Curves & Alphas: A Paranormal Box Set: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (27 page)

Chapter 21

There was tension in the air as they prepared to set off after sunset the following evening. The fog was mercifully absent, although Sophia reflected that a cover of low cloud might have been useful tonight, when their primary goal was to sneak through unnoticed. Still, it cheered her to see the moon and stars again, and she also enjoyed the opportunity to see the werewolves that made up Reinhart’s pack in a more detail.

They were truly a stunning group of animals. The majority of the pack, including Reinhart, were grey wolves. They ranged from light to dark grey, each with his own pattern of black or light brown markings. Some appeared to have slightly red fur in the moonlight. Sophia was surprised to notice how different each wolf’s markings were. She’d never given it much thought before, but each wolf was truly unique and special. There were three black wolves, but only Van had the striking blue eyes, as opposed to the yellow of the others. Sophia found the black wolves the most eye-catching and impressive; each time she locked eyes with one, she felt the familiar sensation of awe and arousal that she felt when she looked at Van.

The werewolves had all moved out of the cave as soon as night fell. They began taking drinks from the creek and assembling nearby, awaiting further instruction. Reinhart took Sophia aside and explained the plan to her. It was fairly simple; reach Virgin Lake unharmed.

The Colti Vampires are most active after midnight. They’re still sleepy in the early evening, and their smell and sight won’t be as keen as later in the night; hopefully we can get through their territory before they wake up fully.

How long will it take to reach Virgin Lake?
Sophia asked.

It’s not far; I think we can reach it in four hours if we maintain a good pace. The first two hours will hopefully be uneventful; then we get into Colti territory and things might get a little more interesting, as you know.

Sophia had already informed Reinhart that morning that she knew about the Colti Vampires, and why the pack was keeping the whole truth from her. She’d told him that she wanted transparency wherever possible, however, and he seemed to be heeding this request so far.

If we do get ambushed
, he continued
, the closer we are to Virgin Lake, the better. The Colti, or any vampire for that matter, won’t go near it. We’ll almost certainly be outnumbered, so our best option will be to run, and try and make it to the safety of the water rather than fighting.

Why don’t they like Virgin Lake?

A few hundred years back, the Colti numbers were getting out of control. The whole forest was overrun with them, and they were moving into neighboring forests and even larger towns. The mortals knew they had to do something, so all the leaders of affected villages met together and made a plan to finish the Colti forever. First they chose a small lake deep in Colti territory, and arranged for twelve priests to come and secretly bless the water, thus sanctifying it and making it deadly to vampires. Then they put out a call to all the mortals who were terrorized by the Colti to provide their prettiest virgins. On the night of the first of December 1815, one hundred virgins assembled on the small island just off the shore of what is now known as Virgin Lake. Then they waited. They didn’t have to wait long. You can imagine the frenzy that the prospect of a hundred beautiful virgins sent the Colti into. No blood is sweeter, apparently.

Those poor girls must have been petrified as the hideous creatures started swarming out of the forest like a plague of locust. The vampires were overcome by blood lust, and blind to the dangers that stood in their way. All they wanted was those girls. Even when wave after wave of vampires perished in the holy waters, still more followed. By the time the sun rose, only a handful remained. The plan to eliminate the Colti forever only failed because the moonlight hours weren’t quite long enough.  Their numbers have slowly grown again, but they’ve never thrived again like they did before the Virgin Lake massacre. To this day, a group of priests visit the Lake annually to bless the waters, and the Colti remain terrified of it. It’s a site of ancient terror for them. The werewolf Pack Leader, Dorin, now lives on the same island where the virgins stood all those years ago. It’s the safest place in the world for him.

After Sophia checked her gun – other werewolf packs were a threat on that night’s journey, as well as vampires – she repositioned her cross and garlic, and climbed on Van’s back, and she thought of how frightening it must have been to be one of the virgins they’d used as bait for the Colti. She imagined that those poor girls probably never got over the fear of hundreds of hideous vampires desperately sacrificing themselves to get to them. She took her stake out of its holder and gripped it firmly. She was more than willing to sacrifice a few more Colti tonight if she had to. There was something of great consequence going on in this forest, and she’d do anything within her power to help ensure they reached the Pack Leader and found out what that was.

They set off at a steady trot. Van and Sophia were in the middle, with Reinhart in front. The rest of the wolves fanned out and formed a protective circle around them. Sophia took one look behind her at the cave and wondered if she’d ever see it again. She felt surprisingly attached to the area, despite her short stay, and supposed several of the werewolves were also thinking that they might never see it again, as well. It was probably the only home that some of them had known since they moved to the forest from wherever they’d come from. Where did they all come from?

Sophia was disappointed that there wasn’t more time to get to know them all better. She’d talked with a few that morning and the night before, but most were still mysterious strangers. They were potentially laying down their lives in order to get her safely to Virgin Island tonight; she felt that the least she could do was know their names and stories. Later maybe? But, once they found the Pack Leader, there would only be time to talk with him before they had to leave again in order to get back to the Oak Tree in time to travel home before sunrise.

Throughout all the talk of the Colti, and making it to Virgin Lake, little had been said about getting back home through the portal tonight. Sophia didn’t dare ask; she knew there was something more important on everyone’s minds. But alongside the fearful adrenalin that coursed through her as they started out was the sickening feeling that they’d be stuck here in the forest for the near future. Could they survive that long, with the vampires after them each time the sun dropped below the horizon? Not only that; what would her parents think when they discovered she’d disappeared without a trace?

She hadn’t even told them about Van yet. Jane would fill them in on the weird recluse named Van Longshadow who Sophia had met at the office party, and they’d all think she’d been kidnapped, or worse. Willow would blame herself for helping to set them up. Her mind started to run away on a horrible tangent. There’d be a manhunt. The police would uncover the truth about Van; he wasn’t Wilbur’s long lost love child at all, but some freak of nature who’d been alive for decades longer than he should’ve been. His face, and hers, would be splashed all over the evening news until people became bored of the unsolved mystery and moved on to the next sensation.

But just as a panic attack threatened, she realized in a moment of clarity that there was nothing she could do about all of that. It was going to happen, or not, whether she sank into a spiral of panic, or not. All she had to do right now was sit tall and be ready. She squared her shoulders, wiped the tears from her eyes, and hardened her resolve.    

They headed down the hill and past the undulating boulders, into the flat sameness of the forest that she and Van had travelled through the night before. The werewolves trotted steadily but stealthily, seeming to know the way instinctively. Sophia was very glad they knew where they were going because the scenery all looked the same to her. Occasionally, there was a narrow bubbling creek or a larger fallen tree to navigate, but mostly it was thin tree after thin tree. Despite the monotony, Sophia did not fall into the travel-weary stupor of the night before. She was as alert and watchful as a wolf, and her grip on her stake never lessened.

They stopped at a creek around half-way through the journey. The werewolves drank quietly and remained on the lookout throughout the short rest period. Sophia took the opportunity to talk with Van. He was panting heavily, and she was concerned about the extra toll that carrying her on his back was taking on him. The pack weren’t sprinting, but they sure weren’t moving slowly either, and he had to work much harder than any other werewolf.

I’m sure one of the others would carry me. Even just for a while, so you can take a break.

He shook his head firmly
. I can do it.

There’s no shame in admitting it’s difficult. What if we run into trouble and have to get away quickly? It’ll be no good if you’re worn out.

Sophia: I will carry you. I won’t hear anything more about it.

Sophia was surprised by this uncharacteristic stubbornness. The Van she knew usually erred on the side of caution and reason. But, the situation had changed dramatically in the past twenty-four hours. No longer was she his Pure Soul, but she was something to every other werewolf, as well. She figured that he probably just didn’t want to share her anymore than he was already, and she couldn’t blame him for that. As long as he could run like the wind if they came across any Colti, that was all that mattered.

When they set off again, the tension in the air was palpable. They were in Colti territory now; the creek they’d just crossed signified the boundary. As they moved, Sophia counted the minutes in her head to stop her mind from wandering to the unknown horrors that waited in the shadows. Two hours to Virgin Lake at this pace; one-hundred and twenty minutes to safety. One minute down. Two minutes down…

When sixty minutes were counted, her heart began to lift. They were going to do this; she just knew it. They were going to make it to Virgin Lake. The scenery began to change as they moved into an older area of the forest. The trees grew taller and thicker, some so large it would take two or three men to circle the trunks with their arms outstretched and hands clasped. Most of the trees were evergreen, but a few were losing their leaves, and Sophia cringed each time the werewolves’ feet on the dry, fallen leaves seemed to announce their position. Other wildlife had been conspicuously absent throughout the journey, and it wasn’t any different here. Aside from the sound of their feet, it was eerily silent. No doubt the prospect of a pack of twenty werewolves was enough to send any animal into hiding.

Then, on the ninety-sixth minute, it happened.

Sophia noticed a flash of movement; something leaping through the trees to her left. She opened her mouth to warn the others, and it was then that she saw that there wasn’t just one animal swiftly making its way from tree to tree towards them. No, there were animals all around. Except they weren’t bats or squirrels. They were bigger than that, and a thousand times more fearsome. She focused on one face and her throat clenched shut with fear as her eyes registered the gruesome features. The warning cry came from deep within her.

‘Colti!’

Chapter 22

Instantly, terror reigned. As soon as Sophia cried out, the Colti began screeching in reply; a horrid, bat-like sound that echoed around the forest and seemed to come from every angle at the same time. They dropped down from the trees all around them like fallen angels disguised as devils. Some hissed, some screeched, and others laughed like the insane. They were naked from the waist up, their bodies waxy and white like the undead that they were, yet sinewy and defined, as if they’d be training for this moment. Their faces were as hideous as Van had described, but worse in reality.

Their yellow eyes gleamed out of the sunken pits of their eye sockets, and the festering sores on their cheeks and foreheads oozed blood and pus. Their huge front fangs gnashed against their bottom teeth as they let out their horrid sounds. The stench that rose from them was as putrid as a rotting corpse in the summer sun. Sophia struggled for breath as their numbers on the ground grew, and the reek settled over them in a rank cloud.

When the first vampires appeared, the werewolves halted and prepared to defend themselves. They’d agreed that if they came across a few Colti, a scouting or hunting party, they’d stay and kill them. They couldn’t risk them going to warn the others. But it was almost immediately apparent that they were hopelessly outnumbered. More and more Colti kept dropping from the trees, and Sophia realized they’d been hiding in the thick foliage of the larger trees, waiting for them. They’d run straight into a classic ambush situation. The scouting party had probably spotted the werewolf pack heading their way hours ago, and hastened back to warn the rest of the group.

Sophia gripped her stake, ready to attack. But before any Colti could reach her, they had to get by the circle of werewolves that protected her. Despite being outnumbered, the wolves were fearsome. They had tightened their circle around Sophia and Van, and faced outwards with heckles raised and their lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth and red gums. Their eyes were wild and angry, and vicious growls rumbled from deep inside their bodies. Beneath her, Sophia felt Van grow stiff, and his pelt bristled as he joined the pack in trying to warn off the growing number of vampires that surrounded them. 

Slowly, slowly, the vampires crept closer, dirty bare feet reaching out tentatively to take them a few inches closer with each step. Behind the front row were more, then more after that. Sophia knew that once they began to pile over the werewolves, it wouldn’t take long before the back lines piled over the corpses in front and got to her.

When Reinhart gave the bark that told the werewolves to run, Sophia couldn’t help but yell out as well. All she wanted to do was get away from there as fast as she possibly could.

‘Run! Run!’ she hollered. ‘Get to the Lake as fast as you can!’

But the werewolves didn’t break away and try to save themselves, as she expected they would. Instead, they remained to protect her. Reinhart reared up on his hind legs and bashed a group of vampires aside as his strong body crashed back down. The other wolves maintained the protective circle around Sophia and Van as Reinhart and the wolves beside him started fighting his way through the vampires that still stood in his way. The vampires were hesitant, fearful of the werewolves’ snapping jaws, but they began to get bolder, lashing out with their own sharp claws and aiming bites at exposed areas of their bodies. All around, the other Colti began to do the same, and soon the fighting began in earnest.

There were screams and squeals as contact was made on both sides, and blood began to spill on the autumn leaves. In the midst of it, a brave vampire made a leap at Sophia and gripped her leg in its strong hand. Its touch was icy cold. Sophia hacked at its hand with her stake until a werewolf was able to sink its teeth into the vampire’s side and pull it away. He tossed it about in his jaws like a rag doll before spitting its dying body to the ground and moving on to the next one.

Through it all, Reinhart was making progress through the wall of defense. All of a sudden, a space opened up and he bolted with Van right behind him. Sophia kicked away the cold, gripping fingers that tried to hold onto her and pull her off Van’s back. As they began to flee in earnest, Sophia wasn’t sure if any other werewolves were with them; all she could do was cling on to Van’s neck for dear life as they sprinted faster than she’d ever thought an animal could travel on four legs. Her fingers started to slip and she was forced to drop the precious stake in order to gain a better grip. She saw it disappear into the bushes and she knew that if any Colti caught her now, she’d be defenseless.  

They were fast, but so were the Colti. Sophia didn’t know how many were chasing them, but when she dared to turn her head and look behind her, she saw one only yards behind. With his extra load, Van was slower than Reinhart, and the creature behind them was moving with supernatural speed and agility; truly terrifying to behold. She screamed as it took a leap towards them, fingernails bared, ready to take Van down like a lion capturing a deer.

Then, out of nowhere, one of the other black werewolves sideswiped the vampire, forcing it to the ground and savaging its squealing form. With shrieks of indignation, the other Colti who were giving chase fell upon the black werewolf, dragging it to the ground in a mist of blood.

Then they were mercifully alone, still running as fast as Van could manage, trying to keep sight of Reinhart’s reassuring form ahead. Sophia could smell the lake before she saw it. She knew that from that day forward, the crisp, clean smell of a lake would mean safety to her. Safety and life.