As I stood there, watching Edward leisurely preparing himself to face me, a wave of uncertainty washed over me.
My plan was to take catch him off guard in my surprise attack, to make sure he couldn't contact Luna's capturers. Which failed spectacularly.
I had expected to swiftly confront and neutralize him, but now, faced with his calm demeanor, I felt a sense of dread creeping in.
Millions of thoughts raced through my mind, each one more terrifying than the last. I couldn't afford to make any rash moves—I had to ensure Luna's safety above all else.
My teeth clenched so hard that my fangs pierced into my lower lip, drawing blood. "L-Luna, is she safe?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear.
"What do you think?" Edward's response was cold and indifferent as he stood six feet away, his expression unchanged.
I couldn't bring myself to reply. The mere thought of Luna in danger sent shivers down my spine.
I forced myself to focus, to maintain eye contact with Edward. "You haven't contacted anyone, so she's safe, right?" I questioned, desperately seeking reassurance.
'If he really did not contact anyone to give instructions, she has to safe.' I thought to myself.
Edward met my gaze evenly, his tone casual. "Well, while you were busy trying to murder me, do you think I could have contacted anyone?"
His words hit me like a blow. I should have felt relieved because the answer was no, but an unsettling feeling lingered within me.
As I remained silent, Edward continued, explaining, "her kidnapper or rather my henchmen was specifically instructed to wait for my instruction or in these case wait for me to contact him periodically."
He seemed to emphasis 'periodically' at first I did not understand, than later it hit me like a brick.
'What if there wasn't any contact after some time?'
I thought to myself, dread welling up within me.
Panic surged through me as I realized the implications. If Edward hadn't made contact, Luna's fate would be left to the henchmen's discretion.
Edward noticed this and continued to speak calm and casually, "I think you guessed it right. Since there was no contact from my end, he was to assume the worst case-scenario."
My head throbbed with pain, and my knees threatened to give way beneath me. Despite the overwhelming dread, a glimmer of hope remained.
Surely, Edward wouldn't authorize anything drastic. "W-What will happen to Luna then?" I asked, my voice trembling.
Edward paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he tied his shoes. "You see, my henchmen isn't exactly the most righteous of men," he explained calmly.
"I agreed to met up with you here, whether I'm captured or killed, it spells bad news for poor Luna. As in both cases I won't be able to contact my henchmen periodically."
His words struck me like a physical blow, and I collapsed to my knees.
"N-No," I murmured in disbelief, a surge of anger rising within me.
"What did you do to Luna? What did you do to Luna?" I repeated, my voice rising with each word.
Edward remained unfazed, his indifferent tone cutting through my anguish. "Don't know," he replied callously.
"She could be dead for all I know, skinned alive, or got taken advantage of, like I said my henchmen wasn't the most nicest of people after all."
Rage consumed me like wildfire, and I rose to my feet, my vision clouded with fury. In that moment, Edward's presence became the embodiment of my anguish and despair.
Without another thought, I rushed at him, my world descending into darkness as my anger consumed me completely.
* * *
"Don't know," I replied callously. Disregarding her friend's life as if it was nothing.
"She could be dead for all I know, skinned alive, or got taken advantage of, like I said my henchmen wasn't the most nicest of people after all."
Valentina than seemed to lose her mind, as her eyes blazed red, her fangs now more prominent, and her nails sharpened into deadly claws.
Before I could react, she lunged forward with incredible speed, leaving an imprint on the ground where she had been standing just moments before.
I attempted to dodge her attack, but her nails sliced through the air, leaving a trail of blood across my cheek.
She charged forward with supernatural speed, leaving the ground imprinted with her swift movements.
Blood trickled down my face as Valentina relentlessly slashed at me, her attacks unrelenting.
The pain was sharp and sudden, but I managed to evade further strikes as she relentlessly slashed at me.
Each movement was swift and precise, but I somehow managed to evade her onslaught.
She than used her makeshift weapon to 'murder' me, to which I scoffed at. I instead of dodging blocked it using both hand.
Valentina's frustration was evident as her makeshift weapon, crafted from tree bark, snapped in half upon impact. Undeterred, she cast it aside and charged at me once more.
In a bid to fend her off, I seized medium-sized stones and hurled them in her direction.
But to my surprise, she deftly dodged most of them and crushed the others with terrifying strength into nothing but dust.
Before I could react, Valentina closed the gap between us in the blink of an eye, her legs swinging towards my face with lethal intent.
I narrowly avoided the devastating blow, but her powerful kick struck a nearby tree with such force that it was uprooted and sent hurtling through the air.
"Woah, calm down, Valentin-"
Before I could finish, she was upon me again. Valentina's assault was relentless, her movements fueled by a primal rage that seemed to consume her.
I scanned my surroundings for any possible escape route, and my eyes landed on a nearby burrow. It seemed like my best chance to regroup and come up with a plan.
As I made a break for the burrow, I was surprised to see Valentina trip and fall to the ground.
It was a brief moment of respite, but one I couldn't afford to waste. With her momentarily incapacitated, I seized the opportunity to rush forward towards her.
Valentina, caught off guard by my sudden maneuver, instinctively raised her hands in defense as I reached her. But instead of attacking, I focused on immobilizing her.
Despite her immense strength and speed, she lacked the finesse and control needed to counter my technique, especially in her current state of mind.
With a swift motion, I grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the ground, using my body weight to keep her subdued. She struggled against my grip, her furious protests ringing in my ears.
"Let go of me, I'll kill you!" she roared, her voice laced with anger and desperation. But I held firm, refusing to yield to her threats.
"Stop, just calm down a littl-"
Suddenly, with a surge of monstrous strength, Valentina broke free from my grasp and drove both of us into a nearby tree.
Pain shot through my back as the impact sent shockwaves through my body.
As we collided with the tree, I felt the rough bark dig into my skin, the pressure of her nails hovering dangerously close to my throat.
"Valentina, Sto-"