Self protection

Smash!

"Hmm, I am starting to love this game," Dan said, looking at Adaliah who lay on the ground, barely breathing, battered, and bleeding. The vampires behind him started growling but a glare from him silenced them. "Shut up! I'll be done with her very soon"

Adaliah moaned painfully as he grabbed her by the hair, pulling her off her laying position and she started wondering when she would finally die.

As soon as Dan had said he was his grim reaper, he gave her a blow strong enough to make the tree on which she landed crack. At that moment, she felt her ribs cracking.

But after another couple of tossing and landing, she wondered not only how her internal organs hadn't been turned into jelly already but also how she managed to keep her eyes open. Her body was much more resistant than she thought.

Dan pulled her completely so much so that her feet didn't touch the ground, her scalp burned and the blood from her forehead obscured her view. He grabbed her arm which had loosed its grip on the dagger too fast.

"I remember, some time ago, I pulled all your nails and you didn't even cough. Now you're still awake despite the beating. I here I am, getting all burly up thinking would be able to make you suffer from the power of my punches and kicks. You would have been a good toy if I didn't hate you this much. Let's see, what would happen if I break your arm?" He said with a malicious glint in his eyes and she wanted to beg. She wanted to beg so bad but her mouth stayed shut. She could only plead with her eyes, but he seem not to understand nor care for that matter.

With a sickening crack, he dislocated her shoulder and her response was immediate. She let out a blood-curdling scream. Her eyes rolled back and she was about to give into unconsciousness when a loud slap resounded, making her whimper.

"How does it feel to suffer like this, knowing that no one will save you? But you brought it upon yourself. From the very first second I saw your pretty face, I knew, for a fact that you were a manipulative bitch. That you were going to destroy all I had managed to build. You are sick and twisted. You are a monster in sheep's clothing and I knew it. I am the only one who saw it. But, I'll destroy you before you ever have the chance to destroy someone else's life"

With that, he sunk his fangs into her neck and she screamed again, higher than what she felt when he broke her shoulder. The fangs tore her flesh and the bite in itself was like acid coursing through her veins. Surprisingly, it was the only time she felt a vampire's bite and she could understand why she unconsciously avoided it at all costs.

She thrashed, trying to pull away when he finally let go and threw her like a discarded rug.

"Feast time. Don't kill her, I want to end her myself, is that clear ?" The other vampires nodded but they all knew no one was obeying.

Dan walked away, ready to go back to his cell and lock himself up. He was going to pretend he had nothing to do with it. The plan was to run away as soon as they are done killing her and he would hunt them down to kill them all. But first and foremost, he had to kill that maid. With his plan carefully laid out, he strolled towards the cells.

Joel stood before him, with a courteous smile gracing his lips.

"I knew you were the mastermind behind all this," He said and Dan grinned back, his fangs slowly elongating and his eyes slowly dyeing black.

"Now I'll have to kill you," Dan said and Joel's smile fell.

"Where is she?"

"Fell in love with the little bird? By this time she should have been sucked dry by the vampires there." Dan said and suddenly, his back tensed. Fear gripped at his heart with a hellish clutch and he slowly turned his wide eyes, to face behind him.

'No, it is impossible! The journey between here and the imperial castle is too long, he couldn't have reached here just now!'

He collapsed to his knees as soon as he saw His prince standing before him. His eyes watered and he started stuttering.

"Your majesty..." He already felt crushed by an aura that wasn't released.

"Joel, give him our treat for a very special guest" He didn't wait for Joel to nod that he had already disappeared out of thin air.

He materialized in the deep part of the woods, not far from the great oak tree under which there was a secret passage. He knew for sure that Joel intended to take her away. He gritted his teeth, walking straight ahead to witness a scene he never thought he would this soon.

Adaliah was the only one standing with the corpses of vampires scattered here and there. Her once white shirt was painted crimson red and he was sure it wasn't only her blood tainting the fabric. Her hair formed a curtain over her face. The scene was very gruesome in itself.

He took a step towards her only to hear her dagger fall in the mud, her body would have followed if he hadn't acted fast.

"Adaliah" He called, several times before she finally reacted, lifting her uninjured hand to her face, eyes burning and she looked at him.

She was incredibly pale and looked very pitiful. He saw the puncture marks on her neck and the already present anger boiled tenfold higher.

"I killed them, Kieran," She said, tearily and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She wasn't ready for that yet. He scanned her and noticed her right arm was at the wrong angle. He touched it to see her wince and try to shift away.

"Adaliah..."

"No, it would hurt!"

"It would never heal it if we don't reposition it, close your eyes, at three," He said grabbing her arm and she buried her face in his chest, getting ready for the pain when he moved swiftly, restoring the position of her shoulder. She let out a small yelp. "Good girl. Let's get out of here now" He said and disappeared. She had already fainted out of exhaustion and he was just in time to see Joel exit the cells.

"Is she..." Joel asked but sighed in relief when he heard the sound of her thumping heart, slow but steady.

"I want a report of what happened in this place. Don't kill him yet. Just make sure he would stay there for a good moment. I'll be at the imperial palace." Joel nodded.

Kieran took a few steps and disappeared in the middle to reappear in his room at the imperial palace.

His room in the imperial palace was isolated and guarded saying it was a preventive measure to make sure he won't kill anyone.

He chuckled to himself. With an ability like this, those precautions were useless but why would he tell them?

He slowly laid Adaliah on his black silky sheets and pondered for a minute before slowly peeling her clothes off her. She proceeded to examine the wounds she had on her and sighed, wondering how she still managed to stand up after all that.

She had six broken ribs, with bruises the size of his palm all over her body which was slowly turning dark. Her cheekbone too looked fractured and an ugly gash on her forehead. She had to heal herself. All he could do was heal her wounds and hope to find a way to bring her blood level to normal.

His jaw tightened, anger filling him to the brim. Someone will pay for this!