Blood Bound [Book Two, Lady and the Wolf] (EDITING)

Chapter Five: Memories

"I'm sorry you have to die," he whimpered, lowering his head so she couldn't see the pained look on his little face.

The girl glowered as she spied out the shifters who snarled and snapped in their direction. "No one else is dying today, Van. Just stay back."

He did as he was told, shaking, as he knew their fate. He wondered what dying was like. Did it hurt? Was it quick? Painful?

His golden eyes widened as the man responsible for all of this stepped forward. Van held back his anger, knowing it would just prolong the inevitable. A human couldn't fight off these shifters. No human was that strong.

However, she didn't even flinch as the man stepped forward. "And now we must kill an innocent human. Kostya, you do have a knack for dragging the innocent down with you, no?"

His tone mocked with every word spoken. Van breathed heavily, casting his eyes to the snow-white ground. It was true – everyone he loved had died because of him. Because of Konstantin.

As he slowly looked up, his face dropped as he saw the human girl march forward, stalking towards the wolf that would kill them both. He tried to call out, trying to warn her that she would die if she got any closer, but the words never left his lips as he stared in complete shock.

Although the wolves around her snarled and growled, they never jumped to attack. It was as if they were glued in place, too afraid or too stupid to move. The man noticed this as well as he took a step back.

"What-" was all he managed to mutter before her left arm shot out, her dainty fingers wrapping around his neck and lifting him off the ground.

Van was shell shocked as he witnessed her look around and snap, "sit!"

The wolves around them sat on command, although they didn't like it. An aura of authority suddenly surrounded her. Only a very powerful alpha could command shifters not in their pack. But this stranger was a human. He didn't understand. This contradicted everything he had ever been taught.

The man in her grasp gasped as he struggled to let out a simple sentence. "Who-what are you?"

Her smile was beautiful as she answered, using words Van didn't understand, "Your worst fucking nightmare."

With a loud crunch, the woods were suddenly thrown into a deafening silence. The only other noises came from the man as he choked on his own blood and writhed in dying agony. His body didn't seem to make any sound when she had dropped him to the floor like garbage.

The same way the man had dropped Van's dead mother's body when he had killed her.

Looking around, the strange woman narrowed her gaze to the astounded shifters around them, before growling, "leave, and tell no one what you witnessed today."

Feeling their fear, Van watched as the shifters who had been terrorizing him for days fled into the thick brush of trees, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.

He watched with morbid fascination as the woman made her way back to him, but her face was contorted in what seemed like pain. He moved slowly towards her and noticed that the jewellery she had around her neck came loose from her neck and fell into the snow.

He went to go and pick them up for her when she pulled him back, ushering him in the opposite direction.

"We have to go," she wheezed.

He followed obediently, simply staring up at the human in awe as a tiny flicker of gold shone through her eyes.

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