The Game

Chapter 1

It was a cool night, full moon, perfect for my favorite to be played. As I sat on a cold bolder, listening to my surroundings, I knew he was out there, stalking me, very close by now. I closed my eyes and smirked. I smelt him but where was he? Suddenly, I dashed to the left in a flash, there he was, fallen to the ground before me in his failed attempt to strike from behind.

“Missed,” I said with a chuckle and bolted to the right, running as fast as I could, knowing he would follow from the sky. Sure enough, he flew behind me. Like a winged shadow. I glanced over my shoulder, his black and red wings spread, his face and body hidden by the nights darkness and his three threatening tails whipping wildly behind him.

I didn’t want to cheat; I tried as hard as I could not to will my wolf form to me and continued to run in human shape, but soon my mortal legs would tire. Darting in to the wooded area I skid the dirt ground, leaving a mark from my bare feet.

“Come on Lance, come find me,” I said out loud, though I knew he couldn’t hear me. As I halted behind a tree, the loud whooshing of his wing beats stopped and I found myself pondering its disappearance. I peered around the large oak that hid me in its shadow. Still nothing but silence and the absence of his sent.

Suddenly, as if a breeze had conjured up only in my presents, I felt soft breathing my flesh, immediately forcing me to jerk my neck in its direction, only to face my hunter. He stared, gray eyes peering through half open lids, punctuated by a grin full of jagged fangs and a low chuckle.

“It’s not that easy,” I said with a grin and flew past him in a rush of wind.

“Wrong!” he shouted as his arm sprung forth into my path, causing me to slam into it with a smack. Back against the tree I found myself pinned, muscular arms holding me in place. I gasped, the air slightly knocked out of me, but I soon struggled against his hard body.

“See, you are always wrong,” he said, slightly chuckling.

“So now that you have what makes you think you’ll get what you want?” I grinned, reaching up to run my hand through his dark brown hair then tap his cheek threateningly.

“I always get what I want,” he said.

“We’ll see,” I teased before he lifted my legs and forced me harder against the tree with his pelvis. I could feel just how excited the chase made him, it didn’t take much.

As he leaned forward to touch lips I moved away, denying his kiss and exposing my neck. Angered, the devious vampire demon hybrid bit my neck gently, only breaking the first few layers of skin. A gasped a moan, only exciting him further.

“Go ahead, harder,” I beckoned and he bit down with greater force. I could feel the sudden pop of flesh and the warm crimson liquid begin to pour drop be drop down the smooth curve of my neck.

Lance backed away to looked at me once more, the blood on his bottom lip shimmering in the moon light. He grinned again, pleased with himself. Unable to refuse the dark red life force dripping from his mouth I kissed him, forcing my tongue onto his and immediately greeted with the metallic coppery taste of blood.

As we parted I stared back up at him and the intoxicated expressions on his face; now was my chance. With a violent shove I pushed him away only far enough to escape him and the lustful glares he was inflicting. I didn’t look back, I didn’t have to, I knew he was following close behind.

I didn’t get far; maybe a few yards before my feet came out from under me, like they were hit with a hot base ball bat. I skit into the dirt, scraping my knees and the palms on my hands. I rolled over only to see Lance standing over me, his arms crossed in triumph.

“You cheated,” I scolded, my expression angered.

“You never said I couldn’t use energy blasts,” he smirked.

“I didn’t know you’d be stupid enough to throw one at me,” I shouted. Lance shrugged and lifted his hand up beside his head. Palm open as blue light gathered over it.

“That’s not funny,” I growled, but he said nothing and continued to make the energy grow.

“I suggest you run,” he chuckled; still grinning with the most evil I had ever seen his eyes.

Kicking up dirt as I scrambled to my feet, I immediately took my wolf form and bolted away from him as fast as possible. What was he thinking? Could he really want to hurt me after all we’ve been through? It seemed almost impossible.

And then, as I came into the thickest parts of the forest, I tripped, my wolf body rolling and tumbling to the ground, limp and helpless as a rag doll. Slowly, as lay useless, my body returned to its human form. I couldn’t move, my body was wasted, muscles throbbed and my cuts burned like wild fire, I had been rendered completely defenseless.

To only make matters worse, my evil ridden lover had discovered me and I knew at that moment I was dead. He stood over me, katana raised high above his head. Only memories filled my head, thoughts, and my life flashing before my eyes, until…

I awoke in a cold sweat, my chest heaving lung after lung full of air, but I didn’t scream. I threw the heavy blanket off my burning body, the heat was making me sick and I coughed several times before the nausea left me. As I sat, still horrified by the dream, the person behind me woke.

“Ash? Are you alright?” he asked, placing a warm hand on my back.

“I’m fine, Lance, go back to sleep,” I answered, peering behind me giving him a reassuring smile. He grinned back and laid down, snuggling his pillow and wrapping his body into the dark blue comforter.

After that I stayed awake, the images of the dream continued to flash in my mind, keeping me in a slight state of paranoia. I stood from my bed, a tickling bead of sweat sliding down my cheek from my forehead and I threw a shirt over my half naked body. The living room was still dark in the early morning, five o’clock and yet the streets were filled with people; vampires soaking up the last rays of moon light before day break, but even in the peek of day the sky was dark, there was no sun in this world, only purple-black clouds but still the night time creatures feared it.

As I sat on the soft black couch with a hot cup of coffee I thought about my life here in Xowi City, another world apart from the boring one I use to know. They called it Earth, I called it hell, but for those who still live there I’m pretty sure they’d say the opposite. This wasn’t hell, it was my world, and I created it to my liking. Unholy creatures, werewolves, vampires, demons, angels, gods, I loved them all as apposed to the stupid humans I was so use to being around. Hateful, uncaring, mortal humans. Here I could do as I pleased, adventure struck me every day unlike Earth, were the days were hollow and empty, nothing ever happened to you. Well maybe you might get into a fight or find money on the street, but that’s pretty much it.

I longed for excitement; I wanted to ride on the back of monster through a forest of darkness, searching for a purpose and I did. How? I’m not sure, but who cares? My dreams had come true and I was finally happy. Most of all I could share this experience with some one I loved, my boyfriend, Lance, who still slept soundly in the other room.

Sighing, I opened the large window by the couch that lead out to the fire escape and stepped out. A cool breeze caressed my cheek gently as I leaned against the black metal railing, holding my coffee mug tightly, absorbing its heat. I loved the early morning, when the dark of the night still lingered shyly in the sky and day light peeked over the horizon. From my second story apartment I could clearly see the fifty foot cement wall that ran along the city’s border, protecting us from the dangers beyond.

Silence was carried through the city by the wind despite the many people walking the streets. In this part of the city there weren’t many vampires for the only ones allowed here were friends of mine. This was my territory after all, only werewolves dwelled here, every so often you could see a wolf trotting down the side walk, for some reason particular werewolves liked staying in there wolf forms and this was the only place they could, safely anyway.

I found myself thinking about that dream again and why, of all dreams, did my subconscious decide to frighten me with something so horrifying as turning my own love against me. After pondering it numerous times did I turn it away and try not to think about it any more; it was only a dream after all.