Chapter 50 – Hatred
At first I had no idea how to feel at the sight of him. I was led to believe that he was dead. That this monster that I had once feared, once found myself attracted to, once felt pity for, was still alive and breathing, still walking this earth. Was I happy that his soul had somehow been spared, or was I completely disappointed that he was back, and still as obsessed with me as he was the last time that I’d seen him?
“See, I still manage to take your breath away.” He said cockily, causing my blood to boil. All of the bitterness that I had once felt for this man had come rushing back, and I immediately pushed away the pity that I had once felt for him, the sorrow that I had once wasted on his memory.
“Not in the way that you want Sebastian.” I spat back at him, the fury inside of me increasing. “What the hell do you want with me anyway? It’s a shame really, that you’re not dead.” I knew my words were extremely harsh, and just for a spit second I felt guilty. But that was soon washed away at the realisation that his hands were wrapped around my throat.
“Very funny Miranda. I’m impressed though, you’re still your feisty little self, if not more so. You know I always loved that about you.” He whispered, this time right up against my ear. His breath tickled my neck and sent shivers down my spine. Shivers of pure repulsion this time though, not attraction, not in the slightest.
“And really, you haven’t already figured it out? It surprises me that you were stupid enough to come down here. You’re way too trusting, did you know that? To actually believe that I’d only lured your pretty little friend down here. Surely I thought you’d have figured out that you were the target.” I was furious. I could feel my core heating up now, my palms beginning to sweat.
He loosened the grip on my neck and grabbed my wrists, pinning them above my head with one hand, the other tightly gripping my waist. He buried his head into my neck and began sniffing it, as if it were the most delicious thing that he’d ever smelt. He trailed his lips across the sensitive part, making me shiver, and that was when I could feel that his fangs were out. He grazed them across my bare skin, setting off that familiar reaction that my body would become consumed with when he’d use his ‘vampire abilities’ on me.
“If I can’t have you Miranda, then no one can.” Those words that had just escaped his lips played out in slow motion to me, my senses completely focussed onto them, and only them. And that voice sent even more shivers down my spine, more intense than I had ever thought were possible, causing my stomach to drop so dramatically that I was sure I was going to vomit. He cannot be serious, he just can’t...
“Why me, Sebastian? Huh? What about that psycho little bitch that you’ve been chasing after for, what, centuries now? You’re going to give all of that up, the once love of your life, just for me? A pathetic little witch?” I spat at him, trying my best to convince him that he was making a very solemn mistake.
“You know, you are quite right. She was a psycho little bitch. Which is the very reason I can’t stand her anymore. And being a witch, well, one with vampire blood running through your system, is all the more attractive. Hasn’t your precious little William told you this yet? Your scent is like a drug. It’s ten times stronger than a normal witch. Probably why he can’t keep away from you. But I don’t blame him. And you seem to keep forgetting about our little feud. He took away the one thing that meant the world to me, and now it’s my turn to do the same to him.”
He was making me increasingly furious, and I could feel my core heating up by the minute. Before I even had a chance to come up with a witty response to his words, I felt his fangs, pierce into my neck so abruptly, causing one of the most intense pains that I had even felt in my entire life! It hurt so badly that I couldn’t even think straight, I couldn’t even bring my mind to a solution of how to get the heck out of this. I was almost at the point of giving up, wondering what the heck he’d done with Will, the vampire security, and my grandma. Where the hell where they when I needed them the most?!
My body began to grow weak and my vision was wavering. I could already see the blackness. This was it. Sebastian was just going to kill me, right here and now, drain my pathetic little body of all of its blood and just leave me here to decay in the middle of an uninhabited forest. Just freaking great!
But why should I let him win? Why should I give up? It would be incredibly selfish and I was sure that my pride would not allow this. I could not allow it. There was no way that this monster, who had put my life in danger from the moment I saw his stupid sexy body at that stupid bar, who’d desperately tried to tear Will and I apart, who’d made me run, hide, live in fear, all because he wanted my god damned petty little blood just to seek revenge on his brother for something that had happened centuries ago?! No, no! I will not let him win!
The anger inside of me was bubbling and brewing then and I knew that it was about to explode. My palms were almost dripping with sweat, and I could feel my skin heat to an impossible temperature. And that was when he pulled away. He flinched at first, and then dropped me as if he were just clutching onto hot coals, stumbling to the floor himself, as if I were practically on fire or something...
Oh my god. I looked down. I was. I was actually, literally, undoubtedly on fire! My hands had emitted the flame and I could feel the heat radiating off of me. It was almost exhilarating, and I felt tremendously proud that it was I, who had ultimately saved myself, all because of my stubborn little temper, one that would not let this monster win this personal war between the bunch of us.
“There’s more where that came from.” I said so bitterly, so cold, that if my voice were in the form of my actions, or another element, it would have put the fire out instantly. I slumped back onto the tree, barely holding myself up, Sebastian cowering on the floor only metres from me. I conjured up all of the remaining energy that I felt I had left, and lifted my right hand up and threw it in Seb’s direction, directing an imaginary fireball right at him. Except that what I’d imagined for the fireball to do, had actually played out. A ball of fire had literally come off of the flame on my hand and was now headed straight for him.
Of course though, using his vampire abilities and all, he dodged my blow, if just enough, for it not to have exploded all throughout his form. It skimmed his left arm though and scorched a hole right through the tight black skivvy that he was wearing which had previously moulded perfectly around his large biceps. All that was left of it now were just scraps of charred material draping off of his arm, and a big fat burn mark oozing of blood. Seb was lying face first in the dirt and was not moving, well, at least not for now.
Although my strength at that point was minimal, I took this as an opportunity to run. I needed to at least try. But something in particular had startled me, had pulled me from my almost unconscious state. It was the smell of burning. Burning pine wood to be precise. And that was when I looked down to my hands, only to see that I had been using them to balance my exhausted self on the tree, not even having the common sense left to realise that they were still alight, and that I had now completely lit the tree which I was leaning on, on fire!
I gasped in air and collapsed to the ground in front of me, attempting to leap at the very least a metre so that I wouldn’t catch on fire along with the tree. The fire was that intense that it was creeping its way further and further up within the space of seconds. But then I looked down. Oh crap. My hands were still alight and I had just managed to place them on piles and piles of stray leaves, all easily melting at my disposal.
The adrenalin inside of me was then what had pulled me up to my feet, to escape the now lit fire that was behind me, consuming trees upon trees, and in front of me, beginning to light up the leaf covered floor, surrounding Sebastian and I. The intense inhalation of smoke was beginning to make me choke, and that was when it had all hit me, like a tonne of bricks.
This scene, it all felt way too familiar for my liking. I had recognised it. The burning, the heat, the smell, the body lying face first in the ground before me. It was my premonition. This was the dreaded premonition that had haunted me, what, only twice now?! I wasn’t ready for this! This wasn’t meant to happen so soon!
I suddenly began to panic, my chest raising and falling frantically as my heart was pounding so loudly in my ears that I could barely hear myself think. And I had no idea how to stop the fire that was still alight in my hands. I needed to find water. And luckily, we were on our way to a lake before all of this had happened, a lake full of plenty, life-saving, soothing, cooling water. I needed to get to that water, and I needed to get to it now.
I stumbled over Sebastian’s seemingly lifeless body, which I had at least hoped was lifeless anyway. That hope was soon washed away though the second that his arms began to twitch and his head began to stir. Fuck. I had to run and I had to run now. I noticed then that my clothes were covered in blood – my blood. I almost vomited but realised that it was now or never, I had to run or I was going to either be burned alive, or die at the disposal of a vampire, or should I say monster who I despised so greatly.
I was now almost a few metres past Sebastian’s body, when something tugged at my ankle, causing me to trip and fall face first, right into the dirt. The impact had hurt, my body already aching from the strength Seb had used to hold me against the tree, and my neck still stinging in pain, still feeling the warm liquid slowly trickle from it.
I turned around only to come face first with the monster that I was trying so desperately to escape from. I was so frantic at that point that I could barely breathe, and the smoke surrounding me was definitely not helping. I was sure that this was indefinitely it. This was my time. I was going to die, I was adamant about it. You could probably say that I had somewhat given up, there was very little remnants of hope now. How in the HELL was I going to get myself out of this?!
Seb flipped me over and was now hovering over me, the most evil, devilish, sadistic smirk consuming his face, his eyes black glazed over with lust. I never thought I’d see the day when Seb was ugly, but today was certainly that day, and right now he was the ugliest thing, or should I say monster, that I had ever seen. He chuckled then, so evilly, that it had made my skin crawl. It made me sick to my very core.
“You’re not getting away from me that easily. I will drain you of all of your blood, taste it just that one last time, even if it’s the last thing that I do. Oh, and very impressive by the way. You’re new power. I’m hoping your little trick will also take down your dear little friends in here too. Nice work Miranda. You’ve probably just killed not only yourself, but your lover, your best friend, and your grandma.” He made me so furious that I spat in his face, so violently, that I almost never thought I’d have it in me.
But that was what set him off, and that was when he buried his sharp, vicious, god forsaken fangs right into my neck once again, right where they were just minutes ago. And boy did it hurt. It hurt like freaking hell, and I was wishing and hoping that I would hurry the hell up and black out so that I wouldn’t have to feel it any longer.
Luckily, I began to fade. My body was so extraordinary hot now, so immensely drained of energy, so deprived of emotion, that I was giving in. The fire on my palms had ceased, and I was just lying there like a piece of meat, finally giving into the predator that had long stalked my body. Sebastian was draining my blood now, and fast, and I could feel my mind fading.
Everything flashed before my eyes. Moving into my apartment. The day I met Will. The day I met Joel. Watching Twilight with Will. His first kiss with me. When he revealed what he was. Vampires. Witches. Summer. Nan. Ashton. Beth and Jacob. Will. Will’s arms. Will’s embrace. Will’s lust...Will’s love...Will...
“Miranda!”
“You...”
“...monster!”
“You...regret...”
“...help!”