Anarameha

Chapter 30

The night was passing by quickly. Both knew that there had to be an end to it at some point. Keoni would need to return to the safety of his apartment, but before that, he wanted to ensure that Ana was safe in hers.

They walked a slow path to her apartment, talking about life now that Keoni was no longer in a coven. He was free and could do as he pleased. At the moment, he was working in the kitchen for Garlet, earning a wage and saving his credits so that he could find a place that was not connected to his employer. Keoni liked the place, and he got on well with Garlet, but if he ever wanted to leave the job, he would lose the place too. It was a perk that came with the job, and as much as Garlet would be benevolent and give him time to find another place, the clock would always be ticking.

"I'll stop in and see Garlet before going home. We'll figure something out. In the meantime, stay inside and don't let anyone in."

Ana nodded. Keoni wished that she'd agree to stay with him, but Ana was determined that she would not rely on anyone for help. It made him wonder if she still held distrust for him. He wouldn't be surprised if she did.

Keoni stopped when they reached a small square that had paths going off in all directions. On each of the three paths were groups of men blocking their way out. Dread filtered through Keoni, sensing that this was not normal.

He turned back to the path that they'd just walked and saw that there were more men. They'd been followed, and neither of them realised it. This was a trap, and they'd walked straight into it.

Keoni felt like a fool. He should have been more insistent. He could have even asked Garlet to help him convince Ana that returning to her apartment was not ideal at the moment.

Instead, he let her have the independence that she craved. Now it was going to be her downfall.

Ana gripped her waist, realising that she didn't put her belt on. No escape over the edge tonight unless they wanted to freefall into the darkness.

"If you see a gap, you run. I'll stay here and keep them occupied."

"It's almost dawn, don't be crazy."

Keoni wanted to say that he'd be fine, but he wasn't a liar. He knew that once the light began to seep through the gaps in the buildings, he would be in trouble. There was no chance he could make it back to the apartment. It was too far. As it was, he'd have to walk swiftly if he was going to make it in time.

The group of men behind them moved faster than the others. One-shot out a dart, hitting Ana in the neck. Her mind became woozy in an instant. Keoni grabbed Ana before she fell to the metal path. Ana was out cold. Keoni was the only hope that she had at the moment. He was severely outnumbered. It didn't worry him, but the sun was an issue.

Keoni knew that he'd have to defeat all of them and then carry Ana back to his apartment. Or at the very least, Garlet's restaurant. Keoni was positive that he would end up with a lot of burn marks on his body again.

Ana's body slumping to the path was the distraction that they needed. They knew what they faced with this figure. He was trained to protect the royal family. He would be difficult to control if they were engaged in combat. The best solution was to distract him then restrain him.

Moving in quickly, one grabbed Keoni's arm and wrapped it in a cuff, then tethering him to the pole.

"It's a timed cuff. You'll be released before dawn. We grant this only because you were not the target here."

Not one member of the militia that had been sent out to collect Ana would state that they'd only brought enough supplies for her. Their leader said nothing about the vampire from the SC's, so they would ignore the fact that he was with the princess.

Lifting Ana up, they carried her to the square where a gate was being opened. The transport had arrived. Loading her into the vehicle that hung in the air next to the square was not easy. The group leader climbed in after her.

"Follow us and be wary of anyone interfering. We will not survive if we lose her to an inquisitive cop."

The group of men moved to the other side, watched by the vampire. Keoni was yelling a lot of things at them, vowing that he would hunt them down. They might survive tonight, but tomorrow was another story. He would get her back, and they would all be dead.

It was a bold move and, in this case, a foolish one. Annoyed at hearing the vampire that wouldn't shut his mouth, one of the militia walked over and changed the time on the cuff.

"Have fun roasting in the sun, freak."

With his only free hand, Keoni grabbed the man by the hair on his head, breaking his neck with a swift crack. The others in the militia watched on in horror as the vampire bared his fangs and bit down on the neck. Long, tapered fangs drove deep. Blood spurted out and began running freely.

What they didn't realise was that Keoni was doing more than feeding. He was searching for the key to the cuffs.

Done with the feed, he pushed the dead body over the edge and then smiled at the other members of the militia. He held up the key in his fingers.

They scrambled in fear, pressing buttons on their bike transports. Keoni stood, flicking the cuffs over the edge. He wasn't fast enough to catch any of the militia before they sped off in the air, but that didn't matter. Keoni vowed that he'd find them soon enough.

Right now, he had to save Ana from a monster. To do that, he needed help and a plan. There was only one man in this city that he could trust to give him those things without any issues.