HUNTED-Chapter 302: Chaos in the streets (1)

Rushing down the backstreets, Damon felt like a damned coward fleeing and leaving behind his mate. He wanted to take Aila with him. Fuck Cassius and fuck Davian. Though he knew the hybrid had no choice in the damned matter. Still. Fuck ’em!

He’d left Aila right when she was vulnerable. To have seen the fear behind her eyes revolted at herself, it was plain to see without feeling the bond or hearing her mumbling curses at herself.

"She is not alone," Darius’ majestic voice rumbled through him. "That punk, Harry, is there, and Davian does seem to care for her.."

It was true and strange his wolf was the one to remain calm and not try to kidnap their mate back. "Oh, I’m as calm as any storm. The next time we meet our dear little spitfire will be the last time we part," he replied simply as though it was a matter of fact. Damon could feel his wolf mentally preparing and planning ahead.

Darius was calm because he wasn’t accepting the situation. Neither was he, but he remained in more control than his wolf.

"Alpha!"

Damon and Esme stopped as Delta Finn, and Beta Kane jumped down from one of the small rooftops. He began to turn away again, adamant about leaving the scene. "Gabriel is trapped," Finn announced before Damon could take another step.

He looked back at his Delta, then glanced at Esme, but she was already sprinting down the street where they’d come from.

Shit, Esme might be as good at fighting as his Gamma, but he couldn’t afford to lose the rogue. What if something happened to her while trying to get to Gabriel? And if Cassius and Gabriel were fighting, why did he take off like a pup with his tail between his legs?

He should have gone straight to Gabriel and helped him take down Cassius.

"It’s not too late," Darius growled, making his eyes glow brightly.

Damon bared his teeth. "Let’s not keep the Vampire King waiting!" He barked, setting off after Esme and towards the vampire he begrudgingly didn’t mind. "Where’s Ajax?"

Finn was right on his heel as he replied, "The skies. Do you want him with us on the ground?"

Damon glanced up, then shook his head. "I heard he’s not the greatest at fighting, and I can’t have Chiara losing another she loves." His thoughts momentarily went to Xander and how capable at fighting he was to have fallen to a rogue attack. Finn nodded, most likely relaying his message to the shapeshifter.

All three of them paused as they entered the street leading to the Hunters’ headquarters. Esme had flat-out tackled Cassius to the ground, a dagger to his throat as she yelled in his face. "Where is he!?"

"Nyx, I can’t tell you that," Cassius replied calmly, even with the she-wolf’s dagger gleaming dangerously, cutting slightly into his skin, making his blood trickle down his throat. "And you still won’t have your answer by killing me."

With that, Cassius ripped the dagger from her and threw her across from him. She backflipped and skidded across the road on her feet and knee. Stopping just before the oncoming traffic of a crossroads. Esme glared at the vampire and started a sprint towards him before completely vanishing into a fume of black smoke and reappearing as she crashed into Cassius again.

This time, he expected it and twisted them, so she was flipped onto her back, and he sent her dagger across the road into a car’s tire. Not any car, but their fricken car! Cassius gripped her wrists into the ground, sitting on her buckling hips. Esme screamed and cried, her nails growing into claws.

Damon realised it had to be hard facing someone who looked exactly like the person she loved. He also snapped out of his stupor, assessing the scene and finding Gabriel was just in front of the hunters’ headquarters. Gabriel was as still as a statue, surrounded in glowing red light, bands of red around his arms and legs, and he watched silently as his brother held the she-wolf to the ground.

Did Esme not see him? Did Cassius compel her? "Finn, rescue Gabriel," Damon mind-linked an order, not thinking much about the witch. He just needed to be distracted, or maybe his Delta would save time and kill him? "Kane, let’s handle this bastard."

"On it!"

Esme continued to struggle under Cassius. "Stop fighting. I cannot hurt you," he hissed into her ear, making Damon pause for a moment, wondering what he meant. He tucked that knowledge in his mind for a later time.

In answer, the she-wolf chuckled darkly, sneering at him. "Why? Don’t fancy my father’s wrath?!"

There was obviously something else going on that he knew nothing about. But whatever it was didn’t matter, they needed Gabriel, and he needed his Aila back. He charged towards Cassius and Esme, who noted him out of the corner of her eyes, dissipating a mere second before Damon shifted and bared his teeth into Cassius’ side.

High above the action below, Aila and Davian hissed in agony, clutching at their side. They stared at each other and then released a heavy breath before looking down at the street below. Aila felt this pounding in her head, her heart pinching until it might burst as she saw Damon and Cassius fighting one another and a golden wolf, Beta Kane, aiding him.

Davian grabbed her arm, his eyes flicking between hers. "Leave. Get out of here," he urged. "Before we are summoned, or the bond becomes too strong to.." They both shuddered at a sharp pain in their wrist. Then Aila alone whimpered at the stabbing pain in her chest. She was feeling both Cassius’ injuries and her mates.

It was agonising. Not the pain she could deal with that but knowing her mate was down there fighting and hurting!

"Aila, Davian. Come. I need you," Cassius’ voice floated in her mind, fogging her sight until her body started moving automatically in response to his command.

Harry jumped forwards, unaware of what Aila and Davian were being ordered to do. Aila shrugged his hand away from her before hopping over the side of the building like it was only a storey high. "Wait!" He shouted after Aila, then looked at Davian, who smacked his hand, and Harry flew across the ground. He looked up to see the hybrid also hopping off the roof.

Not being a pussy and hating the unknown, Harry raced after them, jumping over the side, sliding down pipework, his claws scratching against the building as he watched the streets. Humans darted from the area, screaming, others shouting about demons; he followed them, pointing fingers at a giant black werewolf with silver eyes and another of golden fur.

It was the Silver Crescent pack’s own Alpha King and his Beta. They were both widely known, even among the rogues. ButHarry dropped his gaze to the red hue glowing against the walls, and his eyes widened at what must have been a warlock. He’d heard stories of witches and been told they existed but to see it in person was different entirely.

Especially when that warlock purposely throws a glowing red ball towards his face. Harry pushed off the building, landing into a crouch as he faced the warlock, noting another man, no werewolf lunging towards him. But he was too slow, and the ball of energy that had been thrown at Harry slammed into him.

"Ooft!" Finn crumbled to the ground, feeling a burn, tightening his chest, and the smell of burnt flesh wafted to his nose. He groaned some more but dived to the side when another flash of light charged towards him. He wanted to shift, but surely that would make the warlock’s target much easier to hit?

Again, Finn jumped across the ground and darted behind a pillar. "Finn, do you need help?" Damon’s voice roared through a mind-link, one he felt had expanded and connected to Kane. The Delta searched for his Alpha, finding him and Kane battling Cassius. The vampire was powerful enough to keep up with them, and every strike that landed on either werewolf sent them sprawling across the ground.

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"Do you need help!?"

Suddenly talons ripped into his neck, and he dropped to the ground, covering his face and readying to strike. But then the bird hopped to the ground, looking up at him, and shook its head at him almost in exasperation. "Pay attention!" Ajax mind-linked him. Understanding shot through the Delta, and he looked up to see smoke coming out of the pillar and it beginning to groan.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Finn sprinted from the area with Ajax flying by his side. The pillar crumbled, collapsing parts of the building’s first floor and ripping out electrics and plumbing.

Within that time, the warlock had made a mistake, the red magic surrounding Gabriel zapped out, and Esme suddenly appeared by his side. He instantly grabbed her hand, and in a blur, the couple escaped the onslaught of bricks. Unfortunately, the warlock was also freed, and he was not done with Gabriel.

Esme and Gabriel faced the warlock, the little she-wolf crouched into a fighting position, the tips of her fingers turning into shadows. The warlock raised his hands, red electrical bolts flickering in them, readying to send to the pair. But the black hawk, Ajax, flew into him, his talons ripping into his face. The warlock screamed, whacking at him.

"Who said I couldn’t fight, booooy!" Ajax mind-linked Finn as he continued to distract the warlock.

But just as a bit of hope began to emerge in the darkness of Finn’s eyes, they landed on his Queen. At first, his chest lightened at seeing her, bloodied and all, white locks dipped in red, but then he caught sight of her blazing eyes, red specks glowing with the blue. He’d seen her angry before, but there was something different about her, something that didn’t seem right.

That was when she tried to take Esme out as Davian locked fists with Gabriel.