Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182

“Oh, Lola.” Ember sang, “Why don’t you come out before I start losing my patience? Wouldn’t you rather walk out with dignity than have Tessa here use her vines to drag you out by your ankles? We’ll even let your little friends go…so long as you don’t put up a fight.”

“Lola, did I not tell you to get the h**l out of here?” Deacon rumbled, cursing under his breath.

Ember turned her attention to the hulking Vampire that had spoken and smiled dryly.

“Deacon, you never planned on accepting our offer, did you?” She tutted, eyes flaming with vicious excitement. “I’ll admit, as much as your loyalty would’ve made things easier, I’d much rather watch you all b**n.”

As the air around her began to shimmer with heatwaves, I had one thought.

We needed to get the h**l out of here, right now.

No sooner than the statement had crossed my mind, the exit doors just a few rows behind us were torn open. Blasted so hard by a gust of wind, they slammed into the walls on either side. The deafening clatter echoed throughout the entire warehouse, while the scent of crisp air filled my nostrils.

“Really, you’re going to take the cowards way out and run?” Ember scoffed, sounding truly disappointed. “I have no intentions on chasing you, but Tessa here, she’s more than ready for a rematch.”

“Tell Bridgette the truth about what happened to me, Lola. She deserves that much.” Deacon grunted.

Dina shouted before I could, her voice even more vicious than Ember’s. “Don’t you dare, Deacon!”

Deacon then barked. “Now get the f**k out of here!”

I could hear shuffling and knew what Deacon had in mind. He was going to attack the witches to buy us time, and for some reason, that fact didn’t sit right with me. I had no warm and fuzzy feelings for the man, but if he were willing to d*e for a few seconds of time, the least I could do was fight for him. There was no part of me that wanted to sit down with Bridgette and explain to her how her mate had died, so I decided I wouldn’t.

“Hold onto me.” I whispered to Tristan and Dina.

Outside, in the d**d of night, there were nothing but shadows. Clinging to every tree, leaf, and dark crevice in the forest, they lingered and watched. Like a million beady eyes turning my way, I could feel their attention shift to me. When I commanded them this time around, I didn’t use words.

Somehow, the shadows knew what I wanted, and didn’t hesitate to oblige.

The sound of raging wind tore past my ears, whipping my hair into a frenzy around my face, but it wasn’t air that had rushed into the warehouse. Heavy shadows, impenetrable in their absolute darkness, filled the room like a cloud of thick smoke. One minute everything was visible, the lights on the ceilings swaying back and forth slowly, and the next we were submerged in total darkness.

All I could do for Deacon was send out a silent prayer that he’d make it out safely while I hauled Tristan and Dina to the doors. It was the scent of the forest I followed, of damp soil and dewy leaves. As we ran out the back of the warehouse and a sky speckled with stars exploded into life above our heads, I caught a strong whiff of something burning.

Dina was incredibly fast, even for a Vampire. She released her hold on my t- shirt and spun around, staring into the blackened doorway for but a fraction of a second.

Finally, she cursed and took a deep breath.

“Let’s go.” She said darkly, looking back one last time before the three of us pressed forward.

Half a minute later the three of us were in a dark-colored minivan, whizzing down the backroads at speeds that made my stomach clench and unclench. In the back of my mind, behind the fear, angst, and guilt for Breyona’s parents, I had the urge to laugh. Here I was, the Vampire Queen and Luna to the notorious Alpha Asher, terrified not from the powerful witches chasing us, but of riding in a d**n car.

“How the h**l should I know?” She retorted, “I’ve always been sensitive with that kind of stuff, just like Spence has always been terrified of it. I’ve got some distant cousins living in New Orleans that practice voodoo, maybe that’s where it comes from. If it ain’t obvious, these aren’t the questions you should be asking. You look bone tired, but you didn’t five minutes ago. So clearly you were working some type of magic. I suggest you figure it out before-“

Farther up the road, a cloaked figure stepped out of the brush. I spotted the vines twisting around her arms, and felt my stomach drop as she lifted them above her head. The asphalt began to split in two, but the sound was drowned out by Tristan’s shout.

“Watch out!”

He grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it to the left, sending us veering straight into the forest.

Every muscle in my body tensed, remembering how it had felt the first time around when impact smashed into my body, flexing every bone and joint until I could feel each one hiding beneath my skin. Rather than the teeth-rattling feeling of collision, I was hit with something just as terrible.

I could feel the moment the wheels of the van left the ground and knew we were soaring through the air, narrowly missing the tree’s that whizzed by. My stomach dropped and bile filled my mouth when the nose of the van dipped towards the ground. Seconds seemed to race by without caution. Either that, or time itself had slowed.

When Tristan looked back, the pale blues of his eyes wide, I knew we were moments away from impact.

“Brace yourself.” I heard him say.