The New World

“What did Fire tell you?” Anna asked as they walked through the entrance, their hearts all in their throats.

“Be careful and mindful. My last trek down this road wasn’t a pretty sight,” Derrick said, bringing up the rear to their trio. Somehow Tessa took the lead and they all kind of figured she’d be faster at tossing out something to at least stop someone before they could attack.

“Lost vampires?” Anna asked.

“A lot. Almost destroyed my coven for it. It wasn’t the proudest moment, but the blood found here is unlike any other and it’s…”

“Addicting?” Tessa offered and he smiled.

“Yeah, as we all know,” Derrick agreed. They walked down the passageway, the flames and the heat licking at their skin. Derrick ground his teeth as the smell hit his nose and he felt Anna touch his arm.

“We’re all in this together. It’s calling you as much as it’s calling me. Grayson and I walked this road once; it was enough to say never again. It’s past alluring, it’s past seductive, and it’s all smoke.” Derrick looked at her. Of course, over his years, he had heard of many Alphas, some more than others. And the English female alpha was a name many had heard about it.

“It was rumored, for a time Anna that you had turned.” Anna chuckled at that as the passage narrowed and she took up the rear.

“I’m not surprised, however, my strength is born from training and hours on end of fighting, not selling my soul to the devil of the dark side.” Tessa stopped walking and looked around. The way one got into the realm was down a passageway that split into multiple chambers, all with various more rooms and areas, each offering the alluring scent to capture you.

“When’s the last time you were here, Anna?” Tessa asked.

“About ten years ago, why?” They watched as Tessa closed her eyes for a moment and then watched as she shivered and both Derrick and Anna were right next to her.

“It’s okay, none of us has to pretend this isn’t bothering us,” Derrick said, taking her hand. “Why are you asking about the time?”

“These are walkways I don’t know. I was here about four years ago, give or take, and all of this is new.” He looked around and he had to agree. Their time was limited to be down here, they couldn’t stay long for fear of being caught but also for fear of being ensnared as well. And the last thing any of them could afford was to be lost. “Shit,” she muttered.

“I’m going to say the main chamber is ahead,” Anna started and looked at the other two. “Would you agree?”

“I would,” Derrick said. They also knew they couldn’t afford to split up. They needed each other’s strength to fight the pull. One alone would fall to the temptations that were licking along their skin.

“Me too, Anna. So, we can assume that one of these side passageways would lead to the stones?” Tessa asked.

“No. The stones were off the main chamber, not down a passageway,” Anna answered and all eyes looked at the chamber.

“Let’s go, ladies, I got your back.” He allowed them to go in first, their eyes glued to the front. In many rooms off the chamber were various forms of seduction; of vampires feeding, of witches being taught the dark arts, of wolves building their strength and the power was truly overwhelming to join them, to give in. Mission or not, this was a hard-fought war within each of them. Finally, Anna pushed open the door at the end of the chamber and all three of them took deep breaths as they walked through. The first part of the journey was done, however, they would have to go through that again, and that would be even worse.

“Okay, the stone is buried and deep. Think we can get some out without making too much noise?” Anna asked, although no one dared to answer. There were those here that could probably smell the new blood and would ne crawling out of the woodworks to start hunting them down. The other two followed Anna down another pathway, the flames getting hotter.

The stones themselves were created by the fires, but also by the blood, sweat, and tears of the supernaturals who were seduced here. The liquid was caught by the fire and molded into the stone and when the fire went out in that part of the wall, the stone is all that was left. But all the newer pathways and chambers had the fiery walls still, so one had to go further in to find the stones.

“Anyone else having trouble breathing,” Tessa asked. Derrick glanced down and saw her hand open and close, a fireball within. He took her hand and she glanced back at him.

“None of that, you’re doing fine. Hang a right up here, Anna. These are some of the older parts and we should be able to get some stones.” Anna swung right and stopped. The wall was lined with stones, but the beads of eyes staring their way made them stop. They sniffed, fangs extended from foam mouths but they never moved, almost as if they could sense, but not see. They didn’t bother to speak as they started to gather some stones, not sure what was going on. But they knew full well that those were demons and didn’t want to run the risk of something happening here.

When their bags were full they started making their way back. Derrick tried his best to keep his cool and to help his friends. But he knew the nearer he got to that chamber, the more his fangs extended and the blood pounded in his head. The blood was calling to him, he could taste the sweetness on his tongue and he could feel the skin in his hands. A taste wouldn’t hurt, he had done it before. He stopped at a door, his hand on the knob to push it open when he felt another hand on his.

“Ignore the hunger, Derrick.” He saw Tessa there and Anna on his other side. “You don’t need it.” He realized that both ladies were holding his hands tightly and he knew he wasn’t alone. This battle was raging inside of all of them and they needed to get out of there.

“We need to leave,” Anna said and he nodded. She turned to leave, still holding his hand, and started to walk. But she faltered in her steps as she saw Francis there in the pathway, staring at them, or rather sort of staring. Again, it was if they were being sensed but not seen. She frowned, and waited for him to keep on walking before she resumed the trek again. Derrick glanced behind them and he saw Francis looking their way, his eyes shifting as he tried to see what he could smell but not see. For him, for all of them, they couldn’t get out fast enough.

-----

I watched from the entrance into the woods as the trio came out and I’ve never been so relieved. I also saw the look and I wanted to weep for them. That seemed to have taken so much out of them, but they were brave for it. I watched as Anna fell into Betty’s arms and Grayson caught Tessa. I wrapped my arm around Derrick, noticing the pallor of his skin.

“Grayson, turn around,” I told him.

“Why?”

“Derrick needs to feed and it’s my blood that will help him right now.” I could feel Grayson’s glare but there was nothing that could be done about it. I held my wrist up to Derrick’s mouth and watched as he grabbed it and bit into the skin, causing a roar to erupt from Grayson’s chest, but nothing else. Finally, he let go, looking a lot better, and nodded.

“Thank you, Fire,” Derrick muttered.

“No thanks needed, I remember what that can do to us. Help me get Tessa inside though.” I watched as Grayson just lifted her and had to smirk; I know he was trying to make me jealous but it wasn’t going to work. “Lay her down on the couch and we can look at the stones. And if I’m not mistaken, the book should have what we need to cast a spell on the weapons.”

We all walked back up to the room, Jonah meeting us there, along with Elric, who had some answers for us. Derrick saw him and his brow crinkled. Elric shook his head and leaned against a wall as everyone else took a seat.

“I had some problems arise with the coven and then Fire sent me on some spying missions for some witches,” he said with a shrug of the shoulders.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Derrick finally relented.

“Grayson, I know you cast a protection spell on else prior to us leaving,” Tessa said, looking at him as he laid her on the couch, “but there should have been times we were seen and not. How is that possible?”

“With powers stronger than ours,” he said and looked up as the twins walked out, holding each other’s hand. “They cast it, something neither one of us was aware they could do.” Grayson sat on the table and removed one of the stones as the twins walked over, sitting next to him. He looked it over, the blackness thick and heavy. He glanced at the trio that had gone to retrieve them and hoped that it worked. Rayne took one out as well and held it before him, looking it over.

“A stone from the dark realm to end their life,” he said and all eyes turned to look at him, watching as he broke off a piece, his gaze intent as he started to mold the small piece. I knew Grayson had contacted someone within the pack already to create the weapons; it was ready to go as soon as we got the stones, but no one had the power to mold it, not like that.

“How are you doing that, Rayne? And who told you that?” I asked. The blade was simple and maybe wouldn’t hold up much in a fight, but it was the fact that he did it. His eyes finally broke away and looked up at me.

“Mundias, mommy. She talks to us like Lunella does in our dreams, but they don’t do it a lot.”