A vampire's Choice
Chapter 33

Ruby cradled her baby bump as she sat at the table, an uneaten sandwich before her. A whirlwind of emotions building inside. As a few of the remaining pack members bustled around, she mindlessly stared at the wall, mulling over their options. Two of their friends have vanished with a dark scent lingering about the house. The smell of it sending shivers down her spine. Her mate's feelings were also grasping onto her. After they had sent the young and vulnerable away to join the children, Vanessa had informed her the prisoner is the wolf they had all been searching for: the wolf that had killed Roland's family. The vital need for blood and vengeance seeps into her from him and the rational part screaming to keep him alive for answers. Letting out a sigh, Ruby searched the room, her eyes falling on Vanessa as she moved around, organizing the remainder of the group. In these situations, the Luna had to stand up and take charge, but with the long run leaving her tired and the connection to her mate draining the last of her strength, she was just glad that her friend helped.

"Take these blankets and food to the guards patrolling the perimeter. The number has doubled, and we need them on high alert," informed Vanessa as she passed bundles to two wolves. Moving to pick up more, her eyes clashed with Ruby, a look of despair visible. "Please take over and make sure all the guards are looked after.” Informing one of the ladies, Vanessa took her leave, moving to sit next to Ruby. Taking her hand into hers, she turned towards her Luna.

"It will be alright. Roland and Mark will get what we need, and we will be on our way." Vanessa comforted.

"I am not so sure." Ruby squeezed Vanessa's hand. "The man they have in the cellar is the wolf who killed Roland's family, and I dare say he might not have the restraints to kill him after we get the location. I can feel his emotions, and they have an internal battle."

"I can imagine, but Mark is there. I know he will help Roland to control himself, only until they get what they need."

"I guess you are right, but what about after.” Sitting straight, Ruby focused on Vanessa, unburdening her doubts. "Let's say we get their location. What next? They could be hundreds of miles away. They could already be dead. Even if they are not, this Deimos is powerful, and we are only a pack of wolves. What is the plan to stop him?"

Vanessa dropped against the back of the chair as the words opened up reality. Ruby was right. If they got their location, how can they stop a being so powerful, even a Goddess fears him. "Maybe we can get Nix—”

"How?" Ruby interrupted. "It is not like she left a phone number we can contact. And besides, being all-powerful, she must surely know by now. Why hasn't she appeared to us yet?"

Dropping Ruby's hand, Vanessa brushed fallen hair from her face. Dread dropped in her stomach as Ruby made sense. Even with the information, they alone could not do it. "I can contact Sarah, ask for advice."

"We can, but..."

A loud boom sounded in front of them, both shooting their heads in the direction. Suddenly, a bright golden light burst from the middle of nowhere, the force blinding them, forcing their eyes away. As fast as the light appeared, it vanished. Blinking quickly, Vanessa and Ruby both looked back at the same time, shocked at the newcomers.

Mouth gaped wide, Vanessa stood up, the chair scraping against the floor as she pushed it away, sprinting towards her Godmother. "Sarah... How are you here?"

Light brown eyes and a big smile welcomed Vanessa as she sprinted into the open arms of her friend. Wrapping her arms around Sarah's waist, she pushed her face into her warm neck, taking a deep breath. The welcoming scent calmed her nerves, the rising and falling of her chest comforting Vanessa. Finger's combed through her hair before landing on her shoulder, gently nudging away before caressing her cheek.

"I would love to tell you, but we have bigger problems.” Stepping to the side, Sarah revealed the other witches behind her, all crammed in the dining room.

Ruby shot up, a deep growl escaping her chest. Their scent smelled like witches, ones not invited. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Vanessa held up her hands as she twirled to face Ruby. "Calm down. I know them."

Stepping around the table, she kept her eyes glued while slowly approaching them. "How did you get here?" demanded Ruby.

Offering a hand to Ruby, Sarah moved around Vanessa, facing the Luna straight on. "My name is Sarah, coven leader, and these are some of the members."

Scanning the crowd before zeroing on the waiting palm, Ruby shook her hand after Vanessa nodded gently. Maybe they were the miracle needed to save the day.

Giving Sarah another quick hug, Vanessa moved to welcome the rest of the group, indicating at the empty seats. Seven witches in total sat around the table, Sarah next to Vanessa on her left and Ruby to her right.

"Why did you come?" Ruby began. "And especially how?"

"We came as soon as we could. After our conversation last night, we did some digging and came up with disastrous events." Sarah explained.

"You said something about the apocalypse?" Vanessa pointed out.

"I am afraid so. And it is much worse than we feared."

Sitting straight, Ruby gave her full attention. "What does it have to do with our problems?" she inquired.

Glancing at the other ladies, Sarah shifted her gaze between the two wolves, explaining the news they had learned. "Thousands of years ago, there was a prophecy foretelling the end of the world. Eight signs that, after it got fulfilled, would lead to the end. So far, we can confirm seven have been completed, and I fear the eight is about to be as well."

"I am sorry, but you want us to believe a millennia-old prophecy is happening right now?" Ruby asked, hesitant to believe witches she has never met. Sure, Sarah was an alley before, helping them, but this is too ridiculous.

"I am sorry that it sounds crazy, but you need to believe us. If we do not stop the eighth task, we shall all burn."

Vanessa looked at Ruby as she spoke, her eyes begging her Luna to believe. "I know it sounds crazy, but remember the last prophecy we dealt with. It turned out to be true. Just ask me. I was in the middle of it."

"Let us say I believe you. What is this eighth task?" Ruby asked.

Sarah nodded to a witch two seats down from her. All eyes focused on the dark-haired woman as she retrieved a scroll from her back, unfolding it. Clearing her throat, she read. "From nothing, we came, and to nothing, we shall return—the fire of life burning all around but the fires of hell washing it away. The one shall rise, burned by life, trapped in hell. The body of the two, opening the doors.” Closing the scroll after she read, the woman placed it back gently before looking ahead.

Ruby and Vanessa looked confusedly between each other before looking at Sarah. "It sounds like a stupid riddle," Ruby commented.

"It sounds dumb, but trust me, we need to take it seriously," Vanessa said.

"She is right. That is the last verse of the prophecy. We did not know what it meant until you told me about Lisa and Roger. She is the key." Sarah explained.

Leaning over the table on her forearms, Ruby focused on Sarah. "Let's just say Lisa is the key. How can she be the body of two?"

"Vanessa told me about her history. About how she was Rebecca before. That sounds like two bodies."

"Look, we can talk about the details later, but for now, we need to treat her as the last key to the apocalypse." Vanessa stood up as she spoke, "Roland and Mark are in the cellar questioning someone about their whereabouts. We find their location, and then we get a plan."

"We don't need that,” a redhead next to Sarah interjected. "Before we teleported here, we did a scrying spell, focusing vast amounts of power being used. We got one hit."

"Perfect." Ruby shot up.

The rest of the table stood up, looking towards Vanessa as she stepped out. "I will inform them of the change, but where is it, and how do we get there?"

Pulling out a map from inside her dark jacket, Sarah spread it open, her finger landing on a dark spot in the middle of the continent. "We are going to Arizona through teleportation."

"If he even makes a peep, shock him," Roland informed the guard, holding out the small black device. Nodding his head in agreement, the soldier palmed the trigger, stepping back and pressing his back to the wall, eyeing the surroundings. With a final, regretful glance at the closed door, Roland buried the need for blood as he took the stairs two at a time to the ground level, joining the waiting party. As much as he wanted to rip the wolf's head off, it had to wait. According to Sarah, the fate of the world rested on saving their friends, Roger and Lisa.

The group appeared before him as he rounded the corner, everyone murmuring to each other, the tension visible in their straight backs and toying with their weapons. Ruby smiled as he walked over to her, wrapping himself around her open arms. The soft thud of her beating heart calmed him for a second until their reality hit. Glancing into her shining eyes as he caressed her cheek, love exploded in his heart as his controlling nature took over. "I want you to stay," whispered Roger.

Ruby's eyes grew in shock as her mouth dropped open. Gently sliding the knife into the side holster of her thigh, she took his hands, pulling him into the kitchen. When the doors closed behind them, she twirled around, the shock replaced by anger and hurt. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ruby leaned her hip against the marble edge of the table, eyeing her mate. "And why would I do that?"

Brushing a fallen strand of hair away from his face, Roland took a deep breath before answering. "Is it wrong of me to try and keep my mate and unborn child safe?"

Ruby's eyebrows dropped at his saddened words, his pain squeezing at her heart. Pushing off from the table and walking over to him, she pulled him into a hug, marveling at his scent. "I understand how you feel. I would never place my child in such unknown territories or danger, but the matter of the fact is, we need all hands on deck for this mission.” Her voice was muffled as she spoke against his chest.

Nudging her away softly, Roger gazed down at her. "So why do this? I would understand if you wanted to sit this one out. Lisa and Roger are our friends, but not close enough to risk both of your lives."

Wriggling out his grip as she stepped back, Ruby turned her back to him, extracting the knife. Turning it around in her hands, she studied the detail. Silver twirls edged the hilt, wrapping around the handle, enabling a better grasp. The blade itself was thin and long, but the metal the best quality, making the weapon light but deadly, easy to throw, and hit a target. Swirling around, she held up the knife to Roland, staring him straight in the eyes. "You see this. It was a gift from you. We have trained hours together, you admitting I am the best you have ever seen. So now is the time to prove it."

"But the baby—” Roland interjected.

Holding up a hand to stop his dejection, Ruby sheathed the weapon, reaching out to hold his hands. "The baby is fine. But if we don't do this, there might not be a future for her."

"It is a girl?" a surprised Roland asked.

Shaking her head, Ruby answered. "I don't know, but when I picture us as a family, I see our child as a little girl. My luscious dark hair mixed with your bright green eyes. She will be the envy of all."

They both giggled at the thought, and Roland couldn't help but imagine it too. A smile lit up as he pictured them together: Alive.

"That is it." Roland objected. “You are definitely not going now."

Wrapping her arms under her chest again, Ruby dropped the smile, replacing it with a frown. "And you think you are the boss of me. The ring on my finger and mark on my neck is not a sign of ownership, but a relationship."

"Yes, but—” Ruby stopped him right in his tracks.

"Furthermore, you might not believe the witches, but I sure do. The only way to ensure a future for our child is to stop this prophecy before the world ends."

Roland absorbed her statement, pondering over it for a few silent seconds as she watched him closely. With a defeated drop of his shoulders, Roland agreed. "Fine, but I will be glued to your side the whole time."

Smiling up at him, Ruby sauntered over, standing on tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Roland held her against him as he deepened the kiss, losing himself in her sweetness, but they were interrupted too soon as a knock came from the door.

"I am sorry to interrupt you, but we need to finalize the details of the plan before we leave," spoke Mark from the other side.

"Duty calls." moving his hand from her waist and intertwining their fingers, Roland let them from the room and join the others.

Ruby stood next to Vanessa, who slightly nudged her to get her attention. Looking over, Ruby saw her mouth. Is everything okay? Nodding yes and smiling, they both turned to the middle as Sarah was about to begin the details of their strategy.

Unfolding the map and holding it up for everyone to see, Sarah pointed to a dark circle. "This is where they are. It is called Montezuma castle, located in Cape Verde, Arizona. What we know about the place is that it is five stories and located on the side of a mountain. Why it was chosen, we do not know, but the power it emits is a good reason."

"Power?" Vanessa asked.

Turning to face her, Sarah folded up the map, placing it on the table. "Yes. All over the world, some places are connected to magic. No one knows why or how, but these natural occurrences could be used to enhance the magic, and not just for witches."

"So, Deimos could be channeling this place to help push his plan,” clarified Vanessa.

"As far as we can tell, yes. But what his plan is, we do not know. But we did find something when we researched the other seven signs. All of them are scattered over history. All acted out by various creatures. Not one thing connecting them, but a single word: Angel. They all mentioned a being cast from light, shining bright as an angel."

"And you think it is this Deimos. That would mean he is at least thousands of years old." Mark pointed out.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Roland spoke up, looking over to his Beta. "We have met Nix who is just as old and is the mother of witches. How is another being just as old and powerful not possible?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders. “You make a fair point."

"So, as I was saying," Sarah began, eyeing Mark who mouthed sorry. "From what we saw in Lorence's lair, he could be the deity being spoken of. But what we don't know is why he is trying to end the world or how the last act would be triggered."

"So, what do we know?" asked Ruby, eager to get a few good points from their otherwise suicidal mission.

"It is not much, but it is a start. The prophecy states that a body of two is the key that we have established is Lisa, but we don't know how involved she is. We know where they are, but if they are alive is another issue."

Mark glided his finger through his hair as his shoulders dropped. Letting out a breath, he said, "So we are basically fucked. That is what you are saying."

Turning towards Mark, Sarah brushed the side of his arm, trying to reassure him without lying. "Truth be told, yes, we are. We have no clue what is waiting for us or how mighty Deimos is, but we need to try. The fate of the world is at stake, and if that is not a reason to sacrifice our lives, then what is?"

The somber words kicked down the morale in the room as lovers faced each other and friends intertwined hands. Deep down, they knew death would be greeting them soon, but to hear it out loud made it a reality.

"You know what, fuck this. So, we have no plan and blind to what lies ahead, but so were we the last time we faced a prophecy. And we are still here." Vanessa stepped into the circle, head high and back straight.

"But Nix is the one who saved the day." Ruby pointed out.

"Then let's try to get ahold of her and make her help us," Vanessa said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" questioned Sarah.

"No need, for I am here."

Everyone swirled around to the new voice in the room. Before them stood Nix, in all of her golden glory, a smile splayed on her face.

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