Under The Starlight (Book Two of Three: The Light Series) (Finished)

Chapter One:

Damn, my head. He sat up slowly, a hand to his forehead. The skin burned beneath icy fingertips. He groaned, taking stock of his body. It was freezing. The wind began to blow, and he shivered. Looking down, he noticed lanky limbs. His hands were large and square, a bit calloused. The ground was cold and hard despite the green grass. All the grass really did was itch his bare skin where the left leg of his jeans had been ripped away. He looked around. Where was he? Better yet, who was he? 

The wind rustled through the treetops above him. The sky was a deep, dark blue, spattered with pinpricks of light. There was no moon to be seen. His gaze lowered to look around him. He was in a small clearing. Pine trees surrounded him. Aside from him, there was nothing but a small pool. He stood, surprisingly steady. He flexed his fingers as he tested each body part. Every movement was fluid, unhindered. He felt good. Nodding, he walked over to the water.

He knelt down, leaning over so he could see his reflection. Striking blue eyes stared back at him. He ran a hand through muddy river brown hair. It was soft. He removed his hand and his hair fell back to settle in a straight line against his jaw.

He ran a hand over his jaw. His face didn't look right. He didn't recognize the man in the reflection. Like he'd never seen himself before. Maybe he hadn't.

A loud crash echoed throughout the clearing. He spun around quickly, falling immediately into a fighting stance. Slowly, he made his way back to where he had begun. The first crash was followed quickly by another one, then another, then another. Each one louder than the last. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see what was coming.

A dark shape emerged from the shadows moments before it crashed into him. The shape snarled, he growled in return. The two went spinning through the air, snapping and ripping at each other. He wasn't sure how he knew what to do, but each hit felt natural.

The two separated, sliding apart. The dust began to clear. Across from him was an incredibly large black wolf-like creature. It poised, clawed hands perched lightly, barely brushing the ground. Sharp teeth were bared in a low snarl.

Something about the creature seemed so... Familiar. He couldn't bring himself to fight it. After the initial shock wore off, a small sense of comfort washed over him. Not taking his eyes from the creatures, he slowly straightened.

The creatures snarl faded as he carefully brought his hands up. "Hello," he spoke for the first time. His voice was deep, and it surprised him a bit. What surprised him more, however, was the creatures reaction. It froze, large, red eyes staring at him unblinkingly. He watched as the creature straightened. It's eyes closed. The black fur began to recede, it's tall stature shrank, shrank, shrank down to a small woman. Black fur turned to long, golden blond hair and pale, creamy skin. Clawed hands morphed to dainty fingers.

The transformation was quick. Her eyes opened, no longer red but instead a faded blue. The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the silence was broken.

She crossed her arms over her bare chest. "Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed at him. His head stung as a female voice echoed faintly in his head. T...obi... He brought a hand up and rubbed his temple. "Ah... Tobi?" He guessed. It sounded... Okay?

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Goodbye Tobi." She turned and started running again, turning back into the creature. Tobi's eyes widened and he darted after her. "What?! No! Wait! Please!" He held his hand up in an attempt to grab her, but she was already gone. "No!"

Desperation tore at his gut as he took off after the girl. He couldn't explain it, he didn't know who she was, but he couldn't be away from her. A sob tore from his throat as he tore off after her.

Wait!

Tobi tore through the forest after the creature rapidly outdistancing him. The farther away she got, the greater the desperation inside him became. His heart beat rapidly in his ears. His vision started to blur, his breaths came in shorter gasps. He stumbled and fell forward onto his knees. He placed a hand over his heart. What was happening? He could feel himself fading. He kept his gaze on her. Sadness came over him. Just as the creature started to fade from his sight, she stumbled and hit the ground. Panic quickly replaced his melancholy, and he bolted from the ground, hurtling towards her as fast as he could.

The closer he got to her, the stronger he felt. His breathing steadied out, his heart thundered in his chest, his vision returned. As he drew closer to her, she started to run again. He clenched his teeth and chased after her. She held the edge with speed, but every time she started to fade from his view the symptoms returned. The fading vision, the halting breath. It was like they couldn't be without each other. That was fine with him. He didn't want her to go.

She fell yet again, and this time she didn't get back up. He picked up his pace. After a few moments, he broke through the trees. She was on the ground now, a woman again. He skidded to his knees next to her, shrugging out of the tattered jacket and laying it over her. "Hey! Are you okay?!" He kept his hands on her shoulders, worry in his eyes. She sat up, shrugging him off.

"I'm fine." She snapped, but she didn't seem to move. She glared at him. "Who the hell are you?"

He smiled at her. "Tobi."

She scoffed. "Yeah, I got that. Why are you here?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. All I remember is waking up in that clearing. Who are you?" He leaned forward, intensely curious about the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Fang," She snapped. She turned to glare at him again. He didn't mind. "What have you done?" She demanded.

He cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

She jabbed her finger into his shoulder. "Why do I start to pass out as soon as I got away from you?" She demanded an answer he didn't have.

"You too?" He asked softly.

She threw her hands up in the air. "Great! I'm lost who knows where with some random guy I literally can't get away from and I have no connection with the coven!" She stood, pacing as she ranted furiously. He averted his eyes. Even with his jacket, she was still very much naked.

He stood as well, placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure we'll figure-" Before either of them knew what was happening, something had slammed into Tobi. He rolled a few times, something, someone on top of him. When they finally settled, he was laying on the ground. A slender figure straddled him, lifting his chest slightly off the ground with the fist clenched in his shirt. The other fist had drawn back, ready to strike.

Before the mysterious figure could strike, Fang had grabbed hold of the collar of their shirt and pulled them off Tobi. He saw them clearly now. The man had deep blue eyes that had trained onto Fang, a quirk in his lips that made Tobi clench his jaw. He had windswept, dark blond hair. He was a good looking man. The stranger stepped forward and pulled Fang into his arms. Even worse, Fang melted into his embrace, her hands coming up to clutch at his back. "Caleb," She whispered.

Tobi stood, something unknown rising up in his gut. He cleared his throat. The two pulled apart, and the man took a protective stance in front of Fang. His eyes met Tobi's and they stood there, glaring each other down. Tobi hardly registered as Fang took a bag from Caleb's shoulder and started rummaging through it.

He didn't know who this person was, but he didn't like him. At all.