Chapter Six
Waking up with the sun in my eyes wasn't really my idea of a good way to start the day. With a groan I threw the covers over my head. Stomping down the stairs I was greeted by Anna's hug that automatically brought a smile to my face. Jake and Carla sat on the couch watching the television, I noticed the show as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"Morning stranger." Jake said standing up and turning towards me. His hair was styled in a fashion so that it spiked up in the back yet still hung floppy in a strait line over his eyes. He gave me a smile that brought a blush to my cheeks. He was dressed in his usual attire, black T-shirt, and black jeans, though he lacked his usual spikes, studs, and chains. “Hungry?”
“A little.”
Jake went into the kitchen and pulled a box of cereal down from the cabinets above the microwave. “Hope you like Fruit Loops! Not much of a cook.” he gave me a half smile that made my heart flutter.
“It’s fine.” I smiled and sat at the mini-bar. A bowl of cereal was slid in front of me and I had to catch a flying spoon before Jake sat beside me. We sat there for a while, me eating the Fruit Loops, him twiddling his thumbs. A loud scream and a crash from the living room made both Jake and me jump out of our seats and run to the parlor.
Anna was laying on her back on the floor close to the entrance to the kitchen. A strange man stood over her with a dagger pointed at her throat. She sobbed as I ran to her side to pick her up.
“Iris!” Jake called running after me. As I kneeled over Anna a slap to my cheek sent me flying away.
“Leave her be.” Two voices called, one gruff and a slight whisper following it. “She’ll be safe. You.” The cloaked person pointed a bony finger at me as I struggled to stand. “Come with me. Right now.”
Some how the finger that pointed at my drew me in. I found myself walking towards it in slow, hesitant strides. I could hear a distant voice calling for me and something was tugging at my shirt. Who wanted my attention? Everything in front of me started to swirl. Everything but the cloaked figure standing in front of me. Who was it? Was it a man or a woman? The voice was gruff enough to be male but the stance was feminine. Without telling myself to I slowly lifted my arm. What am I doing? Closing the distance between me and the figure standing before me I couldn’t stop moving. A dizziness was flowing throughout my body yet it never reached my head.
A force much greater than myself slammed into me and I was flung to the side. The swirling of the room and wave of dizziness ceased in an instant and a growl tore through the air. As I lifted myself up on my elbows my head swam. I put a hand to my skull and looked up. The image in front of me blurred for a moment and quickly came into focus. Jake stood in front of the cloaked figure, who’s cloak was now ripped to shreds yet the hood stayed in tact and covered it’s head, crouching and snarling. His canine teeth were sharp, his top ones poking into his bottom lip. His hair wasn’t covering his eyes anymore, now it was a ruffled mess on his forehead. His eyes were glowing, actually glowing blue. Not quite the blue I had seen in the eyes of the beast, wolf, from the kitchen it was a shade darker. A cry from Anna got my attention and dizzily I rushed over to pick her up.
“Ambrotos,” The gruff whisper spoke. “Leave her be. She is to come with me. You know of the prophecy. You.” The bony finger pointed at my once more. This time I kept my eyes to the ground. “Drop the child. Come with me now.” Still the room started to swirl. “No.” I said and scrunched my eyes closed. The swirling didn’t stop and the dizziness returned.
“Quit it. She isn’t coming with you.” I heard Jake from a distance. A slight thud sounded right beside me yet very far away, a high pitched cry followed it. Again I found myself drawing forward, reaching for the cloaked figures hand.
