The Hybrid's Assassin

Twelve

I heard the screams first.

Bloodcurdling high pitched screams.

I was so far out in the woods I was surprised that the sounds found my ears. Yet they did. That in itself spoke volumes to me.

I ran. Further and faster than I had ran before, adrenalin powering me on. The second those screams had sliced their way through the crisp air some part of me, something still animal, seized control of my body and propelled me as far away from the screams as manageable.

My legs were numb and my lungs burned, but alas my head could not register these mundane sensations.

Move. Move. Move.

One step. Two steps. Three.

Faster. Faster.

The taste of air was like hot acid down my throat, yet for some reason I couldn't stop moving.

Some part of me sensed that I had to be as far away as possible. Some part of me knew that it wasn't safe.

Fear blinded my senses, I couldn't process anything.

Before I knew it I was on the ground, my feet twisted in dense thicket and leaves surrounding my face, scratching my skin with every subtle move made.

I lay still for a few moments, nothing filling the air but my harsh breathing. All other sounds were absent.

There was nothing.

Not even any birds.

Holding my breath I strained to listen.

The silence was eerie.

Taking that as my note I climbed to my feet and weaved through the plants surrounding me. I wasn't sure what had overcome me in that moment, what had spurred such fear, but it was a reckless decision to travel by foot and I was now heavily regretting it. My scent would be all over this area.

I moved to climb a tree, positioning my foot in a hollow and working towards hoisting my body up.

I had barely climbed a few feet before it happened.

His hands were on my body, sending a vast array of sparks through his fingertips that danced across my skin like a wildfire.

I gasped, and in a space of time quicker than I could comprehend he had turned me around, his hand on my throat and his hard body pinning me against the tree I hadn't been given the chance to scale. His teeth grazed my throat more a warning than a threat and his hand tightened ever so slightly. My breathing not quite restricted.

"Domitius."

The word left my mouth sounding broken, yet his face seemed to register the sound. His head tilted slightly to the side and a malicious smirk formed on his face. "I want to know how you sound when you moan that, litatio. I bet that it would sound délicieux."

I couldn't suppress the shiver that tore down my spine and his dark eyes narrowed with the realisation of a small victory.

"She woke me up." He growled. "But it wasn't her that I wanted. It was you."

His hand loosened around my throat.

"And you weren't there. Because you had decided to leave me." He barred his teeth, which were slightly more pointed than what could be considered normal. "You decided to run away."

He laughed quietly, the action stirring the little strands of hair that framed my face.

"You are mine."