Hellfire - The Awakening (Complete)

Chapter Twelve *

 It was winter and I was walking outside of the manor.

The world had become a huge, white wasteland. Icicles hung from the trees and glittered like swarovski crystals, the leaves on near bushes had paled from emerald to jade and were coated with frost and the ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow.

I ambled through the snow leaving footprints in my wake and walked past the frozen lake longing to skate across it even though I knew that the ice would be too thin at that moment.

As I continued walking I was delighted by the scenery. I was strictly a city girl but here it was so peaceful. I looked up, the usual blue sky had faded to white and soft snowflakes began to fall and I caught one on my tongue.

A strange sound suddenly jolted me from my bliss, I could hear rustling, something was in the nearby bushes...

Had I not been a vampire I wouldn't have heard anything, but my extra sensory hearing meant that I could hear the quiet rustling of the leaves, the barely audible sound of breathing...

Cautiously I edged towards the bush, the scent of blood hit the air and my fangs lengthened, I wondered if a fox had caught a small animal. I parted the leaves and saw...a truly terrible sight.

Cinder was crouched down in the undergrowth, he was holding a female and was busy sucking away at her neck. She was still alive but her eyes had glazed over and I knew that it was only a matter of time before Cinder drained away her life force in addition to her blood.

I gasped and Cinder looked up, his face was grey and peeling like the rogue vampires' skin, his yellow eyes ringed in black met mine, he was angry and I was going to pay for interrupting his feed...

He dropped the blonde girl in the leaves and she shook her head slightly, whatever spell she had been under was now broken.

She looked at me and started to convulse, the shuddering movements caused the blood to leak out of her neck faster, it dripped staining the snow. Her fingers brushed her neck and she screamed in horror, once, twice three times, I didn't realise that I was screaming too...

“Ebony, wake up!” Called a voice.

I rolled over and moaned, my head hurt, my eyes hurt,I didn't want to move...

“Wake up Ebony!”

I opened my eyes hesitantly, I could see my window through the gap in the curtains, a drop of condensation rolled down the glass and I had a strange, nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach, something was wrong.

“I'm awake,” I muttered grumpily to Cinder.

“How did you sleep?” Cinder asked kindly.

I stared at him for a moment, yellow eyes on yellow eyes. I shuddered as I thought of his greying face in my dream.

The strange feeling in my stomach was getting worse and I sat bolt upright and headed towards the window.

“What are you doing?” Cinder asked confused.

“Something isn't right, it's like something has happened, in my dream, you attacked the girl just down here...” I started.

I inhaled sharply and opened my curtains, streams of sunlight entered my room and I felt a faint sting as it shone upon my skin. I wiped away the condensation from my window and pressed my nose against the cool glass. Outside a crowd had gathered on the front lawn. I squinted trying to get a close look, that was when a piercing scream rang out into the air.

“What's wrong?” Cinder asked panicked.

I rushed to my wardrobe and pulled on a t shirt, jogging bottoms and pumps, before dashing back into my bedroom, “What's the quickest way outside?” I asked anxiously.