Destined Part I

A Fury

Haiden and Cain sprinted through the forest, across the snowy ground, their feet moving silently on top of the frozen grass. Both their eyes darted wildly from side to side, searching for an animal that they could make their prey.

When they spotted the grizzly, simultaneously they lunged for him, both smacking into his side viciously.

The bear let out a growl, spinning around, nearly throwing the men off its back. It tried to run, making it a few steps before Haiden and Cain gained control. They sank their teeth into his hide, drinking the blood as it flowed steadily, satisfying their hunger, and both gulping loudly.

When both men were finished feeding, they hopped off the bear, landing gracefully on their feet. They sat for a brief moment, catching their breath from the fight before either one of them spoke.

“How much do you want to bet that ours was bigger?” Cain asked Haiden as he wiped his mouth from the feast, his breath finally steady.

Haiden smiled mischievously, brushing off his jacket with his long fingers.

“Adia’s good, but she’s not that good,” he joked, feeling confident in their victory.

Suddenly, without warning, Haiden’s entire body jerked violently, forcing him to the ground where he landed roughly on his knees. He pressed his hand against his chest and braced himself with his other on the ground as Cain rushed over to his side.

“Haiden!” he yelled, only inches from his brother. “What is it? Talk to me!”

Cain was shaking, the sight of his brother being brought to his knees in pain was impossible to look at.

He knew that it had to be something terrible if Haiden was suffering like this.

Haiden just sat there, his eyes glassed over, holding onto his neck protectively, his breath coming fast and uneven.

“Something’s happened to Adia,” he said, breaking the long silence that was sizzling the air.

Cain grabbed him by the arms, jerking him to his feet, and shook him ferociously to clear his head.

“What is she feeling, Haiden?” he demanded.

Haiden closed his eyes, trying to make the connection, fighting the stinging pain he was imagining in his throat.

“She was afraid, terrified. Then there was a piercing sensation.”

He lifted his hand again instinctively.

“She has been bitten,” he growled, looking up at Cain with malice in his eyes. “Madeline.”

In less than a heartbeat, the two were running wildly, sprinting toward the clearing where Adia and Madeline were hunting.

When they discovered the bear lying on the ground, they knew that they had the right place. Haiden slid to a stop at the blood on the ground a few feet away from their catch.

“This is Adia’s blood isn’t it?” Cain asked, his voice trembling with rage. “What is she feeling now, Haiden?”

Cain turned to his brother.

“Nothing. There is nothing,” he answered, his voice a distant echo in his own ears.

“We need to go home, immediately. We have to get Kristopher and Marcus. At the ball Madeline said that she was from Paris,” he insisted, Haiden glancing up at him with a blank look on his face. “She must be part of the clan, and we can’t fight all of them alone.”

All of the fury and vengeance that had ever existed inside Haiden’s heart bubbled to the surface now, mixing to create a deadly combination.

His fists were clinched by his side, the veins nearly popping out of every portion of his skin.

He thought of his angel, of the girl he loved, folded limply across Madeline’s arms, blood draining from her neck as the wounds fought to close.

His eyes were murderous now and he leaned his head back, roaring so loudly the entire forest felt the blow.

He turned to Cain and in an instant they were gone, rushing home to notify the others.