Immortal Desire
Chapter 33

The forest went foggy as the temperature dropped, slightly frosting the tree leaves and causing unexpected snow in the middle of summer. Latina noticed the sudden changes, cautiously, she put her guard up. Running away came into her mind but considering the fact that she was not familiar with the topography, she hesitated. Besides, she was not alone. If she does something that may place both Azrene and herself into danger, their effort on running away from the kingdom would be wasted.

The boys led the way, and they followed while the old woman walked silently behind them. The ladies could feel the intent stare from the back, they knew that they were being watched.

“Aren’t we supposed to run away?” Azrene whispered, pulling the sleeve of her robe. “The old woman said they’re having a feast. Don’t you think they will eat us? Even the boys were hunting for meat in the middle of the night,” the girl continued. Her voice, after trying so hard to make sure that the others wouldn’t hear what she said, came out rather loudly than she expected.

‘They could hear you,’ Latina thought, pinching the girl on her side to give her a clue.

“What? I’m certain, we’ll get eaten if we follow them,” Azrene mumbled. She glared when the lads paused and as if on cue, turned around to look at them at the same time.

“You heard that?” the boy who’s holding an ax asked. A smirk appeared on his lips as he gawked over the girl. “Once the feast started, I wanted to have her.”

The other boy shook his head while clicking his tongue. “Sure. Just make sure to do things quietly,” he responded. He tilted his head and stared at Latina. “The taller one looks decent. I feel bad about her.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Azrene held Latina’s arm. “We can escape here. Just follow my lead,” she mumbled. Her eyes roaming around to look for an opening. “Just be careful with the old woman behind,” she added.

“Ahem,” the old woman faked a cough. “Stop playing around,” she said, making the boys nod their heads. Bowing, they continue to lead the way. The elder shifted her gaze to the ladies who chose to remain. Their morbid faces caught her attention. “Ladies, approximately five minutes later a werewolf pack will come out from where you emerge. I bet I don’t have to tell you why. If you want your heads, follow the boys. They will keep you safe once you arrive in the village.”

“B-But…”

“Let’s go,” Latina muttered and dragged the girl with her. She walked with larger steps, keeping up with the boys ahead. Turning her gaze for a bit, Latina saw the old woman smile at her. She doesn’t have any idea why the elder had to, but she saw colorful dust falling in the air. Latina could tell, the old woman wanted to help them.

“Latina, we can’t trust them!” Azrene retorted, pulling her arm from the elder’s grip. “Even if she’s telling the truth about the pursuers, we can’t just believe her. She seemed to be well-informed about the reason why we’re here. What if she’s one of the alpha’s people? We need to get away from here.”

“It may sound stupid about how I easily trust others. I believed in you and I still do. Whatever the reason why she knew about our current situation, we can always ask her once we arrive at the safe place,” Latina paused and heaved. “But if we remain here and try to get out of this unfamiliar place… we might end up in the alpha’s hands again.” She held the girl’s hands and looked at her face. “Azrene, you said that it was your mother who dug that tunnel. She did that to give you a way out of that suffocating place. If you can’t bear to trust these strangers, then please believe in me, because I trust your mother. I don’t remember having one… but I guess she’s someone who will always do what it takes for her child’s sake.”

Latina chewed on her lower l*p. She felt a pang in her chest. It was like something within her was pricked. ‘A mother, huh. I don’t have any memory of that person.’ She shrugged her thoughts and waited for the girl’s response.

“So, how much time do you need to decide?” the brunette boy asked. “My brother already went ahead. If I don’t stay to wait for you, deciding to come with us will be useless if you don’t know the way.”

“Thank you,” Latina mumbled and smiled.

“Tsk, stop showing me that annoying smile. I heard about the vampire ladies having a rare beauty and charm. You can try to pull me on your side but I won’t fall for your tricks,” the boy said, blushing.

“Vampire? You knew that Latina is a vampire?” Azrene asked. Her fading doubts suddenly came back, causing Latina to sigh.

The boy rolled his eyes, “Little miss, her lips still have traces of b***d. Oh, I forgot to mention, it’s werewolf’s b***d. You didn’t let her drink yours, did you?”

“Not just Latina, you’re aware that I’m a werewolf too. What are you? A witch?!” Azrene exclaimed. She hadn’t met anyone else other than the beast tribe and Latina who turned out to be a vampire. Her mother died without spending much time with her, they seldom talked when she was still alive and she remembered her mentioning something about the witches.

“Rude. I’m not a witch but that old lady over there,” the boy held his head to the old lady’s direction. “She is… and the most powerful one.”

“She’s a witch…” Latina whispered.

“Want to know why she decided to help you? I may be taking a guess here, but it should be something related to her grandson.” The boy walked closer to Latina and sniffed her. “It was odd, Marco has been dead for more than eight years now. His body was burnt, and he never left the village, but there’s a faint smell coming from you and surprisingly, it was like Marco’s.”

“Marco?” Latina muttered. She recently met someone with the same name. ‘Could he be referring to the boy in the capital?’ Latina asked herself.

“Did you drink his b***d?” the lad’s question rang in her ears.