Two Hearts: The Hunt [Slowly Editing]

Chapter Forty-Seven

A/N- Please don't hate me

Also, this is completely unedited; haven't had time to proofread so I apologize in advance for any glaring mistakes.

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Adrianna's POV

We ran.

We sprinted through the abandoned fields, dashed past a thick maze of trees, and zoomed towards the outskirts of the Kingdom, all the while the sky above us exploded into a mirage of faded stars and pink clouds. We were almost towards the mighty castle, which stood poised upon a grand hill like a stately spectator, overlooking the vastness of its domain.

I say "almost", because we never really got there-at least not right away, as we had planned. We arrived to find that the castle was heavily guarded. Vampires-guards and inhabitants of the Kingdom alike-swarmed the castle gates, flitting in and out of its confines with gleaming weapons in their pale hands and determined, feral expressions on their flawless faces.

"We can try going around through the back side," I suggested as the three of us-Esme, Caleb and I-hid behind a nearby bush, peering past its few flaky leaves to observe the restless scene. "It's too risky here."

"Yeah," Caleb agreed. "Unless-Esme, you wouldn't happen to know how to cast an invisibility spell, would you?"

Esme was silent. Questionably, Caleb and I turned our heads in her direction-only to see that she wasn't paying the least bit attention, her thoughts and eyes focused on something to her left, something way off in the distance that rippled like water every time a speedy vampire passed through.

It was the portal between our dimension and the human one-the thing standing between us and Fairview Hills. Between Esme and her people. Between Caleb and his pack, his friends at school.

Esme's tiny face was naked with worry.

"You're worried about your clan," I said.

"Yes," she whispered, her violet eyes wide. "I just-I just want to see if they're all okay. Maybe you guys should go on without me."

"No way," Caleb refuted with a fervent shake of the head. "We're sticking together. If you go, we all go."

"The King wants both your heads," she reminded. "It wouldn't be wise to step out into the open. Just... just go. I'll try and catch up with you guys."

"I need to go to Fairview Hills anyway," Caleb said, to my surprise. "We'll try and keep hidden."

"Why do you need to go?" I asked him.

"Because killing your uncle has proven to be much more difficult than I thought," he answered with a tight jaw. "I wanted to meet up with my pack and see if I could use a new weapon Dr. Urchdoff had been working on, anticipating a day like this. If it works as he hoped it would, then I think we'd have a better chance at killing the King, since lunging at him got me nowhere."

I didn't like the idea of Caleb going into the battle field, exposing himself in front of my people-his enemies. "But Esme could get it for you-"

"Cat," Caleb cut me off quietly. I looked into his eyes, revealing just how scared I really was, but he only answered by saying, "I have to do this. I want to see if my pack and friends are okay, too. It's my fault we're even in this position right now."

And then I understood. He was just as worried as Esme was about his family and friends. I would want to do the same if it were him on the other side of that portal.