A hand clamped over my mouth, startling me awake.
I popped my eyes open to see Kade leaning over me, a finger pulled against his lips to shush me. I blindly obeyed and sat up quickly, nervous about whatever he was worried about.
He put his face close to my ear and glanced at the entrance still covered up by rocks. "Someone's out there," he whispered. I followed his eyes and saw shadows shifting through the sunlit cracks. A voice was heard but it was low and the words were inaudible. I heard something that sounded like the grunts of an animal and the shuffling of feet accompanying it. It was sniffing around and breathing heavily through its nose, (or that's what I thought).
I looked back at Kade, unsure of his plan or if he even had a plan. I was scared, yes, but at the moment I was dependent on him. If he couldn't do anything then we were screwed. Hopefully whoever (and whatever) was outside didn't want to eat us or drag us to Hell.
Some of the rocks at the entrance suddenly started tumbling down when something pushed them. I jumped back into Kade and he gently but urgently pushed me behind him, eyes frantic but focused. We were frozen and watching more light stream in from outside. When all the rocks were gone and our supposed threat was revealed, I sighed with relief and nearly laughed.
It was just Odis and Maeve, Odis in his wolf form with what seemed like our luggage strapped to his hefty back. Like before, I could see the gracious muscles shifting under his black and brown sleek fur as he stared curiously with bright amber eyes. Maeve looked just as curious as he, but smiled broadly when she realized it was us.
"We actually found you guys! Oh my God, y'all gave us such a scare! Luckily Odis was able to track the last bit of your scent!" she exclaimed in relief and approached for a hug. At the appropriate distance, she came to an abrupt stop and stepped back with her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You guys look awful... not to mention the smell," she added and took a few more steps back while covering her nose. I took that time to notice she was right; Kade and I were covered in dry mud and dirt, there were a few tears in our clothes where the fabric got snagged on branches when running last night, our hair was just as messy (with twigs and whatnot) and finally, we honestly smelled like crap from it all. It would've been funny if I didn't feel so weak.
"Ugh... please go wash off in the river. We brought all our stuff, including yours so please! Feel free to change afterwards!" Maeve continued to complain and eyed us like we were rats in her kitchen. I glanced over at Kade to see his reaction and he just smiled softly.
"You first," was all he contributed to the conversation.
***
It took almost an hour to get all the filth washed off me. But luckily, Kade found a calm part of the river so I wouldn't be swept away by the current. And although I wasn't happy about having to strip completely out in the middle of the woods, it did feel good to be at least a little cleaner. I was sure Kade felt the same way. But who knows? He was currently still down at the river, taking his turn in the mildly cold water.
Meanwhile, I was back at the cave helping Maeve get all of our things situated. She made it clear that her and Odis left in a hurry and she didn't have time to get everything ordered properly, which for some reason bothered her. So while we did that, Odis remained in wolf form and guarded us; it was better for him to smell out threats that way.
"Oh great," Maeve suddenly blurted as she held up a grey shirt that I considered a t-shirt. "Kade left the shirt he was supposed to change in to," she added irritatedly. Handing it over to me, she bit back a smile. "Why don't you take it to him?"
I looked down at it, feeling the corners of my mouth dip into a frown. I automatically knew what she was trying to do. "Why can't he just come get it when he's done?" I protested.
"Just do it!" she urged and pushed the shirt into my hands. This time she let her smile show. Still tired from last night and unwilling to argue, I glared at her and pulled myself to my feet, making sure to knock over a stack of folded clothes on purpose.
"I'll get you for this," I teased and turned to Odis laying a few feet away. "Odis, do me a favor and eat her while I'm gone!" I yelled to him which caused him to lift his head and twitch his ears at my voice. Maeve smacked by leg playfully and hit me with another shirt. I couldn't help but smile at her before walking towards the calm part of the river, where Kade should be... shirtless.
Great.
It wasn't a long walk, but it still felt like it took forever to work my way through the brush and all. The sound of rushing water continuously filled my ears as I neared it, my pounding heart easily heard over it. I didn't want to see Kade shirtless... but another part of me did.
Okay, Bella. You can shut up now.
I finally reached the bank of the river, finding Kade nowhere. The water was flowing gently and seemed untouched and natural, as it should be. But the untouched part was what worried me. Just as I was about to call out Kade's name, a voice (very close to my ear) nearly gave me a heart attack.
"May I help you?"
"Kade, that's not funny," I answered before even turning around. He laughed and took a couple steps back, based on the sound of his feet on crunching leaves. I reluctantly turned around to find him indeed shirtless (his wound somehow magically gone) with the type of muscles any dream guy would have. It wasn't hard to tell he cared for his body, probably by working out in his free time or whatever.
Feeling a light blush coat my cheeks, I shoved the shirt in front of me and glanced away awkwardly. "Here! Maeve told me you forgot it and wanted me to bring it to you!" I stammered with an almost angry tone.
He took it smiling and eyed me carefully with a baffled look. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You look a little wet to me," he said curiously, which made me look down at my dry clothes.
"What are you talking about? I'm-" before I could finish the sentence, he shoved me over and I went stumbling into the river, immediately popping my head above the surface and scowling at him as he laughed uncontrollably. "Kade!"
He walked closer to the bank and bent over to meet my eyes. "Sorry... but next time don't make it so tempting to push you in," he said, offering a hand to pull me out. I angrily took it, but before he could pull me out I pulled him in and moved out of the way before he landed on top of me.
Who's laughing now? I thought when he popped above the surface, shaking his wet hair to one side to get it out of his face. He rubbed his face and eyes and stared intensely at me. I bit my lip when I noticed the mischievous smile he was holding back and tried to scramble onto the muddy bank. His arms instantly wrapped around me and pulled me back into the coldish water as I squirmed, kicked, and pleadingly giggled for him to let go. But he was persistent and nearly shoved me back under the surface. I turned in his arms and pushed against his bare shoulders to get away, having no success against his strength. Patiently waiting for me to give up, he continued to hold on and stare me down with a smile. When he pretended to yawn, I finally gave up my struggles.
"You just made me waste dry clothes," I playfully complained and sassily turned my nose up at him. Suddenly he brushed the wet hair out of my face with a gentle finger and tucked it behind my ear. The blush came back as I stared shockingly at him, my lips forming a straight line. I realized he still had his arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me against him in the water.
He slowly brought his lips dangerously close to mine, to the point where we could only breathe each other's air. I felt his sudden tension and tensed myself, tightening my arms around his neck anxiously. There was a moment of silence, a moment of anticipation. I was waiting... unsure if he was going to...
But we both suddenly jerked our heads to one side when a sudden scream and howl broke the quietness in the woods. I was the first to pull away and then we scrambled onto the bank, obviously both knowing not to hesitate. Kade slipped on his dry shirt which became wet from his skin and then took off into the woods, me following right on his feet.
I couldn't recover from the moment. Was he really about to...? It sure seemed like his intention and being that close was so... so... ugh, I don't know. Right now I was kind of speechless. But even slightly distracted by my thoughts, I was able to follow Kade like last night with that same scared and empty feeling. The scream came from Maeve, that I knew, but the howl I'm not so sure. Maybe it was Odis trying to warn us of something? I hoped it was something of that matter, also something that he could easily take down. If not him, then all of us together. But as we neared the cave and clearing, the sound of animal-like growls hit my ears and grew louder with almost every step. I heard similar (and familiar) sounds that seemed more like clicks and hisses, accompanied by human voices.
Kade and I finally stepped out from the thick brush and grouped up with Maeve, who appeared to be doing her best to hold her composure. A few feet away stood Odis, head low in a challenging position as he growled ferociously at our opposers... who made my heart cannonball into my stomach.
Three wolves, three gargoyles (Xur amongst them seeming in perfect condition), and Salazar. Next to him stood Trent, both also seeming just fine. Even so, Salazar's eyes were a bit red (besides their usual piercing red). Their smug looks clearly said they had something planned, and whatever it was was probably going to be a horrible success.
A raspy growl came from Xur as his abnormally large figure stepped forward. "It's the girl. Didn't I tell you she'd be with them?" he said proudly and squinted his creepy amber eyes at me. This time, I made sure my mouth stayed clamped shut due to the outnumbering.
Odis and the other three wolves seemed to be having conversations through growling. I could only imagine they were werewolves too, considering they were nearly the same size as him. But even though they were slightly smaller, there was no way he could take on three at a time.
Salazar turned up his nose at us and smiled oddly. "The warlock, the witch, the goddess, and the wolf," he said (Maeve was, as I had learned awhile back, a witch). "What a powerful combination... but nowhere indestructible."
He took a couple steps forward and turned his focus on me, purposely widening his eyes so I could see the new redness around them. "Do you have any idea what kind of pain you caused me? Do you know how hard it was to get my eyes back and to fix my scorched innards?!" he angrily shouted and walked closer. The two other gargoyles stepped with him and hissed at me, as if I had done something to them too.
"I'd be glad to do it again," I suddenly blurted and had to avoid clamping my hand over my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I could see Kade close his eyes disappointedly, like he was expecting me to keep my mouth shut. For some reason, in situations like this, I was never able to.
Xur suddenly jumped forward and opened his mouth, displaying his razor sharp teeth and letting out a deafening screech. "Fool!" he shouted afterwards. "You dare to challenge Salazar? You'll suffer greatly for it!"
"Enough, Xur. I'm sure she knows what's to come in her future, as well as her friends," Trent finally chipped in and joined the crowd.
Odis and the wolves were still not taking the time to notice what was happening around them.
"Shut your mouth Trent," was all Kade contributed and turned his head as if it pained him to see his own brother standing next to his parents' killer. I could almost feel his pain radiating.
Oh how I missed my parents... but I couldn't imagine what he's been through.
Amongst the hisses of gargoyles and growling of wolves, I hadn't realized that Maeve was talking, more like mumbling something to herself. She was looking down at her hands which were fiddling with each other in an odd pattern. Although curious, I made my glance short and tried to meet Salazar's red eyes again. But he had noticed it too.
"She's chanting! Somebody, quick! Tie her hands and gag her!" he shouted frantically and immediately the two other gargoyles rushed forward, somehow already equipped with the things they needed to secure Maeve. She jumped back and yelped, unable to realize anything until it was too late.
Odis jerked his head around when he heard her cry out. Desperation filled his amber eyes as he tried to leap in her direction, but the three wolves tackled him to the ground and bit it into him in multiple places. He whimpered pitifully and clawed at the three, having no success whatsoever.
I was the next one to cry out for the two and couldn't decided who to rush for. Kade suddenly pushed past me, his eyes bright orange and his arms and hands alight with flames. His targets were Trent and Salazar, so I immediately searched around for Xur.
But he was gone.
I became frantic and felt a strange heated sensation behind my eyes, meaning the feeling from before was beginning to act up again. I had no eyes to focus on, though, so what the hell was I supposed to do? That was the only thing I was useful for! Trent (who shared the same ability as Kade) and Salazar were fighting him off, too quick for me to meet their eyes. As I attempted at focusing on one of them, something white and rough suddenly blocked my vision and pulled my head back. The cloth, I guessed it was, was tied tightly and then I felt a hot breath on my ear.
"You're not doing anything else with those eyes of yours," Xur chuckled. And then somehow my vision went dark.
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Okay, this was a long chapter. Please don't hate me. ;~;