Blood + Tears (all 15)

Chapter 4

Sang POV

I ran through the forest with an archangel, devil, mer, and lion trailing behind me. So far we had managed to find three of them. Now that I think of it, I never asked how many people were in his family.

I slowed down until I was running beside Nathan. Blue eyes flickered down at me in surprise then happiness. "Hey, Peanut."

I raised an eyebrow. "Peanut?"

He nodded, not even breaking out of stride. He chuckled. "You're tiny compared to me and my brothers."

"Well, you better be careful around me because this 'peanut' packs a punch," I rolled my eyes but had a smirk on my face. "How many people are there in your family?"

"There's fifteen of us," Silas spoke from behind us.

I frowned. "There are fifteen of you? How did you guys get separated?"

Victor was the one who spoke. "There was more lycanthropes that we thought. Some of us stayed behind to help the others escape."

I looked at him in confusion. "It sounds as if you are protecting someone."

Nathan was the one who spoke. A faint blush painted his cheeks. 'Well, fourteen of us are the protectors of the prince of arcadia."

"Prince," I murmured. Then he was an idiot. Why in the world did they think that venturing deeper into the Dark Forest that was known to be a very dangerous place was a smart idea? Oh, right, Victor said that they were traveling the border between the forest and Arcadia due to reports of lycanthropes wreaking havoc on the towns nearby. They came across a town that had just been attacked and decided to follow them into the forest when they were swarmed.

"hello, there," a voice spoke. Amara rose and growled at the stranger who was able to sneak into the group. Turning around, I called one of my swords as I attacked the person. He barely escaped my swing of my sword which brought him into my kick that sent him into a tree. On the ground behind me was a guy with blond hair so long it grew below his shoulders. Most of it was pulled back into a loose ponytail behind his head. Several locks hung around his ears and in his face. He was wearing dark pants, black boots and a black button-up shirt with the collar looking rumpled. The top three buttons were undone, so I could see halfway down his chest through the opening. The bottom button was undone as well. I wondered why he bothered with the shirt at all. His skin was only a smidgen darker than my own. His eyes were brown, striking against his light hair and features. He had high cheekbones and a strong chin. His brown eyes were wide with shock, surprise, then laughter.

"Who are you," I barked.

"Luke!!" Marc yelled before I saw the four surround the guy I had just kicked.

Luke jumped up from the ground and patted the dirt off. He smiled, showing that he didn't hold any grudge against me. "I'm Luke. I'm part of their family."

I nodded then offered a small smile. "Sorry."

His eyes softened. "IT's okay, Cupcake."

LUKE POV

After I stayed behind to help the others escape, I had managed to get rid of most of the lycanthropes yet a dozen or two managed to get past me. Blood covered me in a thick layer. With a wave of my hand, the blood and grime disappeared but I could still feel the layer of dirt and sweat that my glamour didn't erase. I was about to run back to where Gabriel and the others were when I heard voices. I glamoured myself to appear invisible and ran towards the group of people. The closer I got, the more I realized that the voices sounded more like the brothers who got separated from the group.

I had just arrived to hear Nathan explain that we were the protectors of the crown prince of arcadia. When the girl whose back was to me muttered "prince" underneath her breath, I couldn't help but scare her slightly. Besides I only tried to say hello. Only I didn't expect her to kick me into a tree or come swinging at me with a sword.

On the ground, I was able to see the girl that my brothers seemed to pick up in the forest. She was so cute with her blonde hair that flickered to different shades and wide green eyes. Thick lashes framed her eyes. Her button nose and plump pink lips made me want to hug her and kiss her at the same time. A glance at her clothes showed me that maybe it was her who had picked up my brothers in the forest. Her shirt and pants were weathered but provided her the movement she needed. Including the boots and her not going crazy in this evil forest, it was clear that she knew what she was doing.

I jumped up and brushed off the dirt that once again coated my skin. I smiled at the cute pixie. "I'm Luke. I'm part of the family."

She nodded before a sheepish smile appeared on her face. "Sorry."

I chuckled. "It's okay, cupcake."

She snorted. "You guys are weird. You keep calling me food."

I titled my head in confusion. "Huh?"

She playfully scowled and pointed at Nathan. "He called me peanut. You call me cupcake. My name is Sang."

Silas spoke. "I call you Agelle Mou."

Marc smiled. "I don't have a nickname for you."

Brandon smirked, making me gulp. "He doesn't, but I do, Kitty."

Silas smiled. "Kitty? Well, since she's a kitty and I'm a lion, we're meant to be."

Nathan frowned. "Don't get carried away there, cub."

She waved all their words away. "Well, stop it. No more nicknames."

I started to walk away and yelled over my shoulder. "Okay, Sang. I'll stop calling you cupcake. Now I'll nickname you as Forever."

"Ugh," she muttered before starting to follow me. "Where are you going?"

I smiled as she started to run beside me. "I separated from the others about ten minutes ago. They were headed in this direction."

She nodded. She ran beside me which was different. The girls at the Academy always tried to get ahead because they thought I'd look at them. Wrong.

"Who else is there in your family?"

I spoke. "Well, you met Victor, Nathan, Marc, Brandon, and Silas. And best of all, me. The others are Gabriel, Kota, Corey, Raven, Kevin, Sean, Mr. Blackbourne, Axel, and my little brother North."

She spoke. She wasn't out of breath as she kept up with my increasing speed. "Little brother? Is he actually your brother or is he smaller than you?"

I huffed, thinking of the joke I could say if it wasn't for Brandon's no-nonsense-glare. "He's my stepbrother. He's a few months younger than me."

She sniffed, drawing my eyes to her. Her eyes changed color but when I blinked, her normal color was back. "What are you? You're fairy but something different. You're not a pixie or a puca."

My eyebrows went up. "Nice, Forever. I'm Fae."

"Fae?" It was her eyebrows that went upward.

I looked away before looking at her from the corner of my eye. "Yep, dark fae." I waited for the surprise or hatred to show but no extreme emotion appeared on her face. Maybe living here shielded her to what fae are. I sniffed the air, smelling my brother's scents along with a tantalizing new scent that made my mouth water. It was floral with a slight scent of ember. "the question is what are you?"

She copied my motions with her looking out the corner of her eye. She smirked. "Later. For some reason, the lycanthropes are hellbent on your group. We have to find them before they do."