Blood on Roses [COMPLETED]

Thirty-Five: Paradox

"If you are capable of accepting this fate and giving up everything to me, I will take you with me to eternal life. Whether that life be a dream or a nightmare is entirely up to you. All you have to do is take my hand."
~ Zachary Nolan

THIRTY-FIVE

In the blink of an eye, Henrietta and I engaged in a fierce battle. Although she appeared visibly distraught, she still managed to defend against my attacks.

I almost kicked myself in frustration. I was slow. I wasted too much energy. On top of that, the growling in my stomach was becoming unbearable.

Our strikes gradually dug dents into the grass. The surrounding vampire hunters had no idea what to do. No one stepped in to help Henrietta due to the new knowledge that she murdered an esteemed hunter, but at the same time, no one could defy a Chief in the blink of an eye.

I attempted to pierce her from multiple angles in mid-air. She parried the blows with her much sturdier mace club. She knocked my spear up, creating an opening.

My eyes narrowed in alert. The scattered red jewels on the spear flashed as the weapon briskly morphed into a shield with the rubies embedded around the edge. I obstructed her thrash in the nick of time.

My weapon was responding more eagerly than ever before. It almost seemed to roar to life as I frequently switched between a sword and shield to gain an advantage. It must've been torture for my grandfather to wait twelve years while knowing that Henrietta walked free this entire time.

All of a sudden, she grabbed the top handlebar of the spear, attempting to immobilize me. The weapon reacted on its own and generated sharp spikes right where she held it. She cried out in pain as the thin spikes penetrated her palm.

My fangs brushed against my bottom lip at the same time as my stomach twisted harder in pain.

Human blood smelled heavenly.

If the blood of other vampires drove me to the brink of insanity, the blood of a human instantly dilated my pupils. I gulped, hard.

The distracting scent further hindered my movements and clouded my judgment, but I was still good enough to hold her off. Then, I noticed that Henrietta bit down. She ate the power-up pill that every hunter kept at the back of their teeth.

I had never seen the effects of that pill. I didn't know what to expect. Halos appeared in my vision for a second. When I blinked them away, Henrietta was right in front of me and swung her mace club at full force. I couldn't react in time and received a mighty bash to the side of my head.

I flew across the field and straight into a tree. Blood dripped down my face. My head throbbed, and I blacked out for a good two seconds.

So many people called out my name in worry. Zach sped over immediately. He kneeled on one knee and checked my injury.

"That's it. You're not fighting her alone." He stood up, and the red rings around his pupils gleamed in hostility.

I used the remainder of my strength to reach up and tug at the bottom of his shirt. I wobbled to get to my feet. I wished for my injuries to heal, but the process slowed down to almost the healing speed of a human.

Zach promptly inhaled, and he frowned straightaway. "You haven't had a drink, yet?"

Shaking my head only made me dizzier. I blinked hard to focus on Henrietta again. She stood at the far side of the field, closely watching my every movement.

Zach's eyes darted around in a way that I knew he was thinking. Before I could bend down to pick up my spear, he grabbed my arm. His actions appeared rough, but his hold on me was tender.