Chapter 114

I was rocking. No. Maybe I was bumping or something. I heard an engine and the road, but I didn’t remember getting into one. I groaned as the vehicle came to a stop. The floor of it smelled clean and new as if it had never been used for anything else.

“She seems a bit fragile, are you sure?” I went still. I didn’t recognize that voice.

“Did you look at her?”

“Could be a coincidence. What do you think… Hedy?”

I sat up, swooning at the pain in my head and scrambled back and away from the voices. My back hit the cold metal of a van door and my stomach lurched. I was in a van. Who knew how long I had been in it and where we had gone. And Candido, had they reached him in time? Was he okay or had he exhausted himself?

Was he looking for me right now? Would he find me?

They tutted. The two men who had been talking turned to me at the same time. They were brothers at least if not twins. Both of them had the same curly hair though one of them had longer hair than the other. Their eyes were the same unnerving silver with flecks of gold. They were pale as moonlight and when one of them smiled at me, I saw the flash of fangs.

Vampires.

“Honestly, if you wanted to pretend to be still out, you could have at least kept your breathing even.”

“Are we sure she’s a spy?”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

I reached for my dagger but one of them lifted it and waved it.

“It’s not even silver,” one of them said. “And it’s poorly made. I didn’t think the alpha king would let his little princess be so unprotected.”

The other one chuckled. “It was surprisingly easy to snatch you of the street. Not a bit of a defense in you.”

“It’s like she doesn’t know…”

They both went still and looked at each other. “You think…”

“He’s going to be pissed.”

“Who are you talking about and what do you want with me?” I shouted. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here!”

One of them chuckled. “I’m Messiah.” He pointed to the one with long hair. “He’s Shiloh.”

“And we just want to talk to you for now,” Shiloh said. “We have some information we need from you and… perhaps some information that you might want.”

I frowned. “Why… should I listen to either of you? You’re vampires.”

“Yes, yes. Horrible, evil, vicious creatures of the darkness,” Messiah said, waving his head. “The bane of your entire existence bent on destroying everything that werewolves have built.”

He scoffed. “Did I miss something, Shi’?”

Shiloh tipped his head back dramatically. “Moon Goddess forsaken existence.”

They laughed like there was an inside joke between the two of them. They looked back at me.

“That about cover it all?” Messiah asked.

“You think it’s funny to mock me? You think you’re going to get away with this?” I swallowed. “Moon Shadow will find me and you’ll pay for this.”

“Doubtful.” Messiah laughed. “They’re too busy scrambling to survive the attack.”

“Candido will find me!”

“Doubtful,” he shrugged. “Your Candido, that fearless leader of the werewolves, is as blind as a bat when it comes to finding you right now. And he’s too busy fighting off collapsing to come to your rescue right now.”

I swallowed thickly. “You’re apart of this attack… If you kill—”

“Don’t insult us,” Messiah said. “We wouldn’t have anything to do with the werewolves.”

“Traitors.”

“Parasites,” Messiah said. “Not even worth the time it would take to kill you all.”

Shiloh grinned. “Though… the former alpha king was well worth it.”

“You were a part of the attack on Candido’s family?” I asked looking at them. They didn’t look old enough, but then again, Francia didn’t look old enough to sound so ancient either.

I looked at them and wondered how old they were.

“An eye for an eye,” Shiloh said. “I’m sure Francia’s already schooled you on the bad blood between vampires and werewolves…”

“Did she get to the temple?” Messiah asked thoughtfully. “I guess not, there’s so much to talk about it. That was probably slated for the next conversation.”

“Shame.”

I frowned. “But… Sibyl was rejected by the altar… by the temple because she’s pregnant with a vampire hybrid.”

Shiloh outright laughed. “Oh, he’s going to blow several gaskets. We’d better keep this bit to ourselves.

Messiah nodded. “I don’t think the rest of the werewolves would make it out alive if he knew.”

“Who?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shiloh said. “At least not yet. You’ll meet him. For now, focus, princess. We need answers."

"People are looking for me."

“Again, no one you want to find you is going to find you except for Francia and her pack and they have no reason to extract you from our custody.”

Shiloh smiled. “If she flutters by when we’re done, we’ll send you back with her if you like.”

My heart lurched. “They work for you.”

Messiah scoffed. “Francia advances her own agenda as she needs to. We have an agreement and she knows we don’t plan to harm a single hair on your little blonde head. Don’t worry.”

“We’ll return you to your alpha in perfect condition,” Shiloh said. “Haven’t you noticed?”

I frowned and went still. My face didn’t throb. The ache in my head had faded. I looked down to where my pants had ripped from when I skidded across the ground and found my skin perfectly healed. There was blood crusted there, but no wounds.

I felt awake and rejuvenated in a way I had never thought possible. I could even feel some of my power returned like I could rip through the van and escape, but that wouldn’t serve me if I didn’t know where I was and how I was going to get back.

More importantly, maybe I could get some information from them about the vampire’s agenda. They didn’t seem to be in league with Damian, but maybe that was just an act.

“How… did you do that?” I asked. “Heal me…”

Even Candido’s blood wouldn’t have worked this well.

“Not our secret to tell, princess,” Messiah said. “We’re just here to get some information. If you’re good, maybe he’ll tell you.”

“I’m not telling you anything about Moon Shadow,” I said. “Even if you tortured me.”

“So dramatic.” Shiloh snorted. “We don’t need you to. We know more than enough about Moon Shadow. We find it amusing how you all are playing spy with each other and going nowhere.”

“Amusing?” I asked, horrified. “Our entire purpose is—”

“To defend the werewolf world against vampire influence and support the king,” Shiloh said. “Yes, yes. We know.”

“It’s like she’s not listening.” Messiah huffed. “Did you miss the part where you know nothing about vampires?”

“Maybe you used too much power,” Shiloh said.

Messiah smirked. “Maybe. I told you she was fragile.”

“Or just stupid.”

My face burned. “I’m not stupid.”

“You went to war against vampires without training and without a decent weapon,” Shiloh said. “Stupid. Childish. Arrogant.”

I flinched. “You sound like Francia.”

“That’s the best thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Shiloh grinned. “Maybe you’re not so bad.”

“What do you want from me?”

“What do you know about your mother?” Messiah asked.

I frowned. “Did she… was he telling the truth that she had ties to vampires?”

“Do you even know her name? Her powers? Where she is?”

“Where…” I frowned. “She died… giving birth to me.”

They looked at each other and then looked at me. “Hm… What do you make of that, Shi’?”

“No idea.”

“What are you trying to say? That she’s not dead?” I looked between them.

Messiah shrugged. “I just find it interesting that you say that. How do you know?”

“It’s… It’s what I’ve been told my whole life. Why would they lie to me?”

Shiloh snorted. “Let’s see, princess… why would Steven, worthless, pathetic, unremarkable Steven, tell the world that she was dead?”

“Are you saying she’s not? Then, where is she?”

“I’m telling you to think,” Shiloh said with a deep sigh. “Honestly, incredible that Moon Shadow has been riding on your brain and you can’t use it.”

“Too wrapped around Candido.”

He snorted. “Something’s wrapped around him, but I doubt it’s her brain.”

My face burned as they laughed. Then the van rocked violently. I was thrown across the van into the wall as it tipped like the van had been rammed into it.

“Shit!” Messiah cursed. “Get her up. I’ll take care of it.”

Messiah rammed his shoulder into the bent in door and climbed out. Shiloh got up and helped me up. I heard a grunt and the van tilted back onto its wheels. I stumbled as Shiloh closed the door and looked at me.

“Sorry about that. It’s hard to get some privacy in the middle of a war.”