A Reluctant Slave - 52

The Shadowlands were always shrouded in darkness, but the gloom held far more weight that night for the Alpha werewolf as he moved down the streets of Baurn. It was almost like he could feel the promise of death in the air flickering across his skin like a taunting breeze, but he didn't allow it to frighten him. Rain knew that he had to protect Lucy at all costs, and he wouldn't allow fear for his own safety to compromise hers. She was turning into a wolf, would become one of his pack and her only chance of survival was if he got her away from Baurn, to a place that Frost wouldn't be able to locate - the pack grounds.
But he knew that Frost would never accept this. The vampire was impossible to predict, however the Alpha knew that he had never taken such a keen interest in anyone before as he had done Lucy. Turning her into a werewolf was taking her away from the vampire as Rain already felt his instincts take over to rush her back to the pack grounds, back to safety even when it wasn't definite that she would survive the change.
The line had been drawn, he had overstepped it and it would result in a conflict between two allies…one that was coming steadily closer as he saw the main square of Baurn come into sight.
Frost stood in the square, a few wolves around him that had accompanied him to collect the spoils of the vampires' deaths but they all stood back nervously, watching as their Alpha approached the powerful vampire. Something in the air wasn't right, but Frost didn't allow any emotion to cross his features as his eyes met Rain's.
"What is all this about, Rain?" The Alpha was naked, but his nudity wasn't noticed by those in the square. There was a heavy tension on the air and Frost cocked an eyebrow at his ally, "I smelt werewolf blood on the way in. What have you been up to?"
There was no way that the Alpha could lie; Frost would figure it out if he did but he knew that he had to buy as much time for his wolves to get Lucy far away from Baurn.
They needed a big head start if they were going to have any sort of chance.
"Eadre pushed his luck again so I ended him," Rain responded, not lying but also not delving into the truth either. Frost seemed to notice, a twitch of his blue eyes the only indicator on his plain expression. Neither of them flinched as water began to splash down around them, the clouds opening to cover the stone ground in darkened puddles. The scent of rain entered their senses, almost covering the prominent smell of blood as it mingled in the darkness.
"He had good potential," Frost replied, neither of them looking away from the other or daring to give the other room to move out of sight.
"Well he pissed me off," the Alpha shrugged but Frost's words caused him to pause.
"Why do I have a feeling you're about to piss me off, Rain?" The vampire inspected his nails as though bored, but there was a firm edge to his expression as he looked up at the werewolf. Neither noticed the rain making their hair stick to their faces and shoulders, both glaring at the other across the square as the wolves watched on from the sides.
Rain's eyes flickered away, glancing aside with a nonchalant shrug, "I don't know, Frost. Maybe not finding those brides got to yo-"
"Where's Lucy, Rain?"
The werewolf stiffened, his emotions shutting down so that Frost couldn't read him…but Frost knew the wolf well enough to know from that he was hiding something. Water began to pour down, bouncing off the slabs beneath them whilst lightning streaked across the sky, the electricity illuminating Frost's glowing, staring eyes.
They narrowed a touch, "going to answer me, Rain?"
"Give me a moment to think of an appropriate answer," the werewolf growled, his lips curling back into a slight sneer before amber eyes met blue. The spectators shifted uncomfortably around them, waiting for a fight to break out but neither of them moved.
"I think I've given you one," Frost's position shifted then as he began to stalk around the wolf, circling him with a narrowed look about his face. The werewolf didn't turn to follow him, his gaze flicking down as he focused on him with his other senses alone.
"Well then I don't have an answer," Rain replied.
"Not even the smallest one?" The vampire inquired, Rain hearing his footsteps lightly against the stone. It was hard to find amongst the constant pattering of raindrops but the wolf heard the connection of boots on rock echoing through his mind light a taunting clock, counting down…
"Not even the smallest one."
"I never thought of you to be on to have brains," Rain's eyes narrowed and he went to growl at Frost's words…but it was then he moved.
The spectators gasped as one moment Frost was far away from Rain and the next he was drawing a sword from thin air, the blade slicing down to cut through the Alpha. They didn't think he'd have time to react…but there was a huge crash through the square that had nothing to do with the storm.
Rain and Frost's faces glared at each other, close together whilst Frost's single blade was stopped with the curved, dark swords of the wolf. Black armour had appeared on the werewolf, covered his chest, legs and his feet to offer a guard to the whole of his once mostly naked body.
Their muscles trembled with effort and for the first time in Rain's life, he saw a flash of anger pass through the vampire's eyes, "get your wolves to bring her back."
Rain's amber eyes flickered but it shouldn't have surprised him that the vampire would have figured out what had happened – Lucy's blood would have been obvious amongst the Eadre's…and his own. He had been too concerned with getting her away to think about covering it up from the vampire.
He was paying the price now.
His grip tightened on his twin swords, "she's going to be a wolf is she survives – she belongs with my pack."
Frost's eyes narrowed further before a snarl came from his lips, one close to the sound of a wolf's. Both men grunted as he shifted, causing them both to go flying back, skidding across the puddle covered stones. As they skidded to a stop they both panted, glaring at the other across the rain…neither moved to put their swords away.
"You don't want to do this, Rain," Frost warned, the pair beginning to circle each other now, Frost's sword scraping across the surface of the stones. "Don't let a woman get between everything we've planned."
"One for hypocrisy?" Rain sneered before dashing in. Frost met his attack, their swords clashing together before they were forced back once more, but this time at a closer range to the other. Frost smirked, but it was almost sneered.
"She's mine – she will always be mine and your werewolf blood will do nothing to change that," he hissed, Rain growling at the almost smug expression on his face.
"I protect my pack – you're not getting anywhere near her," he growled before attacking once more. The pair clashed, their swords reflecting the lightning with an ominous flash of blades. Rain was far stronger than Frost, forcing him to back up but the vampire was too quick for him to get a strike.
The vampire spun out, away from Rain with a smirk as he began to circle him, "I think this has far more to do with just her being apart of your pack – don't the emotions run much deeper than that?" Rain's eyes flashed up, a glare to his eyes.
"Don't talk about what you can't understand!" The Alpha attacked once more, but Frost danced back with a smirk, pushing off the blows easily with his sword.
"Oh I see…how…disturbed," Frost sneered, beginning to circle around him again. "Do you really think she can care for you back? After everything she's seen you do?"
"She's only seen one side of me."
Frost threw his head back and laughed, "Oh how sweet…but don't play that card on me, Rain. I know that you're nothing more than just a murderer…you're no better than me." The vampire was forced to defend himself as Rain snarled and attacked again, but this time there was an edge of confidence to his strikes before their swords locked, Rain's eyes glaring into Frost's.
"I am far more than you could ever hope to be, Frost," he growled, keeping the vampire locked against him. "You're an insane vampire who has no one but himself in life and his only pleasure comes from tormenting others. You're powerful, but you have no one to enjoy that with. The only companion you've ever had is me, and then Lucy came along but now you've pushed us both away." Frost's eyes narrowed and Rain sneered a smirk, "you wanted her to love you, but your chance with her is over." The werewolf leant in closer, flashing fang as he growled, "she will never be yours."
The wolves around them gasped as Rain howled in pain, a huge explosion of power between the duelling pair forcing him away. There was no light to show the power, only the intensity of it spread across their bodies and sent Rain flying until he crashed into the stone of the square. His swords flew from his hands and he groaned, though with an edge of a snarl as he rolled onto his side to look at the vampire.
Frost's head was down, his arms resting at his sides as his shoulders shook from what seemed to be a silent laugh. Rain watched as the vampire's head tilted up, his light blue eyes focusing on him through the rain with a small, decidedly evil smirk on his lips…though also an undeniable edge of anger in his eyes, "I think it's time you learned your place in all this, mutt."
Rain shuddered at the insult, usually used as a joke between them but this time it sunk to the core with its full intention. He pushed to his feet, his eyes not leaving Frost's as he left his swords discarded on the floor, "bring it."
Neither of them focused on their swords – the time for sparring was over.
But the time for their true power was just beginning.