Chapter 5

The force of the blow to my back sent me forward before I quickly recovered and jumped to the side evading another hit. From a crouched position, I eyed the figure in front of me. I had not anticipated his speed or strength, and by the time I sensed him, it was too late. The impact of his blow would have sent a weaker vampire to the ground seriously injured.

I grimaced at the source of the pain until gaining my composure before a sly grin formed on my face as I slowly stood to my feet. My guard had been down assuming he was weak, a mistake I would not make again. He had not been weak at all. In fact, his strength and speed exceeded that of Ezekiel’s. If he had joined the fight before now, things may have gone differently.

Unfortunately for him, I had used all my nonlethal tools in taking down the others. It was now clear he would not come willingly and had no plans on allowing me to get leave with Ezekiel. I looked down at the fallen alpha before returning my calculating gaze back to the one now standing. There was only one option that remained…

I had to kill him.

I watched as his chest moved up and down heavily while he attempted to catch his breath. He had a fierce look in his eyes, one that I knew all too well. Many had seen the same look in my eyes before they met their end. We had the same intentions. He planned to kill me as well.

So be it. I would drop him like a fly and take Ezekiel and the others with me. His efforts would all be in vain.

“Fucking bloodsucker.” He spat out the words intending to be an insult, but they did not cut as deep as he wanted. Instead, I laughed.

Technically that was a pretty accurate description for a vampire. I took no offense and enjoyed mocking his failed attempt.

I ran at him with full force until our bodies clashed. We exchanged continuous blows. For a moment, it seemed as if neither one of us would gain the upper hand, and I could not remember the last time someone had given me this much of a challenge. I was pleasantly surprised. His skills were impressive, but something seemed off. He had been able to keep up with me easily, and yet for some reason I sensed he was holding back. That was an insult.

My claws extended and I made a quick swipe at his cheek drawing blood. The scent of his blood made its way to me, and it was most intriguing. Right then, I vowed to myself that I would be tasting it from him soon enough.

Minutes passed and I finally seemed to be wearing him down with my relentless attacks. His had become slower and he was not able to evade me as he had before. I had to use all my strength until finally he left me an opening that I gladly took. He had put up a good fight, but I needed to wrap this up before the pickup team arrived. I could not allow them to see me so worn in this way. I was sure they would be close at this point.

I landed a kick to his face knocking him back against a light pole almost snapping it in two.

“And I had such high hopes for you,” I smirked with darkening eyes as I looked down to him.

“Yeah, well you’re pretty fucking tough. But that was a lucky shot,” he grunted and squinted his eyes into slits. I glided my tongue against my teeth revealing my fangs preparing to tear into his skin.

“That shit doesn’t mean anything to me. Do your worst.” He scooted himself up to a more seated position wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, but I sensed no I fear from him. This young wolf had been a formidable foe indeed. I had taken him down ready to end his life, and yet he still remained calm. His steady, cocky demeanor was noted.

I tilted my head at him curiously as my eyes followed his motion. His blood was enticing me, and I found I had to force myself to hold back more so than usual. The fire in his eyes had calmed somewhat revealing a dark blue sapphire that were pleasing to look at. He had caramel skin and short black curly hair. I would even consider him attractive had he not been a dirty wolf, a creature beneath me.

I removed my mask letting my long black hair fall down my back, allowing him to see my face for the first time. Revealing myself to my opponent right before I ended their life was somewhat a signature move of mine. There was no need to hide in secrecy now. The horror they felt in their last moments knowing their end was about to be met always excited me. I wanted my face to be the last thing they saw. But right now I was not feeling as excited as I looked into the blue gems that were his eyes.

As I looked at my prey, the softened look on his face and glimmer in his eyes caused me to come to a sudden stop. His mouth gaped open as if in awe as he stared back to me. This was not quite the reaction I was expecting.

Where his face was once filled with hatred and disgust, it was now replaced with longing, confusion, passion, need. I looked around confused, unsure of the cause of this change.

His eyes bore into mine with a desire that made me uncomfortable. I knew I was attractive, as some said even beautiful, but that was not the reason for this look. It was so intense, and I had never seen or felt anything like it before. His eyes were locked onto mine, begging me to come to him. Instead, my feet moved backwards away from him as I tried to figure out why the little confused mutt looked at me in such a way. I wanted to smack that look off of his face.

I am your enemy wolf. Remember that.

But realizing I was moving away from him, he became frantic struggling to lift himself up.

“Mine...”

He whispered the word so quietly I could barely hear. And then it hit me. I had heard of this. Wolves believed in a mate bond, an extraordinary connection with their destined mate. Unlike vampires, they did not choose their own mates, and though it was rare for a wolf to find his mate outside of his species, and even more so for that species to be vampire, it was not completely unheard of. I realized he had not been able to sense me before and removing my mask must have been the trigger releasing enough of my scent to him.

Damn. I should have just killed him, instead I chose to gloat. My pride would be my downfall.

This young wolf thought that I was his mate? Impossible. I scoffed to myself. Could it just be some weak ploy in an attempt to spare his pathetic life? If that was the case, it would not work. Even so, just because this confused creature might be under the assumption I was his mate, he was not mine. I would never belong to a wolf.

His movement snapped me out of my daze. He pushed himself to his feet and slowly walked towards me.

“Come closer and I will rip your heart out of your chest where you stand.” I snarled at him. Why had I not already done that? There was something stopping me, something in his eyes that caused me to pity him. But I did not pity wolves. I despised them.

He stopped and opened his mouth to speak, now deep and husky, slowly choosing his words as if knowing anything could set me off.

“Calm the fuck down. I’m not going to hurt you. We are fated to be together. You are mi-“

I hissed cutting him off, rage building inside of me.

“I belong to no one, least not a mutt. Bite your tongue, or I will take it from you!”

The words pierced his chest like a knife. The part of me that would once relish in that sight, now brought me no joy. He was pitiful looking at me with those droopy, saddened eyes. The pain was written all over his face.

How could this be? There was no time to think. I needed to kill him. My body instinctively lunged towards his with malicious intent. I would snuff him out in one swift movement. As I drew nearer, he just stood there looking defeated, unable, or unwilling to defend himself. Pathetic. Would he simply allow me to take his life without a fight? Was he begging for it after the realization that I would never accept him? Fine.

Almost there.

The rain had stopped. His eyes, the color of deep sea that glistened under the silvery moonlight, were pleading for any sign of hope in my own, a hope that was lost on me. But before I was able to complete my move, I felt a jolt. I stopped abruptly inches away from his face, my hand pressed against his chest on the other side of where his heart would be. I could have it in my hands and squished between my fingers in seconds. I was a warrior. Many had fallen by my bare hands. I did not have feelings. I did not need them, but the tingle on the tips of my fingers where I touched him caused me to hesitate.

His hand was now at my chest as if it held me at bay. Was this his attempt at a last-ditch effort to protect himself? There was no force behind it. His eyes were now filled with fear, but not just because his life flashed before his eyes, but because I may have actually been the one to kill him, his so-called mate.

The thought disgusted me to my core.

When he realized I had stopped my attack and once he made contact with me, the look on his face changed once again. I was so close to him now and his eyes were glowing, but not like before when he was prepared to kill me. This was different. Had they not been attached to this wolf, I would have considered them to be intriguing, and that thought intensified my turmoil.

He moved his hand toward my face. I jerked back, eyes widened at his audacity to think he could touch me. My claws extended into his skin, breaking past the flesh and inching closer to his heart. He grimaced in pain but did not take his eyes off me. What was he thinking? It could all be over so soon. I just needed to do it. He searched my face frantically, needing me to reciprocate his feelings, but that would never happen.

“Fuck. You’re beautiful.”

His voice was quiet and breathless. I gasped, stumbling backwards taken aback by his words. He grasped at his chest, the spot I had just carved out with my claws. I stared down at my hands, the tips of my fingers covered in his blood, and I fought the urge to taste them. I would never allow him to see me crave his blood.

“You are lucky you still breathe. Touch me like that again and that will change quickly.”

He knew I was not lying. He saw his life flash before his eyes and yet he seemed to be unfazed by that, only focused on me. What did I need to do to wipe that look off his face? I had not killed him, but I could still severely injure him.

“Your mate bond does not affect me. You will find another, or you will die.” That was not an option. I only hoped to sway him, but his next words told me that was in vain.

“There is no one else. I don’t want anyone else.” He said quietly. “Will you reject me?” Had I not already made myself clear that I was in fact rejecting him?

I did not want to hear anymore from him. A grumble formed in my throat. He was testing my patience. I moved forward swiftly grabbing his throat. My hands were small but forceful. I could easily crush his larynx without another thought. He winced in pain, but there was a smile on his face as he grabbed at my hand wrapped around his neck. He didn’t attempt to pull me off. Was he enjoying this? Did he yearn for my touch even though it brought him pain? How sickening.

I pushed off his throat forcing him backwards. Why could I not do this? Had I become weak like those I hunted? Was this alleged mate bond interfering somehow? I groaned in my head. This should not affect vampires, and yet somehow it was affecting me.

“It seems as though you will not die today, although I do not know why,” I said as I turned away from him walking back.

I canceled the pickup moments before they arrived. I could never allow any witnesses to what just happened. Either way, I would still be hearing an earful about my unsuccessful mission. I turned my back to him knowing he would not harm me and kicked a rock sending it crashing through a building leaving a large hole in its place.

“Wait. Who are you? What’s your name.” He called after me. I stopped and tensed up at the desperation in his voice. I needed to get away from him and make sure we never met again.

That is what I told myself. But right before I ran off into the darkness of the night, I whispered one word that I knew he would still be able to hear, a word that would start the beginning of something I never could have imagined. Not just a word, but a name.

“Onyx.”