Chapter 12

Olivia’s POV

With the vampires distracted, I took off with several other slaves into the surrounding woods. We ran all through the night, keeping a quick pace with each other but never letting any of us fall behind. When the sun started to rise, we slowed our pace.

Then, when we were too exhausted to continue, we took a break. After a full night of running, I finally looked around and was surprised to find Andy among the rest. I hadn’t thought he would my escape attempt. What about his redemption?

Walking over to him, I asked, “Andy? You changed your mind?”

He huffed a tired laugh. “We were all worried about you, Olivia. We thought something might happen if you tried to do this alone. So we’ve been secretly watching you, waiting for this to happen.”

Another slave, another man I helped heal, spoke up from beside me, “None of us want to keep living under the brutal rule of the vampires, so we all thought we’d take this chance.”

“I’m not a gambler,” Andy said. “But we all had to make decisions in the moment…”

I didn’t ask about his sister, even though she wasn’t among us. He had a distant-look to him that made me think the topic was too sensitive for the moment.

“We sent word to our families,” said another. “We promised we would find a way to let them know where we are once we are free, so they can join us.”

“We need to make it to the pet shelter first,” said another male werewolf. This one had a knapsack, from which he retrieved a rolled-up map. “I stole this from the map room. I nearly panicked when a vampire walked into the room. I thought for sure I’d been caught.”

“They don’t even think about us,” said someone else. “They probably don’t even know we’re gone.”

“Thank you,” I told Andy, then looked around. “Thank all of you.”

Truly, I was moved by their helping me. Some smiled, others shucked off my words.

One said, “Thank us when we are truly free. Right now, we’re just on the run.”

I moved closer to the male with the map and looked down with a few others. As it was day now, we could see with the sunlight. For a moment, I closed my eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun. Working with vampires, they rarely allowed us out during the day. They themselves were only active at night.

The group of us compared the rumors we had heard, trying to triangulate a location where the safe house could be. There was enough overlap of our stories to eventually have a lead.

At the very least, it was a good place to start.

The journey was far. We wouldn’t arrive at the location until evening, and that was if we didn’t break again. But all of us were determined, so we agreed and started our new trek.

We spent most of the daylight hours walking through the woods. Even if we were on the run, for the first time in so long, we had a taste of freedom, and we enjoyed every moment, laughing and talking. We badmouthed every vampire we could name and wished the sun would touch them all.

As we reached the edge of the forest, the sun started to set.

The moon was high and the sun long gone by the time we came upon the cabin we suspected to be the safe house.

We stood outside for a minute, debating what to do.

“Can we do anything but knock?” Andy asked.

Everyone eventually agreed and we moved forward as a group. I stayed to the back with Andy in front of me. As the most vulnerable of the group, they were all determined to protect me.

One of the braver males lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and three men were immediately visible within.

Their eyes were red, their teeth were elongated.

Vampires!

“Run!” one of the male werewolves shouted.

We all turned, making a mad dash to the forest. We didn’t make it far before more vampires appeared, having hidden in the shadows.

One was closing in on me, his arm outstretched.

Andy leapt, tackling the vampire with his full werewolf strength.

“Run, Olivia!” he shouted. The vampire guard grabbed him, restraining him.

He had sacrificed everything for me.

I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I could see the tree line coming closer. If I could just make it there, then I might be able to evade the vampires. On an open field, I was too slow and too vulnerable.

My wolfless legs were slower than other werewolves. Behind me, I could hear the thump thump thump of vampires approaching.

I was so close. Andy gave up everything for me.

As a vampire grabbed me by the hair and slammed me down, restraining me, I cried out in frustration.

Everything hadn’t been enough.

My captor roughly shoved me back to the fake safe house, where the other werewolves had already been aligned on their knees in a long row.

The apparent leader of the vampire guards spoke with a loud, commanding voice. “According to vampire law, slaves who escape will be executed immediately upon retrieval.” He looked to one of his vampire colleagues. “Do you have the silver axe?”

The other vampire procured a silver axe from behind his back and stepped forward.

“Lean forward,” said another vampire who was standing behind the male werewolf at the opposite end of the line from me. “Die with dignity.”

That werewolf spat on the executioner’s shoe. “Go to –”

Shlump.

He didn’t finish his thought before the axe met his neck and the silver sliced through him.

My mouth fell open in a silent scream at the horror I was witnessing.

One after the next, my new friends, the men who had helped me, lost their lives for the crime of trying to live free.

I knew running would be dangerous. I had considered there might be causalities. But in my naivety I hadn’t realized it would be everyone. I thought some of us would escape.

When it came to be Andy’s turn, he looked at me.

Even though this was all my fault, and if I hadn’t suggested it, he would still be at the castle saving money, safe and sound, there was kindness in his eyes.

He still viewed me fondly, even though I was the reason he was now facing the axe.

He continued smiling at me, up until the moment his head fell away from his shoulders.

Tears fell from my eyes, but I was otherwise numb, unable to move.

I was next. The axe was coming for my neck now.

It would be a relief, maybe. To join my friends in the end.

Instead, a familiar voice rang out. “Stop.”

The executioner stilled their axe.

A familiar figure came forward in the darkness. I didn’t know where he had come from or how he had come to be here, but suddenly Damien was there, stalking toward me.

He glanced at the corpses of my friends, then ordered the other vampires, “Dispose of those bodies.”

As they started to work, moving away from me, Damien considered me and leaned down. He placed his forefinger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

I didn’t have any strength left in me to resist.

“Never forget this moment,” he told me. “Never forget how close you came to death.”