Elaine's POV
Luca was clearly enjoying the sight of everything happening, even as he watched Damien struggle to breathe. He acted indifferent, as if nothing was happening, as if he had seen everything unfold long before it did.
It pissed me off and broke me in a million ways; however, I had to keep trying to at least help Damien in all the ways I knew.
"You… ha-ve to fo-cus on K-Kai," he stammered while vomiting blood. I couldn't imagine the type of pain he was going through, but how his veins popped beneath his skin and how he was quickly turning paler than he already was made me understand, to an extent, what it was for him. His unsteady heartbeat and shaky breath, his hands clutching hard against his chest, and the pain in his eyes… What else would Luca want?
"Look, Luca, Kai could be under a very serious attack," I started explaining with tears in my eyes and a grave feeling of helplessness. "The members of the cult showed up, and that was the reason I was running to Damien for help."
"Interesting," he murmured.
"Damien is dying!"
"Kai will too, in a matter of little time. You just have to wait in pain or enjoy the show with me, but…" he trailed off to adjust himself on the couch. "I'd really love for you to make the most of it next to me," he smirked.
"Anything could be happening to Kai out there, and if you can't help, at least reverse whatever it is that you did to Damien so he can help. Please, Luca! I'm begging!" I broke down at his feet, only to hear a loud howl from outside, accompanied by severe pain in my chest.
"Can you hear that? Maybe you're right, and Kai really is in danger," he said dramatically.
I rushed to the full-length see-through window, where I sighted five huge black wolves. The one in front I recognized as Kai, while the four behind him I assumed to be the members of the cult.
"The view is quite entertaining, don't you think?"
I ignored him and rushed to the door as fast as I could, but it was sealed. I snapped my head towards his direction to find him chanting strange words. I tried all the exits my eyes could find at the moment, but I was unsuccessful in getting out.
Running towards him, I yanked my fist hard against his face, at least to stop him from chanting, just in case his continual chanting made it more difficult to escape. He quickly recovered from the punch, grabbing a handful of my hair while I screamed in pain. He didn't mind at all; he just threw me to the other side of the large room.
It was painful, and it was difficult, but I had to get back up even though it hurt. I landed close to Damien, so I used the opportunity to check if he was still breathing. If not for anything else, I tried to use the fact that only I was fit to save Kai as my strength to get back up.
"Luca, Damien is no longer responding, and Kai is out there trying to defend himself from four beasts who are of equivalent strength as him. Please, stop whatever it is you're doing."
"I wouldn't help Kai no matter what the occasion was, and even though you'd be so quick to lose your life for him, that doesn't mean that you share in the hate that I have for him. Imagine sending you out there amongst five hungry beasts," he paused. "Do you think you'd live to tell the story?"
"It's none of your business, neither should you have a concern over it."
"Well, I do have my concern over you, and just as Kai wouldn't let you go out and put yourself in danger in a situation like this, I myself won't allow it, no matter how you die and wake up each second from the pain."
"Why are you doing this, Luca? You are very much aware of what the members of the cult would do to him, and it doesn't even hurt you in any way that if they end up killing Kai tonight, you were a huge part of it?"
"Right, it wouldn't hurt me to know."
"Why, Luca?" I yearned for the truth as to why his heart was this dark and evil toward Kai. From all I knew, the cult had cursed him, even though they could have killed him, but Luca was so determined to kill him. He didn't buy the idea of making him weak or suffer… He just wanted him dead. Why?
"You wouldn't understand, Elaine, but I'd try to explain only this time. It takes a whole lot of self-control and discipline to stand someone who poses a threat to your existence, whether anyone wanted to believe it or not. The cult sees Kai as something that could be tamed by the curse, and I don't. For the first time, they are doing things right—taking him out just as they should have done centuries ago, and that is all the justice and satisfaction that I need."
"To know that he is dead and can no longer rise as a threat in the future? Even though you and I know that he has never had a chance to live life to the fullest after he got cursed by those same demons?"
"Yes."
His answer somehow made me crack up, because how did he not see the bold writing on the wall? The cult wouldn't even spare him if he was trying to eliminate Kai just so he could plan an overtake.
"You are power-hungry, and I know that deep down, you just want to be as powerful. You are only scared of Kai being freed from his ancient bondage and taking his rightful position here in Raven Hollow," I smiled darkly, making him upset.
"You're crazy!" he hissed, clearly pissed by the blunt truth.
"Of course, the truth should be that hard to deal with, don't you think?" I returned his previous smirk, hurting his pride more than it shattered me to be in this situation.
"Kai has to die, and I will make sure of it," he threatened with assurance while staring right into my eyes.
"Not as long as I'm here, Luca Nightshade. I will beat you in this very game of yours," I said with new determination and a strange strength surging through my veins.
Returning to the full-length see-through window, I observed how fierce the fight was becoming and how weak Kai already was. I tried to scream to get his attention, but for some reason, it felt as if he couldn't even hear me. I hit the window and did all the things that came into my mind just to get his attention. I was successful as his gaze met mine, but at what cost?
One of the wolves scratched him in his neck, making him howl even louder in pain. His limbs were failing, and the same wolf towered over him while the others withdrew in order to let him have the last strike. I didn't know how or where the strength came from; however, I shut my eyes and just focused on one thing—killing the bastard that dared to hurt Kai before my very eyes.
Pushing the door and flinging it open in one forceful push, I aimed for the motherfucker's neck, grabbing him just in the same way he grabbed Kai and crushing his head to the ground while I ran in circles around the remaining three.
Perhaps they were shocked that I had just taken down one of their members, just as shocked as I was. They soon ran into the woods, not bothering to check if their member was still alive or not.
"Impossible!" I heard Luca mutter from the entrance.
I ignored him and ran to Kai, who had now shifted back to his human form while clutching his neck to stop the blood from flowing out with full force.
"I'll ask you one more time to undo whatever you did to Damien, or else your skull will be the next thing I serve to this dry land," I threatened while supporting Kai with my bloody hands.
I watched as Luca said a few words and quickly vanished into thin air. Damien soon stepped out with great pain in his eyes.
"Elaine," he called out, looking at his door—which was lying outside, detached from the frame as a result of how I pushed it—then finally at the wolf lying dead as a result of my instinctive action.
"Hurry! He's losing a lot of blood," I panicked, but he was too stunned to move a muscle, leaving me to try all I could to save Kai on my own until he stopped responding.
"Kai!" I screamed, letting out all the pain and anguish in my lungs flow through the loud echoes of my voice.