CHAPTER XIII

Rachael fidgets with her hands and plays with her silver ring, she is nervous as she stares down at her feet and can't help but wonder what will happen now.

She sits at a wooden counter, where Cassandra comes along, "Here", Cassandra hands her a glass of water.

"Thank you" Rachael accepts the glass and glances at Cassandra as she notices the she-wolf staring at her.

"What is it?" Rachael asks as she feels uncomfortable.

Cassandra moves closer to Rachael and tries to touch her hair but the smaller woman swiftly slaps her hand away.

This woman clearly knows nothing about personal space.

"Nothing, I just want to feel your hair. It looks good" Cassandra says, "Okay, that sounds creepy", Cassandra chuckles, "You seem to have some fire in you.

John likes a fiery girl".

"Okay", Rachael is still confused by this strange character.

"So, you are the alpha", Rachael says as she tries to draw Cassandra's attention away from her hair.

"Yes I am. A very proud one at that".

"Proud? Why is that?", Cassandra leans backwards and rest her back against the wooden counter under the shed of the tree where the girls are sitting.

The green forest surrounding them makes their location look like a magic meadow buried in the heart of a forgotten land.

Hard to believe they are still in New York.

"As we both know this is a male dominated world but it doesn't stop in the outside world.

Even in the world of the supernatural, men are more favored for powerful positions, so I take my position with pride.

I earned it and I defend it almost every day", Cassandra says as she looks up into the sky as if to reminisce.

Rachael sees the smile on Cassandra's face and for a brief moment she admires how beautiful the lady is.

"Everyday?", Rachael asks, "Yes. Considering I'm dating a vampire".

"Wait a minute, I don't know much about this supernatural stuff but aren't vampires like your natural enemies?".

"That was caused by folklore and pop culture," "Hmm, I never thought vampire charms work on werewolves", Rachael drinks her glass of water, "Well John is quite charming".

John, yes.

Rachael remembers Cassandra's short conversation with Samuel, she called him her boyfriend and now she just confirmed it.

If what Cassandra is saying is true then, that makes John a vampire.

This thought makes Rachael wonder how much she doesn't know about those around her.

The girls hear a loud howling at a distance, Rachael shivers as she feels cold.

She wraps her hands around herself, "How did you get involved with those guys anyway?" Cassandra asks, "It's a long story,".

Cassandra notices Rachael shiver, "Come on.", she leads Rachael towards her car, "Sorry, I can't invite you in. Tradition, but you will be safe in my car.

I'm the alpha, no one fucks with my property" she says.

Rachael follows behind her, letting her mind drift.

Where's my mother? My bosses? I hope they are both okay.

There is another howling, "I have to go" Cassandra says, "I won't be long", she hands over her car keys to Rachael. "Lock yourself in, don't worry".

Rachael stares in confusion as Cassandra runs into the bushes surrounding her territory and she disappears behind them.

WINANS MEADOW, BALTIMORE, NEW YORK.

       "We have reached the spot, this is the place" John says raising the map above his head to inspect it more carefully.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. McQueen asks, "I've been reading maps since you were a child, I'm pretty sure we are here", he says.

"Prick", Mrs. McQueen insults her blond friend.

The ground slopes downwards as John leads them to the spot marked X on the map.

"It must be there", Mrs. McQueen points at a hidden staircase going underground.

"Let's get in," John says as he leads the way but is stopped by an unknown force at the entrance of the underground cave they find.

For some reason he can't go beyond the door shaped opening of this hidden cave.

"It seems someone recognizes this place as a fucking house", John says.

"Must be why he hid it here," Mrs. McQueen says, "That way no vampire can get in without an invite" John adds.

"Looks like your husband was a smart man", "Of course he was, do you think I would answer the last name of a dull man" she says proudly.

"Well…" John shrugs his shoulders, "You'll have to find the dagger yourself" he adds.

"Why do I even have to do anything?" she asks.

"Well, those twins are going to protect your daughter but to do that they have to kill their father and the only way to do that is with that dagger", John says pointing towards the darkness of the cave.

"No time to waste babe, we have to hurry before it's too late" he urges her.

Mrs. McQueen sighs, not feeling happy about the whole situation.

She feels powerless, there is no guarantee whatsoever that Samuel can defeat Dracula and bring back her daughter.

She believed in him until she found out that the father of the twins is Count Dracula.

Even as a seasoned hunter she always thought he was a myth.

But now, she is shaken.

If he is Gabriel and Samuel's father then he is probably stronger than they are and far more experienced when it comes to destroying his enemies.

She says a silent prayer of protection for her daughter as she turns on the torch on her cell phone and walks into the darkness of the cave.

John stays outside observing the entire area, nothing seems out of the ordinary.

He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply.

1951.

OTTAWA, CANADA.

       World war two had ended four years ago and he survived the horrors of that war. The Canadian government were strong at it till 1945 when they realized that the Nazis war was threatening the very existence of western civilization.

Captain John Joseph Williams went to war and had seen it's terror but right at this very moment in time all he could think about is his family.

The family whose blood he laid in as he himself choked on his own blood.

He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

The man who brought this death unto his household wasn't even a man, he was something else.

A monster that existed only in stories and movies.

He was powerless against this man; his guns were useless and his battle experience did nothing for him.

He stared at his son's corpse as it laid lifeless before him.

Tears strolled down his cheeks like two damsels exploring an empty garden.

Sadness, hopelessness and hate filled his heart as he cursed himself for his weakness.

All hope was lost until he heard a voice.

It was deep and smooth, soft and rough at the same time.

He could not make out what the voice said, but he could see his eyes.

They shined blue like the sky being illuminated by a bright moon.

He heard what he thought was a stupid question in his mind, "Do you want to live?", the dark-skinned man asked him.

He struggled to say yes but his voice was gone as he slowly faded into the abyss but it didn't matter.

He struggled to give a sign, not caring if this man could give him a solution as long as he delivered what he promised so that he could get his hands on him.

So that he could savor the taste of his assailant's death, all John wanted was revenge.