Page 3 of Branded in Love
“Get off him!” the woman roars.
I start.What the…?Out of the corner of my eye, I see her pick up something from the ground. Is that a… rock? I can’t tell. Looking away from the vampire might cost me my life.
“Get off me, Ursa beast!” the vampire all but hisses, squirming under my grip. He must be a young blood demon, otherwise, his strength would have matched mine at the very least. This is almost too easy.
I can’t help but smile when he recognizes my true nature. “Not much of a fighter, are you?” I tell him in a hoarse voice, pressing harder.
“I said…” she growls, livid. It’s almost as ifshewere the bear shifter. Not me. “Get. Off. Him!”
My brow furrows. I can’t turn now. A sudden blow strikes me hard between my shoulder blades. “OW!” I snarl, grimacing. The hit hurts, but it doesn’t feel like a rock. Furious, my head swings towards the woman. Then I see her weapon. Not a rock, but a bag. Ten times heavier than any boulder.
The vampire takes the chance and slithers away from my hold. I get on my feet fast, with sharpened senses, ready to confront the creature’s attack. But first... “What do you think you’re doing?” I tell her, wincing while I rub my sore neck. “I’m saving your life!”
Her brow furrows, bemused.
“He’s a fucking vampire!” I say. I do not need this right now. If her scent weren’t driving me mad, I would not even be here.
The woman’s lips part. She takes a step back, gripping her bag tight. “A vampire? Are you crazy?” she says, as flabbergasted as I am.
She keeps speaking, but I no longer listen. “Arg...” I turn, sweeping our surroundings with a glance. Where is the rotten devil? I can’t see him. His scent fades and then comes again. Gods, I hate vampires.
“I’m afraid he’s right, darling.” The voice is smooth as velvet, drifting in the night. Still no sign of him. “I’ve kept my eye on you for a very long time…” A snarl. “Do you have any idea of how enticing your blood is? The scent is driving me mad!”
I shoot up one eyebrow and tilt my head.Yeah... I can relate.
Every certainty flees from the woman as her face pales with sheer black fright. Shuddering hazel eyes fix on mine for reassurance.
I step closer to her, carefully, and raise an appeasing hand while my gaze drifts to the trees. “Where the hell are you?” I mutter.
“Nobody’s gonna snatch you away from me!” he spits.
The woman screams. The sound jolts my heart into a wild gallop. I look back and see the blood demon standing behind her, gripping her in his claws, lethal fangs flashing in the twilight, ready to stab his victim’s neck.
Time slows down. Shifting will do nothing to stop him. I’ll have to take other measures. I really shouldn’t... Fuck. In a flash, my hand swings up at my eye level. I feel the surge of energy rushing through my limbs, unstoppable as it streams through my arms and beams off my palm. Spectral blue light gathers in my hand. I launch the magic sphere at the demon, spearing across the dark, until it strikes the vampire’s head. The creature instantly drops to the ground, unconscious.
At least she didn’t see it. The woman crashes to her knees, shaking as the purest dread consumes her. Dammit. None of this should have happened.
I release a quick breath and walk to the creature. Towering over the vampire, I tip my head. My bear demands blood and vengeance. Slowly, I crouch before him.
“Wait…” Her soft voice cracks the stillness.
The woman’s gentle hand lands on my shoulder. At her touch, a bolt of lightning shoots through my limbs, shaking me so hard that I jerk back. Her widened eyes and quivering hands tell me she felt it too.
“What are you gonna do?” she asks.
“Kill him,” I say dryly, still stunned by the blow.
Panic flits across her countenance. “What? Wait... Is there no other way?” she says, wringing her wrist with her hand. “Can’t we just... let him go?”
My expression slips into a frown. Is she being serious? But then a voice speaks in my mind.She’s human. She knows nothing about a vampire’s obsessive nature.I stare at her with cool eyes, subdued by the power she unknowingly holds over me. I shake my head. The air burns as it rushes through my nose and into my lungs. “He will never stop,” I say between quick breaths. “Not until he kills you.”
“Oh God,” she says under her breath, worry creasing her brow. She’s losing it. Her cheeks burn red scarlet, and her eyes fill with tears. “Oh my God… I can’t…”
“Look away,” I tell her in a dispassionate tone.
Her glistening eyes search mine for reassurance. I give her that with a swift nod.
She steps back and shuts her eyes. “Oh God...” she says with a strained voice, fingers diving through her golden locks of hair.
