Chapter One

As Aaron stared at me with pure contempt, I rolled my eyes, adjusting the grip on my daggers. His hostility didn’t bother me as much as it probably should have. After all, I had spent most of my life being hunted or hated for my abilities. This was nothing new.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Vamp Boy,” I shot back, giving him a smug grin. “I’m not thrilled to be stuck with you either.”

Jason laughed lightly, his hand still resting on Cindy’s shoulder. “She’s got spirit, Aaron. Maybe you could learn a thing or two.”

Aaron glared at his brother, clearly not amused. “She’s trouble. I don’t want to babysit a kid, let alone a witch.”

“You’re not babysitting anyone,” I snapped. “I can hold my own, which you should already know by now.”

Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by the tension between us. “You two will figure it out. Let’s get moving before someone else decides to track us down.”

As we started walking through the dense forest, Cindy kept pace beside me, her eyes curious. “So, how did you end up running from Spyros?” she asked softly, trying to strike up a conversation.

I glanced at her, debating whether to share my story. “Let’s just say I refused to join his little collection of enslaved witches,” I replied, keeping my tone casual. “Spyros doesn’t like to take no for an answer.”

Cindy’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s... intense.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I muttered.

Jason looked over his shoulder at me. “Spyros is bad news. You sure you want to keep running from him instead of, I don’t know, taking him down?”

I snorted, shaking my head. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it. But I’m not stupid. Taking on a warlock as powerful as Spyros isn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

“Well,” Cindy said with a small smile, “if anyone can do it, it’s the world’s greatest teen witch.”

I couldn’t help but smirk at that. “Flattery will get you everywhere, but it’s still a suicide mission.”

Aaron, who had been brooding silently up ahead, suddenly turned around. “You think Spyros won’t find you if you stick with us? You’re putting us in danger by just being here.”

I stopped walking, narrowing my eyes at him. “You don’t have to worry about me putting anyone in danger. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Like you did earlier?” he scoffed. “Getting yourself almost strangled?”

My fingers twitched, gripping the hilt of my dagger tighter. “You caught me off guard. Don’t expect that to happen again.”

Jason stepped between us before things could escalate further. “Alright, enough. Let’s save the energy for when we really need it.”

Aaron gave one last disdainful look in my direction before turning around and continuing to walk. I huffed but followed along.

The journey through the woods was long, and the silence between us was tense. Occasionally, I could feel Aaron’s eyes on me, as if he was waiting for me to make a mistake. But I was determined to prove him wrong.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, casting eerie shadows through the trees, Cindy broke the silence again. “Where are we headed, anyway?”

Jason responded without missing a beat. “There’s a safe house not far from here. We can rest there and figure out our next move.”

“Safe house?” I echoed, skeptical. “How safe are we talking?”

“It’s secure,” Jason said confidently. “It’s been off the radar for a long time. Even Spyros shouldn’t be able to find us there.”

Aaron grunted. “Unless she leads him straight to us.”

I rolled my eyes again. “You really need to work on that paranoia, Vamp Boy.”

He shot me a glare but said nothing.

As the trees thinned out, revealing a small, secluded cabin nestled against the side of a hill, I felt a strange sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, I’d get a chance to catch my breath.

But deep down, I knew this was only the beginning. Spyros wouldn’t stop hunting me, and Aaron’s hatred for me wasn’t going anywhere. If I wanted to survive, I’d need to stay sharp—and maybe even learn to work with these vampires, whether they liked it or not.

Chapter Two

 

Aaron’s sudden confession hung in the air like a mist, and I blinked, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I stared at him, not sure if he was being serious or if the shock wave had knocked something loose in his head.

"You... love me?" I repeated, my voice cautious, trying to gauge his expression.

His blue eyes, usually filled with cold indifference or annoyance, softened, and he nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think I do. I didn’t want to admit it, but—"

I held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "Whoa, whoa. We literally just met, and you’ve spent most of that time trying to kill me or wishing I was dead."

Aaron ran a hand through his midnight hair, clearly frustrated but not backing down. "I know it sounds crazy. It’s not like I planned on feeling this way. It’s complicated."

I wanted to laugh, but the sincerity in his voice stopped me. This was not the reaction I had expected from the guy who had nearly choked me to death just a few hours ago. My heart raced, and I tried to push down the confusing rush of emotions that were suddenly bubbling up.

Instead, I focused on what I knew best—sarcasm and deflection. "Let me get this straight. You hate me, think I’m an annoying brat, and yet here you are, telling me you love me? Do you have any idea how messed up that sounds?"

He winced, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, pretty messed up. But that’s what happens when you’re a vampire who’s lived too long. Things get... complicated."

"Complicated is an understatement," I muttered. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of his gaze on me. "Look, Aaron. I don’t know what kind of game this is, but I can’t deal with whatever this is right now. I’ve got enough problems—like not dying every five seconds—and you... you’re just adding to the chaos."

His expression darkened a little, and he stepped closer, his eyes intense. "You think I like this? You think I want to feel anything for you? I’ve spent centuries keeping my emotions locked up, and now this... this happens."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Well, you’re going to have to keep those emotions in check because I can’t handle a vampire with romantic feelings on top of everything else."

Before he could respond, another shock wave hit us, stronger this time. I yelped, stumbling backward, but Aaron caught me, his grip surprisingly gentle despite the force of the blast. We both fell to the ground, and I cursed under my breath as I tried to regain my balance.

"What the hell is going on?" I growled, my head pounding from the impact. "This isn’t normal."

Aaron’s face was grim as he helped me to my feet. "It’s not you doing this, is it?"

I shook my head. "No. I thought it was, but it’s not. I think..." I hesitated, my brain scrambling to piece everything together. "I think someone’s targeting us. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence."

Aaron frowned, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area. "Targeting us? Who would be that stupid?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but a voice cut through the night air, making my blood run cold.

"Found you."

I whipped around, daggers drawn, and there, standing in the shadows of the trees, was Spyros. The warlock’s twisted smile sent a chill down my spine, and I instinctively stepped back, pulling Aaron with me.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the world’s most wanted teen witch," Spyros said, his voice dripping with malice. "And look at that. You’ve even made some friends along the way. How cute."

Aaron immediately stepped in front of me, his body tense and ready for a fight. "Get behind me."

I wanted to argue, but the gravity of the situation stopped me. Spyros was here. After all this running and fighting, he had finally found me.

"I’ve been looking forward to this moment," Spyros said, his eyes gleaming with sinister delight. "You’ve been a real thorn in my side, Vivian. But now, it’s time to end this little game of yours."

I clenched my fists, adrenaline flooding my veins. "I’m not going down without a fight."

Aaron growled low in his throat, his fangs flashing as he prepared to defend me. "You’ll have to go through me first."

Spyros chuckled darkly. "Oh, I plan to."

As the tension in the air reached its peak, I realized something. This was it. The moment I had been dreading. But I wasn’t alone anymore. For better or worse, I had Aaron at my side—even if he was a pain in the ass—and that gave me a sliver of hope.

We stood side by side, ready to face Spyros, and as the warlock began to gather dark energy in his hands, I knew one thing for sure:

This fight was going to change everything.

Chapter Three

“If it is something bad I want you to tell me,” he commands.

            “Fine, whatever, you asked for it. You are my life partner, my other half, and I’m your other half. Some people avoid it and live without theirs but they live with a big void in his or her life. It will reveal things deep within each of the individual it will disclose unseen power inside each other that only their partner will understand, you deny it that’s your busy and I don’t care,” I explain.

            “But you’re only sixteen,” he said with a confused look.

            “Well sorry you didn’t find the perfect woman you wanted and you end up with me instead. Some people stay together like your brother and Cindy and others avoid it,” I walked away. “I’m guessing we are avoiding it, fine by me.”

           “Stop walking away and talk to me, would you?” he said.

 Too late because I was running back to the town; Cindy was eating along Jason side, I skipped dinner and went right to bed to catch up on some sleep.

Around midnight I had this feeling Aaron was in a very bad mood so I got up. I walked to the outside bathroom half asleep and wake. I open the door to the locker kind of bathroom, the shower was running so I open stall and my eyes were now wide open. What I saw was Aaron and this girl having sex in the shower.

            “Oh my god!” I said covering my mouth from showing how surprise I was.

            Why seeing him like this hurting me in ways I can’t explain. I don’t want this I don’t want to feel like this ever again, take it away. I ran into the woods and climbing a tree and sitting down with my music player in my ears it’s a good thing I care it everywhere I go.

            When I woke up I was still in the tree so I jump down and went back into town hearing Cindy voice when she saw me she started yelling at me.

            “Where have you been you got me worried,” she said hugging me.

            “I was sleeping in a tree, because I saw something that I didn’t want to and lost track of time,” I told her.

            “I thought they took you,” she said.         

             “You think they could have taken me without a fight,” I said going back to the room to see Aaron sitting down on one of the beds looking at me.

I walked out going to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Came back and he's trying to talk to me.

            “Vivian can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked and I put my earphones in and walked away.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 30.03.2011

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