Kin of the Damned

Chapter 6: Proof To Live

I looked down and noticed the heavy paw prints in the grass leading to where auntie probably is. I followed them until I got to an abandoned warehouse. "Auntie!" I yelled but got no response.

Maybe he already got to her- no, I can't immediately think the worse. After checking around the building, I head inside to see if I will have any luck there. Immediately upon entering, I see Auntie chained up on a chair with the shifter standing beside her, holding a knife To her throat.

"What are you doing to her, you freak, let her go!"

He laughed, "That's one funny joke, bloodsucker. The pot is calling the kettle black!"

"Yeah, keep laughing," I whispered under my breath as I lunged at him. I raised my leg to kick him in the head, but he grabbed it and twisted my ankle.

He broke the bones in my ankle and I felt my leg twisting unnaturally. I shouted out in agony and stumbled back, falling to my knees.  The man shifted and lunged toward me.

He opened his jaw to bite, but luckily I was back at 50% power and called on my familiar. "Kaleidel!" I muttered, and the kaleidoscope appeared in my hand. "Attack!"

The butterflies swarmed his face, he tried to swat at them but it didn't deter them. Suddenly, the man's eyes turned cloudy, and then he fell to the ground. I checked if he had a pulse and waited a bit. He was dead. I then went to check on Lilliana.

"Auntie! Are you okay?" I yelled at her, getting no response. I checked her pulse and luckily, it was still there, she was just unconscious.

I dragged her back to the cabin and used the last of my energy to heal her.

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The next morning, she woke up. Lilliana looked around, taking in the surroundings of her bedroom, until she saw me, "Where are the wolves?"

"Dead.  I killed them." I looked down, ashamed. I had never killed anyone before now, but I guess that is normal for a regular girl. I wish I could be that same regular girl again, untouched by the grief and danger I suspect will be a part of my daily life.  But if I want to have any semblance of her life again then I have to stop the ones who want me 6 feet under.

"Oh," she said, then quickly reassured me, "It is not your fault you know. It was us or them,  they knew what they were doing."  It didn't help to place blame, it didn't erase my growing death count, how similar I was to my mother.  

But I kept all that to myself and just nodded, "I made breakfast."

"Great, can you bring it here?"

"Yea," I left to get the food and we discussed the plan while we ate.

"I think I should find the vampires now."

"I agree but I think you should take me with you, you will need someone to train you for the competition."

"What competition?"

"It's a competition that all vampire families can compete in, you fight against other strong vampires and the strongest will become the ruler of the vampire kingdom until they die. The next one is scheduled for 3 months from now."  I shuddered. 

"I have to compete in it?"

"It's the only way, unless you want to start a coup which I don't doubt many of the vampires would love.  They revel in violence and chaos."  

I certainly did not want to have to start a coup, "Do you know how my mother won?"

She snorted."Everyone knows, her story is infamous.  She grew up in a human family and was a botched turn--"