Lust For Her Master's Blood

I quickly jumped into action as soon as the Master blocked me from his mind. I drew my other gun and swiftly turned to the group of bewildered vampires and humans.

“He is in trouble as Ella predicted. I will go get his arse out of the fire. Will, Luca,” The two vampires snapped to attention in the most uninterested way possible. “Take the young master, Ella and Arnold out of here. Get the vampires on the roof to cover you. The werewolves may be sending some to track you when you leave so it is imperative that you be careful.” I said quickly and they nodded without argument although Alphonse had to shush Ella quietly when she was about to protest.

Much to my irritation Arnold spoke up in his normal even tone. “I will stay with you Susan. Luca and Will can get these two out alive without my help and I fear I will just slow them down. I will be of more help to you.”

I wheeled on him, giving him the full force of my glare in my frustration. I was wasting too much time dawdling here when the Master needed me to cover his back.

“You will go with them.” I snarled.

Arnold frowned at me in displeasure. “I was ordered by the master to look after you and Alphonse and I know that when it comes to the choice of you two, he would instantly pick you over his nephew.” He began speak in a firmer tone when I opened my mouth to object. “So I will come with you to make sure you will remain safe or the Master will have my head wrenched off if I left you alone which resulted in your person being hurt.”

I glared at him some more but gave up. Arnold had that certain look about him that said he was not going to change his mind, whether or not I agreed with his decision.

“Fine, follow me if you must. Just don’t expect me to protect you.”

“I can take care of myself Susan.” Arnold said, smiling gently.

I nodded, hoping he was not lying to me, then ushered Ella onto her feet gently. Again I put myself at the front of the group and guided them back down the gloom infested hallway. Once we reached the next floor it was time to separate. And quickly. I could feel the master straining to hold the block while he fought.

“Be careful Ella.” I whispered gently.

Ella smiled as well as she could through the fear and pain she felt. “Make sure you come back.”

I nodded then turned to Luca and Will. “Get them home safely.”

“Will do.” Luca said while Will nodded; the current extent of his communication skills.

With no more needed to be said, Arnold and I went up stairs as I followed the bond between myself and the master while Luca and Will guided their charges protectively to the back door of the decrepit factory.

I ran quickly through the damaged and cluttered hallways with Arnold moving silently behind me. I glanced back a couple of times to make sure he still followed and each time he was there, close behind me without so much as breaking as sweat or breathing with labour. It was then that small suspicions of his nature began to blossom in my mind. However I had no time to mull them over, the Master was becoming increasingly sloppy with his block and allowed me to glimpse at the turmoil of emotions and thoughts that were tumbling about in his head. Feeling his thoughts confirmed that he was lagging and that there were far more werewolves than originally reported.

I turned sharply at the fork in the maze like corridors and swept down the path, aiming straight at the set double of doors ahead. Howls, snarls and guns shots could now be heard clearly from beyond that double doors. I had found him.

I didn’t bother to make sure that Arnold was ready as I approached purposefully. In one movement, I shoved my boot covered foot at the flimsy doors and sent them crashing to the floor, immediately alerting the nearest werewolf to my presence.

It turned its furred muzzle towards me, its wolf and man hybrid body hunched over with claws ready for the attacking. Once it saw me it roared, spraying spittle from its mouth. I simply aimed my gun, poured Matter into its clip and formed the invisible bullets quickly, then shot it in its gaping mouth. It squealed once when the bullet forced its way into its head and flung its corpse to the floor.

I quickly glanced about. There were both werewolf and vampire bodies littering the floor but far more of the enemy were standing than in their own pool of blood. I counted the remaining vampires quickly as I shot two more wolves that darted towards me, aiming for their vitals and killing them instantly. There were five left of the eleven that went with the Master, most probably taken from the surprise attack. And then I sought the master who was not difficult to find.

When I saw him whirling about, all claws and teeth, a deadly predator, my heart stopped from awe. He was so beautiful. All grace and power combined into one compact and efficient killing machine. A lithe and instinctual animal, like a panther. Dark and oh so dangerous. But my eyes picked up the wounds covering his body, the tears at his shirt and blood covering it. I knew all the blood was not his but it made me angry that he was hurt.

I was shooting automatically now as my focus returned to the incoming attacks. Arnold was watching beside me, keeping himself close to me which made me annoyed. If he was as adept at fighting as both he and the master were willing me to believe then he should get his arse out there and do something.

I allowed myself to glance at the Master who was flinging a wolf into the wall with enormous strength and then he looked at me, catching my eyes firmly. And he was pissed, furious even. I could feel his rage boiling away in the bond, an amount that I thought he could never feel before. His eyes were dark with rage and his face was grim and blood spattered and I had a small inkling that it this anger was not caused by the werewolves. His emotions told me I was the problem. I scowled. He was pissed of with me? When I came rushing all the way here to save his sorry arse? That made me angry and I glared back at him with as much venom as he was and then turned my attention to the battle.

Wolves were now dropping at a faster rate, almost as quickly as they were materialising from thin air. One more vampire was lost but the ones now left standing felt stronger with the presence of a witch in the room. The fought with renewed energy and will to survive, feeling hope of getting out of here in one piece.

I was just aiming and shooting at the bounding ball of blood and fur that was darting towards me when great slathering wolf dropped from the banister of the second floor above. His body bulked over with impact and loomed over me from his place a few inches from me. Having rallied all my Matter bullets into the wolf in front of me, I did not have much time to create more and fire them at the beast beside me. Instead I focused on my suit, solidifying it to such an extent his claws would probably shatter from the impact of hitting me. But apparently there was no need for it when Arnold leapt into action.

The old man, who had been staying by my side through out the whole battle, launched himself at the wolf. Not a pathetic run and tackle but a proper crouch and jump. The amount of strength needed to perform such a move and the fact the old man could do it astounded me. The wolf fell to Arnold’s attack and scrabbled against the old man’s grip on his throat. Arnold gripped tighter and hissed at him. I was watching with a slack jaw, I knew and I was not about to correct myself when such a surreal picture was painting itself before me. Arnold suddenly freed his hand, letting go of the wolf’s throat with such speed it was like a blur and then brought it back down just as fast, straight into his jugular. Blood was sprayed on his face but he did not seem to care as he stood to face the on coming wolf that was howling in rage. What happened next made it seem even more surreal. Arnold charged towards the attacking wolf. Yes, the old man charged. And then leapt smoothly and seemed to ripple slightly, just once like a pond being disturbed, which was rapidly followed by an explosion of fur that seemed to blur Arnold’s body. The next thing I knew the wolf was yelping under the weight of a very large and angry jaguar.

Everything fell into place very quickly. The Master’s trust of Arnold’s abilities to protect me and Arnold’s own seemingly other worldly knowledge made sense now. The old butler was a friggin’ Jaguar, a werecat, one of the three main races of immortals of the Old World and the one that had mostly died out.

Very quickly I was forced to focus as a wolf’s claws lashed out at me. Quickly I ducked and then aimed my gun at its long jaw and fired three times. I didn’t bother to watch to fall back and turned quickly to find the master when a sharp and very unsettling throb ached in my mind.

I found him quickly in the midst of battle against an old wolf, probably as old as the master himself. I stared at its eyes, trying to see if it was the one I thought it was. As the Master was thrown back the wolf howled in joy. It glanced at me and seemed to be smiling with a joyful malice. I could feel him gloating, believing I would be ashamed about my Master being killed before my eyes, about the master being so weak. The look only lasted a couple of seconds as he rounded back on my weakening Master but it was enough for to know who it was. And I knew that once the Alpha was down, the wolves would be thrown into a state of panic and flee. He was the one that needed killing to save what members of our troop we could.

I began to walk purposely towards the wolf, shooting anything that so much as twitched within my vision. I was also most certainly not going to let my intended prey be taken down by some mangy and cowardly mutt.

I clenched my guns and willed my Matter to quickly weave the unnatural bullets swiftly however what happened next happened so fast my mind had no time to adapt.

The Master seemed to know what I was doing and willing me through the link to keep my distance but I refused to listen. The large wolf lashed out at the Master, who was now very weak from fatigue and blood loss that he could not dodge the simple attack. The claws caught his neck and raked away the flesh of his cheek and forced him to the floor from the impact, momentarily dazing him. But that was all the werewolf needed. In a suicidal action he launched himself at me. Seeing his movements I had prepared for the attack. Matter poured into my muscles and strengthened them quickly, taking everything out of my defence and putting it in offence which was the action that would lead to my downfall.

I holstered one gun and grabbed the snarling jaw that was rapidly approaching my face. In one smooth arc I lifted him from the floor and sent him hurtling from me, firing every round I had into his stomach. I watched with grim satisfaction when he crashed to floor in a dead and bloody heap.

I stumbled forward suddenly when I heard a loud bang and felt a sharp pain splinter my back and chest. I looked down dazedly to see blood seeping through my torn suit, slightly changing the dark colour of black to something more red. I turned slowly and looked up at who had shot me, though deep inside I knew. On the floor above, balancing neatly on the banister was a woman clad in a tight fitting black suit, much like my own. A strange gun, also like my own although with a blue hue, grabbed my dimming attention.

She was a witch.

Having shot a fatal blow through my chest the woman turned and left promptly. Her target was now dying with no chance of survival. Her task was complete. There was no reason for her to stay. It was just business, nothing personal to anyone within this room.

I glanced about quickly. As predicted the wolves were now scattering having witnessed their Alpha being killed. Arnold took out any he could while rage flooded from him in waves. Only three vampires stood now and they were standing, frozen to the spot in the sea of the battle. I could vaguely see the shock on their faces but it was getting hard to focus now. Everything was getting cold. The world was starting to get very dark. Which vaguely irritated me to be honest.

I barely had time to look back at the Master who was slowly getting to his feet before my knees buckled and I crashed to floor. I didn’t feel the impact; I couldn’t feel much really apart from the cold. I was glad though that I could not feel the pain that would be eating at my chest from the inside out.

I knew the moment the master grasped what had happened. The gates he had placed on our bond were suddenly flung open and a whole rush of pain, fury, anguish and disbelief flooded my mind. It warmed me, his feelings, so strong and vibrant in my currently dim situation. I was surprised that he could stand up as firmly as he did, as if he wasn’t exhausted from taking so many blows from the enemy to protect as many of his Clan members as he could.

He quickly crouched beside me and I could vaguely feel his hands lifting me into his lap. It was hard to focus but I used the last of my fading strength to concentrate on his face. So dark his expression was, so angry and pained and blood covered. But I was happy to see this single face. This man who had been beside me since he found me as a child. I watched him look up, roaring for someone, Arnold I assume when he came trotting to my side in his elderly human form looking older than I had ever seen him before. The Master was now talking urgently, demanding something. I couldn’t hear now. Couldn’t feel the Master’s arms or taste the blood in my mouth. I could only see the man who had possessed my mind and soul for so long.

But then eventually I lost even that when the cold, cold darkness claimed me.