Unbeknownst

Chapter 35- ROYAL

Deep in a densely wooded area behind the school, I stood within large clearing. Vastly tall and lush pine trees surrounded me. The smell of cool, damp forestry filled my nose as I crouched on the floor like a beast ready to pounce at any moment. My friends surrounded me as I glared at Louis who stood directly in front of me, his face read of mischief and keenness, he knew what he'd gotten himself into. He paced around me, observing my position with sharp eyes, taking in every detail and calculating my possible moves from there. I watched him closely as he circled my form, my eyes trailing his every movement and my body growing impatient as I awaited his attack. Suddenly, he lunged, I quickly directed my body to the right forcing Louis to grasp nothing but air. Quickly, I shifted my weight back toward Louis, now behind him, I kicked his feet forcing him to fall to the ground. Without hesitation he caught himself and rolled backward to a standing position, while my brain was still comprehending that he'd not fallen and my back was turned he grabbed the back of my neck and threw me to the floor. Pinning my arms above my head with one hand, his body straddled mine, his weight was too great for me to lift in the position I was in. His unoccupied hand gripped my neck to keep my head down. I hissed at him and his face inched closer to mine, he growled animalistically and threateningly. His crystalline eyes aligned with mine as he crept closer. We were mere centimeters apart when a smile crept onto my face as a plan played out in my head. Forcefully, I smashed my forehead painfully against his. Shocked and in a moment of pain he let go of my wrists and I grabbed his neck. Using it as leverage I tossed his body over mine so that he landed on his back. We both laid there on our backs, encircled by our friends, starring up at the moons full body. Its gleaming form radiated beams of bright light down onto us.

The cool wind rustled the grass around us, "I could have easily ripped your throat out." Louis commented while staring up at the night sky.

I scoffed, "But you didn't."

He laughed, "Just remember to keep it protected at all times, it's a vulnerable spot." He sighed after a short while and stood up. Walking over and helping me up, he looked at Lucian who had a wicked smile stretched across his face.

Louis nodded once to him and Lucian chuckled, "Oh, this should be fun."

He stepped out of his place in the circle and Louis took his spot, "Emily you're a pure-blood and powerful one at that. Find and harness your power."

"What power?" I asked confused.

Louis shrugged, "We'll see."

Lucian laughed removing his hood and uniform jacket, he rolled up his sleeves exposing his muscular arms. Intricate tattoos that snaked down the length of his arms. His violet eyes focused onto mine, their color seeming to glow dimly in the night. I watched his movements carefully, wondering how he could beat me with such minimal strength. The symbol on the back of his neck glowed a deep purple and the same glow snaked down the tattoos that covered his arms. My eyes widened as a flame as black as oil ignited in his palm. A demon?! I thought back to the one class I attended about demons. I raked my brain for weaknesses and realized I knew of none.

Lucian's eyes filled with exhilaration and borderline madness, "First step of any fight, know your opponent's weakness." He laughed before lunging at me. I dodged his attack but he set his black flame soaring through the air. The scorching thing stuck me in the arm and burned with renewed fury. It scorched my arm and boiled my skin till my dark red muscle was exposed to the world. I shrieked in agony as it burned me. Lucian smiled villainously at my pained form. He slammed his fist into the ground with such force that it shook beneath my collapsed body. A purple glow slithered beneath the ground quickly forming some sort of symbol beneath the grass. The lights' trail allowed pitch-black flams to ignite in the grass. The symbol he chose was surrounded by a circle so no one could get in and I could not get out.

Louis's body stiffened, "Lucian! Stop!"

Lucian looked at my injured body with craze-filled eyes. My eyes widened and filled with panic as I stared at him, a new flame ignited within his hand. His hand flew down, "STOP!" I yelled. His venomous flame stopped centimeters from my face. My eyes were wide and brimmed with tears as the flame slowly dimmed. The symbol that encased us slowly faded as well. Lucian's crazed eyes became lifeless and somewhat regretful, "Back up." My voice shook as I spoke. Lucian's body reacted immediately stepping back. Once the burning died and its scorched shadow was left in the grass Aiden ran to me. Lucian stood frozen as Aiden assessed my deep wound. His amber eyes looked at the wound closely. He placed his palm over the burn that wouldn't heal, soft warmth emanated from his palm while he closed his eyes and whispered an incantation. A magician, an elemental. I thought, elementals are a category of magician that can manipulate the elements. Most focus on one element, though, some can manipulate two or more. Few can manipulate all the elements. I still didn't know how many elements Aiden could control, though I was glad he could heal my wound. Hunter came to Lucien's side and inspected him carefully.

Lucien had no emotion on his face and he stood eerily still. Hunter poked him in the arm, "What's wrong with him?" Curiously Hunter poked his cheek, yet Lucien still did not react, "What did you do to him?"

"Compulsion." Louis spoke lowly, "She told him to stop, and without even knowing it she compelled him to stop, it's something only very powerful or pure-blooded vampires can do."

"Well how is it undone?" Cora asked.

Louis shrugged, "I've never encountered someone who could do it."

"Great." I sighed, "I broke Lucian."

"Try, conversing with him normally maybe speaking to him will snap him out of it?" Ariana commented.

I got up, wiping grass off my clothing, I faced Lucian and snapped my fingers twice in front of his face, "Hello? Lucian, can you hear me."

Lucian shook his head, "You fucking froze me." He said in disbelief, "Bitch."

I laughed, "You were going to kill me!"

"I wouldn't have actually done it." He chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, "Sure." At that moment a new scent filled my senses. Blood. I focused on my senses and not losing control. A heart beat furiously, as it struggled to hang onto life. The scent of adrenalin washed over me and the quick short steps came closer to us. Louis, Hunter and I all stiffened in preparation to see what was about to break through the foliage of the dense forest. The persons breaths were shallow and quick, as they ran for their lives. Hannah's small body finally came into view. Her eyes seemed dead, locking onto me and she ran toward me gripping her right arm which had been coated in liquid scarlet. Her small ears were fallen and her tail almost dragged behind her as she ran. I ran toward her struggling and delinquent body. Once we finally met each other she collapsed to the ground. Blood seeped from a poorly covered wound, too much was leaving her body, she would surly die. The half dried and sticky blood clung to her hand as I peeled it away from her arm and gasped at the grisly sight. Carved barbarically into her arm was a single word. Blood so dark that it was almost black filled the letters and pooled over the ragged edges. 'ROYAL' It read. With a three-pointed crown carved grotesquely above the 'R'.

"Wh-What happened?!" I whispered to her, my voice shaking with unease and panic, "Who did this to you!" Tears began to fill my eyes, but crying would solve nothing.

"H-He, he's here." She spoke gruffly and softly, "He's always been here." Her eyes began to close and her body became limper.

"Who's he?! Hannah, stay with me! Who is He!?"

She opened her eyes slightly and her pale lips parted slightly as if she wanted to tell me but couldn't get the words out. Her eyes shut once more and her pulse weakened further, her arm weakly pointed from the directing she had come from before falling limply to her side again. She clung to the edges of life as her pulse became almost incoherent.

"I'm going to kill whoever's done this to you." I whispered with a venomous voice I hardly recognized as my own.