Kade didn't walk like he should. He had a minor limp and occasionally pulled his arm over his stomach. He tried to hide everything and although I was supposed to be helping him look for things to burn, I couldn't help but watch the obvious meltdown of his body. When he leaned against a tree for support, I finally broke the silence.
"Kade, maybe you should go back with the others. I can find wood on my own," I said.
"No! I'm fine. I can handle this," he responded as he winced.
"You're obviously sick. You shouldn't be walking around like this!" I mentioned.
"Would you stop worrying about me, Bella?! I told you I'll be alright," he snapped.
"Why would I not worry about you, Kade? Why do you continue to push those who want to help you away?" I pressed.
"I don't want to put pressure on them. I can solve my own problems." He groaned as he sat against the tree and closed his eyes. I sat next to him and stared up at the treetops.
"If someone wants to help you, they won't care about pressure. Don't expect to achieve much if you don't accept the aid of others," I advised quietly. He had no response to that and continued to breathe unevenly.
"Why are you so determined to be with me if you're not happy here?" he eventually whispered. I was sure my heart cracked just a little.
"It's the people you love that make a place special. You guys are the ones I don't wanna leave. But I don't want to just throw my family out of the picture, either. I hate the fact that I can't have both," I said.
"You didn't answer my question," he whispered. "Why me?"
"Well... I could ask you the same thing. If you know I might leave soon then why are you so attached to me?" I asked.
"Because I've never met someone so desperate to be with me, even after they learned what I am," he said.
"Oh, so now I'm desperate?" I teased. He started laughing weakly and opened his eyes.
"More like strong-minded... or stubborn," he answered. I couldn't really argue with him there. I was known to have a fixed attitude sometimes.
He pushed himself off the ground and reached down a hand to me. "Come on. The others are waiting for wood," he said. I accepted his offer and allowed him to pull me up.
"But if you're ill, how will you ever protect little ol' me?" I joked as we continued searching.
"I'm sure I won't have to worry about protecting you," he answered with a smile. I picked up a long stick and broke it into smaller pieces as he did the same with another stick. "I think you've got the whole defense thing under control."
"Eh... maybe a little. But you never know when you'll need backup," I said.
He nodded while picking up a small log. I handed him my sticks and made the arrangement for me to pick up things while he carried them. He went along with it and we went on through the dark forest, blind to whatever was just a few feet ahead of us.
I started clinging closer to Kade without even realizing it until I bumped into his arm and he nearly dropped our load. I was sure it was my buried fear starting to bubble over again but it didn't really change much, I still found sticks like it was my job. Soon, we had enough for a fire and started to head back.
After awhile, though, the feeling of being followed struck me and I stopped. Kade turned to me and looked around at our surroundings. "You sense it too, huh?" he asked. I nodded as my eyes searched for the source of my feelings. I could only see a few feet in front of me, considering it was almost pitch black due to the trees blocking most of the moonlight.
Something suddenly jumped out from a bush in front of us, startling me until I realized it was just a fox. I began to laugh... but then it started to approach us with its head lowered, sniffing as if it was planning to attack. I took a couple of steps back as it stopped and eyed us harshly.
All of a sudden, a red mist showered the creature and engulfed it completely. When it faded, the fox was gone and in its place... a woman. A young woman not much older than me and Kade. Her long hair was the color of the fox's fur: a red and brown mixture, like the color of rust. Her eyes were a deep brown, but cruelly judging as she glared at us like we were murderers. There was a ring in her nose that glinted even in the little moonlight shining down through the trees.
She sat on her knees but quickly scrambled to her feet and held a defensive and cautious posture towards us. Her full black outfit made her even more ominous.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" she growled, revealing a missing tooth on her top row of teeth. She was actually a beautiful woman, despite all that I just saw.
"We're just passing through for a couple of days. No need for trouble," I assured.
"Trouble my ass. You don't belong here," she snapped.
"What are you?" I randomly asked out of curiosity. She scoffed at me and twitched her nose with annoyance.
"What? Are you stupid or something? I'm a shapeshifter," she snapped. I was actually starting to get aggravated with her... angry more than anything. "Like I was saying, you need to leave. You don't belong here."
"Look, we weren't planning to stay long," Kade tried to add. It seemed like the lady noticed him for the first time and actually smiled when she glanced at him. Being a girl, I knew the look she gave him instantly: a flirty one. She even approached him and brushed her fingers over his shoulder.
Oh hell no.
"Maybe I can make an exception... for something in return, of course," she cooed as her desperate eyes watched Kade. My lips twitched into a psychotic smile as I reached for her shoulder and shoved her back.
"Okay... first you insult me and then you hit on my man. You obviously don't know who you're messing with," I barked. I'd never released my inner bitch before but now that I did... it felt pretty nice.
"Oh... you've obviously never challenged a shape-shifter before," the girl sassily responded. I could almost laugh at how good my next comeback was.
"You've obviously never challenged a goddess before." She actually froze and suspiciously gazed at me, staring at my eyes more than anything.
"They're... they're extinct," she then mumbled awkwardly. I arched an eyebrow and widened my eyes to prove her wrong... which ended up working.
"My apologies... I-I tend to get aggressive sometimes," she stammered. Her eyes darted around like she didn't know where to look. Even in the darkness, I could see her cheeks growing red with embarrassment and shame. "If you don't mind me asking... how is possible that a god lives on?"
"Long story that I don't have time to explain," I answered more politely now that I had beaten her. She nodded understandingly and wiped the whole mean look off her face.
"Right... well, since you're obviously new here, I might as well give you the most needed advice you'll need in these woods," she said, pausing afterward for some dramatic effect. "Don't wake the baby." Her words were slow and deliberate, but my next ones weren't.
"What does that mean?!"
"You'll know if the time comes," she answered reluctantly. "Just be cautious around here. There are things in these woods that will give you nightmares... if you're even able to sleep after seeing them."
Before I could ask anything else, she was engulfed by red smoke and transformed back into a realistic fox. Then, with a final small nod of her head, she disappeared into the bush she originally came from.
Although the situation was serious, Kade turned to me with a smile. "Your man?" he teased. I rolled my eyes and continued walking.
"Weren't you the one who called me your girl earlier?" I called back.
"Hey, I was just speaking the truth," he answered.
After that we walked in silence again, all the way back to the others. We told them about the warning from the shapeshifter, then placed the wood while they started ranting about it.
"You confronted a shapeshifter?!" Maeve exclaimed. She obviously wasn't at all happy about it, but I didn't consider it a big deal.
"Actually... she confronted us," Kade informed bluntly as he finished with the wood and leaned against a tree with me. He put his arm around me and then laid his head back with closed eyes.
"Uh... fire?" Odis requested. Kade raised his hand and snapped his fingers, setting the wood on fire with red flames. With his unleashed madness, I wasn't sure if we'd ever get to see their natural color again.
"Okay, I'm getting tired of hearing this 'do not wake the baby' thing. What the hell does that even mean? What baby?" Maeve groaned. She leaned against her own tree and started picking off the bark with her crimson nails. They still looked perfect even after all this time.
"Who knows? Like Delilah and the shapeshifter said, this place is full of nightmares. That baby is probably one of them," Odis insisted.
"Speaking of... where is Delilah?" I asked, searching our small gathering for the transparent ghost and thinking I just looked over her.
"She said she wanted to scout out the place for a bit. I don't know when she'll be back," Maeve answered. I groaned to make my displeasure obvious and leaned my head against Kade's shoulder.
"Are any of us even willing to sleep while she's gone?" I asked.
"Apparently Kade is," Odis said as he nodded his head towards him. I glanced up to realize that he had actually fallen asleep, breathing more steadily now with a serene look on his tired face. I moved from beside him and helped him lay down on the soft blanket that was provided to us. He'd be a bit more comfortable without me holding him against a tree.
Although seeming relaxed, I didn't like the fact that he had already conked out. His recent drowsiness was no doubt the result of his sickness, and who knew what happened every time it made him fall asleep.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maeve shift to her knees and crawl over to him. She had a worried look on her face as she brushed a gentle hand over his cheek and placed her other on his chest. It was like watching a mother comfort her child. The way she looked at him was the way my mom looked at me and my siblings... so much care, so much stress. She brushed the hair out of his face and slowly looked at me.
"Bella... there is something seriously wrong with him. He's not just plainly ill. I... I can feel whatever it is radiating from him," she whispered broken-heartedly. I couldn't gather the words for a response and only stared at her with a look that wasn't too guilty. I was the only one that knew and I hadn't tried a single thing to help it. Why was I so stupid?
"Bella, you know what's wrong with him... don't you?" she asked so quietly and calmly that it was almost scary. I was still speechless but the tear that strayed from my eye said it all.
"Honey, what's wrong? What's happened?" she continued to question as she crawled over to me and pulled me into a hug. It was nice to know I wasn't getting criticized just yet for knowing and not telling.
"I... I can't tell you," I whispered into her crimson hair. "You'll all die."
"Why do you say that?"
"That's what he said." More tears flowed from my eyes as I looked over at Kade and thought again about how he was slowly dying.
Maeve pulled herself away from me and grip my shoulders encouragingly. "You mean Salazar?" she said. I didn't know if that was against the rules he listed but still nodded slowly.
"Ugh... pathetic. Does no one know how to keep a secret these days?" A startling voice butted in. I cuffed a hand over my mouth and started crying uncontrollably when I peered over Maeve's shoulder and saw Salazar leaning against a tree. The red fire casted an eerie glow on his face and somehow made his red eyes stand out even more.
What scared me even more was that Odis rushed over and grabbed Kade when he jumped from his sleep like he automatically knew the demon was there. He wasn't as angry as before and seemed to be trying to keep himself calm as he glared with harsh blue eyes.
"Please, Salazar! I didn't say anything!" I cried. He smiled crookedly at me, then magically pulled out a knife from his back pocket.
"But you've said too much," he said. He snapped his fingers and everyone froze. They were still aware and awake, but they were horrified at the fact that they couldn't move.
I was the only one that could.
"I guess I should explain what's happening here... just to make things more interesting," Salazar announced. He pointed his knife at Kade and frowned, managing to greatly hide the smile that still remained.
He then did as he said and explained to them everything he told me, about how he hired a guy to shoot Kade with a cursed bullet. How the curse strengthens his madness and fuels the parasitic sickness inside of him, and how he threatened me to keep my mouth shut. His smile slowly returned as he spoke, showing that he enjoyed revealing his devilish side and spreading fear to those around him.
When he finished, his red eyes drifted back to me and he bit his lip. "Lucky for you, I'm not actually here to kill you," he said. For a moment there, I actually felt a little relieved. But then I remembered that this was Salazar we were talking about. "After your little stunt at the castle, my army is having to take time to regroup and recover. It shouldn't take them long, of course. I give you an estimate of forty-eight hours before they're ready again. Then... we'll all come for you."
"Why attack us with a full army?" Odis growled. Salazar huffed a surprised laugh and looked at us like we were all idiots.
"Oh, come on! I'm not stupid. As much as I hate to admit it, you guys are like the most powerful supernaturals of your kind! Kade's a descendant of the Great Warlock, not to mention the fact he has demon blood flowing through his veins. Odis used to lead the strongest wolf pack that ever walked the earth, and Maeve was the most compelling witch of her coven. Bella... you're a goddess for crying out loud! If I didn't know you couldn't completely control your powers, I wouldn't even lift a finger towards you," he exclaimed as if it were obvious. "Who knows how many alliances you've formed along this journey of yours. You have the leader of the elves on your side, my dragon, a ghost, and that's probably just the start."
"Don't forget another all powerful witch," Maeve replied with a smirk. Salazar's devilish smile returned as he squinted at her.
"Are you sure about that?" he whispered. He snapped his fingers and the bushes started to rustle behind him. Enormous bat wings came into view seconds later as a familiar gargoyle, still taller than everyone there, entered the opening and growled at us. He reached behind him, grabbed something, and then threw it into the opening for all of us to see.
Maeve screamed before anyone could react. I would've done the same if I saw my dead aunt in front me. She tried to tug against the magical force holding her still... but it didn't work.
I couldn't look away from the face of the lovely lady that was alive not too long ago. Her face was badly bruised and a bit bloody, causing my heart to break even more. Did Salazar really humiliate her by beating her up? I could feel my anger growing stronger the more I thought about how he took her down.
Poor Vivian... I felt so in debt to her. She did all she could do to help us. She fed us, clothed us, offered us a place to sleep, summoned us a guide and even risked her life to summon an angel. Not to mention the fact she bandaged Kade who could've died from blood loss.
Before I could even gather up my thoughts again, Maeve's cries became louder and my eyes focused on her. Heavy tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes were such a bright green, I thought they'd pop.
"Bella, kill him, dammit!" she screamed. I had never heard her voice reach such an angry and demanding tone before. She desperately stared at me, probably because I was the only one that could move and I was her only hope at getting revenge right then and there.
I glared at Salazar and his pet, then scrambled to my feet and darted in his direction, unsure of what my plan was. I just needed to do something to make Maeve feel a little better.
I was tackled immediately by the six foot beast at his side and pinned to the floor by his weight. His amber eyes locked with mine as his saliva covered teeth were displayed by a snarl. His mouth opened wider when he did his famous, highly obnoxious screech and showered my face with the disgusting smell of his breath.
"Oh, and forget about getting that shapeshifter on your side, too," Salazar called out. I heard movement and then something landed with a thump beside my head, adding another odor to the scene and making my nose wrinkle. When my eyes drifted over to it, I nearly threw up all over Xur.
It was the shapeshifter in her fox form, coated in blood with her eyes rolled into the back of her head. There was an enormous bite mark in her side that already had flies swarming around it and some other sort of insect feeding on her insides.
A throaty chuckle came from Xur as his teeth became displayed by a smile. I whimpered in disgust when I finally noticed the blood and meat stuck in between his canines and blanketing his lips.
"I barely kept him from eating the witch," Salazar mentioned.
"Screw you, bastard!" Maeve shouted, still in tears based on her constant sniffles.
The demon snapped his fingers and Xur climbed off of me. I immediately scrambled away from the gore fest next to me and stupidly took time to recover from the sight. Even if I tried to attack again, though, it would obviously be unsuccessful.
Salazar started laughing as he turned away from us and glanced over his shoulder. "See you in forty-eight hours," he cooed.
Then he and his pet disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
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Sorry for the long chapter! But wow... I am a little sorry for what just happened. Please don't hate me. Åï¹Å
-Ash