The Ice Flowers

Two: Flashbacks

"No, let her go you bastards!" She screamed as she was dragged away by the two burly betas. Her gut clenched in terror as her adopted sister was carried to the platform where Alpha Terrance stood, ready to kill. "She's innocent!"

"SILENCE!" The alpha bellowed. Sabrina bit and scratched at her captors' hands, desperate to save her crying little sister.

"I d-didn't steal anything!" She sobbed out. 

"What are you doing, mut?" One of the betas shouted as she slipped from their hold and ran for the platform with half the pack after her. 

As if in slow motion, she watched as the alpha leaped as his jaw shifted and crushed Lana's neck. She hadn't made it. 

She felt something strike her and everything faded.

***

"Love? Love! What's happening?" Vincent had no idea what to do as he clung to his trembling, crying beloved. She didn't even seem to be there. 

As a vampire, his emotions were dulled. Not gone, but dulled. This made the situation difficult because he couldn't quite comprehend what was happening to his beloved and thus help her. For the first time in decades, he was awash with fear. Fear for her health, her safety, of not be able to help her. Combining that with a steadily building feeling of care and need from the newly formed bond was causing him to lose his logic and driving his demon mad. He wanted to torture and slowly rip to pieces each person that had caused his ice flower pain. 

Vincent sat next to her shaking, delirious form and pulled her into a tight embrace. If he remembered correctly, werewolves could be almost instantly calmed by a mate's touch. 

She stopped screaming and struggling and instead started to sob as if everyone she'd ever loved had died. What could have happened to her?

A wave of warmth went through his being as Sabrina stopped crying and snuggled close to him as he rocked her and gently whispered the most comforting words he could think of. 

He needed to leave. Before, he wouldn't have cared as much, as he could easily take on any enemies that came after him, but he now had the responsibility of protecting his mate. She was clearly strong, but what with her wound and this episode, she wasn't in fighting condition.

He was on high alert when he heard a crash at the other end of the house.

***

So here she was, in the house of a vamp. Never thought that would happen. She was really starting to wonder about her sanity at this point, chasing a childhood best friend who everyone else thought was dead. Then again, they didn't know about supernatural creatures either. 

She hunted them for the organization. It paid well and with her conviction that Sabrina had disappeared because of some creature, she was more than happy to rip into a few. That is, until some asshat alpha was found with pictures of what looked like her long lost friend. It was like pulling teeth to get him to talk, and he died soon after. Almost the whole pack had abused Sabrina and thought her weak.

She'd never been weak. That wasn't the bright spark that had uplifted her on dark days, the shy yet uproarious girl that vowed to be by her side forever, the person who alone knew all her secrets...except for one. The one that just added to the drive to find her. 

She loved her. Not friend loved, not sister loved. Loved loved. It was so hard to admit, especially knowing how her family would hate her and having no idea if Sabrina would even accept her.

She had almost found her a month ago, seen her weaving through the streets. Then, the trail had gone cold, until she saw a man suddenly appear and carry her into a mansion on the nice side of the city. 

A man who screamed vampire. And drew her in. While her logic focused on the dangers, she couldn't help but notice how attractive he was and how he was holding Sabrina as if she was his greatest treasure, the oddly beautiful and slightly accented voice...

What. The. Hell. Was. That. She was supposed to kill him and rescue her secret love, but instead she stared at him. She didn't even like guys did she? And why was she was just as attracted to Sabrina as ever, too?

She bit the bullet and slipped through a window, only to fall into a pile of boxes. 

Oh shit.