Beyond The Fangs

Chapter 23

IZEL

I slowly dropped Jaeger's hand from my mouth but remained silent, knowing he had heard something.

I glanced around as well, waiting for something to leap out. I made a reach for my sword only to realise I was still tied up. I nudged Jaeger and held out my arms. If there was something out there, then I wanted to be ready. He quickly took out his blade and brought it to the ropes, but a vampire suddenly leapt out from among the trees and tackled me before he could cut them.

It wasn't just any vampire, it was a ravenous vampire, and its only focus was getting its fangs to my neck. I held my arms out above me to prevent it from getting any closer to my skin, but it was relentless. It was throwing its weight against me and its skin was ice cold. Its breath was revolting, getting stronger and stronger the closer it got to my face.

Finally, Jaeger stabbed its heart and then hauled it off of me, throwing it away from us.

"Are you okay?" He asked, helping me up. His eyes roved over my body, searching for any injury.

"Yeah," I exhaled and held out my arms again. "The ropes."

This time Jaeger was tackled before he could cut the ropes, but it wasn't a ravenous vampire this time, just a normal one, a Vamp. Suddenly another vampire appeared from the forest, completely ignoring me and going for Jaeger, then another, then another. 

It was four to one. They all left me to attack him.

I unsheathed my sword and took a second to think of how I could cut the ropes without cutting myself, but just as I figured out what to do I was suddenly grabbed and shoved against a tree. 

My ears rang from the impact and my feet were no longer on the ground. My tied hands were held above my head and before me stood a Quearus. The Quearus from the cabin. 

"We meet again," she said with a vengeful grin on her face. "You weren't expecting to see me again this soon, were you?"

I tried to extend my legs to kick her but she perceived the attack and stepped to the side. 

I was dead. I knew that for a fact. I had dropped my sword so I had no weapon, no way of hitting her and no form of defence. So I did the only thing I knew I could, no matter how much it pained me.

"Jaeger!" I screamed. "Help! It's the Quearus from—"

The Quearus shoved a hand against my mouth. "Can't you see he's occupied? You're just making noise."

I bit her hand and she released me. She sneered wickedly before punching me in the gut, winding me. Then she punched me again. And again. And again.

It was every time I tried to take in a breath that she punched me, making the air leave my lungs and bringing me back to square one. The gut-wrenching pain got overwhelming and a warm bubble formed in my throat. I thought it was only saliva until I coughed it out and saw the colour.

It was red.

The warm blood rose up my throat and simply coughing it out brought me pain. The Quearus wasn't stopping, and I was failing to draw in a single breath at this point. I felt light-headed and everything around me began to blur.

"This is fun," she exclaimed. "This is what you get, little Vanquisher. This is what you get for messing with someone like me—"

Jaeger suddenly tackled the Quearus off of me and I fell to the ground but it took me a second for my lungs to recover before I drew in a proper breath. I was gasping and coughing, desperate and greedy for more air but too pained to take in deeper breaths.