Ileus' eyes flickered an obsidian shade. He snarled, curling his lips behind and baring his fangs.
The men and the girl had pale red eyes, which meant that they needed blood and were too thirsty. The forest was dark with thick mist rolling around them. Had it not been the darkness of the forest, the vampires couldn't roam around with ease. But how did they know her name?
The woman laughed ominously. "Don't think much about how we know you," she said as she took a step forward. "Think as to how you are going to save yourself. We know you can't use magic in the human realm." She laughed all the more. "Isn't that interesting boys?"
"Yeah!" the men snarled as their biceps bulged. "Let's drag her to our hideout Leah. Her blood is going to give me the power I am craving for! After all, you don't get a fae to walk around the human realm every day."
"True," Leah nodded as a slow dangerous smile spread on her lips.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes at the rogues. Maple was downright dirty. Since she couldn't come out of the fae realm with her current situation, she had sent the vampires after her. "How did you now we are here?" she asked because even if they were in Zmjia, it was understandable that she had sent her minions to check for her, but Tongass? She couldn't wrap her head around it.
Leah began to circle them as her accomplices watched her. "You are too naïve, Anastasia. Did you think that Maple hasn't sent the message to every rogue she knows about you? Every rogue nurtured by her knows about you. We were just roaming these jungles to find prey when we sniffed blood as powerful and magical as yours." She licked her lips. "Gods, I can't wait to sink my teeth in your neck!"
"And I can't wait to snap your neck," Ileus said menacingly.
"Ah, you are just a fly," said Leah dismissing him. "You don't know what is at stake here. In fact, let me offer you a deal. We will spare you and let you go alive if you leave this girl here. She is wanted dead or alive. We will suck her dry and take her to those who directly deal with Maple."
"Maple is popular," Anastasia commented.
"Oh, you don't know! She is a goddess to us—to outcasts like us. A power so dark that I wish to be with her and serve her." She circled them for the second time. She came to a stop and brushed her arm lightly with her claw. "So what do you say, Anastasia?"
"I say you go to hell!" Anastasia snarled and in a split second her dagger plunged into Leah's throat.
The two men lunged at her but Ileus leapt and shifted in the air, letting his massive wolf free. He met the two vampires mid-air and clawed them. He pinned them to the ground and snapped the head off one, as the other one dug his claws in his stomach. He growled with pain. The vampire struggled free of him and attacked him with his claws and bared fangs. Ileus charged at him ferociously and the two of them rolled on the ground.
Anastasia twisted her dagger in Leah's throat. The vampire caught hold of her hand. She gurgled, "You can't kill a vampire like this!"
"Watch me!" Anastasia took her dagger out. She kicked Leah in her belly and then sliced her head off with her dagger mercilessly. She turned her attention to Ileus. The vampire had clawed him on the stomach and he was on him. A raged roar erupted from her throat and she threw her dagger at the vampire. It hit his neck from the back and his neck was sliced till the center. His head lolled over whatever flesh was holding it and he slumped to the ground.
Anastasia ran to her wolf and stroked him. "Can you shift?" she asked. The claws had gashed him deep and the blood was oozing out. She felt like puking when she saw flesh ripped with the blood. Her breath became ragged. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on his fur. She could feel energy ripple from her and spread over him. Cool gust of wind blew around her as they lifted dry leaves and twigs and swirled around her. She could feel his pain transferring to her. She screamed as she got hit with the excruciating sensation and then everything went still. Anastasia dropped on the floor—her body cold. She heard him shout, "Anastasiaaa!"
She woke up against rock hard muscles. The woodsy, misty smell surrounded her. He had wrapped his arms tightly around her and they were covered with a thick blanket. Low fire was burning in front of them emanating a soft glow. She craned her neck and in a shaky voice asked, "How are you?" How long had she been unconscious? It was night.
He looked down at her immediately with those golden eyes that flashed a surprise. It looked as if all his tension evaporated in that moment.
"Has your wound healed?" she asked softly.
"Anastasia," he said as his breath became ragged. He pulled her closer to his chest and began rocking. She could feel the panic in his demeanor.
After a while when he recovered from it, he stopped rocking her. He looked down at her and in a stern voice said, "You are not allowed to do that again."
"But—" she had never done that earlier. It was just on an impulse she did.
"No!" he snapped. "Your fae powers are surfacing. You just healed me with that power. Do you know that it took a toll on you?" Panic flashed in his eyes again. "All your energy was spent."
"I had to do that," she said as she cupped his cheeks. "I couldn't bear to see you like that."
He bit her lip and leaned in her palm. "Ana, don't use your magic here. This is the human realm. If anyone sees your magic, they will report it and we can get banned from coming here forever. Moreover it is very new to you and poses a potential threat to your body. You haven't recovered fully. When you fell on the ground, I— I— can't—" he choked. He thought he would die.
She looked in his eyes and pressed a kiss on his lips. "I am glad to see that you are okay."
He closed his eyes to savor her taste on his lips. "You have to promise me not to use your magic in the human realm," he said when he looked at her again. He lowered her to the ground over another blanket.
She sat down, still feeling weak. He removed a fish from a skewer and gave it to her to eat.
"Did anything untoward happen because I used my magic?" She couldn't feel anything. Who would know in this dense jungle?
"Yes, a lot happened. More vampires came out. I had to dodge them instead of killing them because you were so vulnerable." Fury rose in his chest. "Now they all know that we are in Tongass."
"Where are we now?" She asked, looking around.
"In a cave in Ivorpool."
