Beast

|Chapter Sixteen|

Elric expected the drive to be awkward-quiet with tension in the air. Yet, what was this situation?

Zev liked Elise for her plan to end the hunting. He didn't feel that she liked him though.

"You don't like me very much do you?" He asked the witch. Zevlin looked in the review mirror to meet the intense gaze of the witch named Elise.

"I don't like you at all."

Zev expected that.

"After Elric placed the dormante spell you told him to leave it until Aura's awakening." Elise said through clenched teeth.

"Of course I don't like you, you little shit." Elise didn't care to hold back her anger.

Ever since Zev went through his own awakening his temper has been harder to control and little things would cause him to get easily irritated.

Little shit? Zev blood began to boil, I'm a little shit?

Elric sat in the passenger seat observing everything quietly, he didn't say anything since he actually agreed with Elise.

Zev took deep breaths in hopes of calming down. He didn't want to exert his energy on this witch.

"I have my reasons for saying that. There's less than 20 hours until Aura's awakening, she would worry endlessly about it, possibly lose sleep over it too. She needs all the energy she can get for when the time comes. I know because I've been through it so stay out of it." Zev stated and glared at the witch through the rearview mirror.

From the reactions Elric and Elise had, it was safe to say they both had an "oh" moment. They didn't expect Zev to be so...considerate.

At that moment, Elise suddenly had a thought. Wasn't she forgetting something? It was important, yet she couldn't remember. Her gut told her to check her orb.

"Ah!" She yelled in realization. Zev and Elric looked at her alarmed. "I completely forgot, how silly of me."

She met the eyes of the warlock and beast she just met and grinned sheepishly, "there's a van filled with hunters headed this way. They're approaching quickly in front of us. I was suppose to mention that earlier but I was distracted and-"

"Oh for fucks sake." Zev groaned as he watched a van appear from on top of the hill in front of them.

"Cut their engine." Zev didn't say it to any particular witch.

Zev knew that if they approached any closer the hunters would attempt to crash and total the truck they were in. He didn't want to risk Aura's safety while she was under the spell.

Elise was quicker than Elric at casting the spell. With a flick of her finger the van in front of them came to a stop. Then to Zev's surprise the van was pushed onto its side by a force of energy. A loud bang sounded throughout the air.

Zev enjoyed seeing that. He smirked and accelerated forward to continue their drive. As they were about to pass the van filled with hunters Zev saw a hunter manage to slip out through the window and take aim.

Zev knew a hit from that gun would be dangerous. The hunters always used wolfsbane after they found out it was harmful to the beast clan. Zev could smell it, the stench burned his nostrils and made him nauseous. He hated how weak he was to it.

'Bang'

The hunter fired his shot at the truck, straight towards Zev. His aim was perfect.

The hunter smiled once the ammo left the barrel, he knew his shot was right on target. He never missed.

What the hunter didn't know was that the truck also had two witches inside of it. When Zev saw the Hunter take aim, Elric was the first to react. He casted a barrier around the car. Elise acted after the bullet was released.

Zev saw the bullet disintegrate upon hitting the barrier and as he drove by-from the corner of his eye, he saw the hunter take aim once again.

But Zev was alarmed when he saw the hunter aiming the gun to his own head. What is he-

"Bang!" Elise yelled and laughed evilly.

Zev looked behind him through the rearview mirror just in time to see the hunter's body fall lifelessly onto the ground.

Elise had telepathically commanded the hunter with the hypno spell to shoot himself.

Both Zev and Elric didn't know what to say. All they could think of was how glad they were that Elise was on their side.

"That was fun." Elise hummed and continued to run her hands through Aura's hair.

Zev exhaled the long breath of air he was holding. He was suddenly feeling all sorts of emotions; Anger, sadness, fear, anxiety, gratitude, and relief all at once. He was angry that the hunters came, he was sad that this was how things had to be, fear from near death, anxiety of not knowing when they'll come again. Yet he was grateful for Elric and Elise being by his side. Leaving behind the van of hunters was a relief to him and he could finally breathe.

Just breath he told himself.

You'd expect that after five years of being hunted it'd get easier. That he would get used to it. Zev wished that were the case. Although he had such a beastly side to him, his mind and thoughts were very much human.

He never spoke to anyone about this. He never would.

Zev didn't want to be perceived as weak. He was good at putting up a mask and showing an unfazed appearance. But now that Aura is involved in his life he doesn't know how long until that mask breaks. Things would only get more difficult.

The hunters had two fears.

The first being that the beast clan comes back and exacts revenge.

The second being that a male and female beast come together and repopulate in hiding.

Zev, Elise, and Elric knew that now that Aura's existence is known by the hunters, they would stop at absolutely nothing to hunt them down to prevent their fears from becoming reality.

The four continued on their way without another word. Hours passed until Zev finally parked the car.

"We have an hour left until the awakening. Let's make the preparations for it and then wake up sleeping beauty." Zev turned off the ignition of the truck and stepped out.

Elric and Elise stepped out as well. Just when Elise was about to cast a spell to lift up the sleeping Aura-Zev interrupted her.

"I got it." Zev then scooped up Aura in his arms. He did it so swiftly that it was as if she weighed like a feather.

Elise fought the urge to tell the little shit that she could do it herself. All she did in response was roll her eyes and wave her hand as if to shoo him away.

The trio walked deep into the forest that Zev had managed to spot on their way. It was quiet and dark, just perfect.

"We'll keep an eye out to make sure there aren't any hunters or humans." Elric told Zev. Elric already knew that this moment needed privacy between the two beasts.

Elise held her tongue once again from wanting to argue. She remembered Zev's words earlier. He was right, as witches they never experienced the awakening. How could they possibly understand or relate to such a thing. Aura would feel much safer knowing Zev has already gone through it himself.

"Call us if you need us." With that, Elise snapped her fingers and left with Elric.

When Zev looked down he met a pair of familiar golden eyes looking up at him. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Hello sleeping beauty."