Rapture of Witches

Chapter Nine: Dance with Death and Kiss Life Goodbye

Charlene... I couldn't get her off my mind, and it was clear the creature used my thoughts against me, even when I wasn't thinking about the woman she was still on my mind, poking at my thoughts and leaving me curious- a very deadly weakness of mine. Laying in the truck, feeling the tires swerve back and forth to dodge fallen trees and cars, I stared up at the ceiling- eyeing the large shadows cast by the white light from the electric lantern.

Don was huddled up in the corner, eyes never leaving my frail form. I knew he was scolding me for my childish acts; roaming off alone like a kid in the woods was undoubtedly a horror film act where I deserved to die from it, but the writers kept me alive for some reason. "The creature you saw." His tone was timid and distant as if he were kicking himself. "It was a demon called Dromenvanger- meaning dreamcatcher in Dutch. It uses your subconscious as a weapon, plays tricks on you, lures you to its trap, and eat your limbs. Even if you didn't walk through those woods, it would of still lure you in somehow. I should have followed you, but I thought you had to take a piss."

"It's not your fault Donovan. I'm supposed to be stronger than that, and I should have stayed by your side." I sat up slowly; my body still aches from being lifted in the air and tossed down.

"You called out my name, I heard you and that thing, but I didn't even make an effort-"

"Hey." I extended myself to the other side and clasped his cold hands into mine. "Both of us would have been dead if you ran out there; it was selfish of me even to put you in that position."

Before I could pull away, Donovan held my hand tighter, his thumb skimming my skin as if memorizing my warmth and soft texture. He finally let us go after a few seconds of affection and slumped his shoulders in defeat. "What lure you out there?"

"The cries of a vulnerable woman, the same one I possessed in my dreams. Her eyes were electric blue, the genetic trademark of all Ilorian's children. Damn, do you think there's more of us? An evil being like Ilorian would have wanted an army, beings with strength and powers that matched his own, creatures that can be easily manipulated with a mere promise of guiding them- fatherly guidance. To think, if he were on earth- my earth, he could have held me in his grasp with just the right words and face. I could have been like Gavriila."

"No, you wouldn't." His tone was stern and low, and his eyes flashed into a dark green as he turned serious. "I can see this Jupiter has a mind of her own, and I'm sure you would have seen through his bullshit right away."

"You'll be surprised how easily I can be tricked, and today was good proof," I stated with a deflating sigh while pressing my back against the vibrating wall. "There's one thing that's been on my mind, Lucas never told me why you two had a falling out. Do you mind enlightening me about it?"

Ruffling up his short red hair, Don blew raspberries and reached back into his memories. "Well, this will sound mortal and humane, but we just broke apart. I'm a partying vampire, has no bounds, spend my nights drinking skanky blood and fucking whoever, wherever, and whenever. That was Lucas once, but once he gained his badge, all that partying went out the window for him. He learned the law, helped some humans, learned their ways, and lived upon them for a long time; soon, it shaped his thoughts in seeing my lifestyle as sorta inhumane and disgusting."

"Like catch and release?" I smirked, immediately my thoughts gone back to that peaceful humid night. Lucas and I behind that waterfall, him dominating me in such a sexy way. God, just thinking about it is making my heart flutter and skin hot... "I've seen where it's exciting but also a little... primal."

"Oh? Did you play? It's one of my favorite games, that and spins the bottle."

"Spin the bottle? Isn't that a middle school game? A four-hundred-year-old vampire was playing spin the bottle, and here I thought I heard everything."