The blood in Zane's veins rushed and roared like a storm in his ears. Every powerful heartbeat in his chest rumbled like the pounding of war drums. The stench of damp earth assaulted his senses and was like a fuel for the freshly stoked flame of anger within him. The bloodhunter's claws cut through his fur like daggers, darkening the white with the ruby-red lifeblood from his veins.

All he had really wanted to do was disappear into the shadows. This fight was pointless and did not further his goals. Unlike other Vaesen, he was not a fool who lost himself in aimless lust for battle or bloodlust. If he was tracked down and his appearance became known, he would soon be swarming with brazen, overzealous hunters who were on his arse. And he couldn't have that!

In these times, among the ruins of the old world, a head like his was a welcome trophy and a way to escape the shackles of fate. It was a way to break out of a sordid life. But he wouldn't do anyone this favor, especially not at the cost of his own life.

An indignant growl rolled over his lips, reminiscent of angry waves crashing against cliffs and sending a rumble of thunder over the nearby neighborhood, even without a black sky.

He had to put as much distance as possible between himself, the blood hunter, and the satyr's corpse to live up to his name again and disappear like a ghost. Instead, the pesky piece of carrion stuck to the tip of his tail like pitch and haunted him - to his undoing. This rotten piece of meat involved him in a fight that he didn't want, for which he had neither the nerve nor the time.

Well... If he had a death wish, Zane would fulfill it. It was not for nothing that his bounty was so high that people thought twice about messing with him. Zane had never dodged a fight anyone wanted so badly. Nobody was going to get his head. Especially not this pathetic greenhorn!

'Die, wretched maggot!' his thoughts barked, and the mighty jaws that had broken through even the stone hide of Gargoyles in the catacombs opened - ready to end this chase. The clawed paws held the writhing body of the undead firmly pinned to the ground while the vampire's eyes widened in fear at the prospect of imminent death. The fangs flashed like deadly daggers in the night, greedy for the long overdue 'life.'

The game of this ridiculous chase was over. A hare could not kill a fox. The fool would pay for his idiotic misstep with the most precious thing he possessed - his life.

"M-Myra!"

The gasping plea beneath him shattered the silence that had followed the savage struggle and poured over his heated body like ice-cold water.

'Myra?' his thoughts repeated in confusion, and for a moment, his tension eased. For the first time in his life, Zane made a mistake in battle - he hesitated for a heartbeat.

Another body crashed into him like a cannonball, forcing the air from his lungs and tearing his body away from his victim.

The wild part of him wanted to roar with rage as the world twisted, not just because his prey had escaped his deadly bite. No, also because of his stupidity. For his hesitation and because he had underestimated the fool. Bloodhunters rarely acted alone, even if one was enough for most threatening opponents.

But now the reinforcements had caught him because sharp claws dug into his fur and pulled him to the ground. Long, inhumanly strong fingers gripped his jaws, and a powerful hand pushed his head back halfway into his neck. This blood hunter knew what he was doing, unlike the little nothing lost in savage attacks. The stance revealed the throbbing life in his throat and the wild beating of his heart as her scent tickled his nose.

There was no damp earth or death in the air. He smelled the nuance of a forest after a light rain shower. The scent of lavender mingled with it, and sparks sparked under the cold grip, spreading through his nerves.

'Find her...'

The voice of the past whispered in his head, penetrating between the veils of reality.

'Find... M...yra....'

The ice-blue eyes widened and suddenly looked like sparkling sapphires in a landscape of dirty snow.

'Impossible ... this is impossible,' Zane thought, 'She can't ... Kaye would never have ...'

His heart pounded in his chest as his thoughts swirled around him. Like debris in a storm, they found no real foothold and passed him by far too quickly, but at the same time, each of them hit him with tremendous force. While it raged inside him, those few seconds stretched past him like tough rubber.

He should be fighting, rebelling against the death that awaited him. Instead, he stared up at the slayer who had attacked him from the shadows and struck him down.

Her hair, flowing like liquid silver in the moonlight, clung to her soft, feminine but lifeless features. A delicate, straight nose adorned the beautiful face, which in the past would have been sighingly attributed to celestial beings but could not have been more opposite to this creature. A doll-like beauty, far too perfect to make men and women alike turn round and hold their breath. His gaze was fixed on her, too, taking in every little detail in those fractions of a second instead of staring at the raised hand.

The cloudy seas of his eyes met hers - and the world seemed to spin a little slower. Time seemed to pause as if it, too, wanted to hold its breath.

His fighting instinct screamed like a wild, angry animal against the sticky threads that wrapped around him. The voice of primordial time tried to make its way into his head while his mind recognized its hesitation.

He had never seen a bloodhunter hesitate before.

Chapter 9 - Escape from Destiny

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