Jenna's Deathwish

He waited in silence, analysing our every move.
“What are you waiting for?” My heart was pounding violently.
“For you to run away screaming.”
“You’ll be waiting a while, then.” Adele gave him a nervous smile.
“You’re not going?”
We shook our heads.
“You’ve been nice to us so far.” Adele said.
“And we can tell you care for us.” I added, still completely terrified.
He smiled, but lowered his head as if in shame. I felt pity for Will. He needed a hug. I moved towards him and held out my arms. He jumped back, and so did I.
“Don’t.”
“It’s just a hug.”
He shook his head, “Not yet. Not now. Too dangerous.”
Adele pulled me up again, just in case. This was so unusual to us; we had never seen Will so timid, so frightened, before. He stood up quickly, startling us.
“Sorry!”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were back to that beautiful hazel.
“I need you to keep my secret. You can’t tell anyone. Not a soul. Promise me.”
“Who would believe us anyway?” I asked.
“And it doesn’t look like we’re leaving any time soon. Does it?” Adele said.
“Promise me!”
“We promise.”
At that moment the door opened and standing in the doorframe were two other drop dead gorgeous men. All pale with perfect features. The one on the left had dark brown hair with deep brown eyes. He wore black Chuck Taylor Cons, blue ripped up jeans, grey t-shirt and a black leather jacket. He had a hint of Korean about him. The one on the left was the tallest and had wiry brown hair, light green eyes and wore black cons, dark jeans with a black shirt. Anti-christ beads hung around his neck. He was holding a staggering Jenna in his arms. Adele grabbed her from him, still unsure whether to trust these people. These three men were the…they were…there were no words to describe it. So gorgeous. So beautiful. So perfect. Stunning! Their beauty actually stunned me.
“Will, they’re coming. You told them and they’re on their way.” The tallest man said quickly and seriously. He had a mixed accent in his voice.
“I can’t believe you told them” The other said, sounding bewildered.
“They would have found out in the end.” Will answered, pacing, cursing under his breath.
The smaller one stepped in front of him and took hold of his shoulders, holding him in place, “They were waiting, Will. They were listening until you revealed what we are. They will try to kill them.”
“I know, Nick. It was foolish of me.”
“What’s going on?” Jenna mumbled.
We sat her on the velvet couch.
“Well, there’s this vampire cult that are very against humans and vampires mixing. If they find out humans know about vampires, they will kill the humans who know in case they reveal our existence. The cult has no respect for your kind and now that you know what we are, they want to kill you.” The tallest one explained.
“Fan-dabby-dosey!” I said sarcastically.
“Your …vampires too?” Adele asked.
“I’m afraid so.” Nick said.
I jumped as an echoing laugh came from the fireplace. The men lifted us away in a flash. The tallest one took Adele, Will took me and Nick took Jenna. They stood between us and the fireplace and growled.
A woman’s voice filled the room, “You know you boys can’t protect them forever.”
“You’ll slip up and we’ll be waiting. You know the rules, Will” A man’s voice hissed.
“Will, they’re going to hunt you, too.” The tallest one said with a growl.
“I know, Valo. I know.” Will said, hugging me tighter.
That got my full attention, “They’re gonna what?”
“As punishment for telling you. We’re all in shit but Will has the worst of it because he hid you from them.” Nick explained. “We’re helping you to escape because we-”
“Nick!” The others warned.
“Look, Will. We aren’t blaming you. We’re not mad at you…they would have found out eventually.” Valo said, facing Will.
“I’ve put you all in danger.”
“No.” Valo put a hand on his shoulder. “We are in this together. Always have been.”
“Brothers.” Nick said.
“Oh.” The man’s voice hissed. “A family reunion. How sweet. Pity it won’t last long!”
“Back off, Jared!” Will yelled. The others hissed.
Jared chuckled.
Loud banging noise could be heard from downstairs. Then there was a sound of fallen brick. We stood, too scared to move, my heart racing again. What the Hell was going on now?
“Shit, they’ve gotten into the cellar.” Nick said.
“C’mon. They will escape through The Dark Forest.” Valo said, heading for the door.
We were swept off our feet and carried on the men’s backs with Valo leading the way. They ran ridiculously fast through the lab and out the small door. Everything blurred passed me as I clung onto Will’s shoulders. I buried my face into his neck so I never got another head rush. His breathing didn’t even change. His body was stone cold and brick hard. I felt safe.
We came to a sharp halt at the loft stairs. A gorgeous female vampire with short black hair, white skin and glowing red eyes jumped from the loft, screaming, her fangs showing and her talons flexing.
She jumped for the weakest but in a flash Nick put down Jenna and pounced with a snarl and took her down in mid-air. He snarled again and with one snap of his jaws to her neck, ripped her head off and threw it away.
“Sorry about that.” Will said to me.
The… vampires, started running to the hole in the wall. When they arrived they walked out cautiously, clutching onto us. Ears pricked eyes wide, senses sharp. Standing at the edge of the forest was the huge stallion Clydesdale, with a mare Clydesdale. She was white with a pink nose. Attached to them was an open top carriage with huge wooden wheels and lanterns at each corner. In one quick move we were swept off the men’s backs and pulled by the hands towards the carriage. Will, Nick and Valo held us tight into their chests, so we were safe. So nothing sinister got to us. So we wouldn’t escape again. As if we would leave now.
“What’s going on?” I tried to wriggle out of Will’s iron grip.
“You are going to ride out of here, through The Dark Forest and as far away as you can, just until Jared and his clan leave.” Will explained, “Don’t worry. The horses know where to go. Your main concern is getting to your location… alive. Here.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two necklaces. They were the same as Jenna had. Values on a string.
“This,” he said, holding them up so we could see them better, “is holy water.” He put one round mine and Adele’s necks. “It won’t kill Jared or his clan but a few drops is enough to cause them a lot of pain if you are being attacked. Use it if you have to.”
We were lifted into the carriage, red leather seats squeaking under us.
“Won’t they get us from above?” Adele asked.
Jenna lay on the opposite seat, while Adele and I sat close on the other.
“Not with the wolves around.” Nick replied.
“Wolves?” I grinned.
Out of the shadows appeared at least a hundred wolves. Huge, strong, fierce wolves. They walked forward and sat around the carriage and the horses. They all looked so wise, their eyes shining brilliantly in the moonlight.
“They’ll be running with you. Don’t worry. The vampires won’t get you from above.” Will said. “Jared and his clan exist in fear of these wolves. Vampires and wolves are old enemies, because the wolf is the only wild animal that can kill a vampire easily. Plus, they are very territorial creatures, so if they happen to come across any…thing that isn’t prey, especially a vampire, there is a high chance the wolf will kill it.”
“So why are these wolves and you guys not fighting right now?” I leaned towards Will.
“Well, firstly, this is our territory- it’s at the edge of the forest. Second, they like us because we leave them alone. We have no reason to go into their territory unless to hunt.” He replied.
“Also a few years ago we saved the wolves from being extinct in this country.” Nick added. “One young wolf had killed a farmer’s flock of sheep, so the villagers set out to kill every wolf that lived here. Stupid, I know but we stopped them and since then the wolves have been forever grateful.”
After Will spoke, every wolf and vampire stood up straight, eyes wide. Their lips curling into a snarl, revealing their white, pointed teeth. The wolves’ hackles rose, their fur standing on its end. Their tails up, ears pricked. From the side of the castle, a tall man walked quickly towards them all. He had a sinister smile on his pale, flawless face. He stood in front of the men. The wolves glared at him and he seemed intimidated but didn’t look at them. He stared at Will with a sickening smile. He had a little pointed nose and his eyes were challenging.
“Jared.” Will hissed.
“Hello William.” He looked at the rest of them. “My dear friends.”
“We are no friends of yours.” Valo growled.
“Pity.” Jared replied.
He was American, too.
He turned slowly and waltzed over to the carriage. The wolves never took their eyes off him. Some of them crouched down, preparing to pounce.
“If you had stayed with us, your girlfriends may have had a chance to live.”
He lifted his hand and stroked my face, “Especially with them looking so gorgeous. And their scent so… welcoming.” His deep voice was very charming.
Creep.
“Don‘t touch me!” I shouted, throwing his arm from my face.
“What do you mean scent?” Adele asked as she held my arm.
“He hasn’t told you? The only reason he kidnapped you is because the three of you have such lovely smelling blood.”
“What?” I looked over at Will.
He shook his head at me, “That is not fucking true!”
Jared took hold of my hand. My mouth opened at how cold he was.
He lifted my wrist to his face and inhaled. “Yes. They would have been good fun for feeding.” His evil smile returned.
I clenched my teeth.
The men hissed furiously, but none of them attacked. If they did, they would surely be outnumbered by the rest of Jared’s clan.
“Get off me!” I jerked my arm away.
Without thinking, I quickly opened the valve and dropped holy water on my fist then punched Jared very hard on the side of his face.
“I said don’t touch me!”
I was pretty sure the guys laughed as Jared roared in pain and jumped back, clutching his left cheek. The blow hurt me more- his skin and bones were brick hard, but I felt good afterwards. When he took his hand away I could see his skin was burned away where the holy water had touched him.
“You bitch!” He hissed as his skin repaired itself instantly.
He advanced towards the safety of the carriage, prowling towards me. His lip curled up again, his teeth showing. His once blue eyes were glowing red. He hissed again, through his clenched teeth. I gulped. Well done.
I held onto the valve, the only thing that could save me now. The men and the wolves were growling at Jared, but there was nothing they could do. The wolves wouldn’t do anything because Jared hadn’t done anything to hurt me. Not yet anyway.
Jared came right up to the carriage. The horses stamped at the ground, snorting. He crouched to jump at me, teeth snapping. My heart was pounding, what a stupid thing I done!
As Jared jumped in the air, there was a bark and a flash of light, which landed next to me in the carriage. Everyone took their attention away from the vampire and saw and enormous, white, male wolf standing practically on top of me. His front paws were on the leather seat, while his bulky hind legs were on the floor. He looked up and bore his teeth, barking and snarling at Jared. He was fearless. He was terrifying! Much more intimidating than Jared, who was two seconds away from ripping me to pieces. Jared jumped back in the air and landed softly on all fours with a snarl. Once the vampire was on the ground, the wolf stood in the middle of the carriage, hackles and fur raised and gave Jared a toothy growl. He knew he had power and he was not afraid to use it on this vampire. His huge amber eyes were locked on his target as he crouched. With a hiss Jared took off into the forest.
A second later the wolf relaxed, then seemed to smile at me. He jumped from the carriage and sat in front of Will with his tail wagging as if nothing had happened.
“Tundra!” The men said in delight.
Adele grabbed me and hugged me tight in relief. I hugged back. Will, Nick, Valo and Tundra were at the carriage looking up at us. I caught a glimpse of Will’s face and his expression made my heart sink; he looked guilty. Like the kind of guilty expression you would have if you crashed your car due to dangerous driving and put your friend in hospital.
“I am so sorry!” Will looked at me apologetically. He took my hand, “Are you alright?”
“Sure. I’m fine.”
“I can hear your heart racing.” He squeezed my hand, then let go. “Girls, I’d like to introduce you to Tundra. Our good friend.”
Tundra looked up and seemed to smile again at us.
I smiled back, “Thank you.”
The wolf seemed to bow at me then turned his attention to the men and growled softly.
“I’m just glad you arrived when you did.” Valo replied.
“We can talk to wolves.” Nick explained when he seen our confused looks. “The wolves communicate to us through their thoughts, and can understand what we say.”
Of course they can.
“So you can read their minds then?” Adele asked.
“Yes. But only things they want us to…hear.”
“So, where are we?” I interrupted.
Nick looked at me sharply, then looked at the ground.
“Nick?” I leaned over towards him.
“Everyone fear this wolf.” Valo put a hand on Nick’s shoulder.
Nick nodded then joined Will.
Valo, “The villagers are even too scared to kill him. There are stories of him, that he has travelled across the world. He’s a lone wolf. There was a rumour that he only drinks from a certain lake near a gypsy camp, hence how he is still young.” He smiled. “Personally I think its gypsy magic.”
I was just beginning to realise what Valo had just said when Nick gasped and stared, wide-eyed, right at the carriage door, as if in a trance. He stood as still as a statue as Will and Valo stood at his side, eyes wide with concern. Nick then blinked and slowly looked at each of his friends.
“Zombie, what did you see?” Will held him.
Valo’s soft voice said, “Show us.”
Will and Valo were then staring as if in the same trance. Seconds later they blinked and I could only guess Nick had finished ‘showing them’.
“They have to go now.” Nick hissed, eyes darting to the tree tops and back.
“Never, ever doubt Nick.” Valo winked.
He took hold of a tree that grew at an angle over where we sat in the carriage, and shook it violently. A man fell from it with a grunt. Will grabbed him and held him tight by the neck and raised him off his feet, “Spying, were you?”
The vampire tried to snap at Will’s gorgeous face, but Valo punched him and there was a crunching noise.
“Spying on where the girls were going so you could go back and tell your master?”
The vampire roared and tried, again, to bite Will. Once again, Valo punched him.
“We could do this all night.” Valo said with a smirk.
“Your girls are filthy humans.” The vampire spat.
He glared at us with glowing red eyes.
“Don’t you dare look at them!” Nick stood in his line of vision.
Valo punched him again, and the others laughed.
“You three are traitors!”
“Jared doesn’t care for you.” Nick said.
“Human scum!”
Will’s face went hard, “Kill him.”
He dropped the vampire and walked towards us, took my face and said, “Girls, don’t look.”
He locked eyes with me and I could not look away from his. The vampire wailed then there was a crunching sound. Another cry, then a squelching noise. I got a cold shudder as there was a moment of silence.
“Will, the girls have to go.” Nick said. “They’re coming!”
Panic flushed over Will’s face as he turned to the horses, “Shadow, Nightmare. You know where to go.”
They took off in a canter into The Dark Forest.
I spun around quickly when we were several meters down the track , “You haven’t told us where we are!”
“Romania!” Will’s voice replied.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I glanced at my watch. Ten past six. The horses had slowed to a canter and Adele and I had been talking quietly amongst ourselves, letting Jenna rest some more.
“Romania.” Adele said suddenly.
“Yeah. Fucking unbelievable.”
“Those must be the Carpathian Mountains, then.” I said as we approached the silhouette of the mountains, “Meaning we’re in…Transylvania!”
We rolled over a small hill in-between two of the mountains.
“Who’d have thought, ae?” I looked down at the wolves’ reflective eyes. “That us three would end up kidnapped by a bunch of strangers, live in a castle and end up having to run from vampires that want to kill us.”
We were travelling further from the mountains, away from the safety of the castle.
Adele frowned, “I wonder if we’re ever actually gonna go home again.”
“I hope so.”
There was a quiet grumble in the air. At first I thought it was my stomach, then the sky opened up and it began to pour.
“Aww fantastic!” I yelled. “Just our luck!”
Of course, rain. I might have guessed. No roof on the carriage. Vampires wanted to kill us. We had been kidnapped. Jenna had almost died. Of course it was going to start raining on us.
I looked at Adele, who wore the same pissed off expression as I had.
She then began to laugh, “Just our luck.”
I laughed with her in that moment of madness.