Kissed by Lightning Ch. 15

"We've loaded up the blood bags. We should have enough for you to feed regularly and still keep us replenished."

And he also had a way of killing the mood. Katrina felt the air shift as Stefani seemed to draw into herself again. Her smile was tight as she nodded in thanks and headed over to the wolves.

Rain pulled on a pair of cameo pants, threw on a black t-shirt and combat boots as his beta, Noah brought him up to speed. Noah's short military styled black hair was a bright contrast to his sparkling blue eyes. His body was ripped and looked every bit as commanding as he expected his betas to be. Noah's light personality never seemed to amaze him. How a tracker of his caliber kept that lightness about him made him even more important to Rain.

Rain brushed his hands back over his long dark hair. A wide smile crossed his face as he heard Stefani's cheeky responses. His wolf was still fussing about his mate refusing to ride him back to the grand hall where all his warrior were meeting up. She had shaken her beautiful head and asked in what direction she should run. She said it sounded ridiculous to have a vampire riding a werewolf and although he pointed out she was part wolf she ignored him and refused. He wanted nothing else than to feel her soft hands gripping his fur as they rode the wind.

Although running after his quick little mate, chasing her through the woods had been almost equally satisfying. Her speed impressed and fascinated him. Her unguarded expression as she flew past the trees with precision and very little effort as he followed suit excited him. Her twinkling laughter ringing in his ears had made his heart ache to hear more of it. Her scent surrounded him, teased him as she was a hair fraction out of reach, it thrilled the beast inside him.

Noah's bright blue eyes watched Rain with glee. His alpha was totally bewitched by the little hybrid and he found it warming to see his leader so... well there was no words to describe Rain O'Faolain but he was glad for the change.

"We're ready to depart, alpha. We're sending a dozen of the best trackers and another dozen warriors from both the Faol and Mactire pack. The hummers have been loaded per your request and we've mapped out the route via satellite images. There's nothing but woods according to the coordinates but we're keeping constant surveillance in the area."

"Good. Have the trackers and warriors depart. I want them to set a perimeter near the location before we get there. I want our techies here working double time, eyes and ears everywhere. If a bear takes a crap I want to know about it. Have them check for any chatter through the net about hybrids and the vampire network. If anything catches your attention report back to me. Have Johnson and Lucian meet Alec so they can discuss the protection plan of the compound I've laid out. Also have this place cleared out, when we get back we'll be heading back down the compound. Don't forget to update me on how our wounded are doing, I want them up and running as soon as they are well. I want this place on lock down while I'm gone, Noah. No one comes in or out without my explicit consent. We don't know how deep this has gone and I'm not willing to risk it. Keep our family safe while I'm away."

Noah bowed his head in respect, crossed his forearm over his chest.

"Done. Be well Alpha. Let the moon protect you and yours."

Rain nodded and gave his old friend a pat in the shoulder.

"Let's head out." Rain's growl vibrated through the clearing with military precision his wolves stepped up and into their assigned hummers. He would be driving with Stefani, Cole, Raven and the other vampires. The witches would be driving in the hummer with Hale and another of his betas, Duncan.

Stefani glanced over at Rain shyly as Lucian, Johnson and several of the other wolf elders said their goodbyes to her and wished her luck. She felt Rain's gold eyes on her as she got into the hummer and looked out the tinted windows, she couldn't help but frown. She'd miss the small quiet moment they'd shared at the cabin already. She had a bad feeling in her gut.

******

Rodan stood in front a prison cell in the deepest part of the dungeons. His blood red eyes watched the unconscious female chained to the walls with a possessive look. Her light brown hair had grown uneven but even then she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen in his long existence. Rodan groaned as a whiplash of pain slashed through his body reminding him of his weakened body. He held onto one of the bars of the cell to support his weight.

He was running out of time.

"I suppose all those centuries ago you didn't expect that merging vampire DNA with your own would lead to your own deterioration. Although that seems the only logical result to be expected." Varcolac's voice filled the darkness. Rodan hissed in his direction and fought to gain some composure before the vampire. Varcolac's emerald green eyes sparkled with amusement in the dark as he watched the females labored breathing.

"You've tried this experiment on hundreds of creatures and they've all fallen to insanity. You were the first creature to survive as long as you have and I'm sure that's only because you feed from this pair constantly. If our little hybrid can't infuse us with the power we seek, you won't survive. But you already know that." Varcolac stood in the shadows, watching and taunting the rogue wolf as he straighten his shoulders and saw his pupils enlarge.

"She will open the gate and give us what we want. I'll kill her myself before letting her ruin our plans." Rodan's hiss dripped with venom. Varcolac ran a hand through his dark hair and he felt something inside him shift.

"All the pieces are in place. They'll be here soon." Varcolac looked down at the familiar shape of the female's face and licked his lips. He couldn't wait to have his little one back in his arms.

***********

In another dark corner of the dungeons, a witch leaned heavily against the stone wall behind her. Heavy manacles wrapped around her wrist and neck chaining her to the wall. She grimaced as she watched one of the guards drop an unconscious white haired girl in one of the cells next to hers. Melody.

The witch, Kala closed her green eyes, focusing on her breathing and ignoring the ache in her muscles from the last round in the labs and channeled her power. She was weak but had enough energy to heal the shivering girl next door. She took a deep breath and weaved her energy across the bars of the cells and reached out to the girl. Melody let out a small whimper.

In Kala's mind she saw her emerald green spirit travel over to the small girl with the beautiful white hair, wrapping around the girls torso and limbs. Kala bit her lip as she focused her energy to replenishing some of the girl's broken body. It wouldn't be enough to heal her completely but enough that she'd wake up soon.

It was a long steady process, feeding another being her energy to heal them while not disturbing their mind. A seers mind was a nasty place for a witch to enter without guidance. The amount of power in their minds could drive anyone not suited insane with only a touch.

Kala knew this girl well and was constantly amazed at her strength. As she worked, Kala sensed the separate conscious that watched over her work. The white haired seer had a sister. The seer twins. She'd never met the other particular twin, the rogues kept them separate for a reason but Kala had always felt her presence while she healed Melody's body. Kala's sensed the other twin's grief and fury every time.

Melody was not a woman of many words. She was often somber and quiet but Kala had seen Melody's eyes flash violet filled with passion, anger or grief as she experienced a vision. She knew from Melody that her sister's name was Aria, the younger of the two.

Melody's violet eyes snapped open, startling Kala. Although not fully conscious she whispered.

"It's coming."

Kala pulled against the restraints holding her, understanding the seers meaning. Their salvation was finally coming.

Kala bit her lip as fury rose within her, she used that extra bit of energy and fed it to the little seer. Melody groaned and fell back to oblivion. Kala vowed.

Once she was free, she would kill the two responsible for this.

They would all pay.

*********** *********

Rain picked up a water bottle and watched as Raven guided Stefani off into the woods. They traveled all day yesterday and all throughout the night to early morning hours, finally stopping at the midway point camp site. From here they'd have to go by foot, the forest around these parts were too dense for them to travel by car. Rain saw the weariness of the witches faces as they pulled out of the cars and straight into a tent to sleep. They were human after all.

The young vampires hadn't said much on the way here and had pretty much followed the vampire elder deeper into the forest as he led Stefani. They'd be helping Stefani train.

Rain thought back on his mate. She'd been quiet the whole ride, deep in thought watching the trees pass them by. He knew something was wrong and it was driving him insane that she wouldn't speak of it, not that he blamed her. Rain had driven as fast and smooth as he could.

He rubbed his hand over his face and walked into the command tent. His best trackers were already pulling out maps and drawing out the easiest paths to get to the coordinates. Rain straightened his shoulders and started working on the best plan of attack. He'd get his mate through this if it killed him.

***

Stefani leaned against Raven as he led her through the trees. Sweat covered her face and her hands shook. She felt that odd electric energy bubbling beneath the surface and she savagely fought to keep it from rising. In a blink she was seated on a tree bark and in the next breath a bag of blood was piercing her fangs. She felt the cool blood flow into her body, easing her aches. She closed her eyes and leaned against Raven who stood next to her.

"What's happening to her?" Luciano asked as he watched the trembling hybrid. Katrina reached out to her to find out. Stefani lifted a hand stopping her as she drained the last of the bag.

"I'm fine." Stefani whispered. The last thing she needed was the empath wreaking havoc in her mind. Katrina nodded, her lips tight as she scanned Stefani's aura.

"I think I just got car sick. I'm okay." Stefani assured them as she wiped down her hands on her jeans. Raven watched her carefully, his gaze moving over the small lines of stress on her brow.

"Alright. You two go back to camp. We'll head back after training." Raven took off his blazer and set it down on the tree bark.

Luciano straightened while he met his brother's gaze for a second before guiding Katrina back to the camp site.

"Thanks." Stefani let out a sigh of relief as she brushed the weariness from her face.

"You're getting worse." Raven spoke when he knew the other vampires were out of reach. Stefani looked up at him surprised for a second before nodding. Raven's gaze bore into hers. He was centuries older than most creatures around here and now through their blood link he could feel the discrepancy within her. She'd been naive to think she could fool him for a minute.

"It's strange, being in this body that once was so familiar and not knowing anything about it now. Every day it gets a little harder, waking up and walking around like nothing is wrong... Rationally, I understand that I'm a vampire and a werewolf but I don't feel like either. I know I'm different and I know there's something wrong... I'm not blind. But I don't know what it is or what to do. "

Raven leaned against a tree and watched Stefani, carefully choosing his next words.

"They worry about you. They're young. By keeping you in the dark they hope to protect you."

Stefani stood.

"I've been in the dark my whole life... Nothing can protect me anymore. Not from him and not from what I've become. Let's just do this." She walked down the uneven path of trees to a small clearing. Raven loosened his tie and was beside her in the next second. Raven was impressed at her brave and awed by her wisdom. She might not know everything now but she had a strong sense of intuition.

"Close your eyes. Keep them closed and let's begin."

Stefani had a second to take a breath before she felt the air shift with the vibrations of Raven's sharp movements, she dodged. They'd been practicing like this for a while, keeping her slightly at a disadvantage and forcing her to defend herself. The vampire elder had ramped up her lessons and this new hybrid mind of hers was soaking up every bit of information she was taught. Raven swung his leg and she twirled out of his way.

"Too close. Clear your mind." Stefani nodded and focused in on herself, ignoring the darkness. She would get stronger. She would never be helpless like that again. She bit her lip and charged him.

*****

Katrina was nestled among the branches of a much taller tree, essentially isolated from the rest of the world. The tree had a few long hanging branches which she easily jumped up to. She scrambled up the tree as gracefully as any vampire would. Wearing black lycra pants helped. When she reached the top, she simply sat among the green leaves and basked. She gently touched the leaves she could reach and ran her fingers over the tree's textured bark, while watching small insects crawl and birds build nests. She listened to the different sounds the wind made when it streamed through the branches. With Luciano, Raven and her family hovering like mother hens, it was rare to find quiet moments like this lately. Who knew she'd be dragged into quite the nightmare by visiting the elder's brother for the season.

"You never mentioned your parents were considering marriage." Luciano said from his perch on a nearby branch, interrupting her thoughts. Her lips curved into a sad smile as she glanced at the gorgeous vampire. With his blonde hair arranged casually in a rather choppy cut around his handsome face, his dark gunmetal grey eyes framed by those thick dark lashes and those perfectly proportioned lips, Luciano was the embodiment of drop dead gorgeous.

"It wasn't worth mentioning," she responded, brushing a stray curl behind her ear. Luciano nodded as he considered this while she continued, "As if I would ever agree on an arranged marriage to a chauvinistic, self-centered, bureaucratic Moroi. You should have seen the ultimatum I gave my parents when they brought it up. "

He smiled, a full toothy grin at her outraged tone. "I can imagine Moroaică. I'm sure you made their life hell, surely it is they I must feel sorry for."

Katrina laughed to hide the hurt. Her heart ached. Ached viciously with the things she didn't say. All the things she would never say to him.

"Even though they've just left, I know you miss them already. I promise, when this is over we'll go to their home in New York and visit. " Luciano took a piece of a stray leaf and rolled it between his fingers. Katrina avoided his gaze but couldn't fight the little flutter in her stomach at the word 'we.'

"There will never be a time where I don't miss them. I'm so glad to be well understood." Katrina let herself fall backwards without thought. She smiled as wind rushed past her hair, blowing it around her face. A fraction of a second later she was flipped over and landing gracefully at the base of the tree. She wasn't surprised when Luciano was already leaning against the tree, a wide grin on his face.

"Let's go visit the witches. I hear the young one can keep up with a vampire." Katrina smoothed out her tussled hair and avoided his gaze. She started out towards camp and before she knew it there was a yank at her wrist and she was pressed up against the tree. Luciano slapped his hands besides her head, caging her in.

"Katrina. I know you've been using your family as an excuse to avoid me. Did you think I wouldn't notice? You won't even look at me..." His tone was rough and she looked down at her traitorous hands gripping his shirt. Her body ached for him.

"Dammit! Kat, look at me!" Katrina straightened her shoulders. The ache around her chest held so tight she fought her inner monster viciously for a next breath. She could do this. Just like all other times she'd been around him, she shoved every ounce of emotion she felt and buried it in the pit of her stomach, the effort so strenuous her hands shook. She plastered on her most convincing smile and looked up at him.

"It's been a little overwhelming with everything that's happened and then my family showing up... My mind has just become a little scattered. Forgive me." She whispered.

Luciano watched her eyes for any trace of insincerity and although she sounded genuine, there was a coldness to her eyes that was unnatural. Luciano couldn't deny the tightness in his gut telling him she was holding something back. She never kept secrets from him.

Her scent surrounded him, the warm sugar cookie scent and her beautiful pouty lips called out to him. Her tan, perfectly polished skin made his hands ache to grab her. Her beautiful yellow eyes were full of emotions he couldn't read or understand. For all the Moroaică, females of his kind, that he'd known and taken pleasure in, Luciano had never seen eyes so full of life. So full of things that left him speechless.

Luciano leaned down towards her and somewhere in the back of his mind it dawned on him how natural it felt. As if the universe had made her specifically for him and the monster inside him. A ludicrous idea.

He missed the panic in her eyes so deep in thought and a second later she was standing on the other side of the tree. He only noticed because he found air where her lips should've been, making him look up. He hadn't heard her move and considering he was at least a century older than her, should've been impossible for her to do. Odd.

Silence filled the space between them. Luciano raised his eyes to meet hers, watched her finger linger at her lips absentmindedly as if she couldn't stop the action.

"I- We shouldn't."

"Kat." Luciano hissed out the words through his teeth. His voice tortured as if it was a physical ache that she'd rejected him. The monster within him lashes out viciously against his human counterpart to be freed, to possess the tempting wench who drove him to the edge of fury by this dismissal.

Forcing herself to push him away felt wrong to Katrina, the darkness within her lashing out within her. Katrina stepped back. She just couldn't. She couldn't kiss him again and pretend everything was okay. Pretend she wasn't deceiving to him or herself. She couldn't keep up the lies at all if he kissed her. Luciano wrecked her every time he was near, his kiss would absolutely destroy her.

This is how it had to be.

"What happened before was just a moment of weakness on both of our parts, Luc. I'm still me and you're still you. Nothing has changed." She was glad her voice sounded so nonchalant as if she didn't care at all. So far from the truth.

Luciano watched her silently and couldn't force himself to speak, could barely hold back from ravishing her to hear her words. So he let out a small annoyed grunt.

I know who you are! He thought harshly. Hating that he seemed to lose his voice around her, he looked away from her in disgust with himself. Luciano prided himself on the fact that he was always in control with the females he saw, not that he would ever throw Katrina in as one of those, she was just a friend. His best friend - -Okay. The 'only' friend who was a female.

But that didn't seem to matter anymore. He couldn't keep it together, he could barely control himself around her 'after that kiss'— His hands balled into fist at his side at the memory. He was losing his mind.