An Ancient Fight for Dominance, S.C. Taufa [best books to read for beginners TXT] 📗

I can see these bright blue eyes through my window, I wonder, ‘who could that be, what could that be?’ I realise with a jolt it’s Tristan’s eyes but in a wolf’s body. My heart flutters like a butterfly. Flutters? What the hell?! We are sworn enemies, we’re star crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet and our families are so hostile to one another. Yet I still feel the fluttering of my heart and I hear the pounding of his. I can no longer resist, I open the window of my bedroom and climb out. I’m bare foot and only have a big shirt and undies on. He approaches me, changing to human form as he does.

“Did you forget? We agreed to meet at the river but you didn’t come.” Tristan stood there arms hanging limply by his sides with a look of hurt on his handsome face.

“I – I totally forgot about that, I’m so sorry, Tristan. It’s just that….” I couldn’t say the rest.

“You were having second thoughts about dating the youngest of the Ardra family who just happens to know what you are going through at the moment?” I only nodded with my eyes cast down. “Alastria I love you dearly. When we are apart I feel physical pain and when we are together I feel so joyful that I can barely control myself. If I was a puppy I would be jumping up and down and running around you.” His hands had forced me to look at him while he said this. I felt the most profound urge to kiss him right then. He felt the same way about me! I could not think of any words that could describe my feelings. So I grabbed his face between my hands and kissed forcefully. He wrapped his arms around my waist and carried me into the surrounding forest. I have no idea why but I got the gist of his reasons when he laid me down on a bed of pine needles. We stayed like that for hours, kissing and feeling each other without doing the dirty. There was no deigning our feelings for each other and there was no turning back after tonight. Our families would personally kill us if they found out. So I thought.

****************
I was walking along this well-worn animal track when I heard a snap in the shadows of the forest. My ears twitched listening intently for another sign of noise and my nose gently sniffed the air. A fowl, rotting smell graced itself to my senses along with a sudden weight on my back and something trying to bite me. My thoughts left me and I seemed to move with a second nature that was graceful but deadly. I fought with a furious bid for survival, ending up being the better fighter. With a burst of energy I slammed the creature on my back into a tree causing the creature to loosen its grip. I bolted then put on the brakes making the creature go flying in an arch to land on its face. I knew what creature I faced but I also knew that I had back up not far away. I could feel Tristan running at a speed unknown to nature and with that speed came strength and anger. The very feeling of his emotions kept me from fleeing. The creature lay there feigning unconsciousness, I didn’t move to inspect it seeing as that was what the creature wanted.

“Stuff this. Come here you dumb dog!” The creature made my blood boil with anger, strength, and most of all, hate. I let rip a blood curdling growl followed by a howl answering that very growl. The creature didn’t flinch but gave its own growl that was like a puppy’s growl to me. We circled each other. I stopped. It was in the perfect position for attack from behind which Tristan would perform. The timing was exactly right. Tristan came hurtling from the shadows of the forest. The creature although inhuman wasn’t fast enough to stop itself from being hit.

“Please don’t kill him!” I wheeled around a young man and woman stood there with horror and fear on their faces. They were the same as this creature that attacked me. I growled in response, lowered myself into a pouching position, giving them time to run. But they didn’t. They stood there with the same looks on their faces as before. I gave up on trying to intimidate them. “Please, we beg you. We didn’t know there were any werewolves around here; any wolves for the point. Please don’t kill him.” The young woman begged again. The look in her eyes and his were of parental fear for their ‘son’. Tristan and I came to a silent agreement without saying a single word. We ran off without saying anything to them but they followed us with the intent of a hunter.

We ran as fast as we could and still we couldn’t shake them off. We had this weird feeling that we knew them from somewhere. Tristan and I lost them long enough to change back to human form before they caught up with us again. They didn’t notice us they kept running then came to an abrupt stop. Turning around they seemed to notice us for the first time standing there with our arms folded over our chests while leaning against two separate trees; one on each side of the track.
“What is it that you want with the two wolves you spoke to?” Tristan’s gaze and stance was of steel and relaxed caution. Mine was exactly the same.

“We wish to speak to the human side of them. Our reasons are our own.” The young man who was obviously the head of the clan seemed too cautious. Something’s wrong.

“What if you were speaking to them right now?” Mimicking Tristan’s blank tone. I watched for a reaction while at the same time wondering why they would like to speak to us.

“Are you Tristan and Alastria? Because if you are then we have something to tell you about yourselves.” This time it was the woman who said this in a gentle voice but it still got a big reaction from the both of us.

“What do you mean?!” In unison we approached them with such hostility that they took a few steps back.

“You’re not just werewolves.” This was coming from a new voice that was standing to the side with their face in shadows. “You’re part vampire as well.” While the new voice said this the other three had inched closer thinking we weren’t noticing them coming towards us. Suddenly they sprang trying to surprise us.
We morphed so quickly that they hesitated for a second before coming at us. We ran. Going at such a speed that we could hardly rely on sight to tell us if something was coming our way. So instead we relied on our other senses and never split apart. We lost them so bloody easily that it didn’t seem real. We silently agreed to go to my place; we didn’t care if our parents found out we loved each other and that we were a step away from being fully mates. As we reached the front steps of my place my mother came out of the door with a concerned look on her face. Tristan and I were supporting one another because we were so exhausted from running away from the vampires. “What happened?” Pause. “Why are you with an Ardra? Why is he touching you so familiarly? Alastria, what have you done?” She was obviously concerned then angry then concerned again but I wasn’t in the mood for her endless questions.

“Mum. We just ran for our lives from some vampires the least you could do was put aside your hate for the Ardra family and help us before we drop from exhaustion.” My voice didn’t sound like my own and it was obvious that we were both about to collapse from exhaustion.

“Eric! Come quickly! Alastria and Tristan are about to collapse from exhaustion in a minute!” Dad came running down the hallway, cursing and muttering. They both seethed to exist when he saw that the only think keeping us up was our two bodies leaning against each other.

“Brianna you help Alastria, I’ll help Tristan.” That was all he said he didn’t say anything about him being with me or ask any questions about what happened. But the most surprising thing about what Dad did was let Tristan sleep in my room with me, in my bed, when Tristan asked if he could stay with me. For the first time in my young life I saw Dad proud of me and happy for me. That’s when I realised that Dad didn’t care that Tristan was an Ardra he only cared about my happiness. Mum was a whole different story.

To be continued. . .

Text: All characters are my own and any ideas in this book are mine. The cover picture isn't mine.
Publication Date: 10-19-2011

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