Chapter XI- Bite

Over two hundred years of experience taught Aspen that the best way to stay alive during these kinds of situation was to escape. And even now, she knew that the smartest thing to do was to run.

But she was never known to be smart. Like Q said, she was impulsive and reckless.

She knew she's no match against three experienced vampires and even though she could use Quentin's help, she's going to eventually lose a limb or two. Pero hindi niya basta iiwanan si Q. She's going to face this head on.

Mabilis na hinugot niya ang boot knife niya at sinugod ang mga kalaban. Two of them started to attack her. She would have had a better chance against them if it weren't for her injuries. Her other leg was still limping and she was bleeding profusely from her other wounds. She needed to drink blood in order to heal. Or she could just let these bastards kill her but there's no way she's going to die in an excruciatingly embarrassing way. She's not gonna die a pussy.

She's gonna give these two the battle of their life.

She fought them as if she was dancing with them. At kung hindi lamang sa punyetang sugat niya sa tagiliran ng tiyan ay hindi siya mahuhuli ng mga ito. The smallest yet obviously quickest one landed a knee on her stomach. Napaluhod siya sa sahig at sumuka nang sumuka.

The small guy caught her hair and lifted her head. "Again, I'm going to ask you," sambit nito. "Sino ka at anong pakay mo sa teritoryo namin?"

Ngumisi siya rito sa kabila ng panlalabo ng kanyang paningin. "Suck. My. Dick."

The small vampire growled at her. Inumang nito ang matatalas na kuko sa mukha niya. "You're going to regret this--"

"Enough, Parris." a low and menacing voice interrupted them.

Nag-angat siya ng ulo at natagpuan ang isang matangkad na lalaking may matingkad na pulang buhok. Sinenyasan nito ang mga kasama na bitawan sila. He looked at her with wise yet kind eyes. Relief washed over her and she knew she wasn't supposed to feel it. But the way the newcomer was looking at her made her relax, like he's telling her not to fear anymore.

Naputol lamang titigan nila nang kumontra ang maliit na bampira sa utos nito. 

"But we found them in our turf!" 

"Let them go." 

"She attacked us first!" katwiran pa ng isa.

"They are not enemies." he retorted calmly.

"Paano ka nakakasiguro, Tariq?!"

The vampire leader shifted his gaze at her and she swore she saw his bright blue eyes shine. Or glow. Or whatever.

"They came in peace." tahimik na sambit lamang nito.

"She attacked us!" Parris was about to wrap his small hands around her neck when she felt a cold breeze brush her side. Suddenly, Xavier was there and he was grabbing the other vampire's arm. Biglang humiyaw mula sa sakit ang lalaki nang pigain ni Xav ang buto nito. Anger was almost literally pouring out of his pores. His red eyes were a picture of violence and there's no doubt he's going to rip Parris apart. Piece by piece. With his bare hands.

How fucking hot is that?

"Xavier, don't." Rune walked towards them; together with Thad, Caden, Stella, Chapel and Abyss. He laid a comforting hand on Xavier's shoulder and the latter instantly relaxed.

"Let go of the werewolf," sambit muli ng pinuno nila sa kabilang grupo.

Tumango naman ang bampirang nagngangalang Tariq pagkatapos ay bumaling sa kasamahan nito. Bagamat iyon ay direktang utos ng pinuno ay tila napipilitan lamang na sinunod iyon ng dalawang bampira.

"Q!" Xavier went stiff when Aspen ran towards the werewolf but he made no move to follow her. Maingat na ininspeksyon niya ang kaibigan. She bared her fangs at the other vampires who made it clear that they don't like her either.

Hinila niya ang walang malay na katawan ni Q pabalik sa tabi nila Rune. Caden and Stella were quick to her aid. Nang makasigurong maayos nang hawak ng dalawang kaibigan ang walang malay na si Quentin ay muli niyang hinarap ang kabilang grupo.

"You must be Rune Percival?" Tariq walked towards them and offered his hand to their coven leader.

Tumango si Rune at tinanggap ang kamay ni Tariq. "Yes. And you are..?"

"Tariq." magalang na sagot nito at bahagyang itinungo ang ulo.

"We came here because we knew the situation with the rogues are getting out of hand. We want to offer our help." he inclined his head towards Xav. "I believe you already met Xavier."

"Yes." Tariq nodded at her mate. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"Sorry?" inis na pakli ni Aspen. "You almost killed my friend and all you're saying is sorry? We're trying to save your asses in here."

"We don't need you to save us!" Parris' eyes were burning with hatred, which Aspen knew was a perfect mirror of hers.

"Is that why your town is infested and almost all human inhabitants were wiped out, huh?"

Parris was about to strike at her but Rune and Tariq were quick to get in between them.

"There you go, ladies and gentlemen, Aspen's How To Make Friends 101." pabirong patutsada ni Thad sa likuran nila.

"We should talk about this in a more appropriate place," Tariq was remarkably calm in spite of his coven members. Tumingin ito sa kanya. She's still bleeding from her fight with that motherf*cking rogue. "Come to our lair. We need to attend to those wounds."

Noon niya naramdamang muling kumirot ang kanyang sugat sa tiyan. Wala sa loob na nasapo niya iyon. She winced slightly as they all followed Tariq to their place.

"Are you alright?" Xavier asked from beside her.

She bobbed her head. Matiim lamang siya nitong pinagmasdan bago kinabig ang ulo niya upang halikan ang kanyang bumbunan.

"I missed you," mahinang bulong niya.

"Nandito na ako." was all he said.

"I REALLY DON'T TRUST THESE BUNCH." nakahalukipkip na sambit ni Thad habang nakatanaw sa labas ng bintana ng kwartong tinitigilan nila. Tariq's coven was big. It was probably composed of around thirty vampires. She couldn't believe how they manage to keep themselves out of the mortal's radar with their large number. Sa mahigit sampu nga nilang bilang ay nahihirapan silang manatiling malayo sa mainit na mata ng mga hunter, paano pa kaya ang mga ito?

But if these idiots were stupid enough to make a deal with Drakkar, hindi rin naman malayo na nakipagkasundo rin ang mga ito sa mga hunter. Aspen wondered what could be the deal? 

"Neither do I." Chapel's nose wrinkled in distaste as he patched her wounds.

"Regardless if we trust them or not, we need to take care of these rogues." pahayag naman ni Rune na nakaupo sa isang sulok. Kanina pa ito tahimik simula nang dumating sila. He seemed to be in deep thoughts and no one dared to ask him what's going on.

"Why so?" Thad argued. "It's not our responsibility. This is too far from our turf. Besides, it's their mess. Shouldn't they be the one to clean it up?"

"Technically, it's our mess too because we were the ones that let Drakkar get away on the first place." mariing sagot ni Rune. He entwined his fingers and crossed his legs. His long, dark hair was gathered in a ponytail behind his back. His golden eyes, troubled. "And whatever this infestation is, we need to get ourselves involved since it would be us who's going to be greatly affected. Remember, we need to stay out of human radar, unless we want to starve to death."

"Rune's right." sang ayon ni Chapel. Napaingit siya nang higpitan nito ang pagbebenda sa kanya. "But still, that doesn't mean I trust these idiots. We need to be wary around them. Did you guys see how that little piece of shit looks at us? Gusto kong tirisin ang kutong lupa na 'yon!"

Bahagya siyang natawa sa sinabi ng kaibigan. There's a reason why she's been friends with him for a long time. Gusto rin niyang turuan ng leksyon ang unanong si Parris.

Tumingin ng matalim sa kanya si Chapel. "Your wounds aren't healing up right. Have you been feeding properly?"

She caught Xavier looking at her as she shrugged. Naging mailap ang mga mata niya bago niya sinagot ang kaibigan. "There's not much human left around, you know."

"Then feed from me." Chapel started to roll his sleeves and offered her his arm.

Mabilis na umiling siya. "I'm not in the mood." pagdadahilan na lamang niya. Maingat ibinaba niya ang sleeves ng suot niyang jacket saka mabilis na tumayo. "I need to go get some fresh air."

"You want me to come with you?"

Umiling siya kay Xav at saka tumalikod na. Noon naman pumasok sa kwarto si Stella at Abyss.

"How's Q?" tanong niya sa mga ito.

"Still unconscious but his wounds are starting to heal." Stella gave her a once over. "You look like crap."

She rolled her eyes at her. She was about to go out when she caught Abyss staring at her. "What?"

"How did you become friends with that werewolf?"

Kumunot ang noo niya. "I don't know. He showed up and started following me around like a dog." tumingin siya kay Thad. "There you go, you got another thing to add to my list of How To Pick Up Friends. Can I go now? I feel suffocated in here."

Hindi na niya hinintay ang sagot ng mga kasama. She walked out of there. Totoo namang pakiramdam niya ay hindi siya makahinga sa dami nilang nagsisiksikan sa loob ng kwarto. Mabuti pa si Q, may sariling tulugan. Although she wouldn't wish to stay inside a cell like a freaking dog. Bet Q's going to be pissed once he wakes up. But it's better than to be stuck in a room full of vampires. Hindi na niya alam kung sinong mas maswerte sa kanila.

Marami siyang nakasalubong na miyembro ng coven ni Tariq. Lahat sila ay inaangilan siya. Like she gives a fuck.

Nang masiguro niyang malayo na siya sa mga kasama ay saka lamang siya huminto sa paglalakad. She went behind a tree and pulled her shirt up. She winced when she saw a big chunk of skin and meat missing from the side of her stomach. She examined the gash and let out a silent moan as the pain started to creep up to her ribs.

"Damn it." nangingitim ang paligid ng kanyang sugat. She didn't know she was bitten by that fucker. Nanginginig ang kamay na napahawak siya sa katawan ng punong sinasandalan niya.

What now? Is she going to turn into those freaky monsters, too? Mariin muli siyang napamura. How much time does she have before she starts to drool black saliva and attack her friends?

Muli niyang tiningnan ang sugat niya. Ang sabi sa kanya ni Xavier ay agad siyang magpapakita ng indikasyon ng impeksyon matapos siyang makagat. So far, she's still on her right mind. But for how long?

Maingat niyang ibinaba ang damit upang maitago ang sugat nang may mariing kamay na humawak sa braso niya.

"Xavier!" tarantang binawi niya ang braso mula rito ngunit huli na dahil nakita na nito ang nais niyang itago.

"Fuck, Aspen!" he knelt in front of her and inspected the wound. Napahawak ito ng mahigpit sa bewang niya at idinikit ang ulo sa tiyan niya. "Godfuckingdamnit!"

"I-I'm sorry." she said while holding on to his broad shoulder. She gritted her teeth and threw her head back against the tree. "Don't tell them--"

"The fuck I will!" mabilis nitong hinugot ang isang rolyo ng benda mula sa bulsa nito at itinali sa sugat niya.

"You knew?" her eyes were wide with surprise.

"Of course I do!" he said while working on her bandage. "I am your mate, love. I felt your agitation earlier. I knew you were hiding something. Fuck! I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. Fuck it! This is all my fault!"

She started sobbing. She didn't mean to be reckless. Alam niyang malaking problema ang idudulot ng nangyari sa kanya. Hindi lamang sa mga kasama niya kundi lalung lalo na kay Xavier. She's going to die and she's going to take half of his life force with her, making her mate weak. "I'm sorry, Xav.."

"Darn it!" tumayo mula sa pagkakaluhod si Xavier at sinapo ang mukha niya. "Don't do this, love." he whispered against her lips. "Wala kang dapat na ihingi ng tawad. It was me, it's my fault for not being there. We need to find a way to get through this, alright? I will find a cure. We will find a cure. I promise you. Stop. Stop."

Hinalik halikan nito ang labi niya at ikinulong ang mukha niya sa mga palad nito.

"Maybe I should leave," she frantically said. "I need to get away from--"

"No!" he thundered. His eyes began shifting from its natural emerald color to red. She could sense his anger and most of all, his fear. "You're not leaving me again!" he hissed as he held her face tighter in his hands. "You're not leaving. No one's going to leave, okay?"

He planted another fierce kiss on her lips then on her forehead. "We're going to fight this together, you understand? You're not gonna run away again this time."

"Pero paano--"

"Akong bahala. Akong bahala sa'yo."

"Xav," She groped his shirt and pulled him against her. She didn't know what to do. Hindi na niya kaya pang malayo muli kay Xav ngunit tadhana na ang nagdidikta na kailangan niyang tumakbo muli. She ran before because she knew it would be safer for them to be apart, and now's no different. She's scared that she might hurt him. "I don't want to die."

"Nobody's gonna die, Aspen. Not on my watch," bulong nito sa tainga niya. She wanted so much to believe him. God knows. But Aspen knew the odds weren't on their favor. It never was. "I won't let that happen, love. I won't let you hurt anybody, I won't even let you hurt yourself."

He cradled her against his chest. At halos madurog ang puso ni Aspen sa nararamdamang pagmamahal nito sa kanya. "Hindi ka pa ba natuto? Everytime I let you out of my sight, you get hurt. And I'd rather die than let that happen again."

"Paano pag naging katulad na nila ako? Paano pag--"

Mas lalo lamang nitong hinigpitan ang yakap sa kanya upang pigilan siya sa pagsasalita. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Trust me."

May ilang minuto rin silang nanatiling magkayakap bago sila nakarinig ng komosyon mula sa kuta.

"We have to head back." hinawakan ni Xavier ang kamay niya. "We don't want them getting suspicious."

Nang makabalik sila ay saka nila nakita ang sanhi ng komosyon. One vampire was kneeling in front of a half circle. Two vampires were holding him down.

"Nakita naming nakagat siya ng isang rogue, Tariq." sambit ni Parris habang tinututukan ng sibat ang nakaluhod na bampira.

"We need to kill him before he turns!" susog ng isa.

"But he's with us!" tutol naman ng isa. "Can't we just find a cure for this?!"

"There's no cure!"

"And even if there is, baka maging rogue na tayong lahat bago pa natin mahanap iyon!"

Nagkatinginan si Aspen at Xavier. He held her hand tighter as if to reassure her. Lumakad sila palapit sa coven nila habang abala rin ang mga ito sa panonood sa eksena.

"You know I haven't seen a rogue face to face yet," nakangusong sambit ni Thad. "why don't we let him transform first then kill him, just for the heck of it."

"You wouldn't wish to come face to face with a rogue vamp." Aspen's jaw were clenched.

Tumingin sa kanya ang mga kasama.

"Why else would you think I got my ass handed to me last night?" she folded her arms in front of her chest and focused on what's happening in front of them.

Pinagmasdan niya si Tariq at naghintay ng indikasyon sa kung anuman ang magiging desisyon nito. He looked really torn. She can see so much semblance between Tariq and Rune. They are both exuding authority. As if they were born to rule. Hindi tuloy niya maiwasan ang isipin kung anong magiging desisyon ni Rune sakaling malaman nitong nakagat din siya ng isang rogue.

Would he decide to kill her?

Napatiim bagang na lang siya nang tumango si Tariq at mabilis pa sa alas kwatro na itinarak ni Parris ang sibat sa leeg ng kasamahan. May isang nag angat ng sarili nitong espada at ang sumunod na lang nilang namalayan ay gumugulong na sa sahig ang ulo ng kawawang bampira.

Huminga ng malalim si Aspen at bumulong sa isip ni Xavier. What do you think Rune will do?

She looked up at him and saw his lips are in one line. Whatever it might be, it would be his head that's going to hit the floor first before anyone touches you.

He didn't know how much she's counting on his words.