Saint

One

"Harder."

The whip slashes through the air, striking my skin with a sharp, searing pain that feels like fire. I gasp as it digs in, the leather biting deeper. Instinctively, I bite down on my tongue, the taste of blood flooding in my mouth.

"Again."

This time when the whip connects with my skin, I lean my head forward and shut my eyes. A momentary lapse of weakness is what he wanted from me. Any form of a break was enough for him to deem it punishable.

"That's enough for now, we'll return to training within a couple hours."

"Yes father," I say, waiting for the restraints around my wrist to be removed.

The sound of the lock clicking on my chains, sends a shiver down my spine, the metallic noise echoing in the silence.

"Lean into me," I hear from a familiar voice as a hand wraps around my waist, warm and firm, pulling me closer.

I tilt my head back, the weight of my lashes heavy as I look up at Jake through hooded eyes. "You and I both know that if he sees you helping me, he'll whip me again."

"How does he expect you to walk when he whips you near to death?" He sneers, his nose turning up in disgust.

"I manage to walk out of here everyday, today will be no different."

I reach for his arm, gripping it tightly as I push myself up. A sharp pain shoots through my back, radiating down my arms and legs, each pulse a harsh reminder of my limits. I grit my teeth, willing myself to push through it, refusing to stop.

He was watching me and nothing was more comforting to him than my pain.

"See?"

"You can't fool me, Winter Eisher."

"Who said I was trying?"

Once I was able to stand on my own, I remove my hand from Jake's arm. The more active I get, the quicker I could heal so without hesitation I follow behind Jake to leave the room. My father believes in hardcore training, pain was the only way to enstill in someone that they would ensure a victory. Power and victory is all that mattered to him and he would do anything and everything to achieve it.

As I push the door open, a rush of sunlight floods in, bright and overwhelming. I raise my hand to shield my eyes against the light that spilled into the dimness behind me. The warmth envelops me, a stark contrast to the coolness I'd just felt.

It was going to be a long walk back to the coven house and I knew with my injuries that I would only slow Jake down.

"Why don't you go ahead of me? There's something I need to do before I head back," I suggest.

Jake turns to face me, his eyebrows pushed together as he stares down at me. "You sure? I have no problem walking with you."

I glance behind him and nod my head yes.

"Alright, just be back before dark."

"I promise," I say, with a half smile.

I watch Jake as he walks away, fading into the distance the further he away he gets. The forest cages me in a soothing silence, the kind that wraps around you like a soft blanket. As I walk, the towering trees form a canopy above, their leaves whispering gently in the breeze. Sunlight filters through the cracks, casting dappled patterns on the ground that dance with each step I take.

Nature sure knew how to take the good with the bad. I wish I was more like Mother Nature, she adapted to different ecosystems in ways that made me wish I was more flexible like her. Instead I'm forever frozen and unchanging. Before the curse of vampires we were regular humans. No supernatural creatures, no anything. When I was younger, I enjoyed the stories of how we evolved and became something stronger. Now I would give anything to be more fragile, even if it meant losing who I am currently.

I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool, crisp air, and then exhale slowly, feeing the tension leave my body. I run a hand through my hair, fingers gliding through the strands. Honestly, I would love to be anyone but me, I'd settle for a regular old vampire if I could. Fate on the other hand had other plans for me, I was deemed the predestined child born to the founding fathers of my coven.

The founding fathers are the head leaders of the covens and each coven beared their own leaders. Children of the night were born by transformation while I was conceived through birth. There were no other children born the way I was and because of that, it made me more of an outcast than family.

I was kept away for most of my life, trained to be a solider in army that my father saw as his greatest assets. Well, that was until my sixteenth birthday when my ability first came into focus. The second I was able to master my power, my father had no use for his army because he had me. His greatest weapon.

To this day I've undergone training after training and all of it, is so that he can gain power and influence. He doesn't give a shit about me. He never did.

The roar of the waves crashing against the rocks below pulls me from my thoughts, a powerful symphony that fills the air. The waves break with a force that vibrate through my bones, drowning out everything else. I move closer to the edge of the cliff, letting the soft push of the wind tip me over as I free fall into the awaiting water below.

As I slip beneath the surface, the water encases me in a heated embrace, a comforting difference to the air above. Sinking deeper, I feel the gentle weight of the water around me, and I let my body relax. Gazing up, the light filters through, creating shimmering patterns that dance on the surface.

The bleeding should have stopped by now, so by the time I arrive, I should be able to sneak past the guards and hide somewhere my father nor anyone else could find me. I think I deserve at least a night of no training. He owed me that, at least.

I break the surface, wiping at my face, brushing away the lingering water droplets.

"If only.."