The Vampire's Rival

Fight

A maniacal laugh came forth from the shadows of the forest, the owner of the voice walking over to the group.

"If vampires could throw up, I would."

Everyone turned to the voice.

Her bare feet.

"Sleritu!" the word slid out of my mouth like an insult.

As it should.

"Hello, Ruq," she said. "I admire your consistency. Every woman you've loved after me just keeps getting worse. First, Trisca, who I hear died painfully in your arms. Then that annoying scientist, Kitari, always whining for her right to sire a Fledgling, when it's a miracle we still let her leave."

She spat that last phrase and walked right up to me before she turned to face Hadley and Jamila standing a few feet away from me.

"And now, as the final blow to whatever was left of your dignity," Sleritu sneered. "You're shacking up with livestock."

She turned back to me.

"Speaking of the scientist, you had your pick of her litter, access to the best Progenies that whiny bitch could Frankenstein, and yet you never found a decent one for yourself. And now you have a Fisher in the palm of your hand, but you're still too much of a feeble coward to Turn her!" she continued in her hateful drawl. Then she snickered. "We both know why, though, don't we?"

For the first time in days, I felt the Venom rush up at me, swirling my mind in rage, building up to a crescendo. I didn't care that this was exactly what Sleritu was hoping for. That this was exactly how she'd conditioned me to act from that first day she'd found me, lost and still reeling from murdering my mother. She loved to call out the Venom from my blood. Knew all the buttons to press, delighted in stoking its ravenous fiery rage, riling me up to a murderous fervour!

And I was going to embrace it all.

I was going to strike her dead where she stood.

If she wanted pure, unadulterated hate and vengeance, that was exactly what I would give her.

She wouldn't know what...

Hadley's mind suddenly barged into mine, knocking the wind out my lungs. No one had ever made it past my mental shields – especially not when the Venom was taking over. Yet, she'd just walked in like it was nothing! Like all those thick walls I'd build high up, over and around my mind were made of frilly tissue paper. She poured herself into me as a single emotion. Love. Unconditional and complete. The kind of love that uninhibitedly latches onto your soul, cares for it, and protects it from everything, including yourself.

'Don't give her the satisfaction, Ruq.'

They weren't words, but rather feelings twirling in our shared mindscape.

I felt the blue rage bleed out of my mind, followed by an indescribable calm. That had never happened before. Back in control again, I showered our shared mindscape with gratitude before I brought my focus back to Sleritu. She could hide it well, but I had been by her side for long enough to know when she was pissed off – and she was livid!

"I know what you're trying to do, Sleritu," I grinned, marvelling at just how upset she was and how her ire grew with every second. "It won't work. Not anymore."

Sleritu tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at me, a little more than surprised.

"You really can control it. I was hoping I'd imagined it during the Enclave challenge, but the impossible is true, isn't it?" she said.

An army of vampires suddenly followed Sleritu out of the forest. And it wasn't just vampires. It was also vampire dogs. Ten vampires and ten dogs. Each dog stood beside a vampire, calm and controlled, which made for an eerie, intimidating sight. The vampires and vampire dogs surrounded us, creating an impenetrable ring. We had faced off packs of dogs surrounding us more times that we cared to count. Instinctively, Tristan, Cruto, the Freelancers and I formed our own ring around the humans and, following suit, Hadley, Jamila, Kade, Brielle and the older humans surrounded the youngest in the middle, although I noticed Jael and Yuvan joining Drew and Brownie in the center.