TRYST - A DEREK HALE LOVE STORY (BOOK - 1 OF MONSTER SERIES)

CHAPTER - 40 : BLOODY

It's been a few days since she saved Derek from the face of death. While Derek decided to add security measures to his loft so that he'll be prepared if the alpha pack decided to give him a surprise visit again, Venice has been busy with school and work. 

It was late and Venice was closing the cafe. The day went by like a breeze, but she has been getting this weird feeling all of a sudden and it didn't sit well with her. Wanting to just go back to her house and lay on her bed, she made haste in locking up the cafe and making her way towards the parking lot when a hooded figure approached her.

She halted in her steps when she saw the figure and the figure to stopped a few steps away from her. 

"Hello?" she called hesitantly, looking at the hooded figure whose face is not visible as the hood covered it and the figure was also looking down.

"Umm... Do you need something?" she asked.

"Yes" she heard a groggy whisper in response that sent a shiver down her spine.

Her eyes widened when the hooded figure looked up and all she remembered were glowing green eyes looking back at her ebfore everything went dark.

*****

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

That's all she could register. The sound.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Her eyes felt heavy and difficult to open and her entire body is aching for relief. After great effort from her part, she finally opened her eyes and straightened her head which was bent to the side awkwardly, putting a lot of strain on her neck.

Everything was blurry and it took a few moments for her eyes to  focus and her brain to register other sounds. She's hearing muffled whimpers and when her eyes landed on Clair and Emma, her eyes widened. The two of them were bound to chairs with their hands bound to the arms of the chair and legs tied to the legs of the chair. The cheery on the top, both of their hands were slit open at their wrists with blood bleeding out of it. Venice frowned seeing that and tried to stand up, but quickly realized that like them, she was also bound to the chair and her wrists were slit open. Just then, she noticed that they were inside a a drawing of a pentagon made of salt. 

Venice immediately started tugging at the bonds that held her to the chair, panic rising in her chest. The salt pentagon surrounding them sent a cold dread through her veins. The pain in her wrists pulsed with every heartbeat, reminding her of the blood slowly seeping out.

"Clair? Emma?" Venice called out, her voice hoarse and weak. The muffled whimpers from her friends grew louder, their eyes wide with fear as they looked at her. They were trying to speak, but something was preventing them from making any coherent sound. A gag, perhaps? Or worse, a silencing spell.

"Stay with me," she urged, fighting against the bonds that held her. She could feel her magic, but it was faint, weakened by the blood loss and the barrier of salt. Whoever did this knew what they were doing—they had planned it meticulously, and it made Venice's blood run cold.

The hooded figure stepped into the dim light, revealing the same green eyes that had sent her into darkness. But now, with the haze of unconsciousness gone, she could see more clearly. The figure was tall, with a lean build, and the way they moved was almost serpentine.

"Who are you?" Venice demanded, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "What do you want?"

The figure remained silent, their eyes glowing brighter as they approached her. As they stepped closer, the air around them grew colder, the temperature in the room dropping rapidly. Venice shivered, the chill biting into her skin.