#Chapter111"So what is this meeting about?" Zeiden pushed and shoved through the thick tree areas. "I'm hoping to find out." I didn’t have much of an answer to give him.I was just as lost as he was. I was uncertain as to why he wanted to meet me however I found this meeting well overdue. "I remember this place." Zeiden slowed at the bottom of the mount. He glanced up at the peak of the hill, the sight bringing back memories. "Cabin." I exhaled. "I came here to speak to you when Aniyah was taken by Kane." I nodded in agreement. The same cabin they took her from. It was a haven and also a place I found fit to meet at. Secluded and isolated from the rest. We walked up the hillside. Our voices, our moves, quiet enough to go unheard. They planned this meeting however we knew to never let our guards down. Zeiden followed behind as we made it up to the cabin porch. I opened the door, finding myself face to face with complete and utter darkness. It was the s
#Chapter112ANIYAH"I'm tired." I pressed before I rolled over in my bed."That's good." Jess rubbed my arm, massaging and pressing at my tender muscles that begged for another ice pack. "That mean your muscles are getting that good workout.""Who made you a gym coach all of a sudden?" I shoved her away."Oh shut up and get dress." I looked at her, watching as she shuffled through my closet before she pulled a t-shirt and a pair of leggings. She tossed them onto my bed before she pulled out a pair of my workout sneakers."I don't feel like going." I sobbed."You cannot stop because you feel a little burn in those arms."She gave me a light nudge against my arm. With such tender arms, a light nudge could easily feel like a ton of bricks being forced against my body. "Bitch, do not do that again." I yelped, rubbing my arms vigorously."I will be waiting patiently for you downstairs. I will give you twenty minutes. If you do not appear within twenty two minutes, I will be bac
#Chapter113Exhaustion had kicked in some time ago. With my body forced endure an intense pre workout, I was not sure how Jess assumed I had the energy or drive to step into the combat ring."How about you get in there?" I asked, fanning myself with a small company flyer I had found lying around.She stood beside me, her eyes peering into the ring where a facility trainer and another guest engaged in a simple hand to hand exercise. "Fine." Her hands resting on her waist, she approached the ring once they were finished with their session. "Hello?"The male spun around to find Jess staring up from beneath him."Yeah?" He tightened his boxing glove."Um my friend and I didn't know that we had to sign up earlier to step into the ring." I rolled my eyes, sucking my teeth when I heard how gentle her voice had become. "Is there any way we can, you know, get a few lessons in?"The guy seemed to look sorry for a pouting, helpless Jess. I could tell he had never met the re
#Chapter114Jess hovered over me, watching as I prepared myself to enter the ring."I thought you said your arms hurt?" Jess questioned me with more apprehension rather than her usual sarcasm."They do." I hunched down to tighten the laces on my sneakers for a secure fit. "But I'll manage."Carl returned with a pair of boxing gloves and a pair of boxing mittens before he climbed into the ring."This should be nasty." Jess took a seat on the sideline. If they sold popcorn here, I was sure she would have it.Ignoring Jess, I climbed into the ring. It felt bizarre, all so different being inside of a boxing ring. Especially when I had become accustom to training with Maya at the rear of the house.Carl handed me my gloves. I slipped them on and tightened the straps around my wrist. "Good. Good." Carl eyed me. My face scrunched up. "What?"He noticed my sudden change in emotion but did not understand why."Nothing." It was something. It was the way he looked at
#Chapter115He looked them over; his eyes wide when he saw what had come flooding from my gym bag."Aniyah-""Can I have my things?" I kept my eyes on the items he had clutched between his fingers."What the-"I snatched my book and the piece of wood. Stuffing them beneath my change of clothing, I rushed out of the changing room, ignoring his voice that continued to call my name...JESS POV_I waited. I waited some more. I glanced back toward the gym doors, waiting for Aniyah to emerge. My feet kicked up on the dash, I pulled out my phone to shoot Brent a text.-We need to talk later.I received a message in return.-What did I do?My eyes rolled at his assumption that he was in trouble.-Nothing!The passenger door swung open. I stuffed my phone into my pocket right before Aniyah sat down."Are you okay? Where the hell is your bag?" I asked when I saw the balled up clothing in her arms.She shook her head with no verbal response in return. I
#Chapter116Jason_I had met with the vampire covenant leader too many times to count. As usual, we limited our meetings. Our contact? Almost hard to explain.It was always the same when we met; in a dark facility with minimal lighting and his facial features always well hidden.When asked why he did not want to reveal his face, he always told me it was his way of going unnoticed when in public.I always thought it was because he was hard to look at or his skin was not rich enough in color to be exposed.However, those thoughts I formed within my mind began to die out. Now, I thought he was hiding something much richer then a hideous face."Where are we going?" Zeiden cycled through his phone, his eyes drawn to his social media profiles."I have to see someone." I pushed down on to the gas pedal, passing the speed limit."Donations?""Huh?"Zeiden ripped his eyes away from his phone to motion toward the four plain t-shirts I had tossed in the back seat
#Chapter117"We can find something else to do." Jess lips narrowed."It's fine." I zipped up my fleece hoodie.In the beginning, I wasn't sure if returning to the gym was good for me. How was I going to confront Carl? How would I explain to him the things he had discovered in my bag?"Are you sure?" She quizzed."It's okay." I shoved her toward the door, smiling to mask the jitters that had consumed me....As I stood in the gym's lobby, shifting from one foot to the other, I waited. Jess had run to the bathroom, leaving me anxious and also unsure if I would come across Carl."Finally." I signed when Jess emerged."What?" She looked at me, her eyes squinting with a look so strange. "I was in there for like two minutes.""Long enough." I shoved her toward the locker room to change...As I slipped out of my street clothes and into my gym wear, the anxiety within me had increased tremendously. The lies I had created in my mind to tell Carl had now seemed ridic
#Chapter118Carl slipped out of the room. For some insane reason, he seemed contented enough to leave me alone within the weapon room.As I sat down in one of the waiting chairs, I looked around, taking in the various pieces were at his disposal.Small guns. Large guns. Pistols. Machine guns. Grenades. Bombs. Swords. So many other pieces I could not name even if I tried. So many weapons that could take down even the largest prey; pieces that could take down the largest werewolf.With my heart drumming through my body, I could not help but feel a little concern as he stepped through those doors. Carl returned. With two beverages in his hand, he placed them in front of me before me sat down in the chair just across from mine.The silence was intense; dense discomfort that would require the sharpest knife to rip through.I was not sure where to start. I just knew I could not allow him to know that I knew of the other world."What is this room? It's like a place made f
#Chapter143Epilogue 3 months later...Jason stood on the balcony that overlooked their rear field of their home. He watched silently yet observantly as Aniyah and Jess took part in an intense training session with Maya. Once Maya proceeded to finish up their session, Jason made his way to the field where he met the exhausted yet proud girls. "Alpha." Maya greeted as she picked up her things. "Maya." Jason nodded. "Thank you.""Of course. You should be proud of these girls. They are good.""Thank you." Jess teased. "With a few more lessons, I will be able to beat your ass.""Yeah right." Maya took off running, laughing as Jess ran to keep up."How are you feeling?" Jason turned to Aniyah. "Well besides the burn in my legs, I'm good. I don’t know, I think these workouts are strengthening me." Aniyah grinned."You look stronger." Jason could not help but admire the curves that her work outs were creating. From her firm yet soft arms to her sculpted
#Chapter142Where do we start? Aniyah sat at the edge of her bed as her focus remained on the floor.Look at him. She wanted to look at her father however she could not find the strength to do it.As Aniyah contemplated on whether to look in her father's eyes, Christopher was struggling to find the right words to start with.He knew it was years since the last time he talked to his only daughter. Now, he was not sure where to even start."I know this is a lot." Christopher noted."A lot is not enough to explain this." Aniyah chuckled."I know." Christopher exhaled. "I'm a...vampire. I guess that is why it’s too weird to look at me?"Christopher toyed, even though it bothered him that his daughter could not look into his eyes."That is not why." Her eyes strayed away once more.Aniyah admitted why. She admitted to her father how looking at him made her afraid. It was the thought of seeing him come and go again that made her afraid to confront him."I kno
#Chapter141Aniyah began to rise from the bed when she heard the bedroom door open.Jason, worried about the distressed look on her face, sat beside her as he motioned for her to lie back down."What's wrong?" Jason asked."I'm good."Aniyah continued to push herself up, her face as emotionless as she could make it. Even though her body was screaming with pain and discomfort."What hurt?""Everything." She chuckled.Shit. She thought. Even laughing hurts."It feels like that pain you get the day after a workout." Aniyah rubbed her arms. "It’s like the day after a Maya workout."Jason smiled."Ouch. You must feel like shit." He began running his fingers across her legs. Applying enough pressure that left her groaning from the mixture of pain and pleasure that came from his massage."Speaking of Maya, how is everyone? Where is my mom?""Everyone is getting the attention they need. Maya. Kiera. All safe. Brent is making sure Jess is safe. Carl is..."
#Chapter140Jason stood at the patient room door, watching from a far as the doctor wrapped the bandage wrap around Aniyah's arm."Thankfully you did not need stitches." The doctor sealed the end of the wrap with a strip of tap before she finished it with a smile."Thank you." Aniyah nodded."Come back in a few weeks and we will make sure everything is going good. Okay?""Yes."The doctor turned away and began heading toward the door."Thank you." Jason spoke."Of course Alpha. Make sure she gets some rest. I'm sure the entire ordeal took a toll on her.""I will."The doctor took leave; leaving Jason alone with the woman he had searched so long for."How are you feeling?" Jason asked her, watching as she rubbed her hand across her arm."Better." Aniyah slid from the bed before Jason placed her back without a word. "What are you doing?""You need some rest. I would advise you stay here.""I'm not tired." Aniyah slid from the bed; her body maneuv
#Chapter139"Is that all you got?"Carl crawled to his feet; wiping the spilled blood that oozed from his bottom lip as he stood up tall.He raised his hands; balling his fist around his silver knuckles he had made for a time like this.His victim, a hostile vampire, had also taken a few vicious attacks that Carl had inflicted on him."I’ll be finished here in a minute girls." Carl exhaled with exhaustion."Are you sure about that?"Carl had two remaining vampires left. He knew he did not have the strength to take them both on but he was set on trying.He was willing to take another hit. He was willing to take on a few more blows until he was down."You are a strong human." One stood over Carl's fallen body, smiling in triumph as his prey laid weak beneath his boot."Did you think your gadgets could take us on?"He kicked the devices from Carl's hands."When will you idiots understand that we are the superior species?"Carl began to stutter. Babbl
#Chapter138Jason caught wind on what Carl and Brent were up to. He just needed to give them enough time to get them done. "Have you ever dreamed of being on top of the world?" Lucifer continued. "Unstoppable. Respected.""You want to be feared?" Chris questioned."Fear. Respected. Same thing." Lucifer chuckled, sharing a laugh with his right hand, Liz."It’s not." Jason noted. "I rather be respected for what I do and who I’m then feared for being a damn monster."Lucifer was a little surprised by the comments of his guest. He expected them to oppose in the beginning, however he thought they would be a little more optimistic once he offered his speech.Even though he did not admit it, he was growing very impatient with the meeting. He wanted-he needed- them to see it his way."This is pointless." Liz intervened.She thought they could strive without the help of the wolf and vamps. To her, they were nothing but simpletons who she knew would get in the way.
#Chapter137Carl crawled his way across the roof; his steps slow and careful hoping he would not go plummeting through the rusted and torn roof of the warehouse."How are you walking so easily?" Carl glanced over his shoulder, watching as Brent walked so carefree."Because my fall won’t be deadly." Brent glanced over the edge of warehouse, taking notice of the distance between them and the ground."True."Carl found an area where he could set up the little equipment they could carry with them."A.J is still circulating the perimeter." Brent informed."Good." Carl noted. "This shouldn’t take long.""And what is it that we are going?" Brent asked, wondering as he waited just a few feet away from the target. "I can hear them.""Who?""Jason. Chris. Kareem and....Lucifer." Brent snarled; his eyes darkening at the thought of taking on the man who had taken what he had claimed."I get it. You want to kill him but don’t go all crazy on me now." Carl advised. "
#Chapter136"My-my wife?"The room became overwrought. It was as if a dark, impenetrable cloud had rolled in, carrying a storm that was strong enough to rip through every person.That storm was Lucifer."What have you done?!" Christopher's fangs showed Lucifer that he was ready to tear through him. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"Describing the anger that ripped through Christopher and Kareem was impossible. The idea, the thought of losing the woman they had loved left them stuck in a trance they could not shake.Kill him. They thought.Furry crossed their faces as they hissed violently as they sought to charge."Wait a minute." Lucifer reached into his pocket. "Aht aht."He warned; his hand submerged in his pocket before he retrieved a small, indefinite item."Wait." Jason ceased them before he turned to Lucifer. "What’s that?""Well. It’s a little detonator.""For?" Jason held back the desire to shift; the desire to run through Lucifer with a single snap of
#Chapter135"Is this even stable?" Kareem questioned as they stood outside of the longstanding, once abandoned warehouse.It was obvious the warehouse had seen its ware and tare. Weakened structures and broken windows. Stripped boards and paint as it stood with minimum support."Enough for them it seems." Christopher looked over the warehouse, watchful of any movement."This place has been abandoned for years." Jason scanned over the warehouse, wondering if his fiancé and the others were even inside. "We might have to take it easy here.""What do you mean?" Kareem wondered."This place seems to be standing on pins. Foul movement might bring this shit down.""I'm sure we can take it." Kareem rebelled.They held the strength and capability of taking a little weight."But can your mother or your sister?"Kareem stopped to reconsider. He knew his family could not bare such weight. Weight that could kill them; crushing them under the tremendous weight. "So