The Lycans Luna Witch

Chapter 3

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Addie

Adrenaline courses through me as I start running, the thought of my freedom egging me on. I exercised in my room regularly in preparation for this—my escape. It was paying off. Slowing my pace to a jog to control my breathing, I stick to the trail Benji indicated, only stopping occasionally to take a sip from the bottle of water Mrs. Johnson had attached to my bag. Thankfully, as in the rush to leave, I forgot all about this.

Two hours later, I am at the edge of the town Benji had mentioned. Madison. Run down and dirty. No surprise, really. If this was part of Silas' territory, there is no way he would spend a dime to make a town inhabited by humans better. Even cattle were treated better than we pets were.

Securing the worn brown cotton shawl around my head and neck to hide my hair and the bruising from Silas' hand necklace, I straighten up and step out of the tree line. Just breathe, Addie. Act normal.

Keeping my head down and pulling my coat closed, I cross the road. Now that I had stopped running, the chill in the air was starting to sink in. Not that I was complaining. I was used to being cold. The vampires didn't like the heat, so the castle was constantly cooled to around ten degrees. Three pets died from pneumonia because of this, especially when not provided with proper clothes and bedding.

Finding the bus station is easier than I thought, with signage indicating its direction every two meters. As if the need to flee this shithole has necessitated it. That being said, the terminal to buy tickets is empty, leaving me first in line.

The old man sitting behind the only open kiosk doesn't even look up when I approach. His worn, dirty uniform is two sizes too small, allowing his greedy potbelly eating his belt to poke out.

"Hi, I would like a ticket for the main line." My raspy voice does the job of garnering his attention. His bloodshot eyes finally meet mine. Matchy, matchy, I think. Except his looks like they were achieved by years of alcohol abuse. Along with the spider veins covering his nose and cheeks.

"Return?" His question elicits a vigorous shake of my head at the expense of the pain the movement evokes before his gaze moves to the computer, his chubby fingers moving remarkably fast across the keyboard.

"That will be twenty." Shit. I hope I have enough.

Turning slightly to the side, I rummage through my bag, finding the purse Mrs. Johnson had shoved back in there. When I open the little latch, I nearly choke when I see the wad of notes stashed inside. Slowly, I pull out a twenty and then hand it to the guy, his finger tapping the counter, indicating his impatience. I look behind me, and there are still no customers, so he must be impatient to return to doing nothing.

"Your pass. Just swipe it when you get on. The bus leaves in twenty minutes. Here's a map of all the routes, stops, and interchanges. Don't lose your pass. It's nonrefundable."

I whisper a thank you, grab my pass and the map, and then head toward the bathroom just behind the unused newspaper stand.

I'm stopped dead in my tracks as I enter the similarly empty and dirty room. There is a mirror in here. We didn't have those in the castle. Vampires had no reflection, so mirrors were deemed useless. I approach it slowly. I haven't seen my reflection in more years than I can remember. My hand flies to my mouth. Even cracked and faded, this mirror cannot soften the harsh reality etched into the face that stares back at me.

Sunken in cheekbones, pale skin, eye sockets rimmed by black underneath, and once beautiful green eyes red from the strangling that happened just hours ago. I pull the scarf away from my neck, revealing swollen skin and black bruising. It probably looked a lot worse than it felt, to be honest.

The eyes move back up, meeting with those in the reflection. I don't know who this is. She is not the girl I remember.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I wrap my neck back up and then resolve not to look at myself again if I ever come across another one. It did nothing to help me. Mourning someone I was in the past was useless and a waste of time. This is who I am now. The only blessing is that the mirror is not big enough to reveal the rest of my body to me.

After quickly using the lavatory, I make my way to the bus pickup point. I have five minutes to spare. Using the big black dustbin beside the bench as a table, I lay the map out.

Far away from here. That was the plan. Finding my current location on the map, I try to find a route that will take me somewhere far away enough but also close to the last whispered location of the hidden coven in the South. This information may be outdated, as it came from a whispered conversation between a scullery maid and a pet well over five years ago. Since then, I have heard nothing.

"It's you." I freeze, my stomach turning to knots as I slowly turn around. The woman in front of me is slightly older than me, with straight brown hair and striking blue eyes. She looks at me with an awe-struck expression—as if she knows me even though I certainly don't know her.

"Excuse me?" I rasp out, my voice doing an excellent job of hiding my panic.

Her beautiful blue eyes search my expression for something. And then, slowly, she reaches out to touch my hand, the brand of the vampire Lord Vladamir coming into view as she does. Shit. He has a castle a few lands over and is one of Silas' cousins. Also been around for centuries and as ruthless.

Before I can ponder what this means, her hand covers mine, and a feeling of calm washes over me. I know what she is—a witch.

"You shouldn't be here, Scarlet Witch." Her voice is gentle, and she looks around, her expression filled with concern.

Shit. Silas' nickname for me. He never used it openly, but he must have used that term with Vladamir if she knew it. Confirming he knew my secret.

"He is looking for you. You must not be captured. The only place you will be safe now is here. Your destiny awaits you there. He will protect you until we come." Her confusing words are followed by a finger landing on a small town called Graves on the other side of the map.

Before I can ask any questions, the bus approaches.

"Vampires are not welcome there, but The Vampire King will stop at nothing to get you back. Has he done the bloodletting yet, sealing the bond?"

The confused expression on my face prompts an elaboration from her.

"Have you drank his blood? It is the final part of sealing the mate bond." Mate bond? What is she talking about?

"No," I whisper, two letters replacing the concerned expression on her face with relief.

"Good. There is still time, then." With one last look around, she folds my map, shoves it into my hand, and ushers me onto the waiting bus.

"Follow the raven." These are her parting words before the bus driver closes the doors behind me.

"Card here." The bus driver gestures to the pad next to a lever. I am in a stupor at what has just happened and fumble for my card, which has landed at the bottom of my bag.

I swipe the object and then quickly move to a seat at the back of the empty bus. When I look out the window, the woman is gone. Twenty minutes later, with my bag safely tucked under my seat, I am fast asleep, exhaustion finally catching up with me. Instead of a peaceful sleep, the word Graves floats through my mind, along with the recent star of all my dreams.

A pair of grey eyes. 

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