Immortal's Curse

Chapter 10

"A trigger."

I stared at Stellar, my eyes slightly hooded. I could hardly focus due to my exhaustion. "Yes, but what is it?"

She shrugged slightly, a motion that was barely perceptible. "You shall have to find out for yourself."

"Great. Just great. That's fantastic, you know?" I stood up, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "Thanks anyways, Stellar."

"I'm sorry, Austin," she whispered softly as I walked out of her apartment, taking the stairs back down to the ground floor. Pushing open the emergency exit door, I stepped into an alley. The Dumpster next to the door reeked, and the alley was littered with old beer cans, broken glass, and McDonald's wrappers. I slowly shuffled by, thinking. What could Ellie's trigger be?

"Austin, there you are!" Ellie ran around the corner, her arms outstretched, reaching for me. "I was worried about you! You were taking so long!"

I stiffened. "Ellie, it's dangerous for you to be out here. Where did Serena go? She was supposed to be watching you. Why didn't you stay in the car? You should know I'd be fine--"

As I watched, Ellie was scooped into the arms of a hideous demon, its eyes an ugly, murky orange, its skin a burnt red-brown, its hands and feet ugly twisted blocks, its limbs unnaturally long. One long-fingered, clawed hand wrapped easily around Ellie's throat, squeezing tightly. Ellie couldn't even gasp. She was lifted, her feet dangling off the ground, twitching, her eyes bulging out of their sockets, unfocused. Her face was rapidly turning blue as fear seized my heart.

"Looks like you weren't careful enough, boy." A young woman stepped around the corner, grinning coldly. She was fairly tall, with long, shapely legs and nice curves. She wore a long dress that hugged her curves, with an enormous slit up the side that exposed bare, lovely skin, and killer high-heels that click-clacked on the ground. Nervously, I watched as Ellie began to droop, her eyes rolling back in her head. I drew a gun from my pocket, pointing it at the demon.

"Let her go." I didn't try to keep the deadly anger from my voice.

"Sorry, sweetie, I can't. Dead or alive, she's of use to us. Breaking her body is nothing to me, though I'd prefer to keep her intact." The woman licked her lips, tilting her head slightly, a lock of her pale brown hair curling against her cheek. "I'd like to toy with her a bit, and as much as I'd like her all to myself, I was offered a very generous price for turning her in. Maybe I could make you my toy. I've never tried immortal blood before."

"Trust me, you won't like it." My finger tightened on the trigger, but the woman stopped me from firing.

"If you shoot the demon, it won't instantly die. Instead, I gave it orders to completely crush the girl's neck. She will die drowning in her own blood if you shoot now, no matter where you aim." Her cat-like green eyes were evil, and I could see the points of her fangs indenting her plush full lower lip.

Just then, something moved in the corner of my eye. Understanding hit me. I blinked once, then tightened my finger on the trigger a bit more. "You think that is enough to convince me?"

At that moment, Serena flew out from behind a wall, driving a sword deep through the demon. It released its hold on Ellie, and she tumbled lifelessly to the floor, her hair hiding her face. Gritting my teeth, I turned my gun on the woman, but I wasn't fast enough. She hit me like a speeding train and we both went down, with her on top of me. My head had hit the floor sharply and I was dazed, though there would be no significant damage. Nothing that I couldn't heal from anyways.

"Nice try, boy." She licked her lips again before leaning in and licking a line up my jaw. She trailed kisses down my jaw then to my throat, where her fangs raked the skin there, just lightly. I shuddered violently. I had never thought I would ever feel that. "You can't beat me. Better that you don't because I will finally be able to taste immortal blood!" In the background, I could hear Serena's battle with the demon, the clanging of claws on metal and the soft slithering noises as flesh was cut open.

I lifted my hands, trying to push her off me, but I couldn't move. In disbelief, I stared at my hands lying on either side of me. Was I hurt worse than I thought?

The woman grinned. "Good night, dear boy. Hope you enjoy this one last memory." She crooned softly, nuzzling her fangs against my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut. I had failed already. Serena was right. I didn't listen to her, and now, everyone was doomed. Even her, though she had risked her neck to come save me.

A weak, hoarse "NO!" suddenly came out of nowhere. Before my very eyes, the stunningly-beautiful vampire before me screamed, her lips parted, eyes unbelievably wide, a look of shock and horror on her face. As I watched, tongues of golden-white flame licked up her body, engulfing her, turning her to ash in a matter of seconds. I looked up to see Ellie, her hands out, palms flat against the air where the woman's back had been. Her violet eyes were now blazing gold.

"Don't hurt Austin and Serena!" Her voice was hoarse, but underneath that, there was her normal voice, and beneath that were echoes of countless voices, ageless and powerful. "They're important to me, important to the world, because together, we'll erase all darkness from this world!"

"Ellie." I breathed, sighing softly.

"And it has begun." Stellar stood in the doorway, her face serene. "Ellie's powers have been fully unleashed. It will be easier for the enemy to find her. It won't be hard to corrupt her, either. Make the right decision, because if not--be prepared, for it will be the beginning of the end."