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Amara wielded the deadly sword. She swung it around, looking to decapitate Cassius. I had not gone through all I had to lose him now. I had not fought for his mortality to see all the years we were going to have together taken from us in one fell swoop. I pushed myself over him and managed to raise my hands, blocking the swing of the blade with my paws as I changed. Amara snarled and hissed with hatred, drawing the sword back for another attack. I bristled with hatred, the instinctual hate for vampires made my blood burn, and I wasn’t going to let her get another attack in. I didn’t care where she had been hiding or how she had returned. All I knew was that she threatened our happiness, our home, and wolves were nothing if not territorial.
The blade gleamed in the dim light. The ruby in the hilt was as red as blood. I charged towards her, using every ounce of my speed and agility. There was no use holding anything back in a fight against a vampire. One was enough to decimate an entire wolf pack. My only chance was to hope that her lost years in the nether realm had made her sluggish. I slammed into her. We both crashed against the wall. Her face twisted with horror as her fangs lengthened. Her neck twisted as she tried to attack with a fatal bite, but I managed to angle myself away. I swiped wildly with my claws, trying to do as much damage as I could. I heard her scream in pain, and then I clamped my jaws on her wrist, making her drop the sword. I pressed the advantage, losing myself in the frenzy of battle, filled with the innate need to kill her.
Her flesh was covered in marks from my claws. Blood as black as oblivion trickled from her arm where I had bitten her, but still she stood. Damn vampires and their notorious resilience. It was sometimes hard to believe I had ever fallen in love with one, and for a brief moment I wished that he had ignored my pleas and remained a vampire. It would have been nice to have an ally in this fight. As it was, I had to prevent her from getting to Cassius because she would tear him apart or worse; turn him back into a vampire again and put him under her spell.
Was that even possible after the potion he had imbibed to get rid of the vampiric curse? I had no idea if he was immune or not, and I wasn’t in any hurry to find out.
I gnashed my teeth and snapped my jaws at Amara, hoping to make the killing blow because every moment she survived was another moment where she might kill me. I knew I was at a disadvantage, and the longer this fight went on the more chance I had of losing. But she didn’t seem to quit. She didn’t seem to suffer. I wondered if all the rage that had built up since she had been banished by Cassius was fueling her and giving her strength.
If it was, then how could I defeat her?
While I was attempting to work this out I noticed that she had stopped reaching for her sword. Where we her hands? I noticed them creeping up inside my arm and then, oh no, she had a hold of my pendent. Of course she knew what it was, she was the vampire Queen! If she took it away then I would lose my ability to shift. Cassius and I would be two helpless humans against one vampire. If she was merciful then she would kill us both, if not then we would become her slaves and be forced to live in eternal servitude.
The thick cord bit against the back of my neck as she tried to rip the pendant away. I had to end this. If I stepped away it would be handing her the advantage. I had to kill her before she managed to steal the pendant from me. I growled and thrust my front paws out, clamping them around her neck. I squeezed and extended my claws, piercing her skin just as she had pierced the necks of so many victims with her teeth. Again dark blood oozed out. It was liquid hate. I squeezed as hard as I could, focusing all my primal strength on her throat, hoping to feel a snap as her neck broke. Her eyes bulged and she gasped for breath. The pallor of her face changed. Her grip loosened on the pendant. I was winning. I could feel it. I was going to kill her. I was going to save Cassius. All I needed was to hold on a little longer…
My muscles burned and my head throbbed. I had never considered myself a killer, but I knew what needed to be done when the crucial moment came. Wolves were ruthless. It was in our blood, and Amara was not going to get my blood. Not today. I summoned the reserves of strength I had and forced it all into my front paws. I dug my claws so deep into her skin that I might as well have been a part of her myself. My teeth gnashed against each other. I clenched my jaw so tightly that I thought my teeth were going to shatter. The low growl that rolled between my lips was like thunder. All I could think about was the life she was trying to steal from me, the life that Cassius and I had dreamed about, the life he had given up eternity for.
We hadn’t even had a chance to have a child yet, and Amara was trying to take this from us. She was trying to prevent me from becoming a mother. No, no you vampire bitch this was not going to happen. Your time has passed. Your day is over. It’s time to say farewell for the final time. Ding dong, the Queen is dead-
I gasped.
My paws clapped together and I fell forward as Amara used the last trick in her arsenal.
She shifted into a bat. A cloud of black smoke wafted around me as my paws thudded against each other. I swiped them through the air, hoping to catch her again, but she was already darting away. She gripped her sword between her feet and dragged it through the air, almost weighed down by the weapon, but not quite. She retreated and I snarled. Victory had been stolen from me. But perhaps victory against a vampire was being able to live. I went to stalk down the hallway after her, not willing to let her leave just yet. I had to strike now, while she was weak. I could still get her.
I could still…
“Willow,” Cassius placed a hand on my flank. I turned my golden, wolfish eyes on him. He held out his hands, perhaps afraid that the beast within me had gone feral and I was lost. I could smell his fear and panic. His gaze darted towards the hallway. Sweat peppered his brow, glistening like dew. “We need to leave right now. We have to get out of this castle. If she’s back… oh God… if she’s back then this is all over. We have to go.”
I bared my teeth. My upper lip rippled as my hackles rose and I looked back towards the hallway.
“No, please Willow, you have to listen to me. You have to trust me. You have no idea what she’s capable of, especially not when she’s back here. We need to leave. There’s no other hope for us. If we stay then we’ll die… or worse. We need to get somewhere safe, anywhere but here.”
Everything within me told me to ignore him and keep fighting. Wolves never gave up, and to let an enemy escape would be a blight on my honor, even though I had never given any thought to this before I became a wolf. It was funny how the animal mind could change us. But he had my heart, and when he asked me to trust him I knew I had to obey. It was the vow we had made to each other, and to go against that now would be violating everything we had been through together.
So instead of chasing after Amara I lowered myself and he climbed on my back. He dug his fingers through my hide and gripped on tightly, and I sprinted out of our bed chamber. The trail I sensed veered back into the throne room. It was tempting to follow and continue our battle, but perhaps that was what Amara was counting on. Instead I clambered up the spiral stairs to the top of the tower, knowing that time was against us. If Amara recovered enough then she could use this fortress as a weapon. There were so many secrets to this place, most of which I had not been told, for Cassius had seen no need. The grey stones and stairs spun around us as we rose through the castle. I began to feel dizzy, but I fought through the sensation. Cassius lurched from side to side, holding on so tightly that I thought he was going to rip a fistful of hair away from my flesh.
I didn’t remember it taking so long to ascend the castle. I wondered if Amara had played some cruel trick to fool my senses and make me believe I was in a never ending staircase, but just then we emerged at the top. The hallway was quiet. I could not sense anything, but I knew not to trust them. Vampires were wily creatures and could hide themselves if they chose to do so. Cassius had hidden himself from me when we first met, observing me from a tree branch before deciding to introduce himself to me.
How different my life would have been if he had stayed away… how shallow and boring and empty I would have been.
I panted as I sped along the stairs, reaching the portal room. This was the first part of the castle I had seen, and I had a strange feeling it might well be the last. Cassius leapt off and slammed the door shut. I doubted it would do anything to prevent Amara from entering, but even a moment’s delay might have proved crucial. I remained as a wolf while Cassius went to the ancient book. In the middle of the room was the round pool of still water. My heart pounded in my head. I braced myself, staring at the door, ready for an attack. I twisted my head to the side as well, making sure to keep my attention on the windows.
The truth was, Amara could come from anywhere.
Cassius muttered words from the ancient book and the fountain burst into life. It shimmered a strange effervescent color. He grabbed the book and shoved it under his arm.
“Come on,” he said, and headed to the pool. I was about to follow him when there was a sudden dull thud against the door. I turned my head, knowing that she was on the other side.
“Come on,” Cassius yelled, beckoning me urgently towards him. My rematch with Amara would have to wait. I grunted as I ran towards him and dived into the pool with him. It shimmered and my stomach lurched as we tumbled through this portal between worlds, leaving behind the place that had become my home.
Chapter Three
Cassius
I felt sick as we tumbled in the place that existed between worlds before we emerged on the other side. I prayed that the portal had closed before Amara had been able to follow us. I landed on soft grass, crashing to the ground. The impact made my teeth chatter and pain spread throughout my body. It was a sensation I was still getting used to. Willow was beside me, still in her wolf form. She glared up at the portal, which thankfully closed, winking out of existence before Amara could follow us. My chest was tight and my heart pounded. Fear trickled out of me in the form of cold sweat. I knew how close we had come to dying, or worse.
But how?
