Into the Vampire's Lair Ch. 13

"You're scaring them but I don't think it's any more than normal," she teased.

"You don't seem scared of me," he replied, moving forward to kiss her lips. "Come on, I'll show you to your office. Eian told me they kept the place untouched."

Amber wasn't sure what to make of his comment but she braced herself as they entered the room and the first thing she did was frown.

"We argued in this room... why?"

Draven smiled and led her to her chair to sit. "Well, I was attracted to you and you were being a prude."

Amber gasped then narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Are you sure... I don't believe you."

"No?" He placed both his hands on her chair rest and leaned forward so that his face was inches from hers. She wasn't intimidated.

"No sex for you tonight if you don't tell me the truth."

"That's such a hard bargain!" he exclaimed. "Alright fine. You asked me out to dinner and I said I don't eat unless you're offering yourself."

"I knew it was the reverse!" she clapped her hand gleefully.

He patted her cheek gently and smiled. "I'll leave you to take a look at your notebooks and talk to your friends. You'll be fine here. It's the safest place for you right now. I'll come by and fetch you home later in the evening okay?"

"I'll be fine," she reassured him and let him kiss her one last time. Truth was, she didn't want him to leave but Amber wasn't selfish. Plus she didn't want him or anyone else to keep thinking of her as an incapable nutcase who just cannot take care of herself.

With a sigh, Amber picked up an organizer off her desk and started to flip through it. Seeing what she had written for the past couple of weeks might help her remember things.

"Oh dear," she pouted. The organizer was last year's. What was it doing on her desk anyway? Amber began to search high and low for her current organizer and was frustrated when she couldn't find it. She continued pondering where it might be and suddenly remembered that she had left it at the university. In fact, her things were still there and she needed to take a look at them. What if Draven's birthday is coming up or their anniversary or something stupid she shouldn't have forgotten about?

Taking her purse, she quickly got up and tried to recall if she had a car of her own. A quick chat with one of the nurses cleared up the dilemma --the clinic provided her a vehicle in case she needed to go for emergency home calls.

Not wanting to trouble anyone anymore, she took the keys from the nurse and hurried off to the university. The good thing was that the memory of the university was recent so she had no trouble recalling the directions.

***

Unknown to Amber, someone had been watching her the whole morning.

"I knew it. Dirty little whore's off to find her wolf lover. I knew it! Vampires just cannot mate with these pathetic lowlifes!" hissed Benedicta to herself. She had been appalled at the way the Pureblood had tainted his lips by kissing the animal. Maybe she had been just a little jealous but she was mostly disgusted. If it was up to her, she would have killed that self righteous bitch right there and then for touching one of their Purebloods.

But her orders were just to watch the target; learn her strengths and weaknesses. Sure, they had plans to eliminate her... but not now.

At that moment, Amber's car entered the main entrance of the university and Benedicta followed. The wolf was so oblivious to her shadow that she was actually smiling and humming. In fact she was still smiling even when she dropped her files as she got out of the car.

That only served to incense Benedicta. How in the world did the Pureblood Elder ever fall in love with a scatterbrain like that? Not to mention careless and having no sense of safety. Any Werewolf would have picked up the tail within minutes but Amber was oblivious.

Keeping close to the shadows, Benedicta followed her; wondering where in the world Amber was heading to. The university sure looked too public for a rendezvous but Benedicta had orders to shadow her so she would. It was then that a soft wind blew in their direction and it carried Amber's scent directly to where Benedicta was standing --and she froze.

"No!" she screamed but no sound could be heard. Her eyes flared slightly as the scent bombarded her over and over again. Leaving her position, Benedicta moved swiftly to close the distance between them. She needed to corner her prey and then demand the answers to her questions.

No more hiding and watching.

Benedicta considered it a blessing when Amber walked into a building and started down the corridor to what she assumed must be the offices. Even better! A confined space for her to carry out her interrogation.

She smiled. She couldn't help it. Small spaces made her abilities much more powerful and she knew it was going to be a useful one for the task she was about to do.

Benedicta waited for Amber to enter her office before stepping inside. She didn't even make the pretense of knocking.

"Oh! Are you here to see me?" asked Amber with a surprised look on her face. "I'm sorry I haven't been here for a while. Is the replacement teacher okay?"

Benedicta nodded her head then closed and locked the door. Satisfied that they were finally alone, she clapped her hands once and a visible vibration radiated from her palms outwards until it reached the four walls of the room.

"Do you know why I'm here?" she asked.

Amber could see the woman's mouth open but no sound actually come out and yet she could hear it loud and clear inside her head.

"No..." Amber replied and recoiled at the lack of sound coming from her vocal chords. Her eyes immediately rose to look at Benedicta fearfully. "What have you done?"

Benedicta laughed and in an instant, moved forward to grip Amber's neck tightly in one hand.

"No sound can enter or exit this bubble now. There's just you and me now little wolf."

Amber's eyes fluttered frightfully and she tried to scream but the strength of the hand over her throat simply made her wheeze. She tried to claw at Benedicta's hand but was rewarded with a sharp slap on her face.

"Stop moving!" she ordered before grabbing Amber's wrists. Amber's eyes widened at the knowledge of what her captor was about to do but she was not strong enough to stop --

Amber screamed; piercing wails of pain and terror as her wrist was broken in the blink of an eye.

"So weak! Pathetic!" laughed Benedicta. Amber closed her eyes to try and will the pain away. She wanted to scream for help but she knew her voice was gone and the woman would choke her to death if she even dared move too much.

"Wh... what do you want?" she managed to scramble out. It was really hard to talk with someone trying to choke you.

"Are you pregnant?" she asked, loosening her grip just a little to let Amber answer.

Not wanting to anger her, Amber answered quickly, "No. I can't be. It's too early."

Apparently that was the wrong answer for Benedicta gripped her throat so tightly that part of her nails pierced the side of Amber's neck.

"You lie! Bitch! Tell me how?!" Benedicta was screaming.

"I... I am not..."

"Liar!" Benedicta raised Amber up from her hold on the neck then tossed her angrily against the wall. There should be a crashing sound but instead there was just silence.

The silence was eerie.

Without the use of her wrist, Amber had to prop herself up using her elbows and was about to take a breather when Benedicta began attacking her again.

"Tell me how mating is even possible!" she demanded.

"I don't know... I swear! I don't remember anything!" Amber pleaded but Benedicta wouldn't accept the answer. Instead, she began ripping off Amber's dress and extended one nail to sharp knife point and punctured Amber's abdomen.

There was no fighting the pain this time for it was too much. She couldn't scream to relieve her disstress and couldn't move because Benedicta was holding her down by the throat and had broken her wrists. So she did the only thing she could do --she called for her mate even though she knew he was too far to hear her.

"This is your last chance wolf. I want to know how is it you carry a Pureblood's scent and have his baby? How is this even possible?!"

Amber was crying and could only shake her head; even breathing was too difficult at the moment. Benedicta had begun to tear at her as though searching for a fetus and screamed when she found none. Her eyes looked down to her bloodied body and fear started taking over. What if she was really pregnant? The mad woman had literally torn her up! There was no way she was going to survive this.

But her wolf kept pushing Amber to hold on; howling softly inside her head to remind her that she wasn't alone. However the rampage had caused Amber to bleed at an alarming rate and the cold darkness was starting to take over...

Help me... please.

It was a plea by the wolf inside the woman; awake and keeping them both alive just for a while longer...

***

There was so much blood that Benedicta felt tempted to bend forward and have her fill. However the thought of being tainted by the animal stopped her. She still needed answers and the stupid wolf had just fainted.

Benedicta didn't know what to do anymore. The strange scent she had noticed earlier was still there even after she had tore at the flesh to find the baby. It was just impossible! She didn't think she made a mistake for she had clearly discerned the Pureblood's scent then the wolf's and then there was another --a floral kind that was nothing Werewolf or Vampire in its nature. It was an abomination. Benedicta knew what she had to do.

Kill the mother and there will be no baby.

The solution was so simple that it had her laughing... but not for long. The door was suddenly kicked opened and three young wolves --probably juveniles from their scent --rushed towards her.

Their appearance took her by surprise and the bubble she was holding over the office disappeared as she was knocked to the ground by a very angry male Werewolf in his wolf form. It was snarling at her but she did not feel threatened. Even though the weight crushed her legs and pinned her down, she did not wince.

"I'm stronger than you," she taunted, laughing at him. "How could you even hear her screams? There's no way you could have heard anything!"

No one answered her. She had seriously underestimated communications between wolves --they do not need sound or technology to connect to each other. Even if the three young wolves had not been in the university at that time, someone else would have come; anyone within the vicinity would have heard her screams... and Eian was already on his way.

The young female amongst the trio took Amber's torn dress and tried to press it against her open wound. There was just so much blood that she didn't even know where to place her hand to stop the bleeding.

"Amber please stay with us..." she begged but Amber was still unconscious. Then suddenly, she sensed another... no two more Vampires at the door. The other male was already in his wolf form, crouching low in preparations to attack the newcomers when one of them spoke.

"We are Josephine and Alaron Culzean. Yes, you know that name don't you. We're not with her. We're here to help," she said reassuringly before gesturing to Alaron towards Amber's side.

The juveniles all looked at her; partly in fear but partly in shock. She understood. They were afraid Amber would die and yet they were too young to understand what to do. Most importantly, the wolf currently on top of Benedicta was having conflicts with himself as whether to kill the Vampire or not. Josephine had seen his face and understood.

"You bitch I'm going to kill you!" Alaron shouted.

"No! Leave her. Save Amber!" warned Josephine. Alaron sent her a questioning look but did not disobey her. As much as he wanted to rip the other Vampire's heart out, he knew that Josephine was right.

"Move!" he told the female wolf guarding Amber. "Go get me clean towels and a pail of water. Go!"

The girl ran off but the other male wolf stayed by his side. Alaron ignored him for there was no time to argue. At the moment, he had to focus all his ability and concentration on the dying wolf in front of him. She was badly wounded --butchered really, and her heartbeat was faint. For the first time in his life, Alaron was scared. He was just learning how to heal himself and wasn't ready for something this drastic but he had to try.

Placing his hands over her abdomen, Alaron tried to assess the damage. Benedicta had ruptured a large part of Amber's colon and liver; which Alaron thought was strange because she of all people should know that the heart is located higher up in the chest.

"What the hell was she doing?" whispered Alaron to himself. The wound gap was big enough that he could fit his entire hand inside to feel around for the damage. He felt like an invader and had no idea how to begin healing her. She was a Werewolf for godsake. They didn't even share the same body or blood...

"Wait..." Alaron remembered her biting him; remembered having to take the pill to counter the effects of her venom. "Mother..." he shouted to Josephine. "Will it kill her if I feed her my blood?"

"No!" The reply came from Benedicta who was screaming out to him. She tried to get up but the wolf on top of her pressed her down even more. It was then that the wolf beside Alaron decide to get up and help pin Benedicta down while Josephine went over to Alaron's side.

Alaron had no idea why she was still keeping the Vampire alive but he trusted Josephine and he's come to rely on her for so many things... like now.

"I can't be sure my dear... but you need to do what you think is right," she said, soothing Amber's hair back. "Do you want me to look?"

Alaron nodded. He knew she meant seeing the future; unreliable as it was but it was his only hope. Sharing blood was dangerous because of the different blood types and he didn't want to take a chance. It would be different if they were mates but Alaron knew that he did not have time to wait for Draven to come --if he was even coming.

While Josephine was concentrating, Alaron tried to repair as much surface damage as he could. The young female wolf had returned with some towels by then and he'd manage to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding. The fact that only the liver and colon were affected meant that Amber still had a fighting chance to live as long as she was breathing and her heart was beating. However, the longer they waited, the higher the chances of infection or permanent damage.

"Mother, please... tell me if you see anything," he pleaded but he knew it was useless. Josephine was in her trance-like state and oblivious to anything around her. "Damn it. Screw this."

Alaron made a thin slice across his wrist and bent forward to open Amber's mouth and feed her when he was suddenly pulled away brutally and slammed against a nearby wall.

He felt the wind knocked out of his lungs and then he saw Draven crouching over Amber for a second before he lifted his head to stare at Alaron with his fangs out and his eyes a frightening shade of gold.

"Draven no!" said Josephine and Eian together. Alaron had no idea whose command worked but Draven stopped mid step.

"He's trying to help to heal her," pleaded Josephine, clutching Draven's arm and pulling him away. "Draven, listen to me. Give her your blood. Now." Then she turned to Alaron and nodded.

"Josephine."

Josephine turned to look at Eian and nodded. "I know what I'm doing."

***

Eian gave a somber nod before moving towards his two juvenile wolves keeping guard on Benedicta. They didn't budge because he didn't order them to and stayed still, keeping her pinned down.

"Who sent you?" he asked calmly but Benedicta only laughed and rolled her eyes. "You dare to openly attack a pack member so I'm asking you if this is an order and from whom. Tell me and I will be lenient with you."

Alpha!

The two wolves had looked up at him in surprise. They had been waiting for him to deal with her and had not expected him to negotiate; they'd expected him to kill her on the spot.

Patience. I need information.

They were still young and wouldn't understand. The open confrontation could mean a subtle invitation to go to war with an unknown enemy and Eian did not want that --not when Fiona was pregnant and Amber was lying half dead just a few feet from him. So he was hoping this was a single, individual attack that had nothing to do with the Council. Eian did not want to put Draven in a spot so early in his career.

When Benedicta refused to answer and kept laughing, Eian had no choice.

"Draven, read her mind and tell me who sent her."

***

While Eian was interrogating Benedicta, Draven had just fed Amber enough blood to help Alaron begin healing her body. Josephine hadn't been able to see anything within the hour of the future but she had seen years to come with Amber still alive.

When he was done, Draven remained crouched over his mate; tears already betraying his control. Josephine wanted to go over and cradle him but she knew that he did not want her to baby him in front of everyone so she simply reassured him in her mind; softly encouraging him to remain strong.

As for her other son, he was doing very well for someone who had just learned to use his abilities. With Draven's blood coursing through Amber's veins, it accelerated the healing rate especially since Alaron was directing most of the blood towards the injured organs and literally stitching them up with the blood acting as sewing thread.

Josephine was very proud of him but she knew that Alaron would exhaust himself very soon and pass out if she didn't intervene. It was already amazing that he could work this efficiently on a Werewolf seeing that they are radically different from Vampires.

"Alaron dear, I need you to close up as much as you can to keep her alive until we can get her to a proper medical centre. You cannot restore her to her full health so don't push yourself. Just close her wound. Focus on that," she whispered, placing a reassuring hand on Alaron's shoulder.

"Mother, she'll be fine right?" asked Draven, looking up at Josephine with worry on his face.

"Yes, I have seen her. She will be fine."

Then Eian called Draven to read the Benedicta's mind.

***

"Benedicta, who ordered you to come here?" Draven asked with as much control as he could. "You know you cannot disobey me. Tell me!"

She looked up; fear now clearly in her eyes but there was still arrogance on her face. Her lips were moving as though she was answering but Draven could hear nothing. She was toying with him, using her abilities to block the sound from reaching his ears.

It was then that Draven didn't feel like talking anymore. He began to raid her mind --or attempted to at least. Benedicta was slightly older than him and had an incredibly powerful mental shield; a result of her sound waves possibly. They were interrupting Draven's own mind, contorting images and sounds and visions to the point where it hurt to actually try and look into her mind.

"She's resisting me," he announced through clenched teeth. "Get off her!" he ordered the two wolves and to his surprise they actually moved. Eian had seen the unspoken power play but didn't say anything. Instead, he ordered the boys to get to the car park and wait for Dominic and Mike to arrive.

Eian didn't move or say anything when Draven held the Vampire by her throat --the same way she did to Amber --he didn't comment when Draven's hands turned to sharp claws, nor did he look away when Draven beheaded her in one clean slice.

As her body fell to the ground, Draven staggered back slightly until he eventually collapsed onto his knees, holding his head in his hands. Immediately Eian moved forward to catch him.