Jess Pov

The three of us walked into the portal and everything was different on the other side. It was hot; very hot. The air was thicker making it harder to breathe and there was a sticky smell of death lingering around. I felt heavier than usual probably due to a gravity change. Everything was darker but I could see well with my night vision. We were in a swamp where dead trees stood grimly. There were no animals in sight but I could feel eyes staring at us from the shadows.

All we knew about this kingdom was a city east from the portal. We knew this because in order for a portal to work there must be something like an item or bones at the destination point. The portal we had walked through was an old door used during the Great War centuries ago. There were bones of a fallen officer buried by a tree where we came in which had given us access to the Kingdom of Howls.

Ren grabbed my hand and we started walking east towards the city. We stayed in a straight line and made sure we walked on each other’s footsteps. We were silent the whole way but our senses where on high alert for something out of the ordinary. It took us more than an hour to arrive in the city due our slow pace and little problems we encountered along the way.

Before we entered the city, it had started to rain. We kept our cloaks tight and our hoods securely on our heads. The cloaks emitted a demonic sent to cover our real ones but to enforce our security we had masks that cover the bottom half of our faces. It was also easier to breathe because of the amount of black and demonic magic in the air and it was making my beast restless. I had more trouble controlling myself. I understood why Jamie wouldn’t survive in this realm. Jamie’s beast fed on power but the darker and rawer it was the better. This place would arouse her too much and she would either become one of the demons living here or their worst nightmare. I was secretly in awe of Siana’s bravery to stand by my sister.

I didn’t know the name of the city but it was medieval style. There were no cars and no street lights. The roads were dirt which made our boots extremely muddy. I’m not one to whine about dirt because I loved to play in the mud when I was a kid but this was excessive. In between the roads, the houses mostly touched each other or left a small, dark alleyway separating them. They were made out of wood or timber frames.

For night time, the streets were quite busy with people and different creatures, whom which I have never seen before, walking around. Most of them had small light balls floating around them and with the amount of people walking, it gave us enough light to see where we were going. I was very happy to know that no one spared us a glance and continued their way past us.

“What now?” Ren asked.

“There is a library somewhere in the city. We should probably start there” my dad said. We all agreed to this and started walking around the city. It was not easy to find the library but we managed even though it took us longer than expected. We had eleven hours to go.

The library was stunning. It was about six stories high with books everywhere. Ladders were hooked on the walls and slid on wheels to move. There were tables on every floor we could see. The library was circular and the floors had an open view of the main room. There was only a wooden pole that ran across each floor to prevent readers from falling.

“Holy shit” Ren whispered. “Where the heck are we supposed to start?”

“This is going to take longer than we anticipated” dad groaned. He knew he had time to spare. ‘Better safe than sorry’ he told me this morning.

“We should start looking for any books mentioning him or his family” I said.

“There is only one problem” Ren whispered loudly. He was looking at a book on the closest table. “This is not English”

Dad and walked to him and looked down. Sure enough, the book was full of symbols and foreign language. Lucky for us, mom thought ahead. I rummaged through my coat pocket and got a crumbled paper out. On it was a scribbled incantation for translation.

I made sure most of the books had the same foreign writing in it before taking one and going the farthest away from the receptionist. The guys followed me to the back and we all sat around a table facing each other. I placed the book in the middle of the table and the piece of paper in front of me. We linked our hands together and I started to chant.

An alarm went off above our heads frightening us. I looked around and found the receptionist looking our way. I cursed. This alarm was our doing.

“Hurry up” Ren hissed at me. Quickly, I finished the incantation and put the paper in my pocket before the demon lady arrived at our table.

“Magic is not aloud” the lady spoke with a weird accent.

“Forgive us” I said shyly. “We are but travelers simply passing by and thought to pleasure our poor selves with such entertainment as this facility. We did not mean harm for we only wanted get rid of this drenched water for not to damage such fine books. Unfortunately, the alarm scared us out of our wits and were unable to finish the chant” I smiled sweetly at the lady. I was proud to say that I was a good actress.

“Alright” the lady spoke with uncertainty “You have been warned. There is no magic aloud in the library and next time you will be asked to leave”

I bowed my head in gratitude and watched her move back to her desk. I sighed heavily and Ren squeezed my hand. That was a close one.

I looked at the book and found that I could read the title that said ‘The Reproduction Anatomy of Ogres’. Oh, what a horrible, horrible image. I pushed the book away from me and shivered in disgust. I do not need to know any of that although the world has a sense of humor considering my condition.

We split apart, each having two floors to cover to accelerate the process. Dad had the first two, Ren the middle and I the top. I assumed that both my boyfriend and my father wanted me as far away from the main doors in case something happened but both denied the accusations.

I don’t know how long it took to look through all the rows, but I was glad when Ren mind linked me that he had found an entire bookshelf on the biography of the Hound’s blood line. I met Ren at a table where more than two dozen books were laid out. I groaned. This was a task for Jasmine, not me. I hated studying.

Ren and I flipped through the books to try to find any clue on to how to kill the most feared monster in history while dad continued his search for better books. It took three hours to find absolutely nothing. All we found was that the Hound killed most of his family and others died in different ways.

Growling in anger I pushed the last book on the ground and slammed my hands on the table. My breath became pants and all I could see was red. There was a war coming and we couldn’t find anything that can give us the slightest chance of winning.

I felt hands grabbing my arms and pulling me against a hard chest. Ren was hugging me from the back and whispered in my ear.

“Calm down cupcake, were going to find something”

I did as I was told and took deep breaths until my heart rate slowed down. I looked around to find the customers looking in my direction. Ren was rubbing my back smoothly and I smiled grimly at my dad.

“Sorry” I said.

“It’s ok sweet pea. The demonic magic is getting to you easier than us and reducing your control” my father said. He sighed and slumped down on his chair. He put his face in his hands.

“We are missing something” he said.

“Maybe we find something more powerful or the deadliest poison it could help us kill him” Ren said defeated.

I was sulking in my own world thinking about how cruel Mother Nature was to create an invincible creature but suddenly it hit me. It hit me hard like a train going three hundred miles an hour.

“Or not” I answered Ren. “Mother Nature guys. We forgot about Mother Nature” Both of them looked at me confusedly. Maybe they were wondering if the magic had popped my brain cells.

“It’s the circle of life” I said happily but they still didn’t get it. “Listen. Plants eat the sunlight. Insects and vegetarians eat plants. Insectivores eat insects while carnivores eat vegetarians and insectivores. Humans kill carnivores and supernatural creatures eat or kill humans and below. It’s survival of the fittest and the Hound is at the very top of the food chain. So what if we link both ends of the line creating an endless cycle”

“That would mean that we have to find the simplest most innocent creature to kill the deadliest one?” Ren asked.

“Or a plant” I grinned happily.

“A flower. The symbol of innocence, beauty and life.” Dad added happily. He was then back to business “Okay, this is what we are going to do. We are going to find the books on flowers and look for those who grow here”

“Why only here?” I asked.

“Because of his family” Ren said. “If the Hound cannot die is because of bloodline therefor he must have killed them somehow”

“You think that the Hound killed his family with the weapon that could kill him?” I asked

“To end the competition or prevent anyone from finding his weakness” dad butts in.

“That means we have to find a flower that doesn’t exist anymore because there is no way the Hound would allow a weapon for the taking.” I said.

“You are a genius sweet pea” my dad said proudly and kissed my forehead before standing up and motioning us to stand. “I saw the plant and gardening section on the floor above us earlier”

We then spent the next two hours browsing through the books. There were a couple of flowers that were believed instinct but too many to search further into with less than six hours to go. It was crazy how time flies when you are in a hurry and studying takes an enormous amount of time; too much.

Ren, dad and I were back to spurting ideas out to try and figure this problem. We hadn’t drunk in seven hours and I was getting really thirsty. Unfortunately, we didn’t trust the water here and we only brought one bottle each because we were expecting far less trouble. It is always easier to find something more powerful than to find something far less dangerous. Guns and swords are easy, flowers and care bears not so much.

“What if we go to his home or territory” Ren suggested

“Maybe, but what is to say that he stills has some there if he killed his entire family” dad asked

“Not everyone, his great grandfather said he vanished and was never found. The people assumed he died but maybe he didn’t” Ren said.

“So he would have to grow flowers somewhere” I continued.

“But what if he does not grow it at his home but in a different location?” dad asked.

“It wouldn’t be too far if he was afraid of someone knowing about that secret” I said

“And maybe he still waiting for his grandfather to come for him so he would have some close to him” Ren finished.

“Let’s not forget he has been locked up for eight centuries too”

We decided that our best chance was to go to the Hounds manor. We found a city map and with the help of history books we managed to find the approximate location of his home. We sped through the city to find the house. We sniffed our way until we found the Hound’s sent. It was faded but it seemed he had visited his home recently which came into our favor.

His home was a beautiful Victorian mansion with a brick wall surrounding it. We could see an unattended garden in the front yard from where we stood by the black gates. It didn’t look like anybody was home.

We decided to jump over the wall from the side which was the only place hidden by a shed. We made sure no one from the neighborhood saw us and jumped up. Well, I jumped and the boys had to climb the shed first.

On the other side, we made our way to the mansion carefully looking for traps or other presence. Ren found a low window we could open from the outside and lifted it. Dad passed first then me and we help Ren hold the window for him.

The inside of the house was very well decorated. Nothing was out of place or broken. All the colours matched perfectly and all the furniture was precisely where it was supposed to be. It looked too perfect, like one of those creepy houses with black and white tiles or the doll houses but without the bright colours.

This time, as we searched, we stayed close to each other because we were in unfamiliar territory. We searched outside and on every floor of the house. We couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary until I passed a bookcase where I felt a breeze coming through. Curious, I removed the books from the shelves and found a small door crack behind it.

Guys, I found something I mind linked.

I moved all the books until I heard a click from one of them. I took a step away as the bookshelf opened and revealed an office. As per everything else in the house, the office was spotless. It had a giant desk, a chair and more books.

Ren stood beside me and looked inside. “Wow, awesome” he said as dad stepped in to inspect.

“Do you guys smell that?” he asked us. I took a whiff of the air and sneezed. There was defiantly something in that emitted this smell. It was not a strong smell but it was delicious.

“It’s coming from the floor” I told them.

Dad bent down and sniffed the wooden floor until the scent was stronger. He knocked on a piece of plank and it was empty telling us that there could be something inside. Dad ripped the plank out of the ground and there they were: a pot with three white flowers.

“They are moon flowers” dad whispered in awe “I have only seen these in books. They are the purest of flowers because they shine at night to prove the world that not only monsters roam around but great and beautiful creatures too”

“It’s gorgeous” Ren said “but we have to move quickly. We have lost enough time here and would love to have a nice bath at home with Jess”

“Son, if you ever want to date my daughter I would ask you never to tell me what you do behind your door, unless it’s inappropriate” dad teased.

I heard a crash coming from outside and turned my head in that direction.

“We have to go now” I ordered I took the flowers and gave one to each of us for safe measures.

“Babe, what did you hear?” Ren asked me in alert.

I didn’t answer him and grabbed his hand. We ran out of the office with dad behind us and stopped at a window. I swore. Outside was more than a dozen demons running in the manor’s direction. We must have pulled an alarm when we opened the office door.

There was one demon with his hands in the air and before we knew it, a fireball blasted through the window. The window shattered above our heads as we ducked. The fire ball missed me by a hair but the glass cut my hands and face as it fell on us.

“Run” I heard dad from the ground.

In an instant, I was up with Ren’s arm gripped in my hand. I shoved him in front of me and the three of us started sprinting through the corridors.

The magic wielders followed us from the outside and attacked us with anything they could muster but we were quick enough to dodge the attacks. We were on the second floor and the stairs were a no go once we heard the front door break. We changed routes to the back of the house.

While running, I picked a decoration vase and threw it at a window. The window shattered and I jumped out with the guys hot on my trail. I landed swiftly on my two feet. When I looked to my side, Ren was in his giant silver wolf form with the moon flower in between his teeth. He brushed his furry body on me and placed the flower in my open palm. I rubbed his head once before looking at my dad who was changing into his wolf form too.

I stayed in human form because I’m faster that way with my vampire speed. I grabbed dad’s flower and put it in my bag along with the other two. I started sprinting again toward the wall as I heard the demons coming closer. I jumped over the wall and looked behind me to make sure Ren and dad managed to jump over when they couldn’t in human form.

We ran through the city with a dozen demons closing in behind us. We changed routes every few seconds so that it would be harder for them to catch us.

Keep running I told the guys and climbed up a house until I arrived on the roof. The roofs were all close together which was easy enough to run on them and it gave me a bird’s eye view of the city. I kept running while giving directions to the guys.

We were almost at the edge of the city when I saw the first demon jumping on Ren and they crashed into the wall. I stopped running and threw myself at the second demon who was about to attack my dad.

I landed right on him and heard a crack. I looked down and found his neck broken. I raised my eyes in time to see another demon about to swing his sword at me. I ducked and stepped into his personal space. I drew my claws and rammed them into its neck making sure to hit the artery. Black blood pissed out of its neck and splattered on me covering part of my face. It fell down like a ragged doll and stilled.

I took my bag off my back and threw it at my dad. “Go, I’ll catch up” Both wolves growled at me.

No, Ren said, I’m not leaving you behind

“Don’t worry about me” I told them with a wicked smile. “I’ve got this, get dad to the portal. Trust me”

That was the right thing to say because Ren growled at before following my father. I dismissed the pang in my heart to see my mate leaving and took of my cloak. Let’s show these demons how it works, I thought.

I called my wolf and she was extremely happy to finally have some action. The demon magic had been clawing her out of sanity and she needed a release. My bones began to crack and my muscles began to stretch. Fur started to grow on my skin and I could feel my jaw widen and lengthen. Changing didn’t hurt anymore but I could feel every part of my body cry and my senses sharpened.

I knew what I looked like in my ultimate form. I was not only wolf but vampire and witch as well and people tend to forget that. I grinned mischievously and showed my sharp teeth at the demons who froze before me. They saw an eight feet tall wolf on two legs, black eyes and a giant tail to balance. They saw a wolf head with a muscular body still covered in shattered clothing.

I roared at them and broke them from their daze. They all attacked me at the same time and I fought them off by clawing, biting and throwing the demons left and right. I broke their necks and backs and magically threw plasma balls at them. Unfortunately, they got a few good cuts on me but it was not enough to slow me down. Everything seemed in slow motion as I dodged the attacks and countered them furiously.

When all of the demons were dead, I turned around and sped through the streets and out of the city. I could hear more demons coming my way and ran faster. There was less than an hour left for me to arrive at the portal. I made it with little time to spare and saw Ren waiting for me by the tree. I growled at him because he didn’t cross the portal. The idiot was waiting for me. He saw me and waited until came to him before motioning me to cross the portal with his snout. We were defiantly having a conversation about this later.