Fierce Awakenings

by Kristy Centeno

  Victoria debated on what to do next. Should she run around in circles in the immediate area to see if she could sense whatever had been out there the night before? The chances of that were slim, but perhaps her escapade would be worth the risk she had taken. And if she got caught at least she could say to herself that running hadn’t been a complete waste of time. Even as Victoria pondered the possibility she decided against it. If her invisible companion had been somewhere nearby she would have picked up on it by now and so far, the only presences she detected were those of the animals.

  The long trek back to the car took less time the second time around. Within a few minutes she was able to make the outline out as she quickly closed the gap. Relieved to see that it was still intact, Victoria continued forward. For the first time in a while she was going to make it back home with plenty of time to spare, and although she was slightly disappointed at coming out of the woods empty handed, at least she could get home before her father noticed she was even gone. Tyrone would be very pleased with this, of course, since he pretty much took the brunt for her.

  Just as she reached the car, her supernatural senses rustled, indicating that someone or something was approaching. The air caught in her lungs as excitement and anticipation built up inside her. Could it be?

  Victoria stopped to survey the area surrounding her as she detected the presence nearby. Her supernatural senses were able to perceive a being closing in on her. The very first time she caught a whiff of this unknown creature she had not been able to get close enough to see what it was since it disappeared within minutes of her detecting it. But now it wasn’t going away. It was getting closer, and the closer it got, the more she was certain this being was as supernatural as she was. She couldn’t tell what it was, but she was certain she was going to find out soon enough.

  Chapter Five

  The scent emanating from this being wasn’t one she was used to. It was different, unique somehow. It was not unpleasant by any means, just different. The incredibly fast speed in which it traveled was another clear indication of its supernatural origins. No human on earth could move that fast. Victoria was certain of two things, this being wasn’t human and neither was it a werewolf. Then what could it be?

  Refusing to be afraid, even though she didn’t comprehend the nature of this being, Victoria stood her ground. So far the only definite thing she could tell from this intruder was that it was different from what she was used to. That still left her with the dilemma of having to identify it, which she could not do. Normally, she would rely on her keen sense of smell for that, but since she didn’t recognize this scent, it was nearly impossible to tell what it was. The only supernatural creatures she was familiar with were her own kind, werewolves. But this thing hiding back there was no werewolf, of that she was absolutely sure.

  A slight breeze picked up, bringing this unknown being’s aroma in to fill her nostrils. It was strong and male, very male. If this being were a werewolf he would most certainly be an alpha, a powerful one at that. But this was no huge puppy, this was something else.

  Victoria surveyed the area with her eyes. So far she detected no movement, which meant this thing was still too far away to see. But it was getting closer by the second. The speed in which it traveled made her slightly uneasy. Werewolves were known to move fast in spite of their massive bulk, but this thing moved faster still. She could sense it moving, gliding through the forest as if it was flying. She was utterly amazed by it and she hadn’t even seen it/him yet.

  Her eyes focusing in on her surroundings, she waited, her she-wolf ready to strike if this thing presented itself as a threat. She gripped her car keys tightly in anticipation of what would happen next. She wasn’t looking for a fight, but if push came to shove she wouldn’t hesitate. She was a she-wolf, therefore she was a fighter. She could defend herself quite readily if need be. She didn’t need the pack to protect her despite her father’s beliefs.

  Victoria’s eyes narrowed when she caught movement up ahead. At first, it seemed like one big blur moving from one side to another but then it started to get closer. The woods seemed to disappear as all she could see was this black and white mass moving toward her. She couldn’t make out any features because of the speed in which it traveled.

  Her entire body tensed as she readied herself for a fight, her inner wolf practically demanded to be set free as the blur approached. If it attacked her she would have no choice but to fight back. There would be no hesitation at all to use all her armor, and she was well packed.

  When the white mist finally stopped moving, a tall figure was revealed. Victoria gasped as she caught sight of a man standing not twenty feet from her. She blinked several times to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. She noted, after opening and closing her eyes for the tenth time, that there really was a man standing nearby. He didn’t move. He just stared at her with as much intensity as she was gazing back at him.

  Even in the darkness encasing them both, she took in every distinctive feature of his. He was tall, as tall as the trackers from the pack usually were. Shoulder length hair as white as a hand full of snow framed the sides of his face. His eyes were a shade of blue so pale, they appeared almost translucent. Unusually whitish skin and a lean, well-muscled figure finished his physical description.

  His inhuman eyes assessed her in much the same manner she did him. Victoria watched as the breeze toyed with his hair, bringing a few stray locks to caress his right cheek. The unusualness of his features caught her off guard. Werewolves tended to have unique features, but this being was unique even for her. His white hair, pale skin, and clear eyes made him look like a marble statue. Had it not been for the few strands of hair being tossed around his shoulders by the light breeze, she could have easily mistaken him for one.

  “Who are you?” she managed to ask as she finally found her voice. “What are you?”

  His eyes narrowed as she spoke but he provided no response. His eyes however, bored into her, as if he was attempting to look into her very soul. Realizing that leaving her guard down would expose her deepest secrets, she quickly blocked her mind.

  “What do you want?” she tried again.

  The man took several steps toward her, and stopped before cocking his head to one side, as if he was having trouble hearing her. Victoria did not flinch or move as he approached. Whether he had any intention of attacking her, she did not know, but she certainly didn’t want to do anything that would provoke him in any way.

  “I was once known as Tristan Garland.” His voice startled her; it sounded so deep and gruff that she couldn’t help but think that perhaps he used it very little.

  “Once?” She noticed his very subtle nod. “Why are you following me?”

  The being now known as Tristan eyed her with curiosity.

  “I don’t follow you.” His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. “You invade and hunt in my territory,” he stated simply. She couldn’t tell whether he was angry or not. His passive face revealed nothing of what he was thinking. “You are the one trespassing, not I.”

  “I…didn’t know this territory was taken.”

  He scoffed but said nothing.

  Victoria watched as he appraised her. She detected interest underneath. Perhaps he was as curious about her as she was about him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t easy to read, so she had no idea what was going through his mind. To make matters worse, Victoria could sense herself growing increasingly tense under his dissecting gaze. Did he perceive her as a threat? Was he thinking of a way to get rid of her?

  Just as her mind was finishing that thought, the man moved. As fast as a lightning bolt striking a tree, he was gone. Victoria’s supernatural eyes grew wide when she couldn’t pinpoint his location. She lost sight of him as he moved to her left and disappeared.

  Running, Victoria dashed toward the spot he had been standing just seconds ago. The area was cold and empty. She cursed out loud. He was nowhere to be seen but she could feel his presence nearby. He wasn’t g
one after all; perhaps he was just toying with her.

  Annoyed by his behavior, Victoria decided it was best to head home before her time ran out. As she whirled around however, she stumbled upon the man standing not two feet from her. She tried in vain to hide the gasp of surprise as the man seemed to appear out of thin air right in front of her.

  Victoria glared at the man. Her eyes began to glow under her current state of anger, her canines began to extend, claws sprouted from the tips of her fingers as the pull became nearly impossible to control. The beast threatened to emerge under the risk of being pursued by another supernatural creature. She fought to control herself before the full force of the change took over her body. Damn him for causing her anger to boil to such dangerous levels.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Victoria spat, her voice sounded more like a growl than an actual female voice.

  His eyes narrowed as he took notice of her change.

  Just as she was contemplating decapitating the bastard, he reached up with one pale hand and touched her face. Much to her surprise, the change trying to force itself out of her body came to an abrupt halt. Victoria was so taken aback by his boldness that her female body immediately returned to its standard state. She quickly noted that his hand was not only unusually pale, it was also abnormally cold. This sudden turn of events unsettled her even more.

  Who was this mysterious man called Tristan?

  “You’re so warm,” he muttered under his breath. His eyes glistened with many different emotions, some she could read, others were just as enigmatic as he was.

  “What are you?” Even as she spoke, her mind began to piece together the basics of all his characteristics. Pale skin, impossibly fast movements, unusually cold skin, there was nothing else that could best describe what he was than a vampire. Victoria blanched at the idea of that being true. It couldn’t be—how?

  “Why is that so hard to believe?” he said, his eyes targeting her.

  How dare he invade the sanctity of her thoughts! She wanted to rant, insult, pummel her fists against his face, but instead, she found herself stunned into complete silence when the vampire had the audacity to press his body intimately against hers. Shocked, Victoria only stood there and gaped, unsure of what to do or how to react.

  “You’re a wolf.” He did little to conceal the contempt in his voice.

  Throughout history it was said that vampires and werewolves had been bitter enemies once. They had warred on each other constantly. At some point however, both werewolves and vampires’ numbers had dwindled so much that warring on each other became a thing of the past.

  To Victoria however, vampires were nothing but a myth. In her twenty years of life she’d never known, nor met another werewolf who’d seen a vampire. According to the elders, vampires had not been seen in more than five hundred years, were in fact thought to be extinct a long time ago. Their numbers dropped drastically over the last thousand years or so, her grandfather said. Then again, the werewolf population hadn’t fared any better. They were one step away from becoming extinct also.

  “What is it to you if I am?” she retorted. As his hand continued to caress her cheek, she tried to make sense of what kind of message he was trying to convey with his actions. Was he trying to carry out some form of unspoken threat or was he just curious about her?

  “You are correct in your assumption.”

  Victoria glared at him. “Stop that!” she demanded.

  His hand did not cease its exploration of her warm skin.

  “Stop what?” he asked nonchalantly.

  “Stop invading my mind!”

  “You are very easy to read. You leave yourself open to me.”

  Damn him! He was right, but she didn’t want to admit that in her shock she’d forgotten to continue blocking her mind from him and now she regretted that mistake. He could read her thoughts very easily.

  “You have no right!” she barked angrily.

  His pale lips quirked into a half smile. “I’ve never encountered one of you before. Well, a female, anyway.”

  That made two of them. She’d never seen a vampire, period.

  “You’re as warm as any other human.”

  “I’m not human!” It wasn’t like he didn’t already know that, but she felt as if she needed to reassure him for some reason. “And apparently, neither are you.”

  Tristan’s index finger came up to explore her jaw line and Victoria made no move to stop him. He was much too bold, yet, she did nothing to stop his exploration. His handsome face was locked in an expression of curiosity and awe. Locks of his long, white hair occasionally caressed the sides of her face as the wind pushed them forward. The fact that he was close enough that his hair touched her face was slightly irritating her.

  What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she push him away like she should have? It’s like she was in a trance and didn’t know how to snap out of it. If he wanted to kill her right now she would be easy prey.

  Victoria had seen her fair share of handsome men, but Tristan was unlike anything she’d ever seen. She was completely transfixed by him. He was much too handsome and very dangerous looking also, she noted. He appeared to be the very predator he truly was. Yet, as he explored the contours of her face, he resembled a small boy who’d just discovered something absolutely fascinating. His eyes were filled with undisguised wonder as he appreciatively ran his index finger over her cheek and then lowered it to her lips. His touch caused Victoria to involuntarily shiver—not from the coldness of his skin, but from the sensations he was awakening within her.

  As he explored her skin, Victoria listened for the sound of his beating heart, but found, much to her surprise, that there was none.

  “My heart has not beaten for over a thousand years.” Tristan dropped his hand to his side and stood quietly watching for her reaction.

  “I told you to stop intruding in my thoughts!”

  “Forgive my ill manners.” Tristan bowed in a mocking manner. “I’m the undead after all; some would say we have no manners.”

  “I’m aware, since you’ve taken liberties I have not granted.” Victoria lifted her chin up defiantly.

  “You have done nothing to stop me, either,” he retorted quickly.

  “Tristan is your name, right?”

  “It is the name the woman who gave birth to me gave me, yes.” He made a dismissive gesture as if it was of no importance.

  “Well, Tristan, I apologize for hunting on your territory. Had I known, I would have gone elsewhere.”

  The man called Tristan took two steps back then shrugged.

  “You must be more careful with your surroundings, wolf-girl.” The way he said wolf-girl irritated Victoria to the point she wanted to slap him. “You could get hurt.”

  “Hurt?” The icy tone she used did nothing to him. The man didn’t even blink.

  “Possibly.”

  Was that a threat? “By what? By whom?”

  “Anyone, anything.” His passive expression made it hard for her to read him. He wasn’t threatening in any way, but neither was he being friendly.

  “I can defend myself quite nicely.”

  Tristan’s grin enhanced at her remark.

  Having had enough of Tristan’s strange behavior; she glared at him for a moment before spinning around to face her car. It was late and she needed to get back home before her father discovered her absence. The last thing she needed right now was for one of the trackers to find her in the middle of nowhere with a vampire for a companion.

  As she faced her car, she spotted the image of a white haired man staring back at her through the glass of the driver’s side window. Surprised, and caught off guard again, she whirled around to come face to face with the epitome of male beauty.

  “Don’t do that!” Never let your guard down, her father often said to her. Your enemies will use this against you without hesitation. She knew all this by heart, yet it had been forgotten more than once tonight.

  “Where are
you going in such a hurry?” he demanded.

  “Home,” she replied. “Don’t you have a home?”

  He grunted, his pale blue eyes determinedly assessing her face.

  “Why are you so rude?”

  He scoffed this time.

  “Fine. I don’t need to stand here and take your rudeness.” She had plenty of that at home.

  “Apparently not, since you are still here.”

  Flustered, she made to open the door but was stopped by his large pale hand.

  Without warning, he grabbed her by the wrist, rotated her around to face him, and pinned her against the car. His movements were so fast she had no time to react. Victoria gasped as he pushed his body against her. His eyes gleamed with mischief, his lips parting to reveal two sets of shiny fangs.

  What the hell was this devil up to?

  “What are you doing?” she protested. She began to struggle a bit but he was a lot stronger than she anticipated. That was another lesson to be learned, never assume the undead are pathetic creatures, they are far stronger than they appear.

  Victoria watched as Tristan’s handsome face inched closer to hers. The wheels in her head rotated quickly as she tried to guess what the vampire had in mind, but his stoic expression made it hard for her to come up with something that made sense.

  The moment his lips parted and showed his fangs, Victoria knew true fear as she realized what he intended to do.

  Chapter Six

  Victoria didn’t know what his reasons were, but she knew that she couldn’t allow for him to ravish her that way. It wasn’t right, it was forbidden amongst her kind.

  “You mustn’t!” she squeaked.

  “Why not?” His mocking tone angered her.