Chapter 14
"What do you mean, you can't do it?" Kieran's eyes flashed in the dark as his nerves got the best of him and he pulled his fist back and threw a punch at the wall. Alex stepped in front of the wall quickly and the fist stopped barely a half-inch before her throat.
"That was asinine. I could have snapped your neck and killed you easily." Kieran stated softly, rubbing his clenched knuckles with his other hand as if he had hit a phantom wall.
"You're supposed to have lightning reflexes, and I figured that you'd stop if you saw that you were going to hit me, not the wall." Alex leaned toward him conspiratorially. "It would be easier to heal myself than to fix the wall. I have not the skills of a carpenter."
Kieran smirked.
"So, just calm down. Take a deep breath and relax."
"You forget that I'm a vampire; I need not breathe."
"But you do, and your heart beats more often than other vampires' I've confronted. Your body may be vampiric, but your soul will never be. Plus, you don't threaten me. You couldn't kill me if you tried."
He sighed impatiently. "You don't know of what-"
"Yes, I most certainly do know what I'm talking about." Alex interrupted him, continuing with a sneer in her voice, casting him a sideways glance. "Physically, yes, you could kill me in an instant. But mentally? You couldn't do it."
Kieran flexed his muscles threateningly. "Many of my kind have killed for less than that of which you boldly, and openly, declare."
"Ooh, I'm so scared, I'm shaking in my boxers. You know you couldn't, so don't bother denying it, Conall. You've long since earned the nickname of human- and witch-lover. So much has changed since your downfall."
Kieran merely stared incredulously at her, his mouth dropping open. "How-"
Alex walked around him slowly with her arms crossed over her chest, seeming to size him up. "How, indeed? Must've been quite a shock to be demoted from one-third of the most feared group among witches, vampires, and humans alike, to being mocked behind your back, cowering and running from those who dared to confront you. What on Earth happened?" She asked with mock sincerity.
Kieran, whose breathing had grown increasingly ragged, and whose blood now boiled from anger within his veins, decided he could take no more ridiculing from this witch, who wasn't even fully grown. In one swift movement, he turned, grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall, pinning her there with a forearm over her throat, threatening to crush her vocal cords. His knife was poised over her heart, the point pressing gently but dangerously into her, not quite hard enough to break the skin. He expected to see some sort of fear or anger, even if it was just a flicker. Kieran stared at her; it was all he could do at the moment. Far from fear or anger, Alex looked delighted. She actually looked happy, as if there was nothing that she liked more than to have her life threatened.
"Do it," She croaked, her eyes gleaming. "I dare you." She leaned into his knife and forearm, constricting her throat even more.
Kieran put pressure on both points, leaning close to her. He could feel her breath on his cheek, and her pulse, slow and controlled beneath his arm.
"Do it," Alex repeated, her voice still barely louder than a whisper. "I'm your only hope for Kala. Kill me, and you might as well go kiss her good-bye. My family is already looking to punish the one who is keeping Kala hostage. Kill me and it'll only seal the deal. They will hunt you down and murder you in cold blood. And that is a promise."
She stared him down, glare for glare, nothing remotely resembling fear or rage in her pale blue eyes. After a moment, Kieran dropped his arm, resheathed his knife, and stepped back, admitting defeat.
Alex stepped away from the wall, massaging her throat gently.
"How did you know?" Kieran said, his voice dangerously soft.
"Hm?" Alex raised her eyebrows. "Oh, it was just a guess, then I saw your brother, and I was pretty certain."
"What are you talking about? When did you see him? He wasn't in the room."
Alex eyed him sympathetically. "Amazing how much you turn a blind eye to something you don't want to see, isn't it?"
"I don't know what you think you saw, but it wasn't him. If he was there, I would've sensed him."
She shook her head, smiling tolerantly as if she was explaining something to a toddler. "Witches can hide their auras at some points of the month, so that it's near impossible to distinguish them from humans. Hate to break it to you, but vampires are the same way, dear."
"How do you know that this wasn't a human? There are plenty of humans there; anyone of them could've wandered in at any time." Kieran protested.
Alex patted his cheek tenderly. "Poor, poor dear. You must've been out to lunch the day common sense was distributed. Humans are nervous, fragile creatures. If one thing does not go according to plan, or if a single thing is amiss, they absolutely lose their minds in a frantic, scrambling hurry to get out of the way. Humans wouldn't stand calmly, deep in the shadows of a corner of a room in which a girl was having convulsions for no apparent reason. And humans don't have phosphorescent eyes, and especially not one a shocking blue, and the other bright red." She paused contemplatively. "It was said that each of the Triad had bicolor eyes. As they advanced on their fallen prey, one from each side, forming a triangle, their eyes glowed, with beams of light matching the eye-color projecting from the pupil. The beams cut through everything, like lasers, including metal and skin. The surges of light would meet above the victim's head and bounce around in an invisible enclosure around them, driving the human mad before they made the kill."
She glanced at Kieran, who had turned his back, his shoulders hunched, and was staring stonily at the opposite wall.
"Not many vampires have different colored eyes; it was a dead giveaway. Pride," She snorted contemptuously. "It was the downfall of many great civilizations and people, and it will be his also."
A/N: dum de dum dum dum...review now please!
"What do you mean, you can't do it?" Kieran's eyes flashed in the dark as his nerves got the best of him and he pulled his fist back and threw a punch at the wall. Alex stepped in front of the wall quickly and the fist stopped barely a half-inch before her throat.
"That was asinine. I could have snapped your neck and killed you easily." Kieran stated softly, rubbing his clenched knuckles with his other hand as if he had hit a phantom wall.
"You're supposed to have lightning reflexes, and I figured that you'd stop if you saw that you were going to hit me, not the wall." Alex leaned toward him conspiratorially. "It would be easier to heal myself than to fix the wall. I have not the skills of a carpenter."
Kieran smirked.
"So, just calm down. Take a deep breath and relax."
"You forget that I'm a vampire; I need not breathe."
"But you do, and your heart beats more often than other vampires' I've confronted. Your body may be vampiric, but your soul will never be. Plus, you don't threaten me. You couldn't kill me if you tried."
He sighed impatiently. "You don't know of what-"
"Yes, I most certainly do know what I'm talking about." Alex interrupted him, continuing with a sneer in her voice, casting him a sideways glance. "Physically, yes, you could kill me in an instant. But mentally? You couldn't do it."
Kieran flexed his muscles threateningly. "Many of my kind have killed for less than that of which you boldly, and openly, declare."
"Ooh, I'm so scared, I'm shaking in my boxers. You know you couldn't, so don't bother denying it, Conall. You've long since earned the nickname of human- and witch-lover. So much has changed since your downfall."
Kieran merely stared incredulously at her, his mouth dropping open. "How-"
Alex walked around him slowly with her arms crossed over her chest, seeming to size him up. "How, indeed? Must've been quite a shock to be demoted from one-third of the most feared group among witches, vampires, and humans alike, to being mocked behind your back, cowering and running from those who dared to confront you. What on Earth happened?" She asked with mock sincerity.
Kieran, whose breathing had grown increasingly ragged, and whose blood now boiled from anger within his veins, decided he could take no more ridiculing from this witch, who wasn't even fully grown. In one swift movement, he turned, grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall, pinning her there with a forearm over her throat, threatening to crush her vocal cords. His knife was poised over her heart, the point pressing gently but dangerously into her, not quite hard enough to break the skin. He expected to see some sort of fear or anger, even if it was just a flicker. Kieran stared at her; it was all he could do at the moment. Far from fear or anger, Alex looked delighted. She actually looked happy, as if there was nothing that she liked more than to have her life threatened.
"Do it," She croaked, her eyes gleaming. "I dare you." She leaned into his knife and forearm, constricting her throat even more.
Kieran put pressure on both points, leaning close to her. He could feel her breath on his cheek, and her pulse, slow and controlled beneath his arm.
"Do it," Alex repeated, her voice still barely louder than a whisper. "I'm your only hope for Kala. Kill me, and you might as well go kiss her good-bye. My family is already looking to punish the one who is keeping Kala hostage. Kill me and it'll only seal the deal. They will hunt you down and murder you in cold blood. And that is a promise."
She stared him down, glare for glare, nothing remotely resembling fear or rage in her pale blue eyes. After a moment, Kieran dropped his arm, resheathed his knife, and stepped back, admitting defeat.
Alex stepped away from the wall, massaging her throat gently.
"How did you know?" Kieran said, his voice dangerously soft.
"Hm?" Alex raised her eyebrows. "Oh, it was just a guess, then I saw your brother, and I was pretty certain."
"What are you talking about? When did you see him? He wasn't in the room."
Alex eyed him sympathetically. "Amazing how much you turn a blind eye to something you don't want to see, isn't it?"
"I don't know what you think you saw, but it wasn't him. If he was there, I would've sensed him."
She shook her head, smiling tolerantly as if she was explaining something to a toddler. "Witches can hide their auras at some points of the month, so that it's near impossible to distinguish them from humans. Hate to break it to you, but vampires are the same way, dear."
"How do you know that this wasn't a human? There are plenty of humans there; anyone of them could've wandered in at any time." Kieran protested.
Alex patted his cheek tenderly. "Poor, poor dear. You must've been out to lunch the day common sense was distributed. Humans are nervous, fragile creatures. If one thing does not go according to plan, or if a single thing is amiss, they absolutely lose their minds in a frantic, scrambling hurry to get out of the way. Humans wouldn't stand calmly, deep in the shadows of a corner of a room in which a girl was having convulsions for no apparent reason. And humans don't have phosphorescent eyes, and especially not one a shocking blue, and the other bright red." She paused contemplatively. "It was said that each of the Triad had bicolor eyes. As they advanced on their fallen prey, one from each side, forming a triangle, their eyes glowed, with beams of light matching the eye-color projecting from the pupil. The beams cut through everything, like lasers, including metal and skin. The surges of light would meet above the victim's head and bounce around in an invisible enclosure around them, driving the human mad before they made the kill."
She glanced at Kieran, who had turned his back, his shoulders hunched, and was staring stonily at the opposite wall.
"Not many vampires have different colored eyes; it was a dead giveaway. Pride," She snorted contemptuously. "It was the downfall of many great civilizations and people, and it will be his also."
A/N: dum de dum dum dum...review now please!