Unwanted

Joel’s P.O.V.

I see Teegan and Petra coming down the stairs and feel relieved. I don’t like being away from her, even for a few minutes. However, my relief is short-lived. Just as they reach the last step, I feel like I can’t breathe. Everyone starts coughing. Anton and I try to run for our mates, but my legs feel like they’re made of lead.

“Teegan!” I yell. I watch in horror as she falls to the ground. What’s going on? When I see Petra fall next to her, I know she won’t be able to stop whatever this is. There’s no smoke, and I can’t smell anything, but something is definitely affecting all of us.

“Nooooo!” I try to scream when I see a dark figure lifting them up as if they weigh nothing. The figure turns toward me, and I freeze. The face is distorted, so I can’t determine if it’s male or female.

“Don’t worry, prince. I’ll take care of your princess until I kill her.” I fall to the ground, and blackness takes over as the thing disappears with them.

I hear people talking, and I open my eyes. What happened? The memory of that thing taking Teegan and Petra makes me jump up. I see everyone rubbing their eyes, looking around in confusion.

“Does anyone know what that thing was that took Teegan and Petra?” I ask. Anton jumps up and runs to the steps.

“What did it look like?” He asks frantically.

“The face was disfigured. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, and it was all dressed in black.” I run over to where our mates had fallen to see if anything is there. All I see is one word burnt into the wooden floor: Alecto.

“What is Alecto?” Anton asks.

“I have no idea,” I reply as Logan and Emily come over to us.

“Alecto is a female demon straight from hell. In preparation for taking over the throne, we have to know all of the demons and anything else that may threaten us. She’s one of the worst. However, I don’t know why she would want Petra and Teegan.” Logan answers. A demon? Why would a demon want our mates?

“How do we find them?” I ask.

“Let’s call Dad. He knows more about her than we do.” Logan pulls out his phone and puts it on speaker. How the fuck are we supposed to get them back from a damn demon?

“Hello?”

“Dad, we need your help fast. Alecto took Teegan and Petra. She did something to us to make us all pass out, and then we woke up, and they were gone. All she left was her name on the floor.” Logan says.

“She also told me before she left that she would take care of Teegan until she kills her,” I tell them. I feel sick, angry, and like I want to cry all at the same time, but I don’t have time for that. We have to find Teegan and Petra.

“I understand why she may want Petra because of her magic. What about Teegan? Does she have any special abilities?” Our dad asks.

“Not that I’m aware of. She says that sometimes she feels like she knows what others are feeling and their intentions.” I answer impatiently.

“Interesting. Let me make a call, and I’ll call you right back. Don’t worry. We’ll get them back. I promise.” He disconnects the call, and I want to scream and yell. We need to be out searching for them, but it would be a waste of time. We have no idea where this demon took them. They may not even be in this realm anymore. I look at Anton, and he looks like I feel. Helpless.

Teegan’s P.O.V.

Why do I feel like I’m under a ton of bricks? My body hurts, but I can’t move. What happened? The last thing I remember is hearing Joel yell my name, and then everything went black. I open my eyes, but it feels like they’re still closed because it’s so dark.

“Hello?” I try to speak, but it sounds like a whisper. My throat feels like it’s filled with cotton.

“Teegan?”

“Petra? Do you know where we are?” I ask anxiously. I thought I was here alone. Wherever here is.

“I don’t have any idea. I also can’t use my magic no matter how hard I try. Something is blocking it. Do you know what happened?” She asks softly.

“I remember not being able to breathe, and then everything went black.” Even with my werewolf vision, I can’t see anything. I try to mindlink Mia.

“Mia, are you there?” She doesn’t respond. I try to mindlink Joel, but nothing happens.

“Are you able to mindlink your wolf or Anton?” I ask Petra.

“No. It feels like I can’t do anything. Why would someone take us?” She sounds like she’s close to tears. I want to cry, too, but we have to get out of here. If only I could see.

“I’m glad to see you’re both awake. Welcome to your temporary home.” The voice sounds like gravel and sends a chill down my spine.

“Where are we, and who are you?” I ask.

“I’m the demon Alecto. I forgot you can’t see in the dark without your wolves. Here, let me help with that.” I expect the demon to flip a light switch, but instead, she begins lighting candles that line the walls. As my eyes adjust, I think I’d rather stay in the dark.

It looks like we’re in a cave with black walls. I’m assuming Alecto is female, but I’m not a hundred percent sure. I look over at Petra, and she’s looking at me with wide, terrified eyes. I suddenly notice what is holding us against the wall. It’s a spider’s web, and we’re bound so tightly we can’t move anything except our heads. Please tell me she used something other than a gigantic spider to do this.

“Why do you have us here?” I ask, looking around for a spider, hoping not to find one.

“I need your abilities so I can rule this realm.” She answers as she begins gathering things.

“I don’t understand. I don’t have any abilities.” I reply. Alecto turns to me with an evil glint in her eyes.

“That’s where you’re wrong. You do have abilities. You can feel others’ emotions and intentions. Some may call it a sixth sense, but it’s more powerful in a shifter. You, my dear, are an empath and not just any empath. You’re a Heyoke empath. That means with every person you’re in contact with, you absorb their feelings and are able to reciprocate. I need that to go with her magic.” Alecto points to Petra. What the hell is an empath? I’m empathetic towards people, but I don’t think knowing what others feel makes me special.

“What are you going to do with us?” I ask. She smiles and snaps her fingers.

“I’ll show you.” I hear something moving and look up. Petra and I scream when we see a spider about half our size on the cave ceiling coming toward us. Please let the others find us quickly.