Prince of Darkness

Chapter 11

Robert snarled in rage, slamming his fist against the wall. "Enough! I don't want to hear one more word from any of you!"

The five other vampire hunters immediately stopped talking.  They had been arguing about the issue that their leader had brought to attention. The fact that Rose was now clearly trapped in the mysterious castle in the woods.

The only other male in the group, Matthew, replied. "I just thought that we could get William to tell us where she is."

The older hunter shook his head. "It's no good! I already tried that! He has no idea." He studied the man in front of him, deciding whether to add an insult to his response. Matthew, although shorter then him, was rather well-built, with short red hair and dark blue eyes.

Before Robert could say another word, Alexandria answered. "I personally think we should forget the whole thing."

"Of course you would. But it doesn't matter what you think," the man sneered.

The woman clenched her fists, "It should matter. After all, you said yourself that I'm the best warrior of the group."

The blond triplet hunters gasped at her words. The first shook her head, "You're lying! Robert thinks I'm the best," she turned to him, "Isn't that right?"

The second growled, "No! He thinks I'm the best!"

The third smacked her arm, "Keep dreaming. He thinksI'm better!"

Alexandria rolled her eyes at the display. They're all wrong. Not that I'm proud of it. He's a pig. Glaring at the vampire hunter in question, she snarled, "Since you clearly need help from someone who can actually fight, why don't you just listen to me for once?"

Robert crossed his arms, "Fine. But just so you'll be quiet."

The woman wrinkled her nose at the last part, before continuing. "I think there's no point in going to the castle. It's too well secured."

"You're just saying that! All you want is to protect the people in there! If, that is, you can even call them people. Anyone who stays in that castle and doesn't come out very much is hiding something...and probably has some sort of strange monstrous secret," Robert responded.

Alexandria reacted. Although she did not know the castle inhabitants personally, there was no reason to insult them. The werewolf hunter's fist flew forward, colliding with the man's eye. He stumbled slightly from surprise, holding his eye for a moment. Her punch had ached horribly, but it wasn't enough to severely harm him.

The four onlooking vampire hunters drew a breath. There was tense silence.

Matthew snapped, "Why would you do that? Are you mad?"

"No," she replied.

Robert, removing his hand from his eye, answered. "Clearly you are." He continued, fisting his hand, "That was quite impressive, Alexandria. But now it's my turn."

The woman quickly dodged his fist as it went towards her head. However, it still clipped the side, sending a spark of pain through her head. Instantly placing a hand over the now bruised area, she glared furiously at the muscular man. 

He chuckled darkly, "Maybe that will teach you to remember you place. After all...you swore an oath of servitude."

Anger flashed in her blood. "I do remember my place, but it's not here! It never has been!"

Robert questioned, faking confusion, "What on earth are you talking about?"

Alexandria snarled, "You kidnapped me from my home in the middle of the night!"

"That was years ago..." the man started.

The young woman continued, ignoring his statement as if he had not even spoken. "When I woke up, you told me that I had to swear an oath of servitude to you. When I refused," she lowered her voice dangerously, her fury peaking, "You tortured me, forcing me to swear the oath. Therefore, this is not my place."

Robert growled, tightly grasping the collar of her shirt. "This is your place, you brat. You swore the oath, therefore you belong here."

She glared, "It is more like where I am imprisoned."

The werewolf hunter threw her to the ground. Landing on her back, the young woman gasped at the impact. After taking a moment to recover she stood, delivering a slap to Robert's cheek that was harsh enough to draw blood.

The muscular werewolf hunter hissed in annoyance. After a few seconds, he grinned darkly. "You want to go home? Fine by me," he addressed the rest of his group, "We shall go to the castle tonight. The plan is simple: retrieve Rose," he glanced at Alexandria, "By any means necessary."

 "No!" she yelled firmly.

The man smiled, turning to her. "What's the matter? I thought you wanted to go home," he teased.

Alexandria glowered at him. "I'm not going."

"Yes you are. You're going to fight with us like a member of the group should," Robert replied.

The werewolf hunter sighed. "Fine," she snapped. She would go...but she would never fight with him.