The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 21

REMY

\tRidgeview lake was out of the pack's boundaries, even though it was a common place for werewolves from our pack to spend their weekends and summer. I shifted into my wolf form, knowing it was the only way to make it to the lake in a reasonable amount of time without a car, and a car would have been much too noticeable.

\tAs I ran through the forest, I kept sniffing to see if I could pick up the vampire's scent, but I didn't pick up on anything. For all I knew, this trip to the lake would end up being completely pointless. Blade told me to meet him tomorrow, not tonight, but I couldn't sit around any longer. I needed to at least try to figure out what was going on, even if I ended up failing tonight.

\tWhen I finally made it to the lake, I still hadn't picked up on any traces of the vampire. I shifted into my human form and got dressed. I moved around the lake, looking for any signs of the vampire. I hoped this was some kind of base for him that he returned to, which was why I continued looking around, even when I didn't pick up on any scent of his.

\tAfter several minutes, I moved to the water and picked a smooth pebble. I tossed it in the water, making it skip several times. Caulder and I always competed to see who could skip a pebble for longer when we came to the lake together. There was nothing here, but I wasn't ready to go home, so I threw another pebble.

\tlt was dumb of me to come out here like this. Blade had told me to come the next night, and even if he had been here, I could have put myself in danger. He was a vampire after all. He was a born enemy of werewolves, so I shouldn't have been searching for him. \tl picked up another pebble and skipped it into the water, hitting the surface two more times before the pebble sank into the water. Logically, I knew I should have told my dad about meeting a vampire on our territory, but there was something in my gut that told me Blade wasn't a threat, and I knew the moment I told my family, they would chase him away. He was here for a reason, but I knew it wasn't to cause harm to me or my family.

\tOr maybe it was just my curiosity getting the best of me. I had never met a vampire before, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what made him venture away from his home into werewolf territory. He was risking his life by being here. I was sure if he was caught by the patrols, they would lock him up or worse. There had to be a reason he would come here in the first place, but I couldn't even think of a reason that wasn't malicious.

\tl threw one last pebble before deciding it was time to go home before it got too much later. I would just have to return tomorrow night and hope Blade showed up like he said he would.

It"You're a day early."

\tl whipped around and saw Blade staring at me through the trees. His eyes glowed under the moonlight, and he was keeping his distance from me.

\t"I didn't want to wait," I said. I pulled my bag to my side, so I could reach into it easily to grab my weapon just in case I needed it. While I didn't think Blade would attack me, I had been taught by my dad to always be prepared, even if I thought the person was a friend. I wasn't about to let myself drop my guard with him just yet.

\tHe smiled and took a few steps forward. "I noticed. I wasn't going to come here, but I picked up on your trail and was surprised you were out of your pack's territory at such a late hour. Isn't it dangerous for a girl like you to be by yourself?"

\tl slipped my hand into my bag and curled my fingers around the hilt of the dagger. I kept my hand in the bag, not wanting to show my cards just yet. "I can take care of myself."

\tHe looked at me closely and smiled. "I'm sure you can as the alpha's daughter."

\tMy chest tightened. He knew I was the alpha's daughter, which meant he had been watching me for longer than I realized. "Why are you in werewolf territory? Are you here to attack us?"

\t"If I was here to attack, do you think I would tell you? Why haven't you told anyone you came across a vampire? Surely you've been told we are the enemy, especially if you are assuming I'm here to harm your pack." He tilted his head to the side as he waited for my answer. It reminded me of the way a dog would tilt its head when it was curious, and it almost made Blade look cute.

\t"You told me you wouldn't give me answers if I told anyone about you. Now are you going to tell me what you are doing here?" I couldn't look away from his eyes. There was something about them that intrigued me. I felt drawn to him, and I couldn't explain why. \t"I'm here to investigate a great danger," he said. He visibly tensed as he said these words. He had to be talking about the thing that attacked me, but that only led to more questions on my end.

\t"Why would you travel so far away to investigate something? The vampire territory is nowhere near here." I saw a map a long time ago that outlined the designated areas for vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers. Our town was much closer to the sorcerer's borderlines than the vampire's-if I was remembering correctly.

\tBlade broke eye contact with me, and his eyes roamed over the still water. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and he took his time answering my question. "Because I believe there is a vampire who is trying to release a dark creature onto the world, and I want to stop him." \t"A vampire caused that creature to attack?" So Blade's presence here wasn't a coincidence.

\tBlade's eyes looked distant as he spoke, as if his mind was somewhere entirely different. "Not exactly. This vampire doesn't have control over that creature. He can't make that thing attack, but he's trying to release it onto the world." \t"Why?"

\tBlade looked back at me, and his gaze sent a chill down my spine. "Because he wants chaos to destroy the world, so he can pick up the pieces and take control. He wants to break the boundaries and rule over everyone." \t"That's crazy. Innocent people would die." My head started to pound as I processed this information. It felt bigger than I had even anticipated. Is this why Winslow was asking Caulder to help save me and the world? \t"That's why I'm trying to stop him before he's successful. It seems the sorcerers are the ones imprisoning that ancient creature for now, but their control is weakening on that thing, thanks to Draven." \t"Draven?" I repeated. "Is that the vampire who wants to release that thing?"

\tBlade nodded. He took a few more steps towards me, but he was careful about how close he came. "Yes."

\t"Is he in Asheville now?" I asked. Blade may not have been a threat to the pack, but if this Draven was in town, I knew I needed to warn the pack of the danger immediately.

\t"No. He's still back home. I'm the only vampire here, if that's what you're concerned about." His demeanor seemed to relax as his eyes settled on me once again. "I should return soon myself. That creature is no longer here."

\t"Did you replace out what you wanted to about the creature?" If he had information about the thing that attacked me, maybe I would be able to finally replace out some answers about why I was specifically being targeted.

\t"Not exactly, but I did discover something interesting here." He took another step forward, but he watched my reaction carefully, as if ready to retreat if he needed to.

\t"And what would that be?" The grip on my dagger loosened the closer Blade got to me. I watched him closely, and there was something about him that made me want to approach him. I kept my feet planted. \t"You," he said as his lips curled to one side.

\tMy heart raced. "Why?"

\t"I haven't figured that out yet, but there is something about you that is drawing me toward you, Remy. I should have left this town already, but I couldn't bring myself to leave without replaceing out more about you." He licked his lips, drawing my attention to them. \tMy breath was shallow as I pretended like his words didn't affect me, when in reality I was nervous and excited about his interest in me. "You've been watching me." This wasn't a question. I had seen him and felt his presence when I went over to Daniel's house, but if he knew I was the alpha's daughter, he had been watching me for even longer than I realized. He probably knew more than I even realized.

\tAs I watched his face, I knew he wanted me to see him watching him earlier. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have known he was there. I was sure of this because it was the only time I had even sensed his presence.

\t"I have been."

\t"And what have you figured out?" I found myself taking a step towards him. Slowly, the distance closed between us, and if we both reached our hands out, we would have been able to touch.

\t"I don't think I'm ready to tell you that." His smile was coy, and he put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

\tl opened my mouth to argue with him, when I heard a branch snap nearby. My head snapped towards the noise, but I didn't hear or smell anyone else nearby. When I looked back at Blade, he had stepped back, creating more distance between us. \t"You should go home," he said.

\t"I still have questions." I felt fired up from the meeting, and I wasn't ready to leave yet.

\t"Go home. Come back tomorrow, and I'll answer your questions if you answer mine," he said. \t"Why not now?"

\t"Tomorrow," he said simply, looking past me and deeper into the forest.

\tl looked around, getting a strange feeling, and when I looked back, Blade was gone.