Anxiety grips me as I rush over to him and look for any signs of harm. My eyes zero in on his neck and find a dart sticking out of it. I check his pulse and sigh, knowing that he is alive.

The hair on the back of my neck rises as I scan the surroundings. Never have I felt so exposed. I look around and find nothing but trees. But the were who is now unconscious reminds me I am not alone.

I need to find cover. Gripping my bag tighter, I duck into my door, holding it half open as I try to drag in the were. As I open the door, the scent of blood reaches me, and I shiver in alarm. Pulling him inside is difficult, as he is heavy, but I can't leave him outside. Borrowing all the strength from my wolf, I lift him as much as I can and pull him inside.

But I trip over my carpet and slip onto the ground. Something wet covers my hands, and I squint my eyes, trying to figure out what it is. It is red, and the smell of blood is more pungent inside. Only now do I notice the darkness in my home.

Someone shut all the blinds, and blood splatters the floor. However, the smell isn't Nana's. I breathe in relief, but then my lungs almost stop functioning as I see a trail of blood going straight toward Nana's room.

It almost looks like somebody dragged something across the floor. I hope it is something and not Nana. Tears well in my eyes as I try to compose myself.

What should I do? If somebody has really trespassed, then I doubt they would be alone. I have to fight them.

It is not the time to think from my heart. I have to be focused. Maybe I should let Aiden know. Yes. That is the better course of action.

'Aiden, there's lots of blood splattered in the living room, and Nana is not in sight.' I link him.

I feel him stirring over the link but don't get a response for a few seconds, but then I get a reply.

'Damn it. Get out of your house. I am sending guards over to your place. Stay alert, Aurelia,' he growls through the link.

He is asking me to go out into the darkness when I don't know how Nana is. Not possible.

'Sorry, Aiden.'

I reach toward the switchboard and lift a finger, trying to switch on the board. It doesn't turn on. Not that the light matters much. My heightened senses would have been better, but since I have taken a suppression pill, my senses are barely higher than those of a human.

Holding my breath, I take a step toward the trail that is in front of my eyes as it leads to my nana's room. I keep peeking in all directions, searching for anything or signs that can help me understand what is going on.

I push the door open gently, but it creaks, and the sound echoes in my ears. A choked sob escapes my lips as I take in the sight in front of me.

It's Nana. She's tied up to her bed. Stains of tears cover her cheeks, and a rag loops around her lower face, keeping her mouth shut. She can't speak, but she can always link me. Why hasn't she?

My beast howls in pain as I rush toward Nana. However, I feel something prick my neck.

I bring my hand to my neck and find a dart. I feel drowsiness overtaking me, and my legs giving out beneath me.

I try to grip the wall beside me, trying to stay upright, but I fall to my knees as my breathing becomes labored. Whatever was in the dart was something dangerous, if not lethal.

How do I save Nana? I don't have the strength left. Aiden, maybe I can link him.

I try to link Aiden again, but fail. My head feels heavy, and darkness takes over my consciousness as my eyes close on their own accord despite my resistance.

..........

I wake up to see that I'm tied up in a room. It isn't well lit, but it isn't completely dark either. I try to link Aiden again, but fail at it.

The room is almost empty, except for a chair placed strategically in front of me. I am chained to the wall with multiple chains. My wrists ache because of the silver cuffs around them. Nobody knows why it is silver that hurts werewolves and vampires.

I try to pull at the chains, sensing any weaknesses in them. However, my arms and feet are shackled tightly to the wall, preventing me from doing so.

I can't even shift completely because of the suppression shot, and with the added effect of Silver, the partial shift is out of the window, too.

The dart must be blocking me. Must be some chemical that is suppressing my abilities. I look around the room, searching for Nana. She is not here.

There is no sign of life in this room. I try to use my extra abilities to hear any voices, but they don't bear fruit. Unable to move. I can't link Aiden or Nana. I don't know how Nana is. Is she even alive? No, I won't think about it.

She has to be alive. Why have they kidnapped me? What do they want from me?

There is no ventilator either, but an AC duct runs at the leftmost corner of the room. Huh. So, it must be an insulated area, or this room must be insulated. The sound of the key turning echoes through the room now and my eyes dart toward the sound.

A man comes in. I look at the door and understand why I couldn't hear a sound. It was at least twenty inches thick.

I take a whiff of air and realize that he is a vampire. So, I can sense creatures, but cannot link others. What type of chemical did they use on me?

The man's footsteps echoed in the room. His shoes are clean and reflect the light from the bulb hanging in the room.

He is wearing a suit. I squint my eyes to look at his face, but it's half-covered. He's wearing a mask that covers his forehead and nose, and half of his cheeks.

Slight stubble covers his chin, and his lips are dry and chapped. I try to look for anything that could help me identify him, but he's covered from head to toe. Only the shape of his lips is useful.

He closes the door behind him and locks it. He walks slowly toward the chair and sits in it comfortably, as if he were the king of the world.

I growl at him, and he just chuckles in response.

"Don't waste your breath, Aurelia"

I purse my lips in anger. My hands clench into fists, even with the cuffs on them. He knows my name. Obviously, he knows my name since he is the one who kidnapped me.

"Why did you kidnap me? What do you want?"

"Chh chh so impatient. You didn't even let me introduce myself," he says, crossing his legs.

I narrow my eyes at him, and his grin broadens. He is too confident. That means my chances of escaping are slim. I have to get some information out of him.

"Well, since we are not acting civilly, maybe we should be more direct. Where is your research? Where did you save it?"

Research. This is about my research. But what would a vampire get out of this?

"My research?" I ask, acting confused. I would die before I tell him about it.

If it were a werewolf, that would have been logical, as it would be a strange werewolf. They would want to capture me and do research on me. Maybe kill me too. But how is my research relevant to the Blood Mafia?

"Yes, your research. Not the cancer one. Your personal research. Such a shame, though. You just had to give it to us. But you didn't. Now you are here, and your precious Doctor Beta is dead," he growls out, his teeth flashing.

Doctor Beta? Archer? He is dead. I feel my eyes getting wet as I look above and try to gulp my emotions. I can't show this vampire an ounce of weakness. He is going to pay for this.

I snarl at him, not appreciating the threat in his tone, as I pull at the chains, making them rattle. Taking a deep breath, I try to control myself. This is a mind game, and I will not let him affect me.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I refrain from engaging in personal research. Unfortunately, I don't have the time," I say, shrugging my shoulders.

In a flash, he's up and in my space. No way am I going o let the secret out. I might be the cause of Archer's death, but I will not let my research get into the wrong hands.

He steps closer to me, getting in my personal space, and I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"Don't act, darling. But it's ok, I know you won't tell me easily."

He flashes his fangs at me, trying to intimidate me.

"You look at these fangs. When they bite a human, they suck blood, but when they bite a were, the venom in them acts like a poison to your kind. You will slowly succumb to death," he says, pointing towards his fangs.

I let out a shudder upon hearing his words. If he bites me, though, my blood will be unusable for research because of contamination. Maybe it is good.

He then reaches into his pocket and takes out a knife. "We won't start with my fangs, though. Those are for special treatment. For a delicate lady like you, this knife would suffice."

He brings the knife forward to my cheek, caressing its side against me while moving on a trail down south. I can't even move now. I will get hurt even if I move an inch.

His knife is on my neck now. He presses the knife for a moment, slightly drawing out some blood, before he takes the knife and licks it.

"Hmm, you taste good. Better than the usual werewolf."

He brings his tongue out and licks his lips from one corner to the other, tracing the entire circumference of the lips.

My stomach twists as I fight to keep in the vomit. It is disgusting. He lets out a maniacal laugh at my expression before placing the knife on my left thigh.

"Let's see how you react"

He then slices my thigh in a sharp movement. My jeans get ripped, and the knife draws blood, which gushes forth, soaking the material. I cry in pain, and my beast flashes her teeth at him.

Even though I am in pain, relief washes over me as my beast makes an appearance. She was dormant throughout, and I was worried.

My beast is angry at being tied up. If it weren't for the shot, we would have easily gotten loose from these chains.

The vampire let out a loud laugh, enjoying my pain. He then takes a deep breath and says, "You smell tempting for a were. If it weren't for the work, you would have made a fine meal"

Now, he slaps me harshly across my face. His slap sends my head reeling to the side. Blood fills my mouth, and I spit it out.

He grabs my chin harshly and questions me, "Where is your research?"

Now, I don't care if I will be alive after this. Whatever reason they are after my research for, it doesn't matter now. It's better that I die. At least Nana will be safe. I have brought her nothing but worry. But I won't give in without a fight.

I gather what's left of my strength and headbutt him, forehead meeting his nose. A cracking sound echoes, and he groans in pain, clutching his nose.

He keeps holding his nose for a moment before glaring at me. "I thought I should be gentle, but rough treatment it is."

He growls, crouching into what I think is a vampire-hunting stance, getting ready to pounce on me. But the sound of the door groaning distracts him, and I look to my right to find the hinges rattling.

The vampire stares at the door in shock, and fear flashes across his face for a moment before anger takes over. The door bursts open, and I notice a few weres carrying a log that they must have used to break the door open.

Waves of power crash against me, and I feel the familiar chocolate scent waft into the room. A roar echoes in the room, followed by Aiden, who looks at the vampire.

This is the angriest I've ever seen Aiden. He snarls at the vampire, who too snarls in response. Aiden's entire body shudders as hair sprouts on his face. He runs towards the vampire, who now pounces on Aiden.

The vampire tries to claw at Aiden, aiming at his neck, but Aiden bursts into his wolf form, his clothes shedding around him. He bites the hand that was trying to claw him and shakes it roughly.

The vampire's hand detaches in moments, followed by a pained groan. Aiden acts immediately. Aiden's wolf is relentless as he keeps shaking the vampire's dead body for a few more moments before releasing his jaws.

He then licks his snout, which is covered in blood, and my nose scrunches in disgust. My wolf, though, doesn't find it disgusting and just shrugs it off.

Aiden's wolf looks at me for a while before whining and letting out a bark. His wolf's spit covers my face, and I am disgusted by it. He lets out a wolfish laugh, but then his focus is on my thigh.

He howls in agony, then licks my thigh, leaving a trail of saliva. He barks at the weres, and three of them rush to me, helping me get out of my chains.

I sigh in relief, but Nana comes to my mind as I stare at Aiden in worry. I open my mouth to ask about her, but my head grows heavy as my eyes close on their own.

Word Count: 2342 E.O.