The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 50

CAULDER

"What are you doing here so late?" Harper asked. She was doing her best to distract her father from the strange scent he had surely picked up. Mason was second in command of our warriors, and he was skilled enough to lead our warriors. He had led search and rescue missions. I was sure he had a sharp scent and knew something was up, but Harper was his little girl. If anything was going to distract him, it was her.

"I was doing my rounds of the pack house. With everything going on, Alpha Mark and Luna Adira wanted me to do my patrols close by to keep an extra eye on Remy. I heard voices, so I rushed over here to make sure everything was okay. I wasn't expecting anyone here this late." He looked over to Remy in the bed and frowned. Then he looked at me. "I'm sorry about your sister."

I was sure seeing Remy like this was hard on him too. We grew up with him guiding us, and he often helped us train when our father had other duties.

"Thanks," I said. Too many people told me they were sorry about my sister, and while I appreciated the sentiment, it didn't change her condition.

"She'll get better," Mason said. He smiled, and I knew it was genuine. He was always positive and playful. At times, it made him seem more like our age than the other adults around us, and I always appreciated it. It made the air around him feel lighter and easier. "She has to," I said simply. I took the opportunity to glance in Remy's direction to see if I could see any signs of where Blade went, but it was like he had just disappeared. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he shifted out of the room. "Thank you for keeping Remy safe," Harper said. Her voice had raised a pitch as she spoke to her father. I had made fun of her plenty of times for the sudden change in her voice before, but now was not the time to tease her. It made her seem innocent and sweet, simply adding to her image of the perfect child.

She was perfect as far as I was concerned. She was good at school, worked hard in her training, and never got in trouble. She had snuck out to several parties with me, but she never drank or did anything like me. She was sweet, caring, and supportive. She was also gorgeous. She was perfect in every way, and I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it sooner.

Or maybe I had seen it, but I didn't think I was worthy of someone like her.

"Of course," Mason said. He hugged Harper back as she went in for another hug. "Don't stay up too late, okay. I know it's the weekend, but you both have training tomorrow."

"Of course, daddy," Harper said with her signature smile.

Mason smiled and left us alone with Remy and, hopefully, Blade. We waited a moment for the footsteps to fade away before we began moving again. Harper moved to the door and peeked outside. When she came back in, she said, "Okay, the coast is clear. You can come out now."

I looked around, waiting for any signs of Blade, but I still didn't see him. I glanced at Harper, and she looked as confused as me.

Then, suddenly, Blade dropped from the ceiling, startling me. Harper clung to my arm when he appeared so suddenly. I found myself looking up, wondering how he had been hiding up there so easily. "Where were you?" Harper asked, still clinging to me.

Blade pointed to the ceiling. "Up."

"Was that the best place you could think to hide?" I asked, still staring at the ceiling. It would have taken some serious strength and stamina to stay up there like that.

Blade shrugged. "You'd be surprised how little people think to look up. We ran out of time, and it was the best place I could think of. It worked, didn't it?"

He wasn't wrong, even though it made me uneasy thinking that if Mason had just looked up, we would have been screwed. "Yeah. We need to get you out of here before anyone comes back."

Blade glanced back at Remy and nodded. "Let's go."

I shifted Blade out of the pack house, while Harper stayed behind to keep an eye on Remy. We left the pack house unseen and managed to get out of the territory. Despite the small hiccup, everything had gone better than I anticipated. When we were far enough away from the pack house, we slowed our pace. We kept walking to increase the distance from the territory and to keep the chances of getting caught as low as possible.

"Thank you for doing that for me," Blade said, finally breaking the quiet.

I shoved my hands in my pockets. I felt disappointed that Remy hadn't woken up after all of that. I wished I knew what was going on in her head. "Sure thing."

Blade stopped walking, and I almost ran into him because of it. He turned and looked at me. "I know this isn't much, but I think Remy could hear me. When I was speaking to her, I could hear her heart rate increase."

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "That does make me feel a little better." I would still be on edge until Remy actually woke up.

"Look, I've been thinking about it, and I think I need to go back to my city." Blade's voice was calm as he spoke.

"Why?" This was completely unexpected. I had thought he would stick around and help us, like he had agreed, but maybe I did have the wrong idea about him after all.

"I know the vampires that are trying to release this creature, which means I can do something about it. I can stop Draven before he and his cult end up killing Remy." Blade's fingers curled until his knuckles started to cut off the blood circulation. "Vampires?" I repeated. "You want to face multiple vampires. You'll be outnumbered."

Blade turned his face away, and I could see that he had already accepted what that outcome could mean. "I will be."

"You could be killed. I know you're a skilled fighter, but when it comes to numbers, there's only so much you can do. You could die." I didn't like this. It felt like there was a rock in the pit of my stomach. Blade couldn't possibly be thinking straight.

"I will likely die." He said it too casually. This was his life, but he was acting like it was just some object that could be thrown away and replaced later.

I lost it. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards me. He didn't resist as I growled in his face. "Don't be an i***t. Do you know how Remy would feel if you just died?"

"She'll survive, and that's the important part." Blade was too serious about this. I wanted to protect Remy, but I would never throw my life away for something that was only a small percentage of stopping that creature.

I tightened my grip on his shirt and resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "What the hell is wrong with you? Your Remy's mate. Do you know what happens to a werewolf when their mate dies? A part of them breaks. Yes, most survive that pain, but they are never the same. Remy doesn't deserve that, especially if it doesn't have to happen."

Blade's face finally changed. It filled with anger, and he pushed me away. "And what happens to us if Remy dies? A part of us will break too. I don't know why she's being targeted, but I need to protect her."

"Then protect her by staying alive!" I shouted. I didn't want to hear Blade talk about sacrificing himself for her when there were other options.

"And what am I supposed to do? Stay hidden in the shadows of your pack, waiting for the next attack and hoping I get there in time?" Blade was tired of hiding, and I didn't blame him. I was sure he was constantly on edge being in a foreign territory, waiting for the wrong person to come across him.

"My parents are planning an attack against the vampires. You could help us. You'll get the backup that you need, and you can train us how to handle vampires," I said. I needed to make sure Blade didn't go on a suicide mission, no matter what it took. Remy had been looking forward to replaceing her mate for much too long, and I wasn't sure how she would handle losing her mate before she even got a chance to truly experience it.

"Didn't you say that your parents are against all vampires?" Blade asked.

He wasn't wrong. It wouldn't be easy to convince after what I had seen, but I had to try. I had to convince them, because it would save lives. "I'll make them understand you are here to help. No matter what it takes."

Blade didn't respond right away. He was hesitant, and I understood why. With my plan, there were plenty of unknown factors for him, and he was in the most danger. "Okay," he finally said. "If you think that you can get them on my side, then I'm willing to give it a shot."

I smiled, relieved I could stop Blade from leaving for now. Now, I just had to figure out a way to make my parents understand that Blade was on our side. "Great. While I work on that, I want you to start training Harper and myself. We need to make the most of the time we have."

-

REMY

It was dark. And quiet. I didn't know where I was, but I could move. I stretched my body to test my abilities. My body felt fine, but it didn't feel normal. It almost felt like it wasn't being as affected by gravity. I was lighter, and my movements took less energy. I didn't know where I was, and there was not a drop of light to give me a clue.

"Hello?" I called out. My voice echoed in this empty chamber of darkness.

"Remoria." The voice that answered me made my blood run cold. It was the voice of that creature.

My body was on edge, and I lifted my arms to prepare to defend myself just in case. "Where am I?"

"You're in your own head," it answered calmly.

I kept my hands raised. I didn't understand how this could be my head. It didn't feel like a dream, but I also knew it wasn't normal. "Then how did you get in here?"

"When you stepped in front of your brother, making me hurt you, a piece of me entered your body, allowing me to roam freely here," it explained. I felt air rush around me, making me spin quickly, but I still couldn't see anything. "Why did you have to ruin my plans like that, my dear Remoria?"

"I couldn't let you kill my brother," I said, bitterness filling my mouth. I could feel my rage filling my core. Knowing this creature tried to kill Caulder made me want to kill this creature one thousand times over. I could feel the heat building inside of me, and when I looked down, my stomach was glowing a deep red color.

The creature chuckled, and it sounded like it was coming from every direction. "Ah, so you do have magic inside of you."