Chapter 230

Almara’s Pov

We hear faint footsteps growing nearer, along with chains rattling and muffled angry voices. Arthur and I reluctantly move to throw our clothes back up. I can’t move as fast with a seemingly ever-growing belly and I barely get my shirt over my head as the door is pushed open.

“Get in here!” Delfino shouts, sounding irritated and not nearly as apathetic as when he left. As soon as Delfino comes into view, I can see him pushing Cathy and Arthur ahead who are tipping over their shackled feet.

The three come to a stop in front of our cell. “Almara!” Cathy exclaims and runs up to the cell. Her loving moment of relief to see us is quickly overshadowed by Rober’s obnoxious laughter.

“Smells like you two had a great time down here,” Robert howls. Good thing the lighting is dim because I’m sure my face has turned several shades of red.

“Shut up,” Arthur says and Robert only mildly listens. He doesn’t say anything more, but eye’s us knowingly and doesn’t hide his smirk. Delfino looks at us with disgust as he unlocks the cell door.

“Filthy animals,” Delfino says under his breath and I hope Arthur didn’t hear him, otherwise he might default to his original idea at lunging at him.

Luckily when the door is unlocked, Arthur steps aside as Cathy and Robert are shoved inside. I only now notice some of the fresh cuts that bleed from various parts of their body. Anger floods through me.

“You said it be better if you found them as opposed to the familiars!” I say, both Cathy and Robert cross their eyes at me like I’m speaking gibberish.

“It was,” Delfino says, irritated. “Had the familiars found them, they’d probably be dead,”

I take Cathy in my arms and embrace her in a comforting hug. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, really.” Cathy says and I know that even if she wasn’t she would lie and say she was anyway.

“What are you two doing down here, anyway?” Robert says and then raises his eyebrows at us, “Besides, ya’ know,”

“There’s been a change of plans,” Arthur says curtly.

“Obviously. Where’s Roman, Zack, and Cody?” Robert says, finally growing more serious.

Arthur just shakes his head. Robert whips around and throws his body against the gate, “Let us out here and fight us now. Or what? Are you scared now that your pathetic little puppets aren’t here to protect you. You coward, let’s go,” Robert continues shaking the cell and some dust and rock fall from the top of the cave.

“Enough, Robert!” Arthur shouts and Robert turns back around, surprise written across his face. “What is going on? Why are you defending him?”

“I’m not,” Arthur growls and gets closer to Robert, “but you need to shut up and let us explain,”

“Please,” Robert says, crossing his arm and widening his stance. “I’d love to know what has gotten into you,”

I look at Cathy who seems just as pulled into whatever Arthur is about to say.

Arthur looks at me and I nod. Arthur explains everything. He starts with the therapist, moving into the bugs in our house, and finishing with Delfino’s proposition. I fill in the blanks where I can.

Cathy and Robert hold their silence until the entire time, only widening their eyes and looking back at Delfino with unreadable expressions.

Hearing it all be explained out loud highlights the severity of the whole situation. I can’t believe we didn’t see this from the beginning. All of it happening right under our noses and we were too concerned with getting back on our feet.

We should’ve been more intuitive with what was going on in our nation. Maybe the familiars casted a spell on you way back then. Lily says and It stops my pity party in its tracks. She could be right.

Who’s to say our therapist didn’t cast some oblivion spell on us so that we wouldn’t suspect anything? These familiars need to go, it’s impossible to know what they had a hand in and what they didn’t.

When Arthur finally finishes explaining how we need to join the vampires and take down the familiars, Robert is the first to respond.

“You two were in therapy? At least we were never that bad, right Almara,” Before any of us react, Cathy steps up and slaps Robert across the face. Robert grabs his face, but as the wits to keep his mouth shut.

“Thank you,” I tell Cathy who gives me a firm nod.

“So, how do we know we can trust you?” Cathy asks, directing her question to Delfino.

“We don’t,” Robert says, rubbing his reddening cheek. “That’s why we can’t do it,”

“We have to,” Arthur says the impatience growing thing in his voice. “For Grace, there’s no other way.”

“You don’t even have any guarantee that this will reunite you with Grace,” Robert says as if this should be obvious.

“Like I said, what other choice do we have?” Arthur spits back.

“We kill him!” Robert opens his arms out to his side.

“That won’t go well in your favor,” Delfino says from outside the cell.

Robert lets out a snort. “Exactly, he’s trembling.”

Delfino narrows his eyes and brings his shoulder to his ears, “I don’t want to work with you low-intelligent animals either. If you’d rather continue this fight as the way it's currently going then be my guest. You’ll be making history as the pack that led the world to complete ruin,”

Arthur pushes Robert aside and goes to the front of the gate and holds Delfino’s stare. “We’ll fight together, only until the familiars are defeated then we never speak to one another again.”

“Done,” Delfino readily agrees.

“We owe each other nothing, that way no one from either side can say that the other didn’t hold up the end of their bargain or has done more than the other,” Arthur continues.

“Agreed,” Delfino nods.

“We only fight alongside one another. Your side won’t touch my side, and vice versa. If anyone, and I mean anyone from the vampire said so much as looks at one of my gammas as an enemy to take over then we will retaliate and fight.”

“Unto the death,” Delfino says.

“Then we’re in agreement,” Arthur says to Delfino, but looks at the rest of us. “From this moment on, the Wolves and the Vampires are in a temporary truce while attacking the common enemy.”

“Wait a second,” Robert says. “I want this in writing,”

“I will call the other two councilmen, I suppose you remember them well?” Delfino says with a hint of amusement.

“Unfortunately,” I mumble.

“I will bring them here and we will draw up the contract,” Delfino says and Robert is quick to interject,

“We come up with you,”

“No,” Delfino cuts him off. “We’re not risking you four being seen and being led by me to the other superiors. Too many questions will arise,”

“You have five minutes to go get them or the entire deal is off,” Arthur says.

Delfino holds Arthur’s stare and then swooshes his cape over his head and in a quick flash becomes a bat and zigzags his way out of here. A sick feeling settles like a rock in my stomach.

“Let’s hope this works,” Robert says.