Ill Tidings We Bring: A Here Be Dragons Christmas Short

Part 2

Taking off into the night once again, I left Nathan behind along with Silas and North. Three down, five to go. I didn't count Luke because even though he was the sneakiest and had the best chance of catching me off guard, I knew he wouldn't. He enjoyed our games too much to ever call victory. I was sure he was already tracking me, but I wasn't worried about him trapping me.

As I got closer to the house, I slowed my speed and did my best to blend into the shadows. Sean was a slippery one, sometimes working alone and other times teaming up with Owen, but he wasn't usually patient enough to wait me out. He'd most likely give a more direct attack, but I still needed to be cautious.

A fallen tree spread across my path, moss and vines overtaking the previously brown bark, and I slowed my steps even more. The tree had fallen quite a while ago, and the inside looked like it could be hollow. My instincts screamed at me to be cautious as I approached. Gabriel wouldn't risk crawling in there for his fear of spiders lurking inside, but Kota or Victor wouldn't hesitate. Owen might, but his odd love for his suits might deter him. I wasn't sure whether Sean would even think of hiding there. He was an airhead sometimes and missed things that normal people would easily notice.

I retreated from the tree, intending to go around and come from a different angle where I had a better view of the inside, but I didn't get far. The crunch of leaves behind me was my only warning before a thin piano wire wrapped around my neck and jerked me back against a hard chest. My nose filled with moss and berries as the wire tightened around my throat, threatening to cut off my air supply as I struggled against Victor's grip. My hands moved to the wire first to try and loosen it, but he'd definitely snuck up on me and I was too late. The wire was cinched too tight for me to slip my fingers underneath, and I sucked in a strangled breath as Victor chuckled darkly and tightened it further.

I kicked my legs, trying to break away from him, but he had the advantage and I only had a few minutes before I passed out from lack of oxygen. Already, my lungs started to burn as the wire bit into my sensitive skin, and I did my best to get as much air into my chest as possible before he cut off my airway completely.

"Don't fight it, princess," Victor crooned in my ear as he secured the wire's position around my neck. "Surrender, and I'll stop."

I thrust my hands behind my head, foregoing any attempt to loosen his hold on me, and instead attempted to hurt him as I snarled in response to his offer. I would sooner lose consciousness than surrender willingly, and he knew it as he chuckled evilly and yanked his head away from my searching hands. My fingers found his jaw, and I dug my nails into his skin, making him grunt in pain as he moved out of my grip. 

He changed his position behind me, bringing me up on my toes as black spots danced in my vision from my lack of oxygen. My lungs burned, and my neck stung as the thin wire threatened to break skin. For a split second, I wondered if he was actually going to kill me. I knew there was a small part of him that wanted to, a tiny piece of him that wanted to cut off my fingers for his precious piano, but I never thought he'd actually do it.

My vision dimmed as I choked and struggled to breathe, but there was no leeway or give from the wire. Victor was going to strangle me, and I couldn't stop him. He was really going to kill me.

The thought spurred the monster inside me, and adrenaline coursed through my veins, giving my body the extra kick it needed to keep fighting. Instead of pulling away from Victor like I'd been doing, I used the small purchase I still had against the ground and shoved back against him, using the back of my head to connect to his face and dropping my hand to my thigh to retrieve my razor. I opened it, the metal gleaming in the moonlight as I sliced my hand behind me, connecting it to any part of his body I could reach. I sliced my blade into his thigh, and he shouted out a curse of pain as he loosened the wire around my throat. I sucked in a lungful of air, filling my chest with agonized relief.