The Hunting

Chapter Seven: The Monster

"You're in my room."

Tempest could feel the air escape his lungs. His mind screamed at him to shoot but his body wouldn't obey. He was frozen in fear. Surprisingly, her eyes weren't gold. Though Tempest didn't know what a hybrid was supposed to look like. She looked human. No fangs or pouches of Lycanthropus.

Another thing stopped his thoughts in their tracks, she was so young. She looked around sixteen. Sixteen. Monsters would always be adults. Nokturna would only turn adults because they were more capable. Therians showed early signs of Therianism but only fully changed when they were twenty one. He had never fought a child before, much less a teenager.

He couldn't stop staring. He knew he wasn't hallucinating again because she didn't look exactly like Clara. But her hair and her face... It was only the dark eyes similar to his own that let him know that it wasn't her. For a moment, he was forced back to that day and he could hear Clara's voice loud and clear.

"The baby kicked again."

It wasn't possible. Lord knew how old this hybrid was and the baby was lost only a few years ago. His eyes narrowed and he almost dropped the crossbow.

"I could hear you. It was very clever how you got in. How are you getting out?"

"I haven't got that far yet."

She nodded as if that was perfectly understandable. "You're the hunter that killed Atheia."

Tempest didn't reply.

"You still smell like her." She looked at the ground and sighed. "And you made it here."

"That night, you were behind me. Why didn't you kill me?"

She focused on the weapon and watched it follow her as she moved. "I needed to do something. How did you get here?"

"Your little friend at the village."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she titled her head up as if listening for something.

"Well I'm impressed. Only three other hunters have made it into the castle. You're the first one to break into my room."

He copied her movements as she got up and walked to the curtain. Only darkness entered the room when she pulled it back.

"You won't be able to kill me with that." She smiled sadly, almost disappointed. "Wolfsbane and silver doesn't do it."

His crossbow didn't waver.

She turned back to him and again Tempest was struck with how much she looked like Clara. She closed the distance between them and stood right infront of the crossbow, the arrow pressing lightly into her stomach.

"Go on, try. Kill me."

He didn't move.

"I felt it. When she was dying. I don't know whether that's a hybrid thing or...." Her hands shook, "Lazarus will be mad when he find's out you're here."

"I was told the same thing about you."

She stared into his eyes and for a moment he thought he saw gold swirling beyond her pupils. Then she glided back to the window and Tempest was sure that he was imagining things.

"I'm tired. I'll kill you later if Lazarus doesn't." She sent a half-smile his way. Just two people having a normal conversation about killing each other.

"So Lazarus is in charge?"

She didn't even blink. "Yes."

"And that doesn't bother you?"