Reborn As Cursed Alpha's Mate
Chapter 214: The Enemy Arrives

Chapter 214: The Enemy Arrives

The following morning brought along an elated Commander Razial, a slightly sheepish Lotus and a very hungover younger couple.

They gathered around the wooden table for breakfast. The morning was as usual crisp with little snow.

Siroos and Cassandra couldn’t help but gossip about their nights. Placing bets again as they murmured in each other’s ear.

"There was at least a kiss involved, judging from Razial’s face," Cassandra leaned in and whispered to her mate, seeing there was an unusual smile playing on the Commander’s lips.

Siroos shook his head a bit. "They could have slept together too. Lotus is avoiding glancing at him."

But Cassandra knew her sister wouldn’t give this much room to Razial this quickly, he would have to earn it.

"That’s probably Faris and Aiko’s situation, they are pretty hung up," she remarked.

Both of them were holding their heads and Siroos wondered what his brother drank to be this intoxicated. The effect of alcohol wore off shifters quickly.

"Stop gossiping about us." Lotus shot a look at the tittering couple, making them snicker.

"Feel like sharing something?" Cassandra offered a sarcastic smile.

"NO, in capital letters. I can say it in five different languages as well if you are not in the mood to hear it in English." Lotus flared at them as she filled her plate with porridge.

"My head hurts," Aiko announced, holding it. She had lost count last night to the amount of time her mate had made her cum over and over again. He had made a mess of her, in a good way.

"Here, try this tea. It will help." Halri brought two cups for them. She had seen their haggard state earlier and knew they would need it.

"Bless-o!" Faris quickly accepted it and so did Aiko.

"More than kissing between them," Siroos declared to his mate, seeing how they kept avoiding each other’s gazes.

The breakfast went on in speculation.

After the morning meal, it was time for them to leave. Stepping out of Halri’s house, Faris hurried off to tend to the horses, to offer them water and fodder before they would set off again.

Ladies offered to help Halri in packing some food.

Siroos decided to take a round just to be sure that the perimeters were safe and no vampires were lurking. His sixth sense had pricked as soon as he set foot outside Halri’s house.

Near the outskirts of the village, the rotten scent vampires always gave off hit him in faint notes. His senses pricked, they were approaching. Halri had said they visited every few months to collect taxes but always arrived unannounced.

They were here, he could sense them way before he could see them.

Siroos hurried back and informed Halri.

"Vampires are here, they can’t see us. If they do, I will have to kill all of them because news of us being here can’t spread."

Horror coated her face. "They are early. I will stall them while you people can sneak off. Getting in battle with them will only escalate the situation."

Siroos didn’t agree with her assumption. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the villagers at their disposal.

"Or we can just eradicate them all and they will think twice about sending more of their men. Let me deal with them."

Cassandra placed her hand on Siroos’s arm.

"I think we should avoid more bloodshed and let’s see if they can leave in peace."

"Yes, let me handle this. Please, hide in the shed." Halri sent them off, quickly. The CAFLRS gathered in the shed.

"I am going to sneak off and see what they are up to. I can hide my scent, they won’t discover me," Aiko told them and Faris inched closer to her mate.

"Be careful!" He touched her arm but placed complete trust in her. She nodded before opening a portal and disappearing inside it as others watched and gave her a thumbs up.

Lotus elegantly perched herself on the hay, while Faris dropped himself on it waiting impatiently.

Razial peeked through the gap between the two wooden doors of the shed, trying to see what was going on out there.

Cassandra nervously watched as her mate frustratedly paced the messy barn filled with horses.

"What if they hurt them again? I hate that I have to hide like some coward." Siroos’s unhappiness was evident from the ridges on his forehead, they kept deepening and his jaw tightening as if it had been set in stone.

"We will end their lives if they dare touch anyone wrong. Aiko will keep an eye on them," Faris reassured again. Aiko could hide her scent and escape through portals so she was the perfect lookout.

"Hopefully, they will just take that tax and will be on their way..." Lotus’s words were cut off when the portal opened and Aiko hurriedly stepped out, not at all seeming pleased.

That was quick.

"They are demanding two young girls to be handed over. The villagers are short on gold as per say these bloody vampires," she spat out in disgust, ice seemed to have settled in her eyes.

A low feral growl escaped Siroos. "That’s it." Before anyone could stop or negotiate with him, he was out of the door with others in his tow.

He furiously marched over to the rendezvous point where Halri and the few elders of the village were in a heated discussion with five vampires. Their garbs and smug faces revealed they belonged to the royal army.

Siroos marched over to them and their crimson eyes wavered over to him and his companions.

Instantly a fear crawled down their spines, seeing Siroos approach. The man exuded such a powerful aura and that feral look in his gold-inked eyes that lined with crimson. It seemed like fresh blood had spilled in them.

And that woman beside him, the way she radiated a glow similar to the sun and how her eyes narrowed at them, they understood these were not normal people.

"What’s your business here, vampires?" Siroos demanded. The elders and Halri unwantedly stepped back, knowing things were about to get messy now.

"Who is asking?" The leader of the vampires tried to put authority into his voice.

Siroos towered over him, making him cower just with his potent aura and ominous words.

"Leave this place and never return. Your business here has been concluded. Disobey or return, I will ensure that you will never live to see the next day."

The vampire gulped but continued to speak, trying to act braver.

"We don’t take orders from you, we take it from our monarch and this village is due its taxes plus two girls as per the deal."

"That was a bad bad answer. The kind of answer which will make you lose your heart, like literally," Faris drawled out from the side, casually leaning against a pole with his arms across his chest and that charming but cold smile plastered on his lips.

"Numbered days," Cassandra lazily said, knowing Siroos would never let any of them walk out of there now that they had seen their faces.

The rest of the vampire’s companions got ready to attack and tried to snatch up Halri. Cassandra’s lilac shield had already shot out and taken her and the other Elders under her protection.

Razial’s power emerged in the form of a whirling tornado and hurled the vampires back. They almost flew and landed on the hard ground.

They snarled, their canines elongating into fangs as all of them staggered to their feet and began to circle the villagers and CAFLRS at their vampire speed, trying to intimidate them.

"Lotus! Aiko! Take them inside. Keep them safe, we will handle them." Siroos pointed to the village folks while his hands extended into the claws of his wolf and his eyes flashed as his wolf surfaced ready to tear apart some vampires.

Girls instantly obeyed, leading the innocent people away from what was about to become a warzone. They hurried off under the protection of Cassandra’s shield, the vampires constantly collided with it, trying to break it but failed and grunted in frustration.

Once the villagers were safely inside and all doors had been locked with Cassandra’s protective shield remaining around the houses, the battle ensued under snarls and growls.

The vampires moved at super speed, trying to break their defence.

Cassandra also had her male companions surrounded with her lilac protective powers while they attacked. This unearthly energy radiated from her which didn’t let the enemy lay their hands on her people.

Siroos hunched forward, half-transformed, in sync with his wolf spirit. He captured two of them by their throats and wrung their necks as if they were mere puppets.

Razial speared one with his icy spear while Faris’s wolf brought down another, tearing out his windpipe and heart.

Seeing his companions going down like flies, the last one decided to escape and began running towards the adjoining forest as fast as his legs could carry him.