Dark Hunger

Elize craned her head to see her husband and placed a chaste kiss on him, grazing his lips with her fangs. His body tensed. "Please Caldy," she said. "Just for fifteen minutes." She still wanted to ease the extra adrenalin that was flowing inside her. Caleb's blood was like a drug, like a mixture of drugs that drove her. 

Caleb pursed his lips. When she did that to him, it was impossible for him to deny her request. Not because he couldn't, but because his mind went blank, because when she grazed him with her fangs, he felt like she desired to be fed—an act that satisfied his wolf who would do anything for his mate. And of course, the deep dark hunger for her needed to be satiated at all times. "Okay," he grated, his neck muscles straining. Then he gave a death glare to Laurel to warn her. 

Caleb handed his sword to Laurel with a piercing gaze. "She is tired. So better not act smart," he whispered to her.

"Yes, Your Highness," she replied in a low and polite voice. But Laurel knew what she was going to do. She was going to use advanced level techniques to put her down and beat her good. And she is going to slowly advance so that no one suspected. She took the sword and jumped into the arena.

Caleb walked to the car and then dug his phone out from the charger as he had to place several calls to Daryn. 

Auril whooped for the two girls. The branches groaned as if waiting for Auril's commands to do something else. 

Elize watched Laurel with complete focus and saw the stance that she took. Very predictable. Laurel swung her sword. Elize grunted by deflecting the blow easily and parried. Her body was on fire but her breath was ragged after having sparred with Caleb and as she thrust again and again with Laurel. 

"This is what happens when you think that you are a master at it," Laurel said sarcastically and stepped aside making Elize stumble forward. 

"I don't think I am a master," said Elize. She spun around and lunged at Laurel, who deflected, feigned and then thrust so hard that Elize had to step back. 

"Oh, but you do feel you have perfected the art of swordsmanship?" Laurel chuckled.

Elize's temper rose. "I am yet to see a perfect swordsman in my life!" She made a wide arc of her sword and Laurel went defensive. "Or maybe you are already scared of how perfect I am beginning to get!" Sweat ripped from her brows. 

Angered at her implication that she wasn't that good a swordsman, Laurel growled as Elize started thrusting her sword again. "I am much better than you," she hissed through her teeth. "I haven't spent my days lazing or nights traveling." 

"Ah! Then let us see what you have," said Elize and delivered a blow with such perfection on Laurel's back that she yelped and spun sharply to attack her. But Elize was prepared. She deflected her blow and then kicked her softly on her knees. 

Laurel stumbled back. With a rumble she balanced herself and then leapt at Elize. This was the time to use her advanced techniques. Elize feinted, but Laurel knew her movements. So she struck strongly and Elize staggered back. She had to keep her hands on the ground to support herself from falling on her ass. With Laurel's aggressive thrusts, she was fighting to keep her footing. She grimaced at the fury that she saw in Laurel's eyes as she brought her sword up again to deflect her blow. But Laurel was ready for the deflection. She kicked Elize hard on her thighs, then spun in the air and before Elize hit the ground, she landed a strike on her arm. 

"Fuck you!" Elize grunted. She sucked in a sharp breath as anger flooded her chest. Laurel was using techniques that were foreign to her. Before she could collect her thoughts and get ready to attack her, Laurel had yet again struck her hard on her thigh, then back, then shoulder and then her ankle. All in quick succession. Elize's anger had no bound now. Her magic hissed through her veins, bidding her to release it, to take revenge. 'We need to avenge,' it hissed. 'She has to go down.' 

Elize couldn't agree more. With a roar she lunged at Laurel and her magic unleashed automatically. Red tendrils coiled her arms and then lashed at the opponent, striking her with sharp pain, as Elize thrust her wooden sword at her chest. "Taste your acrimony!" Elize said as her eyes grew redder until they looked fiery like flames. Laurel blasted off to the perimeter and crash landed into the branches which groaned as if not liking the impact. Red tendrils followed Laurel like long whips and when they came in contact with branches, they sparked a fire. 

"Shit!" Auril jumped from his place and commanded the remaining branches to retract, but the fire spread in an arc swiftly, encircling the two girls within seconds, acting like a beacon. They were now standing face to face with each other inside the fiery circle with wrath that tightened their features and rolled and rolled in waves. Elize's bracelet shone brilliantly in her wrist. Laurel's gaze flickered to the Amber Moonstone and she licked her lips. She started to advance towards Elize when all at once they heard cries of beasts. 

Auril shot his gaze towards the forest. "Run!" he shouted at the girls. "Run for the car!" The cries that he heard from the forest weren't that of animals. 

Caleb was making a call to Daryn when he heard a soft hiss and then from the corner of his eye, he saw flames rising through the perimeter. He lunged to protect his mate. He leapt over the fire and before Elize could strike Laurel again, he had hauled her over his shoulder and lunged outside the flames. 

"Caleb!" Elize shouted, her anger unsettled, her magic tense as hell. 

"Run fast!" Auril said as he shot ahead of him. 

"Get Laurel!" Caleb said in an irritated voice. He was too furious at her. But before Auril could even turn and get her, they found her running ahead of them. 

Laurel too had realized that the cries were not from the animals. They were demons. They had seen the fire that the branches had caught. It acted like a beacon in the darkness of the night forest. A smile had spread on her lips. She was going to feed the vampire to the demons and that too innocently. 

She tried to keep Elize inside the fire circle for as long as she could, by engaging her with her angered looks, but to her disgust, Caleb had leapt in to save his mate. Her plans failed, she said, "Hurry, I think we have demons on our trail now! Her magic went out of control!" What she meant was that the vampire queen's magic was out of control and it wasn't her fault that Elize released her magic when she wasn't supposed to. She had the perfect excuse. Laurel ran ahead of them. She opened the rear door of the car for Caleb and Elize to sit first. 

The cries of the demons approached nearer.