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Sixteen was a good number. It wasthe year I got my freedom from my drunken father because I had gotten mylicense and an old beat up car. It was the amount of money I had in my bankaccount before I started Safe Haven. It was also the number of wolves we wereabout to barge into the vampire den with and save Emma. We had surrounded theold house on Melrose Ave and I could smell Emma inside. I also smelled witchesand vampires. A lot of them. It was dusk out. I had been told on the ride overthat dark witches did spells on powerful vampires to give them sunlightimmunity, so attacking in the daytime didn’t increase our chances.
Kai turned to me now and placed asilver stake in my hand, it had a rubber grip to protect werewolf skin. “You’rea good fighter; you will be a bigger help to Emma in human form. You go inlast.” It was a command but his eyes held a vulnerability. He was trying toprotect me. As long as I helped get Emma out, I didn’t care. I nodded andgripped the cold stake in my hand. He began to shift and I took a deep breath.I had never been religious, what kind of God lets kids get abused? But I sentup a silent prayer now. Please let Emma be okay. Let her baby live.
Just then, the most haunting howlcut through the night and I saw Devon smashing through a side window in hiswolf form. Kai followed right behind him. The fight had begun. I crept aroundthe side of the house where one of the Los Angeles pack wolves had smashed inthe front door. I heard hissing and screaming. Two vampires fled the front dooron fire. Before I could take a step towards the front door, a cold hand clampedaround my neck.
“Aurora, dear, thank you forcoming. I am Layla, queen of the North American vampire clan. You should behonored to be in my presence,” a female voice said behind me. I wasted no timein acting. I grabbed her palm while throwing myself forward and flipping herover my back. But just as quickly, two heaving hands held my arms down andshoved my face into the dirt. The female I had thrown was crouched now andpeering at me with her head tilted to the side. Her hair was strawberry blondeand fell to her waist in waves. She was pale and her eyes were black. Her fangsstuck out pressing on her bottom lip. She inhaled deeply and smiled. “You know,people that fight back always taste better.”
My heart was hammering inside my chest.I wanted to call for help but I didn’t want to take any help away from Emma.
“This was always a trap, wasn’tit?” I asked her. She knew my name. She seemed ready for me.
She smiled as I was jerked to myfeet and made to stand.
“You were always the prize, yes.Your blood can give all of the vampire women in my command the power offertility.”
My stomach dropped. No. ‘Kai!’
The dark witch that I had seen inmy mind’s eye walked around from behind me. She smelled like witch and smoke, likeclove cigarettes. She ran a bony hand through her long black hair and cackled. “Ihave blocked you from communicating with your pack. It’s just us.” A fine mistcovered the both of us and I knew she was right. Layla, the vampire queen,smiled at the dark witch.
A black van turned the cornerjust then and came to a screeching halt behind us. Men dressed in all blackmilitary gear suspended from nearby trees and repelled down to street level.The vampires hissed. I took in a deep breath. Humans?
The humans advanced with silverpointed cross bows. I swallowed hard. They wore all black with a white symbolembroidered on their chest. They looked like hunters. Seasoned supernaturalhunters.
‘Kai, run! Human hunters.’I pushed the thought outwith a little bit of what I hoped was magic. I saw mist leaving my body. Ihoped the message went through.
A few of the humans raised theircrossbows, just as the witch threw her hands in the air and black smokeexploded into my vision. I took in a huge breath and started coughing. Icouldn’t see two feet in front of me. There was black smoke everywhere and itwas burning my eyes. Someone grabbed me from behind and started pulling mebackwards. I rammed my heel into what I thought might be a groin and was rewardedwith a moan. Then I was hit with a hard object at the base of my skull andblackness took me.
RAIDOS
I came to with a raging headache.My mouth was dry and I was starving. I squinted at the bright lights and tookin my surroundings. I was chained to a chair with silver chains. I was in alarge room with rows and rows of bench-type seating. About ten people weresitting on benches but they stood now and aimed their crossbows at me. I was inthe center of the room on a dais. It took me a second to realize I was in achurch. A crazy thought struck me then. Would I burn alive? I looked down at mybody. I guess not.
A man stepped forward. “Aurora?”
I swallowed, trying to figure outhow I wanted to play this. They looked scared but they also look like theywouldn’t hesitate to kill me.
“Yes, my name is Aurora. Who areyou?”
He looked to a woman on his rightand she nodded, seemingly giving him permission.
“We are from a special branch ofthe International Intelligence Community. Those who know of us, call us RAIDOS.Research And Intelligence Division On Supernaturals. Our mission has alwaysbeen to gather intelligence on your kind. How much information you give us willdetermine if we let you live.”
I nodded and tried to keep mywolf from coming out. I could tell by the fact that they stepped back a fewfeet that I hadn’t succeeded. I knew my eyes were yellow. I took a deep breath.“Well, I have only been a supernatural for a few weeks. I was human for thefirst twenty-two years of my life.”
The woman placed a tape recorderin front of me. “If you answer all of our questions and we determine you arenot a threat to the human race. We will let you go.”
I looked at her. I could tellfrom the way she was communicating with the other man that they were in aromantic relationship. “I feel it fair to warn you that the longer you keep mehere, the more chance you have of encountering my mate. He will bring our entirewerewolf pack and they will rip your fragile human bodies apart.”
She raised her crossbow andpointed it at me. “Don’t make threats.”
I leaned forward. “It was awarning. I cannot communicate with my mate because the witch did something tomy pack bonds. But he WILL find me and he won’t ask questions. This churchwon’t keep them out.”
A few of the RAIDOS agentsexchanged looks. A petite woman with short blonde hair stepped forward. “So youwill answer our questions?”
My mother was human. I was humana month ago. Of course I wanted the human race to survive. But I also needed toprotect my pack. I needed to give them information but not too much.
“Yes, unless I feel you shouldn’tbe given certain information for the safety of my kind.”
