Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen
Right before we reached the front yard, a man who looked to be in his late forties stepped outside, a hunter’s rifle in his hand, aimed directly at us.
Ash instinctively placed his body right in front of mine to shield me.
“Bruce. It’s me.”
The man didn’t lower the weapon for a long while, and I worried he might shoot. Just then, another woman stepped out. She seemed a few years older.
“Bruce, put the gun down,” she said, her tone affectionate. It was clear that they shared some kind of bond- either siblings or a couple.
The man whose name I just realized was Bruce finally put down his weapon. He walked towards us.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, fury laced with his words.
“I knew you told me not to return here, but I had to. This is the only place she can be safe.”
Ash stepped aside to reveal me, and the man’s eyes met mine. But unlike the many lustful stares that usually fixated on my cleavage, he simply looked away. I wondered if the spell Agatha had put on me was still lingering. I usually got more than just a single glance from men.
“She’s the chosen one, isn’t she?” He said.
I hadn’t been called that in a while, and I didn’t really like the term, but I kept those thoughts to myself.
Ash nodded to the man’s question.
“And she is in danger.”
“So, you thought bringing her here and directing ‘them‘ to us was the best option.”
“They won’t be able to find this place even if they tried. You are the greatest warlock alive.”
“And there’s a reason I’m still alive,” he said, motioning toward me. “It’s because I stay out of this kind of thing.”
“Bruce, they are our guests,” the woman said, before her eyes met mine. “I’m Kate, and this is my husband, Sebastian. Please forgive his rudeness.”
“It’s fine. I understand,” I muttered, though I really didn’t. Ash kept repeating how this place was ‘safe,‘ but if they didn’t want us here, why should we stay? At least the woman seemed a bit nicer.
She led us to the house, where the front porch was decorated with flowers and plants growing in various pots.
“I like growing them; they’ve become a part of my life.” Kate explained to me.
“They look very beautiful; you’ve done a marvelous job.” I praised.
The inside of the house was decorated with even more flowers, but other than that, it was simple, with basic furniture. Nothing too much.
On the wall I noticed a picture; the young woman in the picture was similar to the one Julia had shown me a few years back.
“Is that…”
“Riley. Yes, it is.” Kate said. Her eyes grew sad.
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Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen
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I looked at her, really looked at her, and then I saw the resemblance. “You’re her parents?” I asked, and Kate shot a glance at Bruce before nodding.
“She was my daughter. Our child.”
This could only mean one thing. They were grandparents to the werewolf king, Alpha Ethan Alexander.
Even the empresses didn’t have much information on them they had just… disappeared. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing so far away. I had also heard how the Alpha King had to take on responsibilities at a young age, yet I wondered why they had stayed away all those years. It just didn’t make sense.
I had the feeling that Kate could read the judgment in my gaze, but she said nothing. I didn’t think asking was the right thing to do, so I kept my thoughts to myself.
“Remember when I told you about the warlock who cast a spell on me to turn me into a wolf?” he asked, probably to enlighten me—or maybe to lighten the mood. “Bruce was the one who helped me.”
I couldn’t believe it. The man was a warlock. Perhaps that explains why he seemed young, even if I had no doubt he was much older than he looked.
“Wow, I’ve never met a warlock before.”
“Not many still live.” Bruce answered, before his gaze shifted to Ash. “We need to talk.” He said and Ash nodded, already expecting that. The two men walked into one of the rooms.
“I’m sure you’re famished. I’ll make you both some soup,” Kate said.
“That would be nice. Thank you.” I said to the woman who smiled warmly. She seemed so kind, and I couldn’t understand what had happened between her and her grandson that had thrown them so far apart.
“I told you I didn’t want any trouble, and you bring it right to my front door?” Bruce’s voice questioned. “You know I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t of dire importance. She has to be kept safe.”
There was a long–stretched silence before the man asked. “How long would she be here?”
“I don’t know.”
The rest of their conversation was too quiet for my ears to catch, and after a moment, they both walked out of the and I room, just as Kate entered with a tray in her hands. Two bowls of soup sat on the tray. She passed one to me, said a ‘thank you‘ before she passed the next to Ash, who gave her a small, appreciative smile in return.
“This smells nice,” I said, taking a taste. Once again, I was reminded of Daemon and his excellent cooking. “And very delicious too.”
“Hmmm,” Ash agreed.
Of course, the thought of the food being poisoned crossed my mind, but something told me that if they wanted us dead, we would have been long gone by now.
“You’re injured,” Kate noted, her gaze fixed on Ash’s arm.
“We were attacked on the way. By flesh eaters,” I explained
“It’s infected,” Kate said, but Ash shook his head.
“It’s going to be fine.”
“No, it won’t.” This time it was Bruce who had spoken.
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Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen
“I’d been bitten before. It healed quite quickly.” Ash explained, not liking the attention.
“But this was done by an older one. The older ones are stronger and much more dangerous. Their bites don’t just heal easily… they carry a venom that, if not removed, will spread.”
I had known from the moment I saw it that it wasn’t normal. A wave of fear washed over me at the realization that I was right.
“How do you take the venom out?” I asked.
“There aren’t many known ways. Amputation can work.”
“You mean we have to cut off his arm?” I asked, and he nodded. “Or the venom can be extracted by someone strong enough to hold it in.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The venom kills werewolves–no one is spared. But I wonder what it does to demons. I mean, they’re already dead creatures. Still, I don’t think any of them would be willing to try and find out.”
