Rosangela: The Runaway Princess (Book #2)

We had run through the forest for about fifteen minutes when all of a sudden my father came to a halt. Therefore, I and Randolph had to stop too.

“What’s wrong, Dad? Why did you stop?” I enquired.

“I think we need to split up!” Dad suggested.

“What?!” I gasped.

“Randolph, you go with Rosanne!” Dad ordered, “Remember! You must protect her from the vampires.”

Randolph nodded his head in understanding.

“Meanwhile, I will go by myself and divert the vampires’ attention,” Dad continued.

“No Dad! We’d better stay together. It is too dangerous for you to go by yourself,” I disagreed with him.

“That’s okay, Rosanne, I’ll be fine,” Dad convinced me, “Go with Randolph now! I’ll meet you in the nearest town.”

“But—”

“Come on, Rosanne, we don’t have much time,” Randolph interrupted while tugging at my arm.

I sighed in defeat. “Fine. Be careful, Dad!”

“You too be careful!” Dad said.

I responded him with a nod.

We began to get moving again, spreading out into two teams. I and Randolph went towards the west; meanwhile, my dad went to the east alone.

“I hope my father will be alright,” I prayed silently.

Randolph and I went deeper into the forest. After running for what felt like hours, we took a break to catch our breath. Okay, actually I was the only one who needed to have a rest, because Randolph didn’t look tired at all even after we ran for a long time. Maybe it was because he’s a werewolf meanwhile I was only a human. Well, I told a lie, I was a half-blood vampire. But it didn’t mean that I couldn’t get tired too, right?

I didn’t know why Randolph suddenly went tensed up. “Shit!” he cursed under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” I inquired.

“We’ve got company,” he answered.

I looked around the forest, but I could see nothing but a long line of trees. “I don’t see anyone but us around here,” I said in bewilderment.

“I can’t see them either, but I can smell them. They’re getting closer and closer to us,” Randolph explained.

“What shall we do now?” I asked apprehensively.

“Don’t worry! I think I can handle them,” Randolph replied confidently.

“Shouldn’t we run now?” I queried.

“No, it’s useless to run now. We have no choice but to fight them,” said Randolph.

“Not we, but you. You have to fight against those vampires alone, Randolph. I am no match for the vampires without my power. And I doubt you can win if you only fight by yourself, ” I wanted to say that but I bit my tongue. I didn’t want to knock the stuffing out of Randolph.

We waited in total silence for a few minutes until Randolph finally spoke up, “They are here.”

I clutched at Randolph’s arm nervously.

“I know you’re here. Come out now! Show yourself!” Randolph shouted.

Within seconds, several men emerged from behind the trees. They all were wearing grey hoodies with black trousers, and a pair of combat boots. I glimpsed a flash of their fangs under the moonlight. So it was no doubt they were the vampires that my grandfather sent to bring me back to the kingdom of Clanbella.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here! A werewolf and a human girl?” one of those vampires sneered.

I knitted my brows in confusion. “How could they know that Randolph is a werewolf? Didn’t Randolph say that he has drunk a potion to conceal his werewolf scent? Has the potion worn off? And the most important thing is, why did that vampire call me human girl? Since my grandfather sent him to track me down, so he should have known that I’m a half-blood vampire not a human, right?”

“Forget it! I’d better talk to them. Who knows they will listen to me this time?” I thought.

“I told you I would never come with you. When will you get it into your thick head that I don’t want to go back to my grandfather?” I scoffed at the vampires.

“What the hell are you talking about?” asked one of the vampires.

“Don’t act dumb! You know damn well what she’s talking about,” Randolph growled.

“But we really don’t know what she’s on about,” a vampire rebutted.

Randolph and I exchanged glances. Suddenly it dawned on us that they might not the vampires that had been sent by my grandfather.

“So you’re not my grandfather’s men?” I asked to make sure.

“Which grandfather do you mean?” a vampire asked me back. Confusion was written all over their faces.

My fear was confirmed. They weren’t the vampires that were sent by King Bellamy to search for me.

“If you’re not sent by my grandfather, then who are you?” I posed another question.

“We are the soldiers of the Kingdom of Nightshades,” the vampire replied.

At the mention of that kingdom’s name, Randolph’s jaw fell. I suddenly had a feeling in my gut that we were in great trouble now.

Randolph stepped forward, covering me with his muscular body. “What do you want from us?” he demanded.

Ignoring his question, the vampire asked, “Do you know what your mistake is, Werewolf Boy?”

“Yes.” Randolph gritted his teeth. “I seemed to have trespassed on your territory.”

“You can say that again.” The vampire said.

“I wonder what a werewolf like you is doing in our territory. And why do you bring that human with you?” another vampire questioned while pointing at me.

“What we’re doing here is none of your business,” Randolph retorted.

“Of course it’s our business because you are in our territory now,” the vampire roared.

Randolph suddenly took a step backwards, so we were standing side by side now. He held my hand before he spoke, “She’s my mate.”

I tried my hardest to repress my astonishment. “Mate? Is he kidding me? Can’t he think of a better excuse?” I grumbled in my mind.

Randolph continued, “Her parents are against our relationship because they don’t want their daughter marry a werewolf. That’s why we—”

“Her parents huh?” that vampire cut in, “But why did that girl mention about her grandfather earlier? What does her grandfather have to do with this?”

“Her grandfather is a very powerful man. That’s why when he found out that we have eloped, he sent his people to track us down,” Randolph told another lie. Well, it’s actually a half lie, because my grandfather was indeed a very powerful man. Sorry, I meant vampire.

The vampire’s eyes narrowed into slits. “So you two have eloped?”

“Yes, that’s what I was trying to tell you just now, but you interrupted me. We decided to elope because we don’t want to be separated. We have been flitting from one country to another, trying to find a place to settle in. And now we happen to pass through your territory,” Randolph elaborated.

“Wow Randolph is really a good liar! I think he deserves to win an award for his amazing acting,” I thought in awe.

“Okay, now it’s time for me to play along with his lies,” I decided.

“He’s right. We are just lovers in elopement who are trying to find a place to stay. We don’t know that it’s your territory. So please let us both go,” I pleaded.

“Sure. We will let you go, little girl. But it depends...” the vampire trailed off.

“Depend on what?” I queried.

“It depends on what our king will say about it,” the vampire answered, “So if you would just come with us and meet our king.”

“No. We’re not going anywhere with you,” Randolph refused firmly.

“If you don’t want to come with us willingly, we’re afraid we have to use force,” the vampire threatened.

“You can never force us to come with you,” Randolph emphasized with certitude.

The vampire smirked. “Let’s see!”

Relinquishing my hand, Randolph moved forward. Suddenly, he shifted into his wolf form, shredding his clothes in the process. I hoped he had a change of clothes because I didn’t want to see him naked when he shifted back into his human form.

For the second time tonight, I could only watch helplessly as Randolph struggled with the vampires. Randolph launched himself at one of those vampires, but the vampire managed to repel his attack. Randolph then charged at another vampire, again the vampire could dodge it. It happened repeatedly until made Randolph get frustrated.

Now, it’s the vampires’ turn to advance. Several vampires lunged towards Randolph at once. So he came under attack from all sides now.

One of those vampires succeeded in throwing a severe blow on Randolph’s head. The punch sent him flying through the air before he landed on the ground with a thud. Randolph automatically shifted back into his human form. It was very fortunate that he fell face down, so I didn’t have to see him stark naked.

Randolph was laying absolutely motionless. At that moment, I felt the first twitch of anxiety.

“Oh God, is he okay?” I asked myself with some apprehension.

“Randolph?” I called out his name, but he made no response.

“Randolph, get up!” I shouted. However, Randolph stayed still.

My eyes filled with tears. As I felt hopes begin to crumble away, all of a sudden, Randolph began to move, and finally I heard him groan with pain.

Randolph attempted to pick himself up, but a vampire stamped his foot on Randolph’s back until he fell back down.

More vampires surrounded Randolph. They kicked and punched the poor werewolf as he lay vulnerably on the ground, moaning in pain.

“I cannot just sit by and watch Randolph being beaten by those vampires. I have to help him,” I thought.

I was about to run towards Randolph when suddenly I felt something hit the back of my head.

I began to see stars, and my vision slowly blurred. My surrounding suddenly swam before my eyes, and I swayed before slumping to the ground, and finally, the darkness engulfed me.