Hey everyone!

So this took a little longer to write because I actually decided to read over and EDIT what I've written. It's strange that it's taken me 9 chapters to do it but, better late than never!

I really hope you enjoy this.

And...Happy Holidays, New Year and festive season I hope you all had a great time.

Here we have it…Chapter 9

Slowly she turned to me and anger was radiating from her body, "Did you steal my hunt?"

"I disposed of that animal for you for your safety", at that point her eyes flicked to mine. Black with anger.

Aurora POV

Vampires have superior strength, speed, and senses.

Clearly this does not extend to mental capacity. I was so mad at Caius I couldn't see straight.

"You disposed of my kill. My hunt? The animal that would have fed me for a week. The skin that would have warmed me for months. The bones of the animal that I could have used as an offering to my ancestors."

I raised my eyebrows with sheer incredulity while spitting out my accusations. I couldn't believe it.

He opened his mouth but I gave him no opportunity to continue.

"You wastefully discarded one of the largest kills on this Island. An animal with which I had spent three days starving because I was tracking it. An animal that caused these wounds that you seem intent on licking, all over my body. The wounds that are just starting to heal now."

Voicing everything out loud made me further realise the severity of what he had done, I had buried some of the animal meat in the sand on the beach which would be preserved. I couldn't eat that now. That would sustain me in a number of weeks. I needed to hunt and kill and consume now. My stomach was incredibly painful, but that could wait. I wasn't yet finished with the thick headed idiot of a vampire in front of me.

"And you do me this great service, vampire, for my safety. You do this in the hope that I will be safe from all the ferocious beasts of this forest. The second most dangerous, that I have killed, single handedly, and the first, being yourself. Surely the most dangerous threat to me is you, vampire. The best thing you could possibly do for my safety would be to leave."

"Are you finished?" He had clearly grown impatient which had quickly turned to anger throughout my confession of what this truly meant for me.

"With you? Oh yes." I tried to move away to begin my hunt but he moved to step in front of me, and being impossibly faster, managed to block my way to the forest.

"I'm not done with you. Don't you think it would be fair to let me explain?"

"Right now I'm not worried about being fair, I'm hungry. I have to hunt." I couldn't help spitting out that last bit. I was too hungry to care about antagonizing a vampire.

"Let me find something for you. I'll be quick and I'm not going to get hurt killing something."

"Vampire, the last thing I worry about, is you getting hurt. It's actually something I'm hoping for right now."

"That's not why I offered."

I stared blankly back at him when the meaning of what he'd said actually hit me.

"You think I'm incapable as a hunter, the very essence of what I am, and you think this is insufficient. That I need, you of all creatures, to look after me? Incredible. What makes you think I would take an offering from a vampire? From you?"

I tried to move past him and make my way into the forest, but once again he stopped me.

"I think you've actually done enough, what do you want? I'm sure I'm safe from the sand on the beach or the leaves on the forest floor. I'll be careful." I allowed my voice to drip with as much sarcasm as I could muster. Even as a vampire, who did he think he was? Nomeus never underestimated me and always allowed me to hunt.

I looked into his eyes and for the first time since I'd met my new family. I saw why people feared vampires. Even before I raised my head I knew he was angry, that much was obvious from his stance but seeing the brightness of the red in his eyes, not only from a recent feed but from emotion. Well, it startled me.

Suddenly I felt his cold hands around the tops of my arms and reflexively, every muscle in the top half of my body flexed. My body was preparing to defend itself even if my mind couldn't keep up. He made a sound which was between a purr and a growl in appreciation. I merely snarled. A small chuckle escaped his lips and he focused his eyes on me. Trying to disarm me with his looks.

"Do not make the mistake, human, of thinking that because my brothers have accepted you into our family, that you may treat me with disrespect. I am and always will be your superior."

I wished more than ever that my strange curse of a power would come into play right now but the more I wished it, the more frustrated I became when nothing happened. I was becoming hungrier by the minute and thought I might be sick. A moment of weakness in front of a vampire was not ideal.

"Be that as it may, vampire, you can't hurt me. You're impossibly stronger than me, yes, faster, yes, even better senses, yes, but, if I remember correctly." I paused in pretend contemplation while I really hoped I wasn't doing the wrong thing "it was I that had you writhing on the floor. You've let to lay a single finger on me, now tell me, why is that, oh superior one?" I let a smile play out over my lips, even though it was a little painful from the cuts I still had there. But I didn't let that stop me.

"I could kill you where you stand." The sincerity of his words couldn't have been clearer. It was death by vampire, or death by starvation.

"You could, but you won't. Your brothers would be incredibly upset. They'd probably banish or kill you. So the loss for you is far greater than the gain." Maybe calling his bluff wasn't the best idea.

He pulled me flush against his cold, hard body and bent his head down so his lips were against my ear. I had never been this close to a human or vampire. It felt incredibly…intimate. My body shivered involuntarily and a growl left my lips.

"Shh now. No, you're right; I can gain so much more by keeping you alive." He purred once again into my ear and I shivered, my head was spinning and I couldn't think properly at all. I was so angry at him and so hungry, but my blood was pumping around my body faster, my chest felt like it would burst.

What is this feeling?

He seemed to relax slightly as his hands made their way from my shoulders down to my wrists and back to his side. I used this moment to slip away and run. I didn't know if he was following me or if he would kill me. I needed to get away and eat, feed and kill. Not in that order though. I let my legs guide me automatically through the forest until I was a good way in, away from the beach.

I crouched low and inhaled. I allowed my senses to open up to the forest, I could hear faintly a few scurrying animals. Nothing big, not at this time, it was just before the morning. No large predator will still be out hunting; they will have fed and be sleeping. Two things I needed most desperately.

Out to my left I spotted a burrow, one belonging to small herbivores and one not much farther ahead belonging to a slightly larger carnivore. I crept up to the first burrow and reached in quickly to extract to sizable meals. Making a quick kill and snapped their necks and buried my face into the flesh. Drawing a little blood, this was inevitable, but beginning to extract the warm meat off of the neck.

Yes, yes, YES. Such sweet satisfaction.

I made too quick a meal of the first and did the same with the second. I was still hungry. I promised myself to never leave it this long before I fed again. It really wasn't worth it. So far I had forgotten all about Caius to focus on feeding, at the moment I couldn't care less if there was an unpredictable idiotic vampire lurking nearby, I was hungry.

Having thrown the small herbivore carcases outside the home of the larger carnivore I waited patiently. These unfortunately I could not extract as they would be too quick and run even further underground. I felt better but my hunger was not quite yet satiated.

I waited…..

Still nothing.

I tasted the air around me for any lucky animal that would happen to wander my way, but…nothing. But there was something else, something slightly foreign. I exhaled a deep breath and realised how tired I was. Typically I did not sleep more than a couple of hours, for that was all I needed, but I hadn't had five minutes before the vampire had interrupted me before.

Vampire.

I checked my own scent for confirmation. That was exactly it. During our confrontation, Caius and I had been rather close. Of course his scent was all over me. That's why there was nothing out here. What animal would be stupid enough to remain in the vicinity of a vampire scent?

A laugh could be heard from the trees and I knew that he knew what he had done. What had happened and why I couldn't feed.

Looking around me, I realised the sound was coming from the trees, which was why I hadn't originally seen him. In one flawless jump he landed gracefully on the forest floor, a few steps in front of me. He repeated his laughter showing his amusement at the situation.

Walking up to me slowly, I began to take steps backward and groaned when I hit a tree. Knowing I could not possibly outrun him, I once again lifted my head to meet his eyes.

"Well aren't you a messy eater? Let's clean you up." It was only then that I realised I hadn't been able to wipe my face, neck and chest. I knew I was never careful with the spill of my hunt but there was never usually anyone else around to notice.

I saw his face coming towards me wearing a smug grin and I couldn't protest until the last minute.

"No, NO, NO, GET OFF OF ME!!" He had my pinned against the tree with his whole body, I couldn't move an inch as his tongue snaked out to lick blood against my chest. I let out a strangled cry which swiftly turned to a sob as I tried to mask my body's reaction. It didn't work. I felt the area between my legs start to throb and my heart pound in my chest. The unfamiliar feeling returned stronger than before and I had never in all my years, been so afraid.

My sounds of protest were cut short when I realised he had stopped and was looking at me with a strange expression. I could still feel the cold temperature of his tongue and the feeling of my skin as his breath blew across it. This had never happened to me before; never had I met any creature, any beast who could do this to me.

Whenever the pain came I never expected it, and I certainly didn't this time.

"Oh…ARGHHH!!! Make it stop!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!!"

I could see nothing, it was all black in front of me and I felt like my head was splitting in two. My whole body shook and I felt myself falling to the ground, but I couldn't stop shaking. I opened my eyes and all I could see was red. I tried rolling onto my front and burying my face in the dirt. I tried digging my fingers into the roots of a tree as images began to flash before my eyes. I couldn't tell what they were but they increased in speed as did the pain when I felt two arms wrap around my waist and suddenly I was covered in…cold.

I felt myself cool down almost instantly. The pain began to subside but I was still shaking. I was in the arms of a vampire, covered in animals' blood and completely unable to defend myself.

I didn't deserve to be a hunter. I didn't deserve my abilities.

But none of that mattered when I felt my body collapse with release from the pain and a cold hand over my nose and mouth. My muscular body flexed automatically but with no consequence, I was far too weak. I gave over to the night and allowed the blackness to overtake me.

Can I be really cheeky and ask for 10-15 reviews before I next update, just to let me know what you think, thank you so much Every single one of you fantastic readers are treasured, you wonderful people!

Any thoughts / questions / suggestions are always welcome.

Once again, Happy Holidays everyone!