Chapter One:

Rage

Jacob glared at me with smoldering eyes that rapidly changed from a aquamarine gemstone to a liquid smoked topaz. I was lost in them, tears trailing down my face as he turned his back on me, his gaze averted. He sighed, and I looked at the floor, my face flushing.

"You know, Calli…." He started, his voice gruff and flat, "I miss you. You aren't….you anymore, if you know what I mean."

I glanced at our surroundings. We were in the battle ring, the one my master had persuaded me to jump into, however, I hadn't known I would be, erm, fighting Jacob. There were seats from outside the cage-like ring, where the elders sat and took notes on everyone of my precise body movements.

"Calli…" Jacob repeated, "I don't like you nor do I care about you anymore." That did it. I felt my irises turn crimson, and he flips around to look at me. He feels the shift in mood. Kitsunes are well known for that. His eyes widen, and I pin him down with my eyes, circling him, not breaking eye contact. His red-blond hair turned into fur and I gnashed my teeth frustratedly and he collapses onto the floor. His clothes pooled around him and in his place sat a Kitsune. The fox glowered at me with burning smoked topaz eyes, and I scowled right back. I hissed, and advanced, clawing at the air in front of me, a warning sign. The nine-tailed fox narrows its eyes and stalks forward. I back up, not sure on what a Kitsune could do. He produces his nine tails, and I stop breathing. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest. The fox is magnificent. His soft orange-blond fur is silkily combed back, and his paws are a blinding snow white. His tails are cropped so the fur doesn't outgrow the rest, and there are thin snow stripes on the tip of his nine tails. He turns back to his human form and Jacob stands there. I hadn't realized how beautiful he really was. I could feel my nocturnal predator fade, my irises turning back to hazel, my body turning back to human. But then something in my head clicks, and I force my eyes to turn back to a bloodred. I bare my glistening fangs, and a guttural growl escapes from my mouth. Jacob approaches me, hands up in a calming motion.

"Calli, come with me…" He pleads, "Don't be with them. They really aren't your family." My lip curls back, exposing my fangs even further. Kitsunes are also known for being attractive, and that takes away their prey's breath. Of course, vampires don't need to breathe, but it helps me sense my predators movement, and he took my breath away, making me vulnerable. People in Japan say that Kitsunes 'steal their preys breath.' I crouched into my defensive stance, and continued to stalk around him,

"They took me in when no one else would." I shot back at him, my voice musical and velvety. It welcomed me into its sweet honey folds.

"Are you confusing them with me?" He arched his back defensively and raised an eyebrow. A deep rumbling noise escaped from me, and I stopped midway, listening to Jacob. He took the chance, and jumped forward. "Calli, I took you in when no one else would. I helped you get…" He clears his throat nervously, "Lance back." I whimpered at the sign of my mate's name, who was now gone…

"I helped him get to you."

"But you made me lose him." I said, and I didn't know why I said it. He surely didn't. He helped me get him back.

Oh. Oh. Jacob had killed Lance to get back at him for 'stealing' me away from him.

"You don't want to oppose a Kitsune, Calli. The whole pack will come after you. Think about it. Nine Kitsunes, eighty one tails. Eighty one tails." Jacob emphasized, "Ah. Wait, surely the Kitsune Goddess will come after you too, and beware, they're the wisest. So, that makes ninety one tails. And they can hear what you're thinking, how you'll attack, what your next move is. They'll track you, hunt you down, and rip your insides out." Jake is now growling menacingly, a nasty grin on his face, but it vanishes quickly. "The other Kitsunes will do whatever Goddess will tell them. They also have a good sense of smell." He says, tapping on his nose. Now that explains why he was so sensitive to smells, and why he was 'allergic' to dogs. Kitsunes hate dogs.

"Hmm that explains everything." I feel myself calming down, but a pronounced hiss from my master brings a fire into my chest. Adrian, my master, continues feeding his fury to me. It's a vampire-master bond thing, that sometimes can be annoying. He keeps throwing dry wood into the fire, making me unwillingly furious. I gnash my teeth madly, spit flying. I'm going mad. I think to myself, and continue to advance on Jacob.

"Don't." Even though he's a century wiser than I am, he continues to plead instead of act in defense or offense. I roar thunderously, and when I reach him, I claw at his throat, his face, his chest, everything I can reach. I want to hurt him. I want to hurt him the way he hurt me. He killed Lance. I can feel Adrian smile wickedly, and the same smile dances on my lips. Adrian whispers the name into my ear, even though he's at least twenty feet away from me, sitting on a throne, surrounded by the elders who are still scribbling notes into their notebooks. He whispers it into my head, at first it's just a breathy word, but then it becomes more prominent, and soon, he's feeding the fire inside me even more, making me go mad with fury.

Lance, Lance, Lance. I let out a scream of madness and jump onto Jacob's back, shaking my head back and forth extremely fast as he tries to throw me off. My nails are dug into his shoulders, and he howls, trying to get me off. I hiss predatorily, and smell where the fresh stream of blood is running.

"Calli." Jacob's voice is rough, husky. The bloodlust takes me over and I bare my glistening fangs, my crimson eyes sparkling. I direct my canines over his jugular, and bite down. A gurgle escapes from his throat, and I drink greedily, before I hear the clearing of a throat that comes from Adrian.

"Very good, Calli." The flat voice that I've come to obey says, "Mmm." He hums. He leaps down gracefully into the ring, and circles me while I continue eating. I let out a feral snarl directed towards Adrian to let him know to back off. He pointedly raises a perfect eyebrow, and I grumble, my interest turning back to Jacob. Soon, my thirst fades, and I clamber off of the still-standing body. It tips forward and crashes to the floor. Jacob's eyes are an aquamarine. But they aren't bright anymore. There's no spark of curiosity in them. What have I done? Jacob, the one I've come to love….I'd killed him. Adrian rests his hard, marble hand on my shoulder. Jacob's body turns into his Kitsune form. The fox with nine tails lies motionless, and crumbles into a silver metallic dust. As if on cue, a slow, steady breeze whisks the powder away, moaning in sorrow as it passes through the room.

"Good, good..." Adrian smirks, thumping my shoulder with his marble hand. "Lock her up. I plan to clone her. I haven't seen a more self-controlled newborn throughout all my centuries." I gasp, and a guttural snarl rips out of my chest.

"No!" Adrian calmly backs up and I thrash while two elders grab my forearms and drag me out of the ring. They take me to the labs, where Emilio waits, staring blankly at the wall. The lab is filling with bubbly water-filled glasses, glowing all kinds of colors. Emilio sits in front of a steel table, except it's not for me. Who would think of tying a newborn to a steel table? Might as well ask it to rip the table off of the floor. Instead, one of the elders addresses him,

"Emilio." The vampire turns around, and his steel, red gaze locks on me. He concentrates, and I burst into screams. I fall onto the floor, twitching and thrashing, screaming, shrieking, anything to try and stop the pain I feel. But I can't stop it. It keeps on going, and going, and going. I close my eyes, and darkness pierces the back of my eyelids. I fade into it.

What will happen next? Will Calli escape Emilio and his, literally, piercing gaze?

Ahh, the satisfaction of completing my first chapter! Be patient! Next chapter coming out soon!

Bye for now, loviess! 33333