All Chapters of Cruden Tale (Awakening spin off): Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The other witch is busy watching the men walk in and seems unaffected in any way, her lack of any real magick shielding her from any effects it seems. I hold my breath to help with spiralling nausea and light-headedness as I catch sight of him, climbing under the ropes and ducking into the ring. My body sizzling in ways I haven’t experienced in centuries and my heart speeds at a deafening rate.He’s wearing a hooded red robe that hangs to his knees, hood up and belted around him with a fiery sun logo on his back as bold as day. It makes me swallow hard, suddenly understanding the vision and the placement and even more so when he turns my way almost impulsively, with a fleeting frown and seems to glance right at me. The expression is somewhat confused, but he definitely seems to cut through all the people in the room and land those bright blue eyes directly on mine. I swallow hard and withdraw back, trying to hide myself behind Cora, my body coursing with adrenalin

'You can try all night, sweetcheeks, and you will always get the same results. I’m immune to all your hokery pokery and voodoo shit. So whatever this was, maybe you should just get it off your chest and explain. Oh, and nice accent by the way. I like a sexy foreigner. What is it? Irish? Scottish?' He walks casually to the wall and leans back against it slowly, stopping to unravel the bandages still wrapped around his hands that had kept his gloves on tightly. Seemingly unphased by any of this. Riling my inner bitch to extreme levels.'You're a hunter... I’m your prey... What is there to explain? I should be asking you what this is?' I stomp to my feet and brush myself down with spiky motions, anger simmering insanely and my confusion making me worse. Staring at him as though he has two heads and not sure if I ever met a hunter who was completely immune while powers still caused mayhem around him. It’s not how it used to work. They were dampeners who weakened

'And the security guards?' Cornel cuts in, his eyes moving down the hall in an attempt to locate them by searching for their body heat with his abilities.'Will wake up when I am a suitable distance away and not have a clue how they ended up sleeping on the job. It was a temporary and weak spell, unlike this one.' I throw my hair over my shoulder impatiently and glare back at the door from which I came out. Cursing him in there for being who I now have to deal with.'What happens now?' Cora’s inquisitive, less terrified now she knows Dante means no immediate danger and unsure how to broach the subject delicately. It’s obvious to all present that I’ve met my match and this man is someone I have no clue how to handle. What he is, combined with that arrogant personality, and cocky nature, are the worst traits ever. Just thinking about him brings my heated anger back to near boiling point.'We all go for a cosy chat, according to him. We wait for t

'You mean who he is now won't be who he ends up?' Cora gasps, her expression stricken.'How can you be sure?' Dante snaps at me, coming out of his own thoughts, a storm moving into those blue eyes and darkening them effectively. His mood changing rapidly and a darkness like a black cloud collecting in the air. He doesn’t like this idea that he won’t be in control of who he is.'Because I have known your kind. I was a part in removing you all from this earth. None of you started out as killing machines. You were children who played, and laughed, and grew in the loving arms of your families, and then when you were awakened you lost all compassion and emotion. Cut off everything they felt, even for their loved ones. You will too. That’s when you will do what you were created for, without blinking.'The room falls silent as everyone ponders what I’m saying.'So, he’s still a threat? An unpredictable one who could turn at any time

Annabel's eyes are wide as saucers as she meanders the house in which I’m busy packing my trunks and cases and have left her to explore. Cora departed once dropping us here after flying home, to let us get acquainted, and to go organise the travel arrangements to Scotland on my behalf.'You really have a lot of ingredients and books about witchcraft.' Annabel states naively, eyes wide in awe at everything she’s been looking at, obviously only used to the feeble attempts at magick from her coven family. They seemed more based in crystals, candles, and herbs, and had probably never seen or heard of most of what I deem a spell necessity. This is like a treasure trove of oddities for the girl.'You have a lot to learn with me, Annabel.' I nod at her, gesturing with a head tilt to a grimoire laid on the low table by the couch.'That one is a good starting point, it belonged to a witch who was very young when she began it. Younger than you and charts all h