Bound By Blood (22 page)

             
Dear
G
oddess. The
A
wakening
.

             
S
he panicked
--
of all the times for it to fall upon her, why now? Then she remembered what woke her up from her dream this night, the word
A
waken
. She had thought it was dragging her away from her sleep. Now she knew it was just another piece of the puzzle. Just another warning of what would come
--
t
he storm, time,
the
signs
,
him,
and
h
er
A
wakening.

             
The blood may have called her
A
wakening to attention
,
but it was also calling the creatures. They left their prey
, dropping them like unwanted toys
and moved towards
him
,
away from her and her sisters. They left whoever they fought and began to trample towards these men
, these warriors, these powerful beings.
The blood must have driven them even more insane as they knocked people out of t
heir way to stalk him, to get to his blood. Monsters
o
n all fours, snapping at the rain,
starvation
pulling at their jaws.

             
Her mind
rac
ed as she struggled to her feet. Was he willing the creatures to him or was he using his blood to bring the Nosophoros here? Was he like a
G
eneral calling them to battle? Was he mad?! Was
he
the one controlling them? Why did his magic work and not hers or even
Kaléé’s
,
who was a
Vlachŕa
and as ancient as
Dĩas
?

             
Samanthŕa's
magic wouldn’t work before in the forest when he was present or outside the
T
avern
and now, once again she was powerless in his presence
.
Her thoughts
spun
. Her heart quickened. Questions trampled questions.

             
She tightened her
grip on the
dagger as anger and hate fl
a
shed over her. In her madness and suspicion, she was determined to kill him.

             
If he want
s
to tempt them with his blood then so be it! His blood they shall have! Not Ours!

             
She hissed a
nd
started to leap towards him. With one strong arm he
caught and
grabbed her,
and
spun her around so that her back was against his.
His large hand
was
placed firmly across her throat. The feeling of fire and flames fled from his
fingertips
and into her flesh.
Electricity moved through his body into hers. The tingling sensations brought forth her fangs again
. . . even further from their hidden nest
. She struggled against him
, she wasn’t sure how
but
she was struggling,
as more and more Nosophoros came out of the shadows. The blood was making them fanatical
,
not to mention what it was doing to her.

             
She heard another of the strangers yell
,
“That’s all of them
,
brother!
N
o more hiding in the forests!
”

             
She heard
Dezarãe and her other sisters scream her name.
Scream for her safety. They did not scream because they were concerned that this stranger had her in a death lock. They were screaming because of what was charging towards her, stalking her.

             
Samanthŕa stopped struggling
and was
frozen. The anger left her once her mind registered what was going on. Nosophoros paced back and forth
, t
o
her eyes and the high from his blood
seeming
in slow motion,
as if teasing them with their coming death
s
. They were becoming
highly intoxicated by his essence and its
scent
rising up into the air. The very same blood was far to
o
close to her senses
for
what she, herself, was comfortable with. His was a powerful blood, an essence which was invoking the first signs of her
A
wakening
--
and
her
beast, which
for the first time started to
scream out in thirst and hunger
.
Her mind swam. Die by the Nosophoros or have her
A
wakening invoked? Either fate was bad as far as she was concerned.

             
Still, her mouth watered
and her body melted into his.
How delicious his essence smelt. How warm and embracing it seemed. It
felt
so welcoming and familiar even though she had not once sensed blood like this. Not once had any essence called out to her. It was so sweet, so intoxicating
, it was ambrosia
. The vapors of it possessed her senses with such euphoria. A part of her struggled to fight it while the other part wanted more, needed more
, would claw out his eyes to have more
.

             
 
Death would be better. Let them take me. Let them. It’s better than the doom which hangs over my head and
dooms
my sisters,
she thought.

             
She knew the signs she was suffering. Once a Vii felt hunger such as this, her
A
wakening was upon her. She would give off the scent which would attract the one who would bring it about. No ritual or potion could stop it now. Nature had found its course.

             
Her horrified
eyes sought out
her sisters. In the one moment that her body crossed the threshold of its change, so did theirs. She could smell them and their sweet
bouquets rising
through the air. She had triggered in them what she feared they would trigger in her. She almost cried
.
She started to die inside
,
or she felt like it
--
or that was her mind trying to hold onto what was left of her because everything else was enslaved by him and his blood
?
She welcomed her own death. Her body b
a
cked up
even
closer
against the stranger who held her a
nd
her eyes showed no
more
fear. She was ready.
Let them come! Let them come!
Let death come!

             
Within an
instant,
the Nosophoros started to spring forth
,
bringing their attack and wi
thin that same instant her body was
thrown down. She never once closed her eyes. Not once did she hide her face from death. She knew the stranger would be able to fight off only so many. She knew the rest would be able to trample and claim her. Not once did she look away. Not once did she try to defend herself. She was ready to feel their jaws upon her flesh. She remained still, waiting.

             
But death did not come
,
for t
he same white light
as
before
,
scorched against her eyes
the second
they were
on the
attack. It pained her nocturnal vision as if she had looked directly into it
. Painfully she
clenched
her burning eyes
shut.
When she opened them, she saw the bodies of more than a hundred Nosophoros burning. It was blurry
and
h
er eyes
clearly
stung
,
but
nonetheless,
she could smell their flesh cook
ing
and the ashes falling just as it had before
. It
had
happened so fast that she had to explain to herself
t
hat
it
did
happen. Here she was prepared to die and then nothing,
nothing
.

             
The rain stopped again and the fires
were
re
kindl
ed by their previous chant. Her powers returned
;
she felt them flood over her. The blood which took control over her true nature had faded. She was normal again as if nothing
had
ever happened. The smell from her sisters was gone
and so were the birth of her new fangs.
She instinctively moved her hands over her eyes
,
which were still stinging. She whispered healing chants to help bring back her keen sight
.
She felt her sisters gather around her as she still sat on the ground fighting the pain.

             
Once she opened her eyes
again
though,
she found that the very arm which held her against him, now offered to help her up. The same frightening eyes she had seen at the
T
avern
and forest were looking down at her
, again
making her gaze their prisoner. She was sure her heart completely stopped now if it hadn’t before. In
fact,
it must have
,
for she could no longer breathe.

~
Chapter 7
~

The Claim

***

Invoke the claim.

Summons the gift.

Vanished now and fade with mist…

***

             
H
e had long black
hair,
which hung down a
muscular back.
His skin was bronze
,
and thick like
that of
most warriors.
His
large
upper arms were tattooed with strange tribal marks and symbols. Power
e
m
a
nated from them.
His face was chiseled and seemingly perfect. He had deep
cheekbones
and a strong jaw. His large penetrating
indigo
eyes were
compel
ling
and his ample mouth was
al
luring
ly dangerous
. His brows were arched
,
giving hi
s gaze
a devilish but tempting edge. His heavy, long, lashes encompass
ed
his glowing eyes
and
intensified them. His body threatened a
strength, which
could snap ten men as if they were nothing more than dry twigs
and she had witnessed this with her own eyes
. He was a g
iant
or perhaps god
or he seemed like one. It wasn’t just his size but all the things about him combined, such as his power, gestures,
and
his mere presence.

             
Her mind
had
never registered these things before with all that was happening. She had noticed little things here or there, if at all, but there was no time to truly accept them. Now she was taking notice as she tried to decide on whether or not she would take his hand.