At the end of the meeting, they emerged with something of a plan. They knew the demons wanted to kill them, but they wouldn’t attack when they were all together. No, the demons would attack when they seemed weak, easy to subdue. So, they broke up into pairs of two—one werewolf and one dragon. They would set the perfect bait, and the first duo to lure the demons would reach out to the others, the wolf signaling with a high-pitched howl.
It sounded like a good plan, even though Lyra and Levi did not end up being on the same team. Levi was paired with Orson and Lyra was with Val. An odd pairing, Levi had thought, having no idea how odd it really was.
Before they headed out, Levi called Lyra to the side while others got together with their partners.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, aware that everyone was pretending not to be watching them, but had eyes at the back and side of their heads. Yet, somehow, she liked it.
“It’s going to be a long night,” he said.
“I know. You’ll be fine, you have Orson.”
“I’m not worried about me.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll stick to Val. Demons will only attack when they see we’re weak, so that’s what I’m going to be. I’ll play it safe.”
“You’d better,” he said and touched her cheek. When she smiled, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling too. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
“See you on the other side.”
It was time.
Levi headed out with Orson, and Lyra left with Val. She was not fond of Val and had a feeling that the dragon didn’t like her, for more reason than just being a wolf. So Lyra didn’t bother with small talk. They headed for the west side of the woods. It was less dangerous than the path Orson and Levi had threaded.
Val had a mission, but couldn’t focus on it. She was grateful that Lyra didn’t attempt to strike up small talk as she didn’t know how she would’ve dealt with that. And it was probably because of how upset and distracted she was that she didn’t see it coming. The attack.
Lyra shrieked as she felt a heavy force sweep her off her feet, her butt smacking the ground. She felt a dark air swirling around her that cleared the minute she was about to call for help.
Demons,they’re here, she thought.
But Val had stood there watching her, wondering whether to help or to allow the demons to destroy her. Luckily for Lyra, they were gone before Val could make up her mind.
But they weren’t far. In fact, she thought they were surrounded by them. She thought they were watching, waiting to strike again.
Chapter 13 - Levi
Levi watched as Orson held the door open for him. The two men had met one time before, when Levi’s uncle, Victor, had been the leader of the dragon pack. Back then, Orson wasn’t the Alpha either. He was just another member of the wolf pack. Neither of the men really liked the other, naturally, but Levi knew that Orson despised him even more for what had happened with Lyra.
“Where are they?” Orson asked, looking outside and taking a sniff. Werewolves had a better sense of smell than dragons, and could easily tell if there were others on the way.
“They’ll come when I call them, I thought you and I could talk first,” Levi replied, looking around at the store. He spotted the oil stains on the floor, and instantly spotted the parts of the place that were still undergoing repairs. He raised an eyebrow as he spotted a claw mark high on the roof. “Are you going to hide that one?”
Orson looked at it, crossing his arms. “I was, but best to give the local reporters something to work with.”
Levi chuckled, appreciating the same amusing comedy that Lyra exuded when she made her jokes. Orson was in his mid-fifties, and looked like he could rip Levi apart. Underneath his jacket, Orson had strong muscular arms that just looked insane.
“How do you explain the biceps to people?” Levi asked.
“I keep weights I never use at home,” Orson replied, taking a seat and pouring out some scotch, sliding the glass across the table at Levi. He grabbed it and downed the contents in one swig. “So, are we going to do this?”
“Well, we need them to take the bait,” Levi replied. “Look, I know you don’t like me, and I get it. I did a really shitty thing, and I don’t deserve any love from you or your family.”
“This isn’t the time, Levi,” Orson replied. “Come on.”
Levi followed him as they walked out of the building heading down into the woods. A dragon and a werewolf were two different kinds of paranormal creatures, and if the demons were hunting them down, they would be drawn to them. It only made sense. But Levi knew that since they had been spread out all over town, it would be hard for the demons to take on everyone at once. At most they would have to deal with one or two.
“You know, when you left my daughter, she lost herself. I know Lyra, I know her better than anyone, which is why I allow her to be herself, to understand herself.” Orson paused, snapping a twig loudly before he moved on. “She’s so confident, so sure of herself. Lyra knows what she wants, and she never, and I mean never, lets someone else make her feel less.”
“No one but me,” Levi replied, looking away.