Chapter 138

Hannah

The hooded shadow figure.

How long has he been there?

He must have been the same shadow figure that Dr. Davis saw leaving Liam’s room before Liam went into his coma. Maybe even the same shadow figure that Sebastian saw torturing Liam in the underworld.

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and wrapped my arms tightly around Wren; I was shielding her from what I was seeing in front of me. This figure seemed to be floating almost; it was clear that it was a dark cloak, but the person inside the cloak remained faceless and blended in with the darkness that traveled behind him.

How could it be possible that he was here?

“What do you want?” I asked, trying to remain strong and keep myself calm. “Why are you in my brother’s room?”

“Because I knew this was the one place I could find you,” he said in return; his voice sounded familiar to me and not at all how I would imagine it to sound. “I’ve come to warn you.”

“Warn me about what?” I demanded to know. “Tell me what you did to my brother and fix it.”

“I’m afraid I cannot do that,” he told me. “You have no idea what you are up against and the more you resist him, the more likely you will get yourself and everyone you love killed.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Call it what you must,” he said, sounding disinterested. “I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

“Who are you?”

“I think you already know who I am,” he said as he took a step closer to me.

His aura was dark, and it sent an icy chill down my spine. I didn’t like being in his presence. I had to admit that his voice was familiar to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on who he was. I thought maybe he was just trying to play tricks on my mind, and I wasn’t going to fall into his trap and play his games. So, I took a step away from him as he came closer.

He reached his hand up to his hood and for a moment, I stopped breathing. He was removing his hood. He was finally going to reveal to me who he was. As his hood slid off his face, I sucked in a sharp and painful breath as I looked around his all too familiar face.

“Henry…” I whispered.

The hooded shadow figure was Henry. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he is standing before me. I trusted him when I first met him; I thought of him as a friend. But since then, he had only proved to me why he couldn’t be trusted. I thought the cherry on top was luring me to a witch just so he can give my wolf to the vampire king; not to mention threatening my daughter. But it turns out he’s been playing me like a fiddle from day one. He was the one who got my brother trapped in the underworld and he might even be the one who was torturing him.

I allowed Henry into my life; I allowed him to get close to me and my brother. I couldn’t help but think I was partly responsible for how things are turning out for Liam.

I felt sick to my stomach at the very thought. He grinned his boyish and crooked grin at me as if this wasn’t a big deal.

“How long have you been working for him?” I asked; I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer, but it was something I needed to know.

“A long time,” he answered in return. “One doesn’t refuse the vampire king, Hannah. Once you’re in his line of sight, it’s better if you just comply. He’s a dangerous individual.”

“He’s not going to win, Henry,” I said to him. “And neither will you.”

“It’s not a game, Hannah,” he spat at me. “You’re even more stupid than I thought if you think this is a game. With a game, there’s a chance. A chance that you win, or a chance that you lose. But this isn’t a game; you don’t get a chance. You will only lose and everyone you love will suffer because of it.” He glanced at Wren momentarily and added. “And I mean everyone.”

I turned my body to keep him from looking at Wrenley any further. I didn’t want him looking at her or talking to her; I didn’t even want him breathing near her. I could feel my rising fury, but I knew no good would come from it without my wolf.

“What is it he wants?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

Henry shrugged casually.

“He doesn’t tell me his plans; he just tells me what to do and I do it. I’d be stupid if I didn’t comply with him. But if I was to guess, I’d say he’s after power. The moon goddess had banished him along with his kind a long time ago. But he figured out a way to get what he wants. He’s dangerous, but he’s brilliant.”

The glimmer in Henry’s eyes showed me that he was idolizing the vampire king. That didn’t make sense to me though. Nora had recognized him faintly as our mate; how could someone whom the moon goddess initially wanted me to be with, be this evil in spirit?

He was a werewolf; how could he idolize the vampire king?

Unless…

“Henry…” I said, eyeing him carefully. “Does he have your wolf?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Henry scoffed. “I would follow him anywhere. He’s my king.”

“No, he’s not. He’s the vampire king. You are a werewolf. Sebastian is your king, and I am your queen. I’m ordering you to tell me the truth.”

“King Xander doesn’t play by the rules,” Henry said as he threw his hood back over his head. His face disappeared once the hood was back on. “I might be a werewolf, but he is still my king, and I will continue to serve my king as he sees fit. I did my job relayed the message; if you don’t listen to my warning, you and everyone you love will pay the cost. Quit while you’re ahead and do yourself a favor… don’t resist him..”

“I’m not taking orders from your vampire king, Henry,” I told him firmly. “I’m not a coward like you and I’m certainly not going to allow him to dictate my life. You can tell Xander that he can try his worse, but we are coming after him with 10x as much force. I’m not afraid of him.”

Henry stood silently for a long while and I stared into the dark abyss of his face.

“Are you sure you want to test him?” Henry asked; he was giving me a chance to take back what I had said about Xander. But I wasn’t going to back down and I certainly wasn’t going to show him my fear.

“Are you sure he wants to test me?” I asked in return.

Henry scoffed and shook his head.

“Stupid girl,” he muttered but he said nothing more. He took a step back into the shadows and with my amazement, he was gone. I took in a steady breath, trying to calm myself down.

Just before I was about to leave the room, Liam jolted into his bed. I stood frozen as I looked over at him. He wasn’t waking up, but his body had stiffened, and it jolted once more; it was like a spasm. Then blood began to ooze out of his mouth.