Fight for Me

The moment Layla rushes into the house, she sees the chaos.

With her back against a wall, she pulls the dagger she took from the guard to her chest. It’s the only weapon she has on her and quite frankly, she knows it won’t be much against shifters, especially berserk creatures.

Walking along the wall as her guide to apparently go unnoticed, she just continues on whatever path finds her. She just needs to find Nick. And oddly, this bond that Nick told her about must be doing its thing, because whatever knot is pulling in her gut seems to be guiding her somewhere.

She sees familiar faces, but not the one she wants. And among them, she sees so many creatures who seem to be fighting against Erickson’s wolves, -witches, vampires and even lions.

Things turned out better than what we hoped for. She thinks to herself.

Reaching a large staircase, she sees half of it engulfed in odd sparkling flames.

She does her best to avoid the flames and pushes through in her pursuit. Running through a long hallway, she comes to a halt when she sees a berserk vampire wandering out of one of the rooms, completely covered in blood. The creature looks lost and dazed, sniffing the air endlessly. It’s eyes scorching red and fangs lengthened for its hunt. With one more sniff, its head snaps towards Layla and she can see its hunger.

It rushes towards her with inhumane speed and she grips her dagger already knowing that there is no way she can outrun a berserk vampire.

An unknown breeze rushes past her, blowing her hair in her face. The quick second it takes for her to pull it out of her face, she sees a tall figure towering over the headless vampire.

The man turns his head and looks at her with a smirk.

Layla scoffs, not sure if she should be pleased that he helped her, or concerned with why he did.

“It seems a thank you is in order.” He faces her and drops his victim’s head.

“That depends on your reason for helping me.”

Another breeze blows through her hair as the man instantly stands in front of her. She doesn’t flinch and he seems to find that alluring and his smirk widens into an intrigued smile.

“Luck surely is on my side.” He takes her hair and sniffs it, not taking his eyes off of her. He hums in pleasure. “You’re my insurance. Well, Nick’s.”

“What are you talking about? Last I checked, he kicked you out, Sebastian.”

“He still has a debt to pay.”

“I don’t have time for this. I need to find Nick.” She side-steps him wanting to continue on her search for him.

“Don’t just walk away from me.” He grabs her arm in a warning tone as his beast shows itself through his red glowing eyes.

“You may be a prince, but I don’t follow orders from anyone.”

He’s silent, not knowing where she could have figured out his true identity.

She pulls her arm away and starts walking again. He softly starts to chuckle and rushes in his speed to pick her up bridal-style, ignoring her squirms.

“You should try not to be so mysterious. It arouses my interest in you.” He stares down at her already pressing the dagger against his neck. “It seems we are both looking for Nick. I’ll help you get there faster.”

He sees the confused but desperate look in her sea-blue eyes, looking at him as if she can see into his soul. A soul he thought he had lost a very long time ago.

He curses under his breath as he rushes with his vampire speed through the building in the hopes of finding Nick.

Nick had spotted his father not too long ago. And when he noticed him starting to retreat, he knew his father had finally realized his predicament.

It gave him enough drive to push through, especially since he found the one person he needed to cross off his list to end all of this.

But seeing that he has ended up in his father’s so called throne room, trapped and surrounded by his wolves, Nick knew that his father must have lured him there.

“Eager to die?” Erickson smiles as his wolves continue circling around them.

“You will die.” Nick repeats the very words that he has been repeating in his head for the past few days.

“You really think you can kill me? When I have your precious little mate?”

Nick growls.

“You can’t end me. I made you who you are, what you are.”

Nick scoffs. “What do you want?”

“Really?” Erickson starts laughing hysterically. “I told you why I wanted this war.”

“No. What do you want out of it?..........We both know that whatever reason you have been feeding your people are just lies.”

Erickson laughs again, even when noticing the odd looks coming from the wolves.

“Are we going to fight or not.” Erickson barks out.

Nick stares at his father in disbelief as his suspicions bear more weight towards the possible truth.

“You don’t know.” He almost whispers.

“Speak up boy!”

“You don’t even know why you’re doing all of this.”

His father looks at him, voice stuck, not knowing what to respond.

“You just want,…..chaos. A narcissist that’s bored with his life, desperate for mayhem and thirsty for blood. And still trying to find some way to come out at the top of it all as some kind of hero.”

“I am not bored with my life.”

Nick can’t help but roll his eyes and getting him a growl from his father.

“So, are we going to do this or what?” Nick pumps his fists, getting ready to fight.

“Are you?” Erickson smiles as the wolves snarl at Nick.

“Without your guard dogs. At least fight like a man.”

Erickson catches the insult and snarls back at the wolves, who immediately back up.

Without a second to waste, Nick lunges at his father.

The two men get stuck in a crouch, gripping each other’s arms. One trying to overpower the other.

“You killed Maxim.”

“He was weak.”

Nick crouches further and grips him around the waist, lifts him and slams his body onto the ground with such a large force that a cracked dent is left in the floor below Erickson.

Without even giving him a chance to catch his breath, Nick starts punching him, aiming for his face and ribs.

Erickson barely manages to block most of his attacks, but does manage to throw Nick off of him.

The two go at each other, releasing the feral aura of their alpha-wolves, which has proven to be so potent, many of the wolves struggle to remain standing. -Their own wolves desperate to show their submission in the hopes of being spared from this violent dominance.

The two alphas' growls echoing through the room, and most likely through the walls of the building.

The two barely hear the large doors opening as two newcomers arrived and letting in the smoke of the growing fire.

Nick gets distracted, seeing Sebastian pulling Layla into the room by her hand. Erickson lands a punch and starts to overpower Nick.

Sebastian tries to step forward, but a wolf growls at him just as Layla pulls him on his arm.

“Nick can fight his own battles.” She says and just as Sebastian looks back at the man in question, Nick starts fending off Erickson’s attack with much ease. And looking around the room, he notices the wolves moving closer and closer towards them, clearly in for a hunt, or more for a kill.

Sebastian tries to pull Layla behind her, but she pulls from his grip.

“I can fight my own battles too.” He stares at her as she pulls out the dagger and rushes towards one of the wolves.

Sebastian can’t help but grin, seeing her lunge at one of the wolves with such agility that she slices its throat in one strike. He turns and attacks the wolves on the other end.

Nick throws his father against a wall, hoping it would break his back. But alas, he gets up quicker to his liking.

Wolves drop dead one by one and the smoke grows thicker in the air as the fire reaches the old walls. A wolf pushes Layla against a wall and the dagger slides across the floor, but she continues fighting, not even sparing a glance at the ominous shadow that has made its way to this massacre. Most likely here to collect the souls of the dead and soon-to-be dead. Sebastian jumps a wolf lunging at Nick’s backside.

Already bleeding and covered in scratches, Nick lunges at his father with all his weight and thrusting him against the burning wall. Erickson’s breath is caught in his throat at the force of the impact and with each passing second he notices how difficult it’s becoming for him to catch his breath. Finally breaking contact with Nick’s dark gaze, he slowly drops his head and looks down.

His eyes widen, seeing crimson liquid dripping from his stomach where Nick has his hand stuck in.

You never cared about anyone but yourself. Nick speaks to his father through their link.

His father looks back up at his eyes seeing the hate and so much pity in his eyes.

I regret they day I was born as your son, ….that any of us had you for a father. Nick starts showing him visions of his brothers, from his perspective. Anthony’s happiness with his male-mate, Jason. Tristan’s undying love for his witch-mate, Melinda. Maxim’s patient wisdom that made them all look up to him. And of himself, and how he foolishly had to learn what unconditional love looked like. You speak of legacy, when you had everything you could ever want. Have you truly forgotten about your true heir, Eugene. And how you have now left him without a mother or a father,…..or a grandfather.

Blood starts seeping out of Erickson’s mouth as he feels Nick’s hand grasping and squeezing his heart.

Erickson can feel Nick’s aura growing darker as his wolf craves the blood of his own father. His eyes widen as the fear of a meaningless death settles in him, -in Nick’s grasp.

Nick’s eyes flash as he talks with his wolf, and hesitantly pulls his arm from his father’s chest and watches him fall limply to the floor.

Hoping but not admitting that he will find more pity and perhaps even guilt in his son’s eyes, Erickson looks up and chokes more on his blood. Seeing nothing in his eyes, he knows Nick now feels absolutely nothing for him anymore. Not even hatred. He is nothing to him.

The last thing Nick wanted to give him as a parting gift was not a quick death, but a slow one as he will either bleed out or drown in his own blood faster than what his wolf could heal him. Erickson's hands shake as each breath feels like it could be his last.

Nick turns around, his eyes instantly landing on Layla. She rushes into his already awaiting arms. He nuzzles his nose into her neck, inhaling her wonderful scent, having missed it for so long.

“It’s finally over.” He stares into her sky-blue eyes. His favourite colour. The one that reminds him of freedom, of peace.

“You’re not the best business partner, you know.” Nick looks behind Layla and sees Sebastian standing with what almost seems like a smile.

Nick growls with annoyance.

“Hey. I had to make sure you pay up.”

“Yeah. What does he mean you have a debt to pay him?” Layla asks and his jaw clenches as he gives another annoyed growl at Sebastian.

“Has your mate been keeping secrets from you.” Sebastian teases, not able to hide his smile this time.

But Layla suddenly gasps trying to pull Nick out of the way. “Look out!”

But with Nick’s large frame, she doesn’t succeed. Not that he would allow it either. Whatever danger she sensed, all he and his wolf could think of in that second was to guard her from it, and so he turned around to shield her from it.

In that very instance, Nick sees his pale and bloody father, standing and gripping on a dagger he just plunged into Nick’s heart. He can already feel his heartbeat fading and his blood burning like acid.

Screams fill his ears as he drops to his knees and pulls the dagger out, seeing what he suspected. Silver.

Nick gets pulled back and into Layla’s hold and on her lap as the bleeding whole paints his chest and the floor with his blood.

Erickson smiles as Sebastian shoves him back against the wall. But he laughs haggardly. He doesn’t care. He got what he wanted. One last blow. Besides, they all acted as if was already dead. No. As if he didn’t even exist.

He still smiles as Sebastian rips his head off.

Looking back down, he sees Layla cradling Nick’s face as they just stare at each other, waiting for the inevitable.

“Don’t leave me.” She whimpers.

But his eyes close, his body goes limp and she feels his last breath on her cheek. Her breath hitches, as she continues to stare at him, not believing what just happened. But then she feels a snap of something that had stabbed such a striking pain in her chest. She releases a shrilling scream that has roaring thunder sounding outside, the building shaking, the fire flickering and even has Sebastian’s beast snarling in fear.

Seeing the flames devouring the room, Sebastian leans down and gently grabs her shoulder.

He sighs deeply, aware that this man’s death actually shocked him and bothers him, beyond just the fact of his debt.

“We must leave. This building will collapse soon.”

But she doesn’t move. And from the corner of her eye, she can see the black shadow approaching and slowly leaning down next to them.

“No, no, no.” She looks up at him. “Please don’t.”

Sebastian looks to the side, not knowing who she’s talking to.”

“Layla?” He nudges her shoulder again. But he looks confused when he sees her hair moving over her shoulder and revealing her neck, all on its own.

As the shadow looks at her neck and sees the mark, he gives Layla a sad smile.

Call to him, before it’s too late.

The shadow stands up and vanishes behind the burning wall.

“Layla. We have to go. Now.” He sounds desperate as he watches her talking to Nick as if he was still alive.

As he tries to pull Nick’s body from her, she snaps her head at him staring at him with the most ominous eyes he has ever seen.

“Leave!” She commands.

Before he can even properly understand what he had just seen, he gets up and starts walking out of the room. He can’t stop himself, as hard as he tries, his body is just moving on its own.

Left alone in the crumbling room, she looks back down at him and starts whispering desperately in his ear. Rubbing her face against his stubble.

“Come back. Come back to me. Just follow my voice.”

She continues to hold him, not bothered of the room burning and falling to pieces. She’s not even aware of an injured berserk wolf having found its way to them. Laying its eyes on the two unknowing preys, it stalks its way towards them. But the closer it gets, the slower and more cautious its movement. As if sensing danger.

The wolf immediately rushes out of the room in whines.

“I love you, Nick. I love you. You can’t leave me. You promised you won’t leave me alone.”

Looking down at him, his face is still pale, and his wound is still open.

She continues crying and holding him tightly as the burning building slowly collapses around them. The smoke making it harder for her to breathe.

And for once she wonders what it would be like to truly die.

Can I even come back from fire?

All she knows is that if he can’t come back to her, she will follow him and try as much as she can to stay there with him.