☽ Fang ☾ [Howl sequel] ✔

☽ 9 ☾

Blood.

That was all he could smell as he entered the cabin.

Screams and yelling and desperate words, pleas for Luna and Colby.

That was all he could hear.

A female body flailing on the floor in the entryway, blood seeping into the old carpet. Jake hunched over her.

That was all Colby could see.

Devyn was crying at the entrance of the kitchen. Katrina had her arms wrapped around her, pressing her lips to the other girl's head. There was blood on both their hands and all over their shirts.

Tara rushed past them with a bowl of water. Her eyes were golden but red-rimmed. Colby knew she was barely holding onto her control. Her treasure was shattering.

Luna and Mike hurried behind her with a box and a pile of towels. Colby watched as Mike faltered for a moment, finding the face of his ex-girlfriend. But he recovered and stood beside his mate.

Colby didn't wait a second more as both he and Sam fell to their knees beside Jake, holding Xepher's form down.

"Oh my God...," Colby trailed off as his eyes took her in.

The veins in her neck strained as she arched her back. Her mouth parted in a silent scream. Amidst her decorative chains (torn and lying around her like broken wings) and her torn clothes, there was blood everywhere. All was soaked and Colby couldn't see the damage done underneath them. He didn't want to see it based upon what he was seeing now.

Tara was in tears as she approached their hurt friend. She fell to her knees at Xepher's head, trying her best to wipe away the blood on Xepher's face and her clenched eyes. At her first touch, Xepher's body flailed again and she screamed.

"HOLD HER!" Tara yelled at them.

Colby gripped Xepher's arm tighter to hold her down. His hands were covered in her blood from the deep scratches on her arms. Colby couldn't imagine the harm done to her torso. But, he did his best to hold her still with Sam and Jake.

Tara continued to clean away the dirt, the saliva, and the blood from Xepher's face. It revealed three long claw marks trailed along Xepher's neck. Bile rose up in Colby's throat at seeing the raw flesh move like ocean waves and crimson blood gushed between them.

A choked noise came from Xepher.

"LUNA!" Tara growled amidst her crying.

The witch fell to the ground from the coffee table where she was preparing, dropping what she was working on. She scrambled over beside Tara, raising her hand over the girl's torso and closing her eyes, muttering words.

A light green glow came from Luna's hand and the choking noise stopped.

"Oh God...," Sam murmured, unable to take his eyes away from Xepher's form.

She screamed again. Her arms and legs flailed in small seizures. More blood soaked her clothes.

Was this what Colby looked like laying on the Witches Forest floor? Was he drenched in blood like this... screaming like a newborn baby and covered in blood, living in a moment of in-between life and death?

How was Xepher even conscious after this?

All Colby remembered was darkness...

She should be pale... not vibrating and pink.

"Xepher," Colby called out to his friend softly, using a deep rumble in his chest that he had used on Amber.

Xepher didn't respond right away, but her eyelids fluttered open, catching the crimson eyes.