Chapter 3
Erik
Irise to my feet, my jaw clenched as I brush the dirt and debris from my black leather jacket. The vortex hit like a battering ram from hell, sending Lucian and me flying like ragdolls. My head throbs, but I push the pain aside, my eyes scanning the dense forest surrounding us.
Lucian lies motionless on the ground nearby, still knocked out cold from the blast. The eerie silence of the woods is broken by the distant calls of Seraphina and Emily, their voices laced with desperation as they search for Danica.
They're undoubtedly getting closer, guided by Seraphina's blood bond with my brother.
I square my shoulders, my voice cutting through the air like a knife. "Over here!"
We need to regroup, assess the situation, and figure out what the hell just happened.
I watch Seraphina and Emily burst through the brush, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion. Blood and dirt cling to their skin, a testament to the chaos that just unfolded.
"Lucian!" Seraphina's melodic voice rings out, laced with concern, as she rushes to my brother's side. Her delicate hands push back his hair, checking for any signs of injury.
Emily's piercing gaze locks onto me, her tone sarcastic. "Well, isn't this just fucking great? Mind telling us what the hell just happened, Mr. Stoic?"
That blasted vortex, or portal, or whatever the hell it was, absconded with Rhyland, leaving me standing here with a myriad of unanswered questions.
I meet her gaze, my own eyes narrowing slightly. "I was about to inquire the same of you, Emily, though perhaps with a touch less sass, if you'd be so kind."
Emily's eyes widen, realization dawning on her face. "Wait, where's Dani?" She whips her head from side to side, her rainbow-colored hair flying as she searches for any sign of her friend.
I sheath my sword, the metal sliding against the leather with a soft hiss. "I don't know," I admit. "I lost track of her after the blast."
Seraphina looks up from Lucian, her honey-colored eyes filled with worry. "This isn't good. We must find her quickly! I can't sense her presence nearby."
Okay, new priority—Danica and ensure she's safe. I'll be damned if I let anything happen to her on my watch.
Emily throws her hands up in exasperation. "Great, just great. Rhyland gets sucked into a vortex, and Dani's missing. Could this day get any worse?"
I clench my jaw, my mind racing as I try to piece together what happened—the vortex, the blast, and now Dani's disappearance. Something's not right, and I'll be damned if I don't get to the bottom of it.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as a figure emerges from the shadows, stumbling towards us.
In a flash, my sword is in my hand, the blade gleaming in the dim light.
I push Emily behind me, my body shielding her and the potential threat.
"Stay back," I growl, my voice low and dangerous.
"I'll handle this." I take a step forward, ready to confront the bloodlust vampire, one of the bastards who brought this hell upon us.
He must have slipped through the cracks during the battle.
Emily's hand shoots out, grabbing my jacket and yanking me to a halt. "No!" she hisses, her eyes wide with recognition. "That's Damon. Dani's little brother. You can't kill him."
I pause, reassessing the situation. Damon staggers closer, his face a mask of confusion and fear. "Help... me," he pleads, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please. I don't... know... what's—"
Emily steps out from behind me, her voice soft and reassuring. "Damon, hey. It's going to be okay. We'll explain everything."
Realization dawns on me. Azrael. That twisted son of a bitch must have turned Damon before he killed him.
It's the only explanation for why Dani's brother is now a fledgling vampire.
I sheathe my sword as Emily approaches him, but my instincts scream at me to stop her.
I reach out, grabbing her arm and pulling her back firmly.
"Don't," I warn, my voice stern. "He's new, and his impulses are—"
Before I can finish my sentence, Damon lunges at Emily, his eyes wild with hunger. I react on pure instinct, my hand closing around his throat in an iron grip.
"Don't kill him!" Emily shouts, her voice laced with panic.
I almost want to laugh at the absurdity of her plea, as if I would ever hurt Dani by taking away the last of her family. I hold Damon steady, my gaze boring into his. "Not today, little vampire," I snarl. "Where is your sister?"
The scent of her blood lingers on his lips and courses through his veins, igniting a primal urge within me to rend him limb from limb.
Damon gasps as I loosen my grip on his throat, tears streaming down his face.
"I-I attacked her," he sobs, his body shaking uncontrollably.
"I-I couldn't stop myself." He takes a shuddering breath, his words tumbling out in a rush.
"She-she was taken by some... woman. I don't know. What the hell is wrong with me? Am I—"
I release the fledgling with a firm shove, my mind churning with the revelation that someone has taken Dani.
White-hot rage surges through my veins, but I force it down, focusing.
"Indeed, you are a vampire now," I state, my tone as unyielding as bedrock.
"And I strongly advise that you refrain from sinking your fangs into anyone, lest you find yourself on the wrong end of my blade. "
I turn back to face Damon, my gaze intense and unwavering. "Describe her appearance to me," I insist, my voice carrying an undercurrent of barely restrained fury. I stand ready to unleash the very fires of hell upon those who dare to harm the Little Huntress.
The sound of Lucian's groan reaches my ears as he starts to regain consciousness, a stark reminder of the turmoil that engulfs us.
Time is of the essence, and we must obtain the information we seek post-haste.
Dani's very existence is at stake, and I'll be damned before I allow her to be taken from us without moving heaven and earth to bring her back.
She's become my sister, and it is my solemn duty to safeguard her as such, come what may.
"I-I don't know, it was dark," Damon stammers, his eyes darting around as he tries to recall the details. "She was... strong." He swallows hard, his voice dropping to a whisper. "So strong."
I clench my fists, my mind racing with possibilities. Who is this mysterious woman, and what does she want with Dani?
Lucian's voice cuts through my thoughts as he staggers to his feet, Seraphina fussing over him like a mother hen.
"Well, that was a wild fucking ride," he quips, rubbing his head.
He saunters over to me, a grin on his face despite the gravity of the situation.
"How's it hanging, bro? Still got all your bits and pieces? "
I inhale deeply, trying to keep my cool in the face of Lucian's incessant bullshit. "Lucian, now's not the time for your wisecracks," I rumble, my patience growing thinner by the second. "Dani and Rhyland's whereabouts are unknown, and it is imperative that we locate them with all due haste."
Lucian holds up his hands in mock surrender, a smirk on his lips.
"Alright, alright. Don't get your leather panties in a twist, Erik.
" He turns his attention to Damon, snapping his fingers in the fledgling's face.
"Hey, baby vamp! Focus up. The woman who took your sister—I need deets, and I need 'em now.
And don't give me that 'it was dark' crap.
You're a vampire now, kid. Your eyesight's better than a fucking eagle on steroids. "
Damon blinks, taken aback by Lucian's intensity. "I... I don't know. It all happened so fast."
Lucian leans in closer, his eyes narrowing. "C'mon, kid. Dig deep. You're telling me you didn't catch a single glimpse of this chick's face? Not even a passing glance? A fleeting moment of eye contact before she went all Xena: Warrior Princess on your ass?"
Seraphina clears her throat. Her angelic presence starkly contrasts Lucian's chaotic energy. "Perhaps a gentler approach might help gain better results," she suggests, her voice soothing like a lullaby.
Lucian scoffs, waving her off. "Please, Cupcake. We don't have time for hand-holding and kumbaya. We need answers, and we need them yesterday."
I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache brewing behind my eyes. "Lucian, enough. Let the kid think."
"She had long fire-red hair and, she... she had green eyes. Piercing green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. And her face... it was like porcelain. Flawless and pale."
The description slams into me like a battering ram, stealing the breath from my lungs. Beside me, Lucian goes rigid, his eyes wide with a horror I've never seen in him before. Seraphina, ever attuned to his emotions, rushes to his side, her angelic face etched with concern.
"What? What is it?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lucian remains silent, his mind no doubt reeling with the same terrible realization that grips my own. Seraphina turns to me, her golden eyes searching mine for answers, but I have none to give.
It can't be.
Not her.
Not our Maker, the one who brought us into this cursed existence only to harm us with her sick and twisted ways.
Memories of her flood my mind, each one a searing reminder of the vileness, the evil, and the utter lack of humanity that defines her very being. I feel myself sway, the weight of the past threatening to crush me where I stand.
Emily's patience snaps like a twig underfoot. "Oh, for fuck's sake, you two!" she explodes, "Just spit it out already!"
Lucian meets my gaze, and in that moment, we both know. The name falls from our lips in perfect unison, a whisper that carries the weight of a thousand nightmares.
"Lilith."
Rhyland and I had dealt with her presence eons ago. What in the seven hells is she doing here now? And more importantly, how did she manage to escape?
The atmosphere grows heavy with tension as if the very fabric of reality is holding its breath in anticipation. Seraphina's eyes widen, and her delicate hand flies to her mouth in a gesture of profound horror. Emily looks between us, confusion and fear warring on her face.
"Who the hell is Lilith?" she demands, her voice shaking.
The thought sends a chill through my veins, colder than the grave. If Lilith has taken Dani, then there is no telling what horrors await her. What twisted games our Maker will play, what unspeakable torments she will inflict.
Lucian's voice, hard and sharp as a blade, breaks the silence. "We have to find her. Now."
There is no room for argument, no space for doubt. We have a name, a target. And now, we have a mission.