Chapter 10: A Vampire's Romance

KAI

Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful.

A few hours ago, my body laid in a very uncomfortable slumber inside a cave. My back might as well be broken with the rigid bed I slept on---It's not even a bed. It's just the ground itself--- Then Tala pulled me out of a nightmare, I forgot to thank her, dragging my sleep-ridden body out of the cave with the news that Maverick had gone missing.

But now,... how did things turns out this way?

The rough ground turned into thick, rough branches that is not as wide as the ground nor as comfortable.

The two of us, alone, with a sandwich in our hands, sitting in a tree while watching Headmistress Hana get beaten up by a bunch of hunters. Probably an interrogation that uses force.

"And they say you guys are monsters," Tala grumbled as her knuckles turned white around the sandwich she was holding.

She was watching the whole thing unfold.

Rather than replying to what she said, I just watch the scene unfold with her. It's nostalgic, in a sense that I remembered the same thing that's being done to Headmistress Hana in my past.

I snapped my gaze away. My eyes landing on Tala's shredded sandwich.

I tapped her hands and warned, "don't murder your food."

She jerked in surprise and dropped it on the ground. For a whole minute, Tala quietly stared at her fallen food that a group of ants might as well be feasting on it on the ground before facing me.

Without a word, without any reasons,--- okay, so maybe there is?---Tala kicked me in the sides even if it made her loose balance. She recovered though, her arms tightly hugging the branches to avoid plummeting a ten feet drop.

"If we get caught because my urge to slaughter you is greater than my urge to live," Tala warned, "I'd murder you in the after-life."

Funny how her tone isn't even joking.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and remembered how our fate lead us alone in a tree with a view as horrible as Tala's word choices.

It happened earlier this day.

"Did you say---" I'm assuming Tala had turned around to see two arrows lodged on the ground making her stop mid-sentence.

"Get behind me." I order Tala, grabbing her arm to hide her from any more arrow shots.

She yelps at the swift motion, "what's happening?"

My eyes scanned the canopy to see where the hunters might be hiding but with the branches of trees overlapping and the thickness of the clustered leaves, it's a failed effort. I don't have Maverick's excellent sense of smelling so that's a plus.

"Hunters," I groaned, trying to stay alert. "Let me explain who they are though the name is rather self-explanatory, they are humans trained to hunt monsters that roams the night. If they're feeling rather merciful," an overstatement, "they would let the monster live another day and hunt them again if their mood turns sour."

I closed my eyes to concentrate, dodging an arrow aimed at my heart. Tala following me, her hands clutched tightly at my shirt.

"Fuck--- How did they find us then?"

"They are very excellent trackers," which makes my head pop a vein with the trouble they bring, " and that skill hinders us, myths, from getting any peace and quiet."

"Let the human go, monster." A soft yet determined voice called out from among the shadows of the trees. There are three figures lurking inside, a tall male figure with messy brown hair is standing in the middle but the one who spoke just now seemed to be his right hand.

"Human?" I laughed at the same time Tala asked, "monster?"

"Wait, why are you confused?" We both asked each other.

"I'm the monster." I pointed at myself. "Is that not clear?"

"Shut up. You're just a myth."

She got me there but how does she know the difference?

"And how am I not a human?" She asked, insulted. I glance over her from head to toe making my point but she still didn't seem to get it.

"It seems that I have not made myself clear," the voice from afar said. She walked slowly into the light with a bow and an arrow pointing at me. Her eyes glances over to Tala, from a glare it shifted into a reassuring one. "Do not worry, Miss. We are here to save you."

Her hair is a shade of chestnut with streaks of a lighter brown color, braided into a crown. Her outfit is a tight-looking black and green leather jacket with pads on her knees. She had a quiver full of arrow behind her.

I smell blood on her. Fresh blood like she has an injury... on her leg.

"Is she talking to me?" Tala mumbled.

"Looks like it."

"Any clue on how to deal with this?" She asked which made me confused. Didn't she want to leave? She could use this opportunity. "We still need to find Maverick." But her staying or leaving isn't really the problem right now.

"And what will happen if I don't hand over the human?" I asked the hunter out loud. My hand gripped Tala's arm.

"Aray, potek... what are you doing?"

"Act helpless. I have a plan." Tala didn't do anything and looks at me weirdly.

She complained, "that is a fucking cliche plan."

"Just do it."

With reluctance in her movement, she struggled from my grip. It remind me of how she struggled the first time that I caught her in the forest. That was not the best way to meet someone.

"Oh, you wouldn't like the results." The male hunter laughed before he raised his hands. The lady besides him made a victorious smirk, while the other lady beside him didn't react at all.

From behind her emerged two more hunters wearing black and green leather. They moved slowly, the sound of a body being dragged across the floor made me curious. My eyes may have night vision but all I can see are faint green glows of movement in the darkness. I can't make out the detail of who is being dragged but as the other two hunters reached the light of the moon, everything became clear.

Heavily sedated, the last two hunter dragged Maverick. Not caring if his legs and knees are getting scrapes and bruises from the rough ground filled with stones and sticks. I frowned at the sight. Tala stopped struggling. Her eyes fixated on Maverick's bruised face. A small cut sat in his left cheeks and the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, you know him?" Hunter girl chuckles. "Gotta say. The wolf was hard to bring down but we did. You should know we mean business."

Tala's free hand surprised me as she lightly gripped my arm. She said low, "should I? Should I just go with them? Maverick is in trouble because people like them believes I'm still human." She wasn't asking me for permission, she was thinking out loud.

"Why are you acting so soft all of a sudden? I can assure you that we will have Maverick."

"If someone else gets hurt I'm handing myself over." Tala was determined on her answer. It took me by surprise but I paid no more attention to her being uncharacteristically caring.

"That hurts," I feigned, clutching my heart, "have you no faith in me, hamster?"

"Are you serious? In the middle of this, your doing that? Calling me weird names?"

I really do like teasing her. Is this how it feels like to have a little sister?

Though, I'm glad Tala made a quick 180 back into her normal attitude---Mind you, we were talking with hush voices and our conversation was nothing but a ghost whisper to those hunters--- the real problem is yet to be solved.

"The safety of the sweet lady for the despicable life of this monster," the head honcho demanded, tearing my focus from Tala.

I gritted my teeth, their choice of adjectives are making my ears burn. Nevertheless, my composure remains. "I don't think you have the right to demand here. After all, her safety seems to be more important than that 'despicable' monster as you have said." I swallowed back the vomit that I felt when those words left my mouth.

To add more emphasis to my words, I hardened my grip on one of Tala's arm making her scream in pain.

"A-aray!" She screamed. Her free hands gripped my wrist as she tug the arm I was clutching violently.

Tala's pained expression made the hunters holding Maverick loosen their hold on him--- Loosen is a nicer term. More like dropped him because a precious human is getting hurt.

I scoffed, if you ask me, they are the real monsters.

"She's in pain, hunters," I laughed though this doesn't give me pleasure. "And you can't do anything about it."

The leader of the hunter looked at me in defeat. Is he about to give up? That easy, huh? Oh well. Sooner the better.

My grip on Tala's shoulder loosened as I utter a soft apology once more. Her expression was murderous for only a second before she relaxed herself.

"This isn't even as worse as the one's I experienced back in the academy." She humored but I can tell she's still pissed.

I grinned, "are you implying that I'm weak?"

"I didn't mean to imply because there's no doubt about it"

That annoying little--- Calm down. Now that that's out of the way, I faced the hunters once more for a negotiation. A ransom to be exact. "Now, let me know if you wanna---"

Tala gasped as a swift pain erupted in my shoulders. Not a moment later, I feel hot liquid pooling over my shoulder.

An arrow lodged where it hurts. Everything moved in seconds, I can only focus my mind on how the right hand woman looked triumphant after doing something sly and underhanded. I expected that treating Tala like a hostage is not gonna be a good plan for so long but I did not expect they would be lacking any decency and fairness in a fight. At least wait for the swapping of deals to happen before being a snake.

The right hand woman took another arrow and aimed it at me. I pulled the arrow out of my shoulder, was stunned that my blood is flowing out of the wound, dodged the arrow that's about to hit me, and saw how Tala reacted to everything, her face filled with mixture of anxiety and concern.

Then, I remembered what she said earlier. It could be from the pain in my shoulder but I was in shock.

"Tala," I shouted with my voice an octave higher, "don't!"

She looked at me, her eyes wide as her lips started to quiver. She bit it to stop herself from shaking. I know she thinks this is her fault but that is completely illogical. It's no one's.

"Leif, Sandy!" The leader of the hunter yelled as he load an arrow. The two women besides him shoots their arrows as he ordered the rest of his team. "Secure the safety of the lady!"

I ran towards Tala as two hunters made their way towards her, blockingtheir way, with my speed I clawed one of them away. My hands gripped their arms and threw them through the trees.

"That is a stupid plan!" I screamed at Tala. Veins would be popping out of my neck if this were a cartoon.

Tala screamed back, "I supposed your plan worked! We're in a tight fucking mess so trust me!"

"Handing you over IS part of the plan but only temporarily. Do you actually---" I stopped mid-sentence as the other hunter, the dude one, came at me with a knife. I swerved out of the way, took the hand with the knife and bent his arm backwards. He screamed in pain dropping his knife to the ground--- "think that they'd let Maverick go?" If we made the swap, they would not hesitate to betray the deal but at least then, I would be in close range to pick-up Maverick and run inside the forest to hide him somewhere before going back and save Tala.

But that plan flew out of the window, the moment they shot me. Now, the plan is to severely injure them until they cannot move.

The hunter yanked his arm back, I could take an oath that it did hurt him more by doing so, and round-house kicked me in the face. Too bad it never landed. I caught his feet in mid-air with both my hands and swung him to the ground, hard. The way Hulk did with Loki except I didn't make it look like the hunter is a ragdoll. He groaned, landing on his face.

He twisted his body, pulling me with his momentum and kicking me in the abdomen. It did not hurt at all but it is draining my energy.

How can he still move?!

I should finish this up, I reminded myself.

With that in my mind, I pulled his legs that landed on my stomach. My elbow landed on his thigh, cracking his bones. We both whimpered in pain. My hand immediately gripped my wounded arm, trying to numb the pain.

Why is my shoulder still not healing?! What's wrong with my body? And I just had to use that arm to break the hunter's knees! Am I stupid?!

Another pain shot through my back. An arrow loosely embedded itself--- Curses! I couldn't focus at all! There's too many of them, I didn't even know who shot the arrow. Plus Tala is acting like a liability because she keeps wanting to surrender herself.

With my current condition, it'll be troublesome if we have to rescue her once the hunters "save" her from us. They'd surely be guarding her for a while until they know she's safe and who knows when they decide that she is.

Or to make things worse, they realize Tala is not human and kills her!

I do not think she understand the gravity of what she wants. Sacrificing herself is all and good but that is a hero's characteristic. Not a monster's.

"Stop it!" Tala screamed.

The leader of the hunter raised his hand to signal the other hunters to stop as well. My eyes pleaded her to not do it.

"I have had it! Who the fuck do you think you guys are?!" She angrily pointed her index finger at the hunters. "I've been playing along with your 'we are here to save the human' act because Kai said he had a plan but if you are just going to hurt them then I'm just gonna go ahead and say this: Don't go rescuing people who didn't ask for help! Do I look like I fucking wanna be saved?!"

That was one way to leave them completely dumbfounded--- I thought she said she'd surrender?

With the opportunity at hand, I distanced myself from any hunters. I leaned my body towards a tree, my breathing ragged as I tried to reach the arrow lodged at my back. It was a shallow piercing. I planned to pull it out but I remembered that I already lost a lot of blood and my healing is not working, maybe it is but probably on a human-like pace.

Foot steps were heading towards me. It was a cautious one. I look up to see Tala with a concerned look. My eyes could barely stay open, I might be losing a lot of blood right now. And her body is probably filled with lots of them.

One taste would not hurt right? I just need it to heal myself. I'm sure she would understand

The temptation got to me, I did not even notice how my fangs bared itself as she walked closer to me. Her hands trembled as she touched my arms. Tala is distracted. She was inspecting all of my wounds but to me she may just have been offering her neck for the taking. I gulped. My mouth opened as I leaned closer to her warmth. A delicious amount of blood is inside her and refusing to drink it is just rude, right?

As distracted as I was with the pulsing veins on Tala's neck, I didn't notice how she touched the body of the arrow making me wince in pain.

"Don't touch it," my voice is strained.

My resolve flooded back in the second I felt the pain on my back. I felt more blood gush out of me but nothing is much worse than the moment my thoughts even considered drinking Tala's blood for the second time! I mean, just a little taste. A single sip.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, unsure if I can control myself.

My fangs beared itself as my head fell on Tala's shoulder. I was about to open my mouth until I felt her hand trembling softly near the arrow. Weakly, my hand gripped her arms. She gasped as if I pulled her out of a deep thought.

Either way, she composed herself.

"You," the leader of the hunter let out a dejected sigh, "don't tell me you've fallen in love with this monster?"

"So what?" Tala answered, shocking all of us. That cannot be--- Am I that charming to have her fall for me already? "Do you want proof or something?"

What does she mean by proof? L-like a hug? Or, or a kiss?

"Aren't you acting too hasty?" I stuttered.

I'm getting light-headed. Is it because of my wounds? I must've heard Tala wrong.

"You're bothering us so back off! and leave my friend alone while you're at it."

The other woman beside the leader took a step forward, "Miss, don't make this harder for us to do our job. Vampires aren't safe. They're monsters."

Her black braided hair fell on her shoulder as cold golden eyes gently pleaded for Tala's cooperation.

"Geez. Quit telling me things that I already know."

"He's losing a lot of blood," the hunter informed her, "he already bared his fangs. It's only a matter of time before he attacks you. Please, let us finish him off."

Tala glared at them, "it's not the first time that he tried to do that. Now, leave us alone!"

"I believe that's not possible." The hunter replied. "You're clearly under their spell, Miss. We cannot possibly leave you at their hands. You're not in your right frame of mind."

"Everyone's crazy. So what?"

The leader gave a warm smile to Tala, "then we just need to kill him and you'd be free."

"Just fucking great."

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