Fates Intertwined- on hold :( Sorry readers!!

Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

Artemis, even with the late start, had managed to take out 5 of the 6 marks she had for the night, and if her research served correct number 6 should be just around...

"Artemis.. that's what they call you is it not little girl?" a voice from the shadows hissed.

"That's it, and you'd do well to remember why they named me such, scum" she confidently shot back.

An eerie laughter crept from the shadows and she heard foot steps, Artemis braced herself for an attack, any attack. She was ready, stake ready to deploy, throwing stars in hand, knifes, ready to pull within the second, bullets.. any weapon you name it, she had it on her, accessible within a flash.

The key to success was to be ready. Ready for the attack, ready for the unknown. Ready for the unexpected.

So when the creature who'd been attempting small talk with her fell forward from the shadows, Arte poised for attack leaped forward steak in hand ready to finish the job quick and easy.

But all within a flash she realised her foe had 'fallen' not jumped to attack, and that staking was useless because her foe was already decapitated. Heartless. Literally. The vampires heart had been ripped cleanly from its body.

She pivoted as quickly as she could expecting an attack from behind, and that this was merely a decoy, but nothing. No other creature ready to attack. She was utterly alone, well other than the pile of flesh at her feet, but he hardly counted in this state.

She scouted the area for several minutes wondering what the hell had happened just now, but came up empty handed. Logic kicked into over drive eventually exceeding her dumbfounded state, an attack as fierce as this would have made a sound, even the most skilled hunter made noise, her mark must already have been dead when she arrived. Someone else must have been lurking in the shadows,  Ok, so that explained the death. But who was the third party involved?

Another Hunter? She mused.

Why kill my mark?

No, she decided, a hunter wouldn't have toyed with her like that.

and how the hell did they escape without my knowing. I hear better than most humans.

All part of the package, but short of dissipating into thin air Dea would have heard something.

Artemis wandered for a while longer. Always on the look out, always ready for an attack. But to no avail, who ever, or whatever had been in the street with her, wasn't there now and didn't want her to know jack about itself.

Frustrated and tired. Arte headed back towards her apartment. She took a round about way, just in case. She knew she'd have felt if someone was following her, but given the night she'd had one could never be quite sure.

Finally at her apartment sure she hadn't been tailed, she took her key from the pocket above her left breast and begun unlocking the door, she mused at the amusing thought that anything that came for her wouldn't for a second be deterred by a lock and wondered why bother, silly tradition she guessed. Didn't it always feel safer to hear that flick of a lock?

She was lost in thought when her hair was wrenched from behind, neck craned backwards and pinned against her front door. Instantly assessing the situation and sizing up her opponent, so as to find the best way to combat them. Her attacked was a good head shorter than she, which meant probably lighter too, good sign, the angle her neck was at because of that wasn't thou, she'd have to be careful escaping so as not to injure herself too much.

"Listen here Atremis or is it Dea? I lose track. No matter. I have a message for you to relay for me" The girl whispered in her ear.

"Ha" Arte snorted, only slightly taken aback by the fact that the voice she heard was female. She'd learnt not to underestimate women opponents.

That hiss...

She recognised that from earlier, the voice definantly sounded more feminine this time. But Arte was pretty damn sure that this woman had been the one in the shadows. No time to further contemplate motive. She had to act.

 Now!! She thought as she slammed her elbow back in an attempt to free herself, just as she would have made contact, she froze. Held immobile by an unexplainable force and within the same second she was doubled over in pain, a pain within her head, it felt like someone had gone knife happy in her head. They just might have as far as she could tell.

"Tisk, tisk girly, I know what your gunna do before you even do it honey, so lets agree to play nice and ill make the pain stop" the stranger giggled.

Somewhere in the pain Arte found her voice and mumbled a barely audible cuss at the bitch who was somehow ripping her head to shreds from the inside out.

The pain increased ten fold and brought honest to god tears to her eyes, liquid hadn't escaped these eyes since she was 5. Since her world has ended and hell began. To make her cry was an offense punishable by death in her eyes, and she'd enjoy knocking this bitch down a peg or twenty eventually.  Just as soon as she could, reach a.. weapon...

"Well they're right. You've got motivation. Your certainly inspired. No many people try to fight me by this stage... But will your inspiration, your strength, that drive that gets you up every morning keep burning? Or will it wane like it has with so many before you. No matter to me. You are but a pawn in my game. Disposable. Replaceable. Useful for now though, very useful, that I'll give you. He'll like you, you know. Oh yes he will, he adores strength. Unfortunately he doesn't recognise true power when it hits him the face.. his loss.... "

This bitch's in a world of her own..  Arte thought briefly between spasms of pain.

She sounded so airy, so away with the fairies and yet here she was, incapacitating a, experienced hunter without even lifting a finger, without even appearing to need concentration.

What the hell is she.

"Never mind what I am girly, mind what you are you thou, hehe" She giggles "and mind what.. sorry.. who your about to meet. I'll let you in on a little secret. You're lucky child. You weren't meant to be here.. and yet here you are. Living your life, contrary to the fates wills. They stupidly let you live, as a testament to your strength, I suppose. They probably think you earned it. You fought hard. Something about you, halted him that day. I don't see it. Your just a little girl. How could he save you and not..... hahaha there I go again. Prattling on. Your lucky I need you, you know. Ohh that's right. My message. Mmm... It's hardly an undesirable task love, don't fight it. He's hansom dear. You'll like him. Tell him, tell Eli that Jez says hi. Tell him I miss him and cant wait to see him."

"Im not passing on any message for you, bitch" Dea spat.

"Ha yes you will love. I know you will. It's why I chose you. You wont be able to help yourself. Nosey, nosey, nosey. Always have been, always will be" She almost sang the last part.

Who was is this freak, and why is she talking like she knows me..

"Ohh sleep now child.. worry not about what I do, or don't know. Sleep off the pain, hehe or at least most of it. You might wake up a bit sore, or not, who knows I guess we'll find out. Until we meet again dear, take care!!" and she disappeared into the darkness.

Dea laid paralysed in the street, unable to do much more than breath, for an unmeasurable amount of time.

What the hell had just happened. That woman had been in my head.

No one, not ever had been able to get in that far, not far enough to paralyse. Vampires tried to get into her head all the time, deter her attacks. Their futile attempts caused a little ear ache or headache but not complete earth shattering paralytic pain. She knew the shift she had felt brought bad news. But hell itself? That she didn't expect.

***

Author's Note-

I have dedicated this chapter to @SUNDAYSTORMS for giving me ridiculously helpful feedback :) I really do appreciate it! Thank you.