HUNTED

Aila rose from the leather seat and walked into Damon's embrace, leaning into his chiselled chest while being cocooned in his muscular arms along with his woodsy scent that now soothed and comforted her aching heart. Aila sighed in content; her eyes closed as fatigue started to swarm into her mind and body. It had been a very long day. Although she wanted nothing more than to go to bed like the others, they still needed to discuss a few things. 

Pulling back, she looked up at Damon, halting her parted lips when he caressed her cheek. Leaning into his hand, she asked, "Are not all vampires that powerful then?" 

Damon chuckled off a low growl that began escaping his lips, "You were thinking of another man, a vampire, while in my arms?" 

"What!? No! Nothing like that!" Aila began to protest.

"He has a point, you know.." Malia smirked; Aila growled back to her in her mind. Aila was too tired to deal with her wolf and a jealous mate. 

Damon chuckled again, "I was only teasing."

His words made Aila do a double-take at his face; he was serious? Huh, okay.

Damon sighed and relaxed his hand, moving it down her arm and to her hand, while he walked to his chair and sat down, pulling Aila down with him. She sat sideways on his lap, hooked her arm around his neck and subconsciously began playing with his hair at the back of his neck while she stared into his silver eyes. 

"We have come across rogue vampires before. Even groups. It's not a first for the pack and most likely not the last at the rate they are going.."

"What do you mean?" Aila queried, searching his eyes for the answers.

"Over the last ten years, the vampires started to become sloppy at leaving bodies, a number of bodies and attacking the packs. But they have never succeeded in killing multiple werewolves in one sitting.. Even in the groups. They couldn't kill so many. And a rogue vampire would.. feed," His face darkened, while his lips twisted in disgust, "and move on."

"Hmmm, Gabriel did say something about a hierarchy in the vampires. Obviously, we know about the vampire king, if he still exists?" She eyed him, and his nod confirmed the king was still alive, "but there are also other royals. He is one of them."

Damon narrowed his eyes, "If I didn't believe he was a friend of yours, his actions could have led to an act of war between the species. I'm still not entirely convinced if he is a friend or foe. You may have been together in the cells, but why would he go out of his way to help you?"

"I look like someone he used to know.." Aila spoke her words with weak conviction. But for now, that was what she needed to believe. They became friends in the cells, and he helped get rid of enemies she didn't know about...

However, Damon's words made Aila shiver. If Gabriel did do it as 'an act of war', then it wasn't just the hunters they needed to worry about but the vampires also. She looked off to the side as she began to wonder how many casualties and deaths there would be on both sides, not to mention there would be human casualties too.

"Hmm, maybe he knew your mum. Or an ancestor of yours? Hey, it's nothing to worry about!" Damon calmed her swirling thoughts with his soft tone, "For now anyway. We will need to speak to the vampire king soon enough. Something needs to be done about the hunters and the vampires who have been rebelling against his system. A system set in place for the safety of the humans and werewolves.." 

"And if the king doesn't listen.. there will be war?" Aila added, knowing where his thought process was leading. She sighed, "Do we even have the numbers for that?"

Damon shook his head, "I'm not sure. When the tribes first became werewolves, there weren't nearly enough of us. But now… there is a hell of a lot more of us, but it could be the same for them."

Aila nodded her head, "Well, Gabriel didn't do it as an act of war. So, I think, for now, we should focus on the hunters and what we should do about them."

Damon chuckled, "No, angel. Now, we go to bed."

Aila blinked at him in surprise, automatically pouting her lips as his softly met hers. Damon pulled back and said, "We don't need to solve all of the pack's issues right now. I love that you want to, but it's gone three in the morning. We need to sleep."

"What about the families? Don't we need to check on them?" Aila asked as worry formed in the back of her eyes while she stared into his dark lashed silver orbs.

"I mind-linked Chiara, and she said they have all gone back to their homes now. We can check in on them tomorrow," He replied before leaving a kiss on her cheek and began to rise up. 

Aila stood up and sighed, "Okay. Sleep sounds wonderful right about now.." She stretched her neck one way and then the other before following Damon back out of his office, turning the lamp off as she went. 

They walked in a comfortable silence; however, there was still a sexual tension surging through them, but their fatigue was winning over their urges to sleep together. The pair began walking past the grand doors that were to the library, and Aila came to a sudden stop. Her brows drew together as she felt this burning urge to go in there.

"Aila?" Damon's deep voice almost snapped her out of her reverie. She could hear him, feel his presence behind her, but there was something in her mind, telling her to go inside the library. 

Aila relented to this spell that consumed her mind, and she opened the doors in front of her. Her legs walked forwards almost robotically, as though she was not the one in control of them.

"Malia, is this you?" Aila asked her wolf.

"No.. But I don't feel threatened.. it feels.. like we need to go in here.." Malia said dreamily.

"Same.." 

"Aila, what's going on?" Damon rounded to face her, but he stopped when he saw her eyes glowing an electric blue and looked at him without truly seeing him. She did not register who Damon was at that moment except for a person in her way.

Without responding, she walked around him and towards one of the bookcases. Damon followed behind, and his brows raised when he saw her move a few books in a pattern, a pattern he too knew about. A secret design he had only seen twice before but never used. It was not his place to use it. 

At that moment, he realised Aila's memories would come back to her soon, especially being in her family home and the path that they would soon be walking down. 

Aila grabbed a thick, blue leather book and pulled it out at an angle, which immediately caused a loud mechanic 'click' sound from behind it. 

The bookcase opened a fraction.