4.The Serpent's Caster (ManxBoy)

CHAPTER ONE

Linus

I couldn't believe my eyes, the thing was huge, and made of thick black scales and it had orange slitted eyes which never moved away from me. I froze as anxiety gripped at me. I was going to die and I was not prepared.

The gigantic snake which towered over me slithered around and coiled around me. I gasped as the air left me, it tightened around me and I could tell it was prepared to break my bones. Suddenly death by vampires seemed like a better idea to me.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed in complete and utter terror. "No! Please!" I pleaded with the reptile as though it could understand me. "Someone! Anyone! Please!"

I guessed this was well deserved after all, I had watched my family...the herd, die by the hands of vampires and ended up captured by them and drugged and when I got my chance, I ran from that hell, leaving behind a friend who had been captured with me. I was a horrible person for leaving him and I guess this was my punishment.

The snake held itself high and stared at me, it was hypnotic, staring into it's unblinking eyes. Slowly, the snake's head was no longer a snake, it happened within a blink of an eye, but to me, it felt like everything was in slow motion. My eyes watched as it began to change, the scaled skin kind of just melted away,replaced with dark skin stretched over thick muscles. The coiled body uncoiled and soon a man towering over me was in place of the reptile.

"Who are you?" His voice was low and he all out hissed at me with his husky and deeply hoarse voice as he glared. His unblinking eyes were still slitted and orange and his hair was black and very short.

"Linus," I told him as I gulped nervously, he stepped forward. He was seriously way too big, like a giant but his movement surprisingly, were graceful and seductive even.

"Linussss," he hissed out, his tongue slitted and thin. "You are tressssspassssing." He walked around me slowly while I froze in shock.

"Well, then you should put up some signs," I said automatically, "you know, so people don't wander onto your property?" I chuckled nervously and swallowed.

"Oh, no." He told me as he came to a stop in front of me. I looked up, my eyes traveled up his bare feet, to his loincloth covered manhood to his toned stomach and chest,thick neck and finally his face. "If I did that... What would I eat?" I blanched,my mouth opening in shock, I blinked rapidly and then he began to change again,black scales covering his dark skin. The snake hissed and I fell back onto my ass.

"Please, I...I can't die yet..." I begged, my eyes stinging. "I mean, come on! I'm a virgin for crying out loud and only 16!" I ranted as he coiled around me. "I have yet to live! Please! Can't you eat me in a few years!?" I said my heart hammering in my chest. "At least after I've seen the Grand Canyon!?" I wanted to calm down so I could think rationally, but my mind wouldn't let me clear it. All I could think about was death, my death and more death. It was ridiculous.

I swallowed then and closed my eyes to try and calm down. Maybe if I didn't have to look at it, I'd be able to do something. And that's when it happened. He let go of me abruptly and I fell harshly to the ground. I groaned and opened my eyes as he hissed at me, his mouth open,fangs in plain view. I felt dizzy then and stayed down. My eyes were playing tricks on me,since he was suddenly blurry but turning human.

I passed out then and suddenly I was sucked into a dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare actually.

My mother snarled and lunged at the vampire who came our way, she managed to grab him by the jugular and clamp down until the head split from the body. I couldn't believe it. We were under attack, I was witnessing my first attack in 16 years of life and I was surrounded by death for the first time ever.

I blinked and shook my head as the vampire corpse turned to ash and was blown away in the wind. I brought my hands together and rubbed them before stretching them out and a large sword appeared in my grip. It was majestic and huge yet it felt so light, like air.

As the flames flickered on the swords blade I grinned feeling ready to defend the herd as best as I could. I used the skills my father had taught me when we were alone and away from the herd,away from the chief who hated me. I swung the thing at vampires, my senses were heightened to the point where I could hear every grain of ash fly away and I could feel every panther shifters death.

I slashed at them back and forth until one, a woman with red hair smirked at me. She was tall and beautiful and if I hadn't known any better, I'd have been a fool over heels for her. She ran towards me in a blur and in my moment of admiration managed to claw at my arms. I groaned and she came at me again, snatching my sword, she threw it away from me and it shimmered out of view. My eyes glowing purple,fixed themselves on her and I stood, my hands made a clawing gesture and in the air, I scratched. Lines of red appeared on her face but she didn't scream or flinch.

She scowled at me and ran for me before I lifted my hand up and a blast of fire erupted from my hand, she screamed as she caught fire. Blazing, I smirked as she ran around like a headless chicken. I coughed then feeling drained. I covered my mouth and found blood in my palm. I touched my nose feeling dizzy suddenly and fell onto my knee.

"What?" I mumbled and suddenly the feeling of dead souls lingered around me, so present and encouraging. I felt myself react on instinct. I looked around as blood came from my nose and my vision threatened to darken. I took a deep breath.

"Corpium insinde, juvecto memoria net." I mumbled lowly, deeply and a strength like non other filled me. It felt like someone had filled me with the power of ten men. I stood and smirked, lifting my hand a whip of glowing purple mist appeared in my hand and I lashed it out, it wrapped around two vampires at once and I pulled, they disintegrated into thin air.

"Linus!" I turned to see my mother, naked and struggling against four vampires. I saw red and lashed out my whip, it wrapped around two and I thrust my empty hand out to the other two, I levitated them into the air as I pulled on the whip. The whip glowed brighter as the two vampires turned to ash. The two that levitated growled at me viciously and I grinned as I was filled with immense power. They suddenly began to scream as I began chanting again.

"Corpium insinde, juvecto memoria net." I said and an aura of black came from them and entered into me, fueling me on and they turned to ash. I smirked feeling something inside me I never knew existed. It was like I was someone else, someone powerful. Unbeatable. I looked at my mother who nodded in thanks only I slashed the whip at her. She gapped as it wrapped around her and I pulled her close. "I need more."