Bloody Curse | Book Two of Blood Trilogy

Chapter 49

Asher 

The sun beat down on us and I was on the verge of breaking a sweat from just walking through the woods. We've been strolling through it for quite some time and we neared the trapdoor but took a turn towards an open field which we saw from one of the maps. 

Everybody walked in a group and there was high tension since we all meant serious business and wanted this taunting to end. I cleared my throat and turned to glance at Violet, who walked beside me. She then looked at me with a side smile. I could tell that she was excited to make this encounter and she was not one bit worried. She was protected by the people who loved her most. 

I offered an identical smile as her's and looked ahead to where Caleb was chatting with a fellow soldier. His hand was rested upon the hilt of his sword as if he were ready for a surprise attack at any moment. I glanced down at my sword that was begging to be unsheathed and smirked. If Anabelle was asking for it, then so be it. She will be part of the losing team in the end. 

We soon came to a rest at the edge of the field and checked our surroundings but there was no movement but the soft gusts of wind, which made some branches wiggle but nothing else happened. 

"Right, we all head out to the middle of the field and stand behind Derek. Keep in mind that Anabelle is the one who wants Derek so keep on the lookout for anything." Caleb instructed and the following people nodded to his statement. I rested a hand on Violet's lower back and guided her forth so she walked in front of me towards the middle. 

As soon as we left the woods and into the open fields, a click sounded. I stood frozen on my feet and twirled to where the click had come from but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Apparently everyone else had heard the single 'click' as well because they stopped and faced the source from where they thought the sound had come from but there was nothing to satisfy their questions. 

"They're watching." A guard whispered behind me. I nodded to his hushed voice and shot a warning glare towards Caleb, but he was already giving me the exact same look. I released a deep breath and turned to walk towards the center of the field. It was safer that we were directly in the center so it would give us time if they decided to attack us. 

"Stay close to me. I want to make sure that I can see you the entire time." I said to Violet and I made sure to say it all while staring into her gray eyes to mean seriousness. I needed to make sure that she was okay and that nothing happened to her. She nodded to my demand without objection. 

I grabbed onto her hand and gave a gentle squeeze. The Shadows were watching us closely with hungry eyes. They strived to take away our souls and posses our bodies forever. I knew what they wanted. The Shadows wanted to be able to possess one vampire at a time so that they would be able to control the kingdom slowly, like a disease. 

We reached the middle and I held my breath for anything to happen but nothing did. Derek and Cameron had split for the first time since we all began walking. Cameron look troubled and lost deep within his thoughts since his mate was being used to lure the leader of the Shadows herself. 

Continous clicks rose from the tree line and I grazed my eyes from one end to the other on sudden high alert. It felt as if they were all watching us now, rather one. 

"Bring forth your leader." Caleb shouted in their general direction. I observed the trees for any red orbs staring back at us but there was nothing, which was strange. The clicks only sounded and it was taunting us to no end. It was difficult to pick out as to where the noise was coming from but it could've been from anywhere in the trees and we were most likely surrounded by the mass of Shadows. 

A vibrating woman's voice came through the ground in a sort of sighing matter. Chills ran down my spine and I gripped onto Violet's hand tightly. Anabelle began laughing and I could hear her clearly yet she was nowhere in sight.