Tainted Angel

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I ran as night seized the mountain side. All I could hear was the howl of the wind as it rippled past my body and my own heavy breathing.

The wolves advanced their step just as my unsteady foot connected with a large boulder; I stumbled over, and in a state of panic hit my head on a bladed rock. Nausea threatened to overpower me as my vision blurred, and I felt a sharp pain in my right ankle.

            ‘They’ll find me soon.’ The thought rang in my head like warning bells as a sharp pain bloomed from my temples. ‘I can hear them coming.’ I reached for my right temple and felt something wet and sticky. Even in the diminished light, with only the full moon to light my way, I could clearly make out what it was, blood. ‘I can hear them panting.’ I knew my ankle was twisted. ‘It won’t be long now. They’ll kill me for sure.’

            Snap! I heard the sound of a dead branch brake, and then came the eyes. They stuck out in the night, wide yellow piercing eyes of a clever hunter who just caught its prey.

~~~~

            Jonathon scooped the area from the air; he hoped to catch a glimpse of Amber, the girl he was supposed to watch over. He had unexpectedly caught a whiff of her that woke him from where he napped in a tree, with a decent amount of foliage for Arizona’s scorching heat, as she took an evening run up the mountain using her favorite trail.

 “Stupid girl,” he cursed under his breath, “Can’t I doze off for an hour without you getting into some kind of trouble?”

            “Maybe if you told her you were watching her we wouldn’t always have to fly all over the place looking for her,” Aurora suggested as she flew up next to him. Her long ivory blond hair was tied in a tight ponytail.

            “You know I have no intention to do that,” Jonathon scolded, “and Aurora you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to be, she is not your responsibility.”

            “Is that so?” Aurora questioned then smiled, “and if I don’t come with you I might miss all the fun.” She gave him her most childish pouting face and laughed.

“Yes it is not my intention to allow her to know of… my presence,” he spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words and clearly ignoring her attempt to annoy him.

Aurora snorted, “Then does that mean you have fallen for your charge?”

            “No, it’s forbidden to love a mortal,” Jonathon replied emotionless. He looked about, and then sped ahead, leaving Aurora struggling to catch up.

             “Well then I suggest you show yourself to her soon because it looks like she’s about to get herself killed,” Aurora laughed humorlessly as she pointed down at the clearing below.

            “Ah for heaven sakes,” he groaned before he dove downward.

~~~~

            I regained control of my body and stumbled back. The sharpness in my right temple flared as I struggled to keep my balance without taking my eyes off my captor and then its eyes disappeared. I limped in a circle desperate to find those eyes again. Finally pure terror set in as I waited for them to reappear.

 My whole body went rigid as the eyes finally did resurface at the opposite end of the clearing, only this time they weren’t the only set. Their stares were like many sharp needles that pierced my skin. There must be dozens of them, I thought as I let out a small gasp in surprise and backed away. Only this time they didn’t conceal themselves in the shadows but rather advanced forward.