Chapter 9: Cernunnos

I jolt out of bed as the sun hits my face. I feel well-rested, not hungry anymore either. I go to the bathroom and check myself in the mirror. My skin has returned to its normal dark olive complexion and my eyes are purple again. Thank lord. If Kelly had seen me in my strange appearance she would have flipped.

Wait, I remember Abhartach showing me his memories. I guess it was time to wake up. A strange sensation in my mouth alerts me. What is this? I begin licking my teeth, tastes like iron. I freeze in shock as I realise the red staining my tongue and parts of my teeth. That's when it hits me, Abhartach said I needed feed and that he would do it for me.

My stomach rumbles in satisfaction and I can't hold it anymore. I fall to the toilet seat and puke violently into it, blowing yellow-ish chunks all over the inside of the toilet. I stare at it panting, no signs of blood anywhere though. Very strange.

"Abhartach, wake up!" I yell to myself even though I do not need to.

Äbhartach responds lazily, his voice emanates nothing but sarcasm. "Yes, master."

"What happened while I was asleep?" I ask, my voice resonating panic.

"I did what I said I would do, I fed for you." He says in a calm voice. I know I said he could but it doesn't sit right with me.

"Who was it?" I ask.

"A rapist, he was about to claim another victim," He responds. "Don't feel too bad about it. It was either that or someone close. If you take too long without feeding, you'll give in to the urges and feed on the closest person."

At least it was a criminal, and not someone I care about. I have to learn to feed myself, next time, I will do it. Besides, I will be helping clean the world of bad people. Yeah, let's call it that.

I bathe, take care of the usual stuff and go downstairs where Kelly is making breakfast. I love the weekend, no school for two whole days.

"Morning Kelly," I say to her and she gives me a stern look.

"I know that you and Carol stayed alone after Max and her friend had already left."

"Uhm..." That is all I can say as the colour leaves my face. How the hell did she find that out? Wait, Let's not panic, I wonder how much she knows. "Yeah, she wanted to help me with art. She is really good."

"Well, why didn't you say so? You didn't have to hide her. She left her bracelet in your room. I found it on the floor when I came up to wake up but you looked so peaceful." Kelly says as she finishes serving and we both enjoy breakfast.

*****

The hot sun scorches my skin as I train shirtless in the woods. Abhartach had me start early today. I focus my intent on a rock a few meters away. I focus on its form, changing its surroundings only slightly and it gently floats off the ground. I have been trying to do this for days and finally, it worked.

"Good, now bring it closer," Abhartach says enthusiastically.

I gently pull it towards and me, It feels different, like my mind is held tight to the rock. I can feel its shape, even though I'm not touching it. I pull it faster and grab it effortlessly.

"Excellent. I expected nothing less from you."

A long silence befalls before Abhartach chips in again. "That's a lie, I expect very little from you," he chuckles at his take with humour.

I spend the whole day practising my abilities and combat prowess. Abhartach says I learn faster than anyone he has been linked to. We are very compatible. The sun is about to sink into the horizon, time to go home. I hear a strange sound nearby. A rustle must be some kind of animal.

"Someone is watching you," Abhartach says calmly. "Don't panic, might be someone harmless. Use my eyes."

My eyes turn a deep blue as I stare into a thicket where the rustling came from. I see a woman crouched staring at me. Most of her face is covered but I can see her eyes. She has the same eyes Carol does except hers are a deep green. If they had been red, I would've sworn it was her. Her hair is a deep red and hers falls to her back. She looks like Carol, but I cannot be sure, she's wearing a mask that covers part of her face.

I dash towards her, whoever she is, she saw too much. The girl jumps out and makes a run for it. I chase her and I am shocked. She runs almost as fast as I do. I increase my speed, she looks back at me and a branch obstructs my view, almost smashing my face. I break the branch with a punch and continue after her. The girl reaches her hand out and vines grab my ankles, I fall violently.

I do what Abhartach advised, turning my nails into sharp claws, I cut the vines and my fangs grow. My eyes search and they find her running off. My senses become heightened and my muscles tense. I jolt up and charge at her. I changed a few parts of myself to as close as the real deal. Doesn't put too much of a strain on me. I cover the distance between us.

The girl stops and turns to me. She makes a stance and I stop a few paces in front of her. She wants to make sure I can't follow her. I charge at her. I aim for her shoulder with my clawed hand. She ducks under and uses a technique to redirect my attack to the side, she then uses her fingers to strike my underarm. She encircles me and attacks my shoulder.

My arm numbs and she attacks my back several times and I fall to my knees. What the actual fuck just happened.

"She uses baguazhang, and she was fast enough to elude your reflexes and senses." She stands in front of me again and attempts for my neck with her fingers. Her eyes flicker and she hesitates, stopping a few inches from my face and she takes off.

"I know who she is. She is Cernunnos, a Danann and more importantly, she's your girlfriend." Abhartach says, he sounds frustrated. "I could smell it. She is also very dangerous, she could have killed you if she wanted to but she loves you. She probably thinks you don't know who she is yet."

"So my girlfriend is also linked to a Danann, this just gets better and better doesn't it?"