Shadow

34

-Carter's Pov-

"Seriously? That's all you needed me for? Was to get a few tubes of my blood for you're labs?" I confusedly ask Maddie who took the test tubes away on a little tray including the venom from my gums. She removed the blue elastic band from my arm and removed the mask from her mouth and walked away placing the tray on a counter in her kitchen. "Carter, you're the first ever hybrid in history and when will we ever see one again? These can be stored away and kept in a safe place or better yet we can test it for science." She smiles walking back to me. She starts to explain that my blood can heal wounded vampires and werewolves when needed, but my hybrid bite can instantly kill and if I were to bite a vampire or werewolf creature they'll only survive less than 48 hours or unless they get my blood from me to cure them. I stand up and pull over my jacket running my hand through my hair shaking my head. "I'm always going to be here Maddie, until I get my girl back and we're old enough to have a family, that's when they'll be more of me." I confess. She tells me that Denice is a lucky girl and that she wishes all the best and if I ever need help in anything she's there to help when needed. She writes down an address on a sticky note and handed it to me as I thank her and leave to find Kayleigh once and for all. Through the streets of New Orleans it's night time by now and as I found the address with a bit of help from people along the way I came upon an abandoned house with black covers covering the windows and a lock on the front door. I use my vampire hearing too hear any movement from the inside and came across two beating hearts and her voice. "This is so frustrating. I got to do this, I got to find my reason and it has to be here." She cries out. I round the house trying to find my way in when I notice a window from the top slightly opened when I step back a few and run forward lightly jumping against a hydro pole pushing me up to the house where I grip onto the window sill and pull myself up. I'll never get used to the strength and parkour stuff that comes along with these abilities, and as I make my way into the bedroom I creep along the staircase trying not to make a sound and follow they're voices to the living room and stop in the shadows when I see the person sitting across from her. The back of Kayleigh's head is facing me but the person who's eyes are starring back at me were shocked when I lunge forward not caring I was caught and jumped over Kayleigh's head causing her to scream and pick this guy up with both hands and threw him across the room harshly not caring if he injures his head or dies from it. "YOU BASTARD!" I yell loudly hitting him repeatedly in the face as he tries to block my hits but fails as I connect his nose and his jaw in one hit making the sound of an instant crack. Blood was everywhere, Kayleigh's yelling was piercing but my anger was on him. On Elijah Miller. After one last hit I step back to give the guy a break and to catch his breath when Kayleigh rushed over to him to help him up and ripped her sleeve off to help stop the bleeding. My hand was numb, my whole body, i felt my head was gonna explode.

"What the hell are you doing? You could've killed him." Kayleigh yells looking up at me with her blue eyes she suddenly has. Well contacts obviously. I look at her again and notice the brunette hair she suddenly has, the length of it just above her shoulders just like how Denice's new hair is. Kayleigh's appearance was different. Her skin was lighter, her hands looks delicate and her face seem sunken by the lack of food and physical activity. She looked like a bag of bones in baggy clothes. "Kayleigh, what happened to you?" I ask her dodging her question. She shakes her head and attends to Elijah trying to stop the bleeding and help him as much as she can but he was weak. He wasn't healing. I bite into my wrist and walk forward bending down when Kayleigh shoves me back before I get a chance. "I'm just trying to heal him faster. My blood does that. It's a long story." I explain. I bite into my wrist again and even though Elijah is human I wonder if this will help or make things worse. I tell him it's okay and move my wrist to his mouth which he slowly takes and starts to sip from my wrist a bit when I pull away after a while because it felt too weird. "How did you find us?" She asked as we watch Elijah fall asleep on the floor and Kayleigh pulled a sheet over his body to make him comfortable. I explain to her how I met Elijah in New York to help me track her down months ago, but nothing seemed to work so he disappeared for a while and only then I find out that all along Elijah was working with Kayleigh and he kept sending me further and further away from her when I got close. She then told me she changed her identity a lot because she didn't want to be found and Elijah helped her on that. Her appearances and all. She was good runaway. I explained to Kayleigh and catch her up on every little thing about Aria Brooks and everything back home as much as I know, and fill her in on the blanks. Let's just say that lasted all night through tears and anger. She felt like a burden. I stare down in my lap looking at her as she fell asleep telling me about her journey through the country and how tired she is from running when all along her answers were at Dusk Manor. The last place she thought of.

I scoop her up in my arms and carry her into one of the bedrooms upstairs and tuck her in, watching her sleep and couldn't believe I found her. After all these months, she's back and I couldn't wait to take her back home to where the rest of our crew was and help get her magic back. I stand up from the bed to leave when she whispers my name before I shut the door and ask her what's wrong when she said, "what's the plan now?" I smile at her question and say, "I'm going to take Elijah to the hospital and then when I get back, me and you are going to meet up with our brothers and head to Dusk Manor to get you're magic back." Tears filled her eyes but I knew this was the first step. She had to face my brother first before anything.

Denices POV

Shay was able to convince our mother to go on a field trip for the entire school in two days. I wasn't sure what she had planned but apparently we all had to board planes. Two days later, we were all heading to the planes my friends and I were put on the same plane so we managed to sneak off before anyone noticed. My shield was still on as we all walked back to Dusk Manor when Tobias got after his sister as we walked. "You should've stayed on the plane, I'm not sure why you got off with us?" He told her. "Just leave her alone it's fine. She can help us, the more the merrier." Shay added. Once we got closer to the school we all headed to the secret library to go over the plan one last time. Shay was leading the entire thing which was good because we were all scared for what's coming. Reid sat next to me, and Dani to my right. We went over our parts for the plan and it seems like everything was good to go. Ray, Tobias and Aria were going to take some of Reid's clothing down to the cells where the fledglings are kept during they're first transition and Aria was gonna lock the remaining guards or whoever in the cells. Shay and Dani were going to be together and they were both gonna be running north wearing Reid's hoodies to lead the main guard away just so his scent is pretty much everywhere. As for me, Reid and Jake? Well I'll be in the secret library here with Reid using my shield and Jake will be guarding us. Since he has super strength it will protect a little and by us time. Reid was digging in his small duffel bag handing two hoodies to Dani and Shay to put on, we were all silent watching him take his stuff out because anytime now these people were going to show. Aria grabbed a shirt that Reid handed over to her and she gave it to Ray to hold onto and in that moment we all looked at one another when Ray suddenly dropped the shirt and her eyes grew big. She wasn't blinking she looked frozen but she was beginning to panic. Jake rushed over to her and grabbed her hands, calming her down telling her it's going to be okay when she whispered the words we all feared. "They're in Wolf Springs. They're here." It was time. With tears in my eyes I look over to my sister and rushed to go hug her. We all hugged one another quickly wishing each other good luck and promising to protect one another at all times. Tobias reached for his sister and gave her a fast hug and told her he'll see her after this is over and to run fast with Shay. "Okay Reid, this is our only chance. You run as far as you can and you don't stop. It should by you some time. Denice, you'll feel the cut somewhere on you're arm or hand and that will be the signal for you guys to run south." We nodded our heads and watch everyone use they're vampire speed out of the library leaving me, Reid and Jake alone. "I didn't kiss her for good luck or something," Jake whispered. I walked up to him taking his hand and assured him she'll be okay. I hugged him again and told him to go to his spot because the next few minutes or hours were going to be something we never thought we'd be doing.