The Vampire King's Hybrid Mate

Chapter 6 - Help

My heart clenched with anxiety, as I neared the pack house. It did not prove too hard to navigate my way, my sense of smell guiding me easily. I realized I had passed by Draco's castle quite a few times before, but for some reason, never noticed it. Which was really weird, because how do you miss a black palace in the middle of nowehere? I guess I was truly an expert at not seeing stuff that was right before my eyes.

The second my feet hit the gravel path, the stench of blood and digestive organs flooded my nose. I held back the need to retch, an uneasiness spreading within me. It was too quiet. I had not expected the fight to be still going on, since it was already afternoon, but the silence was murderous. What had happened?

I gulped, slowly making my way inside. The door was ripped of the hinges, barely hanging on, gently moving with the air. I walked in, bile rising up my throat. The place was covered in blood. But there were no bodies, none at all. No organs, no severed heads, no ripped out intestines or hearts. Just plain splatters of blood, and destroyed furniture. Tears pricked my vision. They were all gone. None of them was here. They had all left, or were killed.

I closed my eyes, recognizing some of those scents. They were my friends, people I had laughed with, talked to. But a part of me felt relieved when I couldn't smell Mom, Papa, Uncle Vik, Rayon or Ashley. I couldn't smell Chloe either, our human Luna. I walked out of the house as hot tears left my eyes.

This is why he let me go. He knew I would return to him, because there was no one waiting for me anymore. Anger coursed through me. I gazed up at the bright blue sky, letting out a loud, agonizing howl. I continued until my throat felt sore, but there was no reply. No one howled back to tell me their location, no one came back to get me. I stood there until the sky turned grey, and the warm air turned chilly. I waited, hoped, that anyone would come find me. But no one did. Their tracks had been cleared too. They didn't want me to follow.

My heart felt heavy, and I turned back to my human form, both physically and emotionally drained. I lay down in the grass, feeling the cold mud on my skin. The stars glimmered in the sky, but they did not calm me down anymore. The moon was absent from the abyss of black. Of course it was. Why would the Moon Goddess show me herself after all she had done to me? She was probably ashamed to meet my gaze.

"How long are you planning to lie there?"

I flinched at his voice, quickly covering my body with my arms.

"Relax, I'm not looking at you."

I sighed, sitting up. He was standing a small distance away, with his back towards me. Without turning around, he tossed me a black, oversized T-shirt, long enough to cover me till the thighs. It smelled like it had been dipped in Draco's scent. I wordlessly put it on, but did not care to stand up. Pulling my knees to my chest, I kept my gaze fixed on the night sky.

"I don't know where they went," his tone was apologetic as he walked over to me.

"I didn't ask you," I stated.

He took a deep breath, before holding his hand out. "Come with me, Imara. Let me take care of you."

"I don't need you to," I snapped, finally meeting his gaze. "I am capable of looking out for myself."

He let out a sigh, dropping his hand to his side. He then sat down beside me, crossing his feet and resting his elbows on his knees, one hand holding the other. I shifted away from him, but kept sitting there.

"What are you gonna do here?" he asked, his tone gentle. "What's left here for you?"

"Hope," I replied, gulping down the lump in my throat. "They're gonna come back here. They have to."

"Why would they? They left for a reason."

"They left without me! Because of you. They'll be back to take me, alright?" I blinked back my tears, closing my eyes.

"Hey," he said, moving closer to me. "Imara. Look at me."

I didn't budge.

He gently cupped my cheek, causing a spark to erupt in my skin. I met his gaze, contemplating whether to take his comfort, or slap his hand away. The softness of his eyes made me choose the former, and a tear rolled down my cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb, before cupping my other cheek as well.

"I don't want to see tears in your eyes, my Little Dove," he whispered, his tone so gentle and full of love, it made my heart flutter. "You're not alone, and you're not weak."

"I feel helpless," I whispered, sniffing. "I don't know where my family is, Draco. And that's because of you. If you hadn't kidnapped me, I would've left with them."

"You would have left." He nodded in agreement. "But whether you'd still be alive or not, that's not certain. Whether you'd have left with your pack, or been taken away by those who attacked you, that's not certain either. Your mother and I, we have always wanted to protect you Imara, nothing else."

"Well I'm not a child anymore," I replied, pushing his hands away. "I don't need protection. I needed honesty. I needed the truth. I needed trust, and to be trusted. You never asked me what I want, Draco. You were selfish, and I'll never forgive you for that. Because that's not love, that's not how mates are supposed to act."

"I did what I thought was right, and I didn't ask for your forgiveness for that. Because I wasn't wrong, and I'll readily do it again, and again. If the question is of your safety, Imara, I don't care how anyone feels about my actions."

"You're a jerk," I whispered. "A self-centered jerk."

"Yes, yes I am. When you live long enough, you see the people you love turn into your enemies, and envy you for everything you have, that they could not achieve. So yes, I am a self-centered jerk," he stated. He then took my hand, and gently kissed it, before I pulled it out of his grip. He was unfazed by my behavior. "But I promise you, Imara, I will do everything in my power to return to you what you lost. Just take my hand, and come home with me."

"That's not my home."

"Alright, then come to my castle with me. I can help you, if you let me. Think about it. Your mother left you with me, and she promised to make her way back to you. If she's to return, my castle will be the first place she'll come to. Don't you think you should be there at that time?"

His argument made sense.

I stood up, crossing my arms over my chest. He stood up too, and I noticed how his eyes raked down my bare legs. I cleared my throat, making him look away.

"You promise not to lock me up again?"

"You have my word."

"You also promise you'll help me in searching for them?"

"No, not help you. I'll do it myself."

"Why?"

"It's not safe."

"You don't get to make that decision for me."

"Yes, I do. Because your own mother entrusted me to it."

I let out a groan, turning to face him. "Why are you so difficult?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm difficult? You're the one who's difficult."

"No, I'm not. All I want is to find my family, and to help in looking for them."

"Alright, fine," he sighed. "But you'll only be allowed to tag along when I'm coming too. And you're not gonna leave my side for even a second. And if I tell you to run, you're gonna run."

"Deal," I promised.

"So it's decided, then? You're coming back."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Yes."

"Perfect. I'll talk to my clan as soon as we're home. And then I'll tell you what they say."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I have to ask them if they're willing to help."

"Ask them?" My frown deepened. "But you're their King. They're afraid of you, they listen to everything you say."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "They respect me. And I may be their King, but I don't force my decisions upon them. They have the right to decide their own fates."

"Hmm," I scoffed, "because you only dictate mine."

"I thought we were past that."

I stepped closer to him, looking up into his baby blue eyes.

"We'll never be past that."

A small, amused smile stretched across his lips, and I rolled my eyes, walking around him. Moving down the gravel path, I could feel his presence close behind, as well as his eyes, stuck on my ass. My cheeks heated up, but I did not turn to glare at him, or say anything. I was already tired of fighting, and in that moment, all I cared about was the help he had offered me.

- - - -

I took off the t-shirt, glancing at the multiple glass pieces still embedded into my arms. It didn't really hurt, but I had to take them out so the wounds could heal properly. There hadn't been too much bleeding, thankfully, as the flesh had healed around most of the glass, leaving almost no space for the blood to exit. One by one, I pulled them out, wincing slightly.

I then turned to the side, noticing a big piece buried in my back. I tried to pry it out, my the tips of my fingers barely grazed against it. It was like an itch I could not scratch. I clicked my tongue in annoyance, contemplating to rip it out from the front. But that would be unnecessarily painful, and messy.

As if on cue, there was a knock on my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Love. You sound like you need help."

"You should stop eavesdropping on me," I said, walking to the door.

"Couldn't help it. I figured you'd be digging out the glass from your body. You owe me a window, by the way."

"You can take it from my Alpha once you find him."

I heard him chuckle softly. "Sure. Now, will you open the door?"

"Yeah, just a second." I grabbed his t-shirt and threw it on again, before finally letting him in. "There's a piece in my back and I can't reach it." I backed away so he could enter, and he gently closed the door behind him, locking it.

"Alright, turn around."

"I... I don't want you to see me naked, or to see my butt."

"Then I won't," he promised, closing his eyes. "You can guide me."

"Okay. Come here..." I took his hand, feeling my heart flutter slightly, and led him to the mirror. We stood with our sides facing it, and I pulled my shirt up, keeping my gaze fixed on his eyes. If he'd open his eyes, I'd kick him through the wall behind him. "Uh, it's a little above my waist," I muttered, unsure of how to explain it to him.

He gently placed his hand on my waist, and my stomach filled with butterflies. "Upwards?" he asked.

"Ye--Yeah."

He gently brushed his fingers towards the top, tracing my spine. His touch left comforting goosebumps everywhere.

"A--A little to the right," I whispered, closing my eyes as his fingers searched for it. I winced when he touched it, my eyes opening.

"Found it," he muttered, placing his other hand just beside the wound.

I gulped, before he gently pulled it out, making me hiss. He bent down slightly, and blew on it, making me arch my back as the hair on my neck stood up. The piece was bigger than I had thought, and blood trickled down the cut, staining his hand.

"Is it bleeding a lot?" he asked in alarm.

"No," I reassured. "Already healed. But I'd like something to wipe it off."

"I could suggest a few things," he muttered under his breath, making me narrow my eyes.

"No, Draco. You don't get to lick it off."

He chuckled, shrugging.

"Get out of here." I turned him around by his shoulders, and led him to the door, opening it. He opened his eyes, and I quickly slapped my hand over them, nudging his leg with my knee.

"Eyes closed, Draco!"

"Sorry," he muttered, just as I pushed him out the door and slammed it shut on his face. "I'll get you wet towels, and then go talk to the clan, alright?" he called out from outside.

"Okay," I replied.

I could tell he turned to walk off, but I called out to him to stop him.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," I said softly, but I knew he heard me.

"You're welcome, my Little Dove."

- - - - - -

Next update on 17th! Stay tuned guys, and leave a lot of comments so I know you're enjoying.