The Last Pack

Chapter Eight

Celeste

With trembling hands, I grabbed Robin's hand and squeezed. Without realizing it, till much later, I had not let go of his hand till Damara's wall had fallen.

Since I had shifted I could hear everything going on below and outside. Robin couldn't and we both stayed huddled in the attic.

A howl was heard, and I froze. Damara had let her wall down and I had felt everything, in fleeting flashes. It was too much and I curled over, placing my hands on my head. I started shaking and trembling.

Robin yelled for Cameron, not caring apparently if the stranger heard him.

Soon I heard Cameron coming in, along with the stranger. I heard his steps as he frantically climbed the ladder. I paid it no mind, for I had stayed curled around myself.

Robin was hovering over me. Concern on his face, I felt, though I didn't look up. My mind was in a whirl with emotions that were not mine. Damara's emotions had remained though her wall had been thrown back up.

" Robin move aside."

I heard someone whisper. An unrecognizable voice. An unrecognizable smell. An unrecognizable person.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

" Celeste, what's going on? Talk to me..."

Cameron. A familiar smell, a familiar voice, a familiar person. A comfort.

" My head... Damara's emotions... My head..."

I heard the stranger gasp, I felt Cameron's hands move off my shoulder.

" It's impossible Cameron, she can't be, it can't...Your parents... They said they couldn't have anymore children. How would they have hid it? Your mother wasn't pregnant. How did she...how could she have hidden it?"

I didn't know what they were talking about. I was so focused on the swirling emotions as they began to faded, seeming to disappear into thing air.

" Easily Camden."

His voice was heavy, a shroud of sadness around him.

"My mother and father could have done it easily."

Camden, the stranger, said nothing. Was silent and still.

"Though Lauren and James were pregnant. They must have lost the child and my parents saw an opportunity to grace them with the gift of a family. If my parents had another child...you know who would have done anything to kill that child to get their place in line. It explains why me or Damara never sensed it, never knew."

Camden, shifted his weight and raised an eyebrow.

"Or, there is one other way. A way that would go against everything unless my mother ordered it so and was okay with it. Though it hasn't happened in decades. In that case she would only be a half...It's only done in the most desperate of times. If none of the other..."

I didn't hear the rest. I stood, shaking and proceeded to stumble towards the ladder. Camden, the stranger, unfamiliar, grasped my right shoulder. Robin grasped my left, and they both sat me down on a bed.

I shook my head, clearing the cobwebs. My voice was thick and heavy as I spoke.

" It's gone. I-I-I'm fine. Is Damara going to be okay?"

Cameron nodded, while Camden shook his head and chuckled. Speaking in a low voice. I sensed fear in him.

" Maybe if I leave. Maybe if I hadn't shown up...but now isn't the time for any of this. I didn't come to help...though now it seems I will be. I came because I was almost discovered. I was almost caught Cameron. I've never been so afraid as I was running away from a place I thought was safe."

Cameron had seemed to freeze at those words.

Camden, didn't seem to notice and went on.

" The other day, when you came and got Robin, I was in the area. You accidentally stumbled upon my hiding spot, as well as interrupting my watch on Robin. I knew someone had seen me transform. I decided after that to keep an eye on him. When you took him I was in the middle of fending off some rouge trackers. They had been closing in. My actions in killing them, exposed me. I was worried for Robin. I rushed back, only to learn he had been kidnapped."

Cameron laughed and then shook his head. Anger in his eyes. Rage boiling off his skin.
Camden took a step back. Fear in his eyes.

" So you came here? Hoping that he was here?! Possible leading them here?!"

" They didn't follow me. The way I traveled, they will have lost the trail."

Camden spoke softly. His fear dissolved and he stood straighter.

"They think I'm dead now. I left a massive amount of my blood there."

It was then I noticed the bandage around his upper arms. They were starting to soak through again and he was starting to look pale again.

"Cameron, he's bleeding and he looks like he's about to faint."

As if on cue, Camden wobbled and stumbled back. His eyes glazing over for a brief moment.

"Yeah , I uh, I uh used something that wouldn't let my body heal fast..."

He wobbled again, this time it was worse. His voice started to faded fairly quickly. Cameron and Robin and I rushed to catch him before he fell.

"Dam Camden, what did you do? You can't leave that much blood without nearly killing yourself. What did you do? Don't tell me used...Dam it!"

Cameron lifted Camden up into his arms and put him on the bed.

"Celeste, call for Damara. I know she's hurting but we are going to need all three of us to help him. You, me, Damara, we have to give him a transfusion of blood. Or he might die within a few hours."

I expanded my mind. Calling for Damara. Trying to get across that Camden was in danger of dying. He needed her help. All of our help.

"I don't know if she heard me Cameron. I gave it all I had."

I said as I wobbled myself. Robin caught my arm and helped me to sit on the floor. Cameron ordered Robin to get as many bandages as he could. To start heating up warm water.

I sat there trying to regain and save what little strength I had left in myself so I could help Camden. Soon, I heard Damara's unmistakable booted footsteps on the attic ladder rungs. It seemed she had heard and had come back.

"It's going to be a long night. Get comfortable and settle in Celeste."

And with that we began the battle to save Camden's life.