Page 20 of Mated By the Alphas
I’m concerned but not scared. Something in the stranger’s dark eyes. The way he’s looking at me. It feels like I can trust him. Like he doesn’t want to hurt me, despite admitting he’s the one who has been stalking me.
“She’s been missing since her date last night and she’s inside,” I say, gesturing towards the cathedral. “I can’t explain how I know that, but I do. I have to help her.”
“You don’t know what you’re walking into,” the man’s voice is almost guttural. “You’re about to walk into a world you don’t understand. At least I don’t think you do. I’m not even sure anymore.”
“It’s an old church,” I say, swallowing hard, reaching into my purse and removing my taser. “And if you’re talking about the guy she went on a date with, I’m pretty sure this will stop him if he tries anything before I can call the cops.”
“The only thing that’s going to do is piss him off,” Haydan says. “And he’s not the only one you have to worry about. He’s not alone in there and I’m not just talking about your friend.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles with concern bordering on outright fear. Daisy bought the most powerful tasers she could find. She told me this thing is strong enough to stop a lion. But if Xander isn’t alone, that could be a problem. Still, how does Hayden know that? And why does itfeellike he’s telling me the truth?
“I’m going in anyway,” I say firmly, turning back towards the rotten doors. “I have to find Daisy.”
Hayden is beside me in an instant. So fast that it makes me jump back. “Stay behind me. And put that damn taser away,” he growls, pushing the broken door out of the way.
I hesitate for a moment, but once Hayden steps into the darkness, I follow him. Why? I’m not sure. I just feel like I can trust him. Like he won’t hurt me. And it’s not normal intuition or gut instinct. I’m as sure of that as I’m sure that Daisy is inside this old cathedral. I don’t know how I know. I just know.
“Okay,” I whisper, staying behind him as I cross the threshold. “If this place is as dangerous as you say, then why are you so eager?”
“I’m not afraid of a few vampires,” he growls. “Especially fledglings.”
“Wait, what!?” I stop in my tracks, my grip tightening on the taser. “Vampires? There’s no such thing as vampires!”
“There are a lot of dangerous things in this world that most people don’t believe in, Ansley,” he warns, continuing into the main part of the cathedral, broken glass crunching under his bare feet, but seemingly not breaking skin. “Doesn’t mean they’re not real.”
It still feels like I can trust him. Like there’s truth in his words. But vampires? Blood sucking beasts? Maybe I really am losing my mind.
“Why would vampires be in a church?” I question, looking around at the decrepit décor. “Isn’t this considered holy ground? Don’t they hate crucifixes?”
“I’m not talking about stories, Ansley,” he growls. “Real vampires aren’t scared of holy ground. They don’t fear the crucifix or the cross. They don’t sizzle if you throw blessed water on them or burn if they walk outside on a sunny day. They’re not even dead. Not really.”
“So, they’re just regular people? Except they drink blood?” I question, wondering if Daisy has been kidnapped by some weird cult.
“There’s a lot more to them than that,” he mutters. “But I don’t have time to explain it right now. Just stay behind me. Stay alert.”
Hayden looks around and I do the same. There’s no sign of Daisy here. It’s literally just an old, abandoned cathedral. And I’m inside it with a man who has been stalking me. Despite the concerns that have passed, I hold onto my taser, keeping it in front of me in case I need to use it.
Another sensation hits me. Similar to what I felt in the vision. There’s a flash of white light, and then I focus on a door. “There,” I say, pointing at it. “That’s where we need to go.”
“How do you know?” he asks, walking closer to the door.
“I can’t explain it,” I admit. “I just do.”
“Well,” he sighs, putting a hand on the door. “I guess it makes sense that the vampires would be in the fucking crypt. They usually sleep in coffins or dug-up graves. The stories got that much right.”
I’m still not sure what to believe. Hayden pulls on the door and it opens way too easily. Easily enough to suggest it’s been openedrecently and often. Hayden steps into the darkness and I follow. The stairs wind beneath the cathedral, leading us underground.
“Yep, smells like vampires,” he mutters. “Vampires that have recently fed.”
I can smell something too. Not vampires. I don’t know what they smell like. I just smell death. Copper hangs in the air, both sickly vibrant and tinged with decay. Is that blood? I don’t really know what blood smells like.
Then a screech makes the hair on the back of my neck point towards the crumbling stone ceiling overhead. Hayden tenses up, and that makes me tense up, too.
“I can’t fight them like this,” he growls, then something weirder than anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life begins to happen.
I stumble backward, my phone’s light shaking in my trembling hand as I watch something impossible play out right in front of me.
Hayden’s body convulses. Not violently, but deliberately, like he’s shedding skin that no longer fits. His shoulders broaden first, muscles swelling beneath his too-small shirt until the fabric tears at the seams. The sound of ripping clothes echoes through the staircase.
