Tom’s POV
I escape the girls’ grasp and scramble towards the woods. I can feel the bite wound and the scrapes on my back healing already, but they could still take me down, seeing as how there’s two against one.
Suddenly, Alison is in front of me, grabbing onto my shirt and hissing in my face. She pushes me back, right into Rian’s claws.
Alison lets go, and Rian pushes me up against a tree, shoving me down as the bark scrapes against my back. Never releasing her grip on my shoulders, she lowers herself until she’s straddling my lap. She nods to Alison, who pulls my arms around the tree’s trunk and holds me by my wrists.
Rian smiles cruelly, pushing her face into mine. “I bet you remember this,” she whispers. Sliding her hands under my shirt, she continues, her voice growing louder, “I bet you remember when you still loved me.”
I flinch, and she laughs. “And I know you remember when you were stronger than me. When you were still the leader, until you betrayed me and I had you exiled from the coven. Must be hard to forget, huh?”
I bare my fangs, but she only smiles. “You think you scare me, Tom. I’m not as weak as I was before. I’m the leader now, and as long as that’s true, you’re never coming back. You and your little newbie can run around these woods until we feel like killing you.”
As she spoke, a small movement caught my eye. A familiar face peers out from behind a tree, red eyes glowing, fangs bared. Nathan.
Another pair of eyes emerges, and I recognized the other face too. Nathan’s girlfriend, Freya.
Rian digs her nails into my skin, continuing to speak. “And I’ll make it special too. I’ll kill her just like I killed the other one. Long. Slow. Painful. She’s the same blood. She’ll taste the same, maybe even better. The young ones are the best.”
“Cannibal.” I spit in her face.
“Oh no,” she laughs. “It’s just....” she pauses, thinking. “My way of revenge.”
Nathan’s POV
“Bitch,” I mutter under my breath, watching Rian slide her hands under Tom’s shirt.
Freya taps me on the shoulder. Now? she mouths.
I shake my head. She sighs, peering around the tree, watching.
Tom notices us standing there, but Rian does something to make his eyes snap back to her, and he says something to her, probably so she’s distracted.
I nudge Freya and nod, and we burst into speed, moving silently through the leaves.
With a shout, I leap onto Rian’s back, burying my fangs in her neck, dragging them down so that they create bloody 3-inch gashes. She screams, a sound that could shatter glass.
Freya rounds the tree and hauls Alison to her feet, gripping her forearms. I can hear the crack of her bones as Freya’s grip intensifies, and Alison wails in agony.
I try to get at Rian’s neck, but she flings me off her back, and I slide through the leaves, and before I can stop myself, into the stream. Damn. She’s gotten much stronger.
Alison runs to her leader, and they retreat back into the woods, Alison screeching and Rian clutching the back of her neck. “This isn’t over!” she screams. “I’ll kill you all!”
Freya’s POV
With that, she and Alison run back into the woods. Tom walks over and pulls Nathan up out of the stream, saying, “Mate, I owe you one.”
“No kidding,” Nathan grumbles. “I’m gonna get freaking hypothermia.”
I laugh as I walk over, pulling Tom into a hug. “We miss you,” I say, pulling back. “That crazy bitch is screwing everything up.”
“Hey,” Nathan protested, trying to pick leaves out of his hair. “I just fell into a freezing stream fighting that ‘crazy bitch’ while Tom just sat there, and I don’t get a hug?”
“Later,” I snort, and he pouts.
“Are you two coming back to the cabin with me?” Tom asks. “You haven’t met Alisa.”
Nathan shrugs. “Sure, if you want us to. We’ll come, but we have to get back before daylight.”
Tom scoffs. “You’re seriously going back? You know you’ll both be punished. You just attacked your coven leader.”
“Eh, I’m not afraid of her. She’s too preoccupied with brainwashing this rest of the group to worry about anything major. Doing something too severe to us would make her look bad.” I say, even though I am slightly worried.
Tom seems disgusted. “Well, isn’t that sweet. She cleared her schedule just to come threaten me. Do whatever you want."
An awkward silence fills the air, but Nath breaks the tension. “Hey, race you to the cabin. We know the way.”
“Really,” Tom laughs. “You know I’ll beat you, just like always.”
“Wrong!” I shouted, taking off running, “you’re BOTH gonna lose!”
Tom’s POV
True to her word, Freya tags the doorknob just a fraction of a second before me, Nathan not far behind. “Suckers,” she laughs.
I laugh, remembering old times. Nathan reaches for the doorknob, twisting it and letting himself into the cabin. I push past him and enter, looking around for Alisa.
She’s not there.
Alisa’s POV
I’m in a small, cramped cave. Well, more like a hole, cut into the side of a creek bank. I can hear the rushing water that’s right outside, smell the stench of rotting leaves and mud. I look to my left, and see my sister, Avalon, huddling into a corner. I’m shocked at seeing her again, after so long, but she doesn’t even notice me. It’s like I’m not even there.
She’s terrified, shaking hard and trying to muffle her whimpers. I hear splashing right outside the hole’s opening. Someone’s coming.
Avalon watches the space outside the gap, her eyes filled with dread, rocking back and forth. The splashing sounds are growing louder as whatever it is comes closer.
Moments later, a figure appears in front of the hole, but I can’t see its face. Avalon’s hand is pressed to her mouth, but she can’t stop crying.
However, the thing outside the cave doesn’t seem to notice us. It looks around, and finally I can see it’s face. Non-human glowing red eyes, lips parted slightly to reveal long, pointed teeth sticking out from the rest.
Avalon chokes on her tears, and the vampire’s head snaps to look at us. With incredible grace, it jumps into the cave, and I can finally see who it is. Rian.
That’s when I wake up.
