Token Huntress (21 page)

              My rage only burned fiercer and the wild beast that I too often tried to hold down was now gathering itself again. I could not fall away from it. I could not resist the pull of darkness. Blood was all I wanted to see. I wanted to kill each and every one of them. I was in a bloodlust frenzy.

              A vampire came at me with two swords. I dodged the first, ducking to the side and then spinning around them. I grabbed hold of both of his arms, plunging my feet into his back and pushing into it. I heard a snap which busted both of his shoulder blades. Letting go I flipped myself behind him, retrieving the two swords.

              My movements were fluent then as I fixated on Chase. I needed to get to him so I could stand by his side and protect him. I sliced through many vampires who came at me: their throats, chests, stomachs, faces, and ankles. Nothing would stop me from getting to Chase. The old grotesque vampire, Gardar, now ran for me. A smile pressed at his lips as he arched his neck back with fangs showing, thinking it would be so easy for him to rip at my neck. I dodged him, jabbing for the side of his stomach, but he was already gone. I couldn’t track his movement. I breathed heavily and tried to focus my senses on him while other younger vampires attacked and distracted me. Still slicing through them, I tried to focus on that one old grotesque vampire.

              The back of my hair was grabbed. I tried to kick my leg behind me, but I was heaved up by my hair as the vampire behind me held me firmly. As I scanned over the vampire’s mind, I realized it was Fier. When sensing over someone’s mind, I now realized you could picture who it was just by hovering over it. He whistled, but it was ear piercing, and a tunnel of wind blew through the room, blowing away all vampires and splitting them until I could see Chase. He was panting heavily now, standing alone. He looked into the direction of the whistle, noticing my capture.

              The anger swelled inside of me as once again I felt useless. I was one of the best, yet I couldn’t even defend myself against a mere hundred vampires. Where I was held was next to the pooling blood of Whitney. It only jerked my rage further as I once again looked into her glassy dead eyes, the blood from her slit throat pooling near my knees.

              “My dear Chase, you have been holding a huntress as your familiar,” Fier said calmly. “I wonder which would hurt more: if she were to watch you die first or if you watched her die an excruciating, humiliating death.”

              Gardar stepped forward hungrily at Fier’s words. Chase’s feet moved at lightning speed but already twelve vampires held him down. One of them was Gardar, who looked at me and unstripped me with his eyes.

              Revulsion spread through my veins and power possessed my thoughts. One held a blade to Chase’s throat, waiting for the command of Fier. No longer could I bottle the beast that held itself inside of me. I remembered my father’s words as a child, telling me to shoo the monster away, but I could no longer respect his wishes. There was no point, if whatever it was could protect Chase, then I welcomed such darkness. As soon I accepted that darkness my whole body shuddered in pain.

              My throat felt as if pins swarmed up from my stomach and a small ghastly growl passed through my lips. My gums burned and my blood began to feel hot as if boiling beneath my skin. My mind felt like it was being torn apart to make room for the darkness to seep through. When I felt as if my body had expanded, I felt light and as if weight did not ground me.              A ghastly, domineering noise came from my mouth as the darkness from within claimed me. It tainted me and my thoughts. I felt powerful and in control. Like I could kill them all in an instance. This darkness had my tongue rolling within my mouth with pleasure. I opened my eyes, no longer hiding from the change I felt within me. I was confident and vengeful.

My sight was hazed with a light purple. My huntress eyes had returned. I no longer felt like I was immobile, like my speed was slow. My goal was to get to Chase and now I could do it. The power that surged through me was intoxicating and lustful. And unexpected by those who thought they had me captured.

              Still with blades in hand, I plunged behind me. My neck cracked back, but not enough to snap it. This darkness made me stronger, less breakable. Whatever was surging through me was the reason as to why Fier couldn’t snap my neck as I turned on him viciously, slipping out of his grip.

              I threw my sword at the vampire who held the blade to Chase’s chest, nailing him straight in the heart before he even knew what had happened. A few vampires took a few steps back from Chase as I advanced on them. Whatever they saw, they feared. Another ghastly noise left my mouth as my breathing felt heavier. I simply walked up to Chase, power emanating from me. Whatever the others saw, they walked back, not willing to attack me. Chase looked at me calculatingly. His voice was the light in my dark thoughts. All I could make of his words was
retract.

             
“She’s vampire,” someone gasped. This I did hear clearly, and snapped on the person instantly, only to realize it was Fier. “But how?”

Slowly I raised my hand to my gums, which now felt somewhat sore. The dark that surrounded me began to deplete at my sudden realization that Chase was safe. My finger touched a sharp point. I had fangs. I hid my confusion, looking at them all savagely.

             
Chase?
I asked, almost scared.

             
This is not of my doing Esmore, this is you,
he replied. His voice was distant. I was still staring down Fier as I considered this.

              “She hasn’t been recently turned, look at the size of her fangs, they look to be twenty years old,” someone whispered in the crowd.

I thirsted for blood, I ached for it. It was the hardest of sensations to push away. I craved so many things. I looked at Chase hungrily and he knew what it was I now craved. My feelings were heightened; my desire of all things hot and sticky like blood and sex swarmed over me. I thirsted, I needed blood. I wanted to kill more. I stepped forward, letting this instinct sweep over me.
I will kill them all.

              “No Esmore,” Chase said, grabbing my wrist firmly and pulling me back. “You must come back from this. Hold it back in. Don’t let it devour you, trust me.”

If it weren’t for his eyes pooling into me like light into darkness, I don’t think I could have resisted the temptation.

              “She has always been vampire?” Fier asked, astonished.

              “Yes,” Chase lied. It made me question if Chase had always known of this. But when I swept over his mind, he once again scattered in thought. He was now very wary of me.

              “What is wrong with her eyes?” Fier demanded in bewilderment. Thinking quickly, I interjected so Chase would not say anything I didn’t agree with.

              “It’s a gift,” I said. My voice sounded hollower, darker, and deeper. I took Chase’s advice and slowly I felt the darkness retract, not only because of my own force but because Chase was within my mind, aiding me to push the darkness away. Slowly my fangs slid back into my gums. My hazy purple eyes vanished and I inhaled deeply as if it were the first breath I had taken in a long time.

              “We did not do it,” Chase said. “We had no reason to. Your culprit admitted to it. There is no reason for—” Suddenly a very powerful presence swept through the room and took Chase with him. Tythian threw Chase into the furthest wall, then went to Whitney’s side.

He gasped, tears pouring from his eyes as he touched her face. “No,” he howled, looking up to the ceiling. “No, no, no. Come back to me,” he pleaded. “No, this cannot be.” He held her in his arms tightly. Chase was cautiously walking back to my side to stand in front of me protectively. Everyone in the room did not let their gaze leave Tythian.

              “Tythian,” Fier said cautiously, slowly stepping away from him. “If you try anything, you will be killed.”

              “You did this to her!” Tythian accused angrily. I felt Chase inserting influential thoughts into Tythian’s mind. Tythian had already imagined killing me as he thought me to be the reason for her death, and he was right. And then the next plan was that he would challenge Fier. Instead of this, Chase continuously repeated in Tythian’s mind:
Bury her, that is the least I can do for her: bury her. Bury her.

              Tythian’s large fangs slid out of his mouth as he angrily stared at Fier. “I will make sure you suffer for what you have done.” Tythian’s eyes glowed and a black hole appeared beneath him. I had never seen his gift and had no idea what would come of it. Suddenly both he and Whitney had vanished.

T
here was an awkward shuffle in the room and a howl of wind. Fier was no longer threatening, but on edge. A few of his guards gathered around him warily.

              “This discussion is over for now. Gardar, take three teams out and find Tythian. If he has just threatened my life then you all must find him before he returns,” he ordered fiercely. “We will talk about this later.”

              Chase held my hand, walking me out of the room. Still my blood felt as if it were on fire beneath my skin, like at any time it would boil over once again. And I wanted it to, the powerful feeling was intoxicating, I wanted it to overflow.

             
No,
Chase said still pulling me toward his room. We were still within hearing range of the others.
You mustn’t let it take over,
he urged seriously.

              He led me to his room, taking on a very serious demeanor. “How are you a vampire?” he demanded. I gave a sour look, unable to explain anything. Every part of me craved and urged to feed the darkness which corrupted my body. Suddenly I was in need; my skin tingled for Chase to be inside of me. I couldn’t handle such cravings, I thirsted for him. I felt him sweep his mind over mine. At my predator-like movement he took a few steps back, trying to control himself. He felt my desire for him.

              “This is serious Esmore, you don’t understand what this means,” he said worriedly.

              “I want you,” I said, walking over to him and pulling at the ends of his leather jacket. Craving him was the only thing I could feel right now, and any questions I would have could wait. “I want you inside of me, now,” I said, brushing my lip against his ear. Everything in me burned. I needed him to cool me. He needed to fill my craving. I couldn’t explain my sudden savageness.

              “Your senses are heightened,” he said almost in a whimper, as he tried to resist me. I nibbled on his ear, rubbing myself against his leg, my chest against his bare one. My lips kissed down his neck and to his collarbone. “As a vampire you—”

I cut Chase off, slamming him into the wall with my hand around his throat. “Stop talking,” I said with a smile. The strength of my desire consumed him and his eyes finally snapped into a lustful darkness. I would not be denied any longer. His hand swept up me, brushing over the parts of me which desired him the most. He tore open the leather coat I wore, revealing my naked body. I reefed his off as I hungrily looked over his perfectness; he was already hard and ready for me. He wasn’t holding out as much as I thought he would. I was like an animal, only wanting one thing to fill me, and that was Chase. There was an emptiness inside of me that I so eagerly wanted him to fill.

              He kissed down my neck, raising his hand to my nipple to caress and then pinch it. With vampire speed he took me to the bed, throwing me on my back. I bounced with a light jolt from the impact, enjoying it rough. And with his wicked smile, I knew he knew it.

              He slammed into me hard. I hadn’t even time to prepare myself. The pain only riled me. I was able to consume all of his size, moaning in pleasure as he went into me harder and faster. I pulled his neck down to mine, holding him tightly. I now wanted to be in charge. I wrapped my thighs around him hard and flipped him over. I didn’t let him escape me as I sat on top of him, groaning in pleasure as I was now on top.

              As I rode him, pleasuring both myself and him, there was something that just wasn’t meeting my center, something that I still deeply craved. Chase sat upright, still pounding me from beneath. He kissed the side of my breasts and grabbed my lips, pulling at them hungrily with his teeth. Every kiss that lingered sent a trail of flames through me. Another moan passed my lips as he bit into my neck. It was now so pleasurable that I had to contain myself from erupting in that instant.

              I wanted him as he had me. I wanted his blood. Without even thinking, my fangs had slipped out and I bit into his neck clumsily, but still the flow of his warm blood swarmed my mouth and filled me with such great pleasure. Chase’s moan swept through his throat and into my ear. Neither of us could handle so much heat and climaxed together. His hand trailed up my spine as he continued to fill me entirely. A moan passed my lips as I felt his blood drip over my naked skin. But I was still hungry and wanted so much more. He pushed me closer to his neck as I went to pull away.

              “It’s okay, Esmore,” he whispered. With his permission I continued to drink from him. The heat spread through my body, and again I wanted Chase. I clung tightly to his neck and drank more. It continued to arouse me. It didn’t help that only after a minute Chase began trailing his fingers lightly up my inner thigh.

              “I just want to keep drinking from you, and fucking you,” I said. Instantly I put my hand to my mouth, shocked at what I had said. I took my fingers from my lips, looking down at the blood smeared all over it. Chase’s neck was also smeared with blood. It looked like an animal had attacked him. But again the urges crept through me.

              Chase chuckled, relieving some of the tension from the situation and soothing my brewing guilt. “Whatever happened triggered your vampire self to come forth. If you had been turned I would have known, so somehow you were part vampire from birth. And for all these years it has been starving. It is hard to recognize the line between sex and feeding, they are both just so pleasurable,” he said with his fingers still trailing up my leg, closer to my warmth. I shivered, unable to be disgusted with myself as I still craved him.

Already the bite marks on his neck had healed and he was ready for round two as I looked down. I couldn’t help myself, as still every part of me was on fire. I tried to resist him, I truly did, but his beautiful gray eyes consumed me.

              “Vampire or not, my Esmore, it is my turn to make love to you,” he said, pushing me down onto my back. His hand trailed over my ribs and I knew already I couldn’t handle the wait as he teased me. My hands clawed at the sheets as I felt him near my inner thigh, but never further. He teased me.

              He kissed the bottom of my stomach and then my hip, trailing up. As I tried to pull him in, he grabbed my arms, pinning them above my head with an arched eyebrow. “No Esmore, you will wait. I will show you what real love-making is,” he said with a confident smile. But already I whimpered for him. I was already so moist with the expectation of him inside of me. “You are just so beautiful,” he said, amongst kisses.

              He continued kissing up my stomach to my chest, teasing my nipples with his tongue. His wet tongue trailed to my collarbone, then my neck, where I felt the graze of his fangs. I whimpered for him to bite me, knowing I would explode with pleasure, but he brushed past it with a small kiss. I grunted impatiently, but he only laughed. He studied me for a moment, enjoying the toy he played with. He edged slightly up. I could feel the tip of him on my heat, my toes curling with the expectation of him driving deep into me.

              But instead he brushed himself over me until he was lying over me. I tried to squirm out of his tight hold, but to no avail. His fangs scraped up my arms. He bit into my wrist gently, making me groan in pleasure and need. His chest was that little too high for me to be able to do the same and engulf him entirely. I began to whimper, my thighs rubbing together impatiently. He came back down over me, now biting into my neck. I arched into him in pleasure, my whole back driving up.

              I felt as if I were entirely connected to Chase. That I was his as he drank from me. Gently he pressed his hand down on my waist, pushing me down as he licked the bite marks he had just left.

              “I love you, Esmore,” he whispered feverishly into my ear.

I could feel it as well. I knew then that no matter what happened or what would eventuate from my unexpected vampirism that I loved Chase and would forever be his. “I love you too,” I struggled to gasp through hot breaths. I was in anticipation that he would no longer taunt me and fulfil me as I had already given in. He then drove into me, forcing the loudest moan I had ever heard erupt from my stomach and through my lips. He felt even harder and larger, if possible.

Still on his knees, he lifted me from the bed, and held me against his stomach as I bounced on him, accepting the entirety of him in pleasure. He offered his neck to me and with gratitude I took it again, biting as deeply as my fangs could go.

              His blood pooled into me again, dripping down my lips and down my chest. Never had I tasted anything so divine. I could no longer hold myself in. Chase was simply too perfect and both the sex and the blood I could easily indulge in. And so I did, thirteen times. Chase was right, the fine line of sex and blood were two things I could not tell apart. But what I did know was that I was hot for it and I couldn’t stop.

*

I expected myself to wake up very sore, but much to my surprise I felt extremely refreshed and far more level-headed. At some point we must have fallen asleep and again Chase was lightly swaying us both in the hammock. I could admire him for his very innocent look as he slept, washed away of all his cockiness and weirdness.

              I looked over to the bed, mortified. It looked like a massacre had occurred and there was blood everywhere over the sheets and on the floor. I wiped at my neck, retracting no fresh blood. What drizzle there once was had now healed and left only dry blood. Tiptoeing out of Chase’s grip I walked to the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror.

              I was still very naked. I appeared the same and yet I felt so different. I felt tainted. I wanted to confirm it and look in the reflection with my fangs for show, but I dared not to in case I couldn’t control my urges again. Already it had taken me so long to curb my desire: a day full of sex and drinking blood. I had feasted off Chase. There was a sensation in my stomach that did not ease well. It was so wrong. It was against everything I had ever grown up with and been trained for. I was in fact my worst enemy. And yet I was unable to think about it until my thirst and hunger was quenched.

              Chase was right, I still did not know if it was the sex I craved or the blood. I had no answers. I knew I was definitely huntress because I was born one, so why now had my own vampirism been triggered? I heard someone say my fangs looked to be the same age that I was, so did that mean I was born part vampire? Chase had said so, but how could such a thing be even possible? Was this why my gift was never revealed when I turned eighteen?

              I slammed my fist into the basin of the bathroom, agitated that I had no answers. I was never like this. But vampirism was not something you could heal. Or was it? In a hurry I crept out of the bathroom, checking on Chase who surprisingly did not flinch. It looked like I had tired him out far more than I had myself. I had to push away the advancing sensation that I should again touch his skin. My hormones were in overdrive and already my fangs had slipped out at the thought. I retracted them painfully. It seemed there was no magical trick to it, I just thought about them retracting and they did. The sensation of them splitting my gums was not pleasant. Now that they had surfaced, I could feel them constantly in my gums as if they were on fire.

              If anyone had the answers, it was the oldest vampire I knew. I knew Chase would not approve of me visiting Tythian, considering he might try to kill me. But in a sense, I also wanted to offer my condolences. It was because of me that Whitney died. And I needed him to know that did weigh on my conscience. If he were to kill me, I would want him to at least know that. After all, now looking at Chase adoringly I couldn’t imagine losing my own familiar. So I couldn’t possibly know the emotion Tythian was going through now.

              I swept through to his room quickly. I was even faster now, much faster. I could feel the blood within me burning, as if confirming that it was because I had drank blood that my speed was heightened. I recalled Chase saying that I had been a starving vampire for all these years. Did that mean my greatest potential had not yet been revealed, even when I was one of the best Token Huntresses within the Guild? But it seemed that even when I asked myself questions such as that one, I already knew the answer. And that was yes.

              Passing many vampires, I still felt hatred for them and wanted to kill them all. So again, my instinct was fighting my craving, or… I really could no longer justify it, the longer I stayed with Chase, the longer I felt emotion and I hated how it stirred within me.