adjective ~ kind or affectionate

NOVA

As soon as Charlie's name left my mouth, chaos erupted. The man holding me sank his claws into my skin, drawing blood. Vampires and wolves alike flooded into the area and I had to watch with bated breath as they all fought. Charlie's brown wolf came charging, but no sooner than he got to us, a dark blur took him down.

"That will show them. Can't trust anyone." Master sneered.

He spun around to glare down at me. I cringed against the restraints; the man holding me, not releasing his claws from my skin.

"You gave away our position." Master snarled before landing a harsh smack to my cheek.

I whimpered and stayed silent. I could feel my body burning with the pains, adrenaline wanting me to run away, but I feared getting caught again. Claws were already two inches deep into my thigh and ribs, and I didn't want them to tear my flesh open any more than that.

Turning back around at my submission, Master dismissed me. I followed his gaze to see wolves fighting. My heart constricted in my chest as a wolf I knew to be Alessea tackled Charlie. They fought for a while before he threw her twenty feet into the air. She came crashing into a building, debris falling around her. Charlie stalked towards her and I had to look away as his face snapped into hers.

She was a traitor?

"We need to move. Find a way out." Master rushed.

Master was pushing us back, back to the safety of the buildings. I could hear slight desperation in his voice, but his face gave nothing away. He forced the others forward first, sandwiching himself in the middle.

My skin suddenly bristled with goosebumps as an unusual atmosphere overpowered the alleyway. I narrowed my eyes, turning to look behind wolfman to see Charlie's wolf wedged in the alley's gap. He was almost smiling, jaws open as blood dripped from his mouth. He looked feral, manic, in fact.

But that wasn't the source of the feeling. The alley was long, wrapping around many walls. Just as I turned to look ahead of us again, a deep grumble shook the cement. The people before me growled and even Master hesitated. I looked at him briefly to see him frozen in place.

The floor rumbled again, and my head finally snapped up to the source of the sound. My breath hitched, my heart racing with adrenaline. Through the darkness of the alleyway, a large figure blocked our exit. Although I could not see any features, not even eyes, my body hummed with energy.

I could feel the energy bristling along my skin, like a vine wrapping around a tree. It travelled through my body, swimming through the air and in the figure's direction. My body became alive at the mere presence of it, and it was what made me know I was safe.

"Phoenix." I whispered.

Phoenix didn't answer, his body tall and dark in shadows. He was nearly as tall as the small space, his shoulders practically brushing the walls. He plunged the alley into darkness as he took two strides closer. The wolf holding me retracted his claws and turned to whisper into Master's ear.

"Now what?" He growled.

"Fight." He whispered. "It's all we can do."

Jay whimpered. "Against him? I can't do that. He already wants me dead."

I didn't care about their conversation. My eyes focused on Phoenix as I searched for his face, or the familiarity of his eyes. I couldn't see a thing without my wolf's vision. I whimpered a sigh, coming up short. He seemed to tense before taking a menacing step forward.

"Release my mate."

I shivered at the sound of his voice. Despite its deadly threat, my body hummed with the vibrations. I felt tears well in my eyes, my heart thundering in my chest. Phoenix, my Phoenix, was finally here. It felt like an eternity.

"I wouldn't come any closer." Master snapped.

Phoenix growled but stopped his approach. I couldn't tear my gaze away; afraid I would miss the moment my eyes met his. I felt Master's hand wrap around my shoulder as he glared at my mate.

"Do you want to die today?" Phoenix asked smoothly.

Master inhaled deeply, looking behind him briefly. I could see he was planning something; that terrifying smirk covering his features again. He gave wolfman a brief nod and before I could react; I was falling to the floor. I let out a cry of shock as my back hit the floor, my head bouncing off of the wall. An immediate pain ached in my skull, and I forced myself to sit upright.

"I would choose your words lightly." Master quipped.

Phoenix's growl bounced off of the walls, Charlie's wolf joining in from behind us. I opened my eyes just as they grabbed me by the cuffs on my wrists. My knees shook, my ankles buckling with the sudden vertical posture.

Master gave me a pointed look, pulling my hair to keep me standing. With his other hand, he tore the gauze from my neck, the cold air nipping at the tender flesh.

"Do you know how vampires work? Once we drink from someone, they are ours."

This enraged Phoenix. I mean, of course it did.

He snarled, charging forwards. All too quickly, something yanked me backwards and a magical shimmer encased me. I gasped, reaching out as much as I could to hold on to something as I fell. Master pulled me through, the others with us jumping in after. Only wolfman and Jay made it through, the last wolf not stepping through in time.

We shifted and I stumbled as my bare legs landed in snow. He had transported us... to inside the plaza? I looked around, confused, but the lack of life made skin crawl.

"Where is that damn witch?" He snapped, agitated.

I whimpered as he pulled my chains, dragging me along behind him. The snow was freezing; numbing my legs and burning my skin. It was soft yet slippery underneath, which did not help my otherwise lack of coordination.

A sudden thought caught my mind. Phoenix was here. He would hear me; his hearing was incredible. I looked around, the wind still wild and free, but after seeing that Master was dragging me towards a cellar, I chose it as a good option.

"PHOENIX!" I screamed. "PHOENIX!"

I didn't get another chance before Master's hands were around my throat. My breath caught, words dying on my tongue. He shook me violently and just when I thought he was going to inflict more damage, Raven appeared beside us.

"Yes, brother?" She mumbled.

He released me, spinning around to his sister with a sneer. "They found us! How!"

"I do not know."

He slapped her across the cheek, causing me to flinch in her favour. "Do not lie."

She spat out blood, narrowing her eyes at him. "I severed the connection. There was no way he reached her. Her wolf is still subdued."

I frowned, remembering she was on their team. Now was not a time to switch sides. Master grumbled, searching her face for any lies but came up short. He hummed, looking down at me with confusion. I swallowed nervously, shifting my weight to take the edge off my bleeding side.

"The child. It must be the child." He mumbled. "We need to leave."

My eyes widened and I looked at Raven nervously. She caught my gaze, taking in my pained expression before frowning. Her eyes trailed down my shivering body to the blood dripping down my legs.

"She needs healing first. You cannot shift her in this state."

"I cannot shift everyone. Hurry it up." He huffed.

Despite the pain, I noted he was weaker than her. He barely made it out of the battle grounds with all of us, which meant he couldn't go far with so many people.

Raven looked at me, taking my hands in hers. I thought she was going to do a healing spell like last time and braced myself for the painful tingles. They didn't come, and I released my breath after a moment of silence.

'I'm sorry.' She breathed into my mind. 'You don't deserve any of this.'

What... I began, but interrupted by an excruciating warmth.

It encased my mind, causing my knees to buckle, but she clung to me. She was so strong, taking the brunt of my weight whilst performing a spell. My pulse quickened in my head, vibrating against my skull. I cried out in pain as it travelled, filling up my veins. It moved under my skin, tingling my fingertips and shaking my knees. My heart constricted once before racing in my chest. The warmth quickly diminished, and I felt the surge of energy that was released with it.

My eyes shot open as a familiar, welcoming embrace overcame me. Raven was staring at me with sad eyes, almost like she was sorry for what happened. My heart felt fuller, my mind less empty.

Celimene? I breathed.

'I'm here.' She gasped. 'Just... weak.'

She disappeared, exhausted. But she was there, she was back. I cried silent tears, my lip wobbling with the current of emotions. I stared at Raven with wonder, wanting to question her for her actions.

'Tell my mother that I am sorry.'

"What do you-"

My words died on my tongue as blood splattered across my face. As though in slow motion, my head dropped to see a hand, knuckles deep within Raven's chest. My mouth opened in shock, my ears ringing and blocking out the further surroundings. I looked up when Master growled, pulling his hand from her body. His claws sliced through her skin, the sound of bones shattering filling the air. She made no sound, her mouth open with pain.

Her legs collapsed as soon as he retracted his claws, and her body fell into the snow. It bounced and fluttered around her, embracing her as she sank into its depth. Her hair flew around her like a crown, settling into the contrasting white blanket. My mouth opened in horror as her dead eyes stared up at the sky, unblinking, unmoving.

I snapped my head up to see Master glaring at her. He must've noticed my gaze because his eyes snapped up to mine. My ringing ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps, but I was focused on the blood-red eyes of Master as he stalked towards me.

His bloodied hand wrapped around my throat, lifting me from the ground. I gasped for breath, fingertips grazing at his arms.

"You have your wolf back. That is not part of my plan." He snapped before looking down at his dead sister. "This was not part of the plan."

In his fit of rage, he threw me behind him and I expected to land in a pile of snow, bracing for the impact of ice. It surprised me when I was caught by two arms. I panted, my throat aching and side pulsating with pain as I crashed into the body. They steadied us, their voice gentle and coaxing through the muffling sounds.

I blinked the tears away, looking up at the person who held me in shock. Brown eyes stared down at me, their face etched with concern. My body shook, my hands moving to grab at his shirt. His lips moved, but the ringing in my head muted everything around me. He let go of my elbows, leaning my weight against him as his hands cupped my cheeks. He shook my face slightly, fingers wiping away the tears. My heart ached at his pain, sad that I caused him so much.

"Charlie." I breathed.

He smiled softly at me, nodding. Sounds whooshed around me, as though the water that held them back finally escaped my ears. I heard growling and snapping of teeth, or bones, I wasn't sure. My nose was sensitive, the smell of blood meeting me in full force.

"You're here." I whispered.

"I am." He replied. "I need to get you out of here."

"Phoenix..."

"He's okay. I just need you out of the way, Nova. Trust me, okay?" He rubbed my arms.

I was dazed but nodded my head. He smiled cautiously before turning us around. I caught the sight of a large black beast fighting Master's shadowy figure and inhaled sharply as his teeth sank into Master's arm. The view disappeared quickly as Charlie passed me into someone else's arms.

Blinking away the drying tears, I came face to face with a familiar green. His softer hands came and wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me against him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, but I was still cuffed. The chain was somewhere in the snow, trailing behind me.

"It's going to be okay." Pollux smiled.

My lower lip wobbled and I dropped my head onto his shoulder. They were really here; I was going to get out of here. Pollux held me to him until I leaned away. His scent was comforting, a familiar welcome in the haze of my mind. He let go of me, his hands moving to hold mine and stop me from turning around.

"How did you all get here? They cut Celimene off and-"

I shrieked as my foot suddenly slipped beneath me. My grip on Pollux's hands tightened as he tried to hold on to me. It was then I realised I didn't slip, but my body was flying backwards. My injured side smacked into the ground beneath the snow, but the softness comforted my head.

"Nova!" Pollux gasped.

Screaming, someone dragged me all too quickly. My body flipped as my arms flew above my head and I went under the surface. They pulled me upright, a few meters away from Pollux. I gasped for breath, the snow previously covering my head falling to the floor. I looked up at the person who now held me by the throat, finding the mysterious wolfman with a sinister snarl.

Talk about déjà vu. I often found myself held by the throat.

"Freeze." Wolfman shouted.

Phoenix's wolf became focused on the commotion, Master jumping from his feet to limp away. The grip on my throat was uncomfortable, but I could still breathe... for now. The chain felt heavy on my wrists and I could feel its burden wrapped in wolfman's other hand.

"Let her go." Charlie growled.

Phoenix grumbled, the sound vibrating my chest as I turned to look at him. His eyes were pitch black. The comforting gaze of my mate vanished with his patience. His fur stood on end, coated in blood as his canines bared and snapped at the air.

Master was breathing heavily, tired from the fight. I thought being a witch would give him benefits, but he seemed weirdly... weak.

"You take one more step, and we tear her pretty little throat out." Master warned. "Shift back, Alpha. I want to see your face as I kill the thing you love the most."

****

dun dun duuun

Hey guys! Monday yet again

Question of the Day?

Soo.... Raven? What did you think to her? Do you think she was bad or good?

wc: 2521