Roses Wither: Into the Darkness
Thirty-four

Rose

That was it. We had gotten them all.

I took a deep breath, my foreboding feeling still not gone. It was something that had followed me into the ball and hadn't subsided.

What was happening? Where had Chase gone to track that demon? Why was it after us to begin with?

My father was purely sated with the blood bath. He went over to a table and sat down next to Bunic. They were currently pouring wine, watching as the guards went about removing the bodies of the fallen. It was a sight from our history books, which made it nearly comical, since it was my father my and grandfather, but I wasn't content though.

I did the inventory, and none of the fallen were ours. Although these were vampires, and I could feel their loss, they were no one in the circle I had grown to know. My father's vampires were strong and remained standing, but something was still off.

This was one huge difference between Tati and Mama. She was on her knees, praying for the fallen, even though they were against her in battle, while Tati sat amongst the dead and had a glass of wine.

"Rosa?" Marcus called out to me from across the room, "You okay?"

“I have a bad feeling about this, Marcus.” I continued to watch around us at the fallen, “This was too easy.”

"Sis, we-" Marcus was suddenly at my side as he grabbed my arm, but before he could say anything else, an armored car came crashing through what remained of the castle wall, followed by hundreds of vampires wearing all black like the others, looking like a swat team.

“Rosa, run!” Marcus shouted, pushing me away.

“What?! NO!" They needed me!

“Chase is gone!" Bunic rushed over and gripped my arms as he stared into my eyes, his hazel gaze glinting with silver, "They planned it this way! You must go!”

“Why did Chase go after him?!” I screamed as I was pushed into Clara's arms, "Why did you send him away?!"

“Chase is a demon hunter!” Marcus shouted, joining the fray, "Take her and go!"

“Go with Clara, child!" Tati hissed, "Find Davide! He will explain!”

“Come on!” Clara pulled me toward the back of the castle.

Chase

I was able to trace the demon to an abandoned farm, 27 miles from the city. It was a dark and desolate place. Barren, so no one innocent would stand whiteness.

“This isn’t right.” Matthias spoke first.

“This is where I sensed his essence.” I walked toward the house and my senses grew stronger.

“Brother, I know it has been a long time, but you know demons like this do not keep things low key.” Caine flanked behind us.

I swore under my breath. This was a spell. It had to be.

I ran into the tattered house, knocking over the door in the process and seeing my evidence. The demon sigil on the floor.

“He wanted me to come here!” I shouted and kicked the dust that made up the sigil, “He knew I could track him! Why did he want me here?!” I turned and shouted at Matthias who was gaping out at broken window, onto a field.

“Brother, do you know where we are?” Matthias asked.

My eyes followed and saw nothing.

“There was a barn there,” His head tilted to the side, “One that burned centuries ago. I believe we’re on the stable ruins.”

“The night Nicolae lived.” Caine whispered.

My body went cold as a shiver washed down my spine.

“You don’t think-?” Privet began, but I was already out the door.

“I have to get to Rosa!”

Rosa

Clara had wanted to run to the club. Why we needed one demon to fight another was beyond me, but I trusted her.

We were faster running in wolf form, but I couldn't shift, not after what Aiden had done to me. That much was evident, so we both ran from the castle on foot.

The house was 8 miles to the west and we were nearing the town. It was so close that I could taste it in the air around me.

Clara had been keeping her pace behind me, but when her footfalls went silent I made the mistake of stopping and turning to see what had paused her run. That was when I was hit.

The assailant got me from behind. Binding my mouth and putting pressure on my esophagus.

“Don’t move, Princess,” A voice behind me hissed as something was jammed into my neck, “We just want you to play nice.”

My vision went blurry, as a shadow came into view.

My last thought was: Is this the demon?

Chase

When we made it back to the ruble that was once part of the castle, I found Nico sitting in a chair, covered in blood, as he drank his wine.

The fight was dying, but I hadn’t left it like this. The body count was in the multiple hundreds.

I scoped the ballroom, but Rosa wasn’t there.

“Where is Rosa?” I continued to scope.

“She should be with Davide by now.” Marcus sighed.

“Davide?!” I gaped, “You put her in the hands of Satan’s son?!”

“I sent her to my half brother." Nico glared at me, "I did not know if the demon was in this mess.”

“It was a trap, you fool!” I snarled and ran.

I had to replace Rosa.

I started heading to the club, following her scent in the air. Until it stopped.

There was a patch, where her floral scent was strong and I leaned down to examine it.

The leaves were matted, as if she had laid here, and there were clear tracks that someone had been here with her when she had fallen. Someone on two feet. A human? No. A human would leave more traces than footsteps in the soil.

“Her body was laying here.” I crouched lower, getting to ground level, to examine the patterns and look at the disfiguration of the ground around around us.

There were little signs and nuances that the human eye would never pick up on. Signs that could help me replace where she had gone.

I looked around the mildest indentation her little body had left on the ground and saw some broken twigs.

A cold chill moved down my spine. Something I had never felt before stuck in my throat as I moved forward to examine the altered brush.

“This can’t be right.” Theo’s confusion was setting in, “I can’t believe this Chase.”

“I don’t sense the demon. I don’t sense anything, but her here. Not even human.” Caine whispered, but his voice echoed through the silence of the night.

“Only one man can do that.” Privet added.

“I once knew of nine who could do that,” I heard myself speak as I slowly followed the tracks, "Two priests, seven boys."

“Brother, are you saying-?”

“Go back to the castle,” I cut him off, “I’m going to replace her.”

“You don’t know where to start.” Caine stood stiff, not knowing what to do.

“I know someone who does though.” I ventured further. He gave a nod and they ran back to the castle.

I continued to inspect the moss and soil as I made my way through the woods. Spatters of blood against a rock caught my attention though. It was her blood.

Leading to a trail of broken limbs and brush.

“They were dragging her?!” I growled, picking up speed as I followed the trail.