Vampire Princess

Chapter 6

"Are we there yet?" I ask as we walk uphill in the blistering mid-morning sun.

"You're acting like a five year old," Daniel yells from in front of me.

"It’s way too hot for walking," I complain while tugging at the restraining fabric of my dress that is now covered in dirt and stray leaves. "Seriously, when are we going to get there?"

"It's just over the river and through the woods," Chloe says from behind.

"And you call me immature?" I ask incredulously glaring at Daniel. I gesture to Chloe who was smiling as she walked humming an unidentifiable song to herself. He simply nods looking at me like I was the insane one.

"Isn't that what I just said?" he asked.

"You see her right?" I point towards the brunette as she skipped along happily dancing to the music that existed only in her head. The morning sun didn't seem to affect her as much as it did me as she just kept moving normally staring at all the birds and small animals that darted across the path whilst grinning happily when a squirrel rushed over her feet.

"She's a little..." he began searching for the right word "…playful," he finally finished.”But she's one of the best fighters I know and you act more childish than she does."

"I am not childish!" I huff indigently, stomping my foot. He arches his eyebrow slightly at me and I sigh. "Okay, maybe a little," I concede. 

"Only a little?" he teased.

"Yes, a little," I say aiming a soft slap at his arm before he could say anything else. He chuckled and grinned as he danced  away from my hand before it made contact.

"Hey," Chloe yelled jogging up behind us. "Why don't we hang out there for a while?" she suggested pointing towards a sparkling blue lake ringed with trees. It looked like it came out of a storybook, definitely not something you would expect to see in real life when you're running from killers.

"It's shady and we can stay until it gets cooler and you two won't have as much trouble walking." I have no idea how she figured out that I was uncomfortable in the sun but somehow she had and now that I looked I could tell that Daniel was struggling as well.

We both look to him pleadingly until he sighs in defeat. "Fine," he says brushing hair out of his eyes. Chloe and I high five grinning madly.

"First one to the lake wins!" I scream taking off at a mad dash uphill. My ruined dress flapped out behind me like a cape as I ran past the green trees on the side of the path. Wind whipped my unruly hair back as I sped over the top of the hill slowing to a walk as I went down the steep incline. Chloe was right behind me laughing joyously as Daniel struggled behind.

He was running barefoot holding his dress shoes in his left hand as he chased us down the hill. "No fair!" Chloe yelled to me flying down like a bat out of hell. She whipped past me in seconds and I yelled indigently. I break into a run as she flies past the trees towards the shoreline and don't even notice Daniel behind me anymore until he screams.

I freeze momentarily adrenaline coursing through me before I whip around scanning the area quickly. I spot Daniel further up the hill and an undistinguishable person with him. Even with my heightened senses I can't make out any identifying features. All I can see is a blurred shadow shaped vaguely like a person. "Daniel!" I shriek as the figure pushes him at lightning fast speed sending him tumbling down the steep incline headfirst. 

All of a sudden Chloe is rushing up behind me breathing heavily, her eyes wild as she dashes up towards the shadow. I stay rooted in place as she reaches him in under a second and strikes a quick blow to their face. She jabs quickly at him as I watch awed and fearful at her fighting skills. It's like a beautiful yet terrible dance. The breath caught in my throat as the figure shook himself and pulled a glittering object out from the folds of his black clothes.

 A knife.  

"Look out!" I scream lunging forward as he jumps towards her. I can't look away no matter how much the thought of seeing someone else die sickens me. Chloe spins away like a ballerina as the knife plunges down only nicking her arm a bit. I sigh in relief before I spot something else. 

Daniel is back on his feet and heading towards the two locked in battle. 

I run forward before he can take more than two steps and latch onto his arm like a vice. "What are you doing?" I ask in panic mode as he fights against my grip. "Are you out of your mind?'

"I'm going to help Chloe before she gets hurt" he says without looking at me. His voice is tightly controlled, like it only becomes when he's angry or scared. He turns his gaze towards me and I nearly drop his arm in shock. His eyes are completely black and burn with some unearthly fire deep inside. This is why people are terrified by vampires. When my kind get angry or feel threatened our features change. Our eyes turn solid black or red and fangs come out. Chloe and Daniel have both reached that point and I probably have too and it terrifies me. I've been taught to control it from a young age and losing all my composure in under twenty four hours is daunting.

The sound of running catches our attention and we turn quickly enough to see the shadow retreating into the trees and Chloe lying on the ground bleeding. “Oh my god," I whisper too terrified to raise my voice. I drop Daniel and run to her dropping to my knees not even caring about the blood. 

"Chloe," Daniel says, next to me now. "If you can hear me please open your eyes." I take her rough hand in my own smaller, smooth one and squeeze gently. I stare down at her unmoving form hoping that she would show some sign of life. Anything that would tell us that she was still here.

“Please, Chloe,” I whisper fighting back the tears that prickled behind my eyes. “I can’t lose you too. Please!” Daniel kneels next to me observing quietly.

“Nicole,” he says gently. “We can’t help her here. Our best option would be to get her to safety and get ourselves out of the open.” I nod slowly staring down at her face. She really is pretty with her sharp features and long eyelashes. She looked peaceful, almost like she was asleep. “Let’s go.” Daniel gently pulled me to my feet and then reached down to pick up Chloe. He cradled her like a baby not even showing any strain as he began to walk. He didn’t even pause at the lake and made sure to keep to the paths as he went, with me following close behind.

"Wait," I say spotting something. "What's that?" I point to something white in Chloe's clenched pale fist. 

"Looks like paper," Daniel says. "Can you get it?"

I hesitantly nod and reach out to grasp the scrap of paper. I gently pry her fingers open to remove it from her death grip and then unfold it. "Looks like someone left us a message. I wonder why they would use red ink?"

"Cole ," Daniel says. "That isn't ink." I look at him wide eyed for a moment before I gingerly smooth the paper out, carefully avoiding the messy, crimson script. 

"Don't meddle in the affairs of the Garde du Nuit, child. You understand not what you deal with. We were merciful with your Guard but if you or any of yours disrupt our business we shall deal with you in the same way we delt with your grandfather." I slowly looked up from the note and glanced over my shoulder nervously. "Are these the people that attacked at the party?" I ask Daniel. 

"They're not people," he said, jaw set, as he begins walking again.

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I am so sorry this chapter took so long to get posted. Updates should come more often now that I have a 2 week break from school. Thanks for staying with the story!

-Shannon <3