Shadow Princess

Chapter Eight: Children of the Damned

Julius walks into the small campsite, the fire burning low. He could see the outline of Jacob and Lintel's bodies as they sat beside the unconscious body of Callista Malik. He could picture her in his mind; the silver blue eyes, silver pooling into soft blue. Black hair that cascades her shoulders. She is a beauty, unknown to the world the gem they have lost. She put him on edge, the feeling of familiarity beckons at him, and her soft voice sent him falling. He had snapped and grabbed her, choking her. The anger still simmered within him, but the bruises that never fades from her throat stood out to him like a brand of shame. The sun is finally descending into twilight, but still had a few hours before it was safe enough to travel. Jacob sits up, leaning against the side of the tree Callista is tied to, his eyes resting on Julius.

Lintel's eyes stay glued Callista. Julius feels the pinpricks of anger, realizing the look in Lintel's eyes. Anger. Hunger like she was prey. He clenches his hands into fists, glaring down Lintel.

"What are we going to do now?" Jacob asks, his voice is thin with mild impatience.

Julius closes his eyes and leans against the tree, the rough bark digging into his skin. "We are going to leave when the sun finishes its descent."

Lintel's eyes snap to him, their brown darkening. "What about her?"

Julius shrugs, bringing his eyes down to meet theirs. "She'll be riding with me until we hit the Black Ley Forest. Davis should be already there with Keiser. Callista will most likely be awake by then," he explains, ignoring the look Jacob threw his way when he mentioned her waking up.

"Kieser managed to find you?" Lintel asks. Shrugging, Julius goes back to looking at the sky, the sun rays hitting the tree limbs and never them. A horse nickered behind him, and he knew the horses were put into hiding as well. Out of nowhere, Julius feels his inner sixth sense lock into place. Keeping his body still and motionless, he brings his eyes down to meet Jacob's. They speak with their eyes, both of them could detect it.

A scent enters Julius's range and his vampire reflexes has him swinging around to behind him. He snarls, his fangs sinking into his bottom lip, slicing it open. Blood drips down his chin in a slow trickle. Jacob is beside him, their bodies mirroring each other.

A growl echoes around them, reverberating through them. Then the forest seems to part and morphed wolves pour through the opening. A bigger wolf, the alpha, came through last. He is pure black, with golden eyes of werewolves. Julius recognized the power the Alpha held, the raw magic that seeps from him and his wolves.

"You are far from your territory, wolf," Julius snarls.

The Alpha morphs into his human; a subtle of broken bones and dislodging from his sadistic side. A man stood in the wolf's place, broad shoulders and raven cropped hair. His eyes are light blue, crystal clear as a river. He stood there with his shorts on, his torso on display. A smirk of entertainment sits on his face, as he looks at Julius and his crew.

"Says the one with a werewolf, vampire," he replies, his voice rough with transformation.

Julius raises an eyebrow in question. "What werewolf?" he asks. Pointing at Callista, he returns the wolf's smirk with one of his own. "Her? She's human. Even you can sniff that."

"She isn't a human," the werewolf snarls, his canines protruding. Growing irritated, Julius feels his blood begin to boil. His hands clench and he snarl, readying himself to launch an attack.

A blinding light floods the camp site, illuminating from Callista's unconscious body. Seeing the Alpha's blue eyes widen and dilate, Julius whirls to see her whole body is outlined in white. A cloaked figure is knelt beside her, a glowing hand against Callista's forehead. She is kneeling as if she was praying. The figure looks up and meets Julius's eyes.