The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 45

CAULDER

\t"Train you?" Blade repeated, blinking at me a few times.

\t"Yes. You were planning on training Remy and me anyway, weren't you?" I said. "While Remy recovers, I want you to still train me." I wasn't sure if the training would do me any good, but if today told me one thing, it was that I needed to get stronger as fast as possible, or I wouldn't be able to protect the people around me that I so deeply cared about.

\t"I will train you, but in return, I have one request." Blade stood tall, and he looked ready to fight me for whatever he was about to say. \t"What is it?" I wasn't going to agree to anything until I knew what it was exactly.

\tBlade took a step closer, moving out of the shadows. The moonlight hit his face, emphasizing the paleness of his skin. His golden eyes glowed, and as he stood there facing me, he seemed very unhuman. I knew he wasn't human, but this lighting emphasized the harsher angles of his face and the purity in his skin, which reminded me of just how different he was from me.

\tWerewolves and sorcerers had an easy time blending in with human society, because they looked like humans. As long as we didn't use our powers or magic in front of a human, there wasn't a way to tell us apart. Vampires didn't have it that easy, though. There was no way they could blend into human society so easily. Any human who was paying any attention would be able to tell there was something off about a vampire. I was sure the vampires lived in the shadows because of it.

\t"I want to see Remy," Blade said. This wasn't a demand. In fact, he looked weak as he spoke. His eyes were wide, and he was trying to keep himself together, but I could still see his body shaking. He was ready to fight or maybe beg, but it wasn't a demand. \t"I will bring her here when she recovers-"

\t"No," Blade interrupted. He began pacing back and forth. "I want to see her as soon as possible. I need to see for myself that she's okay."

\tHe looked mad with worry, but I understood why. If Harper was hurt and I couldn't see her, I would go out of my mind. Even knowing that, I wasn't sure how this could happen. "If I bring you back to the pack house, there's a high possibility of someone replaceing you, and I can't promise to protect you."

\tBlade stopped moving and looked at me closely. "You'll do it?"

\tThis was stupid. I knew it would be dangerous to bring Blade back to the pack house. I still didn't know him that well, and there was a chance he was tricking Remy and me as a result. He could be on the side of that creature or be here to make sure he could take Remy away for forever.

\tBut something told me he was good. Maybe it was Remy's voice in my head telling me to trust this vampire. Or maybe it was the way Blade had been willing to risk exposure to help out my pack. Whatever the reason was, as I looked at Blade, I trusted him. I just hoped I wasn't being a complete i***t by trusting him.

\t"Not tonight. There are too many people monitoring Remy right now, and it would be impossible for you to get into the pack house." I didn't even know how I would sneak a vampire into the pack house without someone picking up his scent, but I owed it to Remy to try. "But I'll figure out something for tomorrow."

\tBlade's face brightened. "Thank you, Caulder."

\t"I'm doing this for Remy," I quickly said. I didn't know how to accept the thanks of the vampire, but what I said wasn't untrue. I knew Remy would want to see Blade, and if he was really her mate, maybe he could actually help her heal faster. I had heard rumors that mate bonds made werewolves stronger and heal faster, but I wasn't sure it would still work with a vampire. For Remy's sake, it was worth the shot.

\t"I am still grateful you are trusting me enough to help me," he said. He was still on edge, but he was much more relaxed now. There was hope in his eyes.

\tBlade walked away from me and moved towards the water. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I followed him anyway. He stopped before the edge of the water and looked out at the shimmering lake. The lake felt peaceful, and I took a moment to close my eyes and breathe in the fresh air. I hadn't had a moment to breathe or think in over twenty-four hours, and I could feel a pressure building inside of me.

\tHowever, for a moment, I felt like I didn't have to worry about anyone or anything. I could just breathe in the fresh air and take a moment to clear my head.

\t"I didn't intend to stay here for so long," Blade admitted.

\tl opened my eyes and looked over at him. He was looking up at the sky now, and his face seemed to be made of stone. I didn't say anything and just let him continue talking.

\t"I was only here to see what it was that Draven was up to. I wanted to see this creature he worshiped and try to figure out why it came here of all places. When I found out this was werewolf territory, I knew I had to leave as soon as I could. I wasn't interested in getting mixed up in the politics of things." He was pensive as he spoke, and it was hard to see where his mind was at exactly.

\t"But then I saw Remy, and I was instantly drawn to her. I told myself it was because that creature was after her, so I needed to figure out how she was involved in all of this exactly. However, the more I got to know her, the more I understood that wasn't true. I don't know what happened, but she somehow stole my heart." His lips curled into a soft smile, and he looked less like a vampire and more like a man in love.

\tThen the smile faded. "If I had just gone back home, I could have done something to stop Draven from trying to summon that creature again. Maybe then, Remy wouldn't have gotten hurt."

\tThe pain in Blade's eyes hurt me. He blamed himself more than I realized, and he also cared for Remy more than I was willing to accept. I found myself putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

\t"You didn't do this to Remy. Neither did I-even if I could have stopped her from jumping in front of me to save me. We are not at fault, and we can't keep blaming ourselves. All we can do is get stronger so that the next time that thing comes after Remy, we'll be ready." It was hard not to blame myself for what happened to Remy. I was her brother, so it was my responsibility to protect her. However, seeing Blade blame himself made me realize that this guilt and blame wouldn't change anything. We had to take action. \tBlade hummed and smiled. "You're a wise one, my friend. Come on. Let's train."

\tl wasn't sure how I felt about calling Blade my friend yet, but at this point, it felt like we were heading that way.

\t-

\tl stopped to catch my breath, but it was hard to inhale as much as I needed to. My ribs still ached from the punch from Blade the other night, and it was limiting my movement now. I should have had someone take a look at me after the attack, because it would have been easy to blame it on the attack to keep the fight between Blade and me a secret. But I had been too preoccupied with everyone else to stop to think about myself.

\t"Why does your face look like you're in agony?" Blade asked. He looked like he was completely fine, even though he had been flying all around me.

\tl wiped the sweat off my forehead and stood up straight, even though it made my ribs ache more. "I'm fine."

\tBlade narrowed his eyes, but then he shrugged. "If you say so. I'm just surprised the alpha's son is so out of shape."

\t"I'm not. I'm just running on very little sleep." I knew that wasn't the real problem, but it wasn't a lie either.

\t"Ready for another round?" he asked, moving on in the conversation. I was grateful he wasn't pushing me on the subject, because I didn't want him to take it easy on me. \t"Bring it on." I prepared for the fight with Blade by widening my stance.

\tBlade moved in the blink of an eye, and even though he was fast, my eyes had adjusted to his speed, and it was easier to follow him than it was before. He went to hit my left side, and I prepared to block, but he quickly changed his direction, hitting my right side right on my bruised ribs. I grunted as I felt the pain, and it knocked the breath out of my lungs, and I doubled over from the pain. I knew he didn't hit me that hard, but it felt like I had been hit with a bag of bricks.

\tBlade stood in front of me and crossed his arms. "I knew it. Lift up your shirt."

\tl forced myself up and said, "Aren't you supposed to buy me dinner first?" I chuckled at my own joke, but Blade wasn't amused.

\t"Let me see your injury." He tilted his head forward and raised his eyebrows as he waited for me to do as he said.

\tl hated this, but I grabbed my shirt and slowly lifted it, revealing the dark bruise covering the majority of my side. "It's not as bad as it looks."

\t"Is that from when I hit you?" Blade leaned in a little to look at the bruise closer, but he made a point not to touch me.

\tl let my shirt fall down, feeling too much like a specimen. "Yes."

\tBlade tilted his head and blinked a few times. "I don't understand. Why haven't you healed from that yet?"

weakness.

\tl shrugged my shoulders. I hadn't had to explain this to anyone recently. Only the people closest to me knew the truth, since usually any injuries I received were healed by my mother before anyone realized what was happening. It was probably my greatest \t"I don't heal as fast as other werewolves," I said simply. A more detailed explanation wasn't necessary.

\tHe simply nodded at my answer. "Go home. I'm not going to fight you in that condition."

\t"I can fight," I responded. I was desperate to train. I needed to get stronger, and if I took a break to heal, I would waste precious time.

\t"Go home. I'm not going to injure you further, and you're not going to benefit from training if you are wincing in pain." Blade took a step back, and I knew the training was over for the night.

\tMy arms fell to my side, and I prepared to return home.