The Bellwood Breed

The Bellwood Breed-35

"You guys go this way, Aspen and I'll go this way. Do not. Split. Up." Ryder said slowly to make sure we understood him perfectly clear.

Avery simply ignored him as I sped up to fall in step beside him. The mansion was eerily quiet. I wondered what the others were doing while they circled the perimeter.

"Is everything okay with Ryder and you?" I asked hesitantly, I was sensing a little tension between the two.

"Yup. Every thing's fine." He said non-convincingly.

"Are you sure?"

"Look Riley, now's not the time for this." He pulled me along by my wrist. "Just keep your eyes and ears open."

As if on cue, a guy with a beefy neck and a buzz cut came sauntering down the hall, we both ducked behind a wall.

"Is that him?" I said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Avery shook his head. "I don't think so." Just as he walked passed us, Avery reached out and grabbed him up, waving a hand over his face as his eyelids shuts, his body slumping to the floor.

My eyes widened. "What did you just do?"

"Don't worry," he said as he pulled us passed his still body. "He's not dead, he'll wake up in an hour or so."

"You've got to teach me how to do that." I breathed and he smirked.

"Sure thing."

A thought occurred to me. "Hey, if you can do that, why'd you kill Sebastian?" My voice was low and I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes. The guys had always said killing wasn't what they were about.

Avery sighed a little as he squeezed my hand. "Because Ri, if I hadn't done so, he would've killed you. Hell, I walked in on him assaulting you. I couldn't let him get away with that." His fist clenched as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"For?" He said in a small voice, I could tell he probably felt a little bad about it.

"For saving me. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't gotten there in time." I had been far too weak to do much of anything.

He shrugged humbly. "Yeah, well, had it not been for Ryder...we would've never found you." His face was almost pained when he said this.

"Avery, is everything really okay?" I asked gently. I hated seeing him like this.

He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Yeah Ri, everything's fine." He answered as he pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

We were silent for the rest of the time we spent looking for Alec. My guess was that word had gotten to him and he had fled the area. Now there was no telling when we'd come in close quarters with him again.

We were coming down a large corridor, coming into a rather large room that appeared to be a ballroom of sorts. The lights were dim and the windows were draped in long, red velvet curtains.

"There's no one h-" I started to say when the large stone doors behind us slammed shut. "What was that?" I jumped as I scooted closer to Avery.

His eyes darted around the room as he wrapped a hand around my waist. "I don't know."

"There's no way that doors that big could just close like that on its own." My fist balled at my sides.

"I know." His eyes were looking in every which direction.

Something wasn't siting well with me, I felt a pit open up in my stomach as if I knew something bad was going to happen.

A malice chuckle bounced off the walls as both our eyes scanned the area over time and time again. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

"Can you feel him?" I asked Avery?

Surprisingly, he shook his head. "No, I can't pick up on anything, I'd bet a fine buck that it's Alec but..."

"But what?" I pressed.

He looked at me, his eyes narrowing just a little as he spoke. "Something isn't right. He seems way too familiar."

"Bright one you are Mr. Avery." The voice bounced off the marble floors just behind us. It was cold and loathing. We both turned only to find nothing, of no one behind us.

"How do you know my name?" I knew he was trying to keep him talking while he came up with a plan.

"Oh, I know all of your names, perfectly clear." The voice boasted.

Something about the voice was oddly unsettling. I knew that voice, like Avery said, something wasn't right, and I couldn't quite place it, but I knew something was wrong.

"Why don't you show yourself?" I taunted, my fist balling.

"Oh don't worry my love, I will." He laughed coldly. His voice came from our right, we quickly turned are heads, only to miss him yet again.

"Quit with the games Alec." I bit.

"Alec..." He rolled his own name off of his tongue.

Lose threads pulled at the very edges of my brain, it was literally on the tip of my tongue, and for the life of me I felt like I couldn't understand why he was so familiar, had we met before? Could he have possibly been someone from school? I didn't think so, but there was no other way the familiarity.

"Hmm, I think I like this name the most. It better suits the image you know?"

Now I was becoming agitated, Avery squeezed my hand reassuringly. I didn't know how he was so calm, hopefully he was calling after the others.

"Show your self." I demanded.

"Is someone becoming impatient?" He chuckled darkly.

I don't know what I expected his character to be like, but I didn't expect it to be quite so...careless? I expected something ruthless, and dark, yet here he was taking his sweet time. I didn't know what his plans for us were, but I was sure we'd soon find out.

"Riley, you never did like to wait did you?" I could almost see him rolling his eyes. My skin prickled and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. "Well...I see no reason to make you wait any longer, I've ben waiting on you for a very...very long time." The voice was like silk in water.

The was a few sounding footsteps as a pair of shoes hit the marble floors. Avery and I turned together, him shielding me with his body. Moments later, Alec's body came in to view. He appeared straight from the air, a cloud of dark smoke swirling up from his feet.

I felt sick to my stomach, everything that I had ever eaten wanted to come back up all at one moment, it was vile, and I could taste the bile sitting on the tip of my tongue. My chest caved as a pit dropped down in my stomach, sending my insides to my toes. I physically couldn't breath as we locked eyes with the infamous Darklighter...Alec.

He had his hands folded behind him with a sick, disgusted smirk on his face.

"Hello Riley."