Chapter 21
The traitor
"What?"
It looked like Selina had just swallowed her own fangs.
"You heard me, Sel, it's my fault. I didn't want to …"
Kiara faced to Gabriel, bandaging his bleeding wounds with his kerchief. Vampiress rose slowly and stared at the bloody drops.
"Ki, I don't care, how you … you're a werewolf, and this is your own business!"
Kiara fell on her knees:
"Please, please! I know, you're smart, you can solve my problem! Luka will kill me, Fellan will lose his bride and you'll feel sorry for it! Please!"
Selin gave her a sign to shut up and walked to the hunter:
"Congratulations, Mr. Van Helsing, you've just entered the club of 'hunting in the night'!"
Gabriel shook head in disbelief, breathing heavily:
"That can't be … Not again!"
"Ah, you remembered your past!"
"Partly … Just the last fight with Dracula and my transformation …"
"How interesting! I know your story better than you! If you want I can…"
"No, I'll remember … but not now. Let's go."
"Are you sure?" – Ki felt a little bit guilty and decided to help Gabriel in his first steps as a werewolf.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
Meanwhile the battle continued and not in favor of night creatures with humans. Armies got tired, it was seen.
Dracula on a black horse rode to Devolio; they both were covered with blood and felt amazing adrenaline, streaming down their veins.
"Maybe you'll fight with equal? Or you're afraid?" – smirked count.
"You throw me a call?"
"Exactly!"
They crossed swords; their fight looked like a dangerous dance, where no one could hurt another. Foolish but dangerous game of immortals.
In this moment Selin and Van Helsing were arguing fiercely in a loud whisper:
"Just say that we're lost!"
"Why should I! I know where we are!"
"So tell me!"
Vampiress looked around and again faced to the hunter, who forgot about the pain and was waiting for an answer with a kind of triumph on his face.
"I know, the corridor doesn't finish! Give me five minutes to concentrate, alright!"
She closed eyes, tensing her sensors, whispering something on the unknown language.
"What is she doing?" – asked Gabriel. Kiara put hand on his shoulder and whispered into his ear:
"She is calling for ancient bloody gods of hell."
"But she isn't a witch!"
"Bloody gods are vampires' protective spirits. They give them special powers and heal their wounds."
Suddenly Selina opened eyes and walked to the wall, discovered it with her fingers and found a small rift in the wooden panel:
"Ki, can you …"
"No problems!"
The werewolf stroke the panel with all her strength, and the panel crashed on pieces, showing a hidden enter to the secret room. The trio sneaked in, to the big cabinet illuminated with black candles.
"Ah, Mr. Fern! Haven't seen you since your exile," – Sel addressed to the man, standing near the window.
Yes, it was Romulus – Maya's child from the demon lord Devolio, the one who was the head of the council and lost everything in one minute, when his grandchildren betrayed their race and chose mortal life with humans, they loved. It was the first sign of Ancient power's resurrection, vampires and humans – soul mates.
Romulus got father's appearance and mother's wit and treachery, still when he ruled the council; it was quiet and peaceful time even for humans.
"Miss Cale! I didn't expect to see you again, my dear!" – smirked Romulus, leaning to the window.
"And Van Helsing! What a surprise!" – he exclaimed, valuing the situation and opening the window with his mental power.
"I knew it was you all the time! Traitor!"
"Traitor? It was Victor who made me to become a traitor! Besides the Council exiled me and sent murders to destroy me and my family! Remember?"
Selin squeezed her submachine gun tightly.
"What is he talking about, Sel?" – asked Kiara from Gabriel's back.
"I had a mission to kill every vampire from Fern family except Maya. All of them … Men, women, children, infants …" – she answered dryly.
Romulus sparkled eyes in fury:
"See? I have my own reasons to go against the council! I waited for it long ago! And now that fool – Valdemar with his turned whore created the new race! Very comfortable for me!"
"And you used mongrels in your own game?" – asked Gabriel.
"Right, hunter. I've still got some old relationships and it was me, who directed those fools' anger on the Council."
"The wedding …" – guessed Kiara.
Romulus nodded with a self-complacent grin.
"Thank the bloody gods that we've found you first. I'm afraid to imagine, what Angelica could do with you!" – smirked Selin.
"Well, I was glad to talk with you three, and now …" – Fern moved into the window like a thunder, Selina followed. He tried to escape in his hell-beast form, but she caught his wing and pulled him to the land.
"Hold on, Sel! I'll shut him!" – Shouted Van Helsing, running out of the manor sitting on the Ki's back.
"You tired me."
Romulus was much stronger than Selin, as he was nature vampire, besides he was a man, so he made her to fell down. Luckily Gabriel caught her. Sel relaxed in his grasp and half-smiled to him.
"Nice catch!"
"This falls into habit!"
"Get off my back, you two!" – roared Kiara.
"Wait a minute! We've just lost Romulus! That's your fault!" – Selina addressed to Van Helsing.
"My fault! It was you, who missed him!"
"And you're the worst sniper in the whole world! Maybe if you'll take off your silly hat, you'll better take the aim!"
Gabriel didn't know what to say and looked flabbergasted.
"Alright, we all guilty, let's go back to the army, they need us."
As usual Ki settled discords easily, but the hunter was still in stupor.
"Don't worry, Gabriel, Sel didn't mean, that you're blind or something."
"The deal not in this. No one has ever said that my hat is silly."
Werewolves laughed, and only vampiress replied seriously:
"Yes, silly, and you look like a cowboy from western!"
"Well, consider that it's my stile."
Again laugh.
"I don't see anything funny."
"Sel, you haven't got this … sense of humor!"
"I'll show you my sense of humor! If you two won't go right now …"
"Relax, sweetie! The party just begins!"
Dracula cut off Devolio's head and addressed to him with triumph:
"Lost something?"
The demon restored his head back and attacked the lout again, unsuccessfully. Vladislaus laughed self-complacently and then turned his horse to the right to avoid another blow. Devolio looked furious, transforming into his awful demonic form unwillingly. An evil smirk ran across his ugly face when he raised hand into the sky and called for dead werewolves from the underworld. Monsters surrounded vampire in a ring, choking with poisonous saliva and malice. They tolerated infernal tortures for quiet a long time and were glad to get a small spacing. Vlad jumped off his stallion and smiled calmly:
"I thought Lucifer didn't give you an order dispose from me."
"In my opinion, he'll be pleased when I'll wipe this grin from your face!" – roared Devolio.
Werewolves simultaneously attacked the count moving like shadows. 'They're just soles!' – He understood, trying to cut them with his sword, but the blade cleaved only the air. The demon laughed in amusement:
"Problems, Dracula?"
"That's all you can, Devolio? Silly shadows? You disappointed me."
Devolio made werewolves to disappear and raised his left hand:
"From the other side … You need to be punished …" – he whispered mostly to himself. 'What now?' – thought Dracula, sure that the demon won't hurt him because of his fear at Satan. At that moment he …
"Lora, stop arguing and obey my commands!" – cried Selina to her friend, who as usual wanted to be the first in battle. Lora stepped closer to her captain and the girls continued fighting shoulder to shoulder.
"I just want to have some fun!"
"Hey! Leave me few demons!" – laughed Alexander, crossing swords with something sticky and dirt-like in dark-blue armor. Only Mirek was gloomy and fought with double power, cutting heads on left and right.
"Look out!" – screamed Lora suddenly, watching how black flash flew throughout Sel's neck. Selin coughed twice and rubbed her neck:
"Unpleasurable thing!"
She was alright, and Dracula laughed a lot at this weak Devolio's try.
"Deadly, really!"
The demon sparkled eyes, he understood why his charms didn't work.
The vampiress unbuttoned her high boot and smiled at her tattoo.
"Angelica's spell against demons' powers!"
Her friends smiled, too, thanking the witch for her care.
The battle was coming to an end, not in favor to Devolio's forces; most mongrels were on the ground, demons ran back to hell, the shadow creatures scattered with the night, as vampires, who returned to their coffins. And the red sun was rising upon the corpses of those, who had never back from the field of the battle.