Heaven's Eclipse: Star-crossed Fate.

Chapter Eight: Remember Me?

We trotted along the well-worn bridleway, the horses hooves gently churned up the loose ground, flicking clods of earth and I slowly began to relax into the saddle. My muscles seeming to know how to ride, naturally adjusting my position and leading the horse, even though I had never ridden. The birds were singing in the branches over our heads and we saw the occasional deer, that paused mid munch to watch us, before darting away into the undergrowth; upsetting the rest of the nearby herd.

"The deer seem a bit nervy today." I said as we progressed.

"Well it was a full moon last night." That explained it then. They'd spent the night being primalupuses food.

"How far does the colleges territory go and what stops the primalupuses from just wondering into town?" Kody ducked a low hanging branch before answering.

"Well except for the electrified fence that runs the perimeter of the college's grounds, primalupuses are very territorial and enforce their areas. There are several small packs on the college property. Although they only really enforce their territories during a full moon." We picked up the pace and broke into a canter, letting the horses burn off some of the nervous energy they were picking up from the wildlife.

"I almost forgot to tell you, Maara is coming back tomorrow. She's finally starting the college term." She beamed at me and I wondered not for the first time if she had a bit of a crush on her.

"The other member of the covern you keeping going on about." She blushed bright crimson and spurred the horse forward, ahead of my pleased smile. I caught up with her easily.

"So that's the news you wanted to tell me?" She shook her head.

"No, there's a new girl being brought in this morning. She was carried down to the lower level of the college before anyone saw much, but the rumour mills been at work and it's suspected that she was attacked by a vampyre and that she's in transitioning." I stopped the horse and Kody did the Same thing.

"Do you know her name?"

"Alec Creed" I almost fell off my horse, Alec was here. How had she been attacked and was she going to be okay? Not every one survived the transitioning. It was very taxing and took a massive physical and mental toll on those who were born with the gene and virus dormant, let alone a human.

I turned my horse around and prepared to gallop back to the college, ignoring Kody's questions, when a wolf stepped out into our path making the horses freeze. Luckily they didn't rear and throw us and I found myself being thankful for their training, which generally made them harder to spook and hardened to predatory animals in particular. I recognized the wolf instantly.

"Samantha." her name left my mouth in a whisper and a moment later she was standing before me, completely naked in the middle of the trail. I looked across at Kody to see her eyeing her up and cleared my throat. She turned shamefacedly towards me.

"Oh, okay." She spurred her horse on at a slow trot, going around Sam, who hadn't moved, to give us some privacy. I dismounted and tied my horse up to a branch, before turning to talk to her; only to be met with her lips on mine.

"I finally remembered last night." She said in between kisses, as she backed me up against a tree and I wrapped my legs around her waist, completely absorbed in her and the primal energy she was radiating. I shivered as heat flared to life once again from her touch and memories of last night came flooding back to me, as she dug her fingers more urgently into my hips. Our bond bloomed to life, as her fingers found the raised flesh of the scar-tissue, reminding me of our connection.

"Nia!" Yelled a voice, just as Samantha was leaning in again.

"She's a dominant, get away from her." Her voice had a shrill squeak to it and she held out a hand to me, as if the force of her offer could will me to move over to her. I didn't want move though, I was in a haze with Samantha's scent wrapped all around me and it had awoken a feral need within me; making me yearn for her primal touch.