Chapter Sixteen
Dark Shadow’s Defeat
Valentine’s eyes were sparkling with great pleasure, thrilled at what the mixture Edward had developed could do to a lycan. “It looks dangerous, and I like it.”
Edward smiled. “Yes, my lord, it’s very dangerous and effective just as what you prefer,” he said, impressing Valentine in the hopes of getting some credit for his masterpiece.
“Let’s put it to action whether it really works because if it doesn’t you know what will happen to you, right?”
He brought his head down. “Yes, my lord, I-I surely do,” he stuttered.
“Bring out the lycan,” Valentine ordered.
Levi dragged a good-looking man whose feet and wrists were tied up. The poor guy struggled as he tried to escape.
“Open his mouth.”
Levi forced the lycan’s mouth open.
Valentine dropped the mixture into the guy’s mouth down to his throat and then threw the bottle out the window.
Edward crossed his fingers, hoping for the mixture to work.
Five minutes had ticked by and nothing still happened. Valentine’s patience was quickly running low as he hated waiting. Just as when he was about to burst in anger, the lycan’s mouth started foaming and in a matter of seconds, the poor guy blew up, his flesh scattered all over the place. His blood painted the walls and tinted the window glass.
Valentine sniggered, tapping Edward on the shoulder. “Good job.” He shifted his gaze to Levi. “Let’s go. Lucas is waiting.”
He grinned with a cunning look on his face. “Yes, my lord.”
***
Lucas knew Valentine was looking for him so he led him away from a crowded area to the nearest forest where no human would get hurt. He went alone. Standing for half an hour, all he could hear were the birds twitting. He couldn’t sense Valentine nor any dark shadow’s presence sent by the dark lord.
Until –
He jumped off the ground as soon as he heard a screeching sound from under the ground. They were hiding in it all along. These dark shadows weren’t usual assassins – these guys were the primitive of old; they were called the millennial because they had lived way back in time. It seemed Valentine had woken them up from their graves and were using them as puppets to get rid of him.
But Lucas wouldn’t go without a fight. He’d learned about the millennial during his training so all he needed to do now was to remember how to put them back to their graves.
They came forth, dashing out of the ground with their swords. They encircled him as they stepped closer, eating up the distance as to corner him. Observing them, he noticed one thing in common; their eyes were flaming red and their movement synchronized. For sure, Valentine was manipulating them. So, he thought since they were connected to the dark lord he could use them to harm him, and even kill him because he was in them. Great idea.
They drew their swords and began swinging them at him. Without any weapon to defend himself, he was forced to rely on his flexibility and physical strength. He couldn’t transform into a wolf form because of the absence of the moon where he gained his supernatural strength from.
One of the millennials tried to stab him on the side, but he managed to avoid it and kicked the mongrel away as he broke its neck. But it was of no use. The puppet remained strong despite the damage done to it. Only then he’d figured out they were already dead so they couldn’t die for the second time.
He cussed a swear word as his frustration grew in intensity. He realized it would take him quite a long time to defeat them. This was Valentine’s tactics. He was exhausting Lucas so that he could kill him instantly.
At once, they attacked him. He couldn’t do anything but avoid them. He tried to stab them through the heart, but it wasn’t their weakness. He also tried knocking them down through the head, but it didn’t work. But still, he kept trying until he felt his strength diminishing. He was now panting. He hadn’t eaten a fresh carcass for a while and that had a serious effect on his diet, thus to his overall stamina.
Lucas doubted he could endure fighting them any longer. They didn’t seem to get tired no matter how much punches he gave them. “I’m sorry, Anna, but I don’t think I could go on any further,” he whispered under his breath, trying to telepath with her.
But it was Vincent who heard him.
Out of nowhere, he appeared. He was told to keep Anna and Samantha in a safe place, but he chose to follow him secretly, knowing he would his help. “Strike them on the back,” he yelled out.
Lucas turned in his direction and frowned with delight, giving him hope that he was not alone, that there are people waiting for him to come home. Instead of yelling back at him to show his gratitude, he tried what Vincent had said and struck these puppets on the back. And surprisingly, it worked! Punching them in the back forced Valentine’s ghosts to escape out of them and as it happened, they turned back into ashes and the wind drifted them to where they belonged.
Valentine wasn’t too happy about Vincent’s intervention so he ordered Levi to get rid of him. Out of the dark smoke, Levi appeared and gave Vincent an unexpected punch on the face, almost breaking his nose. He disappeared into a smoke again and this time he hit him on the back, knocking Vincent to the ground. Levi was playing on him because he knew he was half-human and half-wolf so his strength wasn’t as strong as a pure lycan. Little did he know he was a hybrid – stronger than a lycan.
Vincent’s temper got out of control and he transformed into a werewolf without the presence of the moon. He closed his eyes and listened to Levi’s presence. When he sensed Levi approaching, he flung his arm against his direction, knocking him down to the ground. He shook his head, trying to clear off the dizziness. He pulled his gun and pointed it to Vincent, but Theresa came into the scene and jumped on Levi.
He struggled to get her off of him, but she was like a leech, hard to removed. She twisted his neck and palmed his head away from his body. Only she got off of him. Now she felt satisfied to have finally avenged Chris.
She dusted her hands off. “That’s how it’s done, boy,” she said smiling at him.
They turned to Lucas who had two more left to finish, but Valentine, seeing Levi body lying on the ground lifeless was shaken to his soul. His most loyal servant was now dead. He tried to order Maverick to fight, but he chickened out and went on his way. Now he had to face them alone.
He revealed himself. “This is not the end. Upon my return, I will take what is rightfully mine,” he said as he withdrew and retrieved his ghosts from the remaining millennial.
In shared relief, they all sighed with tears of joy in their eyes.
***
Meanwhile, Garth and the rest of New York’s Police Department were out battling the dark shadows. They were led by none the other than Anna, and of course, her little sister, Samantha who’d made up her mind to shift her degree to criminology and become like her sister. Epilogue
Walking along the beach, Anna couldn’t believe what they had gone through. Months ago, she did not have the slightest idea that there were more kinds of creatures in the world apart from humankind, but now she was with him, a lycan who defied both his kind and opposing kind to protect her, she couldn’t ask for more but a continuous peaceful life.
She inhaled the fresh afternoon breeze. “I want to live by the sea and watch the waves come in. I want to feel the sand on my feet and smell the salt water.”
Lucas wrapped his right arm around her shoulder. “Everything can come true if you just believe,” he said as he kneeled down and caressed her baby bump. “We’ll never live in the forest. We’ll live right where we are.”
He stood back up and imparted a mellifluous kiss on her lips.
***
A few months ago, they had purchased a humble shack close to the sea. Anna had finally given birth to a baby girl and they couldn’t be any happier. The dark shadows had surrendered to the lycans after Valentine had abandoned them. But little did they know he’d done it on purpose.
But the question was, what scheme was he planning against Lucas and Anna?