A new one! I think this is going to be a oneshot, y'know? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
-Cass
"Isabella!" I look up in time to see the beast lunge for me. I side-step the attack and bring my silver sword down, separating the werewolf's head from its body. A growl that's more of a roar pulls my attention from the beheaded creature. The alpha werewolf charges at me, his size shaking the ground with every stride. I draw my sword across my body in defense but before he reaches me I hear the tell-tale whistling of crossbow bolts. The creature slams into the ground and skids stopping only inches from me, two bolts protruding from his grotesque head. My companion jogs up to the body, drawing his sword, and inspects it. He carefully removes the bolts before beheading the alpha.
"Did you not use silver?" I ask lightly, wiping the blood and filth from my blade.
"I did, but it is best to be certain. We were paid to kill these creatures, it would do us well to make sure that they are dead, unless you want to repeat what happened last time?" My head snaps up and I feel my lip curl.
"That's enough, Elias. The past is in the past, there's no need to bring up mistakes that have been learned from." A big black stallion canters up to us, his rider almost as impressive in stature as he.
"Of course, Sir Geoffrey." Elias bows his head, arm coming across his chest in salute. I fight the urge to roll my eyes but Geoffrey turns his silver gaze to me anyway, his brows coming together and the corners of his mouth dip down.
"Isabella. You're bleeding." I look down at my torn leathers that are stained with my blood. Elias steps away from me quickly and draws one of his crossbows. I stick my hands up and move away from him.
"It's a scratch, not a bite." I say quickly, gaze flickering between Elias and Geoffrey.
"Elias?" Geoffrey asks calmly and I try to swallow some of my fear. Elias's eyes move to Geoffrey for a second before landing on me again.
"I—I don't know. I didn't see, we got split up." I swallow again.
"It's a scratch, nothing more, I swear!" Geoffrey studies me a moment before dismounting his horse and walking slowly towards me.
"Elias, other side. Crossbow trained on her, if you would be so kind." Elias doesn't respond but does as he's told. Geoffrey takes my sword, dagger, and crossbow from me, leaving me my leather armor, cloak, and belt. "Remove your armor." With shaking hands I remove my leather chest piece, tossing it to the side as Geoffrey inspects the wound. "The blood has clotted so the wound isn't from the alpha. How long have you been hunting?"
"We hunted an entire small pack, sir." My voice is rough and I have to clear it to be heard. "We've been fighting since midnight." Silver eyes flick up to my own before moving back down to my wound again.
"Has Isabella been acting different, Elias."
"No, just a little distracted is all." Elias's voice is flat and his gaze is empty, hardened. Geoffrey hums and moves his hands to my head, the fingers of his right hand grasping my skull almost painfully as the fingers on his left trace over my face. He lifts my upper lip and then pulls down my eyelids, studying both closely, checking for hair loss, reddened gums, elongated teeth, and changes in shape and color of the eyes. Without a word he removes his hands from me and wipes them on his cloak.
"You show no signs of lycanthropy, but I can't be certain if your wound is that of claw or tooth. You know what must be done." Ice spreads through my veins and I immediately turn to face Elias. "You knew that this could happen, all Hunters do. I'm sorry, Isabella, but we can't let you become one of those that we hunt." He mounts his horse and faces me. "Your sacrifice will be remembered. Elias, take care of it." With that Geoffrey urges his horse forward and it's only seconds until they are swallowed by the darkness.
"I'm sorry, Isabella." Elias says quietly behind me and panic floods my system.
"Elias, no, I wasn't bitten!"
"Sir Geoffrey has ordered it." Elias's voice is somber, but his eyes are hard.
"Elias, please."
"I can't risk it. I'd just have to hunt you down later." He raises his crossbow and the hopelessness of the situation hits me, my shoulders sag and I drop my hands.
"Okay, just… not your crossbow. Please, use my sword?" Elias studies me for a moment before lowering his crossbow with a sigh.
"Alright. On your knees, Isabella." I turn away from him and drop to my knees. I hear my sword being unsheathed and Elias's footsteps approaching. "Isabella, you have been bitten by a werewolf. The laws of the land and of the order demand that you be slain lest you spread the infection. Your service with the Hunters will not be forgotten and our brothers and sisters will continue our duty in your name. May your soul rest in peace." I shut my eyes and wait for the blow, I know that I won't feel anything but I'm still scared of the pain. I hear him take in a deep breath and I feel him lift the sword above his head. "I'm sorry." He whispers quietly and I expect there to be nothing, but there's a slight rustle, thud, and snap behind me and after a moment I open my eyes; I'm still in the forest and not paradise as I expected.
"You order types are always so dramatic." A light voice says from behind me and I lunge forward, grabbing my discarded dagger and rolling to my feet. The stranger watches me from the shadows and laughs when I raise my dagger. "So theatrical." It sighs and I glance at Elias, his neck clearly broken.
"Stay back, you have interrupted official Hunter business and you have killed one of us. By law you are to be taken in to the Hunter stronghold and tried for your crime." The stranger laughs, her (as I had assumed) voice light and surprisingly beautiful.
"Ah, and what a fair trial I'm sure it would be."
"You murdered him in cold blood." I say, venom lacing my tone. Elias and I didn't see eye-to-eye all the time, but he was my brother in arms and my hunting partner.
"He was about to murder you. I wouldn't call that cold blood." The woman says, all amusement gone from her voice. "As a matter of fact," she says, her voice lowering almost to a purr, "I think this means that you owe your life to me." The woman steps forward into the moonlight and I almost drop my dagger at the sheer terror that races through me. She clicks her tongue and steadily, predatorily, moves closer. "I can think of a few ways for you to repay me." She smiles and her teeth gleam in the moonlight.
"Stay back, creature!" I say, scrambling for the holy water on my belt.
"Creature? That's awfully rude. The…things you slayed earlier, " she gestures to the dead werewolves with a disgusted look, "are creatures. I, my dear," she presses forward and I move backwards, coating my blade in the holy water, "am a vampire." She isn't even done speaking when she has me pressed up against a tree, dagger knocked out of my hand and holy water forgotten on the ground.
This close, I can see all of her features. Her eyes are a bright, crimson red. Her skin is as pale as the moon itself, almost glowing in the moonlight. Her teeth are white and dripping from the elongated canines. Her hair is short, not touching her shoulders, and set in spikes. The only part about her that isn't intimidating is her height, she is almost a head shorter than I, and yet I am immobilized by fear.
"You owe me." She says darkly, nose brushing my throat and I can't breathe. "And I collect my debts." She runs her tongue from the collar of my tunic to the base of my jaw.
"You," my voice breaks and I have to swallow to speak again," you can't drink from me, creature. I am infected with lycanthropy." The creature pulls away, expression amused.
"I really must insist that you not call me creature. I am nothing like the likes of their kind. If you are going to call me anything, I would prefer it be Alice." She studies me for a moment. "Besides, I would not have gone to the trouble of saving you had you actually been infected. You are no werewolf, dear Isabella. I smell no werewolf taint in you," she inhales deeply, eyes shutting, "and you do smell absolutely delicious, however," she pauses, her blood-red eyes never wavering from my own, "you are indebted to me. And like I said," the creature, Alice, grasps my jaw in one hand and turns my head to the side, her lips brushing my throat, "I collect my debts." She bites down.