Chasing the storm

23

Elijah had slipped out of the compound when Scarlett wasn't looking. He had places to be, wolves to meet, allies to form, enemies to kill. He had a whole list of tasks he needed to complete but he was too distracted with the small mortal girl whom he had gained strong affections for, he couldn't tear himself away.

The orange leaves crunched and broke under his leather shoe as he stepped, taking the sharp, cold air in and breathing out, a visible amount of mist came from his mouth as he did so. Something didn't seem quite right as he stood there in silence.

He could hear the leaves crunch even though his feet were stationary.

Elijah's head snapped to the side as he followed the small sound, but nothing was there. Only trees.

Scarlett had her back up against the bark of the tree, her hand pressed tight over her own mouth, her fingers covering her nostrils so completely no sound was made. She hoped he would move soon, she was struggling for breath.

She quietly slid down the tree, her eyes shutting, and finally she let a breath go. And nothing happened, a small whoosh sound filled her ears, and she finally believed that he had carried on in his trekking.

As she rested her hands down on the dirty, damp floor, she peered her head around and saw nothing but the trees.

Even though she had taken a few breaths after covering her mouth, she could finally breathe. Her heart was racing a mile a minute.

She didn't want to be caught. She didn't want them to know she had climbed out of the window when nobody was looking. She didn't want to know that she purposely followed Elijah down back roads and paths in the bayou, just to see what he was doing. What was the normal day for a vampire? Or was he doing something exciting and not telling her?

Scarlett relaxed, releasing the weight on her arms as she slowly turned back around. But when her nose almost touched Elijah's, she yelped out and jumped completely out of her skin, leaning back, her head hitting the tree.

"You're not smart" Elijah wasn't too impressed with the girl who had mud all over her hands and knees, who was attempting to sneak around after an original vampire "I could hear your heartbeat from a mile away, it's beating out of your chest"

"If you knew I was here, why didn't you just say" She huffed, pushing herself up and trying to brush the mud off the ball of her hands and her jeans "You didn't have to give me the fright of my life, for all I could have known, it would have been..."

"Tristan?" Elijah asked like an over protective father "Because it could have been, or one of his men, and what protection do you have?"

Scarlett looked away for a moment as she unbuttoned her grey coat, pulling out a hand made wooden stake from the side pocket, handing it over to Elijah, who now had his hand out for it. "I made it" she admitted quietly

Elijah took it and placed it into his pocket "I don't want you carrying around any of this, never mind making it" He lectured, and out of all the time he knew Scarlett, this was the first time he actually had been so stern, he felt like her father "You have no idea what you would have walked into!"

"I'm fine aren't i?" she asked, her arms being held out for inspection "Maybe I'm not at the top of Tristan's list, maybe he's forgotten, I can look after myself"

"Wolves" he answered her mental question "You would have walked into a pack of wolves that aren't on our side" he grabbed her arm sharply and began to walk

"Ouch, where are we going?" she asked, putting up a little bit of resistance to Elijah's strength "You're hurting me"

"I'm taking you home" Elijah said, releasing the grip slightly on her upper arm "before we bump into trouble"