Awoken

Mara:CH18: Tested

For the moment it's just the two of us surrounded by towering trees and nocturnal animal life. Their scurrying is loud enough to hear over Polly's chattering teeth.

With the moon hidden behind the tree tops the lantern is our only source of light in the darkness. Wearing heavy black cloaks it's cold enough that with each exhale our breaths swirl before our eyes then fades away.

"You meant it right, when you said you forgive me?" Polly questions having misinterpreted my silence.

"One hundred percent baby. You still trust me right?" I ask Polly in return.

"Of course but can't you just tell me why we're here? Who are we waiting for?"

"You're here for me," Mordecai says as he steps into the dull light. His blonde hair is practically glowing being illuminated by the lantern's flame. 

Despite the cold he's wearing a thin shirt that is mostly open showing off a lot of his toned torso while his thin black pants don't seem much better and blend into the dark surroundings. Someone so deadly shouldn't be this beautiful. Polly is already entranced. Her focus on him completely. 

Silently calling to her, Polly begins closing the distance between them. Despite her gaze never leaving his, Polly manages to miss tripping over every large stone and fallen branch. I was going to bring someone else for Mordecai but that wouldn't win his favour in fact I suspect it would've ended with my death. 

I never had a choice but Polly will be fine it's just a test to see if I'd be willing to bring her. It has to be. Leaving Polly is going to be hard enough initially. There's no way I will survive her death let alone watching her die.

Each step Polly takes heightens the anxiety building inside my chest, as if the air around me is evaporating. She is helpless against him. 

If only we could run away together but that isn't an option. Thanks to a certain someone I'm too broken. It's too late for me to fix it, to break the cycle.

Mordecai moves Polly's hair aside, over her shoulders revealing her pale throat. I hate this. Finally acknowledging my presence his eyes meet mine. His smile grows wide and I watch as a row of pointy sharp teeth descend from his gums, covering the ordinary non-lethal set in comparison.

Son of a bitch!

"Enough. You've proved your point," I shout.

"You knew what I wanted yet you still brought her. What did you think was going to happen?" He says before licking her neck.

My hands clench into fists before he sinks his teeth into her flesh. The sickening sound has me rushing at him. Ripping Polly out of his arms, I gather the power within. Focusing it I blast him with my light. 

Mordecai crashes into a nearby tree hard enough the splintering sound echoes and the ground shakes when he falls. Polly is still dazed as I look over her wound. Wiping away the blood I see the top and bottom set of teeth marks. There's twenty punctures all identical in size and shape. Surprisingly, despite the open wounds the bleeding has already stopped.

"You have to run," I yell at Polly but she doesn't respond. Gripping her shoulders I try shaking her out of the trance but it's not working. 

Fuck. Fucking fuck. Mordecai grips my arm. Yanking onto my feet he forces my gaze. Hissing he spits blood in my face in the process- Polly's blood. His fury tastes bitter in my mouth. Nostrils flaring I brace myself for the worst. I really fucked up. After he's done with me he will finish with Polly. I'm so sorry Polly.

"YOU called out to me. YOU said you wanted this. You've wasted my time. I should strike you down right here," he seethes, his body literally shaking with rage.