Chapter 55

The aftermath of the vampire attack left us shaken. We traveled home as one, tightly grouped together. My mates, each having a hand on me in some way, reassuring themselves that I was alright.

Although the attacks had been frequent and random, this attack had definitely been different. There were more vampires, and they seemed to have had a singular focus. They wanted to get to me. As we walked, we discussed their focus.

“What could they want with Beryl?” Cheney spoke softly, but we all could hear him perfectly. “Were they trying to take her or just hurt her?”

“It seemed as though they wanted to take her, they never put a damaging hand on her, did they?” Brian mused, seemingly to himself.

As we walked, we talked, but, Lily, who had valiantly fought by my side, suddenly became faint and stumbled.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine. I’m just tired. It’s been a hell of a day.” She said as one of the guards caught her. We traveled on, thinking nothing of it.

Unfortunately, we learned that it wasn’t just nothing, and that it was much more serious than we had believed. It was a grim discovery as we noticed her growing confusion and forgetfulness in the days following the attack.

Elara and Dr. Matthias examined her thoroughly, their faces etched with concern. It was Dr. Matthias who delivered the sobering diagnosis. Lily has a severe head injury. It’s likely from a blow she sustained during the attack. The symptoms are gradually worsening."

Lily's eyes welled with tears as the realization sunk in. Her memory was slipping away, fragment by fragment, and there was little we could do to stop it. It was a cruel twist of fate for someone who had been so fiercely loyal and brave.

With heavy hearts, we decided that Lily would move into our home as well. She would receive round-the-clock care from Elara and Dr. Matthias. Sophia and I, her dearest friends, refused to leave her side, promising to be there every step of the way.

It was a difficult adjustment for all of us, especially Lily. She struggled with the loss of her memories, her frustration at not remembering basic things a painful undercurrent in our daily lives. But she was never alone, and we were determined to support her through this ordeal.

One evening, after Lily had fallen asleep, I found myself alone with Armand. We sat by the dim light of the fireplace, the weight of recent events pressing upon us.

Armand's voice was heavy with worry as he broke the silence, "Beryl, I can't shake the feeling that these vampire attacks are more than they seem."

I had become a sort of confidant to Armand since Amy’s betrayal. It seemed that he didn’t have anyone else that he could open up to.

I turned to him, his amber eyes were filled with concern. "What do you mean, Armand?" I spoke softly to him, knowing that he needed me just now.

He sighed, his fingers tracing the scars on his arms, and some that were still healing from the recent battle.

"It's not just random attacks. They've all been at times when you were supposed to be in that area or might have been in that area. They seem to be targeting you, Beryl, and I don't know why. It feels like there's something larger at play, something we're missing."

I felt a shiver run down my spine at his words. As I thought about his words, I realized he was right. The only thing that all of the attacks had in common was me, and the fact that I was supposed to be certain places even when I didn’t go.

The notion that I was somehow the target of these attacks unsettled me. "But why, Armand? What could they possibly want with me?"

He looked into my eyes, his expression haunted. "I don't know, Beryl. But we can't underestimate our enemies. We must stay vigilant, even more so now than ever.”

His words hung in the air like an unspoken omen. The vampire attacks were a dark cloud over our lives, and their true intentions remained shrouded in mystery.

Days turned into weeks, the seemingly random attacks continued, relentlessly. The tension in our home, and on the compound, was palpable.

We had become a fortress, a haven of safety amidst the growing threat of the vampires. But even with our precautions, we couldn't predict their next move.

We had assumed that the attacks had something to do with me and where I may or may not be, but the randomness seemed to become more so. It seemed like the vampires were attacking at such an alarming rate just to keep us unsettled now.

One fateful night, as I stepped outside to take a breath of fresh air, the unimaginable happened. I felt a sudden, vice-like grip around my waist, just above my growing belly, and before I could react, I was yanked off my feet.

The world spun as I was dragged away from the safety of my home. Panic surged through me as I struggled against my captor. The moonlight revealed his features—a vampire, his eyes filled with malice.

I fought with every ounce of strength I had, my thoughts racing. I couldn't let them take me, not now, not when our pack was already under siege.

His hand slipped from my face, and my screams pierced the night, a desperate call for help. I could hear the commotion from inside my home as my mates rushed to my aid, their roars of rage echoing in the darkness.

Just as we slipped past the boundary of our land, and I thought all hope was lost, Nicholas, faster than I'd ever seen him, appeared out of nowhere. His fierce determination and sheer strength were awe-inspiring as he ripped the vampire away from me.

Cheney and Brian were right behind him, their eyes blazing with fury. The vampires had underestimated our pack's resolve, and it was their undoing.

The ensuing battle was a whirlwind of teeth and claws, the air filled with guttural growls and the scent of blood. The few vampires were outnumbered and outmatched, and they quickly retreated, their ranks decimated.

My mates had tried to capture one of the vampires that had tried to kidnap me, but they had somehow slipped away.

I lay on the ground, my heart pounding, as my mates surrounded me, their eyes filled with relief. The guards appeared, our alpha king among them.

Armand's voice was a growl of anger as he said, "They won't get away with this, Beryl. We'll find out who's behind these attacks, and we'll put an end to it."

As I caught my breath, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread. The vampires' motives remained a mystery, and their audacity had reached new heights. We were in a battle against shadows, and the darkness that loomed over us showed no sign of receding.