They spent hours in silence, until night began to fall and Stefan began nagging. He wanted to go outside, breathe in some fresh air. She was tempted to open the door and throw him out to shut him up, but that's what he wanted. He wanted to annoy her and get under her skin. Would she give him the satisfaction? Never. His best strategy had worked. She had let her guard down and now, he resorted to annoying her again in hopes that she would hate herself for letting him seduce her.
He knew she was angry. He slept with her to manipulate her. Now he returned to annoying her into setting him free. And he knew it was working. She knew it as well. Oh, how Stefan was pleased with himself.
She sat in her chair, reading by the fire. Instead of paying attention to the written words, she was asking herself exactly why she wanted a vampire and flipped the pages when her mind was running in circles. He was unlike anything she ever met and that wasn't in a good way.
His plan is working, you're beginning to see him as a waste of time and that's what he wants.
Arielle silenced the voice inside her and focused. Yes, that was true, but she needed to focus.
Stefan began pacing as if he were a beast enraged that no one was letting out of his cage. Arielle had enough. She would let him go outside, but not without magic. He noticed and continued playing impatient. He paid attention to her facial expressions and her eyes. She knew it too, which is why she never pulled her eyes away from his. Feeding him what he wanted from her face which was a distraction.
When he least expected it, she slipped a chain around his wrist. He noticed and looked down. It was a thin fragile looking silver chain that went around his wrist. He followed it and found that the chain was also wrapped around hers.
He looked up at her and she was grinning. Finally, she had turned the tables back on him. She had attached him to her. No matter, it was a simple and small chain, once outside; he could break it and flee.
She undid her spells and opened the door. He was the first one out. As soon as she turned to close the door, Stefan tried to run, but it was as if he had a werewolf grip the chain and pull him back. He clenched his teeth as the muscles in his arm screamed in pain.
He lay on the ground and looked up at Arielle. She had no grip on the chain and it seemed nothing had happened to her. She walked closer to him, hovered for a second and bent over, stroking dirt out of his hair.
"A simple thin, fragile chain, but strong as steel." She said, looking into his dark eyes. "It also contains magic, of course. It'll hurt you if you have intentions of running, but it does absolutely nothing to me, as you can see." She added. Her lips went to a soft smile and her hand stroked his cheek, but he smacked her hand away and got up to his feet.
"Did you honestly think it would be so easy?" she asked. He shot her a cold glare, but her smile simply transformed into a grin. His ego was hurt.
They walked in silence and she watched him carefully, expecting something to happen. He would turn his head every now and then and for a second he would remain still, as if he was listening.
She would stop beside him and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He continued walking and she knew he was up to something.
After a few minutes of walking, he stopped and turned to glance behind them. She followed his gaze but saw nothing, sensed nothing. His jaw tensed and she wondered what he was doing. She approached him and his eyes didn't drop to her.
"What is it?" she asked him, not convinced they weren't alone in that part of the forest. He didn't answer. When she looked ahead of them, he quickly pulled her into his arms and he covered her mouth with his hand. It all happened so quickly, her mind didn't have time to catch up and realize what he was doing. A second later, she felt a slight pinching and piercing sensation at her neck. She was about to scream when she finally realized he had bitten her, but her eyes grew heavy and all she saw was darkness. Not the dark of night, the dark of unconsciousness.
Arielle tried to open her eyes, but it seemed difficult. In her sleep, she struggled to wake up and when she finally did, it was like her struggle was merely a dream. Caught between sleep and wake, how dreadful.
She looked around and waited for her vision to clarify. Once she was able to see, she didn't recognize the room. She wasn't in her house.
Through the window, she saw the light of the morning sun. The chain was no longer around her wrist and Stefan was nowhere in the room. She sat up and felt weak. After a few seconds, she tried to stand. She stumbled a bit, but eventually found her footing.
She walked up to a mirror and looked at her neck. She had to stare for a few seconds to finally notice the bite marks. She had heard that vampires could use their saliva to heal the bite wounds, if they wanted to. What exactly had Stefan done to her? Had he fed on her? Part of her spewed out questions as if she had lost her intelligence. The one question that kept returning was: Did he think drinking from me would give him my powers?
As she tried to make sense of things, someone walked up the hallway and opened her door. In the mirror, she was Stefan closing the door behind him with his famous charming smile.
She turned to face him and his smile turned mischievous when she glowered at him.
"Now before you get upset with me, hear me out." He said and walked up to her. When he was about to reach out for her, she slapped him hard across the face. Her intelligence might be lacking at the moment, but not the strength in her hand when fueled by anger.
He quickly discarded his anger and his lips tightened in a grin. He reached out again, pulling her into his arms and he kissed her lips which remained tightly closed. He pulled away and gave her a pouty lip. "I know you're angry, but I had sensed we were being followed." he added.
"Funny, I hadn't sensed anything." She replied, her tone of voice cold.
"That's because you're not a vampire, my dear." He said and placed his warm hand on her face, gently stroking her lips with his thumb. She pulled away and he gave a slight chuckle. "The werewolves want me dead, and I couldn't fight them without risking you, especially with that chain of yours." He added.
She was silent for a few seconds, the look in her eyes grew colder than her voice.
"You bit me, you bastard." She said softly, but her tone sharp. He grinned.
"Now, now, such language is not becoming of you." He replied. "I knew if I asked you to remove the chain, you would refuse. I had to get to my fellow hunters if these beasts were to attack and I needed to keep you safe." He added.
She snorted at those last words.
"The werewolves won't hurt me." Arielle said.
"If you stay out of their way." He said. "They want me dead and you want me for your lover." He added and his eyes sharpened. "That is getting in their way." He added. "My scent would be on you and they would know." He said, eyes almost black.
She remained silent. Damn it, he was a clever one. However, she wasn't an imbecile.
"They wouldn't want you dead if you stayed with me and promised to leave them alone." She said, sharpening her eyes in return.
His eyes turned cold, in a way she had never seen them before.
"These beasts are unpredictable and uncontrollable." He said. "As humans, they may know right from wrong, but as monsters, all rationality goes out the window." He added, getting angry. "Two had been killed last night because they could not control their need for blood. If you don't believe me, go see." He added. "Better yet, we'll go see them now."
Stefan led her to one of the buildings the villagers used to place the bodies so they could later be burned. Arielle stopped, already able to smell the wretched stench of the bodies. He placed a hand on her back for comfort.
"Do not breathe through your mouth, it'll be worst." He said and prodded her on. He opened the door and pointed to the two werewolves back to their human form, bullet holes in the chest and head. Blood was everywhere and the bodies were changing colors. There wasn't just two bodies, but several, already decomposing.
She couldn't stand it any longer. She left and walked until she could no longer smell the bodies. She tried with all her strength not to vomit.
Stefan stood beside her and when she was alright, he pushed her hair back and looked at her neck. The bite wounds had healed and he felt her pulse. He could sense she had lost her strength, even though that slap across his face had him in doubt.
"When was the last time you ate?" he asked her. She turned to him and her face was white. How could someone say such a thing after looking at dead bodies? "You need to eat and gain back your strength." He added. She was about to say something, but he already had an answer. "I only bit you to render you unconscious. If I had asked you to come willingly, I know you would have fought." He said. "I did nothing more to you." He said and softened his voice. "I wouldn't hurt you." He added, pulling her closer to him, stroking her face and giving her a gentle kiss.
When he pulled away, she looked tired. She laid her head on his shoulder and for a few minutes, they remained in the street, him holding her against him.
"Come," he said softly. "You need to eat."
He ordered her whatever she wanted to eat. He didn't watch her, instead he watched everyone else. He waited patiently and once she was done, he paid the young woman, who batted her eyelashes at him, and led her out of the building, ignoring the young woman.
"Feeling better?" he asked her once they were in the street. She nodded and he smiled. He always held an arm around her waist, as if to tell all others she belonged to him. Why wasn't she pushing his arm away? Was she letting him possess her?
Part of her wanted to push him away, yet the other liked having his arm around her.
Fool.
She silenced the voice and tried to think, to focus.
He walked her back to the brothel and she tried not to look disgusted. He noticed anyways. He leaned and whispered into her ear.
"Those women have nothing compared to you."
Arielle rolled her eyes and he chuckled.
Inside, they returned to his room and he locked the door behind them. She looked out the window and his friends were leaving with weapons and traps. He stood behind her and she wanted to hit him. She had to leave, but she suspected he wouldn't let that be so easy.
She could explain to him the grand plan that she kept from him all this time, but he wasn't ready.
Damn it. Seems the roles have been reversed.
Fool.
He pulled her into his arms and he rested his chin on her shoulder as they both watched the hunters leave. He was doing that a lot, lately. He was wooing her and he knew exactly how: physical contact. Something she had yearned for throughout her immortality. She wouldn't let herself have it because it would never last. Who wants to be with an immortal?
"Tonight, I'll make sure your friend is unharmed." He whispered. She glanced over her shoulder, as if she believed him. That wasn't the problem, but like the told herself, he wasn't ready to know the grand plan. She had to reverse the roles back or it would all be for nothing.
He pulled her dress off her shoulder and began kissing every inch of her skin.
Oh no. Not this, not now… unless… this makes him believe I have faith in his words and have fallen foolishly for his plan, forgetting my own simply because I finally got what I wanted: his "love". Where is the voice that tells me I am foolish? Not here, because I, Arielle the Grand White Witch has returned.
Arielle played along. He slipped her dress off her other shoulder and it would have fallen to the floor, but she held it up. He looked her in the eyes and she shook a finger at him and pointed to his chest. She poked him and slowly ran her finger down his chest.
He grinned and took off his jacket, followed by his vest and shirt. If he caught on to her sudden change of behavior, he didn't show it.
She let her dress fall and he looked at her corset and her underwear. He went to place his hands on her hips, but she held up her finger and pointed at his pants. He grinned again. They continued this game until they were in bed, under the sheets.
They kissed passionately while their hands wandered. This time, she twisted and laid over him. He didn't mind. He gave a slight chuckle which vibrated from his throat. He seemed to rather enjoy this. Did he see it as giving herself to him? She wouldn't doubt it. Was she trying to reverse the roles by doing this? Not really, but if it threw him off her new plan, why not.
They laid together until she fell asleep and night approached. He got dressed and was about to leave. She woke up, but kept her eyes closed. But he undoubtedly knew and stroked her face. He closed the door and she stayed in bed a few minutes longer. She said her incantation and found he was near the forest.
She got out of bed and went to the window and once he was completely out of sight, after he had glanced behind him, knowing she was there, she got dressed and made her way to the forest. He wasn't stupid, but neither was she. She had to keep her word to the werewolves.
She sensed something approaching her as she neared the location her and her friend decided to meet if anything threatened them. A werewolf walked into view and changed to its human form.
Melinda walked up to Arielle, naked, but angry.
"Your plan has failed, Arielle." Melinda said.
"Not completely." She replied. Melinda was now inches away and she was frustrated.
"He will kill the others and he won't stop until I am dead. I know it and you do as well." She said. "It doesn't matter what you say or do," Melinda said, seizing at Arielle from head to toe, smelling the vampire all over Arielle. She wasn't pleased, but wasn't enrage either. Only another woman understood how to really fool a man. "He'll still kill every werewolf in existence." She added, brushing off the scent she smelt on Arielle.
"I won't let him kill you." Arielle said.
There was silence and Melinda listened, making sure they still had time to discuss Arielle's plan.
They knew werewolves were being hunted and they also knew one of the hunters was supernatural. They planned on making that individual see through their eyes. If the werewolves were pushed to extinction, which supernatural race would be next? Of course, once Arielle discovered the most handsome of the group was their supernatural, she knew two problems could be solved. The second being her need for a partner. It was a delightful coincidence.
"What will you do?" Melinda asked.
"Seduce him like I originally planned." Arielle said with a smile.
"That failed." Melinda said with a cold tone of voice.
"Then I'll simply explain to him our need for survival." She added. Melinda doubted her plan, but walked away.
The werewolves were attacking the hunters and Arielle could sense Stefan in the midst of all this chaos. Arielle watched closely and tried casting a spell to protect them from Stefan's senses, but she was too late. She didn't know the full extent of his senses.
Stefan took Melinda, in wolf form, by the throat and tossed her. He hadn't killed the werewolf, he was playing. Arielle cast a spell to hide her from Stefan, but he moved quick and tossed the werewolf again. It was hard to conceal a target that kept being tossed around like a rag doll.
"Enough!" Arielle said. Stefan and Melinda stared at each other like lifelong enemies. "Please Stefan, leave her alone." She added. "You said she would be unharmed."
He ignored her and she knew what would make him listen.
"You lied to me. Fine, but don't kill her." she said. She fell to the ground to surrender. "I give myself to you, Stefan." She said. Both the vampire and the werewolf glanced at her. His face, contorted, eyebrows hidden in a dark frown, nose scrunched up and fangs revealed. "I am yours. Let Melinda go and I am yours." She said.
He stepped towards her and Melinda jumped into his way, snarling.
"This is the best way." Arielle said to Melinda and looked at Stefan whose eyes glimmered like a beast who saw what he wanted and would succeed in getting it. "I surrender myself to you."
He stepped closer and smiled. Melinda wasn't happy; this wasn't part of the plan. She returned to human form and protested.
"Arielle, don't!" she began. "You must tell him the truth!" she said. Stefan ignored her and focused on Arielle, telling him she belonged to him. "You must tell him that once the werewolves are dead, other supernaturals will be killed!" Melinda said. She could see Arielle wasn't going to tell him, so she took it upon herself.
"What do you think the humans will hunt next?" she asked the vampire. "They'll kill your kind and come after people like Arielle. Humans will kill vampires and witches. They will kill all that isn't human. They fear us. They kill what they fear! And they'll succeed on turning us against each other." Melinda said. "They already have you against the rest of us." She added.
"Tell me you'll let Melinda go." Arielle said. "I am yours." She whispered as he was inches away from her. He held out his hand and she took it.
"Promise." He demanded, eyes bright, piercing and frightening. She nodded and he leaned in to kiss her. Melinda charged and at that moment, without understanding how such a thing was capable, Arielle saw Stefan rip Melinda's heart out of her chest. It hadn't happened yet, but it would if she didn't do anything.
Stefan turned to grab Melinda as she tried to stop, but Arielle held out her hand and there was a sort of force that slammed into Stefan, tossing him several feet ahead, hitting his head against a boulder.
"I know your strength," Arielle whispered to herself. "But you haven't seen the half of mine." She added. Melinda looked at the vampire and then at Arielle. "Go, far and fast." She said.
She watched the werewolf walk away in the darkness, knowing that there's a chance her plan really did fail. The supernatural races would never be safe from extinction.