His Lost Tribrid Novel

Chapter 4 

Ruby POV

I had walked for miles without seeing much of anything apart from the breath-taking rocky landscapes.

What struck me the most was how big this realm was! Back home, every path I took through the enchanted forest would always magically loop me back around to the same spot.

But here, the further I walked, the more land there seemed to be! After a few hours, the trees started to become sparse and far between and the paths grew wider and more stable under my feet.

More of those cars started to rocket past me and seemed to be heading in the same direction.

A town.

I stopped on the path by a sign that read, ‘Welcome to Hood River, Oregon’.

What a strange name.

As I looked up, I spotted figures of people strolling along the streets and my heart began to race.

Humans.

Other people.

Were they friendly? Would they help me find this Vampire King Arius? From everything Maggie had told me about them, I was certain that I would be able to find at least one person who would be willing to help, although I should probably refrain from using any of my abilities whilst in their presence.

The whole reason I am in this mess in the first place is because of what I am.

Out of nowhere, a tall human man with grey hair barged past my arm and I shrieked.

He turned and glared at me, looking me harshly up and down as he stormed past.He muttered angrily, "Damn Satan worshiper.Out my way."

Satan worshiper? Like the devil? What did that mean? Does he know I'm part vampire? Sh*t.

I was already risking my safety and I hadn’t even stepped foot in the strange little town yet.I ducked behind a tree and took my eyes, I focused on the smell of that human and masked my own scent with his.I would be less suspicious if smelled like a human.

Making my way through the narrow streets of this charming town, I found myself taking in every little detail with fascination.

The sweet scent of flowers mixed with the deliciousness of freshly baked bread and pastries filled the air.

I bent down to study some of the vibrant blue flowers that were sitting inside a pot rather than growing from the ground, when I felt the cool shade from a figure hovering above me, blocking the warmth of the sunlight.I peered up, squinting my eyes to see a rather beautiful woman with dark skin and long tight brown curls cascading over her shoulders.

"Are you okay there?" she asked with a look of concern and uncertainty on her face.

She must have been about my age, maybe a few years older, but her scent was definitely not the same as that human's.

I stood up slowly and her light brown eyes looked me up and down suspiciously.I swallowed before speaking.

"Er...yes.I was just admiring your flowers.They smell amazing."

The corners of her lips turned up into a sideways smirk and she c*cked her head to the side, folding her arms.

"Well, thank you but I can’t take any credit for them.I didn’t plant them."

She looked amused as she took in my black dress.I looked down at it as well, feeling suddenly self- conscious about my appearance.She was wearing a colorful cotton woven, floor-length dress and beautiful jewelry that matched her outfit perfectly.

A thick necklace made from gold and dangly coral earrings.She looked exotic and beautiful.

I, on the other hand, was wearing my long sleeved, off-the-shoulder corset dress, that fell in ragged material just above my knees.It was my own design.I made all my clothes back home with the hem of my dress nervously.

"Um, no, not exactly.I am visiting.Actually, I am looking for someone.I wonder if you could help me?"

She didn’t seem threatening so I was willing to take the risk, but by the way she was staring into my eyes intensely, it started to make me uncomfortable.

"You're eyes! They are magnificent.What are you?"

She stepped forward closer to me and inhaled.Her face screwed into a tight frown.

"I’m..er...human," I said, not as convincingly as I intended.

She chuckled and stepped back.

"No human answers that they are human.You may smell like a human but you’re not fooling me," she held out her hand in front of me.

"My name is Calliope but my friends call me Calli." I took her hand and she shook it firmly.

"My name is..."

I was hesitant to give her my real name without trusting her intentions.I frantically glanced over her shoulder to look for inspiration.

Seeing a sign above a shop that read, ‘Lily’s florist’, I quickly replied, "Lily."

Her eyes narrowed slightly but she smiled warmly.

"Ok Lily, you said you were looking for someone?"

"Yes, Iam looking for the Vampire King.His name is Arius?"

I noticed her face contort into a look of shock and perhaps fear at the name.

She glanced over her shoulder to check no one heard us and grabbed me by the upper arm aggressively, pulling me down a narrow passage just off the main street.

"Are you crazy?" she whisper-yelled, her eyes wide and filled with alarm.

"What?"

“I pulled my arm from her grasp and stared at her dumbfounded they know the vampire King! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she growled and I frowned.

"No lam actually trying to do the exact opposite!" I argued back and she huffed, placing one hand on her hip.

"Look.I don’t know who you are or what rock you have just crawled out of, but you cannot ask humans about super naturals and especially not about the most ruthless and terrifying hybrid in existence.We have rules here."

"Hybrid?" I presumed the vampire king was a vampire.

By the look on Calli’s face, it just proved to her even more that I was a clueless danger to society.

"Oh wow.You really don’t have a clue, do you?" she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers and closed her eyes.

"What am I getting myself into?" she mumbled.

I stood quietly, watching her with a look of pure confusion on my face.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and released a deep breath.

"Right.If I am going to help you, which I really think you should take me up on, if you want any chance of not being taken to the council before the day is out, then I need you to start being honest with me.Panic started to rise in me as I realized the questions were about to start.This was the first person I'd interacted with and she could already see through my lies! I was doomed.

But she mentioned the council, the people I have been hiding from all my life.

They were the ones who killed my parents.

Maybe I really did need her help.

But could I trust her? She seemed nice enough, but Maggie had warned me that the people in the human realm are not always who they appear to be.

When I hadn’t made any attempt to respond, she sighed.

"Look...Lily"

"I know you are a witch."

My mouth dropped open in surprise.

"How do you know that?"

"Only witches have purple eyes.Normally, when they are using their magic.But you should really try and disguise them when you are around humans.Humans do not know about our kind.There is a very strict rule in this world, that we must keep our species hidden from the humans unless absolutely necessary," she explained calmly.

"What do you mean ‘our kind’? Are you a witch too?"

My violet eyes widened as I made the connection with her scent and aura.

Now I knew, I could tell that it was similar to Maggie's.She smiled proudly.

"Yes I am.So you can trust me, okay? We are on the same side here." I nodded slowly.

What other choice did I have? She was right.I knew nothing about surviving in this realm and I would need to take a leap of faith if I wanted to find the Vampire King.

Happy that my identity was still a secret but I hadn’t exactly lied by revealing I was a witch, I closed my eyes and focused on a disguise spell.

When I opened them again, I hoped they were an icy blue like the colour of that stunning lake in the mountains.

"Okay.I trust you.Are my eyes better now?" I asked and she nodded.

"Beautiful! So firstly, why do you need to find the Vampire King?" I still detect the fear in her voice as she says his name.

"It’s a long story and one which I am still trying to unpick myself, but apparently he will be able to give me my memories back," I said honestly.

I still don’t understand what that means.What memories?

"You lost your memories? Oh well, that explains A LOT!" she chuckled, but I remained quiet.

I think that might have been an insult.

"Well, good people."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

She sighs deeply.

"That is also a very long story and one for another time.You know you could make life a lot easier for yourself and just get another powerful witch to give you back your memories.I know a few that have the ability?" she said kindly, but I shook my head.

"No, but thanks.It must be him.That’s what Mag- my friend told me," I said quickly.

"Okay well, he is not an easy man to track down.His castle isin England but I heard he is rarely there.He spends most of his time tracking and torturing innocent witches and warlocks."

"What! Why?"

"Like I said, it's a long story.But first we need to get you something a little more conventional to wear if you are going to blend in..." her eyes roamed my body once again and I blushed.

"I made this myself...don’t you like it?"

I was really proud of all my designs and I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that she didn’t like it.

"It’s amazing! Honestly, you look incredible.The way that corset pushes your t**s up to your chin and the fabric is to die for!" she stroked the lace material and I smiled.

"But it is a tad racy, gothic and peculiar for this town.Did you not notice all the stares you were getting from men and even some women?" she winked at me and I shook my head.

I had been a bit preoccupied with my surroundings to notice anyone looking at me.

"If it was October, you would probably get away with it, but unlucky for you that was months ago."

My eyebrows creased, "October?"

"Halloween.Everyone dresses up like this...for fun!"

She looks over sort some things out and let some people know I will be gone for a few days.Will you be okay to go shopping on your own?

She looks at me as if! am a child that she shouldn’t really be letting out of her sight.

I smiled at her.

"Of course! Shopping.No problem."

"Okay, well, this whole street is full of clothes shops so just go and have a mooch around and buy a few items and I will come and find you.I take it you don’t have a phone?"

"A what?" I asked innocently and she shook her head.

"I thought as much! Please tell me you have money?"

l opened the black bag that Maggie gave me and showed her the contents.It was full of strange notes with faces and writing saying 100 dollars and 50 dollars.

"Is this money?" I asked.

"Wowza! You are going to get a whole new wardrobe with that! I will meet you in the end shop called ‘Flair’ in an hour, okay? And remember, no talking about super naturals in public!" I nodded as she turned and walked away.

OK, that wasn't so bad.I have made a friend.

If everyone I met was as nice as Calli, I couldn't see this being much of a problem.

Turning back onto the main street, I started to notice all the heated stares from human men, some even whistled at me.

The women gave me hostile looks, taking in my dress, and I started to feel really overwhelmed.

My new blue eyes darted nervously at every face I walked past and when it became too much, I quickly scrambled through a door into a quiet shop to get away from the relentless attention.I hadn’t even noticed what type of shop I had entered and the first thing that hit me was an earthy, masculine smell of nature. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

The door beeped loudly as it shut and made me jump a mile towards me with a warm smile and friendly eyes.

He was wearing some kind of combat trousers with strange patterns all over them and a black top.He looked a little taken aback by my appearance but recovered quickly.

"Oh um, I am just looking for some clothes," I said awkwardly, starting to walk in between the racks of trousers that looked like the ones he was wearing.

"Okay.For any particular reason?" he asked, leaning against the rail.

"Um, just to wear.You know on my body," I said shyly.

He chuckled, "I mean what do you need them for? Hiking? Camping? Rock climbing?"

My nerves went into overdrive as I scrambled my brain to try and make sense of what he was saying.His strange scent was oddly familiar.He was a werewolf.

But what was a werewolf doing working in a shop in a human town? Luckily, two stunningly beautiful young girls came running out from the back of the shop and distracted us.

They were identical with brown wavy hair and dark brown eyes.

They had tanned skin to match and I was momentarily struck by their beauty and innocence.

Children.

It’s the first time I have seen any!

"Daddy! Isabel won’t let me choose the next show.She has hogged the remote for ages!" one of the girls stomped her foot while looking up at her dad with angry eyes.

"Not true! You got to watch your stupid doll show this morning and now it’s my turn to choose!" the other argued and I smiled at them both.

"Girls.I have a customer here.Please just go out the back and try not calmly to them whilst ruffling one of the girl’s hair.They both glanced up at me, suddenly realizing there was someone else in the room.

"WOW! You are really pretty!" one said with her mouth hanging open.

"I love your dress!" the other one chirped, skipping up to me and dancing around my skirt, touching the fabric.

"Imogen! Leave the poor woman alone.I’m so sorry about this," he replied as he tried to grab the girl’s hand to pull her away.

"No, really it’s fine.I like children," I said with a smile.

"Perhaps the girls can help me pick out an outfit?"

Their eyes lit up at my words and they started to jump and dance around excitedly.

"You have just made two 10 year-olds girls very happy!" he chuckled.

I laughed at their infectious happiness and they each ran up to me and grabbed one of my hands, pulling me down the aisle towards the women’s clothes.

"Just give me a shout if you need anything or if they become too much!"

The man called with a broad grin plastered on his face.I nodded as he walked away to the desk.

"So, what do you need? Trousers? A coat? Wetsuit?" the one on my left that I think is Isabel asked in her most grown-up voice.

You could tell she was in her element.

"She doesn't need a wetsuit fart face!"

“I mogen barked and Isabel stuck out her tongue.I quickly intervened before another argument broke out.I mogen, you could find me a nice top to go with it?"

They nodded and dashed off in different directions.

After far longer than intended to spend in this shop, I had been persuaded to buy two pairs of what they called ‘cargo pants’ and a few different tops.

Allin black, of course, as it was my favorite color.

As I was collecting all the items from the changing room, I noticed the girls whispering in each other’s ear and looking at me.

"Lily.Are you a witch?"

Imogen asked boldly and both their faces stared at me curiously.

I looked over to see their dad busy at the desk serving another customer and crept over to them, bending down at their level.

"Do you think I am a witch?" I whispered with a smile.

They looked at each other and nodded.

"You dress like a witch and we have never seen anyone as beautiful as you!" Isabel stated and my heart melted.

"You are very kind.But you are also wrong.You are both far more beautiful than me,"

I turned and their lips turned up into the cheekiest grins.

"Can we have a picture with you?" Imogen asked, pulling out some strange-looking device from her pocket.

Isabel pulled me to sit in between them on the chair while Imogen held the thin black box up in front of us.

"Say cheeseeee!" they shouted and I copied the word as a bright light flashed in my face.

"Girls. I am sure your friend has plenty more things to do today.Let’s get these items sorted for you," their dad came over and grabbed the clothing from the changing room and took them over to the checkout really sure what I was supposed to do now. I watched as he scanned each item with a red light and placed them in a bag.

"Thank you for being so good to my girls.They are a handful but they mean well and you entertained them long enough for me to get some work done, so thank you!" he smiled warmly at me and I caught him staring at my face a little intensely.

"It was my pleasure.They are wonderful.You should be very proud," I said, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks from the way he was looking at me.

"I am.Very.My ma...partner and I love them dearly.I’m sorry.I know I am staring but I’ve never seen you around here before, yet you seem somewhat familiar." His brown eyes studied my face and I looked away uncomfortably.

"No, I am not from around here.I am just visiting a friend." I said quickly and he nodded.

"My mistake.Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," he held out the bag for me and I took it with a smile.

"Well, thank you.Bye," I said, going to walk away.

He coughed loudly and I turned back around.

"Do you mind paying for that?" he asked with amusement on his face.

I felt my cheeks burn bright red as I walked back to the desk.

"Oh yes! I am so sorry! Money," I said, opening the bag and starting to grab the dollar notes and put them on the counter.

"Woah! Woah!" he laughed, stopping me in my tracks.

"It’s only $200.You can keep the rest."

I froze as he picked up two $100 notes and pushed the rest back to me.

The embarrassment could swallow me whole, I swear.

"Sorry," I muttered, quickly pushing it back into the bag.

"Well, thanks again." I turned and heard him call after, "No problem.Have a good day!"

"Bye Lily! You will come back to see us, won’t you?" Imogen raced to my side, hugging my leg.

"Of course! Be good for you daddy!"

I smiled at them both before exiting onto the now bustling street.I saw Calli marching my way with an angry look on her face.

"Where have you been? I’ve been standing outside Flair’s for ages! I glanced up at the shop that I had just spent over an hour in and read the name on the banner.

‘Cole & Co Outdoor Adventure"

"I was shopping in here," I replied innocently.

She grabbed the bag from me and peered inside and then up at the shop.

"A hunting shop! Cargo pants! Oh give me strength!" she shouted in exasperation and I giggled.

I couldn’t help it, she looked so stressed.

"Come on Lara Croft.Let’s find you something decent to wear!"