Building the Tension | ✔ | 18+

Chapter 30 - The Fire that Tempers Steel

Author's Notes:

There is some mild sexual content in parts of the first section of this chapter, but only maybe PG-13-ish.

-=o0&0o=-

"It's odd," Dimitri said, as we turned away from where Ivan was and began to walk back, "You spent hours outside of the wards on your birthday with no real issues, but your headache during the flight today sounded like it was excruciating. I'm not sure what the difference is."

"Yeah, it definitely did hurt on my birthday, but it was a much more manageable level. Dr. Olendski gave me some migraine medication that I had taken in advance when I knew I was going on my birthday, though. I didn't have time to take it before I left today, so that could be part of it. I'm not sure what else could be the difference. It might be something specific about the plane rides."

"How are you feeling now?" he asked.

"Mostly fine. I could definitely feel it when Ivan was here, though. My stomach is actually feeling like it's in knots right now, although I've not had that with the ghosts before. It's more something I get when - " adrenaline suddenly seized me as I shouted, "Oh, fuck! Strigoi!"

Dimitri tried to put me behind his back, but I wouldn't be contained like that, not to mention that he had no idea what direction they were coming from. I turned my back to him so that we were back-to-back and pulled out my stake. Sure enough, almost like they had heard me saying it and thought I was calling for them, two Strigoi came running out of the woods towards me. Both appeared to be former dhampirs, likely guardians. One was a female about my height, and the other was a male a few inches shorter than Dimitri, though he didn't have quite as much muscle as Dimitri had.

"Two of them! This way!" I told Dimitri as I prepared to fight. Dimitri turned just before they were in striking distance. Once they were in sight, they closed the distance quickly.

I could tell Dimitri didn't want me to fight, but he didn't have much of an option. "I'll take the male," I told Dimitri, as I moved to the left to take him on. I was used to fighting Dimitri,and he was used to fighting me, so I thought it'd be easiest if we took the person whose build was most like the person we were used to fighting. Dimitri made a noise of protest, but nonetheless moved right to take on the female.

I guessed that it was because of age and size - that they would find him to be the tougher opponent, but both Strigoi made a beeline for Dimitri. I was behind the male, so I kicked him in the calf, sending him momentarily to the ground, but he was quick to right himself and get back to fighting, spinning to turn towards me.

Once I began to fight him, there was no time to check on Dimitri, but I would just have to assume he was doing alright. It worried me that I might be a distraction to him. After what happened in the caves, I was sure he would've wanted to check on me.

The male was a trained fighter and appeared from his strength to have some age on him. When his back was turned, I had seen a promise mark and five molnija. I wondered how many the female had, but there wasn't time to check on that, either.

The male swung out and hit me just above the stomach. He knocked the wind out of me and it hurt badly, but he lacked the bodyweight I had when I had broken Dimitri's ribs. Between the nausea and the hit, I was feeling like I might lose my lunch, but I didn't want to die, so I sprung back up and kept fighting. I could hear sounds of fighting behind me, but I wasn't able to look back. I just had to hope that Dimitri was holding his own.

I punched out with my stake hand, raking the stake across the Strigoi's cheek and right eye. I saw blood gushing out as he screamed and immediately went to clutch his face with one hand.