Chapter 11 - The Fox Twins
I was rudely woken by the intercom, beeping in the living area. I looked over at the clock as I crawled out of bed; 12:47am. Who on earth wanted to visit at this hour?
I made my way to the intercom swiftly, despite the darkness.
"Hello?"
"Oh. Um, hi. Sorry to wake you, is this Nina Flynn?" The voice on the other end was female, but beyond that, I had no clue who they were, or what they could possibly want.
"Look, whoever you are, you need to leave."
"Wait, please. I've got a very drunk Mathias. At least let me get him inside first." I took my finger off the intercom and sighed, before pressing the door release button.
Ten minutes later, a knock came on the door, followed my a feminine voice muttering expletives.
As I opened the door, Mathias threw up over the threshold.
"Thanks." I jumped back in time to avoid being covered.
"Sorry Nina. I turned around for a second, and when I turned back, he was as drunk as a skunk." I'd seen the woman carrying Mathias, before; she worked at the pub, though I was almost certain she worked mostly in the kitchen.
"He made the decision to get steaming drunk." I paused for a second, taking the majority of Mathias's weight from the beautiful, mixed-race woman. "Sorry, I don't think I caught you name."
"Nadia."
Nadia stayed to help me clean up the mess Mathias had made, and a cuppa; though she had fallen asleep in the corner of the sofa before the kettle could boil. I gave an amused sigh and shook my head.
I left the kettle to cool, coffee no longer a requirement, and went in search of a blanket for the unexpected guest. It was the least I could do, considering she'd probably stayed hours after her shift to keep an eye on Mathias, and then gone the extra mile to bring him home. I draped my thick winter blanket over the sleeping girl, before making sure the front door was locked and heading back to bed.
"Nina, don't you dare lower that sword! You want to take your rightful place as Huntress, you do exactly as I say!" My arms felt like lead and my shoulders were on fire, i could feel perspiration beading on my forehead, and my breathing quivered. My father had never spoken to me in such a manner, had never raised his voice in anger to any woman, in such a way. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the three senses my father had told me to use.
I focused on the weight of the sword of silver and iron, focused on the way it felt in my grip, countering it into my own weight, making it just an extension to my limbs.
I took another deep breath through my nose, catching each scent the world had to offer. The sweet smell of cherry blossom in the trees, the sharp smell of grass, and the fresh smell of rain that the air promised would fall.
A third inhale of air had me choking on the stench of blood, and death. My eyes shot open, the sight before me knocking me to my knees.
Althena's body in two pieces, a deceivingly peaceful look on her face, Roan was still half shifted from the wolf, my father's sword still lodged in his side. My father lay at my knees, his eyes glassed over and his throat torn out.
I looked up at the face that caused this, Felix. He grinned like a fox, sinew and tendons still hanging from his teeth.
I woke in a cold sweat, panting. It had been many a century since I had dreamt of that night. Even a thousand years on, the memory of that night haunted me; I had lost so much, all in one foul swoop. That night I had lost my father, my betrothed, and my friend, but worst of all, I'd lost my innocence. I had taken my father's sword from Roan's body and with a single, vengeful, cold-blooded swing, took the head off of the vampire. To this day, the memory made me nauseous; I had promised my mother I would never lose my humanity, and the second I took that sword from my betrothed's body, I had broken that promise. I had let the monster in my skin control me, and in that action, gave up any control I might've had.
