Almost Doesn't Count
Selene gripped the steering wheel of her Mustang so tightly her already pale knuckles were bone white. She was furious- so mad that she could hardly thing straight. The pain from the bullet wounds inflicted upon her body so few hours ago no longer bothered her. The anger settled like a red haze across her eyes. At that moment of time, she hated Michael more than anything. She hated him like the rodents she had been shot by... like the lycans she had believed killed her family. She wanted to kill him, slowly and painfully.
A part of her- the human part she tried not to recognise- was horrified at her thoughts. She tried to dismiss the thoughts as worthless, but it was hard. She knew to be human was to be weak. She hadn't been able to stop the ambush on her family, just as she hadn't been able to prevent Michael stealing her baby. She had tried it his way, and found that it didn't work. She couldn't be weak. She didn't know how to any longer. She had to be the predator, not human. She had to be, because she didn't know how else to be.
In those moments, she forgot all of her problems. She became the predator she became when she was hunting. And it was a long time since she had hunted. The predator in her was stretching, warming up before the big hunt. It scared her- and thrilled her at the same time. Once, all she had thought of was the next kill that she would make in the battle she had believed was right.
Now, all she could think about was getting her child back. It was truly ironic- she was more than willing to risk her life for the baby of a man she couldn't love. A baby born from a woman who had died almost seven hundred years before.
The father of Selene's child had delivered her. The birth had been long and hard, but worth it just to see the one good thing she had made in her life. The last thing Selene saw before surrendering to sleep was her perfect little girl laying contently at her side. Selene was still recovering from the gunshot wounds in her back, feeling more vulnerable than she had before. She never knew exactly what Michael had dosed her with, but it knocked her out.
She didn't know what precisely was going to happen when she found Michael, but she knew that it was going to be bloody. A part of her knew that there was a chance she could die. She didn't care. All she wanted to do was get her child back and flee the country. The vampires were closing in on her again, and she was in no condition to go up against them. In a month's time, she would be able to defend herself. Right now she honestly knew that if a group attacked her, she would meet her end at their weapons.
Thoughts of the war distracted her from her thoughts of Michael. In the years since she had killed Viktor, hunting parties had been sent after her. She had killed them all. She had been forced to- even those vampires she once considered friends. Michael had helped some, but not as much as she would have liked. He still had a strong dislike of fighting, even if it was to save his own hide. So she fought and killed the vampires she had once lived with and hunted beside.
For a long time, every day had been an exercise in warfare. Each new rise of the moon had brought her greater challenges. She had faced them all, killing those who sought to slay her. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the nightly attacks had stopped. She had heard vague rumours that the war with the lycans had once again started in earnest. Had she been forced to choose a side, she truly didn't know which she would take.
Michael had seized the change, and moved into one of the recently dead vampire's mansion. She had refused, knowing that no good come of the move. She had stayed where she felt safe.
And now that feeling of safety had been ripped away from her. She had been attacked in public, and had almost died. Worse than that, though was the fact that her secret had almost been discovered.
The only person she could see to blame for it -directly as well as indirectly- was Michael. Oh, she knew that he hadn't sent the vampires after her- they wanted him dead as much as they did her. Had he been more cautious though, the vampires may not have found them. Selene sighed, knowing the at the end of the day, all she had was a rather large collection of should-haves and would-haves. 'If only' was a bitter pill to take, no matter how many years you lived. Being used to trouble, she anticipated it. It didn't mean that she liked it.
She took a corner a little too fast, and cursed as the back end of the car fishtailed wildly. The Mustang kicked up spray behind it as it slewed around another corner. Fighting to get the machine back under control took almost all of her strength. She never saw the person step out into the road. There wouldn't have been much she could do anyway. She increased the speed of the car, knowing it would help to pull the rear end straight.
The child Selene had given birth too not twenty-four hours earlier watched impassively as the car raced towards her. She stood in the middle of the rain slicked road. The clothes she was wearing could have come from Selene's own closet. A midnight black velvet top and equally dark leather pants. Her hair was as black as her mother's.
Selene looked up at the road in front of her. A gasp of recognition left her lips. She hit the brake, hoping that the car would respond. She dropped through the gears as the vehicle slowed. The speed dropped rapidly. Tires squealing, the car shuddered to a stop mere inches away from the daughter she didn't know.
They young woman looked up from inspecting the car. Her eyes were as dark as the night. She didn't smile, nor blink as she spoke two chilling words.
"Hello, Mother."
Selene gripped the steering wheel of her Mustang so tightly her already pale knuckles were bone white. She was furious- so mad that she could hardly thing straight. The pain from the bullet wounds inflicted upon her body so few hours ago no longer bothered her. The anger settled like a red haze across her eyes. At that moment of time, she hated Michael more than anything. She hated him like the rodents she had been shot by... like the lycans she had believed killed her family. She wanted to kill him, slowly and painfully.
A part of her- the human part she tried not to recognise- was horrified at her thoughts. She tried to dismiss the thoughts as worthless, but it was hard. She knew to be human was to be weak. She hadn't been able to stop the ambush on her family, just as she hadn't been able to prevent Michael stealing her baby. She had tried it his way, and found that it didn't work. She couldn't be weak. She didn't know how to any longer. She had to be the predator, not human. She had to be, because she didn't know how else to be.
In those moments, she forgot all of her problems. She became the predator she became when she was hunting. And it was a long time since she had hunted. The predator in her was stretching, warming up before the big hunt. It scared her- and thrilled her at the same time. Once, all she had thought of was the next kill that she would make in the battle she had believed was right.
Now, all she could think about was getting her child back. It was truly ironic- she was more than willing to risk her life for the baby of a man she couldn't love. A baby born from a woman who had died almost seven hundred years before.
The father of Selene's child had delivered her. The birth had been long and hard, but worth it just to see the one good thing she had made in her life. The last thing Selene saw before surrendering to sleep was her perfect little girl laying contently at her side. Selene was still recovering from the gunshot wounds in her back, feeling more vulnerable than she had before. She never knew exactly what Michael had dosed her with, but it knocked her out.
She didn't know what precisely was going to happen when she found Michael, but she knew that it was going to be bloody. A part of her knew that there was a chance she could die. She didn't care. All she wanted to do was get her child back and flee the country. The vampires were closing in on her again, and she was in no condition to go up against them. In a month's time, she would be able to defend herself. Right now she honestly knew that if a group attacked her, she would meet her end at their weapons.
Thoughts of the war distracted her from her thoughts of Michael. In the years since she had killed Viktor, hunting parties had been sent after her. She had killed them all. She had been forced to- even those vampires she once considered friends. Michael had helped some, but not as much as she would have liked. He still had a strong dislike of fighting, even if it was to save his own hide. So she fought and killed the vampires she had once lived with and hunted beside.
For a long time, every day had been an exercise in warfare. Each new rise of the moon had brought her greater challenges. She had faced them all, killing those who sought to slay her. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the nightly attacks had stopped. She had heard vague rumours that the war with the lycans had once again started in earnest. Had she been forced to choose a side, she truly didn't know which she would take.
Michael had seized the change, and moved into one of the recently dead vampire's mansion. She had refused, knowing that no good come of the move. She had stayed where she felt safe.
And now that feeling of safety had been ripped away from her. She had been attacked in public, and had almost died. Worse than that, though was the fact that her secret had almost been discovered.
The only person she could see to blame for it -directly as well as indirectly- was Michael. Oh, she knew that he hadn't sent the vampires after her- they wanted him dead as much as they did her. Had he been more cautious though, the vampires may not have found them. Selene sighed, knowing the at the end of the day, all she had was a rather large collection of should-haves and would-haves. 'If only' was a bitter pill to take, no matter how many years you lived. Being used to trouble, she anticipated it. It didn't mean that she liked it.
She took a corner a little too fast, and cursed as the back end of the car fishtailed wildly. The Mustang kicked up spray behind it as it slewed around another corner. Fighting to get the machine back under control took almost all of her strength. She never saw the person step out into the road. There wouldn't have been much she could do anyway. She increased the speed of the car, knowing it would help to pull the rear end straight.
The child Selene had given birth too not twenty-four hours earlier watched impassively as the car raced towards her. She stood in the middle of the rain slicked road. The clothes she was wearing could have come from Selene's own closet. A midnight black velvet top and equally dark leather pants. Her hair was as black as her mother's.
Selene looked up at the road in front of her. A gasp of recognition left her lips. She hit the brake, hoping that the car would respond. She dropped through the gears as the vehicle slowed. The speed dropped rapidly. Tires squealing, the car shuddered to a stop mere inches away from the daughter she didn't know.
They young woman looked up from inspecting the car. Her eyes were as dark as the night. She didn't smile, nor blink as she spoke two chilling words.
"Hello, Mother."