Chapter 5
The green-eyed bouncer came rushing at Jason, and a moment later the blonde jock found me. He was in red camouflage, his muscled frame leaning left and right as he waited for me to move. "Come on bitch, fight me!"
"Sure thing, vermin." I felt my bones slide around as red fur flowed over my body. A furry tail broke through the skin at the base of my spine, and I dropped down on four paws. Tipping my head up, I howled one long, low note as I bared my teeth. Jason and Sage echoed my call, both of them black wolves now. With a growl I leapt at the human, who took off running. I pursued him through the woods. 'Here human, human, human!' I telepathically called, knowing he couldn't hear me. My nose picked up his trail, and I found him trying to scramble up a pine tree.
"Shit!" he screamed when I tackled him. Guess he hadn't been a Hunter too long if the sight of a lone wolf scared him. I caught the flash of a silver knife a second before it sliced deeply into my shoulder. But when I looked at the wound, I saw it was healing! And it didn't even hurt. Blaise's words came back to me:
' "Rest assured that even if the vermin bring weapons, they won't work on us." '. Thank you, Julian! Except that now it was everyone for themselves, and we could get hurt.
'Bye-bye vermin,' I said as my teeth closed over his throat. A gout of blood sprayed into my mouth, a strangled cry of pain coming from his lips. My tail wagged as his eyes went glassy with death and his breath sighed out. I howled again and ran off to help the others. The scene before me was like one out of a horror movie. Five other people had joined the Hunters, and Circle Starlight was being overpowered. Blaise and Kat were teamed up on three Hunters, fireballs and energy beams shooting from their hands. Angel and Julian were keeping four others busy, both ducking in and out of the shadows. Sage and Jason had their paws full with three more humans. Austin was fighting the skinny Hunter, but the vampire had the advantage of speed. Marik and Amber were facing off against three who had silver knives, and Peter was taking on two guys by himself. I decided to help my soulmate, even though I knew he'd be upset that I thought he couldn't handle himself against humans.
"Ruby!"
'Hey, take it or leave it,' I shot back, leaping on one of the guys.
"I'll take it," he replied. A knife suddenly appeared in his hand, and Peter sliced into the man's shoulder. I grabbed my guy's collarbone in my teeth and shook it, hearing bone crack and splinter. He screamed and hit at me with his good arm, but I grabbed his elbow next.
"Help!" he squealed as his arm flopped around uselessly.
'Poor baby. Let me kiss and make it better.' Blood trickled out of his mouth when I ripped his throat out. Peter pulled his knife out of the other guy's heart and wiped it on his jeans. Kat and Blaise finished frying a trio of girls with their fireballs.
"If you can't take the heat, don't mess with witches," Blaise quipped. Angel sank fangs into Greg's throat while Julian snapped another Hunter's neck. Austin was feeding on an unlucky human as Sage ripped open someone else. Ah, I love the smell of blood at nightfall.
'Witch blood!' Sage screamed in panic, stumbling away from the corpse of the girl that I had gotten a weird feeling from earlier.
"Good riddance to traitors," Kat replied softly. Jason raised his muzzle, stained with blood, and stared at her. Amber and Marik were working on the last two, the third on the ground with a knife in his neck. Suddenly, one of the Hunters pulled a wooden stake out and stabbed Marik deep in his left side.
"Son of a bitch!" he cried out. Amber turned to help, but the human slashed her across the knee with a silver knife.
"Die, you bloodsucking bitch!" Angel's head shot up, her face bloody.
"Amber!" Sage went to help, but tripped over a body. Jason rocketed forward, leaping at the man and knocking him to the ground. Austin pulled Marik out of the way and Julian scooped up Amber. Jason and the Hunter rolled over and over, each fighting for leverage. I heard a startled yelp and watched in horror as Jason flopped weakly onto the ground, the knife protruding from his chest. Sage and I howled in anger and jumped on the vermin. I was on his back, and Sage was at his legs. A thunk! sounded below my head, and I looked to see a knife sticking out of his back.
"Stupid vermin," Peter said, an evil gleam in his eyes. The Hunter fell dead as Sage and I reformed. Jason was also back in human form.
"Jason, can you hear me?"
"Ruby?" His voice was little more than a whisper.
"Please Jason, you can't die on me now. You'll be okay once we get you home. Just don't leave me here alone." I brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. Sage put a hand on my shoulder.
"His breathing is labored and his heart is slowing down," he whispered. Peter looked at me with sympathy in his hazel eyes.
"It hurts," Jason whined, drawing in a painful breath. Kat gave my shoulders a small squeeze, her face sad.
"There's nothing we can do." I refused to accept that.
"No! God damnit, I am not gonna let him die!" Amber came up beside me, her face even paler than normal.
"I can save him," she confessed. "But only if you want me to." I nodded for her to help him, but Angel grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and spun her around. By the look in her brown eyes I knew she was mad, though I couldn't figure out why.
"He's not part of the group, Amber. I forbid it." The blonde shook her off, eyes going back to Jason.
"Don't do it, Amber. He's just a 'shifter," Blaise warned. Amber's head snapped up and she glared at the entire group, especially Angel and Blaise, with eyes as cold as glacial ice.
"Now he'll be one of us," she answered in a chilly voice.
"The Ice Princess strikes again," Marik said softly. He crawled over to Amber and took her hand.
"What are you going to do?" I wanted to know.
"We're going to save him," was Amber's reply as the two lamia sank their fangs into Jason's neck. After a minute they stopped feeding, and both cut their own necks with the bloody stake. Jason drank first from Marik, then Amber. With a sigh he relaxed into Amber's arms as Marik pulled out the knife. Immediately the wound began to close up.
"That's amazing," I declared, running my fingers lightly over the healing wound. It felt soft like a baby's skin.
"Except that now Jason owes allegiance to Amber and Marik," Angel revealed. Oh, so it had been a power-trip that had pissed her off.
"And vice versa," Sage pointed out.
"Whatever you say," Jason said dreamily.
"So when is their induction ceremony?" Austin asked.
"Jason did show strength and courage, my angel," Julian brought up.
"I know that, Jules." Angel motioned the other girls to huddle up. Jason raised himself on his elbows so he could see. He put his hand over Marik's where the vampire still had a hole in him.
"How long will that take?"
"At least two weeks. Wood and fire slows our healing process." At last the quartet broke apart, and all looked very pleased.
"Samhain is next week. We'll do it then," Kat told us.
"Can we go home now?" Austin begged. Julian waved his hand and all the bodies and blood vanished from view.
"You'll get used to it," Peter whispered in my ear as he took my arm. We walked back hand-in-hand, Blaise, Angel, and Julian in front of us. Both girls' hands were clasped tightly to his firm derriere. Austin and Kat had their arms around each other. Amber was holding hands with both Marik and Jason. All of them were smiling. Sage came up beside me, winking at Peter when he saw our interlocked fingers.
"I wish I could've met your pack, Ruby. They sounded like wonderful people. Especially Tyler and Liona."
"They were, Sage. For two years we were there for each other, and we would die for each other. They were my family." He took my free hand and touched it to his forehead, a sign of loyalty to me.
"We will never replace them, but we'll always be there, and we will die for you," he vowed.
"Will you live for me too?" He smiled brightly.
"Sure. If that's what you want, that's what you'll get."
The green-eyed bouncer came rushing at Jason, and a moment later the blonde jock found me. He was in red camouflage, his muscled frame leaning left and right as he waited for me to move. "Come on bitch, fight me!"
"Sure thing, vermin." I felt my bones slide around as red fur flowed over my body. A furry tail broke through the skin at the base of my spine, and I dropped down on four paws. Tipping my head up, I howled one long, low note as I bared my teeth. Jason and Sage echoed my call, both of them black wolves now. With a growl I leapt at the human, who took off running. I pursued him through the woods. 'Here human, human, human!' I telepathically called, knowing he couldn't hear me. My nose picked up his trail, and I found him trying to scramble up a pine tree.
"Shit!" he screamed when I tackled him. Guess he hadn't been a Hunter too long if the sight of a lone wolf scared him. I caught the flash of a silver knife a second before it sliced deeply into my shoulder. But when I looked at the wound, I saw it was healing! And it didn't even hurt. Blaise's words came back to me:
' "Rest assured that even if the vermin bring weapons, they won't work on us." '. Thank you, Julian! Except that now it was everyone for themselves, and we could get hurt.
'Bye-bye vermin,' I said as my teeth closed over his throat. A gout of blood sprayed into my mouth, a strangled cry of pain coming from his lips. My tail wagged as his eyes went glassy with death and his breath sighed out. I howled again and ran off to help the others. The scene before me was like one out of a horror movie. Five other people had joined the Hunters, and Circle Starlight was being overpowered. Blaise and Kat were teamed up on three Hunters, fireballs and energy beams shooting from their hands. Angel and Julian were keeping four others busy, both ducking in and out of the shadows. Sage and Jason had their paws full with three more humans. Austin was fighting the skinny Hunter, but the vampire had the advantage of speed. Marik and Amber were facing off against three who had silver knives, and Peter was taking on two guys by himself. I decided to help my soulmate, even though I knew he'd be upset that I thought he couldn't handle himself against humans.
"Ruby!"
'Hey, take it or leave it,' I shot back, leaping on one of the guys.
"I'll take it," he replied. A knife suddenly appeared in his hand, and Peter sliced into the man's shoulder. I grabbed my guy's collarbone in my teeth and shook it, hearing bone crack and splinter. He screamed and hit at me with his good arm, but I grabbed his elbow next.
"Help!" he squealed as his arm flopped around uselessly.
'Poor baby. Let me kiss and make it better.' Blood trickled out of his mouth when I ripped his throat out. Peter pulled his knife out of the other guy's heart and wiped it on his jeans. Kat and Blaise finished frying a trio of girls with their fireballs.
"If you can't take the heat, don't mess with witches," Blaise quipped. Angel sank fangs into Greg's throat while Julian snapped another Hunter's neck. Austin was feeding on an unlucky human as Sage ripped open someone else. Ah, I love the smell of blood at nightfall.
'Witch blood!' Sage screamed in panic, stumbling away from the corpse of the girl that I had gotten a weird feeling from earlier.
"Good riddance to traitors," Kat replied softly. Jason raised his muzzle, stained with blood, and stared at her. Amber and Marik were working on the last two, the third on the ground with a knife in his neck. Suddenly, one of the Hunters pulled a wooden stake out and stabbed Marik deep in his left side.
"Son of a bitch!" he cried out. Amber turned to help, but the human slashed her across the knee with a silver knife.
"Die, you bloodsucking bitch!" Angel's head shot up, her face bloody.
"Amber!" Sage went to help, but tripped over a body. Jason rocketed forward, leaping at the man and knocking him to the ground. Austin pulled Marik out of the way and Julian scooped up Amber. Jason and the Hunter rolled over and over, each fighting for leverage. I heard a startled yelp and watched in horror as Jason flopped weakly onto the ground, the knife protruding from his chest. Sage and I howled in anger and jumped on the vermin. I was on his back, and Sage was at his legs. A thunk! sounded below my head, and I looked to see a knife sticking out of his back.
"Stupid vermin," Peter said, an evil gleam in his eyes. The Hunter fell dead as Sage and I reformed. Jason was also back in human form.
"Jason, can you hear me?"
"Ruby?" His voice was little more than a whisper.
"Please Jason, you can't die on me now. You'll be okay once we get you home. Just don't leave me here alone." I brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. Sage put a hand on my shoulder.
"His breathing is labored and his heart is slowing down," he whispered. Peter looked at me with sympathy in his hazel eyes.
"It hurts," Jason whined, drawing in a painful breath. Kat gave my shoulders a small squeeze, her face sad.
"There's nothing we can do." I refused to accept that.
"No! God damnit, I am not gonna let him die!" Amber came up beside me, her face even paler than normal.
"I can save him," she confessed. "But only if you want me to." I nodded for her to help him, but Angel grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and spun her around. By the look in her brown eyes I knew she was mad, though I couldn't figure out why.
"He's not part of the group, Amber. I forbid it." The blonde shook her off, eyes going back to Jason.
"Don't do it, Amber. He's just a 'shifter," Blaise warned. Amber's head snapped up and she glared at the entire group, especially Angel and Blaise, with eyes as cold as glacial ice.
"Now he'll be one of us," she answered in a chilly voice.
"The Ice Princess strikes again," Marik said softly. He crawled over to Amber and took her hand.
"What are you going to do?" I wanted to know.
"We're going to save him," was Amber's reply as the two lamia sank their fangs into Jason's neck. After a minute they stopped feeding, and both cut their own necks with the bloody stake. Jason drank first from Marik, then Amber. With a sigh he relaxed into Amber's arms as Marik pulled out the knife. Immediately the wound began to close up.
"That's amazing," I declared, running my fingers lightly over the healing wound. It felt soft like a baby's skin.
"Except that now Jason owes allegiance to Amber and Marik," Angel revealed. Oh, so it had been a power-trip that had pissed her off.
"And vice versa," Sage pointed out.
"Whatever you say," Jason said dreamily.
"So when is their induction ceremony?" Austin asked.
"Jason did show strength and courage, my angel," Julian brought up.
"I know that, Jules." Angel motioned the other girls to huddle up. Jason raised himself on his elbows so he could see. He put his hand over Marik's where the vampire still had a hole in him.
"How long will that take?"
"At least two weeks. Wood and fire slows our healing process." At last the quartet broke apart, and all looked very pleased.
"Samhain is next week. We'll do it then," Kat told us.
"Can we go home now?" Austin begged. Julian waved his hand and all the bodies and blood vanished from view.
"You'll get used to it," Peter whispered in my ear as he took my arm. We walked back hand-in-hand, Blaise, Angel, and Julian in front of us. Both girls' hands were clasped tightly to his firm derriere. Austin and Kat had their arms around each other. Amber was holding hands with both Marik and Jason. All of them were smiling. Sage came up beside me, winking at Peter when he saw our interlocked fingers.
"I wish I could've met your pack, Ruby. They sounded like wonderful people. Especially Tyler and Liona."
"They were, Sage. For two years we were there for each other, and we would die for each other. They were my family." He took my free hand and touched it to his forehead, a sign of loyalty to me.
"We will never replace them, but we'll always be there, and we will die for you," he vowed.
"Will you live for me too?" He smiled brightly.
"Sure. If that's what you want, that's what you'll get."