. I imagined Torin’s handsome face as he talked me through the panic I’d experienced in the kingdom’s secret tunnels. I took deep breaths like he’d instructed me back then.
Memories of Torin flooded my mind—his strong features, his amber eyes reflecting the fire that burned within him, their change to crimson hues when he hungered for me. I recalled his gentle mate touch, leaving a trail of warmth on my skin.
Taking another deep breath, I remembered the way Torin saw me in his memories.
He’d watched me from the shadows my entire life, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
He saw my flaws and insecurities growing up, yet, in his eyes, I was worthy of being his Luna and the Queen. He thought I deserved happiness.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Hayden’s voice broke my trance.
I exhaled deeply, no longer afraid my voice would crack while speaking.
“I’m fine. I just needed a break,” I said, crawling forward.
My pulse steadied, and I breathed easier as more light appeared in the distance. Gradually, the narrow tunnel widened and expanded into a vast cave with a soaring ceiling. The walls were slick with moisture, and I could hear the distant sound of water trickling down somewhere within the cavern.
Grunts reverberated in the hollow space as we stretched our cramped muscles. After I extinguished the flames dancing over my bracelet, I squinted, adjusting to the dim light of the exposed bulbs hanging from the tall ceilings and the stony side walls.
We must have gotten closer to the castle since this part of the tunnel was man-made. But the floor beneath my feet was uneven, scattered with loose stones. The large rocks embedded in the side walls drew my attention. It was as if whoever built the tunnels had bulldozed through massive boulders.
Droplets of cold water fell on my face from above. My steps became more cautious as I realized slick rocks covered with water and moss surrounded us.
A low hiss echoing in the distance had us halt in our tracks, putting us on high alert. Several pairs of crimson eyes pierced through the darkness ahead.
The vampires knew we were here. So much for being stealthy.
Hayden had moved next to me while two werewolf warriors sprinted forward. My body jolted when two vampire guards jumped out, intercepting our warriors. With inhuman speed, one of the vampires grabbed the throat of the werewolf and stared into his eyes. The vampire attempted to compel our warrior.
Even in the low lighting, the vampire’s confusion showed all over his face. He narrowed his eyes and grimaced, as if he was trying to intensify the power of his compulsion, but the werewolf didn’t seem affected.
The warrior grinned and shouted, “It’s working, my Queen.”
He swatted the vampire’s hand off him, putting distance between them.
My hand automatically flew to the thin leather sachet on my waist, making me smile. Good news.
The werewolf punched the dazed vampire in the stomach, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh filling the open space.
It would be a fair fight.
But the bad news was that more vampires poured into the tunnel. My men and allies spread out, each busy fighting a vampire as bone cracking and groans carried in the cold air.
Hayden stayed next to me until another guard dashed toward us, forcing Hayden to move forward to intercept the vampire before he got to me.
With the power of the crystal, my allies and I should defeat the group of vampires.
But what I didn’t expect was the new group of vampires who stormed the tunnel from behind us. They outnumbered and surrounded us.
For a moment, I wondered if the werewolf traitor, who I never caught in the kingdom, had spilled information to the vampire Queen about our timing of the attack. I pushed away any disturbing thoughts as a vampire lunged at me from the darkness.
I barely dodged him, narrowly avoiding his sharp talons. Bending over, I picked up the hidden silver dagger in my boot with one swift move.
Twisting my body to the side, avoiding another strike, I stabbed the vampire in the heart, leaving the dagger sticking out of his chest. Stepping forward, I was about to join Hayden, who had his back against a large rock fighting two vampires, when a cold hand grabbed my shoulder.
A shiver ran down my spine when a vampire pressed his sharp talons against my collarbone. As I moved away from his grasp, his talons slashed through my jacket, shredding the leather.
Pieces of my jacket hung to the side as I slipped out of it to make sure it didn’t restrict my movements. The cold embrace of the cave’s cool air engulfed me, clinging to my skin. My body trembled as if I had attempted to swim across the moat.
If I had my wolf spirit now, my body temperature would have been naturally higher, and I wouldn’t have needed a jacket. The chill was so awful that I felt it seep into my bones. I let out a strained sigh as I kept kicking and punching the vampire, but my muscles stiffened.
I don’t have time to play around.
Willing my bracelet into my golden weapon, I grasped one end and cracked it hard next to the vampire. His eyes widened, and I didn’t give him a chance to attack me again. The next time I lashed the whip, I wrapped it around his throat, squeezing.
After a moment of struggle and convulsing, the vampire let out an agonized screech and collapsed to the ground.
The cave quieted down, and silence stretched. Scanning the cavern, I only detected fallen vampires, their unmoving bodies on the cold ground. I let out a heavy sigh.
Hayden appeared before me, inspecting my body, his intense gaze zeroing in on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
When I looked down, I noticed my long-sleeved shirt had ripped at the shoulder, but I didn’t see any blood.
“I’m not injured,” I said.
Hayden exhaled loudly and nodded. “Good thing the crystal worked, or we would have been in trouble.”
I smiled and turned to Lucy as she approached us.
“I counted twenty dead vampires. Victoria could have sent more,” she said, looking around as if searching for a clue. “It seems weird.”
“One thing is for sure. The vampire Queen knows we’re here,” I said. “It’s only a matter of time before she takes us out before we even get inside her castle. We need to move.”
We continued deep into the cave. The tunnels seemed to stretch endlessly, their twists and turns disorienting me.
I shivered, and fatigue settled in. Guilt surfaced in my heart as Hayden walked next to me while I thought about saving the man I loved. But that love and responsibility for my people fueled my every step, driving me forward.
With the drop in temperature, the tension mounted. The air grew heavier, charged with supernatural presence. I strode closer to my ultimate confrontation with the vampire Queen.
Suddenly, the ground underneath my boots shook, and a loud boom echoed in the cave.
Instinctively, my hands flew up to protect my head, but before I could do so, Hayden had engulfed me with his massive body.
I crouched while the ground quaked. Hayden’s body hugged me, protecting my head and back from falling debris.
Gravel and rocks flew around us, and in the close distance, a rockslide blocked our path. When the dust settled and my vision cleared, I realized why Victoria had only sent two groups of vampires after us.