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“I’m sure there are, we just need the right resources for the spells. Not all of them will be open to us because we do not have access to the castle’s magic, but we should be able to travel to some of them,” I said.
“Then get to work on that. Peter, I want you to stand beside me now. I need a strong ally. Use your experience to drill the wolves. Get them prepared for battle. Make sure that all our supplies are ready to be moved at a moment’s notice. We’ll set up a regular watch and we’ll have scouting parties out there looking for vampires. Make sure that nobody is ever left alone. If they see a vampire, retreat back to here immediately. I don’t want anyone trying to be a hero because all they’ll do is end up being killed, and I’m not going to have that on my conscience,” Brandon said. We had our orders, and there was nothing to do other than carry them out.
Chapter Fourteen
Willow
It had been weeks since we had developed the strategy for fighting Amara. There hadn’t been any sign of her since then, and there were moments when it was easy to believe that she might never attack. Some days there was a sense of tranquility to the world, as though these moments were going to be endless and the days were never going to be marred by any ugliness. I knew it was just an illusion though. Amara had eternity to wait. She could afford to be patient. Cassius’ plan to flee the castle had afforded us some time, for Amara was going to have to try and find us. We just had to make as much use of that time as we possibly could.
Cassius and I would take long treks into the forest, exploring all the different regions of the world around us. He would sit on my back as I carried him through the valleys and across the rising hills. We even ventured towards mountains, climbing to a high altitude where the air was thin and cold, and where we could look across the land and feel like gods, all in search of the different herbs and plants needed for the portal spells. Some of them were incredibly hard to find. Cassius had to describe them to me, and then I would have to peer in all the nooks and crannies of the world in order to find them. Sometimes I only had a scent to go on. I was impressed by the vault of knowledge that Cassius held within his mind. He must have forgotten more things than most people knew, if he forgot anything at all.
Every time we left, it reminded me of our lives in the castle; where we could do anything we wanted and never have to worry about a thing. We would often find a quiet, secluded place somewhere and make love. It could have been in a lush valley or a cozy cave, or even on the slope of a mountain, just to say that we had done it. He was glorious each and every time. I held his shuddering body close to mine and there was not an inch of his body that I was not intimately familiar with. These moments were beautiful, even though they did not last.
Perhaps that was why they were beautiful.
Every time we returned to the pack we were filled with trepidation, worried that Amara had found them in our absence and was waiting for our returning, standing there proudly wielding her sword while she was surrounded by the corpses of wolves. I breathed a sigh of relief every time we returned to find that was not the case though. However, this constant threat she provided was a source of stress. It created a dull ache in the back of my skull and I couldn’t sleep properly. Cassius was the same, tossing and turning as he was haunted by the things he had and had not done.
Although I had been upset that he hadn’t told me about the tomb, I did not hold it against him. I could understand why he hadn’t told me the truth, and he was right in that now it did not matter. But I hoped we would not need Amara’s tomb. I wanted to get my hands on her again and this time make sure that she would not have a chance to escape. I wanted her to know that she had been defeated and that I was the one who had killed her.
The days were filled with wolves training. The watches were vigilant. There were some complaints from people who were tired already, although in truth they were more tired of the fact that they were going to have to do this for the foreseeable future without a break even if she never decided to attack this place. Brandon reminded them that if she never attacked then it was still a good thing they remained vigilant, for if they slipped for one moment then it could cost them everything.
But nobody could be vigilant all the time. There was always a link in the chain that was the weakest, or one that buckled under stress, and so it was with the wolves. They trained hard, but training could not compensate for every weakness.
It was inevitable, we should have known, but the longer time went on without any sign of her the more we began to believe that we would have more time.
Then we heard a scream.
It was the middle of the night. The moon was full and gibbous. It should have been a good omen, but unfortunately that was not to be the case. Cassius and I bolted upright in bed. He was caught in the midst of slumber and was dazed. My senses were keen, and tiredness fled my body immediately as the rush of anger and adrenaline surged through me. We looked at each other for a moment, wondering if we had truly heard the sound or if it had just been something borne from our nightmares. We had both heard it though, and it was as doomful as the tolling of a bell.
We flung off the blankets and raced outside. Other wolves were already pouring out of their homes. I shifted, knowing what awaited us. I had no idea how many there were though. The air was filled with the sickly scent of ash and brimstone, but the vampires were notoriously elusive and I could not pin down how many there were. Cassius was behind me.
There wasn’t time to do anything but fight.
I rounded a corner and saw her standing there, like a demon risen from hell. She wore a scarlet robe that billowed out around her, contrasting with her alabaster skin. The moonlight shone upon her, making her look ethereal. She wore a band of metal across her head, a subtle crown for one who usually liked ornate things. But there was nothing subtle about her sword or her cackle. As I saw her she was in the process of pulling out a sword from a body. Blood spurted out in a plume and splattered on the ground. She breathed it all in and licked some of the scarlet remnants from her blade, reveling in the dark chaos of it all. Fear lined my body and swam through every part of me. There was no escaping her, and she seemed more hellish than she had done before. I knew that getting into a position to kill her this time was not going to be as easy as before.
“Stop your advance, otherwise you will lose your lives too, although if you would like to sacrifice yourself to my blade then you are more than welcome,” she called out in a rich, melodic tone. It sounded sweet and cloying, twisting between my ears. I had to fight away the instinct to listen to her. I looked down at her feet. There were a few wolves lying there, bodies sliced and severed by her sword. Blood pooled, making her look as though she was walking upon it. I felt sick to my stomach.
The wolves halted their advance, none of them wanting to give up their lives to her so easily.
“There is only one I want. Cassius. Bring him to me,” she called out, her words echoing through the wolves’ village. I gritted my teeth and twisted my neck to look back at Cassius. I wasn’t going to let her get anywhere near him. I charged forward, running past the stationary wolves, determined to make a blow count. In the distance I heard Cassius shout out towards me, telling me to stop, but it was too late. I didn’t care that she was some vampire queen. She was still vulnerable. I had her in my paws once before. I could have her again.
As I approached I knew she recognized me. A smile twitched on her face as she braced herself, holding the sword in two hands, waiting to swing at me. I darted from side to side, trying to make it as hard for her to predict what was happening as possible.
But then my momentum was halted as something came in from the side and crashed into me, sending me veering away. Another vampire? No, I wasn’t hurt. I looked around and saw my father, shaking his head. I growled at him, annoyed that he had interrupted my attack.
Amara laughed.
“Stop this,” Brandon announced, walking forward, looking as though he held no fear within his eyes. Amara’s laugh faded into a soft chuckle, and then it disappeared entirely. She regarded him with a cool look and arched her eyebrow. Her gaze ran up and down his body.
“Oh my, aren’t you a handsome Alpha? I do love the drive and the passion of the young. I could make good use of you,” she said, her words light and lilting.
“You’re not going to make use of any of us. You’re not welcome here Amara.”
Annoyance flickered in her eyes as he used her name.
“Then I shall leave presently, just as long as you give me Cassius.”
“I can’t do that. He’s under my protection. But we have no quarrel with you. You can leave now and this will be an end to things, but if you stay-”
