Breathe Under Water - Shadows of the Night 1

Chapter 37

Hi!

Not so easy writing this one, so I'm curious what you're thinking. Please let me know! Anna and Alexander are in trouble, kind of... ;) Thank you all so much for the feedback for the last few chapters and your support! You're awesome!

Lara

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Chapter 37

Alexander let go of my hand and stepped in front of me. Tightly knit and interwoven particles stretched, a rubber band seconds away from tearing under pressure. Magic slipped from metaphorical fingers and auratic colors streamed out, blossomed around us; air exploding from a deflating balloon.

Swaying dizziness claimed my system in one angry blow. I blinked against blinding sparkles. It was too late. I lost the fight for control over the human aura we shared.

Reality came back to me, grit and bones winding against my mind.

I was positive that the high pitched voice belonged to a female rogue witch. We'd been found out.

"Hey! I asked you a question!"

The sound of footsteps on metal stairs was hollow, in-between-silence and short echoes. I was still struggling for normal, sparkle-less eyesight. Alexander was towering in front of me, his massive back and shoulders a wall barring my sight. Dammit, how could he even stand straight after our auras had been ripped apart?

I lost control over our shared auras less than a minute ago, and I was still reeling from the aftereffects. Red particles were racing into my core like atoms crashing. Disorder and chaos reigning inside my mind.

More footsteps, eager and rushed. I craned my neck and side-stepped, grabbed the railing as vertigo set in. I had to see what was coming.

Short blond hair was twisted into spiky peaks. Although coated and hidden by a long black leather jacket, the outlines underneath let on that she was petite, skinny even. A small nose that was pierced with a silver ring. Heavy and overdone, her make-up literally screamed Goth. Another soldier in Medici's small army of rogues.

"Are you...? Fuck." She said, coming to a sudden halt.

"Are we... what?" Alexander said, voice slick and rich with biting coldness.

When vampires move, they do it with the agility of a striking beast. But make no mistake. There is an essential ingredient that makes them more and less than what shape shifters pride themselves on. I didn't see muscles bulge, limbs shoved into action with vibrancy.

Alexander slipped into thin air, rippled into shadows in a motion too fast for my eyes to follow.

The witch was still staring at the empty air in front of me as he appeared behind her. His hand snaked around-

The pain was sudden and destructive. The yelp I produced was cut off and died in mid-air. Hands around my neck. Someone was behind me, choking me. I exploded into action, kicking, struggling, fighting. My hands reached up frantically, tried to pry away the meaty fingers around my neck, strangling me. Adrenaline rushed through my veins in never ending circles.

A new sort of dizziness and disorder sank into flesh and mind. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. The rush of blood was strong and fast in my ears, the only thing I could hear. The hands on my neck exerted more pressure. I was going to choke if I didn't do something. Panic exploded in my system, had me reach and fumble for the gun in my jacket, but my hand refused to work properly. I couldn't pull it out. I couldn't!

I blinked against the black spots in my vision, felt the first parts of my body go slack. The female witch in front of me fell to the floor like a lifeless sack. No trace of Alexander. And then, just when I thought I'd lose consciousness for real, the pressure was gone.