HUNTED-Chapter 308: Preparations: Part One

Aila chased after Cassius leading outside to where black SUV after black SUV turned up and parked. The windows were tinted to the point there was no transparency. The driver doors opened, and they opened the boot door to reveal coffins. The drivers and others who sat in the front carried a coffin between them towards the castle.

Aila watched in disbelief as they continued to unload the cars, depositing the coffins inside the entryway. Shutters automatically drew down the windows diminishing any light inside the castle. Aila was too unsettled to comment about the coffins; she already knew they were full of vampires. But why did they travel during the day?

"There is no time to waste," Cassius responded to her thought casually, then further explained, "An army of lycans isn’t enough, sadly. But I do have many who follow my beliefs, and being the Vampire King does come with quirks."

An army of lycans wasn’t enough. How many vampires were arriving?

Aila looked at Cassius’ triumphant expression causing her blood to boil. He thought he had her wrapped around his little finger. He had before, but not now. The vampire was taking this too far. World domination? What an idiot.

Cassius hissed in her direction, his hand instantly around her neck in a flash. With his fangs glinting before her, it was a warning to watch her thoughts. His fingers dug into her skin, but it did not hurt, nor was he purposely trying to hurt her. She could tell through the bond. But his vampiric speed was still startling even to her.

"What about it makes me an idiot, Aila?" He asked in a low, dangerous voice. Before she could answer, he continued as his free hand moved strands of her hair away from her face. "I have had many years to plan, and it is now coming together wonderfully. A war is coming, Aila. Be happy you are on the right side of it. You are a fool if you think humans will win."

"So many will die. Do you not fear anything, Cass?" Aila whispered as she stared into his intense eyes, fear blossoming in her stomach as she stared at him. Cassius removed his hand from her neck and gripped her shoulders, his thumbs stroking soothingly as though he knew the fear she felt was from what was to come. But Aila also feared for Cassius in some strange way.

Could she blame these feelings on the master-childe bond, or was it because of some twisted relationship between the two?

There were times when he knew her better than herself, or maybe just the vampire side of her, and other than the severe, more than fricken extreme occasions where he’d been horrid, Cassius was okay to hang with. It made her shudder to think such things, especially with everything he had done.

But there was some part of her that really did fear for Cassius because there was no doubt in her mind that this wouldn’t go his way. She was done playing by his rules, after all.

"I am a god, Aila. I cannot be touched. I cannot be killed," he replied confidently as though he had read her thoughts.

"A god? Strong words. I know you’re a King of vampires, but.."

"I am a god," Cassius interrupted, his face completely serious.

Aila paused, reading his expression with uncertainty. "What the.."

"Gabriel and I, we are sons of Hades, God of the underworld," he paused a moment, letting his words sink in.

But Aila just stared at him incredulously. No, a damned god? A mythical… Aila’s thoughts about mythology only being in books trailed off as she realised she wasn’t a human anymore. She was a part of a world where supernatural creatures existed. The Moon Goddess was real. She’d even met her on her ritual night.

Aila gulped, wondering if Cassius was messing with her, though. He was powerful and incredibly old, and both he and Gabriel had shown these magical powers if that was what they were. Was he truly a god? A son of.. Hades.

"Unlike our siblings, we had different powers.. vampiric, among other things," Cassius continued like he’d reported the weather to her and not announced that he and Gabriel were real gods. Gods of the underworld?

"If.." Aila began, biting her tongue as her thoughts kept running away from her. "If you’re a god.. why are you here? Why are you so adamant on.." Taking over the world. She really did want to laugh at even stating that, though he had already pointed out his reasoning.

Aila understood it; she really did, even though she had only been a werewolf for less than two months and a hybrid under another two. Still, she could see why Cassius would want the supernatural creatures to come out of hiding, but he wanted to rule over them. Sure, he’d helped Gabriel rule over vampires, but that was the vampires. They were talking about ruling over everyone, right?

"Because things shouldn’t be how they are," Cassius snapped and marched off, done discussing this with her. Still, he called over his shoulder, "Don’t do anything stupid, Aila. Be in the courtyard at 8. That’s not a request."

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Aila watched his walk blur his body until he was gone. It wasn’t a request, nor had he ordered her through the master-childe bond. Still, there was no reason not to be there, but Aila was nervous after seeing those coffins coming into the castle. As it were, more cars and vans arrived, and from the way, Cassius’ staff came to help and remained at the entrance- there were many more to come.

Aila walked away, heading toward the dungeons as she felt guilt tighten its iron grip on her stomach, twisting and turning. The lycans didn’t deserve any of this. They didn’t deserve to be turned into what they were and experimented on, and they didn’t deserve to be put in another cell.

Walking down the long hallway, Aila stopped and leaned her hip against an open door frame to one of the drawing rooms. Another TV was placed in there, and it was on. This time, the news reported a mass murder inside the building near where the fight took place. It was the hunters’ HQ. Already, they were questioning whether it was the ’superhumans’ and ’wolves’ who attacked so many people.

It then concluded, while showing footage of the now cleaned-out building where the massacre occurred, that there were people who knew of the ’beings’. The world was yet to call them by a term, but there was a rippling effect of terror already. Aila watched in disbelief that the hunters hadn’t tried to clean up, removing any evidence of their involvement.

Instead, the footage showed the top ten list, the documentation of werewolves and other beings.

The world would soon learn what really lived among them. Aila began to turn around until the reporter spoke of a message left in blood on the window in one of the offices. Her heart stopped beating, and she paled.

"Nice one, A," Malia growled. "You just couldn’t help yourself. Now they’re going to villainise you."

On the window was the threat she’d left behind for the hunters to find.

’One down, many to go. Stop killing and experimenting on us! – AC.’