The Need (2 page)

Reaching her side he knelt on the ground and gently rolled her into his arms. Dark blood trickled from the gash on the side of her face and her skin was ashen. Pulling the light jacket he was wearing off he pressed it against the wound.

“
Aisling, love please can you hear me. Wake up; you have to wake-up!”

His voice was low and frantic as he cradled her gently in his grip. The sound of a twig cracking underfoot brought his attention back to the trees surrounding them.

“
Who’s there?”

He watched him step from the trees and Jon could feel his stomach knot in panic. His feet barely made a sound over the bracken and Jon knew the only reason he had heard the twig crack was because he had wanted him to. The black clad figure stopped a few feet from where Jon sat cradling Aisling’s body. The smile he gave him froze the blood in his veins.

“
What do you want?”

“
How much have you told her Jonathon?”

The man’s voice rasped past his lips as though he had an injury to his throat. Not that Jon could tell, his coat buttoned to his chin and his dark hair hung limply against the collar hiding all view of his neck. The only skin that was exposed was that of his pale face, even his hands were encased in black leather gloves.

“
I told her you were a hunter and that you’d kill her if she knew more.”

“
Ah.”

His face grew thoughtful as he watched Jon holding her as though she were the most precious thing on earth. He could feel the terror that filled his body and it brought him pleasure.

“
What does ah mean? What are you going to do? You can’t kill her, I haven’t told her anything! She is innocent!”

“
Innocent! She is with a creature like you Jonathon, which are not the actions of someone innocent. Does she know what you are? Has she realised how evil you truly are? Does she know your destiny is to be with the one who destroys the earth?”

“
She doesn’t know anything.” Jon did his best to keep his voice low and even. If this man got even the slightest inclination that Aisling was like him then he would finish them both. As it was he was only allowed to live because the man hoped Jon would lead him to the one who would help him destroy the earth, or whatever kind of crap he had dreamed up.

When had first learned what this man thought he was capable of, he had feared the man knew about Aisling. But as time had gone on, he had come to realise that he believed her to be simply mortal. Aisling’s gift protected her from his ability to sense power but would it remain that way when she turned eighteen?

“
I don’t believe you are telling me the whole truth Jonathon... It’s why I brought someone with me... a sniffer dog if you will, but one who senses power and lies. I have a feeling it is going to come in very useful where you are concerned Jonathon.”

The fear multiplied in Jon’s body and a fine sheen of sweat coated his skin. Aisling stirred softly in his arms drawing his attention back to her. He had to do something drastic to stop the hunter from finding out about her.

“
It looks like your little girlfriend is waking up. Perhaps I should ask her some questions while I’m at it. You know the usual; perhaps she knows more than you think... And I’m sure I would find a way to persuade whatever information she does have out of her.”

“
Just leave her out of this. Whatever little plan you have for me, fine but if you touch one hair on her head I will kill you.”

“
She means that much to you that you would attempt to take me on?”

“
Not only would I attempt but I would succeed.”

Jon stood and carefully lifted Aisling up into his arms. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to even really be able to do any damage to the man stood before him but he couldn’t let him hurt her.

“
Silas, bring the bitch here.”

The sound of more branches cracking and feet moving through the woods surrounding him caused Jon to stiffen in fear. How many more were there, and what were they bringing with them? A sobbing woman emerged from the trees and behind her Jon caught sight of what he presumed was Silas. The man stood more than six feet tall and towered above the man with the yellow eyes standing before him. He shared the same yellow eyes and his hair glinted a dirty straw like blonde in the moonlight. In his hands he clasped a leather leash attached to a collar around the woman’s small delicate neck. She couldn’t have been any more than in her early twenties Jon guessed. Her black hair was grimy and filled with leaves and twigs, the white dress she wore was ripped and dirtied and Jon could see bloody scratch marks covering her arms and legs.

Each time Silas jerked her leash she whimpered in pain and Jon could make out the purple bruising covering her neck. Jon met her eyes and the look he saw in them filled him with despair, terror and pain. Would they do the same thing to Aisling if they found out?

With one easy movement Silas tugged the leash backwards and she stumbled back against him. His hands sliding down across her body in a possessive movement that turned Jon’s stomach sick. From the leery grin on his face Jon had no doubt as to exactly what she had been subjected to at the hands of these monsters.

“
I was wondering when you’d need us. He not telling you everything you need to know?”

Silas’s voice was gravely as he continued to paw at the girl’s body, his hand stroked upwards and he pinched her breast hard causing her to cry out sharply in pain.

“
You want Natty here to help you?”

Anger filled Jon’s mind and Aisling stirred once more in his arms moaning softly. He looked down at her soft and gentle face and fear mixed with the anger caused his power to tremble down through his body and into the ground at his feet.

“
You got yourself a nice titbit there boy.”

Silas’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Jon slowly lifted his face and stared straight at Silas. The man continued to stroke the girl he had called Natty but stared leeringly at Aisling in Jon’s grip. Blind rage flooded out any fear he had felt. It clouded his mind and power rushed through his veins. Though Aisling lay quietly in his arms still unconscious from the blow to her head he felt the colour of her power ignite alongside the anger of his own. It threaded up through his body and filled his body until he thought he might burst.

“
Don’t you dare look at her you sick bastard!”

His power erupted from his body like a blast from a nuclear bomb, mushrooming outwards until it reached its target. It struck Silas directly knocking him backwards. He let out a surprised yelp releasing the frightened girl and falling to the dirt. His body jerked and trembled before growing still on the ground and the man who had called Silas stared at Jon with shock.

“
So you truly do posses a potent power... perhaps I underestimated you Jonathon.”

Jon watched as he stepped slowly away from where Jon stood and back towards the girl and where Silas lay. He began to reach for her leash but she chose that moment to make a break for it. As she ran the man in black moved just a little faster and roughly grabbed her leash pulling her back towards him. She hit the ground with a startled and painful scream, which caused the anger to course back up through Jon once more. How dare they treat her like an animal.

“
Let her go, or you’ll suffer the same fate as Silas.”

His laugh caught Jon off guard and it confused him, he had witnessed what he had done to Silas so why was he laughing?

“
You don’t think I won’t?”

“
Oh I think you’ll try but I’m not as weak as Silas by any means and I really don’t think you’ve hurt him that badly but you know what they say; the bigger they are the harder they fall.”

“
Let the girl go and I won’t fry you where you stand.”

The man laughed again and jerked her leash harshly causing her to whimper and claw at the collar that dug into her pale skin. She choked and gagged as she struggled against him but the black clad man simply lashed out with his foot and kicked her square into her ribs. Jon felt her pain from where he stood and Aisling woke in his arms. Words never even passed between them she simply sensed his despair, fear, need and anger and gave him full control of her power. It roared out from his body and hers covering the ground between them and the girl and man.

Their power mingled together and became visible as it tore across the ground and washed harmlessly over the girl at his feet. As it struck his opponent Jon was given the satisfaction of seeing the surprise that covered his face before he simply disappeared.

He lowered Aisling slowly to her feet and she stood on unsteady legs beside him. Their faces a mask of shock and fear. In his mind Jon registered that their power combined must have caused him to disappear but where had he gone?

The girls pitiful whimpers drew his attention back around to her and with a nod from Aisling as she sat on the ground against a tree stump he cautiously approached her.

“
Are you alright?”

Her tiny shoulders shook as she sobbed and as she looked up at him he was struck by the strange colouring of her eyes. On one hand he could have called them blue but throughout the iris were thin swirls and dots of the brightest lilac he had ever seen. She moved faster than he expected, launching her small thin frame at his legs she clung to him like a drowning woman.

“
Thank you, thank you, thank you oh god thank you!” Her words were hurried and garbled as she clung sobbing to his legs. Gently he reached down to her and tugged her slowly upright, he was careful not to touch the collar or leash. Instead he let her lean her weight against him as he walked slowly back to where Aisling sat still holding his bloodied jacket. A small trickle of blood oozed from the wound on her head but she didn’t look disorientated and he couldn’t sense any clouding in her mind.

“
Ais, are you alright?”

“
Yeah I think so.” She reached her fingers up and winced as she touched the cut. “What the hell happened Jon?”

“
You wanted to confront the hunters and then you fell, you hit your head on a rock. Jesus Ais you came down so hard and when you didn’t move I...” His voice trailed off as he lowered his face and looked at the ground.

“
But Jon who is she and the man on the ground and did I dream what happened to the guy from your room because I know I hit my head hard but that felt so real.”

“
It was real. He was here. He had plans for me, for us and well I’m not too sure about any of the rest of it... but you might know some more?”

He turned toward the girl who still leaned against him. Her eyes were wide and frightened and pain creased her brow.

“
Yes I know more, I have many things to tell you both but I fear here is not the place for it... Is there somewhere else we can go?”

Jon could feel the suspicion that rolled off Aisling’s body, she didn’t like this girl but he wasn’t sure why. She hadn’t seen the things that he had and he was glad to have helped her, she needed to be released from those monster’s clutches.

“
We can go to my house, anyway love you need to get cleaned up before your mother sees you and thinks I tried to murder you. My parents are out so you don’t need to worry about them.”

Aisling’s shoulders visibly relaxed and she tried to pull herself to her shaky feet but couldn’t. Jon reached his hand out to her and she gladly took it. The second their fingers touched the electricity sparked between them and it fizzled across Jon’s skin. He closed his eyes and drank in the feeling; Aisling was and always would be an intoxicating mixture for him. Sometimes he thought he might drown in her but it hadn’t happened yet.

Opening his eyes once more he noticed the girl called Natty was no longer leaning against him. Instead, she stood to one side rubbing her arm as though something had shocked her. She still seemed frightened but the look in her eyes seemed more watchful now and he had a sudden urge to hear what it was that she knew about this mess.

“
Come on let’s get going, I’m not sure where the other guy went to and he said Silas was just out cold.”

At the mention of his name Natty shivered violently and stared over at his prone form.

“
It’s ok, he can’t hurt you now, I won’t let him. You’re safe.”

The smile she returned to him was small but genuine. Aisling tugged on his arm and he squeezed her closer in against him and began to walk back towards where the gap in the bracken led to Aisling’s back garden.

They made their way back quietly, Jon could still feel Aisling’s apprehension but what caused it he wasn’t sure. They slipped through the hedge and snuck up past Aisling’s house, the light was on in the kitchen and her mother was visible through the window as she happily went about preparing the dinner. Reaching the part of the fence with the loose boards Jon held them aside and let the girls slip through before following quickly and quietly behind.

Walking ahead of them he opened the back door and let the three of them into the quiet house. He pulled a chair out for Aisling and made her sit as he wet some cloths for her head.

“
Feel free to sit down or if you need the bathroom or something... I’m sorry I’m not sure what to say to someone who has been held captive...”

Her smile was small and tentative as she sat in a chair opposite Aisling and played with the ripped sleeve of her white dress.