Chapter 34

((WARNING: NOT EDITED. My editor was sick and couldn’t edit this chapter. I tried to self-edit as best as I could, but if you see any errors that really confuse you, point them out. Thanks!

Remember, telling me how annoyed you are at the time between updates does not help me upload faster.

Check out the cover by neonlights12! She used the correct actress for Skylar, too :) ))

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~~~~~~~~Gabriel’s POV~~~~~~~~~

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Antonio smirked, his eyes glimmering with malevolence.

Fury rose from deep within me, burning through my veins and causing my last tendril of self-control to snap. I Shifted instantly, my clothes ripping away from my body and fur sprouting from my pores. I leapt at Antonio in the same movement, anger coursing through me as I realized that Cain was leaving the vampire behind to distract me while Cain ran away with my Mate. Killing Antonio would waste precious time that could help me save Skylar.

It was pathetic, my Wolf thought, that Antonio was willing to give his life to buy Cain a few seconds.

Then again they probably thought I would be losing my strength by now. Antonio was likely not counting on me leaping at him full force, claws outstretched. The shaggy-haired vampire tried to dodge my snarling jaws, a startled look flashing through his black eyes, but he was too slow. I was livid, seeing red, and my Wolf was intent on snaring our prey. Antonio did not stand a chance, no matter how old he was.

He may have been one of the strongest vampires, but he was nothing compared to an enraged werewolf with the blood of an Angel and the strength of an Alpha.

It took mere seconds for my fangs to sink into his shoulder, bone crunching beneath my mighty jaws. Antonio might have been strong enough to throw any other werewolf off but he was a flimsy sapling bending to the gales of my fury. My Wolf roared as I trapped the vampire below me and began to tear at him, rending him in pieces. Antonio hissed in pain and attempted to fight off my attack but my heavy weight pinned him to the ground. I buried my teeth into every exposed inch of skin I could find. His hisses turned into desperate squeals as I tore into him with roaring bloodlust. When my teeth pierced the jugular he stilled, blood staining the green grass. I took this opportunity to be-head him with one strong wrench, my Wolf simmering with satisfaction. Strength and adrenaline burned through my veins, and tearing Antonio apart had been no challenge in this enhanced state. I dropped the severed head to the ground and took off in the direction Cain had vanished.

Rage was driving me, I was a completely feral animal that would kill anything that tried to stop me from getting to my Mate. There was no telling what Cain had in store for her. The vampire had to be weakening by now, whereas my paws were thundering across the ground and I was catching up. Antonio had bought him a minute but it wouldn’t be enough. I leapt through the trees, which soon opened up to a fairly steep, grassy slope. Skylar’s scent led me down the mountain and I dimly wondered where the Hell the vampire was taking her.

Eli! Status! I mentally barked at the Beta, hoping he was in good enough shape to respond and follow me.

Alpha. Almost every Wolf is accounted for. I detected worry in his tone.

Is Skylar with you? He continued.

Cain has her. I’m following him. Send wolves after me. Where is Raziel? I remembered Rebekah had said he was distracting Cain, but the Angel was nowhere to be found.

I don’t see him. I’ll send a group to look for him; he can’t be far, Eli replied.

I grunted affirmation and picked up the pace. Despite his weakening state, Cain was still moving incredibly fast. I should’ve nearly caught up with him by now.

My train of thought was suddenly de-railed as three dark shadows darted from the shelter of the forest ahead on my left and barreled my way. I snapped my jaws in frustration; Cain was continuing to throw his minions at me, just to buy time. And they were throwing their lives away for the master of their coven.

The vampires rapidly approached and I briefly considered making a sharp turn and avoiding them altogether. Unfortunately, if I took a different route I could waste even more time trying to pick up the trail again. I couldn’t lose Skylar’s scent.

It seemed my best alternative was to rip the head off of every vampire that tried to distract me. I met the trio of vampires head on, moving faster than their beady demon-eyes could hope to comprehend. My Wolf howled savagely as we spun left and right, jaws clamping down on every vampire limb within reach as I dodged their counterattacks. I felt claws rake through my fur, scraping through the skin and drawing blood. I spun and leapt on top of the offending vampire, breaking his neck with a single jerk. Another scrambled onto my back, trying to find purchase to sink her repulsive fangs into my skin but I bucked her off and made short work of her once she tumbled to the ground.

I turned, prepared to finish off the third vampire, but to my surprise he was already unconscious on the ground. A large, silky brown wolf stood over him, her eyes glinting. It was Rebekah. Even though I knew she was back, my heart still skipped a beat as I took in the appearance of the person I’d thought was gone for over fifteen years.

Shouldn’t you be weakening? I asked incredulously, wasting no time as I took off after Skylar again and my mother fell into step beside me. I took a cursory glance at Rebekah’s form, noticing something glinting around her neck. A pendant of some sort. She must’ve noticed my look for she replied,

Raziel gave it to me. It protects those of holy blood, especially from unholy forces. Since Cain used a dark Ritual, and that’s what is seeping my energy, this helps keep it at bay.

How long will it last?

Not very long. I’m only half-Angel, so it doesn’t offer me as much protection as it would Raziel. My Wolf side is still feeling the Ritual’s effects.

It occurred to me that Rebekah and Raziel really had formulated a plan that accounted for every possibility…well, save for Skylar’s capture.

A breeze wafted Skylar’s scent in our direction and I took a sharp turn. We were still heading down the mountain, but the trail was steadily strengthening. Cain’s vampires were not buying him enough time.

Are you strong enough to fight? Cain will keep throwing vampires our way. Some part of me realized just how strange it was to be having a mental conversation with my mother, after all of this time.

I don’t care. I’m going to help you kill Cain, no matter the cost. You must go through with it.

There was a strange undercurrent in her voice and I tossed her a sharp glance. She remained focused ahead, ears pricked forward as she sought out any sign of vampires.

Of course I’ll go through with it. Why wouldn’t I? My Wolf huffed in indignation at the thought that we wouldn’t tear that disgusting vampire to pieces, especially after he’d laid his filthy claws on our Mate.

You will, of course, Rebekah replied vaguely, and I felt a stab of frustration that she was avoiding the subject. He has Skylar, right?

The thought of my Mate’s unconscious form sent another wave of fury crashing over me and I was quickly distracted. Yes, I grit out, voice simmering with anger.

Then we’d better hurry.

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We had to contend with two more separate vampire ambushes, both of which cost us precious minutes and allowed Cain to stay ahead of us, before my sensitive hearing caught Cain’s voice on the breeze, just a bit further down the mountain and through another copse of trees. Seemed he had finally slowed enough for us to catch up. He should be weak enough for me to tear him apart.

I was running at top-speed, Rebekah lagging behind slightly, before I made out the tail end of his last command,

“….guard the entrance, all of you. Don’t be afraid to use them…they’ll definitely slow him down. If he even makes it this far.”

Some sort of instinct triggered by Cain’s words fought through my red haze of anger and made me slow my pace as I entered the trees. I wanted to leap into the fray after Cain, but a warning signal was going off in my head and I trusted this sixth sense. It had never led me astray before.

Hold on, I commanded Rebekah, who slowed down as she caught up to me. Following my instinct, I crouched down until my belly fur brushed against the ground. My more reckless side urged me on, worried that being cautious could cost Skylar her life, but my logical brain wanted to see what we were up against. The way Cain had phrased his order indicated multiple vampires ahead, and his last words made it seem like he had some sort of weapon. I could only assume silver was related. Even if I could form a tenuous plan, it was better than rushing in headlong and getting myself killed or held up for too long to help Skylar.

I racked my brains, trying to remember Cain mentioning any sort of hiding place within the past few days, but came up empty. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The vampire always had a back-up plan.

When I reached the edge of the trees my suspicions were confirmed: there were over a half-dozen vampires ahead. They were fairly spaced apart in a grassy area devoid of cover. They were definitely not trying to hide. We were practically at the base of the mountain now, so the ground was more level in some spots.

I crouched lower, remaining concealed in the forest’s fringe as I assessed the situation.

So Raziel was right the first time, Rebekah said quietly, tone subdued. He’d initially thought Cain had close to fifty vampires, but then after doing some calculations, he lowered that number.

Cain had more than fifty to begin with, I responded almost absently, scanning the surroundings. What you saw in the clearing was the bulk, but he would never have them all in one place.

I noticed that Rebekah was breathing more heavily than normal, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she panted. I tried to ignore her weakening state as I focused on the bloodsuckers ahead. They were walking about in a coordinated fashion, more like patrolling than anything. But what exactly where they guarding? The patterns, the way they moved, should give away what they were protecting…where Cain was. I narrowed my eyes and strained to see in the darkness, past the shadowy vampire figures into the mountain beyond, which was slightly steeper than the area in which Rebekah and I were hiding.

Behind the vampires was a rocky formation, a jumble of smaller rocks and large boulders that initially looked unassuming, but I grew suspicious upon closer inspection. There was one particularly large rock lying across the others at an odd angle, standing mostly upright almost as if it were…

Blocking an entrance.

There must be some sort of cave or cavern in the side of the mountain, whether natural or created for Cain’s purposes, I wasn’t sure, though I suspected Cain dug it specifically for this. He’d had a long time to plan, after all.

I had to get inside. It made sense, that Cain would lurk in the mountain’s murky depths through the night and these vampires would guard him while he was in his incapacitated state.

I quickly shot out a mental image of the location to Eli and everyone else in the pack, urging them to get here as quickly as possible.

Are you going now? You heard what Cain said, I think they have weapons…Rebekah began hesitantly.

I’m circling around the back.  When the others arrive they can attack from the front. Stay here and attack from the side. If you feel up to it, I wanted to add, but didn’t want to get into it. Rebekah was perfectly capable of gauging her own weakness and I could only worry about Skylar right now. My Wolf refused to fixate on anything else.

I was already moving as I spoke, crouching low as I began to move parallel to the edge of the trees. Vampires could not see, hear, or smell as well as us, and I would try not to alert them to my presence until it was too late. I could surprise them from the back until my pack could close in. If Eli had sent others after me like I’d asked, they could not be too far away.

Gabriel, Rebekah called after me, forcing me to hesitate. I glanced over my shoulder, knowing the impatience must have been evident in my Wolf’s expression.

I want you to know that I’m sorry. For leaving you, for what happened to David….everything. She spoke with a tone of forced calm, but I detected hesitancy underneath.

So Raziel had told her what had happened to my father, then. Rebekah would’ve been in a coma when it occurred. I wasn’t sure how to feel about my mother’s knowledge of the situation, or her apology in general. I wasn’t good with the whole heart-to-heart thing and I still bore some resentment built up over the years. Unsure how to approach the topic, and itching to chase after Skylar, I flicked my ears in acknowledgment before continuing to creep towards the vampires. This conversation with Rebekah could happen later.

Hurry up, my Wolf snarled in frustration. She’s in there. That filthy vampire could be drinking from her now.

My stomach plummeted as the thought that I’d been trying to avoid was attacked dead-on by my Wolf. I wasn’t completely in the dark; I knew that Cain didn’t want Skylar just to bait me. Her blood could possibly be his perfect elixir. The thought of his fangs sinking into her pale flesh almost drove me into a frenzy, and I dug my claws into the ground to prevent my Wolf from forcing me down into the midst of the vampires.

You are wasting precious time, my Wolf seethed.

If they have silver weapons, they can take us out. We have to use the element of surprise.

They won’t stop me from getting to her, I don’t care how many silver bullets they have, he snapped, but thankfully stopped pressing.

My heart thudded relentlessly in my chest as I tried to maneuver myself so I was downwind of the vampires, creeping through the undergrowth at a painfully slow pace lest I risk being heard. The seconds were ticking by and it took an incredible amount of strength not to leap in front of the patrolling vampires. Normally I didn’t have such a sense of self-preservation, but I knew I was the only one that could save her. I couldn’t risk being pierced by a silver bullet. The vampires would have plenty of room to shoot me if I emerged from cover; they were out in the open.

And if Cain drank from Skylar and regained his strength, he would be able to escape before the effects of silver left my system.

It was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, when almost every fiber of my being wanted to plunge into the vampires’ midst without worrying about whatever weapons they held.

What felt like an eternity later, I was in position. I was almost even with the rocky formation, near the opposite side of the large clearing from where Rebekah was hiding. My heartbeat had sped up further, and I felt a strange sense of paranoia that the vampires could hear it. The creatures were being oddly quiet, not bothering to exchange words as they held position, glancing around for any sign of movement. Thankfully their eyesight was not good enough to spot me at this distance.

Then I felt it: a sudden, piercing pain in the side of my neck. I inhaled sharply as a burst of agony shot through me, but it was an echo, not my pain, but hers. Cain had bitten my Mate. It radiated from the point of entry to every end of me. And in that moment, I lost all remaining vestiges of self-control.

He fucking touched her. He’s drinking from her! My Wolf roared, and if I wasn’t already in the same mindset as he was, he would’ve taken over my mind entirely.

We took off, blowing our cover completely. I didn’t care. I had precious minutes to stop Cain from feeding on her. Hell, I didn’t even know what exactly it would do to her. I’d never heard of a werewolf dying of blood loss but I couldn’t risk it. If Skylar died, I would go back to the way I was before. Maybe worse. I would return to that feral, savage, love-less creature.

But the worst thing of all would be that Skylar would never open those blue eyes of hers, never see the light of day again.

With a savage howl, I dashed towards the vampires, who spun towards the sound. The heavy noise from my paws beating the ground resounded in the odd stillness. I leapt, high in the air, bracing myself for the impact of a silver bullet in my side. I was far enough away that if even one of the vampires was a good shot, they could hit me at this speed. They were spread out, and it would only take an instant for one of them to get a good angle on me. I didn’t care. I was prepared for the worst…

…but apparently, luck was on my side tonight.

I heard an outbreak of furious growls from the opposite side of the grassy area and wolves began to burst from the trees. I saw Eli, Will, Skylar’s parents, and a couple others. I only glanced at them for half a second, enough to realize that several of the vampires had spun to face the oncoming werewolves, leaving me with only a couple to face. I snarled heatedly as I heard the crack of a gunshot and something glinting whizzed by my body, just skimming my fur. That was too close; I had to focus.

I collided with the nearest vampire just as another gunshot resounded and the bullet flew over my head. My assumption had been correct that when the vampires were caught off guard, the element of surprise would prevent them from remaining calm and focusing on the target. Cain had clearly not prepared them for the appearance of so many werewolves at once.

I saw shock flicker through the depths of the bloodsucker’s eyes as I took him to the ground, claws digging into his paper-thin flesh. I bared my teeth ferociously as I heard other gunshots nearby, these focused on the other werewolves joining the fray.

“You…but you’re….” He began, kicking and struggling weakly, but my sheer force pinned him down and my teeth quickly connected with his throat. The sentence trailed off with a gurgle.

I didn’t have time to break his neck, because instinct urged me to leap off his prone form. I followed the gut feeling, a bullet shooting through the area I had just vacated. My eyes fixated on the vampire holding the gun, her face twisted in a furious grimace of hatred. She prepared to shoot again but I twisted to the side and then leapt, too fast even for her enhanced speed. The vampire shot at me again, and then again, but her panicked movements prevented accuracy and an instant later I had her arm in my teeth, shaking it rigorously. The bones snapped beneath my jaws and she dropped the gun with a howl of pain. Her free hand clawed at me, drawing blood and yanking out tufts of fur, but I held on firmly to the arm clasped in my jaws. With a jerk I used my leverage to toss her away like a rag doll, directly at the rocky formation that concealed Cain’s presence. She smacked into the rocks and then lay still.

A third vampire spun around, aiming his gun at me, but Will leapt out of nowhere and the two collided heavily. They began tussling on the ground and the gun was quickly ripped from the bloodsucker’s grasp. He was too busy with Will to focus on me.

These pathetic creatures don’t have our resilience or prowess, my Wolf sneered. They don’t deserve to even grovel at our feet.

Seeing a clear path to the entrance, I shot out a message to the others telling them to finish the vampires off and then make sure none of the bloodsuckers followed me into the cavern. I took off at top speed towards the rocky formation a short distance away. In Wolf form, it would be more difficult to move the rock since I couldn’t just use my hands, but I needed to stay this way for the enhanced strength and senses.

The vampire still lay crumpled next to me, at the base of the rocks, as I pressed my large shoulder against the biggest boulder and shoved as hard as I could. With a satisfying rumble, it rubbed against the others with a grinding noise before toppling over. I quickly sidestepped to avoid getting my paws crushed.

Behind the boulder was a narrow tunnel entrance, just as suspected. Tendrils of plant roots hung down through the soil roof of the tunnel, and I saw multi-legged critters scurrying away from my presence. The tunnel was small, only enough room for one vampire, but winding. This close, it was nearly pitch-black, but I saw some sort of dim light around the corner and figured it opened up to a larger cavern.

Cain must have worked on this for months…or even years, once he’d found the site where he wanted to hold the Ritual.

No doubt he has a back exit. He’d never corner himself like this, my Wolf mused. I agreed with him as I glanced over my shoulder, seeing all of the other vampires occupied. I then shoved myself in the tunnel, disregarding how cramped and claustrophobic I felt. Every second was imperative at this point so I moved as quickly as possible. I didn’t care if Cain heard me coming. If Skylar’s blood hadn’t helped him, he likely would have collapsed by now. I prayed to whoever was listening that he was completely incapacitated.

Dirt crumbled as my massive form scraped the sides of the tunnel. It was tall enough for Cain to walk, hunched-over, which meant it was tall enough for me to not have to duck down as a wolf. However, my girth was the problem. Rocks were studded into the soil and they scraped against me as I shoved through.

This could be a trap, my Wolf muttered, an edge to his voice. Privately, I agreed, but I didn’t care. I did not have time for caution at this point. My neck was still stinging slightly. It had been a few minutes since Cain bit Skylar; if he was still feeding from her, she must be dangerously weak. The thought made me gnash my teeth furiously as I wound through the tunnel as rapidly as my size allowed.

I couldn’t help but feel as if I’d failed her. I’d allowed Cain to take her and do God-knows-what with her. I despised someone else touching what was mine, but it was more than that. Skylar was so innocent, so pure, and Cain was defiling her. It caused a pain to resonate from deep within my chest.

The light was growing brighter now, flickering, no doubt torchlight. I forced myself around a particularly sharp curve. A pile of dirt collapsed and rained down into my fur but I ignored it as I realized how close I was. With one last vigorous shove, I pushed through the last turn and stumbled into a larger cavern.

It was only the size of a bedroom, with torches bracketed on the dirt walls. My vision skimmed the nearby table, which contained a few open books and a jug of a dark crimson substance, to the small bed against the back wall, to a small hole in the back of the cavern that was undoubtedly a back exit, to the most horrifying thing in the room: My Mate. Chained to the wall, the silver cuffs biting into her sensitive skin. There were cuffs on both her wrists and her ankles, and the rest of her hung limply. Her dark hair obscured most of her pale face, and the veins were vivid against her skin. Skylar was still unconscious but she’d be in a lot of pain when she woke up. My Wolf whined softly, a rare noise for him to make, and my furious gaze focused on Cain, who was hovering in the shadows just behind her.

He definitely did not look incapacitated. In fact, he had a malevolent sneer on his face. I took a step forward, ready to completely disembowel him.

“Not so fast, if you want her to live,” the vampire spoke smoothly. I automatically glanced at Skylar, examining her even more closely than before, and that’s when my nose detected it: blood. Fresh blood, definitely hers. Her hair obscured the bite but I could see a small trickle of scarlet on her neck. I snapped my jaws, a horrifying sound escaping my throat.

“I’d Shift back, if I were you. We can talk like civilized people. Trust me, you’ll want to hear what I have to say about Skylar.”

I really wanted to rip his throat out, then rescue Skylar myself. Cain must’ve read this in my expression because he spoke again:

“Don’t you want to know what I did to her? What’s going to happen to her, and how to stop it?”

That got my attention. Seconds later my bones had shifted back into human form, the fur and claws receding until I stood as a human, stark-naked, in front of him. My Wolf, caged only in my mind once more, paced feverishly. I flexed my fingers that itched to tear Cain’s heart out before folding my arms across my chest.

“You have one minute,” I said darkly. I wanted to step closer to Skylar and make sure she was okay but I had noticed something in Cain’s hand: a silver dagger. Once again, I was stuck conversing with him while my Mate’s life was at stake.

“I must say, Gabriel, I’m impressed. How on Earth did you avoid being weakened by the Ritual?” His vivid, blue-green eyes were alive with genuine curiosity.

I just stared at him, refusing to respond. So Rebekah’s plan really had fooled him.

“Oh, I know, you’re playing hard to get.” A smirk spread across the vampire’s sharp features. “Well, it doesn’t matter. You have your ways, I have mine.” He gestured broadly at Skylar’s unconscious form and a growl emerged from deep within my chest.

“My suspicions were correct. I needed blood, but hers worked perfectly. Not only does she have an Affinity…something I always wished vampires had, by the way….but some part of you is within her. I think it just sped the process along.”

“Doesn’t matter. You may have regained your strength but I can still kill you,” I snapped, confident in my words.

Cain sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, you’re right. I still don’t quite feel…up to par.”

His honest admission surprised me but I tried to keep my expression neutral.

“And without all my vampires to guard me…well, I’m helpless!” He shrugged carelessly. My suspicion spiked.

“That’s why Skylar was just perfect. I figured, on the off chance that you managed to follow me despite your growing weakness…well, I could regain most of my strength and defeat you.” His eyes flashed with something I could not decipher. “However, I see you were one step ahead of me in that regard. You’re not weak enough for me to kill. Well, not without expending a lot of effort. It isn’t a risk I’m willing to take.”

He took a step closer to Skylar. I moved forward, ready to prevent him from touching her, but he brought the knife into the light and I stopped. He would be able to plunge that thing into her neck before I could stop him. Once again, I felt completely helpless, and let a wave of self-loathing overcome me. Skylar’s body suddenly jerked, her muscles straining for half of a second, before she grew still again. My heart skipped a beat as unease formed in the back of my mind.

“Looks like it’s starting,” Cain said softly.

“What’s starting?” I snapped, unwilling to continue the game of riddles any longer.

Cain raised an eyebrow, smirking once again. “Why, she’s going to turn, of course. I fed her my blood moments ago after nearly draining her.”

It suddenly felt like the ground had disappeared below me. I gaped at Cain, horror unfurling deep within me, unable to find words for several long seconds. Skylar’s body jerked again, more pronounced this time, and a strangled whimper escaped her lips. My Wolf was recoiling in horror at the thought that Cain’s words could be true, of what he could have done to my Mate…

That Skylar was becoming what I despised most. A vampire. Cain was turning something beautiful and perfect into a creature of mindless evil. I could not let it happen.

“Werewolves can’t become vampires, or hybrids. It’s impossible,” I hissed through my teeth, hoping with everything I had that it was true.

Cain grinned, and this time there was a flash of fang behind his lips. “That’s true normally. However, you seem to have forgotten that I’m the oldest vampire in existence. The original. My blood is powerful enough to turn anything…well, anything not directly descended from an Angel.”

As the blood rushed through my ears and I didn’t attempt to conceal the look of horror on my face, he continued,

“Your essence, the part of you that’s inside her, is not enough to protect her. You are not going to be fast enough.”

I swallowed, hard, as Skylar’s body began to jerk again. Even though she was unconscious, I could hear the pathetic whines escaping her. The cuffs scraped against her raw skin as she squirmed. This time, it jerked multiple times before she hung limp again. Each movement was a painful stab against my heart.

“How do I stop it?” I asked, voice rasping against my throat. I was clinging to what Cain had said earlier. There had to be a way.

“That’s where this gets interesting. You’re going to have to choose, you see.”

My hands clenched into fists as my gaze trailed over Skylar again. Her veins were even darker against her skin now as the evil blood coursed through them. If she turned, what would she become? A hybrid? Would she need to kill humans to survive, or would she retain her heart of goodness? One thing was for certain: Skylar would hate herself forever. She would not want survive like that, I knew that much. My Wolf whined in agitation, the sound morphing into a furious growl. It was unfair that Skylar had something so unfortunate happen to her, and it was all my fault.

“The transition could possibly kill her. That happens sometimes. I’m not sure exactly how it works when used on a werewolf. I guess I didn’t really do my research.” There was vivid amusement in Cain’s tone and I wanted so desperately to tear his intestines out of his body. My Wolf was not speaking; he was too stricken by the sight of his Mate in front of us. I knew that he, too, wanted Cain to die an excruciating death, but I needed this information. I had to know how to save her. My thoughts were far from the vampire problem now, focused solely on Skylar.

“That’s why you’ll choose. Saving her before she transitions, which only takes a few minutes by the way, maybe a half hour at most. That’s an advantage to being as old as I am; it takes next to no time to create new minions.” He chuckled malevolently while I still remained silent in my horror-stricken state.

“It’ll be harder to save her the longer you wait. So, either you save her and let me go,” he gestured at the back exit to the cavern, “Or you can choose to chase and kill me. You may have caught up to me earlier, but I’m stronger now and just as fast as you, if not faster. It’ll take some time to chase me down. Little Skylar will have fangs by the time you get back.” He was backing away as he spoke, quite close to the exit. He knew what I was going to choose.

Cain had won. He had always been one step ahead, always had a back-up plan. I knew he was right, that chasing him down and eventually catching him would likely stop me from preventing Skylar from turning into a vampire. I had no doubt that Cain was incredibly fast, and now that he was stronger….

He knew I wouldn’t risk doing both. I snarled in pure frustration as Skylar began jerking painfully again, thrashing this way and that, veins pulsating beneath her skin. She began to whine persistently as her limbs jolted in their restraints. This time, she did not stop. Her body continued to move against her will, encouraged by the blood coursing through her.

“How do I save her?” I snapped furiously. “How do I know she isn’t going to die anyways?”

“And here I was, thinking you were one step ahead of the game,” Cain replied slyly. “How do you think you can rid her of a demon before it completely attaches itself to her?”

It only took me seconds to figure it out, the idea coming to me in a rush. “Holy blood. My blood.”

“Now now, don’t get ahead of yourself. Your blood isn’t holy enough to drive away a demon that I created. It will need to be more pure.”

Raziel, my Wolf and I realized at the same time. With Skylar’s cries beginning to echo loudly in the cavern, I stretched my mind out to every Wolf imaginable,

Find Raziel. Bring him here. Skylar is dying! Cain is going to escape. If any of you can find the back entrance to this tunnel, do it! Stop him from getting far! My voice rung with conviction. I knew the other wolves would have questions, and that there was almost no chance they could stop Cain, but I did not have time for such thoughts. I began to glance quickly around the room, trying to find something to help free Skylar from her cuffs. It would be hard for me to touch them with my bare hands, but I would do it if necessary.

“Seems that you’ve made up your mind,” Cain said casually, flicking an imaginary speck of dust off of his shoulder. He was standing directly in front of the back entrance. “Go get that Angel of yours, if he’s recovered by the way, and then she’ll be fine. Maybe.” His teeth gleamed as he gave a little wave, backing into the tunnel.

“Feel free to send someone after me…not like anyone except you can be a match for me.” He turned around and began to stride into the darkness, glancing over his shoulder one last time. “Don’t worry, I won’t be paying you a visit. In a few hours I’ll have plenty more places to explore….in the sunlight. Just know that I have you to thank for solving my daylight problem.” His cruel laughter bounced off the narrow tunnel walls as he took off. The harsh sound grated against my ears and I fought down another wave of fury that urged me to pursue him.

His last words haunted me, lingering in the stale air of the cavern. It was my fault that he had gotten away. I was careless, and selfish, for risking the lives of werewolves everywhere to help Skylar. I couldn’t help it, though. I would be lost if anything happened to her.

I rushed forward, to my still-struggling, unconscious Mate. Her veins were darker than ever, interlacing underneath her skin like a malignant black spiderweb. The harsh cries of pain escaping her lips made my own body ache; or perhaps I was feeling an echo of her pain. My own blood burned through my veins, and I felt unsettled. My body was recognizing the transformations going through hers. My Wolf was practically in a frenzy, urging me forward, begging me to help her.

“I’m so sorry,” I grit out, reaching forward to cup her face with one hand while I frantically searched the room for anything that could help. Apologizing was not something I was normally familiar with, but in this instance, I knew just how much I was to blame.

Seeing nothing useful, I gripped one of the cuffs on Skylar’s feet, ignoring the way it began to irritate my skin and slightly caused my strength to ebb. I wasn’t as affected as a normal werewolf but it still stung. I put a hand on each side of the cuff, intending to wrench it open since there was no key I could use to unlock it. Cain must have conveniently taken the key to her cuffs with him. I yanked once, twice, putting every ounce of force behind the movements. After three tugs, the silver wrenched apart and Skylar’s foot was free. It was a good thing I had the strength of an Alpha werewolf.

Skylar was still thrashing, and I had to grab her leg to prevent from being kicked. It was difficult to move around her flailing body but seconds, later, both of her feet were free. I knew it must’ve been painful for her to be hanging from her arms so I moved to a cuff on her wrist, leaning against her body to prevent the thrashing and keep her from falling once I opened the other cuffs.

This one took longer to open, mostly because the silver was really beginning to burn my hands and sapping my strength the longer I touched it. Sweat had started to form on my forehead and I was practically panting when I warped the silver enough to tug her wrist free. Skylar was now shackled to the wall only by one cuff and I was forced to wrap an arm around her body to keep her from hurting herself. I turned slightly, maneuvering so that Skylar’s weight was resting on me but I could reach around her to still grab the last handcuff with both hands.

Her mouth was against my neck, and my Mark tingled despite the situation as her heavy breathing warmed my skin. I was all-too aware of the pathetic sounds still escaping her, but her thrashing had weakened somewhat, which worried me. Was she tired, or just closer to turning? Her feet battered my legs as she struggled this way and that while I yanked at the sides of the cuff. I just needed to open it an inch or two so her wrist could slide out. It was difficult to touch it now, as my fingers and the palms of my hands were raw from the biting silver.

I took a deep breath, picturing what would happen to Skylar if she turned into a vampire, and focusing on Cain’s cruel smirk. This sent a jolt of anger through me and gave me the adrenaline I needed to force the sides of the cuff apart, letting Skylar slip free and slide completely into my arms.

The whole process of freeing her had probably only taken two minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Cain said I had half an hour…if I was lucky. Skylar had been bitten ten or fifteen minutes ago. I had to hurry.

I wasted no time in moving her to a bridal-style position, wrapping her feet securely with one arm and her torso with the other. Her flailing was minimized that way.

Where is Raziel? I demanded furiously, not knowing where the Hell I was supposed to even take her. I wanted to get her out of the cavern, but Cain had said my blood wouldn’t help so I needed to locate Raziel.

If I couldn’t find the Angel, I would try my blood anyways. It was better than just letting her go.

Raziel is at the back of the tunnel, Rebekah replied. I was too distracted to notice the odd tone in her voice, but as her words registered, I couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of hope: had they stopped Cain? Had they gotten there in time to prevent an escape?

I took off, moving as fast I could through the back tunnel without knocking Skylar’s head against the narrow walls. I had to hold her at an angle so she didn’t smack the sides.

Did you stop Cain? He left just a couple minutes ago.

Raziel has him, came the shocking reply. I was momentarily struck by disbelief. Was luck really on my side? Would I really be able to both stop Cain and rescue Skylar? Historically, my luck had never been that good, there was always a catch. Still, I could not help but hope…

My question was soon answered, when I rounded the bend and came to a very gratifying sight:

Raziel was standing at the tunnel’s back exit a short distance away, looking every bit like an avenging Angel. He was paler than normal, his dark hair matted to his face, but his electric blue eyes were burning with righteous fury. His hands were held aloft, his mouth muttering a soft incantation. Behind him, between Raziel and I, was Cain. He had never escaped the tunnel, after all.

I could hear the furious hiss escaping his lips as he crouched, a few feet from Raziel yet unable to approach the Angel. He took a few steps back, closer to where I stood with Skylar several yards away. Cain’s back was to me but I knew what I would see if I gazed upon his face: the demonic side of him, exposed through pitch-black eyes and sharp fangs. I noticed that both of Raziel’s wrists were cut and crimson liquid was streaming down his arms, dripping onto the floor.

“Raziel, it’s Skylar,” I choked out. My Mate was still squirming slightly in my arms, whimpering quietly. Cain’s head swiveled and his beady eyes fixated on me.

“Yes, Angel, save little Skylar. She’s going to become one of us without your blood,” Cain hissed through his teeth, poison oozing from his words. “Step aside. It isn’t like you can kill me anyways…you can use your fancy incantations and your blood to repel me, but you aren’t physically strong enough to finish the job. We both know it. You no longer have powers, right?” The vampire was sneering. “And I think our Gabriel has his hands full…”

“Gabriel,” Raziel said shortly. “You have to-“

I never knew what he was going to say, because Skylar began to thrash more vigorously in my arms, flailing this way and that, nearly breaking my hold on her. It took a considerable amount of strength for me to prevent her from escaping my grasp and tumbling to the ground. Her eyes had opened, sightlessly staring up at the tunnel roof. A screeching noise began to emerge from her lips, echoing in the tunnel and scraping against my sensitive hearing as she cut off whatever Raziel had been going to say. Skylar’s head jerked from side to side and the parts of her restrained by my arms were forcefully trying to get free.

I stared up at Raziel, panicked, to see a look on his face that I hadn’t expected: profound sorrow mixed with resignation. His bright eyes had dulled, his hands falling limply to his sides. It seemed as if he’d given up on something. For a moment, I thought he was accepting Skylar’s fate, and that he was about to tell me that I had no choice. That I had to let her turn into a vampire. Frustration rose up in me and I growled irritably, ready to tell him off, but then the Angel confused me yet again.

He looked up at me, and I got the feeling he was trying to send me a message of some sort. His eyes contained a strange longing, and a plea for my understanding. What Raziel was trying to get me to understand, I didn’t know until moments later: the Angel was trying to tell me he was sorry, that what was about to happen was the last resort.

He closed his eyes, face hardening into an expression of extreme pain. Then he stepped backwards and to the side, leaving room for Cain to escape.

Then, everything seemed to happen at once, in a sequence of actions that I would have never expected to occur.

Cain, making a hissing sound akin to glee, took off at a run towards the tunnel exit a few yards away. To the human eye, he was a solid figure transitioning into a blur when he leapt into action. But to a werewolf, I could see his muscles flexing and pumping, straining as he attempted the getaway.

There was a flicker of movement as someone dropped down from above the tunnel. She had clearly been waiting there, ready to ambush Cain.

It was Rebekah.

She landed directly in front of him and he screeched to a halt. The next two seconds happened in slow motion:

Cain let out a noise of complete and utter shock as he recognized the regal woman standing in front of him, in human form. She had curls whipping around her head like a dark halo, eyes alight with an emotion I couldn’t place, standing out starkly against her pale and sweaty face. Cain’s surprise was his undoing, for he was too slow to react to Rebekah’s movement.

Something glinted in her hand, a blade of some sort, dripping with a scarlet substance that was undoubtedly blood. Raziel’s blood, something told me, for that would be the only explanation for what happened.

She plunged the dagger straight into Cain’s heart, twisting with a mighty wrench. A harsh scream of pain and fury escaped Cain’s lips, a purely inhuman and demonic sound that could probably be heard from miles around. I saw a look of triumph cross Rebekah’s features as Cain staggered, struggling to grasp the dagger and yank it out. He fell to his knees, wheezing in pain. His struggles weakened and his arms fell limply to his sides. Rebekah’s gaze found mine, pride in her eyes. Her triumph was short-lived, though, because an instant later, an expression akin to exhaustion  flickered across her face before her eyes rolled back into her head.

And then, both of them collapsed to the ground.

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A/N: Last cliffhanger, I promise. Please hold the questions I’m sure you all have. Everything will be explained next chapter. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the way this chapter turned out :)

There is only one more lengthy chapter (which I may split into two parts, depending how out-of-hand it gets) and a fairly lengthy epilogue. I will deliberately leave some minor questions unanswered in case I revisit these topics in a sequel.

Again, more will be explained within the last 2 or 3 parts. Thank you in advance for holding your questions.

Lastly, I do start law school in a week. I am going to try to finish the next chapter before then, so you all won’t have to wait a ridiculously long time. Please be patient with me. I’ve fallen behind on my inbox messages. If you have a question you desperately want answered, it’s easier to reach me on Tumblr.

Thank you all for being so wonderful! Please vote and comment!

If there are any terrible errors that detract from story flow, point them out. My editor was sick and couldn’t get to this chap.

MULTIMEDIA:

Cover by neonlights12

“After the Fall” by Two Steps from Hell (yes I’m obsessed)