The vampire fell off of Braith, squealing as it clawed at its back and squirmed and withered upon the ground in agony. Five pairs of red eyes swung her way as she drew their attention to her location within the tree. She had no fear that they would be able to get her out of the tree; they would have to catch her first in order to do so. Her main concern remained centered upon Braith. Aria quickly drew another arrow, notching it in the bow as she took aim at the next creature that had zeroed in on Braith.
She fired again, this time her arrow flew straight into the creature’s heart. It wheeled back, howling as it fell upon the ground, withering in its death throes. Four of the vampire’s ran off, fleeing back toward town. Three others became aroused by the scent of blood. Aria recoiled, horror and nausea twisting through her as they fell upon the one she had killed with delight and maliciousness.
Braith used their distraction to destroy two more of them, tearing their heads from their bodies, before turning his attention to the three now feasting upon their friend. She didn’t know what to do as he stalked toward them, fury evident in the stiff set of his shoulders. Aria turned away, unable to watch as he attacked the creatures. Their cries of fear and pain echoed through the air. She wanted to cry, she wanted to block her ears and flee through the trees, she wanted to escape this horror she found herself trapped in.
She did none of those things as she remained frozen within the tree, shaking with the shock that clung to her. A sharp tug on her foot caught her off guard, nearly ripping her from the tree. She scrambled for purchase; her fingers sought some grip upon the hard tree. Her arm hooked over the branch, saving her from plummeting out of the tree. She was gasping for breath and terrified, but she managed to gather her wits enough to look down at what had nearly caused her freefall.
A vampire stared back at her, its fangs extended, its eyes red with hunger and murderous intent. Aria’s eyes widened in surprise, she had been so upset by the death before her that she had missed this approaching danger. It was foolish, stupid, and she was paying for it now as his hand wrapped tightly around her boot.
Aria turned away from him, swinging her other arm up as she attempted to get into a better position in the tree. It jerked down hard on her again, knocking her newly acquired grasp off of the limb. A small gasp of pain escaped her as her hooked arm took the brunt of the violent jerk. She kicked out, trying to knock the creatures grip upon her free, but it refused to relinquish her as its hand slithered up to her ankle. It was surprisingly strong, even in its emaciated state. Or maybe it was the hunger that drove it to such levels of strength.
Her arm was aching, her armpit was rubbed raw. Her shoulder felt as if it were going to tear as pain began to spread rapidly through it. She was barely clinging on, barely remaining within the branches of the tree. She kicked out again, trying to knock the creature free as it ripped hard on her again. A tortured cry escaped from her, a wrenching agony tore through her shoulder as a loud pop filled the air. She no longer felt her arm as it released its hold upon the limb she had been barely clinging to.
The creature was still holding onto her ankle as she free fell into the air for a few feet. Its grasp kept her in the tree, but it did not keep her from slamming off of another branch. Her back screamed in anguish, the wind was knocked from her. She barely managed to get her good arm up in order to protect her head from the impact of the tree trunk. She was able to twist around, shoving herself off the limb as the vampire scrambled to get a better hold on her by moving up her calf. She kicked out, catching the thing beneath its chin, snapping its head back as it hissed and lunged at her. She kicked out again, knocking it back further. Anger filled her, frustration at her situation surged to the forefront as she swung out with the full force of her rage. Bone splintered, blood splattered over her as its nose shattered with a loud crack.
The creature howled in pain. It instinctively released her as it grasped hold of its twisted nose. A soft cry escaped her as she freefell into nothing. She tried hard to reclaim some hold upon the tree, but it was too late. She tried to keep herself straight, hoping to avoid as many of the branches as possible as she fell, but they slapped and tore painfully at her.
She heard Braith shout her name, but she couldn’t respond to him as she was batted and bounced rapidly back and forth. The branches mercifully gave way, propelling her toward the ground. Arms wrapped tightly around her, sheltering her from hitting the ground as Braith took the impact of her body upon himself. A cry of pain escaped her as he cradled her wounded body gently against his chest.
His hands were upon her face, pushing her tangled hair back from her. His hand was upon her cheek. “Arianna,” he whispered frantically. “Arianna?”
She took a deep breath, wincing as her bruised body protested the movement. She took a moment to assess the damage that had been done to her. She was satisfied that though she was in pain, she would heal eventually. “I’m ok,” she told him, clenching her teeth as even that small movement caused pain to flare through her chest.
“Look at me.”
She inhaled a small breath as she forced her eyes open. She blinked in surprise, uncertain about the emotions that surged through her. His much loved eyes were intense, terrified, and a vibrant angry shade of red. His much loved face was smeared with the blood of his victims. She had never seen his eyes this color, but then, most of the time they were covered by the dark glasses. She didn’t know what to make of this stark reminder of what he was, what he was capable of, even if it was all because of her. His gaze searched her face, running rapidly over her, trying to reassure himself that she was, in fact, alright.
Then, his gaze rose to the tree, and the amount of fury that radiated out of him shook her to the marrow of her bones. She did not look back up at the creature in the tree. He may still be alive right now, but he was as good as dead. Braith’s gaze came slowly back to hers, warming slightly. He placed her gently down, his eyes firing with anger as she winced involuntarily.
He bit hard into his wrist, holding his arm out to her as his blood trickled slowly out of his wounds. “It will help you heal faster,” he said softly.
She hesitated for a brief moment, there had been enough blood today, but she could not refuse him. Not when every part of her hurt and not when he was looking at her with that pleading expression. She took his wrist, pressing it against her mouth as she drank slowly. His blood was sweet, delicious, and healing as it seeped into her system, flowed through her wounded and bruised muscles and dislocated shoulder. After a long moment, he pulled his wrist slowly away from her. His lips were soft upon her forehead as he released her. “Keep your eyes closed Arianna.”