Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, the Mummy (2017), Dracula Untold, Frankenstein, or any of the franchises that appear in this story. The only character I own are my OCs, all others belong to their respective owners.

Note: I rewrote the Leah/Jane scene in Chapter 3, just to let you all know. I looked back and I wanted to change it a little after thinking the story through a bit more with the characters that I want to involve with the group.

The Light's Shadow Ch. 4

Ahmanet's eyes drifted between the two beings in front of her, Bella's wolf form standing between her and the girl as a shield, the muscled frame of white fur glistening in the moonlight as blood dripped down from the fangs. Flames roared around the girl's body like writhing serpents, her eyes glowing in the dark as if showing the fury brimming under the girl's flesh as she shook violently. Ahmanet was about to try to get them to stop once more when goosebumps formed along her flesh, her eyes flashing amber for a moment as her senses warned her of the danger lurking nearby. Her eyes drifted from them to watch in horror as the color started to drain from everything around them. The leaves along the trees turned black as they withered away while the trees twisted themselves into barren husks, the grass disintegrating at their feet into a gray powder. Bella's wolf and the other girl finally noticed it all, the werewolf's snarl turning feral as it watched the policemen's bodies decompose before their very eyes. The girl's fires died out as her body shook in fear, her eyes gazing up at the figure "No. No, this is... impossible."

"Hello, child of mine. It has been so long."

Ahmanet shivered at the haunting voice just before a blast of blood-colored energy swept from the figure, capturing all of them within it as electricity tore along the princess's skin. She felt herself being lifted off from the ground as the figure started to speak again "Oh, it's been too long since I've been able to do anything like this. Since I've been able to touch, to influence so much on this pathetic speck."

The girl's fists were clenched tightly as she tried to fight against its hold, her supernatural fires racing up and down her arms. Ahmanet could hear Bella's wolf growling fiercely beside them, but its hold was too strong for them both. Ahmanet could even feel it holding her hands closed, preventing her from using any of her magic to free herself. She could feel its gaze shift onto her, its voice turning smug "You mortals. You do anything for even a sliver of power. Sell your souls. Kill people close to you, even in droves. The only thing that you are good for is being consumed by the strong. I almost want to thank those weaklings for locking me up in the first place. It's allowed you parasites to truly spread, and grow. Seven billion souls, I can already taste them all. Thanks to all of you, I can feed to my heart's content."

With those final words, the shadows writhed before they exploded outwards towards the three. The breath was knocked out of Ahmanet's lungs as she was thrown to the ground, the girl sliding across the ground and laying still for a few moments. Opening her eyes and trying to stand with her blurry vision, she shook her head slightly before she looked back to the shadow, but it had completely vanished as quickly as it had come. As she looked around for any trace of where it had gone, the world around the park seemed to get its color back. She felt the strength in her muscles fading as she moved her gaze back to her Chosen, her arm reaching out across the grass to the figure of the werewolf as the white fur disappeared under the girl's skin, the princess' eyes blinking one as a tear brimmed. Her sorrow was replaced by confusion and fear when she saw a figure appear next to Bella's body, the figure obviously female under the leather jacket that it wore. Her vision started to blur as the figure picked Bella from the ground, disappearing for a moment before the woman felt the wind blow against her skin. Whoever it was rolled Ahmanet onto her back and paused for a moment while the brunette tried to force her eyes open, only catching sight of the crimson in the figure's eyes before she lost consciousness.

The sound of dozens of boots hitting the floor in a flurry echoed throughout the corridor, Nick holding himself flat to the wall with Vail beside him. Dracula, or Vlad as he called himself, held himself to the shelter of the shadows and only spoke when the last of the soldiers were out of sight "What are we doing here?"

Nick quietly answered as he hugged the wall, the barrel of his pistol aiming at the door "We need to grab someone before we leave. Can't go without him."

"Who is this person?"

Vail answered "Someone a little like you. Just... trust us, okay?"

Nick looked out into the hallway and gave a shallow exhale when he didn't see any more guards coming their way "Alright, we should get going before any more guards come back-"

Chris spoke up "Um, Nick?"

Nick glanced back and scoffed when he saw Vlad was gone, leaving only empty air in his place. Vail shook his head while he whispered "Unbelievable."

"Come on. Whether or not he's gonna be there, we need to get to Cain as soon as we can."

They moved through the hallways, careful to avoid the camera's lines of sight, all while alarms blared through the hallways. Nick and Vail had finally gotten to the Vault when Vlad walked into view with his gaze locked on them. Bullet holes were punched through his jacket and thin lines of blood had sprayed across his cheek, the vampire looking over with a bored look "You were taking too long."

"What's with the blood?"

"A few of your soldiers were in my way. They insisted on shooting me."

He could hear Vail cursing at the man behind him, but the former soldier moved away from the wall to the metal door around the corner. Pulling back the slide, he looked in and scanned the room quietly until he spotted the figure standing in shadow. Cain was near the back of the room, kneeling with his hand pressed against the stone for stability, the other hand's metal fingers carving into the wall. The pieces of his hand hissed and clicked as he worked tirelessly on his latest work, one of the many that he had done throughout his years of imprisonment. Taking a breath, Nick called out "Cain!"

The figure froze at his name and turned his head to the door, letting loose a breath before he climbed to his feet, moving away from where he sat to a few feet away from the door. His voice came, anger growing steadily for being disturbed "Nick, why are you here? What is happening out there that is causing such... panic?"

Instead of answering, Nick turned to Vlad and motioned for him, the prince moving forward to take the soldier's place at the door and looking through the slot. Vlad examined the creature's figure closely while he spoke "Who created you?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to know if you could be connected to the one who made me in any way."

Cain's figure shifted before he answered carefully "I was created by a doctor. That is all you need to know."

Vlad turned to Nick and quietly asked "What was he imprisoned here for?"

Before Nick could answer him, Cain spoke up "I killed a little girl. A town chased me to a windmill and burned it down with me inside. People... found me and brought me here, locked me inside. As I asked them to."

Vlad turned back to the creature with a thoughtful look in his eyes, glancing downwards before she tried to meet Cain's eyes with his own "You felt... feel guilt for what happened to her? For her death?"

The prince watched as the creature seemed to think before he nodded, Vlad continuing after he did "Do you really think that you are redeeming yourself for what happened to her by staying here? By being imprisoned in this dark, depressing hovel of a cell?"

Cain scoffed as he turned away, walking back to the fire as he replied "You really believe that I seek forgiveness?"

Vlad answered simply "If you weren't looking for redemption, what was the point of allowing yourself to be imprisoned? Why not just stay free? Or end your own life?"

The three of them were waiting patiently for the creature to answer, Nick letting out a breath just before Cain admitted "Because I was tired of being hunted by mobs of frightened people. Because everywhere I looked, people were scared of me, even the one who created me. Because... I hate how that made me feel. I just want to be alone."

Vlad let out a breath before he replied "Believe it or not, I know exactly how that feels. Maybe not in the same way, but I do. When I became... this and my people discovered it, when they saw me burn in the sun with their own eyes, they tried to destroy me. People that I had known for my entire life and they were trying to burn me alive, calling me a monster. After everything I had done for them, only to be cast aside as if it all had meant nothing at all."

He paused for a moment, his hands clenching tightly before he finally continued "I wasn't naïve back then. I knew what I was, what I had chosen to be. I wanted so badly to lash out, but my wife... she still had faith in me. She stopped me from embracing that abyss."

Before he could go further, Cain interrupted "And right there is the difference between you and me. You had someone who actually accepted you, even after they found out what you were. I was rejected soundly and whoever might've cared for me in the slightest... abandoned me the moment that girl died in my arms. My creator-"

Vlad leaned in closer to the door "The only way to prove that they were wrong is to show them. To show yourself. But you can only do that if you take that one step."

By the fire, Cain turned his head away from the door again to look into the fire, his thoughts flying a thousand miles an hour. With a growl, he started walking over to the door with Vlad recognizing his intent before he pushed Nick out of the way, barely moving out of the way when the massive iron door was sent flying off of its hinges. As the dust settled, Cain walked out while looking the other three men over, Nick coughing as he shouted "You do know that we could've opened the door, right?"

Cain gave a grunt as he continued past them just as the door to their left burst open, a squad of Prodigeum soldiers flooding through with rifles raised at the rest of them. Vlad started to move, but Cain rammed into the group before he could do anything, bashing through the group with the strength of a battering ram. Nick and Vail watched in awe as the creature fought the soldiers with his bare hands, slamming one's head into the wall while he broke another's arm. Grabbing two of them by the collars and holding them high over his head, Cain slammed them into the floor. Before he could get up, one of the soldiers came up and pulled his rifle back, slamming it into Cain's jaw. He went to hit him again, but Cain swept his legs out from under him, his hand reaching up and shoving it back into place. Glancing up, Cain got up to his feet and delivered a breaking kick, sending the man's flailing body into the last two guards. Hearing another squad coming down the hallway, Cain moved through the door to meet them, leaving the other three men staring at the pile of men and women groaning in pain. Watching as another guard was sent flying past the open door, Vail gave a light chuckle before he said "I really hope that he stays on our side."

Hearing the screams and gunshots outside, Nick murmured "You're not the only one."

The three of them followed after Cain's path of destruction, finally catching up with him just before he reached the garage. Before they could try to talk to him, he kicked the door open, the metal door knocked off of its hinges with the sounds of bullets ricocheting echoed out. The creature stepped out into the hall, only looking annoyed when he felt the bullets ripping through his flesh before reaching down and pulling up the metal door to act as a shield, shouting to the other three "Are you all just going to stand there?"

Glancing at Chris, Nick nodded before the two of them got behind Cain, occasionally popping out to fire a few rounds before ducking back in while the hulking creature kept moving to one of the vehicles. Back at the entrance, Vlad simply waited with a glance at his phone before he let out a breath "Any chance that you all can hurry this up?"

Chris shot back "You know, you're welcome to help, Prince Jerkwad!"

Vlad rolled his eyes "You're assuming that I actually care if all three of you make it through this. The big one is the one that I want."

Chris snickered "That's what she said."

Nick interrupted the two of them, pulling back behind cover "Guys, can we focus here?! Chris, my gun's jammed. Give me some cover while I get the truck started."

"On it."

Swiftly moving from the cover and ducking behind another car, Vail gave a quick breath before he rolled out into the open, taking the spare second to fire a grenade from his rifle near the crowd of Prodigium soldiers. A few of the soldiers scattered as rubbled exploded towards them, one of them sent flying by the blast while Nick pulled the door open and dove inside, pulling out the panel underneath the wheel to expose the wheel "Chris, keep them busy!"

"What do you think I'm doing, pretty boy?!"

Chris peeked through the window, ducking down with a yelp as glass spilled onto him with more gunshots, firing back a few times before cursing. He fell to the ground, clutching his arm after a stray bullet had caught a spot in his wrist. Just then, the engine roared to life while Nick shouted out to the others "Everyone, move! Get in here!"

Vlad watched as Cain kept the door up while Vail managed to climb into the car, barely making it down into the passengers' side before he glanced to the end of the garage. Rolling his eyes, his eyes glowed for a moment before his figure dissolved into a swarm of bats, flying through the air with bullets zipping past them just before they hit the squad of soldiers. He enjoyed the grunts and screams they made when he ripped into them, sending them all flying into the shutter or tumbling to the ground. Swirling into a singular mass, the bats started melding together again as Vlad stepped over their writhing bodies, glancing back to the others to see them looking at him in both awe and horror. Annoyed, he walked over and pulled down the lever to the door, "We are in a hurry, right? I am not in the mood for drama and slo-mo moments."

Nick let out a huff, but put the truck into gear and glanced back to see Cain climbing into the back. Pushing the pedal to the floor, he felt the truck rumbling under him as it started moving, the swarm of bats flying to the passenger seat of the truck until Vlad appeared again. Turning the wheel to stay on the road, Nick asked "So what happens now? You and Mr. Stitches back there gonna do the Monster Mash by yourselves or are Vail and I going to be your backup singers?"

"No offense, Nick, but I hardly believe that you or your friend would be anything more than appetizers for the old man."

Vail cut in, his head popping in through the window behind them "Offense taken."

Vlad scoffed, turning his eyes to the rolling hills as the truck rumbled along "He has lived for thousands of years, perfecting his talents and abilities all along the way. As a vampire and perhaps even as a warrior, he surpasses me on every level. We need every bit of help that we can get. Is there anyone else we can look to?"

Nick turned his eyes back to the road and managed "I suppose I know a couple who could help."

Bella groaned as her eyes drifted open, taking in a deep breath as she rolled over onto her stomach, her hands gripping the wet grass and dirt underneath them as she slowly pulled her legs underneath herself. Small clumps fell from her hair as she pulled it out of her face as she looked around, finding herself completely shrouded in darkened woods with a sea of shimmering stars above her, but there was no sign of anyone else. No man, woman, or child was in sight of her. Not even her mate. Bella felt the growl rumbling in her chest as she took another deep breath, closing her eyes as she focused her senses for anyone who could be nearby.

She reached into the pool of clear water while cupping her hands, carefully bringing it up to her face before she slowly drank it, the coolness soothing her sore throat. Letting her hands fall to her sides, she was about to get up when she saw something in the rippling water. Peering closer, she got a glimpse of the white figure's reflection before she spun around, jumping away just as a massive white werewolf swung its claws at her with a terrible snarl. Backing away with tentative steps, she watched it pull itself up to its full height again, its pale eyes turning to focus on her just before she turned and took off. She heard it roar as she ran through the forest, feeling the grass and roots underneath her feet, taking a hard turn just as the creature jumped at her again with dirt exploding out from where it hit the ground. Bella urged her legs to move faster as another roar reached her ears, her heart thumping in her chest when a ledge came into view. She wanted to turn away, but the beast behind her kept her moving towards it, thoughts racing through her head just before she jumped.

Tumbling to the ground, she rolled along the ground for a few moments until she stopped, looking up for a moment just in time to see it lunging at her. She felt its claws rip through her shoulder before it pulled her up into the air just to slam her into the ground, the brunette gasping for air as her hands flimsily tried to pry its grip away from her flesh. Bella tried to pull herself free, but the wolf bit into her shoulder as the claws dug into her wrists, growling as the girl screamed in pain... just as her eyes changed into their piercing blue. Black fur sprouted from her skin as her brown hair darkened, claws springing from her fingers as her muscles strengthened along her body, pulling her leg up to kick the other werewolf away from her. Climbing to her feet, Bella growled as her claws ripped through her old skin, reaching up to pull away what was left of the torn skin covering her face to free her muzzle. The light of the full moon overhead glistened against her fangs, her old skin falling from her claws as the markings along her body began to glow again, a roar of fury echoing through the trees to her challenger.

The white wolf roared once more before it charged with Bella meeting it, the two wolfs colliding against one another in a flurry of limbs and claws, each one trying to get ahold of the other. Bella tried to snap her jaw down onto the wolf's shoulder, but the creature rolled out of the way and gripped its claws around Bella's shoulders. Feeling them push through her skin, Bella growled as she pushed herself up and shot backwards, pushing the creature into a tree before she spun around, claws cutting through the wolf's face. The black wolf snarled as she sunk her claws into the other's shoulders, the white wolf growling once before its own claws wrapped around Bella's arms, slowly crushing them in its grip. Pushing them up despite Bella's efforts to sink them in further, it spun them both around and threw her, the brunette's wolf form tumbling down the hill. A pitiful whine escaped her as she settled near the bottom, rolling herself over just in time to see the white wolf falling from the sky towards her with a roar like thunder. Her eyes widened by a fraction and she rolled to the side, growling as she felt the claws run against her back as the creature landed behind her. Spinning around, Bella leaped atop of her attacker and sunk her fangs into its shoulder, pushing them deeper as more blood flooded onto her tongue and filled her mouth with the disgusting taste of iron.

The white wolf used its clawed feet to push her off, Bella ducking under a wild swing before she slashed the creature's face with a swing of her own. Reeling as the facial wound had already started to heal, her enemy growled as its eyes focused on her. It sprung towards Bella in a fury, sinking its claws into her rib cage before she could even prepare to defend herself. The brunette's howl of pain was cut off by the other wolf ramming its skull into her snout, dazing her as she was lifted over the white wolf's head. Just as her vision started to clear, she was thrown into the air and fell to the ground in a tumble, Bella barely managed a few seconds to breathe before the wolf's paw came stomping down on her chest to pin her down.

Bella felt her blood dripping down across her skin from the wounds all along her body, feeling her bones shifting and popping as she shifted back to human form, keeping her eyes on the wolf above her as it seemed to be doing the same thing. When it was done, she was absolutely stunned by what she was seeing. Standing on top of her with a foot firmly in place on the brunette's collarbone, pulling a silk robe that seemingly came from nowhere onto her otherwise naked body, was an absolutely beautiful woman with a look of anger on her face. Her hair was mostly black with a few wild streaks of white with some of them, the strands flowing down her lightly tanned skin. In a way, Bella was reminded of Alice and Rosalie, especially the latter with the look that the woman was giving her. With a disgusted look on her face, her irises turning white as she did, the woman spoke coldly "You're even worse than I thought you would be."

She stepped off of Bella while the brunette backpedaled as far as she could from her lookalike, her brown eyes wide in panic as she managed "Wh-who are you? Where are we?"

The girl almost looked disgusted, almost copying Rosalie's signature look perfectly "Well... no one was really around to give me a name so I gave one to myself after a while. You can call me Kira. As for where we are, is it really that hard to figure out? When was the last time you saw such clear skies and vast forests? Because they sure don't exist in the real world. Not anymore. Not like this."

It didn't really take much for the answer to come to Bella, her mind reaching back months for the answer. The only time she had ever seen a place like this in her life would be in her dreams, like the ones that had led her to Ahmanet. Glancing up, she searched for confirmation with "Is this my- all in my head?"

"Ding, ding, ding. My piece of it anyways."

Bella only had a stunned look on her face as she tried to process it all. Looking the woman up and down, realization showed on her face before she said "Ahmanet... she told me about what happened with Edward. How I turned into this giant white wolf when he grabbed onto me, but I never remembered it. That was you. You did that. What are you? Why are you here?"

Squatting down to the ground, Kira spoke softly "Oh please. Do you really think I would be here if I had a choice in the matter? With you, a pup with no knowledge of her own body? Gods, our parents were fools, teaching you nothing out of cowardice. In the hopes, that you wouldn't be one like them. I am your other piece, as you are mine. Wolf and human, together in a single body. Bound together for all of our lives... whether we like it or not."

"What do you mean? About my parents hoping-"

"That you wouldn't be one of them. Child, supernatural beings are not meant to breed outside of their bloodline. Matings between different species are known to completely destroy a bloodline, leaving only a human within it's wake. Perhaps that is what they were hoping for when they were forsaken by their families. That you would be human and you could be with whomever you pleased. Though I'm sure your father hated the Cullens, especially the man-child. The fact that you were even able to turn into a wolf is remarkable. But both bloodlines? We should be a genetic impossibility."

Kira turned away, her crystal-like eyes looking out over the landscape with an almost mournful gaze while she spoke again "I've been here for as long as I can remember. Watching you live your life, if you can call it that, through your eyes... and wanting nothing more than to tear your throat out. You were weak, broken, all because of those parasites who had the gall to call themselves vampires. I saved you from it all. Who do you think gave you what it took to stand up for yourself, to even enlist? I actually got you to be a decent enough human being. And then, you go back and you forgive them. Then again, you did make me a wee bit proud when you tore that bastard's head off."

Swallowing hard as her nails raked into the cold dirt underneath, Bella asked "Why? Why did you reveal yourself then? Why not sooner or even at all? What was the reason you came out in the first place?"

"You need to ask?" Kira looked back to her with a scowl, a light red starting to glow in her eyes as claws appeared along her fingers "I am sick of playing second fiddle, of being stuck inside of this prison. She is mine as well. My mate. Our mate... but you- you've kept me locked in here. Keeping me away from her, from feeling her."

Bella felt a growl building up in the back of her throat, Kira's eyes widening for a moment just they started to darken into the crimson red... lightening only when she glanced up with a low hum in her chest. Her canines began to extend as white hair grew along her body before she talked again "Have it your way for now, but don't think this is over. Just remember, at the end of it, our mate and I are all that you can truly trust. I hope that you remember eventually."

The world continued to grow brighter and brighter until it was blinding, burning Bella's eyes for a moment before her eyes finally opened in the real world, taking in several deep breaths as beads of sweat dripped down her skin. A few feet away, Ahmanet whipped her head around at the noise, her eyes widening in complete relief as her hands reached out to grasp Bella's shoulders and pull her into a tight embrace "Thank the gods! I... I didn't know when you would wake! You had me so worried!"

Bella was stunned for a moment, still recovering from what just happened until it finally sank in, the girl burying her face in her mate's shoulder as she took in her scent with a small smile. She was content to stay that way... until a few moments later when Ahmanet spoke again "Um, Bella? Are you... purring?"

The woman's only answer was to nuzzle further into her mate's shoulder, inhaling her scent as she tried to think about what 'Kira' had told her.