Instagram : @SaraTekirian
YouTube : Sara Tekirian
I vote and follow back ❤️
***
The storm was extremely violent. The wind was whipping around violently. Slapping against my face. The rain was coming down in buckets, soaking me entirely.
Every so often a bolt of blue lightning would light up the sky, followed by a deafening crack of thunder.
I could barely see because it was so dark, the storm clouds had drained the woods of light.
I knew where I was going though. The bond told me I was getting closer to Austin. . .I just had to keep running.
It was hard to hear, with the wind and the thunder.
But, I distinctly heard a light cracking sound. Like someone stepping on a branch.
I stopped, and looked around. It didn't do much good, though. . .
I still couldn't see much. Just the dark outlines of trees.
"I know your here!" I shouted over the wind.
A crack of thunder was my only response.
"Coward!" I shouted angrily.
A bolt of blue lightning touched down some 100 feet from me.
"Some Shadow Slayers you are!" I taunted into the wind "Afraid of a little witch are you!?"
I heard another cracking sound. . .
"If you want me, come and get me then!" I shouted desperately.
Then the spineless Shadow Slayers finally showed themselves.
They stalked out of the cover of the trees. I could see them pretty well because of their bright scarlet clothing.
There were three of them, two guys and a girl. The blonde girl who had tried to slit my throat.
"Look who decided to show up!" I shouted.
I realize, of course, that I've lost my mind. But it's been a long day and I just couldn't take it anymore.
"Look who doesn't have there Dark Keeper to protect them this time" one of the men hissed in response.
They were stalking towards me, circling me.
"I don't need anyone to protect me" I retorted.
"Is that why you jumped off the cliff?" the other man hissed scornfully.
I could feel anger rising inside of me. Not only have they attempted to kill me, but now their mocking me?
No fuckin way. . .
"Well, I'm not running away this time!" I shouted, and conjured fire.
I lifted the fire above my head and threw it at one of the guys.
He jumped back, and the grass in front of him caught on fire.
And then the other two swarmed in on me.
The second guy and the blonde girl both had knives.
The guy pounced on me, his knife plunging into my shoulder.
Seething with anger and pain, I kicked him in the stomach.
He stumbled back, the knife ripping out of my shoulder.
The other guy had recovered from the encounter with the fire, and joined in the fight.
The blonde stalked towards me, knife in upraised hand.
The guy I had kicked came back for more as well.
All three of them were tag teaming me.
The blonde was closest to me, she swung her knife at me. Narrowly missing my throat.
Instinctively, I pushed air at her, pushing her several feet away.
Then I did my best to conjure darkness, blinding her.
Her head spun around wildly, trying to find something in her own personal darkness.
The first guy plunged his knife into my arm while I was finishing off blondie.
I screamed, and punched him in the jaw with the other arm. He stumbled back and the knife was ripped from my arm.
Then, just when I thought I had a second to catch my breath, the bigger guy grabbed me from behind.
He hooked his arms around mine, restraining me.
I kicked and struggled relentlessly.
I screamed. Partially in fear, and partially in anger.
Then, the second guy stalked over to me.
His red scarf was gone, and I could see him smirking venomously at me.
He pressed the edge of his knife to my throat while the other one held me.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. . . I'm gonna die. . .
"So, you don't need anyone to protect you?" the guy with the knife hissed scornfully.
"Just do it, Diego" the man behind me snarled "Quit playing with her, just finish her off!"
The guy with the knife smiled. A slow menacing smile.
"Oh, c'mon Liam" Diego hissed "Boss told us a quick death was too good for her, anyway. Might as well have some fun"
"This isn't about fun. This is about finishing a job" Liam growled "There's no need to be cruel"
Well, I guess if your gonna be a murderer you might as well be a humane one. . .
"I believe I'm the one with the knife here Liam" Diego retorted nastily "And I'll do this my way"
Liam snorted "Fine, just do it already"
"Patience Liam" Diego said, smirking.
Diego turned his dark cruel eyes back on me.
"G'night sweetheart" he taunted.
Then, just as he was about to slit my throat, Diego's dark eyes went wide.
Blood began to trickle out of his mouth, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Revealing Austin standing behind him.
He had a murderous expression on his face. His silver eyes were blazing with anger.
He kneeled down and pulled his knife out of Diego's back.
Did he always carry a knife with him?
Liam tossed me aside, and I landed on the hard ground.
I rolled over onto my back, and looked up at Liam and Austin.
They were fighting intensely, both of them had knives.
Austin was clearly winning, he was not only stronger and faster then Liam. But a hell lot angrier.
Apparently, my darkness spell had worn off, because blondie was back in the game.
She stalked silently towards Austin, and pounced on his back.
While Austin was distracted, Liam threw his knife on the floor.
And then exchanged it for the wooden stake strapped to his arm.
Austin threw blondie off his back, and she landed on her ass.
Then he stalked back towards Liam.
Austin made the first move, swinging his silver blade at Liam.
It sliced Liam's forearm, a line of blood stained the already red shirt.
Liam swung his wooden weapon at Austin, but Austin backed up to avoid it.
Now, Liam had him cornered against a tree.
Liam raised his wooden stake, ready to plunge it into Austin's heart.
But, the wooden stake suddenly burst into blue flames.
Liam instinctively threw it to the ground, where it was reduced to ashes.
Smirking savagely, Austin kicked Liam in the stomach. He stumbled back and fell onto the ground.
Austin crouched above Liam on the ground, and pulled out his knife.
Grinning like a mad man, he placed the tip of the knife above Liam's chest.
Just as he was about to plunge it into his heart, blondie tackled him from the side.
He knocked him off of Liam, and the two of them tumbled on the ground.
It ended with blondie above Austin, pinning him to the ground.
Wooden stake in upraised hand.
I screamed in outrage and fear. The high pitched noise could be heard even through the wind and thunder.
Blondie winced, and Austin took advantage of her distraction.
He kicked her in the stomach, and sent her rocketing into a tree.
When her back made contact with the tree, she slumped to the ground.
Liam recovered then, and made a move for Austin.
Austin smiled menacingly, revealing his extended fangs.
When Liam was close enough, Austin grabbed his wrist and flung him to the ground.
Knife in hand, he crouched next to Liam.
He placed the tip of the blade just above his heart.
I scrambled to my feet, and stumbled over to Austin as fast as I could.
Austin lifted the knife above his head, getting momentum to drive it into his heart.
I grabbed his wrist as he was about to deliver the death blow.
He looked up at me. At first, his expression was angry and bloodthirsty.
But, when he saw who it was, it faded to confusion and bewilderment.
"Becca, what are you doing?" he snarled in shock.
"Don't" I begged "Don't do it. . .I can't let you"
"He tried to kill you" he hissed at me "I'm just returning the favor"
His expression was pained and savage. Dirt and blood was smeared on his face, and his fangs were bared. He looked desperate to kill.
"I won't let you" I whispered.
"You can't stop me" he growled, pulling his hand away.
Then, without looking, he plunged his knife into the ground.
Where Liam had been laying.
My eyes went immediately to the spot where blondie had been laying.
She was gone too.
We were alone. Unless, of course, you include Diego's dead body at the edge of the clearing.
Which I don't.
Austin snarled in fury, rising to his feet.
I slipped out of my crouch as well.
Austin spun around to face me, silver eyes blazing.
"Look what you've done!" he shouted furiously "You let them get away!"
"I couldn't let you kill another person" I whispered in a small voice.
"They deserve to die" he hissed "They're killers! And now they've lived to hunt another day! All because of you!"
Austin's face was full of savage hate. An animal-like fury.
A bolt of blue lightning lit up the sky, and thunder crashed. Accenting his rage nicely.
"Your acting like a crazy person, Austin!" I shouted back, aware that yelling at him was probably a bad idea, "I didn't want you to do something you'd regret!"
"I'd never regret killing a scum bag like that" he snarled dispassionately.
I took a few deep breaths. Getting angry at Austin would get me nowhere.
Right now he was mad, he was unstable, and he was dangerous. I had to handle this delicately.
"Let's just go home, okay?" I suggested "Everyone is probably worried sick about us"
"I'm not going anywhere until that little bastard is dead" he hissed.
He stalked towards the edge of the tiny clearing, and sniffed the air.
Fangs bared, he paced around the clearing. Sniffing the air.
"What are you doing?" I demanded.
"Tracking. . .I'm gonna find those little scum bags and end them. . .if it's the last thing I ever do" he snarled.
"Don't you think your being a little melodramatic?" I asked.
"Of courssse you'd ssay that. I ssshould expect as much from a witch" he hissed.
"What is that supposed to mean" I demanded, hands on hips.
"Witches, your all such pacifists" he snarled.
"And all you vampires are so belligerent!" I retorted.
"Well, maybe being a little aggressive could do you some good" he said coldly.
"Me? I have the perfect amount of aggression. Any more and I'll be a vicious killer like you!" I retorted.
"Some people deserve to be killed" he said dangerously.
"C'mon Austin" I insisted "I know your upset about the Council meeting but that doesn't mean-"
I stopped short when I saw the fire in his eyes die away.
As soon as I said the words 'Council meeting' the anger radiating out of him depleted.
His fangs retracted, and his hostile expression faded to one of grief and despair. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Oh, Austin" I said, contrite "I'm sorry. . .I didn't mean to remind you. . ."
"I don't wanna talk about it" he told me, wiping his eyes.
The wind slowed down, and the thunder and lightning halted completely.
The black clouds turned an opague grey. The rain became less violent, and more steady.
"I think we should" I said, walking closer to him.
He took a step back, away from me.
He looked so miserable, so horribly unhappy. Completely drenched from head to toe. His soaked hair was plastered to his forehead. His suit was stained with blood and mud. His arms were hanging limply at his side. He gripped the knife loosely in his hand. Blood dripped off the edge of blade. His handsome face wore a hopeless expression. His silver eyes were full of tears he would never let himself shed.
"I don't want to talk about it" he repeated, sounding more angry then upset.
"I just wanna help" I insisted, taking a step towards him. This time, he didn't flinch back.
"I don't need your help" he said harshly.
"Please. . .just let me try to help you" I begged.
"Fine" he snapped "It won't do any good, though"
He sat down on the grass, pulling his knees up to his chest.
I knelt in front of him.
I tried to hold his gaze, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.
"I'm sorry I eavesdropped" I apologized "I shouldn't of done that"
"Your right" he said harshly "You shouldn't of"
"I know" I sighed "But I was worried. I thought the Council was no good. . .and I was right"
"For once" he muttered dryly.
I repressed the urge to roll my eyes. "They were worse then no good. . .they were awful. The things they did to you. . .it was horrible"
"Try being me" he suggested dryly.
"General Odysseus was especially horrible" I continued, ignoring his comments, "I can't believe he made burn yourself when you were little"
"Not just when I was little" he said flatly "He made me burn myself again today"
"What!?" I exclaimed in outrage and disbelief.
"They wanted to see if I my immunity went up" he said emotionlessly "It did. . .my skin didn't burn 'till 4000 degrees this time"
Then he pushed back his sleeves and showed me his wrists.
On his right wrist was the original blue scar. It was a light teal color and spiked out like flames. On his left wrist was a nearly identical scar. Except it was much brighter, a brilliant blue.
"Oh my God" I breathed.
"I, for one, wasn't surprised" he muttered, covering his wrists again.
"That's just horrible!" I exclaimed "How can they do this to you!? How can they be allowed to do this to you!?"
Austin shrugged, although misery and rage were clear in his eyes, "This is the way it's always been"
"That's so horrible" I mumbled ". . .now, would you care to explain something to me. What's the deal with you being a prince?"
He sighed, "The king doesn't have any children. . . when I was born he chose me to be his heir. ..it's no big deal
"Ugh, yes it is. And why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.
He shrugged, "I never wanted to be his heir. . . and I didn't want to complicate things even more so I just kept it to myself. . "
"You should of told me" I said "I wouldn't care"
He shrugged again, "Yea, well I didn't know. . ."
The rain began to slow, untill it was just drizzling.
The clouds were a dull pearl now.
I nodded and said "We should probably go home now. . ."
"Okay" he agreed, getting to my feet.
There was nothing I wanted more at that moment, then to go home.
To curl up next to Austin and sleep.
He rose to his feet too, and I grabbed his hand.
I allowed a small smile as we walked back towards the house.
The rain had completely stopped now, and things didn't seem so bad anymore.
Okay, so there's an immortals somewhere who wants me dead and a bunch of human assassins after me. . .
But, I have Austin, Raziel, and an entire household of immortals to protect me.
Once I was at the Kardigan's I'd be safe.
Even in the woods with Austin, I was safe.
No damn humans could ever take down Austin. It wasn't possible. He'd saved me from them once already.
"You know what's funny" I said randomly "I was in the woods trying to rescue you, and you ended up rescuing me"
He smiled, a ghost of his usual smirk, "Doesn't surprise me" he said.
I laughed, "Haha. . .real funny"
"Mhm. . .which reminds me. . .what were you doing out here anyway?" he asked.
Lie, lie, lie, I have to lie. But. . .I don't want to lie to Austin.
Then again, he's lied to me before. . .besides, Raziel said it was necessary. And, I owe him my life. . .
"Well, I needed a quiet place to go into your head. So, I went to our pond. But then, after you kicked me out, those guys showed up" I lied "They chased me up the mountain. . . but cornered me when I reached the top. The blonde girl had me at knife point, so I jumped off the side of the mountain. I knew I'd be okay. . .and that they wouldn't be able to follow me. Since humans can't survive a fall like that. . .So, after I recovered from the fall I started running. I wanted to find my way back. . . And then it started to pour. . . by the way, thank you for that oh so lovely thunderstorm Austin. Anyway, I took shelter from the storm and then went into your head. . .I was wondering where you were. Once I was in your head I saw your mopeing around the pond. . .So, I decided to go looking for you. Then, those - guys ambushed me. . . and well, you know the rest"
I had been careful not to use the word Shadow Slayers.
Since, according to my story, there was no way I should know that.
"Oh. . .are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. . .who were those guys?" I asked, playing dumb.
"Shadow Slayers. . .they're humans who hunt immortals" he told me.
"Why?" I wondered.
He shrugged, "They're under the impression that we're all devil spawns and that by killing us they're doing some huge favor for humanity. . ."
"Wow. . .physcos. . ." I murmered absently.
"Yea" Austin agreed "They're maniacs. . ."
"Mhm. . .Austin, what's a Dark Keeper?" I asked. I realized I was tredding in dangerous waters. . .mentioning the Dark Keepers could make Austin suspicious. . .
"Why do you ask?" he wondered.
I shruggged, "One of the Shadow Slayers said something about them. . ."
"Well, they're a group of Arthasians who kill humans who 'pose a threat' to immortals" Austin said with a snort.
He sounded like he was in a tunnel, my head was spinning.
Raziel was an Arthasian. . .he was one of them. A human hater.
He didn't just hate humans. . . he killed them.
But, then again, he didn't kill innocents. He killed humans who 'posed a threat' to immortals.
Austin had said that sarcastically but that's because he's an Azimon. He's been raised to hate Arthasians and respect humans.
I'm an unbiased party though, neither Azimon or Arthasian.
I could view this situation better then Austin could.
Now, Raziel kills humans. . .but bad humans. Shadow Slayers. And even Austin had agreed they were evil.
If they pose a threat, then maybe they should be killed. Austin said it himself, some people deserve to die.
And just because Raziel is an Arthasian. . .but that doesn't mean he's evil.
I can't just asume he's evil because of his background, that's racist.
Besides, he saved my life. He had risked his own life to save mine.
I shouldn't judge him, I couldn't.
"Becca?" Austin's voice shook me out of my contemplation.
"Uh, oh, what?" I asked, snapping out of it.
"You zoned out on me" he said.
"Oh sorry. . .I was just thinking" I mumbled absently.
"I assumed that" he said sarcastically.
"I see somebody is acting like less of a psychopath" I noted.
He shrugged, "Once I shut the storm off, it tends to fade quickly"
"Good. . .phsyo Austin scares me" I teased.
"Well, physco Austin isn't nearly as scary as normal Becca" he muttered.
I shoved him playfully.
Laughing, we broke through the trees into the Kardigan's backyard.
Damn, I had never been so happy to be here.
"Well, this should be interesting" Austin muttered.
I nodded in agreement as we crossed the Kardigan's yard.
As we were heading into the unlocked back door, I heard a caw behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to see a raven perched in a tree, Raziel.
I smiled at him. I felt even safer now.
Raziel was just so wise and strong. . .it made me feel even safer.
Austin looked over his shoulder too, just to see what I was looking at.
He barely glanced at the raven in the tree.
He went inside, and I followed. The living room was empty.
But I could hear frantic loud voices coming from the kitchen. Groaning internally, we headed for the kitchen.
The kitchen was packed with people. Mr. Kardigan, Mrs. Kardigan, Tora, the guys, Domingo, Lykaios, the driver, Kate. . .
I was amazingly glad to see them.
I think I can say they were equally glad to see us, based on their expressions.
All of their frazzled expressions became instantaneously elated.
"Becca!"
"Austin!"
We were quickly swarmed by them. Kate gave me a huge hug.
Mrs. Kardigan hugged Austin so tightly it probably hurt.
After their happiness over our return faded into their freaking out.
Well, it's not like I can blame them. . .
"Where the hell have you been!?"
"Why did you run away again!?"
"Why were you gone all day!?"
"Look at you! What happened!?"
"No talking" Austin muttered sleepily "Explain, morning. Sleep now"