Dark Hunger

Elize closed her eyes for a moment. And in that moment, she exercised all her control over her magic, just like the way Caleb had taught her, just like the way she had been practicing when she was alone, just like the way she had been dreading this moment and imagining what she would do. 

When Elize opened her eyes, every movement around her turned into slow motion. She could see every single piece of debris flying around, every drop of blood that sprayed and splashed, every part of his face mottling with anger and every tiny bubble of venom that oozed out of his horn to make it slick. 

The magic came out, it cascaded down her arms, thick tendrils of heat sizzling and hissing and craving to hit the target. It dropped to her fingers and Elize… she thrust her hands forward towards Edyrm. Red tendrils whipped in his direction. As soon as they hit him, Edyrm halted. He froze in his place as the tendrils covered him, as if they were hugging him like a lover. His lips parted into a smile as his eyes closed to feel the magic that belonged to him. He embraced it with open arms, savoring it. He had been without it for a very long time. He hissed in satisfaction, in pure joy and in contentment. He was finally getting it back. His smile turned into a chuckle which turned into a laughter. He opened his eyes to peer at the vampire in front of him who had voluntarily given his magic back. She was scared of him and he loved the feeling. It gave him a sense of superiority.

"And I thought that you wouldn't go down without a fight?" he said. As she watched him with coldness in her eyes, he couldn't help but tip his head back and laugh even more. When he stopped laughing, he looked at her and said, "What can I expect from a turned vampire?" He could feel the magic twirling around his body, hugging him, kissing him. "You don't belong to the Lore. You are just as pathetic as your bitch sister-in-law, Dawn. Fucking little bitches who tried to steal the magic of the Lore." He spat on the floor. The soldiers who were fighting against his demons had gone to a different room.

As the magic poured out from Elize and reached him, it swirled and twirled and tickled his skin. Her brows were knitted. "I do admire your chutzpah, demon," she said in a low soft growl. Her lips tugged up in a smile, and the magic… listened to her. 

She closed her hands and then flung them towards her. 

"What are you doing?" he mocked. "Giving more— Ahhhhhhhh!" he yelled. Suddenly the tendrils became like hot molten lava. The soft hugs became like searing hot iron whips. He shouted as his skin started burning. He looked at her with wide eyes as she watched him burning. "No. No! This magic is mine," he shouted. "It belongs to me. It listens to me." He thought that the tendrils would seep back in his body upon recognizing the owner, but the table turned. They listened to the command of the vampire queen. "This can't be!" he shrieked with pain as disbelief surged through him. Why wasn't he able to command it? 

All of Caleb's training had worked. Over the last few days, she had everything she could to control the magic in her, and only because of this moment. Now she understood the significance of Caleb's training. "I have complete control over your magic, demon," she said in a cold voice. She twirled her fingers. "It is at my fingertips. And now it will never listen to you." 

Edyrm started running away from her towards the mouth of the cave looking like a burning inferno. He was screaming with pain, his new alabaster skin blazing under the heat. As soon as he reached the exit, he jumped in the snow and rolled. The snow sizzled around him and he continued to roll to cool down his body temperature, until the tendrils roiled around him. And he lost the sense of time. 

Inside the cave, Elize was about to walk right behind him when Arryn Aramaer came to stand in front of her. "You have to fight me," she said. "That magic belongs to my father!" 

"And you are a prisoner of your father's whims, aren't you?" Elize said as the two started circling each other.

"That is none of your concern. Return his magic!" Arryn snarled. 

"Why would I do that, Arryn?" she asked. "You tried to trick me into keeping me in the wonderland. With the help of your father's magic, you wanted to control my mind. If I had fallen for your trickery that day, I would have become your father's puppet for the rest of my life. But guess what Arryn, my husband saved me!" 

Arryn growled and lunged at Elize, her fangs and claws lengthening. But Elize was ready for it. She closed her hands into tight fists and then spread them apart. Arryn stopped immediately as her body arched back. Her face twisted into pain. "Ahhh! Release me!" 

"Did you forget that your father's magic now belongs to me?" said Elize as she opened her fists. 

As soon as she released Arryn from the magic, Arryn doubled over. Tears welled in her eyes. She stumbled back as she held her stomach. "It is excruciating…" 

"I can release you from this jail, Arryn," said Elize. The day she had met Arryn in the wonderland along with her magic, she couldn't understand how come a woman was trapped in it. She looked like she could never ever get out of the place. There was so much loneliness and agony in her eyes that she concealed under the façade of joy and trickery. She was under the control of her father's magic. When Elize saw her in the room where Caleb was also prisoned, she realized that Arryn was working for her father not because she wanted to, but because his magic compelled her to. Arryn could have hurt her in the room, but she walked away. She didn't hurt any of them. It was because she was confused about the magic. Her father must have compelled her or threatened her to work for him, taking advantage of her very long captivity. Arryn was a prisoner of her father's magic. 

With wide eyes, Arryn stared at Elize. It had been a very long time since her father had controlled her magic after she had tried to run away from Galahar. And ever since she was a servant at his beck and call. She couldn't do anything except to be around him, protect him and do exactly what he asked, because if she didn't, she was forced into submission against her will, which would produce pounding headaches to her. 

She was leaning against the wall, her expressions caught between disbelief and surprise. In a shaky, unbelieving voice she asked, "Will you?" 

Elize walked closer to her and nodded. "But you have to make a vow to the Lore." 

Arryn didn't speak a word. She just waited for Elize to complete her sentence. 

"Once I release you, you will never ever hurt Caleb or his family."