My Most Precious Human

I needed a moment to process Leo's words. I was so preoccupied with everything around that I never asked Leo or Sariel what had happened when they'd lost communication and how they had managed to get to Greystoneville. I looked at Sariel. His eyes were blazing red, and his expression was completely different than when his eyes were on me.

"How much time do we have before they'll enter the town?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

Leo replied immediately, "Three hours tops."

Sariel reached for my hand and pulled me to stand close beside him. "Draven should speed up his healing. We'd need all of his dogs ready. Call the meeting in fifteen," he said in a firm tone.

Leo nodded and quickly dashed to execute Sariel's order. He watched Leo disappear into the corridor, silently processing the situation before turning my way.

He cupped my face in his hands and locked his eyes on me. "I want you to stay out of this fight."

I stroked his hands on my face and smiled. "I'm stronger than you think. I'm stronger than most of Draven's warriors," I claimed boldly, not intending to sit this fight out.

His hands went to my arms as he leaned back and scanned me, then he frowned. "I'm serious, Lilith. Normal degenerates are like zombies, but these creatures are fully conscious, and they are not allergic to light. They are aiming to kill in the most brutal and primitive way, and there are thousands-"

"That is why you will need every fighter you can get," I smirked, "and you have me."

In his strict and decisive tone, he said, "I'd rather have you alive."

"I promise I'll still be alive after we kick those degenerated asses." I grinned innocently.

"Lilith..." he sighed, intensifying his worrying gaze on me.

"You need me, and you know that. Stop fighting with me." I stepped up on my toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

His hands wrapped me in a tight embrace. "I'm not fighting, I'm trying to keep you safe," he insisted in a very convincingly seductive tone.

"Sariel..." I breathed nervously, "I almost lost my mind when I thought you were dead. I couldn't bear to sit and wait for you to return when I know how dangerous it is. Please... just let me be there next to you." I placed my head on his chest.

He lowered to kiss the crown of my head. "These creatures are stronger than you can imagine. Many of the soldiers are going to die in this battle. Those who survived are afraid to face the degenerates again." "I'm sure that the presence of their King fighting hand in hand with them gave them courage... but what if their future queen was going to be there with all of them as well?" I slipped my arms around his waist, my fingers roaming up and down his back.

He growled softly and embraced me even tighter. "You are ignoring my concerns and you are starting to play dirty tricks on me."

"I gave you a reason to have me there," I argued, "and I only got you back, and I don't want us to be separated, war or no war." My hands slid down to grab his deliciously firm ass.

"You are so lucky that we don't have time right now," he purred to my ear. "Otherwise, I would have you lying naked on this table in two seconds."

I giggled, nuzzling his chest, "You can have me anywhere you want... after you let me stay with you and we defeat the enemy together."

"You are a tough negotiator, my Queen," he muttered and kissed my neck.

I smirked wickedly, "You have no idea..."

It took me an additional ten minutes of convincing, but he finally agreed under the condition that I would always stay within his sight. I could go with that. After our discussion ended, we walked to the town hall's meeting room, where Leo gathered the high-positioned warrior teams' leaders.

As we walked into the room, I saw a long table standing on the podium, prepared for Sariel, Leo, and other commanders, and a lot of audience seats prepared in front of the podium. When we got closer, I forced Sariel to let go of my hand, and I took my spot in the first row while he sat by the table.

The meeting room quickly became crowded with wolf warriors and Royal Army soldiers. Suddenly, I saw Ari entering. He bowed his head as he saw me. Only then did I notice Draven walking behind him. I flinched. I hadn't seen him since the moment he had been defeated by Sariel. He looked pale and walked with a lowered head. I guessed that his ego suffered much more than he did.

All the seats in the first row were already taken, except for the two chairs on my left. For a second, I thought that Draven would sit next to me. I hoped that he wouldn't because my blood was still boiling just by looking at him. Fortunately Ari stepped faster and took the spot near me, leaving Draven with the last possible option. As he walked past me, I wondered if I'd hear his apology, but all I got was a brief nod without even looking into my eyes. I sighed heavily but decided not to be petty, especially when I finally sorted out most of my problems with Sariel and felt all of my fluttering butterflies again. Besides, we were about to face a much more serious situation than Draven's lies.

On Sariel's nod, Leo got up from his seat and started the meeting. "Let me start with the good news," Leo said, smirking and clearing his throat. "We managed to bring back communication. Our teams located and destroyed the jamming devices hidden right outside the town. They were similar to those we had found before when our King got cutoff for little more than a day. Those devices were placed by those who work for JD, the leader of the degenerates..." he paused and took a deep breath. "Now for the bad news... According to our intelligence, the army of degenerates is going to attack Greystoneville in about two hours. Big numbers are coming from all directions. The most numerous group is coming from the west and is about to invade the human-inhabited part of the town."

I gasped. Humans living in that part of the town were mostly unaware of the existence of the supernatural creatures. Whoever planned to attack these districts aimed not only for the slaughter but also to cause complete chaos. In that situation, people were doomed to face vampires, werewolves, and an army of bloodthirsty degenerates all at once, as if they had stepped into a horrifyingly vivid nightmare. The word "panic" was far too delicate to describe what it all would look like. The degenerates were going to unleash hell on Earth.

Leo continued, "To fight those creatures, you will have to know one thing: these aren't some mindless creatures. They have their own minds, they are vicious, and they are extremely strong. For many reasons, they are more like vampire commoners... except for the fact that they are not allergic to the sun."

This statement caused a wave of commotion. Patrick had told me before that those creatures were different, but I had never imagined that the difference could be this extreme. After all, degenerates could only be created with commoners' blood. If so, then how the hell could they develop an ability that the commoners couldn't have?!

"The truth is..." An odd grimace appeared on Leo's face. "Those creatures also have some of the wolf's features, like lycan-like postures and wide jaws filled with sharp teeth."

Those words created an uproar. Angry comments mixed with confused and restless muttering. My heart started to hammer. I could now fully understand why Sariel wanted to take me as far away from this battle as possible. None of those warriors had ever fought against creatures like this. That was also the reason why the powerful Vampire King had trouble defeating this army: no one knew their weak points or if they even had any.

"So, what the fuck are we going to fight against?!" Draven snapped.

Leo looked and Sariel, waiting for his permission. The King nodded and Leo let out a deep exhale before he replied, "We assume that this army is made out of some form of the second and third generation of hybrids."

"Are you shitting me?! Mix-breeds between vampires and werewolves were never possible! How can there be a second generation if the first one cannot exist?!" Draven roared.

"It couldn't... until now." A wry smile formed on Leo's lips. "We are convinced that JD is a hybrid."