Chapter 25

Lucas~

The twins have been arguing for the last 3 hours and both Camille and I are at our wit's end. They never fucking shut up and if it weren't for the chains binding me to the moss-covered walls, I'd have probably shut them up myself. They continue to bicker about whose fault it is that we ended up here when Camille lets out a startling growl that shuts them both up, "For Goddess' sake, both of you shut the hell up! it's because of both of you that we ended up here and I don't want to hear another word about it because eventually I will get free and I will rip you both to pieces so for the love of goddess be quiet!" They send each other one last glare before turning away from each other, plunging the cell into an eerie silence. We all stare at each other from our corners, some with worry, some with malice, and some with regret. The last few days hang heavy between us, none wanting to cast the blame but all secretly knowing who's responsible. Without her, none of this would've happened and now there's a massive shitstorm approaching. I just hope we're prepared for it and that she's ready to face the consequences of what she's done.

flashback~

"Now listen here you little bitch, you're going to tell me exactly what I need to know or so help me god I will drive this dagger right through your cold, dark heart" I've never seen Camille this hostile before and it would've worried me if it weren't for the collective hatred we all felt towards the vampire still in Jackson's hold. A vampire whom I apparently used to cheat on Lia and who turned out to be Jackson's evil sister. I run my fingers through my hair, mentally exhausted because of everything that's been happening the last couple of weeks. First I find out my all-time crush is a witch, then a werewolf, then a vampire, I meet her ex who knows everything about her, find out she's a princess and now she's gone missing after I cheated on her (which I don't remember) with this girl (whom I also don't remember).

I tune back into the conversation where Camille is dragging the dagger over Julia's skin, making it sizzle like some barbecue chicken. Although chicken doesn't smell that bad. I scrunch up my nose at the smell of burning flesh while Julia hisses out in pain. Camille has an evil smirk on her face, clearly enjoying this. I wonder what vampires ever did to her. "So you ready to talk?"

She plunges the dagger into Julia's thigh, making her scream out in pain. According to Camille, this dagger is extremely dangerous to vampires and if it stays embedded in their skin for too long they could die. She screams out and Camille yanks the dagger out, "Okay fine I'll talk. I was sent here by King Raymond to break up the tribrid and her mate. He wants her for himself and now that she's lost all faith in the bond, he'll have her." She's panting while we're all in shock, all except for Camille. She opens her mouth to talk but Julia beats her to it, "She was also part of the plan." We all question who 'she' is but one look at the glare Julia is sending her way clears up any confusion, "That little mut was all part of this. I saw her with the king almost every week, talking about your precious tribrid, feeding him information to take her down. She's just as a part of this as I am." Jackson and I turn to Camille in pure shock. Jackson recovers from the shock first and throws his sister to the side before diving at Camille and tackling her to the ground.

He hisses at her and bares his fangs while she bares her canines, trying to kick him off her but failing miserably. I may not like him but I can tell he cares about Lia more than anything and by the look of rage evident on his face, he's not letting Cammie off easy. He grabs her throat and pushes her back to the ground, "Why would you do that to her?!" His voice is thick with anger and his eyes glow the deepest red.

Camille struggles against his hold and growls at him," I had no choice, he had my mate and would kill him if I didn't do as he said. I never wanted to hurt Lia and I had no idea he'd do this." I decide to step in before this went too far.

"Look, I'm just as mad as you Jackson but right now our top priority is getting to Lia and telling her the truth. She'll decide what happens to Camille and Julia but until then we have to focus on getting to her first." He lets go of her and moves back to Julia, making sure she doesn't escape.

Finally, Camille speaks up, "We need to get back to the pack now. If the vampire king is after Lia he won't stop until he gets her. She's weakened because of the betrayal by her mate so it'll be easier for him to get to her so we have to get to her first." We all nod and run towards Camille's car. Jackson throws Julia in the backseat while he and Cammie get in the front, forcing me to sit with Julia. "We'll ditch the car by the border then Jackson and Julia will take off while Lucas rides on my back. We'll be faster that way. Lia needs the truth." The engine comes to life and we shoot out of the parking lot, driving well above the speed limit and possibly breaking the sound barrier by the way Camille is driving. We take sharp turns, plus a bunch of illegal ones, and stop right at the forest's end. We all get out of the car and walk towards the forest.

Julia climbs on Jackson's back and I faintly hear him telling her something, "If you try to escape I will not hesitate to kill you. You may have been my sister long ago but now you're just a traitor." Camille starts covering herself in blue powder.

I give her a questioning look, "As you know Lia is a witch and she made this powder that keeps my clothes intact after I shift back." I hear the sound of bones cracking and when I look back at her I see a glorious golden brown wolf about 5ft in height. Her wolf is a lot smaller than Lia's, which makes sense since Lia is an alpha. I get on her back and all four of us take off through the forest. I have no idea where they're going but they seem like they have a pretty good idea. My mind is racing and all I can think about is my sweet Leia, who thinks I betrayed her, that I didn't want her but I do and I'll make sure to remind her of that every single day for the rest of our lives.

Camille suddenly stops and sniffs the air, making Jackson stop too. In the distance, I see something and realize why they stopped. Vampires, a lot of them, as camping out near a river, and from what I've learned, this isn't exactly their territory. We move quietly, trying to get around them when Julia starts struggling against Jackson's hold. "You're hurting me you asshole!"

"Better hurt than dead."

"Oh, as if you'd kill your own sister!"

"Like I said you're not my sister! You turned your back on everything mom and dad taught us when we were kids so don't dare call yourself my family!" I shush them both and they shut up for now.

Everything is suddenly too quiet. I look around, trying to spot where the vampires are when I hear a shot being fired, and Camille falls to the ground unconscious. Two more shots are fired and Jackson and Julia go down too. The last thing I see is the evil glint of glowing red eyes before I feel a sting and everything goes dark.

End of flashback

"Well, just for the record none of this would've happened without the mut over there!" I have no idea how Jackson lasted that long with this girl because Julia just never shuts up. They start arguing again but this time it's Camille against Julia, with occasional input from Jackson.

I groan and lay my head back against the brick wall. Suddenly we hear the sound of boots clicking against the cobblestone floor. Everyone is quiet as we wait to see who it is.

A man appears with a sinister smirk on his face. Well, at first I thought he was a man but judging from the ruby eyes, large pointy fangs, and black cloak I'd say he's probably a vampire, "The king of vampires." He finishes my thought. What the heck? Did this guy just read my mind? "Yes, Mr. Maxwell I did and I can do so much more than just read your mind." He hisses and bares his fangs making me jump slightly. He lets out an evil laugh and starts walking away," How you were supposed to be the next king, the goddess alone would know."

"Wait, you're Majesty what about me? I've only ever done exactly what you asked of me, you can't possibly leave me here!" In a flash, he's inside the cell with his hand wrapped around Julia's throat. She starts struggling against his hold as he lifts her up higher and higher from the ground.

"You lost that privilege when you gave up my plan you little rat. Now you'll rot in here with the rest of them while I take over the supernatural kingdom." He lets go of her throat and she drops to the ground, wheezing and coughing. "Oh but don't worry, I'll make sure to save each of you a front-row seat." and with that, he disappears into the shadows. We all share a look of distress as the reality of the situation sets in. The vampire king is after Lia and she has no idea and we have no way of reaching her. I look at Julia, still panting on the ground. If he did that to someone he raised, someone he saw as his own daughter, what would he do to the people standing in his way?