The man loomed above me, those dreadful eyes and glistening teeth were…suddenly gone as he was yanked backwards into the darkness of the night. The growls of two very different creatures carried on the air and I was up in a flash, ignoring the twinge in my ankle as I bolted in the opposite direction. It was a welcome distraction but what was worse than that monster? No way was I sticking around to find out. There was a crack, a shriek, then nothing but silence and crunching footsteps gaining on me with each passing second.
It was just behind me when I made a last ditch effort to get the jump on whatever it was. I dug my foot into the ground and pushed all of my weight backwards as I twisted and swung my fist at my assailant. A feeble CLAP sounded as it collided with the palm of a hand; its fingers closed around mine and held it tight as a familiar voice cut through the quiet.
“You really are hopeless, you know.” Ethan stood in front of me. His eyes charred furiously like burning embers and cut through the astringent darkness.
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“Haven’t we had this conversation before?” He cocked an eyebrow.
I was hardly hopeless. Yes, alright, maybe occasionally I found myself in a tricky situation but it was never hopeless. I opened my mouth to retaliate when Ethan shushed me and focussed on our surroundings. Finally, he moved and dragged me behind him, my hand still clasped in his.
“It’s coming back.” His tone was somewhat amused until he turned sharply to look. “Damn it,” he spat.
Ethan pulled me up onto his back in a hurry, lacing my arms around his chest and neck. I gasped as he knocked my tender ribs in his haste but I clung tightly and focussed on my breathing. He appeared almost to fly across the earth, never tripping or stumbling across obstacles that hindered me, and entirely unbothered by my additional weight. Something poked me in the side of the head as it swung carelessly over Ethan’s other shoulder. A longbow carved intricately out of polished yew. I could only admire the beautiful craftsmanship of the object until I noted his lack of quiver. For the love of the Daeus, without arrows he may as well have carried a stick.
The man, or creature as he now appeared, returned and it was moving like no mortal ever could, twisting and jerking between trees as its long nails cut into the dirt on the path and bark on the trees. With each step it drew closer and closer and I tightened my grip on Ethan’s front.
“In case you haven’t noticed he’s gaining on us,” I yelled.
The creature’s face was barely ten feet from mine, a distance it could close in a matter of seconds. It drew its hands back, brandishing sharp nails, and lashed out. I waited for the blaze of pain to sear across my skin but before the strike could find its mark Ethan pulled me from his back and held me tightly in front of him. My mouth was open in a soundless warning when I felt the force of the attack tremble through his body. An agonized howl ripped from his throat and I grabbed him tight as he stumbled. His face was pasted with frustration as he started to lose speed and panted, using a burst of energy to make one final sprint before dropping me to the ground.
“Close your eyes,” he said sternly.
The pain reflected evidently in his features as he pulled the bow from his shoulder. Why would he even bother? I tried closing my eyes but curiosity grabbed me. He certainly wasn’t going to beat the creature to death with a piece of thin wood. It stopped far enough away, licking Ethan’s blood from his hands and grimacing.
“Clearly you’ve got no taste for my blood,” Ethan said humourlessly, his mouth twitching into a half-smile.
“I don’t enjoy the blood of your kind, though you’re more palatable than the others. I’m in no position to be picky.” The creature’s eyes flicked to me.
“I’d like to see you get past me.” Ethan blocked the creature’s view.
It screeched and readied itself for a final attack. Ethan pulled at the string on his bow, testing the elasticity as the creature started toward him. He lifted the bow in front of him with his left hand and touched his right to the wood where an arrow would rest. He drew his hand back, catching the string as he went. I gasped as something appeared with the movement of his fingers and he pulled the string back to his cheek; an arrow. It flickered between his fingers, made of a strange grey substance that fizzled and cracked and burned in the middle like fire in a cloud of smoke.
The creature jumped for him and Ethan relaxed his fingers, letting the terrible, smoking arrow free to bury itself deep into its chest.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE CREATURE WAS knocked backwards from the force of the arrow. It jerked about on the floor, screaming gutturally in utter agony before everything was still. Ethan straightened up and slid the bow over his good shoulder, flexing his hands. I tore my gaze away in case he looked back. Then, as if a shroud had been pulled away, the forest around us burst into life again like it was finally releasing its breath.
Number one – a Vampyr, or whatever it was, appears out of nowhere and tries to kill me. Number two – Ethan materialises burning smoke from mid-air and kills the beast with one strike. I needed to lie down, or wake up.
I met his eyes when his feet shifted toward me and I stared, waiting for him to snap and yell and throw things like Roan always did, but he didn’t. In fact, he said nothing as he looped an arm around me and held me close to him. His touch was as gentle as the day he’d escorted me home in Wetherdon. Every movement was calm and collected as we avoided each other’s injuries. He leaned into me and I wrapped an arm around him and we walked in silence back to the house.
THE MANOR SEEMED more inviting at night, or maybe it was just due to the night I’d had. The inside glowed warm as it contrasted with the bitter darkness of its exterior. Ethan opened the front door and headed inside. I held my position outside the door for a moment longer, expecting panic and anger and shouting but there was nothing. We were alone.
He opened the lounge door and crouched in front of the dying fire, adding another log to the hearth. I eyed the staircase leading back up to my room but in the end I followed after him, taking a seat in one of the sofas close to the growing warmth. He sat in front of the fireplace, unfastening his shredded shirt, and slipped it off before feeding it to the flames. My stomach turned at the sight of his wounds. Five deep, splitting gashes scraped from the middle of his waist to his shoulder-blade and I leapt from my chair.
“We have to call a doctor.” I dropped to my knees beside him.
He shifted back, scoffing. “I don’t need a doctor. I’ll manage.” He stood and walked into the open kitchen.
“How are you going to do that?” I followed after him. “Look how much blood you’ve lost already.”
“This isn’t going to kill me, Ava. It’s a scratch, alright?” he said sharply.
“But your back is shredded,” I said, blocking his path.
“It’s your own damned fault.” His raised his voice. “Had you not decided to go off gallivanting into unfamiliar woodland – and unarmed, might I remind you – I wouldn’t have had to come and get you.”