Chapter 15
Rhea PoV
I scream as loud as I can, but before I can rush for the door, the stranger has me pinned to the bed, all of his weight crushing down on top of me. Tears spring to my eyes as his sharp nails bite into my wrists, all I can see in the darkness is his eyes. Haunting red eyes.
He’s a vampire, I can smell fresh blood on him, but who’s? Who did he attack before he came here and hid?
How long has he been hiding here?
I have to do something, I can’t just let him kill me.
“Pretty little wolf.” Chuckles the vampire, holding me tighter as I try to struggle free. “Such a shame to end the life of a beauty such as you.”
Alora! I cry in my mind. Help me, Alora.
Shift. She tells me, her voice laced with anger, shift and we will destroy this creature.
I scream again, louder than before, and I allow my wolf to take over me, the sound of cracking bones filling the room until I’m no longer on four legs, and until the vampire no longer has me pinned down.
The hairs on my back raise, and I growl, snapping my teeth at the stranger, I can see him better now, though I don’t recognise him. He must not be from the palace. He’s an outsider, and he’s trying to kill me. Would Gabriel punish me if I killed this stranger before he had a chance to lay a hand on me? I doubt it.
I’m protecting myself, nothing more. It isn’t like I am purposely trying to defy him. This creature has come into my space and tried to hurt me. He wanted me dead, and I don’t know why.
I don’t have time to ask.
I watch the vampire closely and I notice the moment that his stance changes, and a second later when he attacks, I’m ready for it. I can sense it coming, and so can Alora. We are in sync.
I dodge the vampire’s hands when it reaches out to grab me, bolting to the side and jumping down from the bed, I circle it, careful not to get too close. I can’t defeat this creature alone. It’s much stronger than me, I need help.
I throw my head back and howl as loud as I can, knowing that Gabriel will come if he hears me. I belong to him, and that means that I am his responsibility. I am his to keep alive.
“Don’t fight me, little wolf.” Says the stranger, “I will make this as painless as I can.”
I growl at him, baring my teeth, he might think I am an easy kill, but I am far from it. I will not let him kill me.
I lodge at his leg, sinking my teeth into it and dragging his down, blood oozing into my mouth as he screams. I’m sure I smell burning, but I can’t concentrate on that right now. I have to focus, or he’ll easily kill me.
The creature punches me in the side of the jaw, making me yelp and let go, fuck, that hurt. It hurt a lot. Vampires pack one hell of a punch. I dodge backwards when he tries to grab me, backing off towards the door as I howl again, hoping that someone will come and save me.
I can hold him off, but not for long, sooner or later he will hurt me to the point where I cannot fight, and then my
Life will be over.
I can’t let it come down to that, I won’t die here.
“You little bitch!” Bellows the creature. “How dare you bite me! I’m going to make you pay for that.”
I believe him, I believe that he will make my death as painful as he can, because that’s the sort of creature he is. Vampires are all the same, as long as they get what they want, they don’t care who gets hurt.
Alora, what are we going to do?
Just keeping fighting, we can hold him off.
I don’t know how she’s so confident, I’m scared out of my mind, and I know I’ll shift back soon. This is only the second time I have inhabited the body of a wolf, I won’t be able to hold this form for long. And when I do shift back, he’ll kill me easily, I will have no way to fight him.
“Come now, wolf, you know you can’t win against me.” Says the vampire, his red eyes littered with anger, “just transform back now and I’ll make this quick and painless.”
I huff, growling, and I lunge at him again, trying to bite his other leg, but he’s too fast, he easily dodges and puts some distance between us.
From the light peaking from the window I can see more of his face, but I don’t recognise anything about him. Though I’m sure I’ve heard that their eyes only go red when they are overcome with the need to feed. Which is exactly how he will kill me.
He’ll drain me until there isn’t a single drop left of my blood, and I won’t be able to stop him the moment his fangs sink into me.
I hear shouting and banging on the other side of the door, and I know that Gabriel is there, he’s so close I can smell him. But the door is locked, and he might not get to me in time.
The vampire laughs, backing me into a corner, “We have to make this quick, wolf, someone is trying to spoil all of my fun.”
“Rhea!” Calls Gabriel, “open the door or I’ll break it down.”
I howl, growling and huffing as loud as I can, if he hears me, he will know that something is wrong.
“She can’t open the door.” I hear him say over the pounding of my own heart, “break it down.”
“Oh our time is over, little wolf.” The stranger laughs, blocking me against the wall, “I’m going to have to kill you know.”
I whimper when he grabs my snout, forcefully twisting my head to the side, and then a second later, his fangs sink into my flesh, just as the door bursts open and light floods into the room.
I drop the the floor so suddenly I bang my head, the body of the wolf fading and my human self coming forward. Gabriel has the vampire pinning on the other side of the room, and he’s saying something in a language I can’t understand.
He snaps his neck, the stranger with red eyes falling to the floor, dead.
Gabriel rushes to my side, placing his hand over the wound to stop the bleeding in my neck. “I’m so sorry Rhea, this will not happen again.”
I try to smile and tell him it’s ok, but I feel so weak, and so tired, I just want to go to sleep, even if something inside of me is telling me to stay awake.
I welcome the darkness, I’m safe now.
As safe as I can be in the home of the enemy.