Fulfilling Fate

“Zion,” I began but he pulled me into the office.

He locked the door and pulled on the candlestick. He didn’t speak as he held my wrist tightly.

“Zion, you’re hurting me,” I frowned.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he marched me down the stairs and slammed the door behind us. He let me go and I stepped away from him. He snapped his fingers and the room illuminated with light. His face was angry and I couldn’t figure out why. The only time he and I went down here was when we were about to have an argument.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

He pointed at the door.

“Do you have any idea what you just did!?” he shouted.

“I didn’t do anything!” I shouted back. “Heather did it on her own! I didn’t even know about it until the other day!”

“Why didn’t you tell me!? Can’t you see what this will do to them!?”

“It will give them a baby! It’s what they want!”

“It’s what Kassandra wants,” he corrected. He pointed at me. “You had no right to get involved.”

I stomped my foot. “I didn’t! I merely talked with Heather about it! It was killing her, Zion! Couldn’t you see it!?”

“Of course I did! This is going to kill her more, though!”

He stepped closer but I held my ground.

“Says who?”

“How would you feel if I slept with Kassandra?” he demanded. “How would you feel if she carried my child for nine months?”

I gulped. “I wouldn’t like it,” I admitted. “But this isn’t about us. This is about them. Don’t you want them to be happy?”

“How do you know this will make them happy?” he challenged. “How do you know this won’t shatter their love?”

“Would it shatter yours?” I asked. “What if I can’t pregnant? What if this was the only way?”

He frowned. “Who said I wanted children?”

I stared at him. “Y-You did,” I breathed. “When-When we first united. You told me that you hoped for a child someday.”

He groaned. “I wasn’t thinking straight,” he said.

“So you don’t want children?” I asked.

He paced around the room. “I don’t know, Aviel. I don’t know, okay?” He shook his head. “No. You’re right. This isn’t about us. This is about my sister and the pain you just helped inflict!”

I glared and the argument sparked again.

“I didn’t help anything! I just made them talk! You don’t want me to keep secrets from me and I don’t want you to keep secrets from me! That’s part of marriage!”

“They’re not married!”

“By your culture they are! They’ve united. They love each other. Even if I hadn’t talked to Heather, she would’ve told Kassandra eventually. She had already written to him!”

He stopped and looked at me. “You mean you didn’t tell her to write to Gerard?”

“Of course not,” I snapped. “I don’t meddle. I help.”

His jaw clenched. “This is dangerous, Aviel. You have no idea. There’s a contract involved. A nine month long contract,” he added. “If either of them breaks it, they die.”

“I’m sure they know the risks,” I said. I looked at my wrist. It was bruised and I looked at him. “You’ve bruised me,” I whispered.

“No I didn’t,” he said and I went up to him, shoving my wrist in his face.

“Then what do you call this?” I snapped. His eyes widened. “I’m going for a ride.”

“Aviel,” he began but I ignored him.

I unlocked the door and stormed up the stairs. I threw the office door open. Heather was standing there, looking guilty, but I ignored her. I jogged to the barn, ignoring Lebanon who was waiting for me, too. I mounted Pitch bareback and urged him on.

“Aviel!” Zion shouted but I dug my heels into Pitch.

The sun had set and it was freezing. I didn’t care, though. I had to get away. Every time we argued I’d go on a ride. I don’t know why it bothered him so much this time. Pitch slowed as we got into a more heavily wooded path. I looked at my wrist and a tear fell down my face. I knew he was angry but it took a lot to bruise a vampire. All I did was help his sister get healthy again. I didn’t cause any harm. I would know if I had.

I heard a twig snap and looked up. Pitch came to an abrupt halt. What I saw made my heart stop.
Five vampires were coming out of the trees, all smirking at me. I looked around me. We had left the safety of the property.

“Well, well, well,” one of them said, coming closer. “A little woman all on her own.”

“She’s a vampire, Franc,” another said and the first rolled his eyes.

“I’m aware, idiot,” he snapped. “I’ll bet all I have that she’s that stupid prince’s wife.”

“In that case,” the second smiled, “she’d make a great ransom.”

“Off the horse,” Franc ordered but I didn’t move. “Now, woman!”

My mind was racing. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t learned much about combat yet. All I knew was how to break bones. Maybe I’d have a chance if it was just two of them. But five? I didn’t have a chance. Would Pitch fight for me? Wait. Pitch.

Slowly, I slid off the horse’s back.

“Home,” I whispered.

The horse took off. The vampires all laughed.

“Nice brave horse you have there,” Franc taunted, stopping feet in front of me. “I hope you don’t take him into battle.”

“What’s your name, pretty?” the second one asked.

I didn’t answer and Franc ran his hand from my cheek to my neck. I slapped it away and he glared at me.

“Yes, I think we’ll take her,” he said. “I can tell she has a connection to those idiots somehow. That stupid messenger told me he had gotten married….”

“Messenger?” I breathed and cursed myself.

Franc grinned in triumph. He snapped his fingers and the five men started to advance on me. I backed away but they had me surrounded. I gulped and looked around. There wasn’t anywhere for me to go.

I bent over in pain, groaning, as my blood turned on fire. The men all laughed and I cried out as my hands cramped. I looked at them and widened my eyes. My nails had grown twice their size. I felt my fangs on my chin and my eyesight was tinted red. What in the world was going on?

“Aw, is the little girl scared?” another taunted and I snarled quietly. “Look how she shakes!”

They all laughed mockingly and my eye twitched in irritation. Not only was my eyesight red, I could see more and I realized all my senses were enhanced. Each step they made sounded like a shot in the air. I could smell their disgusting body odor and could feel them getting closer. My body called to me, telling me what to do. My head snapped up and I leapt on the closest vampire.

He shouted in surprise as I slashed at his neck. He managed to block me but I got my other hand around his neck. I dug my fingernails into his veins and he let out a strangled cry of help to his friends. I didn’t let go as he fought. He slammed his fists into my side but I just watched as his life force left him. The others recovered from the shock and a rope was wrapped around my throat. They pulled it tight and I choked, grasping for it. The person on the other end yanked and I landed on my back. I looked up into the face of the second vampire that spoke and he smirked at me.

With a grunt, I kicked my legs up and my boot came in contact with his nose. He yelled but didn’t let go. I could see one with another rope and knew they were going to try and tie me up. The idea that they would stoop to kidnap made me disgusted and increased my anger. I snarled and managed to grasp the rope. I spun to my right and the vampire shouted as he went spinning through the air. I heard him hit a tree and rounded on the vampire with the other rope. He looked startled and hesitated.

The fool.

Using the rope they had tried to choke me with, I swung it like a whip and it wrapped around his leg. He screamed as I yanked and he stopped inches from me. Using just my nails, I beheaded him. His blood splattered onto my face and neck. Instead of disgust, it gave me a sense of pleasure. I laughed quietly and turned my head to the fourth vampire. His mouth was agape and I rolled my eyes. I whipped the rope until it wrapped around his neck. I jumped onto the highest branch then jumped over it. I smirked as he hung from the branch, choking.

“Please,” he managed.

“No,” I said in a distorted voice.

He tried to scream and I rolled my eyes again. I yanked on the rope then dropped him. I snapped his neck, leaving the last two. The one that hit the tree stumbled to his feet and ran at me. I giggled as he bent to head butt me. I stepped to the side just in time for him to go head first into the tree. I heard his neck break and smirked at Franc.

He was shaking, his face pale from fear. I pounced on him.

“Who sent you?” I snarled. He didn’t answer and I swiped at his face, making deep gouges in his cheek and he cried out in pain. “Answer me!”

“P-Perry,” he gasped.

“Thank you,” I said and went to snap his neck.

“Stop!” a familiar voice shouted and I snarled, looking over my shoulder.

Lebanon and Zion stood there, looking horrified. I stood up slowly, dragging Franc by the neck.

“They were spying,” I said, my voice sounding strange to me.

“Let him go, Aviel,” Zion said. He was walking slowly, his hands up in a pleading gesture. “Avi, put him down.”

“He was spying!” I shouted, shaking Franc who was going blue from lack of oxygen. “Why leave him alive!?”

“Avi, look at me,” he whispered. “Into my eyes. Come on, baby. Look at me.”

I glared but my eyes met his. Suddenly, the red left and I blinked a few times. Something fell from my hand and I watched as the body of the first vampire fell to the floor, coughing and spluttering. I looked around me. Dead vampires littered the ground, one of which was beheaded.

“Who did all of this?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

“Avi, we need to get you home,” Zion said.

“Why?” I asked. “Zion who did this?”

“You did,” he whispered and I laughed.

“No I didn’t,” I said. “You know I hate fighting.”

“Look at your hands.”

“Why?”

He just grabbed my arms gently and held my hands in front of my face. I gasped in horror. They were covered in blood.

“We need to get you home,” he repeated.