The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 42

CAULDER

\t"Stay here," I told Harper, knowing that creature was dangerous. We needed to get everyone as far away as possible, but I needed to replace Remy first. I knew she was this dark creature's target, so she had to be my priority. If Harper and Remy were in danger at the same time, I wasn't sure if that was a decision I could make.

\t"I'm coming with you," Harper said. She grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving her behind. Her grip was firm, and I knew this wasn't something that she would let go of. I hated the idea, but I knew I couldn't control her or stop her from running after me. \t"I can't lose you," I said, staring deeply into her eyes. I needed her to understand that.

\t"You won't. Let's go. We're wasting time." She jumped out of the car and pushed past me, running right into danger.

\tAs much as I hated the idea of her being at the front of the battleline, there was something insanely attractive about the way she rushed right in for the sake of others. It was a quality of a true leader. I ran after her, easily catching up to her.

\tAs we rushed forward, I saw the dark tendrils of the creature sticking out from the ground. The sight made me stop in my tracks. I could feel the pure evil emitting from it, and the intensity made my muscles tense up. This was much worse than during my birthday party. Before, the creature had stayed underground, hidden from sight, but now it was out in the open, and it felt more powerful than before.

\tlf this was still only a fraction of the power it held, I feared that we wouldn't be able to stop this thing if it continued to grow more powerful. I wasn't even sure how we would be able to defeat it now, but that wasn't my priority. Finding Remy and getting her to safety was my priority.

\t"Where are you?" I tried to link Remy, but it felt like there was something blocking me from getting through. I could feel her presence, and I knew she was stressed, but I couldn't connect to her for some reason.

\t"I can't reach Remy." I tried to keep the panic out of my voice, but I didn't know how successful I was.

\t"I can't either," Harper said.

\tl looked around the parking lot, trying to figure out where she could possibly be. I knew she was okay, because I could still feel her presence, but I couldn't see her among the chaos. There were several students on the ground near where the creature burst through the ground. Even though I wanted to replace my sister more than anything, I couldn't just ignore my pack. I knew I had to help my classmates first. They were in direct danger.

\tl looked at Harper, my body aching from the decision I was making, but she already seemed like she was on the same page.

\t"I'll take the people on the left. You go right," she said. She was off before I could even respond.

\tl didn't have time to waste. The creature waved its smoky tendrils in the air, as if waiting for the right moment to strike. There was no telling how long it would remain docile before attacking everything around it.

\tl took a deep breath and shifted over to the closest person to me. She was unconscious, so I scooped her up and shifted her as far away as possible. I repeated this process as many times as I could, piling my classmates at what I hoped was a safe distance from the creature. I glanced over at Harper to make sure she was okay. She was moving at a slower pace, since she couldn't use magic to assist in the process, but her face was completely focused on the task.

\tl couldn't hear the words she was saying, but I saw her talking to the girl she was helping out. Even though there was only so much she could do, I could see that whatever Harper was saying was helping the girl relax. It was impressive, and I knew Harper would make an amazing luna one day.

\tl continued helping the students to a safe distance until all of them were far away. I scanned the area again to make sure no one else needed help, and that was when I saw Remy. She was standing next to Blade, who had Julie in his arms. I opened my mouth to call after Remy, but that was when that creature screeched. It must have seen Remy, although I didn't know if the creature even had eyes. Maybe it could sense her energy, but either way it wasn't good.

\tNow that it was aware of Remy, I could feel its hostile energy grow significantly. Its focus was completely on her, and I knew she was in danger. \t"Remy!" I shouted, but she didn't seem to hear me. Her focus was on the creature, and I was sure she sensed the same danger that I did.

\t"We need to get them out of there," Harper whispered, her voice cracking. I could tell she was trying hard to keep it together, but she was scared.

\t"Go to the others and make sure they are okay. I will get Remy and the other two out of there," I said. After what Julie had done to Harper, I didn't want Harper to be forced to help her out. Plus, I would feel better personally knowing my mate was farther away from the danger. \t"No. I can help," Harper said with determination.

\tl wanted to argue. I wanted Harper to turn around and run to the pack house. I knew a big part of her wanted to, but she stood her ground. We were the children of the alpha and beta. We grew up with parents who were constantly putting the pack before themselves. We were used to seeing that kind of leadership, so it was only natural in a moment of fight or flight, we both chose to fight. As much as it scared me, I had to accept it.

\t"I'll help Remy. You get Blade and Julie out of there as soon as possible." It would be less dangerous that way. Remy was the target, so helping her would be the more dangerous choice.

\tHarper nodded and started moving, even before I did. I quickly shifted, appearing right next to Remy. I grabbed her arm and started to pull her along. This seemed to break her out of the moment of shock, and she locked eyes with me. I could feel her fear and determination and hatred boiling inside of her.

\t"We have to get you out of here," I said, focusing only on Remy.

\tShe looked back at the creature. "We have to stop it. If we don't, it's just going to keep coming after me, and more people will be killed. Or worse."

\t"We will stop it, but not right now. Not like this. We're not ready," I insisted. I knew I wasn't strong enough to stop this creature. Not yet, at least.

\tA high pitched sound emanated from the creature, causing Remy and me to throw our hands over our ears. Blade scrunched his face, but he couldn't cover his ears, since he was still holding Julie in his arms. When the sound stopped, Blade looked at Remy. \t"He's right. We should get you safe now and worry about fighting later," Blade said. He looked at the dark creature, and his body stiffened.

\t"No." Remy dug her heels in and didn't look away from the creature. "I can't leave."

\tHarper ran up and joined us. She put her hand on Blade's arm. "Come on. Let's get out of here and get her to safety." She gestured towards where we had moved the rest of the students.

\tBlade nodded and started to follow Harper, but I grabbed his arm before he got too far away. "You should get out of here before anyone else shows up." As much as I wasn't a fan of Blade, I didn't want him to get caught, especially since he was just trying to help out. \t"I'm not leaving Remy behind." He looked over at her, and Remy was still focused on the creature. She seemed almost possessed.

\t"I will protect her, but trust me when I say you don't want to be here when my parents arrive." My parents knew vampires were responsible for this creature being released, so I was confident that if they saw Blade here, they would attack first and ask questions later.

\tBlade looked between Remy and me, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. Harper touched his arm, pulling his attention.

\t"She'll be okay. Caulder and Remy are both strong and capable," Harper said. She gave a reassuring smile.

\tBlade still seemed unsure, but he nodded anyway. He followed Harper to take Julie to safety, and then it was just Remy and myself facing this creature. I looked over at Remy, and for a moment, I didn't recognize her. Her face seemed a little more angular, and her eyes were nearly glowing.

\tl touched her shoulder, hoping I would be able to convince her to leave. As much as I wanted to believe we were capable of fighting this creature, I knew we weren't strong enough yet. We lacked the training and practice to deal with a creature of this strength. I wasn't even sure if our parents were strong enough to fight something like this, and in the moment, my instincts were telling me to run.

\t"We have to go," I begged.

\t"No." Remy's voice was harsh, and she didn't seem like herself at all. Something seemed really wrong with her, and as I looked into her eyes, I could see that the creature was pulling her into somehow. \tTendrils flared in the air, but there was one in particular that seemed like it was staring directly at Remy.

\tRemy took a step forward, and I quickly put my hand in front of her.

\t"What are you doing?" I demanded. Remy was acting crazy.

\t"I need to go to it," Remy said. She tried to push forward, but I grabbed her waist to stop her. I didn't fully understand what was happening, but something told me Remy wasn't moving of her own volition.