Moonlit Rivalry: Raya's Heart

Ch. 2

Roman was watching me carefully, like cornered prey. I certainly felt that way, anyway.

"I'd prefer to be left alone right now, if you don't mind," I stated, standing up straighter in an attempt to appear unintimidated. However, it seemed that Roman did mind, as he stepped closer instead of backing away.

"Sure thing, doll, let me just get one quick bite. You smell too good to let go untouched." He smiled at me again, only this time I saw his sharp fangs grow. How is that even possible?

As I took a step back I tripped over something behind me. The ground felt slick beneath my palms as I caught myself, but when I lifted them, I realized they were coated in blood. My heart raced a mile a minute, and fear coursed through my body, urging me to flee as fast as I could. Something wasn't right. He was dangerous, my soul screamed it.

"Are you going to run, little bunny?" Roman asked, seeming amused at the fear he could clearly read on my face. "I'll give you a head start, but I should warn you, I run very fast."

He laughed as I bolted away, not sparing a second thought, feeling as though my life depended on escaping him. With Roman blocking my path to the party, I dashed into the woods, hoping to find a place to hide. I knew I needed to get away, to run. There was no telling what Roman would do if he caught me. The stupid leather dress, however, made this a difficult task as the material tightly hugged my thighs together, forcing me to take smaller strides. With what felt like my life on the line, I hiked that dress up past my ass, and sprinted as quickly as I could. At this point, I didn't care about anyone seeing me half-naked; I cared about surviving. Something tells me Roman isn't just human, but could vampires truly be real?

I stumbled several times over the roots of the towering trees, getting scratched by twigs and pine needles in the process. I couldn't see a damn thing with the thick branches obscuring most of the moonlight. It was so dark and silent as I pushed past the pain of the scrapes on my knees and hands, continuing to run. There's no way I was getting caught. I spotted the lights from the party to my left and headed in that direction, running as fast as I could.

"Raya!" I could hear Amaya calling for me at the edge of the woods. I was so close now, believing I could make it.

"Gotcha." Roman's voice came from beside my ear as his arms wrapped around my waist. I let out a yell of surprise, and fear, knowing I'd been caught. "It's just a taste, Raya. You'll live."

Roman pulled his head back, opening his mouth wide, showing me those sharp fangs again. This was real, this was horrifyingly real! Vampires exist, and one was about to feed on me. Were all the people that asked for a taste tonight a vampire? Was Amaya?

Just as Roman was about to sink his fangs into me, Dane emerged from behind a tree, his eyes glowing fiercely, and his body completely naked. He growled so menacingly that it sounded more like an animal than a man. He probably wasn't human either, but what was he?

"Let her go!" Dane barked, approaching the two of us. Roman's hand held my jaw firmly, keeping my head in place as he leaned forward.

"Why should I?" He asked, before kissing my neck. "She's my meal."

"If you sink those nasty fangs into her, you'll have the Lunaris pack to deal with. Are you sure you want that?"

What's a Lunaris pack?

"Don't make me laugh, your pack wouldn't come after me for one small, human girl." Roman scoffed, and I could feel the tips of his fangs scraping against my skin, making me whimper. "She's so frightened it's making her little veins pump quickly. I love it when they're scared. They taste even better."

Roman went to pull his head back again ready to dig into me, despite Dane's attempt to stop him. What occurred next would forever be engraved in my mind. Dane's body exploded, transforming into a large silver wolf, much the same color as the full moon tonight. The wolf's fur seemed to glow, emitting a faint light around it. It lunged at the same time Roman broke the skin on my neck with the tip of his fangs.

The wolf brushed past me, skillfully striking Roman on the head. His fangs were pulled out of me before they could fully penetrate, leaving two small droplets of blood to trickle down my neck. The moment I was freed from Roman's grasp, I sprinted straight for the party, where I had last seen Amaya calling for me. I had no desire to witness a battle between two monsters. My eyes were so fixed on my destination that I didn't notice the steep incline until it was too late, and I began tumbling down it. My head collided with something hard on the way down, causing my vision to blur. Darkness slowly enveloped my eyes as I lost consciousness, but not before catching a glimpse of those glowing golden eyes and hearing Amaya's voice in the distance.

"Oh, goddess, Raya!"

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A deep, unfamiliar, male voice registered as I began to regain consciousness. "What's wrong with you? You were told not to take her, and you deliberately disobeyed me. You may be a new witch, but you work for me and as your alpha I hold all the power. Now I have this s**t to deal with. You're lucky I don't just banish you."

My head throbbed painfully, causing me to groan and instinctively reach for the tender area. My eyes refused to open fully, forcing me to squint in order to survey my surroundings. I was lying on a spacious bed in a room adorned with crystals and dried herbs. It appeared to be a cross between a kitchen and a laboratory, with glass beakers and large pots scattered about.

"Oh goddess, Raya! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" I could see the blur of her blue streaks as she came to my side.

"My head hurts," I complained, feeling my hair stuck to my scalp in that particular spot. I was certain it was caked there by dried blood. "Where am I?"

"My room in the-"

"You're in my house. My pack house, to be exact, and you're unwelcome." That same male voice that stirred me awake spoke.

My eyes strained to focus harder as I saw the figure of a towering man, standing at the foot of the bed. As my vision cleared, I could see he was a younger male, probably about my age, 22, if not a slightly older. He had jet-black, wavy hair that parted down the middle. His dark eyes scrutinized me intently. He wore a stern and intimidating expression, with his massive tanned muscular arms folded across his chest. He reminded me of the son one of my many foster parents had. I wondered if he was perhaps Hispanic.

"I'm sorry. I-" I wasn't sure what to say to that. My head was pounding, and the confusion surrounding everything only made it worse.

"Don't be an ass, Cruz. It's not her fault she's here." Another voice echoed in the room, only this one I remembered. I didn't have to look to know it was Dane as I had the same powerful feeling come over me. Cruz growled so deeply it caused me to whimper as if his growl had sucked my free will from me.

"He's right. This is all my fault, not hers," Amaya spoke up.

"You're right! This is your fault, but that doesn't change the fact that she's stuck here as a permanently unwanted guest." Cruz responded with clear fury in his tone.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sit up, but quickly realizing what a terrible idea that was as the room spun.

"You can thank your best friend here. Now that you know our secret, now that you've been on my lands, you can't leave." His words silenced me as I ran them over in my head, trying to see if there was any other way to interpret what he said.

"So I'm your prisoner?"

"In a sense," he confirmed. "I don't have time for this s**t. Amaya, this is your mess, so you can explain it all to your best friend. Let her know how royaly you f****d up for selfish reasons." Cruz huffed, turning on his heel and storming out. "Dane, let's go!" He barked from the hall.

Just like that my life was turned upside down in one hour.