Invisible Mate ( Mate Series Book 1)

Chris was on a rampage. He swept across the dungeon looking for Liam in all the cells, killing everyone on his way. When he didn’t find Liam there, he held one of the rogues by his neck and growled, ” Where’s Liam?”

" I-I don’t know,” the rogue said in fear. Chris was so frustrated that he snapped the rogue’s neck in anger. He questioned another one, and the coward rogue blurted out. ” T-They have taken him to the Demon’s forest.”

" Where’s this Demon’s forest? Take me there now.”

The rogue stood still trembling in his spot, and Chris screamed, ” Now.”

“O-Okay,” the rogue stuttered and led the way. He sent a message to his fellow rogues through mind-link that he was leading Chris to the forest as planned.

Daniel stood at the spot in the demon’s forest where a few witches and wizards were circled around the moonstone performing a ritual. For a long time, they were Samara’s followers and had been hidden since her downfall. Daniel had tracked them and had them come here to help him with the ritual.

Liam was bound to a tree in chains and was still unconscious. They needed him to persuade Chris.

A rogue wolf approached him and whispered, ” W-We can’t hold their army for a long time.”

" That was expected,” Daniel sneered. ” Just make sure none of them reach here before the ritual is complete.”

" Y-Yes, Sir,” the rogue stuttered and left.

" I knew you guys were useless,” Samara mocked." I can’t fail today, not at any cost. I have been waiting for thousand years.”

Daniel stiffened at a rumbling sound followed by low growls and roars of beasts. He heard the branches creaking and feets shuffling, and suddenly a few wild animals crept out from behind the trees startling him. He could point out a few wolves, bears, and leopards. Their eyes were dark with anger, and they were acting particularly aggressive.

Daniel backed away in fear, but they didn’t attack him; instead sprinted towards the direction where the battle was taking place. He soon realized Samara was controlling them; that’s why the sudden behavior change.

His thoughts are interrupted by one of the witches. ” We tried everything we could, but the moonstone is more powerful than we expected. It is not going to work without the Black family blood.”

Daniel knew it would never work, but Samara had insisted they try it. It was all for nothing, just a waste of time. ” Mr. Black will be here any moment. I will get you his blood.”

The witch nodded and joined her companions while Daniel stood there waiting for Chris.

Adele and Axel were racing through the dark forest when their path was blocked by two leopards.

" We must avoid fighting them and run, or else we might be late,” Adele suggested. They changed into their wolf forms and leaped over the leopards and ran past them, but the leopards didn’t go on their way; instead, they turned around and followed Adele and Axel.

" This is strange,” Axel’s wolf Abel remarked. " Why are they following us?”

Before he knew it, one leopard jumped on him, and Abel docked at the last second. He kicked the leopard hard on its face knocking it down. Beside him, Alexa had just tackled one, and they went on their way.

Alexa could hear her Pack members fighting with the rogues and even the wild animals. " Why are the animals behaving so aggressively?”

" Looks like it’s Samara’s doing.”

“She is trying to stop us, but we must hurry.”

They dashed through the trees, but the rogues and the wild animals constantly blocked them. Despite knowing they didn’t stand a chance, the rogues intervened only to delay them.

Meanwhile, Chris had reached the Demon’s forest and saw Liam tied to the tree. He was relieved to see Liam after so many days and immediately broke the chains around him.

Liam was still unconscious, and Chris tried to wake him up. ” Liam...”

" He’s poisoned.”

Chris stiffened when he heard someone speak behind him. He suddenly got the flashes of the nightmare he had a few days back when Adele threatened him with Liam. He shook his head to get out of the thoughts and turned to see who interrupted him.

" Who the f**k are you?” he spat with venom in his voice.

" Did you forget me, Little Chris?” Daniel mocked.

Chris stared at him, and he felt that he had seen him earlier. After some thought, he remembered seeing him when he, Liam, and their parents were attacked on the mountain trip 15 years ago.

" You...?” Chris was confused. ” Weren’t you dead?” He remembered his Dad saying that he had gotten rid of the vampire.

" I won’t die so easily.” Daniel sneered. ” Now, if you don’t want your little boyfriend to die, I suggest you do as I say.”

Chris was on Daniel in seconds. He pushed him towards the tree and had a death grip on his throat. Daniel’s legs were dangling in the air, and he was finding it hard to breathe. Daniel tried to speak but couldn’t.

" I think you don’t value your friend’s life.” Chris suddenly loosened the hold he had on Daniel when he heard the familiar voice in his head.

" Miss me,” Samara smirked and chuckled evilly when she sensed Chris’s discomfort.

" What do you want?” Chris growled at Samara while Daniel was coughing, trying to gather air into his lungs.

" Don’t act so foolish. You know what I want,” Samara sneered.

" And why do you think I will give it to you?”

" Would you rather let your friend die?”

" Not, while I am here. I will protect Liam.”

" Look at your friend carefully,” Daniel spoke now. ” He’s already turned blue; that’s because I have poisoned him. He will be dead within the next five minutes.”

Chris rushed towards Liam and checked him, and indeed his body had turned blue. His heartbeat was quite faint, and he looked extremely weak and pale as if he was on the brink of death.” Liam. Please say something...”

Not knowing what to do, Chris charged at Daniel again, but this time he was alert. Daniel moved away in a flash. ” Not this time,” he spat. ” Instead of wasting your time chasing me, you should try saving your boyfriend. If you put your blood on the moonstone, I will give you the antidote for the poison.”

" How do I know you are telling the truth?”

" Do you have a choice?”

In desperation, Chris went towards Liam and shook him, trying to wake him up. “Please, Liam, please wake up, I beg you.” He was in tears now and felt so helpless.

" You have got only three minutes now,” Daniel reminded him.

Chris looked at him furiously and threatened. ” Give me the antidote now. If anything happens to Liam, I will make sure to torture you till the depths of hell. You would beg me to kill you, but I wouldn’t let you die.”

Daniel shuddered at the threat, but Samara knew how to convince Chris.

Chris then heard Liam groan at his side, and to his horror, Liam spat blood.

" Liam...” Chris cried out in fear. He checked Liam’s heartbeat, and he couldn’t hear any. ” No, no no no no ... You can’t die... No... please...”

Chris shook Liam vigorously, but there was no movement. He rubbed his hands, back, chest, anything and everything hoping that he would miraculously wake up, but nothing worked. ” You can’t die... no... You can’t leave me...”

“There’s only a minute left.” Chris was interrupted by Daniel’s voice, and he was confused. What’s going on? He saw Liam and rechecked his heartbeat. To his relief, Liam was still alive; then what was that he saw? Did he imagine it?

Samara smirked at herself as she was sure the little nightmare that she showed Chris would surely persuade him.

" I thought you loved him,” Daniel taunted Chris. ” Looks like I was mistaken.”

Chris was now desperate. ” Please give me the antidote,” he begged in tears.

Daniel smiled at Chris and showed him the moonstone. ” You know what to do.”

Chris was in a fix. Once Samara was free, wouldn’t she kill them anyway? But Archer said he had the power to control her. Could he really do it? And what about Liam? How could he let him die?

When he heard Liam coughing beside him, he had made his decision. Once Samara was free, he would find out a way to trap her again, but right now, his priority was Liam. He wouldn’t let him die.

" I will do it,” Chris said and took the moonstone from Daniel.

Daniel couldn’t help but feel ecstatic. He took out a pocket knife and handed it to Chris.

Chris took the knife reluctantly and took a deep breath. ” I hope I am doing the right thing,” he thought to himself, and before he could change his mind, he had cut his hand and spilled his blood on the moonstone. The moonstone shook violently, and it suddenly turned red out.

Chris winced and threw the moonstone at a distance. Everything was silent for a few seconds, and suddenly they were surrounded by black-colored fog. Chris covered his eyes on instinct and felt a dark aura around him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the mist materializing into a human form. There stood in front of him was the evil witch who had destroyed his life.

She was hideous, to say the least. Her hair looked lifeless and straw-like, mostly due to being cramped in a stone for eons. She had hooded eyes like a serpent, her face looked weary and decayed, and her skin was pale and white like a zombie.

" Finally.” Samara cackled in her high-pitched voice. She glanced at the full red moon and cursed, “You thought you would stop me by trapping me in that damn stone of yours, but now that I am free, let’s see what you can do.”