The Vampires Promised Bride

Chapter 5 Trouble

                “I think we should take Lucy with us now.”

                Lucy looked up at Jasper in shock and then back at her parents. She could tell by her father’s eyes that wasn’t going to happen. But she wasn’t the only one who noticed…

                “Lucy will be joining us at the end of the summer. These next couple of months will be her last months in her pack. Not only does she need this time but her parents do too. Don’t worry Jasper. She is well protected here. You think that overgrown pup she has as a father will let anyone touch her? And even scarier is her mother.” Jester winked over at Freya and Wyatt. They were all good friends and were comfortable teasing each other.

                “Then may I ask permission to stay here and watch over her?” Jasper asked, keeping his eyes on Wyatt. “I will need to go back and consult with Derek but I think he will want me to keep her safe as well.”

                Wyatt nodded his head. “Of course you are welcome here Jasper. Your presence will be nice to have. And I don’t mind having another strong warrior around, especially one looking after my little girl.”

                “I don’t exactly need to be looked after.”

                “Forget it, Lucy. I don’t need to be looked after either but your father still watches over my every move.” Freya smiled at her daughter knowingly. She understood both sides. And while Lucy was an excellent fighter, she knew first hand since she trained her in hand-to-hand combat too, she was still very important.

                Aiden walked up closer and looked down at the body on the ground. At the same time Harley, Destiny, and her parents, Jin and Jason, came closer.

                “Who is it? I don’t recognize her.” Aiden said looking up to his father.

                “She was found in the woods by patrol. We are not sure who she is.” Wyatt said, shaking his head. “I don’t know if she was visiting us or if she just happened to be near our territory.” He then turned to look at the man beside Destiny.

                “What do you think, Harley? Is this the work of a demon?” Wyatt asked, looking at him. Harley was the son of an original demon. If anyone could recognize the handy work of a demon it was him.

                “Not one that I know of right off hand. But these wounds seem very peculiar. The bites look like a vampires… but this isn’t how vampires attack. Unless this is some new sport.” Harley stared at the body with a frown. “And honestly, the body is so mutilated that it is hard to tell. I think that is what they were going for. Unless whatever did this is actually out of control and savage. I’ll put some of my men on this. See if they can turn anything up.”

                “We will also talk with our king and queen. My brother will want to investigate this. Especially if someone is trying to pin the blame on vampires on purpose.” Jester said with a frown. “Derek will want to know about this too. Especially with this happening so close to his future bride.” He looked up at Lucy and then back to Wyatt and Freya.

                Jason sighed and looked over at Harley. He was feeling apprehensive knowing his daughter would be leaving his side tonight and he wouldn’t be there to protect her.

                Harley could easily read his mind and smiled over at Jason. “You know she is actually safer with me than she is among this whole pack, right? And I won’t be letting her out of my sight for a second.” He looked down at Destiny who was frowning.

                “Maybe I should stay. The pack may need my help.” Destiny said quietly.

                “No.”

                “No.”

                Jason and Harley said simultaneously.

                “On second thought I think it is a good idea to get her out of here. If she is here, she will be out trying to fight.” Jason said, shaking his head. “You are right Harley, it is best for her to be safe with you.”

                Wyatt listened to their conversation quietly and looked over at Lucy. If he sent Lucy to the vampires, she would not have the opportunity to get involved. She would be safe there while they figured this threat out.

                “Don’t even think about it.” Lucy lifted her eyes to her father’s silver ones. “I’m not leaving my pack right now.”

                “I’m just thinking-”

                “I know what you are thinking, dad. And the answer is no. I’m staying here.” She folded her arms over her chest. “And I am helping.”

                “Lucy-” Wyatt started but she immediately interrupted him.

                “Are you letting Aiden help?” Lucy could see it in her father’s eyes. He would be having Aiden help with patrols. “Right. Exactly. And how many in this pack are stronger than me?”

                “That’s not the point, Lucy.” Wyatt rubbed his forehead.

                “Lucy is an asset to our pack. She has been well trained and there is no reason she can’t help.” Freya winked over at her daughter. “Whatever is doing this isn’t stronger than her.”

                “We don’t know what we are dealing with yet to be able to claim something like that.” Wyatt frowned looking over at Freya.

                “No, we don’t. All the more reason to keep Lucy safe and near us.”  Freya smiled at Wyatt and raised her eyebrow challenging him. When he didn’t say anything she turned her attention back to Lucy. “Tomorrow we will get the daggers out and work more on your up-close combat training.”

                “And another huntress is born.” Jester chuckled and looked up to Jasper. “Let’s head back. Get the things you need to be staying here with her until either this is sorted out or it is time for her to move.”

                Jasper, who had been keeping a protective arm on Lucy looked down at her. “Look. I’m coming right back tomorrow so just stay safe here in the pack territory until then. Please.”

                Lucy smiled up at him. “You are all acting like an army has attacked our pack. This is a random attack that happened to an isolated individual. I’m not in danger here. I am fine. Not to mention I am not easy prey. I am the predator.” Her eyes changed to the color of her wolf briefly and then she nudged into his side with her shoulder. “You don’t have to move here to watch over me.”

                Jasper smiled. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. And I know Derek will feel better with me here as well.”

                “You can bunk up with me Jasper!” Aiden said grinning. “With Destiny leaving the tide is turning. The men are overtaking the women in the packhouse.”

                “Sorry about your luck there Jasper, Aiden snores.” Lucy giggled, biting her bottom lip with her teeth.

                Jasper chuckled and then glanced over at the body being covered on the ground.  “I think you need to be very cautious, Lucy. I personally think there is more to this.” His eyes then looked to Wyatt and his father, Jester. “To me, it seems like someone is trying to make these attacks look like vampire attacks. Someone is trying to put a wedge between our species’ relationship. I think… someone doesn’t want this union to happen.”

                Wyatt nodded his head. “Freya and I are already suspicious of this as well. Even more reason we need to get to the bottom of these mysterious attacks.”

                Jasper sighed. “If this really is the case…”

                “I know Jasper.” Wyatt quickly cut him off. “We already know.”

                “We will need to discuss this with the vampire king and queen as well as Derek. But I think we are all starting to turn to the same page.” Jester said looking at Freya and Wyatt who both nodded their heads sadly.

                “Hi, what book are you reading so I can follow along?” Lucy teased but then noticed their serious expressions land on her. She looked over at Aiden. Well, he looked to be just as lost as she was. Which didn’t put her in good company.

                “We are thinking it may be a good idea to move the wedding date up. Maybe even plan for it to be in a couple of weeks. The sooner we form your union the better. These attacks may even stop on their own.” Freya looked into her daughter’s eyes.

                “Oh.” Lucy’s voice was quiet. She kept telling herself the wedding was still far away. She still had until the end of the summer. But now she felt like she was being hit with the reality of it. Something she always knew and talked about was now very real. But being the true leader she was she quickly buried her inner feelings deep inside of herself. She looked ahead towards her parents confidently. “If there is a chance that moving the marriage ahead will benefit our two species then do whatever is necessary.”

                Aiden scoffed loudly making everyone look over at him. “If we have an enemy, I’d like to see who it is. Instead of just making them give up and fade away to come and attack another day. Moving the marriage up may stop the attacks for now but not in the long run. I don’t like such tactics. I say we set up a trap for our enemies and flush them out.”

                Freya smiled and tilted her head up to Wyatt. She preferred just jumping in and getting her hands dirty too. Find the enemy, slit their throats and move on. It has been years since she put her huntress clothes to good use, and she wouldn’t mind hunting a new target once again.

                Wyatt nodded his head to his son. “I understand how you feel but I think something like this needs to be discussed among our allies. Your grandparents will be here tomorrow, and we may need to meet with the vampires as well. You must understand son that we have allies. The choices we make affect them as well. We may need to reach out to the dragons as well if this continues.” Wyatt rubbed his forehead. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of something that may possibly be small. We could be dealing with just one person doing these attacks. I think we should start by trying to gather evidence. Freya and I will go to the area where the attack took place and look for clues.”

                “Jester let me know what your brother thinks about this as well. You can send word back through Jasper when he returns. Let’s not make any major decisions until we feel we must.” Wyatt looked at Lucy and gave her a small smile. He had been getting reports about these strange attacks which seemed to be happening more often. So, while he was on high alert there was no evidence it was anything large-scale. It could be nothing more than a rogue vampire.

                “Why don’t you have Aiden and me do a perimeter run?” Justice asked. After this, the party was basically over.

                Jason chuckled. “For now, just stay put. I’ll be going out with Wyatt and Freya to check things out. You stay here and keep your mother company.”

                “Hey!” Jin protested. “Who here is Wyatt’s summon? Yep, that would be me. I’m coming too.” Jin giggled and shook her head. All these years together and he was still extremely protective over her. She was a wind demon and years and years ago she gifted Wyatt with her wind abilities. That was back during the demon war. Almost seemed like a lifetime ago.

                “Justice, you are staying here with Aiden and Lucy. Destiny, you make sure you call me once you make it there okay. And you better keep in contact.” Jin waved her finger at her daughter.

                “Don’t worry I will.” Destiny looked up at Harley who smiled down at her. “Ready to head home?”

                Harley grinned widely. “Let’s go home.”

                “Lucy, I’ll call you tomorrow so we can have some girl chat.” Destiny waved goodbye to her cousin. It wasn’t a real goodbye since she could visit whenever she wanted. But it was just the Diamond pack was no longer going to be her home.

                Lucy waved goodbye to her cousin and watched her leave with Harley. The two of them looked so happy together. Harley’s eyes were always following Destiny as if she was his center. She knew her duty and would go through with it. But deep inside she wondered what it felt like to have a fated mate. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like, but she could see what it looked like. And she wanted it.

                “Lucy.”

                Jasper's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him. He placed his hand on her head and smiled down at her.

                “I will be back for you tomorrow. I’ll bring back the answer on how long it takes for paint to dry too.” Jasper winked at her and chuckled slightly.

                “Safe travels.”

                Jasper and his parents disappeared in a blur. They were incredibly fast and could cover great distances quickly. Of course, if she shifted in her werewolf form, she would be just as fast. She still wasn’t sure how it would be living among vampires as a werewolf. His parents tested her blood once because it was hard to detect her vampire side. They told her that her blood was almost silent. When her blood was spilled though there was no mistaking the pure scent from it. It was still a very pure type of vampire blood (oddly enough). Her mother Freya had original vampire blood in her. It was very strong even in Freya and apparently still in her children. One of the reasons Lucy was wanted to be the mate of the vampire prince was because of her blood. They wanted to strengthen the vampire’s bloodlines. A child from her union with the prince would create an even stronger vampire.

                 Aiden walked over to Lucy with Justice at his side. “Well, mom and dad left. What sort of trouble do you want to get into?”

                “Oh, you guys didn’t hear?” Gia said as she skipped up to them from a distance.

                “Hear what?” Justice asked.

                “Oh just that a group of werewolves snuck outside the border to try to catch the apparent killer on the loose.”

                Aiden swore under his breath. “Damnit who all went?”

                “Some classmates of Justice’s and some of his juniors.”

                “Alright, let’s bring them back.” Aiden growled looking at Justice. “Gia stay with Lucy.”

                Gia smirked as the boys ran off in the distance she turned and looked at Lucy. “Well, he told me to stay with you so wherever you lead, I’ll follow.”