Storm of Shadows Ch. 06

Sorry for the bit of a longer wait. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

*

The vampires came from nowhere. One moment, Mila was frantically trying to keep Dante alive and the next, the male wolves were running back to the camping ground as if all the demons from hell were on their tale, scooping up the female that was just heading out to track them down. The vampires arrived mere seconds after that, at least a dozen of them, their intent plain.

It didn't cross her mind to stay hidden. How could she, when the Justice Seeker's mate was in the campground, as well as children? Mila could only hope that her warning about the attack would spur Kothari to return to protect the wolf pup he'd rescued earlier. Perhaps then, some of them would come out of the attack alive.

Mila jumped from the treetop, landing squarely on her feet and rushing head first into the clearing without pausing. She had barely a moment to survey the area, before one of the attacking vampires turned on her. There was already one dead male wolf, and two females. This was going to be nothing short of a massacre.

She ducked as the male vampire swiped talons in her direction, kicking his legs out from under him and decapitating him as he fell backwards. It was an easy kill, but then the Youngling was barely three decades old. She wasn't under any illusions that the others would be so easy to dispatch.

The remaining wolves were in animal form, snarling in a circle, protecting a single tent. Mila was sure that the girl and the wolf pup were within the tent, that the lone female alive was likely the girl's mother. A male sprang at the circling vampires, howling in agony as talons pierced its side, a second before fangs sank deep within its neck. Vampiric toxin was deadly to wolves. The male died instantly.

"Leave them alone!" she screamed, running towards the tent, and launching herself in the air before she reached the vampires. She sailed over their line, landing in front of the two remaining adult wolves, spinning to face the attackers.

"You cannot have them! Leave now before you all die." Mila didn't expect them to listen to her, but hopefully she could buy some time for reinforcements to arrive. She prayed she had read Kothari right...that he would come to protect the child. If he didn't...well Dante was going to be extremely pissed at her for getting herself killed.

"Stand aside, female. This is none of your business."

The leader of the coven was wearing clothes stained with old blood. Mila could only presume that he'd had something to do with the earlier altercation with the Justice Seeker, at least she hoped he had. "He is coming back," she announced, putting as much conviction in her tone as she could. "You will all die if you are still here when he arrives."

The vampire glared at her, hatred in his eyes, and more than a hint of insanity. "He will be too late," he laughed. "Let him return and see what happens when he fucks with me and mine." He turned to his coven. "This interfering bitch is mine. Kill the rest of them..."

She had hoped to frighten them and make them leave. They evidently had no intention of being thwarted from their task. "Stay behind me," Mila ordered to the wolves, shifting the weight to the balls of her feet as she tried to try to anticipate how the vampires would strike. She had no idea if the wolves would listen to her, it was a wonder they weren't snapping at her as it was. They must have been able to sense that she wasn't a threat to them, however, that seemed a moot point. There was no way in hell she could hold the vampires off for any length of time. They were all doomed, unless the Justice Seeker came.

*****

Agony's fury was like a cold, hard razor scything through his entire body. He had finally found a promising lead to where his parents had gone, and he now had to put it on hold to return to the place he'd left the wolf pup. He had given Pippa his word that the pack would protect her, and that he would return. He kept his word, always, though he hadn't anticipated needing to return so soon.

Paradoxically, it was Kothari who was the one opposed to this course of action, his other half demanding to be heard though he ignored the faint voice swirling through his mind. The boy wanted their parents and fought him to change course. Agony was well aware of why Kothari nagged at him. They both knew that once their parents were discovered alive and well, there would be no need for Agony to have dominance within their body. Agony refused to be swayed though, continuing on through the trees as the scent of blood and death grew stronger. They would discuss dominance at a later date...for now, he had a wolf pack to protect.

There was no doubt in his mind that the attack came from the vampire he had allowed to live as a warning. Clearly, stupidity was rife in the European covens, or perhaps his own arrogance that the vampire would listen to him was to blame for this turn of events. Either way, Agony would end this little episode as swiftly as possible, and then he would return to his main goal of tracking down his parents.

Bursting into the clearing that held the decimated campground of the wolf pack, Agony quickly took in the scene. A female vampire was dragging herself from the ground, blood pouring from a gash in her head. One arm hung awkwardly, and her left side was a gaping wound right down to the bone, but she surged forward despite her injuries, talons swiping wildly at a male's exposed neck.

Behind her, a male wolf was trying to protect a female, but his efforts were in vain, as one of the attackers slipped passed the line of defence, and drove talons into the female wolf's side. The animal howled in agony, and her mate tried to help her, but another vampire overcame him...the Elder catching him around the throat and sinking toxic fangs sinking into his neck.

Death was instantaneous, the wolf's agonised howl cutting off almost before it started. The she-wolf instantly shifted back to human, her anguished scream renting the air, as she dragged her wounded body over to her dead mate. "Roland!"

Her cry distracted her vampire protector enough to have her half turning from her target, the move clearly unwise as her attacker gained an advantage in their fight. The male's talons should have removed her head from body, however the female, who could only be the Mila from the phone call, moved the barest of fractions of an inch, and that saved her life. It didn't prevent her from receiving an almost mortal wound to her neck though, and she screamed in agony and fell backwards...leaving clear access to the she-wolf sobbing over her dead mate, and the tent unprotected.

A girl burst from the tent, her hair wild, a baseball bat in her hand. "Mama! Look out!" she yelled, swinging the bat haphazardly at the approaching vampires, her voice laced with fear even as she tried to defend her mother.

It took less than a second for Agony to realise that she human, and to acknowledge how foolish she was thinking she could somehow cause damage to the attackers with a piece of wood. It took another second for him to admire her determination to protect her pack, and the child he had brought to them to look after.

However, she and the pack had clearly done a piss poor job of protecting the girl. He would have to take matters into his own hands, and that meant there would be nothing but blood and carnage when he was finished. Things were about to get very messy...the dozen or so vampires between him and the child had no idea of the death that was about to come their way.

Agony took a step closer to the vampires...his talons out, his blood a cold fire in his veins. Deep within, he could feel his inner most monster rising, the approaching surge of power reaching dangerous levels with his increasing rage. They had no idea what was about rain down on them and he gloried at the knowledge that he could release his fury with no need to hide it. They were all about to witness what he truly was...and by the end of this fight, anyone left still alive would forever be terrified of him...as they should be.

*****

"Mila!" Dante pushed away Louis' helping hand, and staggered to his feet, already half running, half-staggering towards the open doorway. He had to get to her, had to help her. The need to reach his love's side was all that he could think of! He stumbled and screamed in fury as he fell, his body still trying to heal itself, even as his mind registered the fact that he had no idea where she was, and Agony was long gone so he couldn't follow him.

"Dante, you need to heal first," Louis said, coming to his side, his expression troubled. "I don't know what the fuck is going on here but you're also not going anywhere until you tell me all you know."

"There's no time!" Dante yelled, fear for Mila suffusing his soul. "If the vampires don't kill Mila, there's no telling what Agony will do to her. He's fucking insane as it is." Dark eyes met equally dark eyes, a hint of a plea in Dante's. "You have to help me, Louis. Please...you have to help me save her."

The coven leader's expression turned deadly, fury blazing from his eyes. "I don't have to help you do anything, Castillo. My allegiance is to my coven, the very coven that you brought a maniac into with your secrets and lies. You should be thanking me for not completing the job that lunatic started. It is only because I need answers from you that your head is still attached to your body."

In normal circumstances, they would have been evenly matched, but Louis had only had to recover from some broken bones. Dante knew he wouldn't stand a chance against his friend right now, not when his neck wound was taking so long to heal and he'd lost so much blood.

"How about everyone calms down and takes a deep breath?" A cool female voice said from the doorway, causing both of them to turn in that direction. The stunning blonde standing before them appeared relaxed and unconcerned, and Dante quickly guessed that this could only be Joshua's Dara Romanov as neither of them had detected her approach.

"Who the fuck are you?" Louis growled, though some of Agony's parting words appeared to have seeped into his furious mind, as he didn't immediately attack the stranger.

"I am what will ensure Kothari doesn't return here to your coven and massacre the lot of you without breaking a sweat," Dara replied with a small smile, completely unfazed by the venom in the coven leader's tone. There was so much confidence oozing from her neither of the two vampires were under any illusion that she was as deadly as the other Vârcolac.

"I am not your enemy, and I will do what I can to mitigate Kothari's bloodlust, however, to do that, I need to know exactly what has transpired since he's been here. It really would be in the best interest of your coven not to detach Dante's head, Louis. I find myself in need of his assistance at the moment."

Louis watched her with narrowed eyes for a long moment, as if mentally calculating the odds of a battle with another Vârcolac. He appeared to reach a conclusion pretty quickly, his stance turning less belligerent though he didn't leave Dante's side. When the coven leader nodded his head once in acknowledgement, Dara walked over to them, and crouched down in front of the wounded vampire.

"I can heal your wounds with my blood in less than a second. I can also track Kothari's path to help you find your friend Mila. I presume this was the reason for Joshua's reticence to reveal everything? That he gave his word to you to hide her existence to keep her safe?"

She paused for a moment waiting for him to answer, however he remained silent and her gaze narrowed slightly. "I understand that need to protect those you love, Dante. However, you must understand mine too. Kothari is mine to protect and he will always come first, but that doesn't mean that we can't work together to assist each other. I need to know what I'm walking into, and in return for your help, I will do my utmost to protect your friend. This can work out to both of our advantage. Please don't waste precious time being stubborn about things."

Time was ticking away, endless seconds speeding past where Mila was alone and unprotected. Dante had to make a decision and quickly. He had to decide whether to trust this woman when trust was almost impossible to him. He did have faith in Joshua though, and his friend had spoken up for Dara Romanov. Add in the fact she could also heal him in an instant, and track Agony's movements, there really was no decision to make, not when Mila's life hung in the balance.

Dante nodded painfully, taking a sharp intake of breath as pain rocked through his body. "He calls himself Agony now," he wheezed out, trying to find a position that was more comfortable. "He's insane, Dara, seeing threats everywhere. He was trying to find Gard and Rayne. He didn't believe we didn't know where they had gone. On his travels, it appears that he stumbled across a vampire attack on a small wolf pack, the sole survivor being a young child. He rescued the child and sent her off in the direction of a larger wolf pack nearby. Mila was tracking that pack, trying to find a human girl that lives among wolves. When the shit hit the fan here, Mila called to say the pack was under attack by vampires. Agony left then to go protect the child he'd saved earlier."

Dara's head cocked to the side, curiosity alighting in her eyes as she considered what she'd heard. She held out her wrist to Dante's mouth, another small smile gracing her lips. "Drink; my blood will heal you." As the vampire did as he was told, her expression turned more thoughtful. "What is the importance of the human girl, and why was your friend trying to find her?"

He finished drinking at her wrist, stifling a sigh of relief as her intoxicating blood sped through his veins, enhancing his own regenerative powers exponentially. Dear God, the hybrid's blood was the most potent he'd ever tasted. If they were all like this...the sheer power they had at their disposal was terrifying. He would have to be a complete fool not to see the potential of having the Vârcolac as allies, not just to save Mila, but also to help stave off the worst of the coming invisible war.

"Mila is special," he finally answered, reluctant to reveal everything in front of Louis but having no other option if he wanted Dara's trust. "She was blind when turned to a vampire, and her natural sight never returned on the change. She does have a different kind of sight though, and she has developed into a very powerful Seer. Mila had a vision of Agony's coming, of blood, death and the ultimate destruction of the vampire nation here in Europe when he arrived. The only hope to prevent that was a human girl living among a pack of wolves. We have been searching for her ever since, and only just found her now."

Dara rose up and held out her hand, helping him to his feet, her gaze intent. It was as if she were searching for something within his expression, something that she appeared to find when her half smile blossomed into a huge one. "Thank you, Dante. I know that was difficult to do, and I do appreciate that you told me the truth. I, too, know a powerful Seer, which makes me intrigued to meet your friend. However, that is secondary to my mission at the moment, and I do have one last question before we head off. Please, please tell me this human girl is Kothari's mate?"

"Mila believes so. She is certain the girl is our salvation." Dante wasn't expecting the open relief that danced across the Vârcolac's face. It piqued his own curiosity. "You appear relieved?"

Dara nodded, turning away from them and heading back towards the open doorway. "We have a chance of reaching Kothari now. If he acknowledges the mating pull and doesn't remain confused about me."

"I thought you said you were the only thing standing between Kothari and the annihilation of my coven," Louis barked out, having remained silent but watchful throughout their conversation. His belligerence was back tenfold, his expression antagonistic.

"Until this turn of events, I was, coven leader," she quipped back. "I was merely pointing out that we now have a much more potent ally to assist us. I strongly suggest you come with us, Louis, though I will not demand it. I know how infuriated Alpha males become when they are ordered around. Nevertheless, you should consider doing so. There can be no harm in showing Kothari that you are a friend rather than a foe." Dara walked out of the house, leaving the two vampires alone.

"You know I'm going, Louis. Nothing will keep me from helping Mila, but I think you should heed Dara's advice. Your friend Freya would probably like you to assist the Vârcolac too, seeing as they are all part of the same pack." Dante didn't wait to see if the coven leader would follow. They had wasted far too much valuable time as it was. They had to get to the pack before anything happened to Mila.

*****

Blood; thick and warm, and oh so sticky against his hands. The beautiful symphony of agonised screams; the sweet cacophony of sound sending exhilaration flowing through his body. Agony flowed through the outer ring of vampires, his eyes flaring orbs of red, his talons long and wicked, slicing off limbs with barely any exertion required. He didn't pause to kill the fallen though, his goal to reach the tent and the child hidden deep within.

It didn't take long for the vampires to realise the threat from behind, half the remaining number turning to meet the coming storm. Agony hardly registered them, his gaze firmly fixed on the coven leader from earlier, the one he had warned and who was now stalking the human girl to gain access to the tent.

"Pippa, remain inside, child," Agony said loudly enough for all to hear. His tone was emotionless and chilling, his gaze never leaving the coven leader. "I will be there shortly," he continued. "I am just taking care of a little pest problem at the moment."

His words had most of the group turning to look in his direction, and he smiled a cold smile as he took the head of an Elder vampire who got too close. His movement was so casual, his head not even turned in the vampire's direction he'd just killed, that a few of the remaining coven took a step back, clearly recognising a predator more deadly than themselves.

"Stay and die, or flee and hope I don't come looking for you when I am finished here. The choice is yours."

Two of the attacking force appeared to seriously consider his words, but then their coven leader growled a warning, and their expressions hardened, and they moved towards him. Agony smiled another chilling smile, his bloodlust rising further. "Your funeral then."

Agony hit his true killing edge, that perfect place where only death and destruction lived, where he was unshackled from all human constraints. He caught two vampires by the throat and smashed their heads together with such force, their skulls crumbled in a pulpy mess. As he released them, he twisted his hands negligibly, their heads falling a short distance from their bodies.

Behind him, he sensed movement; however, he didn't turn but maintained his focus on what was happening in front of him. The coven leader continued on his path towards the child, and this only served to infuriate the Vârcolac further.

The male wrenched the baseball bat from the human girl, and backhanded her across the face, sending her crashing to the ground a distance away. Something about that act resonated deep within Agony's soul...something breaking within...the monster he thought he controlled suddenly rearing up with a power that superseded anything he had ever experienced before.

No time! No time left. The bastard had laid hands on her. He had laid his filthy hands on her! Agony took flight, a graceful, deadly leap that took him sailing above the heads of the vampires and directly behind their leader. The male was trying to get inside the unguarded tent, inside where a child wept in terror.