Filed to story: Werewolfs Heartsong by Dizzy Izzy
“They came out of nowhere. There were only two of them but it was enough to terrify me because I only had one guard on me.
We went into the woods because I was looking for a picnic spot. I know I shouldn’t have been there but I just wanted a sense of normalcy, you know. We fought them but I was worried that they had come into the palace or something.”
“The palace is well defended. Everything is fine, the girls are too,” I assured her and I saw her breathe a sigh of relief. “They’re with Ryker by the door right now, he probably doesn’t want them to see all of this. Do you think you can stand?” She didn’t respond but she tried to pull herself to her feet. I had to help her and although she stumbled, she was able to find her footing. She tried to assure me that she was fine but there was no way that I was going to let her go on her own so I stayed by her side and led her up to her room. I couldn’t count the amount of times that Christine had helped me when I was weak or wounded and I would be damned if I didn’t return the favor. Ryker wasn’t at the door when we got there and I assumed that he had gone to put the girls back in their room.
No sooner than Christine got into her room, she was out like a light on the bed. I took a warm washcloth and slowly wiped the blood off her face and skin then helped her out of her dress and into something more comfortable. It was a testament to how exhausted she was because she didn’t stir once and I knew for a fact that she was a very light sleeper. By the time I was done, I stepped out of the room only to see Ryker waiting there for me.
“How is she?” he asked and I shrugged.
“She’s good, she will be good at least but, Ryker-* “l know, I heard,” he cut me off with a sigh. “He knows they are the object of our focus and he wants to hurt them to hurt us.” I couldn’t imagine why anyone in their right minds would try or want to hurt a child but then again, Alastair wasn’t in his right mind. He was a crazy immortal vampire who had no internal moral compass to differentiate between right and wrong. I could see now that there was no reasoning with him or explaining things to him. There was nothing that we could do or say save for getting rid of him permanently.
“What do we do?” I asked. “I don’t want to leave them out here where he could easily just get them.” “Is there somewhere we could send them away for a few days, at least until we are able to get rid of Alastair.” “Christine once told me about a vacation house that my father had not too far from here. I doubt Alastair would know about it though because no one did. She said she only found out about it because she followed him one day. We could send them there. What do you think?” “Perhaps we should wait for her to wake up first.”
Christine slept the entire day away and it wasn’t until late in the night that she finally rose from her slumber and joined us in the dining room for dinner. She looked sall, and shocked that we were still down there waiting for her but the truth was that we had already tucked the girls into bed and just needed a few seconds to ourselves to think. We were not even expecting to see her there.
“Thank you for earlier today,” she whispered to me but I waved her off. “I am sorry if I scared you with the way I rushed into your office. I was just so terrified and I didn’t know what to do.” “It’s alright,” I assured her. “But that brings us to a problem and I need your help with it. Do you remember the way to my father’s cabin?” She looked at me confused for a second before nodding. “Do you want me to take you there?” “I want you to take the girls there,” she looked taken aback by my suggestion. “Tomorrow, it will be for a few days. Go in the morning when you are at a lower risk of being attacked by the vampires. Take some guards with you and do not take a carriage, it will be easier to spot.
“You’re sending us away,” she deadpanned and she almost looked hurt by it.
“I am keeping my kids safe,” I corrected. “You are the only person that I trust them with and I need to make sure that they are safe. You are the only person who can do that for me. Please, Christine, I don’t want any more accidents.” She let out a deep sigh. “I guess I better start packing.” I tossed and turned the entire night because I knew come the next morning, my daughters would be gone. I didn’t see them much during the day but the knowledge that they were within reach was always good enough for me and I didn’t know how I was going to handle not knowing that. As if Ryker knew what was going through my mind, he held me extra close at night but it still couldn’t stop the ease or discomfort.
I briefly wondered if we were doing the right thing or if I should call off the entire plan but when I thought back to the fire in the school, I realized that it was a risk I was willing to take to ensure that I was never that scared again in my life.
Sooner than I would have liked, the sun rose and Ryker and I made our way to Audrey’s room. it was the first time in a long time that she had woken up with us already waiting for her and I could see the huge smile that took over her face. It pained me to know that after today, it was going to be a while until I saw her.
I pulled her into my arms and carefully explained the situation as best as I could. She wasn’t happy about it. She screamed and cried and begged me to reconsider and it broke my heart each time I had to say no. Ryker sat by me and tried to explain it to her as well but she didn’t want to listen. We spent the better part of an hour trying to calm her down before she agreed more out of anger than anything.
The plan was for them to leave as soon as possible so we got her dressed in comfortable riding gear and carried her towards the back of the palace. We didn’t want people to realize what was being planned and that was why we chose the early morning to do the transfer. Christine was there with Aurora and I carried her so I could inhale her soft scent once again.
“Be safe,” I whispered to Audrey who nodded glumly. “I promise this won’t be for too long. I’;; personally come get you once things are safe, okay?” I looked over at Kevin and Steven who were riding with them. “Please keep them safe.” “With our lives,” they answered almost immediately and I reluctantly handed my children over.
Tears pricked the back of my eyes but I forced to keep a small smile on my face. I wiped at a stray tear that broke through the gap and I felt Ryker’s hand on my waist tighten almost affectionately.
Christine started to mount her horse but at the last minute, she stopped and walked over to me. I didn’t know what I was expecting her to do but I stayed immobile while she leaned her face towards my ear to whisper.
“The berries are in the flower pot by my bed.”
Hidden in plain sight. “You didn’t have to tell me that.” “You might need it while I’m gone,” she straightened. “I hope you know what you’re doing Camilla.” “I hope so too.” “I’ll watch over them like they are my own. I promise you, I would have to be dead for any harm to come to them.” “I trust you,” it wasn’t a lie, I knew she would. I watched as she climbed her horse and they disappeared from view.
Ryker turned to me with a questioning look but I shook my head. There was no need repeating what she had said until absolutely necessary.
CAMILLA’S PO.V Throughout the entire day, I felt the absence of my daughters and Christine. It was like a song hidden beneath the walls that called out to my soul. I could feel their absence as clearly as I could feel the walls next to me or the soft wood from my table underneath my fingertips and although I tried, I couldn’t brush off the ashy taste in my mouth that came with feeling so alone.
There was no way for us to know when they had arrived, we would just have to wait and hope that everything worked out just the way we had planned.
As soon as they left, Ryker and I threw ourselves into work. Their absence was a necessary evil and now we needed to focus and bring an end to this. We needed to find a way to get the vampires out of the equation and draw Alastair out long enough for us to incapacitate him. We had all the equipment that we needed, we just needed a foolproof plan. One that was bound to work and I knew exactly where I was going to get it. I just needed Ryker to agree to it first.
That was how I found myself at his door sometime around noon and I knocked slowly. I never knocked so when I pushed open the door, there was concern on his face. I moved with deliberate slowness, maybe it was to draw out the inevitable conversation or maybe it was to give myself some sort of morale- I wasn’t sure. Ryker was on edge as he watched me, like a coiled viper ready to strike at any moment.
“I know that face,” he began and I raised my brows in shock. “It usually means that you want to ask for something that you know I will refuse. Tell me, Camilla, what is it this time?” “l know a way we can get Alastair to come out,” I said slowly and I watched as his expression went from amused to intrigued in less than a second. “It is a rough plan and it needs some work but I believe that this is the only one that we have.” “I’m listening.” “Use me,” he opened his mouth to refuse immediately but I held out a hand to stop hm. “He wants me for some reason. At first, it was for revenge but I don’t think that’s what it is anymore. This is more than that. He could have killed me that night he attacked the town but he didn’t. There is something that he wants and if we can make him think that he will get it then we might be able to corner him.” “How do you plan to execute this?”
“How do you plan to execute this?” “He’s always watching, right? I can give him a show. He will be in the forest at night, or his men will be.”
“Don’t tell me you want to walk straight into the forest when you could be taken. That is absurd, Camilla, even for you. There is too much that can go wrong.” “It is our only option.” “There is never only one option and you know it,” he shot back immediately and I knew that there was no way he was going to agree to this. “We will find another way, something else that doesn’t involve you putting your life at risk for a half baked plan that is going to shit anyway.” I flinched at his words and I saw guilt cross his face. He ran his hands down his face with a sigh and he reached out to me but I made no move to sway from my spot. I understood his frustration and worry- I truly did- but I was trying and right now, there was nothing else that could be used to draw Alastair out. The fact that he didn’t want to accept it did not negate its truth. We were stuck and that was the only way out.
“I didn’t mean to insult you,” he stood to his feet once he realized I wasn’t going to him and came to me instead. “You have to think about this, Camilla. This isn’t a game anymore, there are lives and people at risk. If this plan fails, you will die and everyone in this palace with you.” “If I die then you can be king,” I joked but his mouth didn’t as much as twitch. He didn’t find it amusing at all. “We need to act fast, Ryker, he will notice sooner or later that the kids are gone and he will search for them. We have no way to reach them there and if anything happens, we will never know.” He framed my cheeks with his hands and leaned down to k*ss me softly. “I know, believe me, I do. I thought about sending them away every second of the night and I wondered if it was the right thing to do but we are keeping them safe and that is all that matters. We can handle things from our end and we will. They’ll be back soon.” “Okay, what do we do now?’ “Now, we ask for reinforcements. I sent a letter to Damien a few days ago asking if he could spare some men. If we kill Alastair, we will be declaring war on the vampires. That is a battle that I don’t think anyone is ready for. We will need everything and everyone we can muster.” “Do you think he will come?” “I hope so, I never got a response but then again, Damien was never good at responding to letters. He will come maybe today or maybe tomorrow. But I will not feel comfortable attacking Alastair until we have all our defenses in place. That would be a rash and immature move.” “You’re right,” I whispered and for the first time, the corner of his lips tipped up.
am always right. You just need to calm down a little.” He leaned down to kiss me again and I wrapped my arms around his n e c? k to deepen it. With everything that was going on, I couldn’t remember the last time I just melted into his arms and enjoyed his presence. The heat from Ryker’s skin felt like bliss against mine. When I moaned into his mouth, I felt the corner of his lips pull up. Someone else. would have called what we were doing unhealthy. We were using each other to forget but I didn’t care. I wanted him in every way, shape and form I could get. He was a healthy coping mechanism and one that I was not going to apologize for.
Ryker lifted me by my waist and placed me atop his new desk. It was cold in contrast to the heat that was radiating off him. His hands wrapped into my hair and he tugged sharply eliciting a small gasp from me which he drowned out as his tongue slipped into my mouth. His hands leisurely ran down my body not removing my clothes but burning a path on my bare skin regardless. I wanted to rid myself of the barriers between us. I wanted to feel his skin on mine but when I reached up to touch his shirt, Ryker grabbed both of my hands and pinned them by my side.
“Just let me enjoy you,” he whispered against my lips. “Let me ki s s you for hours on end until I forget where you start and where I end. Just stay with me in this moment, will you?” “Yes,” the answer was quick and it flowed from my lips easily, “Anything.” He nudged my knees apart with his leg and stepped between them. He had both of my hands pinned behind my back with one hand while the other trailed to the small of my back and he pulled me flush against him. Our centers touched and I hissed out in pleasure. Ryker moved his hips slowly against mine as he pulled his lips from mine to plaster warm and wet kissing down my n e ? k and to my exposed torso over my bodice.
“I thought you said just ki s si n g,” my words were barely over a breathy whisper and I felt his lips quirk.
“I did, I just never said where.”