Chasing Ghosts

A Rough Start

Annika would’ve made a move to help her father, but she could feel Marius’ eyes on her the whole time. The last things she needed was for that Vampire to get her before she could aide Ulric. Things had seemed to go the way her father had said, but she didn’t like this at all. She had merely flexed her muscles to get ready to attack when she felt the piercing gaze of the vampire on her, and that gave her pause. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the vampire, but rather that she didn’t want to end up becoming a bother to Ulric’s plans by dragging the vampire into the fight that was taking place. With that in mind, she had no other choice than to simply stand there and watch. Things got a little more complicated once Jade’s mate and pack arrived, seeing as though she was unable to intercept Jade or her daughter due to the same reason. She was on high alert, however, now that there was a potential for an all-out fight with her pack, so regardless of Marius’ gaze on her, she prepared to make a move if needed. 

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The fight between Gabriella and Ulric was a vicious one. There was gnashing of teeth, clawing of fur and flesh, biting and howling. It was truly a spectacle as both fought to overpower the other, except for Gabriella temporarily trying to eviscerate her brother. They had both engaged each other with the mindset to end the other if necessary, and the longer the fight continued the more at a disadvantage Ulric found himself. Gabriella was consumed by rage and each attack of hers was full of power and fury, while Ulric was fighting in a strategic and practical manner. He wanted his sister subdued, and she wanted his life.

They both had suffered several injuries. She had broken a few of his ribs, crushed his left arm, nearly eviscerated him, and took a large chuck of flesh from his shoulder. In kind, he had slashed the side of her face, shattered the bones in her left leg, fractured a few of her ribs, broke her left wrist, and gash her left side pretty deep. They were truly two behemoths of fur and blood, ready to go for the kill, if given the chance and still having enough stamina to fight as though their injuries were minor. Though, the reality was, Ulric was in worse condition, nearly being eviscerated and having to continue fighting. 

It was very likely that he may have been slain right then and there had Gabriella not caught sight of Jade and Lyn running across her peripheries. She had managed to slam Ulric against a tree hard enough that chucks of bark exploded, and was going to finish him off by driving her hand through his chest when she saw them. The pause in her execution gave Ulric enough time to recover and dash out of her range, standing at an angel he could see his sister and Jade. The two of them stood staring at the scene unfold while their bodies fought to repair the damages they had suffered. For a moment, both of them eyed Erin with curiosity and anger, as if they would attack him at any moment. The murderous atmosphere dying down almost as soon as it had started, a seemingly instinctual reaction to a proposed threat that was no longer as such. 

The atmosphere changed as Gabriella watched her daughter embrace who she assumed must’ve been her mate. She slowly changed back to her human form, her body still undergoing repair as Esmerelda came out to her with a robe to drape over her body. Ulric, on the other hand, choosing to stay in his True form, and waiting to see how things played out. Gabriella felt a bit ashamed to be seen by her daughter, considering all that had transpired, even though she had gone to great lengths to distance her daughter from this life. 

“Let’s go.” her words were directed at Ulric. She didn’t want to go with him, she wanted to go to her daughter, she wanted to apologize, she wanted to beg for forgiveness, but she needed to protect her daughter first. Her first order of business was to get Ulric away from her, and then she’d figure something out. She didn’t even bother to look in her daughter’s direction, her heart nearly breaking on a second departure after she realized what had been done to her baby. Her brother would pay for his sins, she would see to that, but her daughter and grand-daughter's safety came first.