PREFACE
As he raced through the forest his mind relayed the same vision over and over endlessly. The look of sadness and anger in her eyes as the blade moved through the air towards her heart. The cries of the newborn child sounded in his ears, drowning out the forest as it woke to the dawn. A child now silenced by his uncle's hands.
He slowed as he left the dark forest and made his way to the shoreline where three figures waited silently. Making no sound he halted before them. Bowing down he lifted his hand, waiting patiently for the cold touch of his new master.
"It is done." Gentle words belied the atrocities he had just committed. He gasped as the cold hand was replaced by a burning caress.
"Now," he thought as the fires burned into his very soul, "I am truly damned."
Chapter 1
"Keep moving!"
"Shut up!" he told the insistent voice in his head. It was hard enough just focusing on the ground ahead without the sure knowledge that he was losing his mind as well. Behind him he could hear the sounds of his pursuer getting closer. With a burst of energy he picked up his pace.
"Head North."
Accepting the advice without thinking he turned slightly to comply. As he moved he could feel the exhaustion creeping up his legs towards the gnawing hunger in his stomach. When he started to climb a slight rocky incline he could sense the sun setting to his left. Then he became aware of his surroundings.
"No!"
He knew where he was. He was close to home. Too close. He had to turn away. He couldn't risk the one behind him picking up the scent of his family.
"Don't you dare stop! I'm almost there!"
He stumbled and fell, landing at the base of a rocky outcrop. Holding back the mad urge to giggle he contemplated the image of his nagging subconscious gaining substance and appearing before him. Then he turned his face to his executioner.
"Are you ready?"
Casually the young man walked towards him, shrugging off his backpack and stretching his arms.
"You put up quite a chase you know" he smiled. "I've haven't had anyone run for that long in years."
"Who are you?"
"Does it matter? All you need to know is that your head is worth a lot to the right people".
"Volturi". It was a statement not a question and the young man only smiled again in acknowledgement.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?"
Both men turned towards the voice. One pair of eyes stunned, the other pair amused. Each watched as the soft lilting voice materialised into the image of a young woman. As she wove her way gracefully through the trees he could see a slight sheen of sweat on her smooth forehead and could hear the thumping beat of a heart recovering from a race. She was tall as far as he could see, slim built and dressed carelessly in faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Interestingly he couldn't help but note that she was barefoot and strapped to her thigh was a strange curved sheath.
As she entered the small clearing that divided the two men the setting sun played a shaft of light across her face and hair. He couldn't hold back a gasp as the sun turned her hair a rich deep red, so like the hue of fresh blood that his mouth watered in unconscious desire"
"No matter what happens, DO NOT MOVE!"
Her eyes met his for a heartbeat and she continued to move forward until she stood between hunter and prey.
"And who exactly are you? Besides dinner, I mean"
Now it was the woman who smiled as she looked the killer up and down. "Are you really the best the arrogant can come up with?"
"Honestly. I really think their standards are slipping". Her voice was almost taunting as she stood her ground.
"Please. Run! Get away from here". The fallen man struggled to rise. He couldn't let her die, not another needless death for his battered conscience to bear.
"Sorry but running isn't in the job description" she replied. "Now shut up and don't distract me or we're both dead meat"
He fell back, helpless against the intensity of her voice. A voice only he could hear in his head because he was certain her lips hadn't moved. He shook his head, now certain he was hallucinating out of fear and hunger. But why, his logic argued, would he be visualising a beautiful, yet completely mortal, rescuer?
"Job description?" The man's eyes narrowed as he looked closer at the woman. "Can it be?"
He moved to her right and looked at the woman with a hint of confusion crossing his elegant features. "The reward on you is worth two of him, if you are what you think you are"
She slowly removed a curved milky blade from the sheath at her side and turned to face him fully. "Charlotte of the Arianna Line at your service" she replied simply. "Trust me... Please".
And then the immortal leapt for her throat with a triumphant snarl on his lips.
He froze as his killer moved toward the woman with blinding speed. What followed had him staring like some kind of puckish, comedic statue. Somehow the woman managed to dodge and her blade sliced through the air at inhuman speed. A soft thud broke his gaze and he turned incredulously towards the ground where the glaringly white arm had landed amongst the leaf litter.
"You Bitch!"
Silently she circled her adversary, the blade in her hand held comfortably as if it was an extension of her arm and not a separate piece. She waited her body tense and he could see every muscle in sharp relief. She had no emotion on her face as she looked for her attacker's next move.
The man moved towards her, feinting left before diving to his right. Arcing his body he caught the woman a glancing blow, sending her airborne into the trunk of a large hardwood. Both men could hear the sound of cracking bones as Charlotte's body impacted the tree.
He grinned as he came towards her only to stop as she slowly righted herself and stood proudly before him. She shifted her blade from her left hand to her right and took a battle stance.
From his position on the ground he could see that her arm and shoulder had taken the brunt of the impact and the misshapen limb was proof of multiple breaks. He tried to move towards her but froze at the glare she gave him. "I'm okay". Her calm tone was reassuring but at odds with the evidence his eyes were seeing.
Again the two enemies clashed, and again. Neither seemed to have the advantage and he looked for an opening to join his unlikely saviours side. Before he could the attacker got in a lucky hit, sending her flying into the rock face above his head. He could hear more bones breaking and saw bone peaking out of her left thigh. She landed, motionless in front of him, the scent of her blood almost impossible to resist.
Slowly, body sliced and missing chunks of flesh, the killer approached her, ready to finish the woman off.
