The Delacours

twelve.

                It was dark out, but I couldn't wait to find Odette. Chris, Val, and I headed out to find her. Val offered to do a locator spell, but I already knew John's wolves were responsible. We made our way through the trees and I knocked on John's door.

"You kids shouldn't be here," he said as he rushed us inside.

"Oh, yeah? And why is that? Where's Odette!?" I yelled.

"Keep your voice down. And I don't know. The last time I talked to her she was getting the kids ready for bed. Why?"

"Well, we found the witch. And I stopped by her house to tell her what we knew, but she wasn't home. The kids were hiding out in her closet, terrified, and her phone was on table."

"Is it possible she went out on a hunt?"

"John, are you serious!? She doesn't feed from the vein. And that's not like my mom! She would never abandon the kids, and she wouldn't show them anything of the life. She's missing and your wolves are responsible."

"What, why do you say that?"

"The oldest told me a few guys knocked on the door and at least one of them had yellow eyes." John tried to speak but didn't know what to say. "Where are Drew and his brothers?" John tried to call his phone but no one answered.

"Stay here. Let me just go over to his house. Please stay here." John left the three of us in his kitchen as we figured out where the hell they could be.

"Well, John said something about them being tied up underground, right?" Chris asked.

"Chris, there's no way they'd keep her somewhere John would find her. This is them getting back at him for sleeping with a vampire. I'm going to kill them if she's hurt."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Val asked. John came back in and his clothes and hair were disheveled.

"Well?" we all asked.

"They weren't home, and I think the rest of the pack is protecting them. I've completely lost control of my pack. They've gone rogue!" John was scared. Val grabbed my hand and started to perform a locator spell. She was vibrating back and forth.

"Just think of your mom. I'll find her Liz." She started walking, and the rest of us followed. We went deeper into the woods. It was pitch black, our flashlights weren't much help. I heard a quiet whimper.

"Odette!" I yelled out. "Odette!" There was a set of makeshift stairs leading down into a cavern. At the other end, Odette was kneeling above a body. She was crying.

"Kids! John!" she yelled out, running over to us. "Oh, John. I'm sorry. I ... I lost control. I didn't mean to." Drew's younger brother was the body she was kneeling over. He was badly wounded, Odette was covered in his blood.

"Odette, what happened?" he asked, pulling out a handkerchief to clean off with.

"Those boys... they showed up at my home. They threatened the lives of the kids. The human kids. My kids. I told them I couldn't go, but they forced me. I asked the kids to hide. Are they okay?"

"Yes, Mom. I left them with Ray and Aria."

"Oh thank heavens. The other boys ran away somewhere just a few minutes ago. I... I lost my temper with them. I tried to save the young one, but I think he's dead." John ran over to the body. He kneeled down and grabbed his lifeless body in his arms.