Chapter Seven

The hours that remained until her rendezvous with Raul, Dean and Ray, gave Helena some time to reflect on the past two days, particularly on her conversation that morning with the “second son”, as she used to call Dean. His calmness had annoyed her, but it was rather typical of him. Self-control and a cool head were his inherent qualities, ever since she had met him. It would take something really special to scare or upset Dean Bradford. Obviously, that “something” was not an inquisitive federal agent. Still, in spite of his attitude, there was validity in his words. Even if the coroner managed to determine the cause of death of everybody in the science facility that day, how would that exactly implicate any of them? As far as the FBI was concerned, they were all ordinary people. They had no idea of the existence of the shifter kind, vampires or witches. Shifters had been masterful at keeping their secret. The government was blissfully unaware of the magical creatures that had been dwelling in the country for generations.

That night, Helena set off from Roman’s sanctuary, with a sense of anticipation and excitement. The last time she had been on a similar meeting, the four of them had defeated the rival pack of Dominic. Of course, she wasn’t intending to repeat that battle – after all, they couldn’t take on an entire clan of vampires all by themselves – but the mere memory of that pack’s destruction was enough to put a smile on her face. They had all fought bravely that night, and, if it hadn’t been for Julia’s near fatal injury, it would have been a perfect victory.

As she neared “Joe’s” diner, however, something bewildered her. Although the parking lot was full, the pack’s favorite place was unusually quiet. This silence eerily reminded her of the days they believed Ray to be dead. But, the reason for their behavior was not the death of any member. There were two, black SUV’s, parked in the upper right corner of the lot. The FBI... The presence of humans had forced them to act nicely. In an instant, the witch averted her gaze from the interior, and lowered her head. Tucking away her staff in her black cloak, she brought her attention to the towering trees up ahead. The Bradford’s were already there, standing between two balsam firs, and, for some reason she couldn’t fathom, they were in high spirits, as they awaited her. She could hear their laughter from thirty yards away.

“Arooooo!” howled Ray, shutting his eyes, as he tilted his head up. “There she is, ladies and gentlemen: Paxton’s very own smoking redhead!”

“Smoking?” asked Helena, squinting up at him, hurriedly closing the distance between them. “What are you blubbering about, young one?”

“You,” Raul answered her question on behalf of his brother, biting his lower lip. “Those fools have been in there for a while. Three of them keep bringing you up, calling you ‘hot’; ‘sexy’; ‘smoking’; stuff like that. They mocked the fourth one for falling asleep last night. Poor guy: I kind of felt for him.”

“What did he say?” Helena’s heart fluttered, as she completed her question. Her initial curiosity turned into sheer disappointment and anger, in the blink of an eye. This time though, she wasn’t mad at anyone else, other than herself. Cliff was the forbidden fruit she could never taste.

“Whoa!” Ray exclaimed, as his grin vanished. “You want to know what he said. How come? You’re interested?”

“Please, answer me,” she asked Raul, ignoring Ray’s curiosity.

“Actually…” the Alpha snorted in amusement. “He threatened the most persistent one with a beating, if he went on. He stood up for you. He said something like ‘I doubt I’d get lucky, even if I was sober. She looks like a real lady.’”

If Cliff didn’t carry a badge, she would gladly react to this compliment with a broad smile. Still, Helena had to hide the joy that Raul’s small narrative sent into her heart. She dropped her gaze from him, unwilling to offer him any kind of rebuttal. Nevertheless, the Alpha was smart. He could sense her nervousness. He could also hear her heartbeat, escalating more and more by the second. Raul reached towards her, and put his hand on her shoulder, as he leaned closer to her.

“Look, Dean and Ray told me about what you did last night,” he spoke in a tender voice, running his thumb along her skin. “It was very noble, but it was unnecessary. Dean’s right. They can’t accuse any one of us for anything. It’s pretty obvious you like him. I’m not going to be the one to tell you how to live your life, Helena. Don’t let his job stop you.”

“What did you just say?” she asked, her lips curling into a hesitant smile, as her gaze shot up to meet his.

“You heard me,” he winked down at her. “Just remember he’s not going to be here long.”

“Thank you,” Helena whispered, finally allowing her smile to broaden into a grin. “This means a lot to me.”

“Don’t thank me,” Raul urged, shaking his head in disapproval. “Like I said, you’re a free woman. Now…” He paused, and cast a sideways glance down at Dean. “Can we go hunt some vampires?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” replied Dean reacted to his brother’s wily look with a wink, as they all turned around, almost simultaneously.

“Boys, don’t tell me we’re actually going searching for the clan,” Helena responded, a touch of anxiety in her tone.

“Of course not,” Raul rejected that notion. “We don’t have any information about them. We need to know numbers and proximity. All we know is what that prick told Martin and Jimmy.”

“Good,” Helena gave a satisfied nod, as they trotted off into the forest. “Where did your scouts find that vampire again?”

“About a mile and a half northeast from here,” the Alpha uttered in a firm tone. “I can’t believe the nerve of those bastards. Darryl was plotting to destroy us, and they want to start a war with us, because I killed him? What were they expecting me to do, bend over?”

“There’s no such thing as ‘logic’ in the world of vampires, Raul,” Helena muttered, stepping over a large stone that blocked her path. “Also, I don’t buy that scout’s story. Vampires are heartless creatures. Other than their mates, they don’t have any love for their kind. They simply tolerate each other, because they can harm one another. I think Darryl’s murder is just an excuse for them to invade Paxton.”

“Are you trying to make me hate them more?” Raul teased, ducking under a low-hanging branch. “I mean, they “tolerate” each other? That’s all that holds a clan together? What about respect or discipline?”

“Those are unknown principles to them, my dear firstborn,” she chuckled, hopping over a pile of brush. “All they understand is power.”

“Then I’ll make sure to show them mine,” he grumbled, his breath getting heavier, as his face stiffened. “I respected Dominic, when his pack came over here. He warned us, he even gave us time to think about his offer. Alright, what he suggested was total crap, but at least he didn’t attempt any surprise attacks. Sure, he wanted to kill us all, but, he had honor. Those bloodsuckers have none.”

“That’s true; but, do not underestimate them in the field of battle,” Helena advised, her tone of voice becoming more serious. “I saw the whole thing between you and Darryl. He was lightning fast, but don’t think for a second that speed is their only skill. They can jump, they can climb trees like monkeys, and a handful of them can also read minds.”

“Well, that sucks,” Ray commented, brushing past a tall, thorny bush. “Will we be able to tell if someone is trying to read our minds?”

“Usually, their body language gives them away,” Helena replied, tossing a quick glance over at Ray. “Look for a smirk, a facial muscle twitch, a sneer… They can’t do it to everybody, though. Some minds are so well defended that even they cannot read them.”

“Ok, you lost me.” Raul confessed. “What do you mean ‘well defended’?”

“It’s a matter of concentration and willpower.” Helena explained, as her boots sank in the muddy soil. “When you cross paths with a vampire, you must be focused on him and him alone. Control your thoughts; do not let your mind roam to anything or anyone else. The thought of your loved ones might be beautiful and inspiring. It motivates you to destroy him, but it distracts you from your purpose, and it also reveals to him your weaknesses. This is one of the two things shifters and vampires have in common. They love to take advantage of their rivals’ weaknesses. There’s rank in their clans as well, just like there is in shifters’ packs. They have an Alpha. If you take him out, they’ll probably scatter in disarray.”

“What about his second in command; isn’t he in charge, until they find another Alpha?” Raul wondered, looking at the thinning vegetation around him. The trees that had been blocking their view so far, were now few and between. Any bushes close to their roots were much smaller than the ones they had walked past, and brush piles had disappeared altogether. In their stead, were just a few, dry twigs lying here and there. The sparse moonlight allowed Helena to see a clearing, just a few yards up ahead.

“The Alpha’s lieutenants are there just to maintain the order among them, while their leader is alive,” the witch replied, as her lips curved into a sarcastic smile. “If he dies, it’s every vamp for himself. Like I said, there is no loyalty to anybody, other than their mates.”

“Stop,” Raul ordered, thrusting his arm to the side, across Helena’s chest, his feet planted to the ground like boulders, inches away from a large elm tree. Closing his eyes, he tipped his head up. Just then, Dean and Ray’s raging snarls tore through the silence, as they gazed out at the clearing. The tall grass had been flattened on its far end, close to the other edge of the forest. Helena pulled her staff from her cloak, catching a glimpse of somebody’s mass, leaning over something, his back turned to them. The Bradford’s reaction told her what the creature was. It was a vampire, savoring his kill. She felt every fine hair in her body raised, as she realized that this was not typical vampire behavior. He was out in the open: exposed; vulnerable to attack from all sides. Helena had to take action, before the brothers did anything that would give away their presence.

“Don’t move a muscle,” she whispered, causing the Alpha’s eyes to snap open.

“Oh Khalista – benevolent and strong

Greatest of witches – Our brightest light

Bless me with the power to right this wrong

Trust me with the gift of sight beyond sight”

Every cold sensation on her skin ceased, as she uttered the last few words of the incantation. A mere glance down at Raul and his brothers was enough to explain to her why. She was leaving her body. In fact, just two seconds afterwards, Dean reached out, grabbed her by the arm, and shook her. But, she couldn’t waste any time in gauging the Bradford’s reactions. Helena had much more vital business to attend to. Bird’s nests on the thick tree branches filled her line of sight, as she rose higher and higher from the ground. Tiny pools of frost had formed on a few leaves. Small drops of water were streaming down the surface of those that had eluded the frost.

The witch hovered over the tree, locking her gaze on the vampire in the clearing. Indeed, he had made a kill. He had punched a hole into an unfortunate deer’s throat. The animal itself lay dead, as the creature sucked its blood out. Helena averted her gaze from what she knew already, eager to find an answer to what she didn’t. And, as she glanced out into the forest, she discovered why he was all alone, seemingly not afraid of being attacked. His clan was scattered around the woods, but close enough to provide a helping hand. And, shockingly, they were far more than she expected. The vampires were too dispersed for her to count how many there were; yet, they had to be at least three times as many as the wolves in Raul’s pack.

In a split second, she returned to her body. Sucking in a deep breath, she swayed back, as the Alpha reached, and grabbed her by the waist.

“Helena! Helena!” he whispered, his face hard with tension. “What happened? You froze for God’s sake.”

“I saw him; and them,” she spoke too fast, breathing in pants, as she looked up at him. “Don’t even thing about starting a fight with them tonight. There are too many of them, Raul.”

“How many are we talking about here?” Dean asked her, his baritone full of worry.

“Forty-five, perhaps fifty; and they’re close,” Helena responded, turning her head to the right to face him. “The loner in the clearing is bait.”

“Damn!” Raul groaned, jerking his head in a spasm of frustration. “Boys...” he said on an exhale. “Let’s get the hell out of here. There’s nothing we can do, anyway.”

Dean and Ray nodded assent, as the witch caught her breath. She might have just saved them yet again from certain death, but she had forfeited any will to even mention it. The wolves of Sutton Valley were vastly outnumbered. With the Redfield clan in the forest that bore her name, they were facing imminent death; and now, Helena had to, once again, be the resourceful and caring co-protector they had grown to know and love. She had to figure out a way to keep her dearest family from harm, and away from the deadly clutches of the vampires on their doorstep. Her only hope was that she would rise up to this challenge.