A red mist had descended over Vanadine’s vision when he had seen Carine scratched and grazed. The fact Horann gripped her arm so tightly it would leave bruises made the anger he felt double and every last drop of it was directed at Horann.Her initial swipe had narrowly missed ripping his face from his skull but his reactions had spared him and her second was easy to block. Satisfaction thrilled through him when he heard and felt the bones snap in her face.Now finish her!Yet Vanadine allowed Horann to recover, not wanting the fight to end. He would kill her today but despite his promise, he wanted to draw it out, make her suffer and humiliate her after everything she had done.Take Carine and hurt her? Now you will see what pain is!Horann managed to stand, holding her smashed face and howling rage at the ceiling overhead.“I will kill you and when I am done I will kill your bitch too!” Horann shouted at him.Yet there was a quality to her voice, something he had not heard for decad
Heart pounding and trembling in utter fear, Carine could only watch as Horann reached for her. The creature seemed to have limitless strength despite the injuries Vanadine had given her and the restricted air where he was squeezing the life from her. Yet this was not Hann and Vanadine was struggling against the thing he was riding on the back of.Carine’s chest had folded in when Horann had burned him, crying out when she had stabbed her claws into his belly, the blood trickling down his abdomen and soaking his shirt. Misery, horror and despair had rolled through her as she watched the pair clawing and hitting each other. For some reason, she had thought a fight between Elves would be a more structured thing similar to a karate fight in the Olympics. Yet this was a savage, base brawl, each of them just trying to hurt their opponent in any way they could.Horann’s clawed hand inched towards Carine as she stared at it, petrified and glued to the spot.Fucking move! Her mind screamed but
A heaviness grabbed his chest as he walked from the Council chamber, avoiding looking at Carine. It was the hardest thing he had forced himself to do in his long existence and the grief and pain it caused were overwhelming. He halted when he reached one of the upper corridors, doubling over and clutching his chest, the pain far worse than anything Horann had done to him.It’s for her own safety. He knew. If they think she’s not that important to you, she’ll be safer.But what if they just breed with her now? Vanadine thought sickly.The thought of anyone using her in that way sent sickness and rage through him in equal measure. Carine in pain of any kind sent a crazed madness through him and he had almost flown at Garolinius when he had been torturing Carine in the chamber.I just need to get back to Earth. Get away from these fuckers and to somewhere I can think.Vanadine knew he would have to formulate a plan as there was no way the trio of brothers were ever likely to return Carine
Don’t go! Carine had thought as Vanadine walked from the chamber without a backwards glance. He can’t be going to do as they said. She thought. He wouldn’t…Yet Carine knew Vanadine would do anything for her, even if it meant his own life being lost so a few strangers would mean nothing to him.Never mind that, what about the things he said about other women? Her mind demanded. What is he going to do go back to Earth and shack up with Laura?Of course not! Carine thought.Even so a small part of her mind wondered if he had spoken the truth when he said he was just fond of her.“Take her somewhere pleasant,” Adnanter said. “And dispose of that,” he added, flicking his hand at Horann’s corpse.Carine was dragged away through a maze of tunnels that all looked the same until she was utterly lost. Eventually the guard dragged her up an almost endless flight of stairs that doubled back and curled around madly. Reaching the top Carine was out of breath and her thighs ached. The guard seemed
Fright grabbed him when he heard her question. Carine was not about to like or accept his choices and he tried to think of a gentle way to put it as he stared into her beautiful eyes. He looked down, abruptly ashamed of what he had done even though it protected hundreds of people from the poisons these people spread and sold.“I find drug dealers and rob them,” he stated, watching for her reaction.Apart from a slight widening of her eyes she did not flinch, letting the silence draw out between them.“Dealers?” She asked in a small voice.Vanadine nodded.“Then I take whatever drugs they have and dump them,” he added, not wanting to keep anything from her.“Do you know how dangerous that is?” She demanded. “These people are killers!”“There is little chance of me being killed,” Vanadine said.He felt pleased she was more concerned over his wellbeing than his taking drug money having thought she would be wholly against it.“You do not mind?” He asked.“What that you put yourself at ris
“Explosives?!” Laura shouted. “What the Hell for?”“Blowing stuff up,” Vanadine said. “What else?”“What or who?” Laura demanded.“People in Elaris,” Vanadine assured her. “No one here, I promise.”“And this Tony, who’s he?”“Drug dealer,” Vanadine said. “But I’m sure he can get what I need or tell me where to go.”Laura looked sceptical as she stared sat him, obviously having difficulty with the truth.“How do you know drug dealers?” Laura asked.“I’ve been targeting his men, beating them up and robbing them,” Vanadine said simply. “That’s where I get my money. I prey on the predators.”“I can’t let you do this,” she said.“Lucky for me I don’t need your permission,” Vanadine said.“But what if they do something to you? What about Carine?”“I’m doing this for Carine,” Vanadine said, a little annoyance trickling through him. “To get to her and bring her back.”All these questions!Vanadine stood, his decision made.“Wait!” Laura cried.“What now?” Vanadine demanded in exasperation.La
Where are you, Vanadine? Carine wondered miserably as she stared out of the single window her prison cell had.She had been studying the landscape outside for days now, wondering where Vanadine was. The citadel she was in looked to have been built in some kind of crater. Whether this was due to an asteroid strike or some other cause, Carine did not know. As she stared blankly at the land outside, rolling, verdant hills caught her eye in the distance, a vast plain stretching from the crater to the trees that grew at the base of the hills. Something huge hinted at the presence of mountains in the farthest distance, grey outlines of a slightly darker colour. A herd of some kind of animal crossed the plain, grazing lazily as they migrated and Carine envied their freedom as she sat there, thoughts grinding through her mind like gears grinding in a gearbox.He’s left me and he’s not coming back. One side of her said, depression and misery raking fingers of ache over her insides.Don’t be ri
Returning to Tommy’s house with the supplies the bomb maker had asked for, Vanadine found the wreck of a man mixing something that looked a lot like wet rice in a bucket. The stench of petrol filled the room and Vanadine’s nose wrinkled at the smell.“Ah, excellent,” Tommy said as he looked at the items Vanadine had brought. “You got the cash too?”Vanadine threw a wad of notes on the bench beside Tommy, held in a roll with a rubber band and handed him the bags he had brought back.“What do you need all this for?” Vanadine asked as Tommy opened the pair of mobile phones Vanadine had bought.Tommy stared at him as if he was an infant, his eyes larger than they should be through the glasses he wore.“Your bomb?” He asked as if this should be obvious. “Ooh, coffee!”Vanadine handed him the cup and sipped at his own, feeling the hot liquid flow down into his stomach,Last time I had coffee I was with her. He thought as anguish grabbed his chest. Anger fought with sadness as thoughts of Ca