SWNOVELS Chapter THE STAKE
THIRD PERSON POV:
As Bella's body rose, her hand stretched out, pointing towards Enzo. Then the glow in her eyes dissipated as her eyes opened.
"You want me, Enzo? Then come and get me!" she yelled at once. Enzo's lips curled into a wicked grin, bloodlust evident in his eyes. He released Herald's broken body, letting it fall to the ground.
"Finally, you're done hiding behind your pathetic friends. I'll enjoy ripping you apart." He licked his lips.
In a blur, Enzo charged at Bella with blinding speed. Bella stood her ground as he closed the distance between them. She moved calmly, causing him to fall to the ground. Hazel undid the shield protecting them, and they tried to step in, but Bella turned to them.
"This is my fight, and if you want to be helpful, then look around. Our troops are dying, and my father." She locked off her emotions to prevent her mind from getting clouded by the thoughts of her father, who seemed to be dying.
Then she turned to Enzo, who got to his feet with a short laugh, escaping him.
"You seem to have gotten tough, but that will not work. Look around. I am halfway to wiping your loved ones." Her lips curved into a smirk as he said this, because he believed he could still use her family against her, but he had no clue what was coming for him. Enzo growled as he came at her again, his claws aimed for her throat. Bella dodged, maneuvering like a pro while Enzo tried to hold his stand. He couldn't believe trying to manipulate her emotions wasn't working.
"He will soon find out that his words aren't working on you, so work smart. Now that you have created an opening, there is only one thing you need to defeat Enzo. Underneath the earth in my tomb lies the stake forged personally by the moon goddess. It will be used to defeat him. You need to plunge it into two places: his heart first and his head, then he can never live again." Radolf spoke to Bella through her mind.
Bella mind linked her mates at once, telling them about the stake and how to get to it. Then she faced Enzo with a smile on her face.
"Is that all the almighty vampire king has?" she asked. He smirked at her. "Weakness," she finished, causing anger to cross his chest as he lunged at her with all his might.
He slammed his hand into Bella's chest, thinking he would push away her heart, but she moved back, planting her feet firmly on the ground with great stance.
With her gaze focused on him, she hit her chest faintly with her fist.
"This heart right here is untouchable, so you have to do better, sidekick." She taunted him. Enzo knew she was trying to get under her skin, but there was almost nothing he could do as her words were getting to him.
The triplets moved swiftly, following Bella's instruction. Hazel and Riley followed them closely as they tried to fight off the vampires coming for them. They made their way to the entrance where Radolf emerged, and then they found out it was some sort of tunnel.
"I know it is Bella's fight, but we have to keep watch on her," Hazel said as she thought it stupid for the five of them to crawl into the tunnel in search of one stake.
"Hazel is right," Kai seconded.
"Then Kai and I will go, while the rest of you stand watch," Finn suggested, and they all nodded. The two twins made their way into the cave-like tunnel, which descended underground.
As they made their way into it, they found spiraling stairs which descended even further. Soon, they reached the bottom, and they entered a vast chamber unlike anything they'd ever seen. The ceiling stretched high above. The walls were etched with intricate carvings depicting battles and the phases of the moon.
"He lived like a king in here," Kai commented, and Finn shrugged.
"No shit, he is immortal, so he can never die," he replied as they looked around the room in search of the stake. Then their eyes darted around the room, settling on the coffin in the center.
"That has got to be the answer," Finn said, and they both nodded in agreement to check it out. The twins walked to the coffin, opening it up. There they saw a black stake. The tip was razor-sharp, and the shaft was engraved with symbols they had never seen before.
"This is it," Finn said as he grabbed the stake, but then they heard a crack above them, and the earth above crashed to the ground, sending a smoke of dust into the air.
They coughed hard, trying to wave it off. Then they saw two vampires standing before them with their fangs out, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
"You didn't think we'd let you walk out of here with that, did you?" one of them sneered. The twins exchanged glances. The twins sighed and waited for them to rush at them. Then Kai grabbed the stake, jumping over the vampire who caught Finn. He plunged the stake into his heart, causing him to go up in flames as he pulled out the stake. Fear shot through the eyes of the other vampire as he tried to make a run for it, but Finn cut him, snapping his neck off.
"This is almost too easy," they commented as they made their way out of the tunnel. Soon, they were on the surface. "Did you get it?" Hazel asked, her eyes scanning them.
Then Kai held up the stake. But that was the mistake he made. As the stake went up, it caught Enzo's gaze, and he knew at once what it would be used for. Bella was surprised by the discussion of her friends, giving Enzo an opening. He grabbed her by the neck, ascending up into the air with her. Bella struggled, but Enzo's grip on her was too powerful.
"Radolf, help," she said to him.
"I cannot. It is your destiny to fight him, so figure it out."
Bella felt life being snuffed out of her as Enzo took her far to an unknown destination. Then he started descending. With a deafening roar, Enzo dove downward, crashing through the earth's surface with Bella in tow. The ground shook violently, leaving a gaping hole where they had disappeared.
"Bella!" Hazel yelled, her voice laced with panic. She turned to the others.
"We have to go after her!" Ryder yelled.
"But what about Alpha Herald?" Riley asked, turning back to face the alpha, who could barely fight.
"No," he rasped. "You need to leave now. Get that stake to her and end this."
"But you'll-" Finn began, but Herald cut him off with a growl.
"My life doesn't matter. She's the only one who can finish this. Go!" With heavy hearts, the group nodded.
They turned their backs on the Herald, heading into the dense forest surrounding them. Underground, Bella and Enzo plummeted through layers of earth, breaking through rock and soil until they finally crashed into a dark cavern far below the surface. The impact sent a wave of dust and debris flying. Bella groaned as she scrambled to her feet, her body aching from the fall.
Enzo stood a few feet away, unfazed.
"Is this far enough for you, Bella?" he mocked, spreading his arms wide. "No one's coming to save you now."
Bella steadied her breathing, her eyes narrowing.
"I don't need anyone to save me."
Enzo chuckled, then he rushed at her without waiting, his claws slashing through the air, catching a part of her face. As blood trickled down her face, Bella tried to hold down her emotion. She knew Enzo was acting out of anger, so she needed to release her body and feel nothing. The fight raged on, each blow echoing through the ground. Bella allowed her body to take his blows until she felt her spirit opening up. Then she looked at him with a smirk hanging on her face as he panted from exhaustion.
Above ground, the group raced toward the hole Enzo had created. Hazel tried a location spell to find Bella's exact location.
"She's down there," Hazel said, pointing toward the ground. The group rushed closer to the hole, standing in front of it, unsure of how to get to her.
Enzo pinned Bella to the wall, his claws digging into her shoulder.
"Give up now, hybrid," he yelled, and the smirk on her face remained. She could tell he was almost giving up."Your goddess is dead, and there is nothing you can do for your people." He delivered another strike to her body.
"Bella!" the triplets yelled, and the moment she heard her name, she gave Enzo a hard punch to the face. Then she grabbed his neck, slamming him from the ground where they were down into the hole.
By this time, he was already exhausted.
"Don't you see? This is destiny, Enzo, and you cannot stop it." The triplets gathered around the hole with the stake as she said this.