Bloody and Wild

Straight to the Heart

A week passed, perhaps the best week Ryder had ever known. Dark thoughts no longer plagued him and old wounds didn't cut so deep. He woke up smiling, her face the first thought in his mind and rolling over he would see her snuggled beside him. Instead of getting up he would hold her a little closer as he relished her comforting scent wrapped around him. For him the eclipse was over and he could once again stand in the sunlight's warmth. 

But for Wade the bitter sting of winter snapped at his tender heart. Lauren knew that he was scared, scared about what would become of them as outcasts and runaways.

Lauren still had her training. Her battles with her father were growing in intensity as he pushed her harder, toying with her fears and insecurities. Her eyes now shone vibrant emerald permanently, flashing in the dark like cat's eyes.

*

"How do I make them go back to normal?" She had asked her father worriedly, hating the sight of her own bewitching gaze in the mirror.

"Another hunter would know. I'm still trying to reach one to help with your training." Lauren had decided to finally ask the question that had been plaguing her for days.

"How come you and mum aren't hunters, and I am?" Her voice trailed off toward the end and she looked uncomfortably at the ground.

"You're our daughter," Christian replied his voice gruff and firm, "that's just how the gene works," he lied smoothly.

*

It was dark and the stars and moon shone brightly casting a milky glow on the treacherous ice on the dirt track. Lauren was dressed lightly, the cold nothing compared to the burning fever beneath her skin. She caught sudden movement to her left and turned sharply, expecting her dad and one of his blades. She gasped, a cloud forming from her breath.

"Mum," she exclaimed in surprise. Mary Fox moved forward from the shadows.

"Hello Lauren," she greeted, smiling kindly but with a glint of hardness in her eyes.

"Where's dad?"

"He let me come instead. I wanted to talk with you." Mary moved silently, her clothes not even rustling in the breeze. She walked passed Lauren and paused beside Robin's motorbike. Her small gloved fingers gently caressed the dark handlebars.

"Okay, I'm listening." Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head expectantly.

"I want to explain why I kept you from the vampire hunting and not your brother-"

Lauren interrupted her, "I've already been over this with dad, it was because you didn't think I was dark enough, that I couldn't handle it." Lauren tapped her foot impatiently on the ground. Mary's eyes flashed dangerously and she took a step toward her.

"No, that was why he didn't tell you." Lauren frowned. "I went along with it because I wanted to, because I wanted something better for you than what I had." Mary stood directly in front of her, standing at the same height. "My parents inducted me into vampire hunting, into the Foxglove society when I was sixteen." Mary's voice shook slightly. "All my friends would complain about homework and talk about boys and parties and I missed that. I had to learn about our ancestry, the legacy and have my training." She ranted rapidly, tears glistening in her eyes. "I was scared all of the time. Scared that one day the vampires I hunted would kill me, all it would have taken was me to lose concentration for just a moment in a fight."

"Mum, I-" Lauren's voice caught in her throat but Mary put a hand up to silence her.

"One night, at a party, my best-friend was killed. Jenifer was from one of the old families too, we were hunting a vampire. We had a plan, we had him weak and defenceless," Mary's face darkened with anger. "But the vampire Russell wasn't alone like we thought. I ran, I ran away and left her. He completely drained her body and I had to pretend that it was an animal attack, a tragic incident and not murder." Lauren was completely speechless. "I didn't want that life for you. I never wanted you to know the same fear that I did." She clasped Lauren's hand, "You can still escape this," Lauren stared wide eyed up at her. "You can still have a normal life."