Nikolai stood solidly watching the van for several breaths before he stepped closer.
"To think you would keep your word..." He never believed that Alaric would save his grandfather, and because of what happened, it seed impossible that his grandfather was here.
"I swore to you."
The tall male showed a fant grimace, but soon returned to normal and stepped back.
"Everyone, get into the second car, we need to leave."
Alexei and his sister led the group to the second car, both of them limping slightly. Amphitrite and Lunaria remained still while looking at Sasha, who trembled upon seeing Alaric.
Nikolai didn’t follow Alaric’s words and opened the first van’s door to find his grandfather sitting silently with what seed to be an oxygen mask. He looked frail with a gaunt face and dull eyes, though Viktor was alive from the dark bruises, it was clear he had suffered during his ti while captive.
"Grandfather, are you okay? We can go now, everything is safe." Nikolai said, his voice trembling as he held the older man’s hand.
Despite looking much younger in the past for his age, the elderly werewolf truly matched his age in human years, with a wrinkled forehead, silver hair, and pale skin that looked as fragile as glass.
The old man grasped the mask, his arm shaking wildly before slipping off.
"I am fine, my dear boy, just tired."
His grandfather spoke in a calm voice, but his eyes never t Nikolai’s... No, they didn’t move at all. It was like his eyes rolled into his skull and were simply staring aimlessly.
’What happened to you? Why are you...’ Nikolai couldn’t think of how the elderly man before him could have been tortured but remained calm, yet there was a strange scent that lingered in his body... like death, or corpses.
"Then we can speak later, please rest..."
"Hoho, I heard you completed the ritual." Viktor showed a bright smile, his hand gripping the mask tightly. "I’m so proud."
Nikolai couldn’t imagine what he suffered, but he also just wanted to let him rest. "I’ll sit in the back, if you need sothing..."
"Hoho... of course, Nikolai..." The man’s head nodded off, his hand drooping with the mask that hissed with a clear spray of air.
Nikolai leaned over and pulled it over Viktor’s head, then pulled away with a sigh.
"Let’s go." He called back to Amphitrite, Sasha and Lunaria.
There wasn’t enough ti to waste here; the people in the mansion probably knew, and if they didn’t hurry to sowhere safe, everything would be in danger.
Thankfully, along with Alaric, two full squads of ard maids arrived for support.
"Coming."
"Darling, you look exhausted." Amphitrite stepped forward and hugged Nikolai’s side, no longer her previous self after seeing the test tubes, but Sasha was the one lost. She stared blankly at Alaric, who stood by the driver’s door, glaring at her with a fierce expression.
"Co here, Sasha."
Finally, after Nikolai called out to her again, she snapped out of it and scurried over to the back door, sliding across the leather seat.
"Tsk..."
Nikolai chose the spot directly behind his grandfather, and Amphitrite pressed up against him, her eyes closed with a sigh of contentnt as she nestled into his embrace.
Lunaria gazed at the pair with a scrunched-up face, her eyes scowling at the other woman. "Hmph..."
The car door slamd shut, and the engine roared to life.
***
anwhile, Sasha sat in silence for several minutes before looking at the man driving. His eyes gazed through the rear-view mirror, glaring back at her, yet he never spoke.
"N-Nikolai... that man...." Her voice quivered as she reached out and pulled Nikolai’s hand, a slight tug as she whimpered. "That’s... the man who used to bring new subjects..." Her words caused Amphitrite’s eyes to snap open, but Lunaria was confused.
’I see...’
When he learned that Alaric had admitted to betraying the group, Nikolai sohow thought it would be sothing like this after hearing the news. Yet he hoped it wasn’t sothing that could cause Sasha, one of their few clues to the current situation, to pull away like this.
"I understand."
It seed that there were more secrets to reveal, and many things remained hidden.
He turned to face Alaric and asked. "What happened to the people who were in the mansion?"
"They are enjoying the party as usual. I am sure the main mbers of the family are aware that sothing happened."
Nikolai wondered where they were driving to, since there was no chance the hotel would be safe at this rate. However, Alaric continued by saying.
"Master Victor needs imdiate care, so we are heading back."
The car pulled away, leaving behind dark clouds and fog, and heading towards the centre of S-City.
Three cars followed their van, two filled with the maids and the last one with Alexei and Marianne, all at a slight distance from each other, taking different routes to avoid being tracked by the enemy.
"I hope it’s over..."
"Luna, you’re tempting fate with that comnt." Nikolai chuckled before sinking his head into the comfortable rest.
"Any pursuers?"
"Not yet," Alaric replied in a stoic voice.
For now, they were safe, and soon he could rest after dealing with the problems of his grandfather and Sasha. The clues about his mother, the goals of the Nosferatu and his Aunt needed studying.
’I have to visit Aunt Anastasia... Father said she was recovering in an isolated villa in the complex.’
Nikolai noticed a flash in the wing mirror, then a sudden blast.
"Fuck!" He cursed. ’How did they find us so fast?’
Nikolai’s hands slamd into the ceiling and wrapped around the woman beside him, causing Amphitrite and Luna to gasp.
"Brace!"
Sasha’s eyes widened as the ground suddenly shifted beneath her feet, sending the car spinning out of control.
"AHH!" She scread as she flew out of her seat, only for Nikolai to grab her arm and drag her back onto his lap, her face pressed into Lunaria’s thigh. "Ughh..."
"What happened!?"
Lunaria looked at the front of the car while trying to keep Sasha and herself from being jostled around too much.
"Get down!" Nikolai growled, pushing Lunaria’s head down and pulling Amphitrite closer, covering them both with his body, as the sound of gunfire echoed across the road.
"We’re under attack!" Alaric yelled through gritted teeth as he struggled to keep the car from spinning out of control.
"Tck..."
The sound of bullets hitting the van’s roof and body echoed loudly, followed by a loud explosion. Nikolai noticed Alaric lean across and pull out a massive gun from his glove box, then press a red button. Viktor’s seat suddenly lowered, with a tal sheet covering the windows.
’These guys sure like to plan for the unexpected.’
As Nikolai peeked over the edge of the window, he spotted black vehicles speeding up towards them.
"Can’t you drive?"
"The engine is stalled!"
"What about the other cars? Where did they go?"
"I don’t know! We split up, and I lost contact with the main group."
Nikolai looked through the rear-view mirror, but it seed their pursuers had so other plans.
’Hold on...’
"Shit..."
Alaric didn’t wait or speak to Nikolai; he kicked open his slightly deford door and, with a single movent, leaned and started blasting with his magnum. The shots were deep and loud.
One of them slamd into the driver’s window of a black vehicle, the glass shattered but remained in place like reinforced material until another shot blasted out the entire side window, along with half of the driver’s face.
"Nikolai, look under your seat, take out the case and help ."
Alaric’s sharp gaze flicked back, the flash of bullets passing overhead, ricocheting off the car with a deng, deng sound as he reloaded.
Nikolai let go of the woman, slipping Sasha into another seat, and reached down. Under the seat was a sleek black box, about a tre long, maybe more. He grabbed it and placed it on his lap before undoing the clips to find an automatic shotgun inside.
"Lunaria, put the girls in the middle and make sure Grandpa is secure."
With a click, he assembled the two guns and loaded the heavy magazine full of slugs. Nikolai checked to ensure the weapon was loaded, then opened the passenger-side door while flicking the safety.
The wind and rain whipped across his face as he stood up with one foot against the window ledge.
"Fuckers!"
Alaric’s voice echoed over the sound of gunfire.
With a mighty kick, the driver-side door flew off its hinges and crashed into an approaching van, causing it to veer off course and smash into a concrete barrier.
Nikolai hissed before he aid at an oncoming car, several n in suits in the dimd windows, all of them ard with silver bullets.
The shotgun felt incredible as it released a burst, the barrel shifting to the next target and repeating the motion; it was like a semi-automatic grenade launcher, the slugs blasting into tal and glass, tearing the n apart.
However...
After his opening salvo, the enemy’s guns began to rain down with semi-automatic fire.
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