Mine to Protect Chapter 73: CALLING FOR HELP

*Hazel*

I call to my wolf, and create an illusion around Lukas and me, hoping that the intruders won’t notice us, and will just leave. Of course, things never go as I wish, as the attackers come prepared with thermal scanners, and they spot us immediately when they enter the attic.

At least six soldiers burst into the small attic, making it overcrowded. They are dressed like military, and are well equipped, with guns, knives, grenades, and all the necessary, but they have something odd about them. They smell human and werewolf, like the scents are mixed, and they are taller and bulkier than normal humans.

What are they?

Anyway, whatever they are, they seem pretty hostile.

Lukas immediately gets in front of me to shield me, and I take the opportunity to shove the diary I was reading into my bag, which is strapped over my shoulder.

“Lukas, we need to get out of here. If they attack us with gas, we’ll be at their mercy,” I mind-link Lukas. The memory of how mom and I got kidnapped last time still fresh in my mind.

“We’ll jump out the window. Try to shift mid-air.” Comes his reply.

Jump out the window, but we are in the attic! Ok, Hazel, now it’s the time to be brave!

I run for the window, I open it, and I am ready to jump through, when I hear the sound of a struggle behind me. Lukas is fighting with the six soldiers, and they are having the upper hand.

Their shape has morphed into something gruesome, claws have sprout from their fingers and toes, fangs are visible in their mouths, their mouths too small to contain them completely; they would look like half-shifted werewolves if it wasn’t for their claws being too big to be accommodated by their fingers and toes, making them look more like Edward Scissor Hands.

“Hazel, go, now!” Lukas shouts at me.

The hell I am leaving him here alone!

“Shut your eyes!” I order through the mind-link, and blast those creatures with white light, blinding them.

I then grabbed Lukas by the arm and stir him towards the window. He has many injuries on his arms and torso, and they are not healing. Why?

As he could read my mind, he explains, “Their claws are silver.”

I can hear from his strained voice that he is in great pain, damn it! How are we going to get out of this?

The creatures come at us again, this time unbothered by my bundling light, they are keeping their eyes shut and relying on their other senses. I need to do something fast!

I increase the intensity of my rays, until they become burning hot, and those monsters cower back again, to avoid being burnt. The problem is, the house can’t take the high heat either, the attic made of wood catches fire, high flames travel through the room in no time, burning everything they meet, including my precious diaries. Gosh, no! At least they will not fall into the wrong hands.

Smoke fills the room, choking us, there is no time to waste, we need to jump down, before the smoke makes us lose consciousness.

I look at Lukas to confirm that he is able to jump too, and he gives me a nod of his head.

I jump first, I don’t even have time to feel scared of the height or of the high fall, I do as Lukas instructed, shift to my wolf in mid-air, and land on all my fours on the ground.

Nice! I thought it was a cat thing, but apparently it is a wolf thing too!

Lukas lands beside me seconds later, his blonde wolf all wobbly on his legs.

Suddenly bullets start raining on us from above, Lukas is fast to jump on my back to shield me with his body from the bullets. I feel his body jolt a few times, and I know he’s been hit by more than one bullet. No! He is already weakened by the silver, he could die.

I try getting out from under him, while the bullets keep raining down on us, but Lukas is too big and heavy, so I shift back to human form, my body smaller, making it easier for me to slid out.

As soon as I am free, my wolf takes over and sends a blast of light towards the roof, where the bullets are coming from. The blast is so powerful that it incinerates the roof and everything on it in a matter of seconds, leaving only hashes behind.

I quickly create an illusion around Lukas and myself, to keep us hidden by new coming threats, I don’t know how many of them are still out there, ready to attack us. Then, I kneel near Lukas to assess his injuries, Goddess, he has at least eight bullets embedded in his back, and others on his arms and legs. At least they don’t seem to be silver, otherwise he will be dead by now. His heartbeat is feeble, and it is slowing down. I need to take the bullets out, so he can heal.

“Shift!” I ordered him. It will be easier to take the bullets out without all the fur.

I shift only one of my hands and use my claw to pry the bullets out of his flesh, then focus my powers on my fingers, and use the heat to cauterize the incisions, so he doesn’t bleed out. After the last bullet is out, his heartbeat feels steadier, and I feel incredibly proud of myself. This is not something I would ever envision myself doing.

Now the difficult part, how do we get out of here?

The car is destroyed by pieces of the house falling on it. The house is now completely on fire, we need to get away from it, before it crumbles on our heads.

I try to lift Lukas with all the strength I have, but he is just too heavy, he’s like a huge piece of cement. What can I do? I need help!

Suddenly the words Nora wrote in the book replay in my mind, she was able to mind link at a huge distance, maybe I can link Derek too. It is worth a try.

“Derek, can you hear me?” I say tentatively, feeling a little stupid.

“Kitten? Where are you? Are you ok? Why isn’t Lukas picking up his damn phone?” Derek is completely panicked and is firing out questions like he is a machine-gun.

“We are at Moon Shade, we have been attacked, Lukas is injured and unconscious, they used silver. I need help, Derek, I don’t know how many of them are still out there to get us.”

“I am already on my way, but it will take me at least two hours to get there. I’ll have Lukas’ Beta send his warriors to help you. In the meantime, stay hidden, don’t let them take you. Please, be safe, kitten, I can’t lose you.” I can hear the urgency and despair in his voice.

“I will. I am sorry I didn’t reply when you called me last time. I love you too, Derek.”

“No, I am sorry for making you leave, it was a stupid decision, and now I am regretting it deeply. I hurt us both, and put you in danger again, I am always failing you.”

I don’t have time to reply because the house collapses, crushing down on us. I use a blast of power to incinerate the debris crumbling on our heads, and we end up covered in ashes, but at least unharmed.

Only problem, my cover is now completely blown, and I can hear shouting not far away on the right. Damn it!

“They are there! Get them!”

“Lukas, wake up, wake up!” I try to wake him, but he is still unconscious. I don’t have the strength to carry him, so I am only left with one option, face my attackers head on.

I walk a small distance away from Lukas, not wanting them to see him in case they catch me, and I decide to start my attack with an illusion of the remains of the burning house collapsing on them. It works at first, they scatter back the direction they have come from, but then their commander orders them to attack again, he takes out a gun and points it to the nearest soldier’s head.

“If you don’t attack, you will end up like him!” he hollers.

BANG!

The soldier crumbles to the ground, brain matter splattered everywhere around him.