35. In The Woods

"Something's wrong," Iosif whispered softly, coming closer to Kyle.

It was a nightime and the dense canopies of tree prevented moonlight from reaching the surface of the forest, making the woods darker. However, the knights' vision was perfect as always and they whipped past through the long trees.

"Yes, I think it's your face. You got dirt on it," Kyle replied mimicking his mate's stern face.

After taking a deep long breath, casting a weak glare at Kyle and also wiping his face with his hands, Iosif spoke again. "About seven miles from here to the north is an abandoned country house. It is one of the Odis's ancestral estates. It is highly likely that he is residing there as it is the only place that could abide him and all of his clan."

Kyle stopped, making Iosif stop as well with him and narrowed his eyes at his mate.

"Why are you whispering?" Kyle asked, lowering his tone as well. He caught his mate's hushed voice and that was enough to raise his suspicions.

"We are being followed," Iosif answered, sighing. He knew Kyle didn't like being kept things from.

Kyle gaped at his mate unbelievingly. "You weren't planning on telling me that. Were you?... You bitch!" He cussed under his breath, glaring at Iosif.

"You know the reason very well. Your immaturity would have cost us time."

If it was possible, Kyle's eyes narrowed further. He knew Iosif was right, not that he would give him the satisfaction of admitting that. Kyle would have at least tried once to tamper the plan of their followers... And maybe in the process would have failed and finally had turned to Iosif to be rescued.

Nevertheless, it was disrespecting for knights to let someone spy on them. That's what Kyle believed and rationalised his not-yet-done actions.

"When this shit with your brother is over, we are going to establish some ground rules in our relationship," Kyle hissed, not forgetting to keep his tone low. "And one of them is going to be you not being a secretive bitch."

Iosif nodded to pacify the angry knight even though he had no intention to follow the said rule in near future. Kyle was reckless and often childishly misused his supernatural strength. When Kyle would grow out of his immaturity, Iosif would stop hiding things from him.

"Who is it?" Kyle asked.

"The wolves from Marshville's pack."

"How many?"

"Two. A male and a female."

"Well, it makes sense for Eden to send someone after us," Kyle wondered.

Iosif nodded and gestured Kyle to start walking again. He didn't want to raise any suspicion in the minds of wolves.

"Eden wants to know where Odis is so he can kill him." Kyle concluded.

"Or he doesn't trust us with the life of his mate." Iosif added with a shrug. "Or maybe both."

"Damn these wolves. Thank god I am mated to a mysterious secret keeping vampire and not with some possessive werewolf." Kyle smirked when he felt Iosif glaring at him from the corner of his eyes. He knew his mate despised being called a vampire. Serves him right for hiding about werewolves.

"Kyle, listen carefully. I have a feeling that something is wrong. I am not aware of what it is but walking blindly into Odis's estate will not be wise, moreover with two wolves tailing behind us."

"So what's the plan?"

"We will take a detour."

Kyle decided to raise his brows in place of asking 'why'.

"First we lose the wolves." Iosif answered and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes when he saw the other knight grinning at the prospect of having fun with their snoopers. "Then we sneak into Odis's house."

No further elaboration was needed. They both knew their next course of action.

Kyle dusted his hands and looked at Iosif, his grin turning into a smug smile. "This time Snow I'll beat you." With that he sprinted toward west, leaving vigorously vibrating air behind him.

Iosif's lips twitched upward slightly. "It'll take years for you to even come close to beating me." He too sped past the woods, following his mate.

Werewolves might be stealthier but speed was the talent of knights. No other species could be as fast as them once they decide to bolt with their maximum pace, not even wolves.

*****

Theo let out a small shriek when he felt something caress the back of his neck, making both of the humans immediately stop.

"What?!" Marley at once turned around, pointing her knife at Theo. Her eyes darted around him to locate any danger but all they met was the streak of long trees behind him. "You alright?!"

Theo gave a sheepish smile, rubbing his neck with the hand with which he wasn't holding the dagger. "Sorry, it was just a branch."

Marley sighed, placing her palm on her chest to calm her racing heart. "Please don't do that again."

Theo nodded and once again they were on the move.

"I swear one day I am going to kill every one of these bloodsuckers," Theo spat bitterly and then looked around tentatively, in case someone else heard him besides Marley.

The day when he wouldn't be scared of them.

Marley simply moved her head up and down in agreement. In all honesty, she couldn't care less about the knights or lycans. One specific werewolf was enough for her. She sympathised with Theo but not enough to let go of everything and fight a war with him against some supernatural race.

Theo went on to lowly grumble about how he would gut out each and every existing knight and on the front Marley gave occasional nods. Theo's monologue was quite violent but Marley didn't object as it helped them both to focus on something else other than their rising fear of being mauled by said knights any moment.

"I'll dry them out of every single drop of blood before rip-"

"Shh..." Marley interrupted, her eyes scanning the area before her in search of something. "Did you hear that?"

Theo shook his head and suddenly he heard a faint guttural sound from distant. "Okay, I heard that!"

Marley started moving forward.

"Marley! When you hear a scary sound you move away from it, not toward it!" Theo yelled hysterically, following the girl in front of him nevertheless.

"It sounded so pained."

"What if there are vampires?!"

"I-I don't know." Marley sighed and stopped.

"We shouldn't get ourselves involved with this fight, at least not right now when we are as defenseless as a newborn," Theo said, standing in front of Marley who nodded.

"You're right, we shouldn't get involved." Marley repeated firmly. "How about we take another route?"

Theo looked ahead with knitted brows, deep in thought. "I thought that those beasts were fighting back at the mansion. What are they doing here?" He wondered aloud.

"Don't-" Marley was cut off by another same guttural sound. Both the humans looked at each other with horrified expressions. "Maybe it is just a wild animal." She said to pacify their raging nerves.

"Maybe."

Slowly, against their better judgment, they both started heading toward the sound.

"Didn't we just decide not to go in the direction of the scary sound?" Theo asked, moving alongside his companion.

Marley nodded.

"Then why are we doing the exact opposite of that?"

"Because we're both crazy and have a death wish," Marley mumbled, not believing her stupid decision either.

"Or we have a better conscience than these paranormal beings." Theo added.

After few minutes of walking, they reached a clearing. As they moved forward, Theo stumbled upon something almost falling ahead.

He cursed under his breath, but as soon as his eyes fell on his foot, he paled in fear and went silent. After a moment of being in shock, he lightly hit Marley on shoulder, grabbing her attention and gestured her to look down.

Marley's face turned the exact replica of Theo.

Lying on the ground was a dead body... not any body but of a knight. His head almost dangled from his neck and his pale white skin was covered with bite and claw marks, splattered with blood all over. It was an ugly site.

Theo covered his mouth to stop himself from puking. "Fuck conscience! Let's get out of here." He whisper-yelled, removing his palm from his mouth.

Marley nodded vehemently. She too was seconds away from losing her consciousness.

As they were about to turn back another painful growl echoed and a few seconds later it turned into husky cries.

"Jared!" Theo, forgetting about his plan to get away, dashed into the clearing to get to his friend. Marley followed behind him but not before glancing one last time at the dead knight.

Finally, they reached the source of sound.

Jared in his half-lycan half-human form was being mauled by a knight. The she-vampire had him on the ground and was choking his neck tightly, trying to smash his windpipe. Neither of them was aware of the humans watching them, behind the bushes.

Theo wanted to do something desperately but he was frozen unable to even move a finger. Flashbacks of how his whole village was burned down, his people butchered or turned into one of the very things he despised most came rushing back to him.

Marley looked at Theo and his distant eyes told her he wasn't in a state to do anything, much less kill a homicidal vampire.

She had no connection with these lycans, they had kidnapped her! Marley tried to talk her out of doing what she was about to do and turn back, but one scream from Jared was enough to throw all rational thoughts out of her mind.

She charged towards the knight, who was too busy with the succumbing lycan. Marley swung out her knife, her eyes fell on the knight's exposed neck which had blue veins flowing in it, and before her mind could register she had already slit the knight's throat.

Marley watched as blood oozed out of knight's neck and mouth as she coughed before finally falling and looking at her killer with her pupilless eyes. Within seconds the knight's breathing stopped.

*It was too easy. These knives are good!* Was the first thought that came to Marley before she realized that she had just killed a vampire.

Before she could proceed toward Jared, Theo shouted behind her. "Marley!"

She turned around to find another knight charging at her. Within no time he was already only an inch away from killing her. As Marley waited for imminent death, a strong wind blew past them taking the murderous knight with it.

Few seconds passed in complete silence.

"What the hell just happened?!" Theo exclaimed. No reply came from Marley, who just stood there stunned.

"I happened," A new voice spoke, followed by the loud screams.

*****