Karizma
Chapter 31: Lukas

Lukas’ gold eyes were the only light that resonated in the darkness of the night. He heard Kristopher walking behind him and continued to restrain his wolf. Lukas’ wolf had been clawing and scratching beneath his skin ever since Kristopher and Bailey had set foot in his pack’s territory, but news of Ryleigh’s abduction had made it worse. His wolf was irate that they had lost the last Karizma. His wolf wanted to emerge and begin tracking her the second that Kristopher had admitted it, but Lukas forced him away. For now.

Lukas’ bare feet crunched over the dead leaves of the woods as he rubbed a hand over his face. Lukas was infuriated at the loss of Ryleigh as well. He craved to have her by his side, someone with so much power. He had heard stories over the centuries about his alliance with her kind, and a part of him missed that alliance, even though he had never experienced it. He felt like something had been missing for years, and his wolf felt it, too. Both Lukas and his wolf were unmated, but it seemed like replaceing Ryleigh filled a portion of that missing piece in him. His wolf had reacted to her instantly; her power, her wit, not to mention her appearance. Everything about Ryleigh ignited a spark in his wolf that Lukas had believed to have been lost. Lukas himself was intrigued by her; the first Karizma that he had ever met. He felt the power that resonated off her, he could smell the purity in her words and her actions. She was something different entirely, and the fucking vampire lost her, Lukas thought in annoyance.

Lukas could almost hear Kristopher’s internal struggle with losing his love, and it made his wolf smirk. We would never have lost her, his wolf thought. Lukas growled lightly in response and shook his head as he continued to walk. Lukas reasoned that turning Ryleigh and having her join his side was the best move; in reality, it was. It would keep her alive and immortalize her bloodline. His wolf wanted to turn her for other reasons; his wolf was curious about her, and especially curious about the wolf that would birth in Ryleigh from the turn. There was something about Ryleigh that his wolf craved, that he smelled and longed to taste, but Lukas could not figure out what.

Lukas stopped suddenly as the smell of iron infused with cinnamon infiltrated his nose. His wolf released a dark growl, and Lukas heard Kristopher’s heart rate spike. “What is it?” Kristopher asked.

“We’re close,” Lukas growled. “And she’s bleeding. It’s more than that,” he continued as he turned to look at Kristopher. “Her magic is nonexistent. I can smell that she is a Karizma.”

“Fuck,” Kristopher cursed and raked a hand through his hair. He instantly sniffed the air and snarled. “I still can’t smell her.”

“You won’t be able to,” Lukas spoke. “Whoever has her has gone to great lengths to hide her from others of your kind. They mean to take their time with her, but no one considered a Lycan searching for her. It takes a lot more effort to ward against werewolf senses than people realize.” Lukas’ eyes fixated on a building in the distance. The building was worn down and tattered, but he could practically taste the magic that was surrounding the place. “A witch,” he murmured. The building was dark and appeared abandoned, but the cinnamon-iron smell continued to trickle its way over to him. “She’s there,” Lukas nodded.

Kristopher’s eyes flickered over the building and his fangs descended. “You’re sure?”

“I am,” Lukas nodded. His gold eyes brightened, and a growl rumbled deep within his throat. His wolf wanted to emerge and kill every single entity in there that was causing Ryleigh to bleed, but Lukas restrained him. A war with the vampires is not worth our pack, Lukas reminded himself. His wolf snarled in defiance but calmed himself beneath the skin. “It’s more than warding,” Lukas continued. “It tastes like…magic, but not Ryleigh’s. Magic is keeping the place sealed, closed off from the rest of the world.”

“A witch is doing this to her?” Kristopher growled.

“It would appear so,” Lukas said. He tensed suddenly as his wolf snarled. Vampire. “There’s a vampire here, too. Two of them, it seems, actually,” he added. What the fuck is happening? Lukas thought as he growled. Vampires and witches teaming up to kill a witch. It doesn’t make any sense.

“I wish that I could go with you,” Lukas found himself admitting. He wanted to make sure that Ryleigh was safe; hell, that she was even alive, but he knew the risks. He could not bring a war on to his entire pack over one witch, no matter how intriguing or powerful she was.

“I am the one who has nothing to lose, other than what has already been taken from me,” Kristopher spoke. “I will get her back. You keep your people, and that other witch, safe. I know how to handle my kind; they will not know of your involvement.”

“I appreciate that,” Lukas nodded. While vampires and Lycans did not actively fight anymore, there was no alliance; he truly did appreciate Kristopher’s discretion. Then again, he needed me to replace her, Lukas reminded himself. Kristopher had to agree to my terms, or I would have left her. Lukas felt his wolf growl and he shook his head. His wolf would have fought him if he tried to abandon her, but Lukas would have won that fight. Regardless of who she is, one witch is not worth our pack, he chided his wolf.

“I will keep my word and turn her,” Lukas continued. “If she is alive when you replace her, you have my word that she will be safe.”

“She will be alive,” Kristopher said as his eyes locked on to the building. “She has to be,” he murmured to himself.

“Kristopher…” Lukas hesitated before he raked a hand through his hair. “It’s a significant amount of blood, and she is powerless. If she is still alive, she doesn’t have long.”

In the blink of an eye, the vampire vanished. Lukas sighed as he watched the blur of the vampire tear through the woods toward the building. Lukas hoped that she was alive, but he smelled so much cinnamon-infused iron that he could not even smell the forest around him. Lukas could save her, even if she was on the brink of death; lycanthropy was one hell of a cure, but he could not fix death. Vampirism could, but that could not be an option for a Karizma; that itself would be a death sentence. We also have that witch in our back pocket, Lukas remembered. Maybe death would not be the end for Ryleigh after all.

Lukas dropped down to his hands and knees and succumbed to his wolf. His wolf was larger than any other wolf in his pack. His dark brown fur was rich enough to be black, his gold eyes a bright fire in the darkness. His wolf immediately began running in the opposite direction, toward the pack. His wolf contemplated protesting but knew better of it. We cannot intervene, Lukas reminded his wolf once again. But we can make sure that we have a safe place for her when he brings her back.