Another's Demise

Fighting With Purpose

Cameron

It was our own bickering that would be our downfall.

I had found her, body pressed up against a tree, watching Laurier like a hawk.

I had heard his sordid remark and it had taken everything in me not to shoot him then and there. The only thing that had stopped me was the burning rage in Alara's eyes, I knew she would have shot and revealed her location, a different thing entirely to if I had shot. I couldn't let her reveal herself, but it appeared we were our own worst enemy.

The bullet hailed down, as she swerved out of the way, running down the slope of the ground, skidding to a halt at the base of an ancient tree.

She kicked loose pebbles to the side, and brought her eyes to mine.

Silent words telling me to work with her.

And I would.

I turned my own body flush against a thicket of trees, as I saw the first of the Bloodhounds, run to Laurier.

"She's here, but there's someone with her."

"Surely not Grayson, she would rather die than accept his help."

My grip tightened around my gun, whilst my mind told me of how she trusted me, how it was me she had called when she had realised that there was something dangerous about her biological father.

Words from the arrogant prick Laurier would not end that.

"Her friends then? The tall boy and the mad woman?"

Mel and Leo were who he meant, he always did have a distaste for my inner circle.

I felt rage like nothing else as he spoke further, "Kill them all, and save her for me. She dies and I kill you all, we cannot get the diamond without her."

"I don't understand why we don't cut it off her."

And I nearly broke then, a fury like blazing fire igniting in my bones. I lurched forward, but Alara was beside me in seconds, her hands encircling mine as she silently shook her head.

Her eyes caught mine, a wondering brown that implored me to listen to her silent command.

I was silenced by a single look from her.

The control she had over me was infallible.

"Cut it off her?" Dane seethed, "Do you think we would have wasted all these resources if we could just cut it off her. Desmond Mortello was not so stupid that he would not think of that. It needs a life source to survive. Blood to pump through that body of hers, or the location is lost."

That was a new piece of information, that Alara consumed as though it was water itself.

"So that's why..." she murmured.

"We need to leave," I spoke softly as I saw Laurier's men spread out, each taking a different edge of the property, some exploring the decrepit building others surveying the forested area.

"I'm not leaving until he pays for what he did. What he did to us. To you."

"What? Alara, you didn't even care what happened to me, you didn't care. If you cared we-"

"Don't you dare. Of course, I fucking care. That's why it hurts. And I need to get rid of that. We would have been fine if it wasn't for him. For him and his scheming. We would have been fine."

I stared down at her, the shimmer in her eyes, the spilling of emotion I knew she wanted to keep inside, but had flooded out by his calculated words, "Would we? Would we have been fine?"

Her eyes shatter before me, splintering off and plunging deep into me, "You're right. You're damn right."

Before I could grip her, she ran forward, slipping between the trees.

"This way!" I heard the cries of our assailants.

I couldn't let them go after her, I knew nothing of her plan, but she was volatile like this.

I pulled my gun, sounding off a shot in the air, a clear and precise sound that collapsed the pounding footsteps.

"I'm sorry," my voice whispered to her, as I pushed myself into the clearing, the men's eyes on me and no longer looking for her.

"You'll have to settle for me, Laurier. Alara never got your message, but I did."

"Grayson," he all but snarled.

"At your service," I pointed my gun straight at him, a clear shot and he would cease to exist.

I heard the click of guns, ready and primed to spray with bullets, hunger in their eyes, all of them wanting to be rid of me.

"Don't shoot." Laurier carved his way towards me, "We can use him."

"For what?" I spat, I could feel Alara's eyes on me, and I imagined their worry, those honey-brown eyes that always told you her thoughts, a pool of gold to slip into.

Her eyes would keep me going, even if they shattered at my words. She still felt it all, somewhere deep inside her.

"She will come for him, the Blood Queen, needs her bitch."

I swallowed the laugh that fought to be released, settling for an unperturbed smirk, "Oh she'll love that."

My gun did not waver, "Lower your weapon or they'll make sure you're incapacitated," he nodded his head over to his soldiers, all eager to rip through my flesh with their bullets.

I lifted my hands in mock defeat, pretending to lower my gun before flipping it between my fingers and pulling the trigger, it was a false shot, one to cause chaos, only grazing Laurier but as he hissed in pain, his lackeys did not know what to do.

Half ran to his aid, not knowing that the flesh wound I had given their leader was merely for show, a lot of blood to cause panic but no permanent damage.

That I would save for later.

The smarter of the group barrelled towards me, but I already knew their bullets were low from the unceremonious shooting their had done into the darkness of the forest hitting nothing but bark.

They tried to hit me with their bullets, but were too wary of hitting their comrades, that leaned forward towards me, three shots and half of them were dead on the ground.

The other three, paled as I stalked over to them, their guns empty from wayward shots, fiddling with cartridges to re-load.

"Should have brough the Duplicitous with you," the howl of pain at my fourth victim punctuating my point, "The Bloodhounds have always been incapable."

Dane launched forward, but made it no farther than few feet, as a bullet cried through the air.

"That, is for calling me mad."