"Is that-" I was about to ask a question, but the pain that shot through my leg, cut my words off with a scream. Tears invaded, stinging my eyes, but I held them back.
A strangled gasp escaped my lips as I looked up at Austin, who was throwing away the arrow that was once pierced through my flesh, "You little, son of a-"
"You're welcome." He rolled his eyes, before an arrogant smirk decorated his lips.
"Who gave you permission-?"
But once again, I was cut off and I felt a twitch of an angry spark at the disrespect he gave me, "I was helping. It could have been poisoned." He said, narrowing his eyes on the weapon he had discarded.
"I'll sue you, if you just caused more damage." I threatened him, well knowing if he wanted to, he can rip me apart with whatever supernatural strength he possessed.
He stared at me for a second or two, perhaps wondering if I actually just threatened him, "You've a lot of fighting spirit, I'll give you that." He muttered, before reaching his bloodied hand towards me.
I immediately jerked away, "What are you doing?!" I snapped.
"Helping you up. What does it look like?" His eyes mere twitched, I knew well enough he was starting to get annoyed with my snaps and threats.
"I can help myself. I don't need your bloodied hands, "I muttered, trying to slowly stand up, while not applying too much pressure on my wounded leg. I struggled, almost toppling over here and there, and the snickers from Austin didn't help, "You're not helping." I muttered without thinking,
"I thought you said you didn't need my help." He smirked.
"I don't!" I immediately snapped, balancing myself against the tree behind me once again, might as well be called my favourite tree now.
"Uh, where's Tristan?" I suddenly found myself asking.
"Your Toothless is fighting the leader of these Hunters." Austin replied, keeping his eyes ahead ready to rip apart any shooters that came this way.
"Hunters?" I frowned.
"Those shooters." Another voice came from the side. I turned to see Alec, "We call them Hunters now." He said, as he approached me, his hands bloodied just like Austin's were. I cringed at the sight, almost making me gag. In all my life, I don't think I've ever seen so much blood.
Looking down at my leg, I sighed, promising myself I'll sue everyone responsible for this.
I sighed, shaking my head, too many thoughts invaded my head, swirling into a headache, and on top of that my company is probably suffering under questions and speculations, thrown at them from the media. Jackson, of course, would definitely take advantage of the situation, and do everything in his power to grasp my company.
Jackson had planned it perfectly, first the car accident, and since that failed, he took the gala as his next big opportunity to get rid of me. Perhaps, that was my reason to think Tristan was the Russian hitman he had hired.
I shivered, thinking if Jackson knew about the fires I had created. Cameron had seen it, he had seen the very flames that roared into life from within me. Had he told anyone? Did anyone believe him?
"How many have we lost?" Alec asked Austin, a lingering line of worry laced in his voice.
Austin sighed before answering, "Twelve, I think.. mostly the flightless ones."
Alec closed his eyes, and I wondered if he was praying for the lives lost..
"Did you see him?" Austin asked.
"Last I heard, they headed up the north river." Alec immediately answered, as he whipped his hands clean with one of the dead shooter's shirts. I cringed at the sight.
"Towards the mountains?" Though it sounded like a question, from the intense gaze towards the direction, Austin knew well where exactly the people they spoke of headed towards.
"Who?" I asked, trying distract myself from the constant worrying questions that lingered in my mind.
"Tristan and the Hunters' leader." Austin said, without breaking his gaze from the direction.
"Oh.." Was all I could think of saying, before another question haunted my head. It wasn't any of my business, but if someone from my past was now involved with, be it enemy or friend, it could become my business, "Who's the Hunters' leader?" I asked.
Alec frowned, turning to me, a suspicious glint crossed his eyes as he narrowed them, "You were talking to him…"
I frowned back at him, "I was?"
"Did you lead him here? Is that why you shouted? Are you one of them?!" Questions spewed from Austin's mouth, before I got a chance to answer any of them.
"Who are you talking about?!" I snapped at him, confusion and annoyance washed over my face, for him to clearly see.
Alec placed a hand on Austin's shoulder, trying to make him take a step back and stop cornering me with questions, "The one that was bending down beside you talking, before Tristan pulled him away."
My eyes widened in realisation, "Antonio Venturi?"
I gulped, thinking how stupidly I had forgotten about the Venturi. Perhaps the graphic violence Alec and Austin displayed, might have shocked me more than I thought.
"Is that his name?" Alec frowned.
"How do you know his name?" Austin was quick to ask, the arrogant smirk that once decorated his lips and playful eyes were long gone as he narrowed his eyes at me.
I let out a shaky breath, "I knew him... He's sort of a big name in business too." I frowned, not being able to put the pieces together, "Why is he here?" I suddenly asked them.
Alec and Austin exchanged glances, before Alec asked, "How close are you with him?"
I glared at Alec, Antonio Venturi was a name I hated with such passion, "We are not close, at all!" I gritted.
"How are we supposed to believe you?" Austin snapped.
"Austin, she's Tristan's-"
But Austin seems to love the habit of cutting people off, "No, she could be working with him for all we know!"
"I would never work with a snake like Venturi!" I snapped, "He has caused too many problems. Stole millions from my half-brother."
Alec nodded with slight hesitation, "Alright, we'll discuss this in detail once Tristan comes back."
"There's nothing to discuss. I need to leave!" I exclaimed.
"You already saw how bad things are! And look what happened to you!" Austin snapped gesturing to my wounded leg, "Do you really think you can go back? Or that we'll even let you go back, now that we know there's some connection between you and the Hunters' leader."
I stared at him incredulously, before I scoffed, "Are you serious? There's no connection between me and the Venturi! I just told you! He can't do much damage anyways!"
"Say that to hundreds of us he has killed over the past year, there's only a handful of us left!" Austin spoke through his gritted teeth, stepping closer to me.
I let out a humourless chuckle once again, "Again with 'us' and the 'your kind' nonsense? You all need to live in the real world!" I raised my voice by many decibels as I spoke to him.
He glared at me, "Some future Queen, you are." He muttered, making me frown at his addressment. He turned to Alec, "She needs to see for herself to believe."
"Austin, I don't think that's a good idea." Alec responded, but his words didn't stop Austin from picking me off the ground and throwing me over his shoulder like a rough sack.
"Austin! What the hell?!" I shouted, hitting onto his back as hard as I could, "Put me down, now!" I tried to kick my legs, but from the agonising pain that shot through my leg, I realised it was a bad idea.
"Austin, where're you taking her?" Alec's voice didn't trail far behind.
"To Tristan." Was all he answered.
"But why carry me?" I asked, I've never been more humiliated in my life. I always kept my head straight and never allowed any man to walk all over me, or humiliate me in any way. I had fought against many men and stepped up as a powerful woman in business.
Frustrated, I hit his back harder, but it had no effect.
Man of steel?
"Because your leg is wounded and if I had carried you bridal style, it would be in an awkward angle, causing you more pain." Surprisingly, he had answered me. A part of me was grateful Austin had thought through, perhaps I had read him wrong too.
Blindly thinking he was the care-free, laid back type, but I was clearly wrong, he knew how to take matters to his own hands. But the ways he did it, I didn't approve of.
"Austin, just put me down!" I snapped, but I earned nothing but a grunt from him this time, "This is so humiliating.." I mumbled, facepalming.
I heard a few chuckles coming from not far behind, "Not funny, Alec." I muttered, knowing it was exactly him, but my words only caused him to snicker.
"Now you know, not to mess with Austin when he's angry." He snickered.
"That information would have been well useful before." I muttered, not finding any of this amusing.
From the rushing of the waters, I knew we were near the streams or river they talked of. I lifted my head to see the thick trees have disappeared and the bright sun shone its rays, able to light the entire ground. It was almost blinding to witness the sun again, after the dark woods. Rivers of water ran towards the thick forest, possibly coming from the mountains Austin had spoken of earlier too.
I watched the waters rush over the rocks and bends, distracting myself from the humiliation I was under, but the sound of an alarming roar that shook the trees made all three of us stop. It was the same roaring of power I heard before. Holding an undeniable ferocity.
Austin sighed, putting me down and allowing me to balance myself by holding onto his shoulder. Some bit of hesitance ran in his eyes and he turned towards Alec again, who was already looking at me with slight concern.
I frowned, not understanding why a stranger would be concerned over me, when my birth-mother hadn't. If she was worried, or even loved me, she would have come back, like she had promised me.
"What-?" I was about to ask, but from another roar that ripped through, I had to cut myself off. Using Austin to balance myself, I turned around wanting to witness what had caused that sound.
I knew in the back of my mind it was Tristan, for I had heard and seen him roar so powerfully like an animal, than a human.
My eyes wandered trying to spot him, but instead I was met with a large winged black creature. I gasped, my other leg failed too, causing Austin to grab me quickly and hold me steady with both of his arms, he slowly lowered me onto the ground, letting me sit, but my eyes stayed on the large creature that stood in front.
Strangled gasps of breaths left my lips, and my chest tightened with an unease pressure that put my heart in a strain, hitting hard against my tightening chest, painfully, wanting to break free.
I whimpered, as the strange sightings I saw flash before my eyes, a vision.
A bright shine, like a flash of light, caught my eye from the side. I frowned, lifting my head to the sky, narrowing my eyes to identify the source.
The stars surrounded, shining and brightly moving into a shape or symbol. I gasped feeling the air in my lungs release in shock as I gazed into the night sky. My heart thumped faster and faster as the stars moved into some sort of an alignment. The sparkling silver balls of light swooshed around as if it was controlled by a person or another being.
"Wha..?" I breathed out in disbelief frowning as I saw the stars lining together one by one into the shape of a long creature. My eyes widened as more of these stars flew in from far away, holding onto the creature like in shapes of large wings. I opened my mouth in disbelief watching the drawing of the creature unfold before me, "A dragon..?"
The same creature stood before me, "It can't be…" I mumbled, looking up the enormous majestic creature, who roared fire into the arrows that tried to shoot him down, turning the once sharp weapons into nothing but ash, left to drift away with the wind, others casted away with a flick of the strong wings.
I gasped, arching my back painfully, feeling myself being pulled into another vision.
"Alec, something's wrong with her!" I heard Austin's voice, but it faded away slowly among the winds, as another vision flashed before my eyes.
Fire, the richest element, one so noble, yet deadly.
I frowned as the crackling flames turned against an unknowing wind. The fire changed directions; whooshing left and right, instead of simply roaring upwards. My eyes followed the strange directions before something flew out from the flames...a flaming creature. I gasped, my mind immediately flashed back to the drive, the creature the stars portrayed... a dragon.
I shook my head, wanting to be wrong, but the winged-creature rose from the small flames. My breathing released in pants and the beating of my heart skyrocketed; thumping against my chest, ready to break free, by one way or another. Sweat broke through my forehead as I saw the creature get pulled back into the fire by a flaming rope. Arrows shot from every direction before, hitting the dragon at its very flesh and heart. A strangled gasp left my lips as the creature was shot down. Ashes of black smoke left its mouth... its last breath.
I whimpered, feeling cold sweat break out on my forehead. I felt someone trying to shake me away from the visions that had invaded me so harshly. But none of it helped, the visions had wrapped an invisible rope of burning fire around me, making it stung painfully with an undesirably strong effect... cruel and severe.
My heart started accelerating again, making my whole body tremble. A wheezing sound left my throat as I kept getting the shortness of breath.
My chest was in flames.
And I couldn't get the air into my lungs.
Alec's and Austin's voices drifted around me, but I couldn't make out a single word they were saying, my eyes were locked onto the creature before me, one that was believed to be mythological.
I watched, trembling, as it landed breathlessly, much like I was. A cloud of grey feathery smoke surrounded the large creature, sparks of silver embedded around, almost blinding the eyes of ones who watched.
And from it emerged a much smaller being, a human... Tristan, holding onto his torso as he struggled to breathe a little.
I whimpered, causing him to look at my direction, the seafoam eyes locked with mine, giving me comfort in the seas that tried to drown me. Confusion washed over his face, a deep frown placing on his features as he looked at me.
I saw someone quickly rushed towards him, the sandy blonde hair told me it was Austin.
Blurriness invaded my eyes, but I saw the seafoam eyes draw closer and closer to me, and as sparks caressed my skin, I knew... Tristan had me in his arms.