Chupa glared at the women standing in front of him. He understood what Ilinka meant about their blood. The scent of it almost burned his nose. It was as if it were toxic.
"Taken by force, it is quite toxic to you, Chupa," a voice whispered in his mind. His eyes widened and he looked at the taller of the two. "What the fuck are you?" he growled, his eyes glowing in anger. She smiled at him. "I am something you have never seen before and may never see again. But that is neither here nor there," she answered, her voice soft and calm. That surprised him. She showed no fear, if she even felt any. The little one was terrified though. He could smell that from across the room.
Priest looked back and forth between the woman and Chupa.
"What the hell's going on?" he demanded angrily. Rayn slightly raised her hand. "We mean you no harm, Priest," she murmured, taking a deep breath and looking into his eyes. He stared at her and wondered, "How does she know my name?" A moment later, he got an answer. In his head, her voice came softly. "I know many things about you. It was required of me so that I may complete my part of the task. If nothing else, I always do what is required of me."
Without warning, Ilinka flew at Rayn, hands curved into claws. Rayn simply sidestepped her, never taking her eyes off of Priest. The slender vampire practically slid across the floor before striking a low wall. She screamed as she rose to her feet and rushed at the young woman once more.
"Behind you, Rayn," Emma warned telepathically. Rayn's eyes closed and she turned. Her eyes flashed open, the vivid green now a pale ice blue. "Cold," she said, raising one arm and swinging her hand toward Ilinka. The vampire stopped in midair and felt to the floor, shivering uncontrollably.
Stefan ran to her and tried to pick her up, but dropped her abruptly. "What did you do to her?" he roared, his eyes shining in the strobe lights. "I simply prevented her from attempting to kill me," Rayn answered, lowering her arm. "She's freezing!" She shook her head. "She is merely cold. It lasts no longer than three minutes. There is no harm done to her." With that, Rayn turned back to Priest, who was stunned to see her eyes bleed slowly back to their natural green.
Chupa and Emma ignored what had just happened. Their eyes were locked and Emma never blinked. "You didn't answer my question," Chupa said, his blue eyes darkening. "I believe that I did. Or did you ask another of me?" Emma responded with a smile. "How can you be something I've never seen before? Or will I get bullshit in response to that, too?" A low, musical laugh bubbled up out of her. "You prefer plain speech. That is good. You have never seen any like us because we do not wish you to see us. We exist side by side with blood drinkers, yet we remain unseen," she explained, moving around Priest and taking his seat. "You still haven't told me what you are. And you are rapidly pissing me off, lady," he ground out, his face hard.
Emma gestured to the chair he'd occupied when they had arrived. "We have no real name, but we refer to ourselves as elemental regeneratives. I am Emma and she is Rayn. I know that this tells you little and I beg your forgiveness for that. Neither Rayn nor I have any wish to anger you," she told him after he'd sat down. He simply looked at her, his nostrils flared. A smile crept across her full lips. "Rayn, shield yourself," she instructed, glancing at her companion who still stood looking at Priest. The barest nod of her head was the only response she got. Chupa noticed the change immediately. "Thanks. It was getting a little too strong," he said, visibly relaxing a little. Emma inclined her head. "You are quite welcome, Chupa."
A moment later, Priest inhaled cautiously. "It doesn't burn anymore. Why?" he asked Rayn curiously. She smiled brightly. "We can shield the source of our power so that it is undetectable. In doing so, we cover the rather noxious scent of our blood," she explained, walking around him and standing behind Emma. Priest moved to stand behind Chupa and the four of them stared at each other for a very long moment.
Chupa finally spoke. "So why are you here and what does it have to do with us?" Behind him, Priest nodded, lowering his sunglasses to look directly into Rayn's eyes. Emma smiled slightly. "We were sent by the Mother to perform a task and you are the task." "What kind of task?" Rayn's eyes dropped to Chupa's face. "To test your worthiness of a great gift," she replied, one hand resting on Emma's shoulder.
