Taking What's His

Chapter Seven

{ Ashton's POV }

"--Was she asleep when you left?" I asked, not turning to face Ruby who I knew was right behind me. "Yes, although it took a while for her to finally settle down. She got a call from one of her friends in California and she was on the phone for a good hour or so." Ruby replied dryly, falling into step next to me as we approached the edge dark forest. We stood silently assessing the murky, black overgrowth, not even our enhanced vision being able to penetrate the darkness that cloaked it.

"So who do you think lives in there?" Ruby asked nonchalantly as she examined the newly done polish on her nails. "If I had any idea then we wouldn't be out here Ruby, now would we?" I growled out, becoming more irritated than I already was. She shrugged, muttering under her breath about how touchy I was about the matter. She shouldn't have expected less. Delilah came stumbling out of the forest today with the scent of another vampire on her--and since Ruby and I were supposedly the only vampires occupying this town, we needed to find out who was on our turf.

More so then that, I didn't like the fact that some other predator was around Delilah...and no doubt hunting her for that matter. No vampire would resist the smell of her blood--so I knew for a fact that if the vampire residing here has let her twice walk out unscathed, they were playing some kind of game. A game I needed to put a stop to. "Don't get separated from me. If you get lost I'm not coming after you." I grunted as I stepped into the forest.

"I won't--but even if I did, you would have to find me. Delilah wouldn't take losing me very well." she laughed as she followed behind me, keeping close despite her words. The whole aura of the forest seemed to shift and change as we stepped in between those first trees. Gone were the calls and sounds of the nocturnal animals, and the velvety blackness of the sky disappeared. A thick fog enveloped the air, and the trees seemed to create a humongous canopy overhead, blocking out the moonlight.

"Well, there's definitely an enchantment of some sort on this forest. We must be dealing with quite the powerful vampire." Ruby voiced as we continued through the thick mist. I nodded in response. It was no wonder Delilah got lost in here. Once you step foot inside, you were trapped until you were aloud to leave--or eaten. "Well, I hope whoever lives here comes out to meet us, because I don't fancy wandering around this damn forest all night." she huffed in a childlike tone.

"Ruby, could you do me a favor and shut the fuck up?" I snapped, in no mood for her banter. We moved silently through the woods, our acute ears straining themselves even more so to listen out for any sound made by the living, or the dead. I stopped in my tracks, and Ruby halted behind me, only inches away from crashing into my back. "--Do you smell that?" I growled out, my body become tense as the scent invaded all of my senses. Ruby sniffed the air.

"That's--impossible." she gasped, her head whipping around wildly as she tried to locate the scent. It was impossible. Or at least it should have been. The scent was definitely there, and it was close too. The overwhelming, mouthwatering, tantalizing scent of Delilah...and the burning, crimson liquid that coursed through her veins. My fangs pushed through my gums and ached painfully as the smell of her blood washed over me, and I could tell the same was happening to Ruby.

Delilah was here, and if we could smell her blood this clearly, it was obvious that she was hurt. Her scent was most prominent due north, and Ruby and I took off, easily scaling obstacles as we ran as quickly as our powers allowed us towards Delilah's location. We heard her first. We followed her whimpers through the dark, and through the thick, suffocating fog we could see a light. It was a cabin placed in the middle of the woods, and it was surrounded by a soft yellow light that seemed almost welcoming, although it was anything but that.

"Delilah!" I yelled out, relived but angered at the sight of her here in the middle of the forest. A light chuckle drew my attention, and I snarled viciously as I looked upon the vampire that held her in it's grip. It was the man Delilah had described she had stumbled upon, the one that lead her out of the forest twice before. It was his scent that I picked up all over her earlier today. He was the one I must hunt, must kill. My fangs protruded past my lips as I hissed, threatening him.

Ruby took a similar stance next to me, ready to attack when I was. My eyes flickered from the man to Delilah, and I drank the sight of her in like a man dying of thirst drinks from a well. I now knew why the smell of her blood was so strong. The man had a tight grip on Delilah's left wrist, and he held it out in front of him, her palm facing upwards and covered in blood. A small knife in his other hand had her blood on it; he had sliced her palm, bringing her blood bubbling to the surface to lure us here.

Delilah looked upon what monsters we truly were, and she sunk back into the man's grasp, much to my displeasure. "Frightening creatures aren't they?" the man chuckled, letting go of her wrist and using his free hand to smooth down her hair. "Don't touch her." I growled, taking a step towards him. Delilah let out another whimper, and her face twisted in fear. We could all clearly hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest, as we could the blood rushing like a wild river through her veins.

"Tsk. You're scaring the poor child. How rude of you." the man scolded, giving her paler than usual cheek a small pat. "Who are you?" Ruby asked, stepping up besides me. "My name is Cyril." he replied simply. '...Does that name ring a bell at all?' Ruby mind-linked me, not taking her eyes off of Cyril and Delilah. 'No--I've never heard of him. It doesn't matter who he is anyway. All that matters is that we get him away from Delilah.' I replied. I noted the small nod of her head from the corner of my eye. Cyril's eyes narrowed at us as we took a minuscule step closer, and his grip on Delilah loosened.

"I think we've given her enough of a fright for one night, don't you?" he asked us, turning Delilah to face him. He caressed her cheek delicately, a smile on his face. "It is time for you to return home now dear. The forest will release you." His eyes drifted to us. "Make sure to lock your doors once you get inside. Run along now." He broke eye contact as his compulsion took effect, and once he released her, Delilah took off running. Ruby moved to go after her but Cyril blocked her path, shaking his head.

"I think the three of us need to have a little chat before you go chasing after her." he said, clapping his hands together. I turned my full attention to him, my fangs itching to tear into his neck and rip his fucking head off. "Talk." I spat out, taking a threatening step towards him. Ruby blocked him from behind, angling herself to pounce. "Why haven't you bitten Delilah yet?" Ruby asked, more out of curiosity than trying to extract information. "I refuse to scare the poor child. I'd rather her know of the existence of vampires and be alright with it before I bite her." he answered, a thin smile forming on his pale lips.

"Why go through all that trouble for a normal girl?" I asked with a snort, not understanding his logic at all. "Her normalcy is an illusion. Each person is utterly unique, including Delilah, by an extreme." He raised the knife that still glistened with her blood and brought it to his lips, a wide smile forming as he tongue darted out to taste it. "She's even more delicious then he was...interesting." I let out a warning growl and took a step closer. "Oh hush boy. You're a vampire, not a werewolf." he snapped, tossing the knife at me and missing as I moved out of the way.

"I have a simple task for you two, and if you can complete it, I won't kill you. I merely need you to make Delilah comfortable with vampires--to the point where she won't break out into hysteria if she laid eyes on one. Do not touch her, do not drink from her--merely make her to where she is no longer frightened of us." he instructed us, as if we were going to do as he bid. "And why should we?" Ruby snarled, circling around him. "Well, if you don't, there is a good chance that she'll never talk to you again. She might even make such a drastic move to leave Woodbine, and the last thing we need is her out of our sights." Cyril explained.

"I think she means to ask why should we do it for you." I said dryly, straightening out of my offensive pose. "That is irrelevant. Just know that if you fail, I will not hesitate to kill you both. Remember now, you cannot touch her, nor drink from her. She is mine." he whispered, his eyes glowing a pulsing crimson colour as the fog swirled around him. He then disappeared, as did the cabin, and Ruby and I were soon left in the forest that was once again back to it's normal state. "...What an insufferable prick." Ruby snorted before beginning to make her way out of the woods.

"Ashton--are you coming?" she asked as she turned back to look at me. Her eyes widened as she took in my enraged expression, and she took a step back, and she should. 'Ashton...calm down. We need to get to Delilah.' she mind-linked. 'Did you hear him Ruby?! He said she was his!' I snapped, my thoughts taking a violent and bloody turn. 'I did, and that's not going to happen. Come on now, we need to get to Delilah. We don't even know if she made it home safe.' she said once again, trying to soothe the raging beast inside me. Her words did calm me, but only a bit. I nodded and we raced to Delilah's house, my mind already churning with ways to kill and dispose of the vampire Cyril who dared to say what was mine was his.