LIFE AND DEATH (edythe's pov)

Chapter 22 The hunt

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Solar Midnight: Midnight Sun Reimagined (Life and Death, Book I) by beyondthedawn

Books » Twilight Rated: T, English, Supernatural & Romance, Beau S., Edythe C., Words: 224k+, Favs: 59, Follows: 36, Published: Dec 26, 2020 15Chapter 22: THE HUNT

By the time the strangers entered the clearing, their faces were already so well known to me that it felt as though I were recognizing them rather than seeing them for the first time.

The smaller, ill-favored female started in the lead, but she quickly fell back in a practiced maneuver.

She was focused on our numbers, singling out the threats. She assumed we were two or possibly three friendly covens, meeting for the game. She was very aware of Eleanor, hulking beside Carine. And then me, obviously agitated; it was strange for a vampire to twitch in anxiety. None of them knew what to make of my cadenced tapping.

For the smallest part of a second, I struggled with the feeling that something was missing in her tally, but there was too much for me to concentrate on to have time to track down that impression.

The female in the lead was taller and more beautiful than average, even for a vampire. Her thoughts were very confident. Her coven meant no mischief here; though, naturally, this large grouping of covens was surprised to be approached by strangers, she was sure we would work it out quickly. She, too, reacted to Eleanor's size and my tension, but was then distracted by Royal.

I wonder if he's mated? Hmm, they do seem to be even in numbers.

Her eyes skipped over the rest of us, then settled on Roy again.

The male with the vivid red hair was tenser than any of us, his body nearly vibrating with anxiety. He had a hard time keeping his intense glare off Eleanor.

There're too many. Lauren is a fool.

He'd already catalogued a thousand different routes for escape. Currently, he felt his best chance was to sprint due north to the Salish Sea, where we couldn't follow his scent. I wondered that he wouldn't opt for the much nearer Pacific coast, but I couldn't see his reasons if he didn't think of them.

I found myself hoping the jittery male would break for cover and the others follow, but Archie didn't see that.

The redhead was watching the plainer female, waiting for her to run first. His eyes danced to Eleanor again, and he moved reluctantly as he followed the others closer.

The two females seemed unable to keep their eyes off Eleanor for long, either. I found myself appraising my sister. She seemed even bigger than usual tonight, and there was something unnerving about her taut stillness.

Still the leader, Lauren, was sure of her plan. If our covens could get along with each other, then we could get along with hers. Everyone would calm down and then we could all play. And she would get to know the glowing blonde...

She smiled in a friendly way, slowing her approach and then stopping as she got within a few yards of Carine. Her gaze flickered to Royal, to Eleanor, to me, then back to Carine.

"We thought we heard a game," she said. She had a faint French accent, but her internal voice came to her in English. "I'm Lauren, these are Victor and Joss."

They didn't appear to have much in common, this urbane traveler from the continent and her two more feral followers. The male was irritated by the introduction; he was almost consumed by the need to escape. The other female, Joss, was a little amused at Lauren's confidence. She was enjoying the unpredictable nature of this encounter and was keen to see how we would respond.