Helina turned and started back when she heard twigs cracking in the distance. She looked back and forth, not knowing if she should attempt to run or go as quietly as she could. Gripping the hem of her shirt tighter, she decided that it didn’t matter how quiet she tried to be, because those monsters were sure to hear her either way. More twigs snapped in half, much closer than before, and she took off as fast as her legs could carry her. She looked over her shoulder, afraid someone, or something, would be right behind her. Running harder, faster, she finally reached her cave. She crawled in quickly, silently praying that whatever was out there hadn’t seen her.
That morning, Gaijryc decided to leave the mansion and explore the grounds. The DarkShine were extraordinarily fast and it took him a matter of minutes to explore the many acres. He reached the property line where a fast-running brook separated his parents’ land from the thick wooded forest that lay just beyond.
He bent at the knees and jumped, clearing the brook and feeling the splashes of water kiss his skin as his body moved fluidly over the rambling liquid. Bending his knees slightly, he landed on the other side, the soft ground breaking his fall. He inhaled deeply and smelled the clean fresh air. All life seemed void since their arrival, as if they had known what a threat the DarkShine really were and decided it would be their death if they stayed. Of course, his kind fed off of creatures such as birds and rabbits, but their taste was more refined, more accustomed to the thick red liquid that ran through a human, as well as their own bodies.
It wasn’t as if his species couldn’t live strictly off of DarkShine blood. They could in fact sustain life off of human and DarkShine blood, their bodies able to metabolize both forms of fluid equally, even though they were not of the same species, very similar, but completely different in so many ways.
It was the sweetness of a human’s blood that they became addicted to, that potency that was a drug to their senses. It was the high they got when they pierced the tender flesh of the lesser species, that sweet, sweet liquid washing over their pallet and teasing their senses.
He shook his head, pushing his wayward thoughts to the back of his mind as he took in his surroundings. He took note of everything that passed him, his eyesight picking up the very makeup of the trees’ thick bark and every vein that made up its green leaves. He stopped next to a large oak tree, the trunk bigger than anything he had ever seen. He ran his hands across the trunk, closing his eyes as the texture sunk into every pore of his being. He moved away from the tree and started at a much slower pace through the forest.
He stopped and inhaled deeply. The wind whipped around him and he picked up a smell that made his heart beat a fast rhythm, had his fangs aching in his mouth. The scent was distinctly female and very much human. He could smell the clean, intoxicating aroma of her and was surprised at how aroused he became. He straightened and started to walk toward the smell that had made his whole body come alive with excitement. It was as if he were hypnotized, as if the very smell of this human female called to him, seduced him with just her scent.
He moved toward her, his body picking up speed as her smell intensified. He could hear the leaves rustle beneath his feet, the sticks crunching as he moved over them. He stopped where he was as he heard her heart start to race and smelled her addicting scent rush in the opposite direction. It was as if his body where on autopilot, moving on its own accord, toward what it wanted most, what it needed most.
He couldn’t explain the reaction he was having—it was just a smell, after all—but it was like her blood called to him on some primitive level and until he had it, he couldn’t, wouldn’t be appeased. He moved faster towards her and could see her small body in the distance. Gaijryc could have easily caught her, but he knew she was frightened, could smell the acidic scent of her fear coming off her in waves. As he watched her, he could see her dark hair blowing behind her as she ran, like a curtain of dark silk arousing him further.
He stepped behind a tree and watched as she stopped by the base of a mountain and took a deep breath. He knitted his brows as he watched her crawl through an opening that looked so small he was surprised even her slender body could fit through it. He was surprised none of his kind had found her. It was possible the DarkShine hadn’t picked up her scent, not with so many only aromas wafting around. The very idea of one of his kind finding her had his skin tightening and every possessive instinct in him roaring out. They would surely kill her if they knew where she was, for he knew they wouldn’t waste such a tempting human.
Gaijryc sat and watched that cave for hours upon hours, relishing her scent, which smelled of ambrosia and honeysuckle. All he wanted was one more look at her long, flowing dark hair, one more look at her creamy, smooth flesh. She stayed inside and soon he forced himself to leave. Her scent was in his system, in the very makeup of his DNA, and he knew that he would be able to find her anywhere and at any time.