Fatal Elements

“That’s enough, Ravena! I mean it. You came here to find me, and now you have. Kill me and let her go." She took the bait and lowered me again to snap at Marcus. “Oh, how gallant you have become, Marcus, but I’m not falling for it. You see, I think that I would like to kill her first." She paused, smiling dangerously as she looked at my neck. “Oh, and I’m not going to make this quick or easy for either of you." Ravena leaned into Marcus’s face and whispered gently into his ear, “I’m going to enjoy drinking her dry, you stupid filthy pet." I felt her pull me close to her, but my eyes stayed on Marcus, pleading for him to save me. Marcus slowly lifted his head, and ice-cold shivers ran down my spine as his eyes connected with mine. Our connection exploded inside my head, shattering what was left of the human barrier. I was instantly filled with an intense blinding white rage. I couldn’t tell who I was more afraid of at that moment—Ravena or him. I had never seen him look so terrifying, not even in my dreams. His dark hair was hanging limp in his face, and his skin was glowing white in sharp contrast. His lips were pulled back, exposing his four bladelike fangs between vicious snarls, but the worst change was his eyes. They no longer held any traces of humanity. They were cold, dark, and red as blood. His pupils became more catlike with every hiss that escaped his body, which was trembling uncontrollably now. His anger provoked a wild reaction in the forest around us. The wind was ferocious as it blew between the trees, breaking branches and swirling the fog and powdered snow into a dizzying blur. I felt Ravena tense as we could no longer see each other or Marcus through the dense storm. She grabbed hold of me with both hands and moved faster than I could ever imagine. There was sharp scream somewhere to my right, and Ravena pulled me back and closer into her. I knew that this would be my only chance to escape her. I could feel her fear. She was distracted and scared, very scared. I had to do something, no matter how much it was going to hurt. I felt the familiar tingling angry heat fill my core, burning white hot, and I braced myself as I waited for it to flow through me. “Michael, where are you? Do you have him? What’s going on?” Clearly Ravena was nervous that Marcus had escaped. He would surely kill her for this. “Michael, answer me! I’ll kill her, Marcus, right now, right here! Show yourself!” I knew she wasn’t kidding, and as she promised, she pulled me closer to her. The crystal voice that had filled me earlier came screaming back out. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? For me to be like you. Well, here I am.” The heat had spread to my hands, and I reached out for her wrist. I found it along with a handful of my hair, and I pulled myself up. As I straightened out, I planted my feet hard on the ground, reached out, and punched her straight in the face with everything I had. I felt the heat flash from my hand to her face. She stumbled backward into the white fog, letting go of my hair, and I ran the other way. “Fire! She can conjure fire. How? Find her! Find her and kill her!” I was running in the dense fog, not knowing where I was exactly or where I was going, I just knew that I had to run. An urgent and familiar whispering filled my head, and I fell to my knees in relief. Liz, are you okay? Where are you? I knew that Marcus wasn’t actually near me, but I was relived to know he was alive. Liz, be very careful. Don’t think about them. Ravena is very good at picking up minds. Only think of me. How was I supposed to only think of him when I had this psychotic vampire bitch and her vampire henchmen after me? My skin broke out in goose bumps, and I felt the sudden urge to get up and run. Following my instincts, I did just that. I pulled myself up and moved to my left, hoping that I had gone in the right direction. I shivered as a new voice pierced the fog, a deep snarling voice with a drawling accent that made my skin crawl so much that I never wanted to face the face that could have uttered it. “She’s close. I can smell her, and she smells so good.” Marcus? Marcus? Marcus, how can he smell me? I didn’t think that I had a smell. Liz, he’s an assassin. He will find you. You have to move. Do it now! Can you hear the river? Yes. I’m by the rock. I can smell Ravena. She is headed downstream. You need to get to me. Okay. Please, Marcus, don’t let him find me. I tried to move as quickly and quietly as I possibly could toward the muffled sound of the river flowing under the ice while also trying hard not to cry. I had walked for only a few minutes when the forest around me became eerily silent. I couldn’t tell where I was or whether I was being followed. A quick burst of wind passed behind me, and I fell forward slightly. Before I could recover, a second gust of wind rushed slightly ahead of me. I had to get to that river. I had to focus. I could barely see a foot in front of me through the dense fog, and the complete whiteout frightened me beyond words. I moved carefully through the fog and it wasn’t until my foot slipped out from under me that I realized I was on the ice. I had reached the river and, thankfully, was still alive. Panicked and on the edge of hysteria, I called to Marcus in my head. I was waiting for a response when I felt a third, stronger gust of wind pass by on my left. Run! The response came simultaneously to the fourth gust of wind blowing past my face. I turned and ran upstream through the thick fog, quickly realizing that this wasn’t just the wind—it was the hunter. He was cutting past me, picking up my scent in the fog. I was running recklessly up the river now. The sound of his cold trashy voice rang through my head, scaring me more than even Ravena did. I didn’t want to think about what he would do to me if he actually caught me. Without warning, I slammed into something hard. It turned and grabbed me in one quick movement and started to run. I inhaled to scream, but my nose and mouth filled with a familiar sweet scent, a scent that meant I was safe. “Marcus, where are we going? What’s happening?” “Shh, they are sweeping the forest, trying to pick up your scent. We need to change you right now. There’s not much time. You’ll feel strange at first, like you’re not really awake, but—” “It’s true, isn’t it? You knew all along.”