"You killed me?" I ask and she nods looking anywhere but at me.
"Raven it was just a nightmare you-"
"I turned against everyone. I lost the battle and the battle is wasn't like any others I've ever been in. There was a mirrored image of me and I had to fight her I battled myself and I lost. I lost to the darkness." She says snapping her eyes to me. I see the blackness behind her eyes as she looks at me.
"It was a nightmare." I say
"But what if it's not? What if I fail myself and turn against everyone?" She asks
"You won't." I say
"How do you know? How the hell do you know that I will not lose to myself and head down! How do you know that I won't turn against Josiah and you?" She whispers the last part.
"Because you're strong-"
"Stop it! Stop saying I'm strong! I'm not! I hide behind my facade Eric! I'm not strong enough to fight my own self." She says and I shake my head at her.
"Why aren't you listening?" She asks
"Because I know it's not true. It was a nightmare you're thinking crazy thoughts. You're not gonna turn evil." I say
"I won't be able to fight it." She whispers and I gently grab her chin and turn her head towards me.
"Good thing you will never have to then." I say and her eyes meet mine. I shut my eyes and lean forwards finding her lips with my own. She gently kisses me back and I wrap my left arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. She quickly pulls away and I look at her confused.
"We can't." She says
"Why?" I ask
"You'll only get hurt." She whispers
"No. I won't." I say
"No Eric." She says
"Seriously?" I ask
"I'm a danger to you! I'll hurt you! Besides you just want someone you just wanna be able to kiss someone." She says.
"Really? You think that's why I kissed you? Because I missed being handled by a woman? No Raven that's not it at all. It's obvious there's something between us! I've wanted you since the first day I laid eyes on you and I didn't want you for sex I want you because I need you." I say
"I'll only hurt you."
"I'm willing to face that." I say and she takes a deep breath and nods.
"Ok." She says and I give her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"We still have plenty of hours till dawn. Let's get back to sleep." I say and she nods. She lays down beside me once again and I lay down on my back. She curls against my side and soon enough she's sound asleep. But not for long....
**
"Get up both of you now, we are under attack." I jerk awake and wake Eric up. We jump out of bed and rush after Valerian with our weapons.
"What do you mean we are under attack!? Who's attacking us!?" I yell as we continue to run.
"The demons that broke through the gate of hell!" She calls as we continue running.
"Where's Josiah!?" I yell
"Close behind us." She replies as we come to a stop. She throws a stick of dynamite at a wall and yells for us to duck. Eric and I drop to the ground.
"We're gonna have to jump." Valerian says and I stand up and look down below.
"A river and a waterfall!? Are you crazy!?" I yell over the rushing water.
"We don't have a choice." She says I hear banging from behind and then suddenly a figure breaks trough into our area.
"Jump jump jump! They're right behind me, jump!" I spin around and see Josiah sprinting towards us quicker then humanly possible.
"Jump!" He yells breaking from the shadows. I gasp at his red eyes but am already falling backwards off the cliff and heading down down down.
SPLASH!
I hit the water hard and sink down farther and farther. I kick to the surface and gasp for air as the current takes me away. The rushing water gets louder and louder and just as I hit the top if the waterfall I see Eric, Valerian, and Josiah land in the water. I go over the fall and scream as the white water takes me under and I sputter coughing and gagging for air. More water pounds on me as I fall farther and farther down. I see a giant branch sticking from the rock just next to me below. I scream as I am shoved under water and I use my last ounce of strength to break free from the current and catch hold of the branch before I hit the jagged pointed rocks below. I swing onto the branch and see Eric start to fall over the waterfall. He sees me on the branch then looks below. He tries to kick over to me but the current shoves him the other way.
"Eric!" I scream as he vanishes from my view. I yank out my rope and tie it around the branch then jump. He comes into view and I catch him in the last second before he hits the rocks. My muscles cry at his weight of rock and muscle but I hold on. Next is Valerian and I see her grab the branch above and swing on. Eric has only my hands to hand on to because one slip and he goes down and dies. I look up and see Josiah land beside Valerian. They grab the rope and start pulling I scream as we jerk falling lower for one second then I hear a huff from above and Eric and I are air borne even with the rope tied around me. We fly through the air and land hard on the rocks above the branch with a gasp I roll on the ground then come to a painful stop.
I roll over onto my side and see Valerian jump up followed by Josiah who keeps his head down. I stand up and Eric follows my lead.
"Josiah?" I ask and he looks up at me. His red eyes blaze into my brown ones and I gasp.
"What are you?" I ask looking to him then to Valerian but no reply.
"What are you!?" I yell and he hushes me.
"Now is not the time." He says
"What. Are. You.?" I ask and Josiah looks over at me.
"A va-" suddenly he's slammed to the ground and I see a body on top of him.
I chuck my knife instantly and the figure falls from Josiah and lands on the ground dead. More figures jump from the sky and I gasp as suddenly we are surrounded by creatures I've never seen before with our only escape being the waterfall behind us. More figures land in squats in front and beside us and I look around weapons drawn. I look side to side as they walk closer and closer and we back up. My foot hits the edge of the cliff and I catch myself before I fall.
"We can't fight them all." Eric says
"What should we do?" Valerian asks and I look down at the waterfall. I see a small slip of land below. There's a rock on it that's sharp and jagged like all the others but something seems different about this one there's a hole in it.
"We jump." I say and all eyes land on me before I launch myself off of the cliff cutting the rope from around my waist as I go.
"Raven!" I hear Josiah yell but I stay focused. I pull my hands to my sides and keep my legs tight together watching the hole get closer and closer. In one instant I shove my hands out in front of me releasing the bombs I grabbed from my side pockets and watch the rock bust and the hole become bigger. I slide through the hole and roll landing in a crouch in the hole.
**
I watch her launch herself off the cliff and Josiah screams her name killing two of the demons. I see her sky dive down and down then suddenly an explosion occurs and I see Raven slip into a rock.
"Jump!" I yell and launch myself the same way Raven did off the cliff. I tuck my hands to my side then see the hole coming closer and closer. I throw my hands out in front of me at the last second and stop myself from ramming my head into the stone and instead land in a roll then squat. Josiah then Valerian do the same and they all appear.
"Raven!" I yell and my voice echoes in the tunnel.
"Josiah shut the hole!" Her voice comes then she appears throwing a torch to each of us.
"Light." She says and flicks her wrist. The torches suddenly light up and I look behind me seeing the hole close up.
"Damn y'all are getting more powers by the day." I say
"Curses." She says and I look over at her but she shields her face and starts walking.
"Let's go." She says and we all follow behind her.
**
Knock knock
"Come in!" I shout and see my creation 1683 walk in.
"Sir we lost her." He says bowing his head. I stand up from my throne and slam my staff to the ground.
"You lost her! What do you mean you lost her!? You were supposed to capture her and bring her to me!" I yell
"Sir she's smart she escaped." He says
"Of course she's smart you idiot! How the hell else do you think nobody's been able to catch her!? She's strong and powerful! If we don't get her before the full moon she will be un defeatable as well as we will have no chance against the guardians!" I yell
"Sir your wife was a guardian." He says
"Never ever bring my wife up again! She's soulless and now I've changed she means nothing to me! But a slave and pet!" I spit
"But sir-"
"Shut up! Find her and bring her back to me kill the others including her brother he is of no use now that he has been vampiest and marked. Bring me my daughter and bring her to me now!"
***********************************