The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 77

REMY

The vision came and went quickly, but the one thing I got out of it was that Caulder and Blade were alive, and they were free. I didn't know where they were or why they were there, but it was comforting to know they were both going to be okay.

When my mind jumped back to the present time, I saw Blade lying on the ground, and my heart started beating even faster. I dropped to the ground, ready to call for help, but Blade's eyes popped open, and he sat up like nothing had happened. My jaw dropped as my eyes moved to the arrow in his chest, not understanding what was going on. Blade grabbed the arrow, and with a distinct pop it came off his chest with nothing more than a red mark left behind.

He showed me the other end of the arrow, and instead of the normal arrowhead, it was a suction cup. "I'm fine," Blade said with a smile.

"What is going on?" I asked, still not processing the situation.

Footsteps approached, and I saw Bennett walking towards us. He was holding a pink bow with more toy arrows that had been painted to look more realistic. "Ready, aim, fire!" he laughed, pretending to shoot Blade again.

"Is this a joke to you?" I snapped, feeling stupid. I thought Blade had been really hurt, and it scared me.

"What did you see?" Ginger asked, hobbling towards us as she ignored my question.

I looked at Ginger, and even though my stomach was still twisted in a knot, I finally understood what happened. They had planned this so the fear of Blade getting hurt would trigger a vision. I hated how they did it, but it worked.

"I saw Caulder and Blade in a city. It wasn't very detailed," I answered, slumping to the ground. I felt exhausted.

"Now how did you feel?" Ginger pressed. "I need you to remember the details of how your body reacted. Was your heart racing? Did your fingers go numb? Close your eyes and commit every detail to memory."

I did as Ginger said, thinking about exactly how I felt, and my heart started to race again. When I saw Blade fall to the ground, I was afraid I would end up completely alone. I didn't feel safe in my own home. I stopped breathing, and my entire body was tense. My hands shook as I forced my body to feel the same emotions again, and then I saw a flicker of Blade and Caulder again, but this time it was only an image in my head for a split second. It was still something-more than I had been able to do before.

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. Bennett was standing over me with a giant smile on his face. When I saw him snickering, my fingers curled into fists.

"Oh man. Your face was priceless. I wasn't sure if you would fall for that," Bennett said. This wasn't the first time Bennett had teased me, but this felt like a new level for him, which was surprising. He was normally really sweet to me, but I had suspected he had a crush on me, so maybe this was his bitterness about Blade coming out.

I stood up quickly. "Do you think this is funny? I thought Blade was really hurt! I know why you did it, but you don't have to laugh at me."

I started to storm away, deciding I had had enough stress to deal with without being teased for being afraid Blade was hurt. As I moved away, I heard Bennett call out after me.

"Remy! It was just a joke. I'm sorry!"

"Let her go. I have this," Blade said to Bennett.

Blade was walking next to me in a heartbeat, and he was easily keeping up with me. He waited until I turned the corner, so I was walking between the side of the house and the woods next to it. He grabbed my hand and stopped me in my tracks. We were alone here. "Hey, come here." He pulled me into his chest, and I didn't fight against him. "I don't think Bennett meant any harm."

It was hard to stay mad when I was in Blade's arms. He naturally had a calming effect on me, and I just wanted to stay like that for a moment longer. "I understand why Ginger had you guys do that, but it wasn't funny. I was really scared," I finally whispered into his chest.

Blade stroked my hair. "I know. You've been through a lot, and I don't think Bennett realizes that. I don't think most people understand the struggles you're going through right now. I wish we didn't have to do that, but Ginger insisted it was important." I was grateful Blade was with me, but his words only made me miss Caulder more. He had always understood me more than anyone else, and I just wanted him to come home.

-

CAULDER

A bucket of cold water was splashed onto my face, waking me up from a broken slumber. My wrists ached from the chains restraining me to the wall. Winslow made it very clear that the metal restraining me was infused with belladonna, which nullified a sorcerer's magic. The metal was also too strong for me to break on my own. There was a chance that I could break it in my werewolf form, but I wasn't ready to play that card yet. I was still trying to figure out what Winslow's plan was.

He claimed he wanted to bring me here to train me, yet he hadn't even made an effort to do such a thing. I had been a prisoner in this cell the entire time with only occasional visits from Winslow. I hadn't been able to figure out his real motive yet.

I had lost track of all time here. The only light I saw was from the dim light bulb from outside of my room. I didn't need the light to see, but it was strange relying only on my wolf eyes to see anything, especially because they weren't as strong as a regular werewolf's. The person standing in front of me was one of Winslow's pions. He had come into the room from time to time to keep me fed and washed while waiting for Winslow to decide he was ready for me again.

"Why is he keeping me here like this?" I demanded. The boy in front of me still hadn't spoken to me, despite the daily visits. I had a feeling he was advised not to talk to me.

He walked up to me and wiped my face dry from the water splashed on me, avoiding eye contact the entire time. I could feel his fear radiating through him, and his hands were shaking. He was scared, but I didn't know what he was scared of. Did he think I was a dangerous prisoner? "Why are you here?" I asked. I hoped if I said the right thing, I could get this guy to talk.

He glanced at me for only a brief moment, but it was enough for me to see the scars on his face. He was younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen, and he had already been through too much. His eyes had horrors hidden behind them, and I had a feeling he wasn't here of his own choice.

"Can you do magic?" I probed. If he was a young sorcerer, he should have at least felt a flicker of magic by his age.

He didn't respond to me and went about cleaning up the room. He didn't make eye contact again. "Do you have a family?"

This time the boy paused. He didn't look at me or even turn towards me, but his body stiffened.

"My family is probably debating if it's worth storming this place to come save me. They are not the type to sit idly by when someone threatens our family. I asked them not to come after me, since I thought I would be getting proper magic training, but it seems I was foolish to trust Winslow's word. Part of me hopes they won't listen to me and will come anyway. I don't want to die here without ever seeing them again." "They'll die if they come," the boy whispered. He dashed out of the room immediately after.

Not a moment later, footsteps echoed down the hallway. The door clicked as it was unlocked, and then Winslow moved through the door with two others at his side.

"You seem spritely," Winslow noted. He motioned to the other two next to him. "Unchain him from the wall, but keep his hands restrained."

"Are you actually letting me out of this room?" I said as the two people started unlocking my shackles. These two were more confident than the boy from before, and their magic was flowing stronger. Winslow made sure to bring proper backup in case I tried anything. He was afraid of me.

"It's time," Winslow said without any more explanation. He turned on his heels and left the room.

With my arms released, my legs firmly planted on the ground. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I was being pushed forward before I could stabilize myself, causing me to stumble forward. I caught myself before I could fall, but they kept pushing me forward. "Are you going to tell me what the hell I'm doing here?" I demanded, forcing my legs to move on their own to stop the others from pushing me again.

"Patience, young man," Winslow said. He was walking with his hands behind his back. His stride was long, and he seemed to be in a good mood with how lightly he was walking.

"Patience? You have had me chained to a wall for at least over a week, from my best guess, and you want me to be patient? This isn't what I agreed to." I wasn't about to play nice with Winslow. My hands were still hooked together in front of me, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't use my magic to attack him, but it wouldn't stop me from snapping back at him.

"We were making preparations," Winslow said.

"What kind of preparations? And was it necessary to keep me like a prisoner?" Winslow made it seem like he needed me, so I could help him deal with this dark creature, but I needed more training for that. "I thought you needed me."

Winslow paused and glanced at me. There was something sinister about the way he looked at me, and I had this feeling that I had made a grave mistake. "I don't need you."

He continued walking, but the way he had said "you" left me frozen in my steps. One of the others pushed me forward again, and I followed after him, not saying anything else. I had a sinking feeling that I had misjudged the amount of danger I was in.