Chapter Eight: A taste of fear

Baila

I stumbled back, struggling to breathe as my breath escaped my mouth in strangled hiccups. The creature before me was once human, I was sure of it. She was a woman with hair badly ripped out, and I could see the soft pink flesh of her scalp. Her teeth were a long line of small sharp triangles like a fish's teeth. She wore a tattered black dress, and black veins littered her pale sickly skin, which had a sticky transparent liquid on it. But what scared me the most was her eyes. They were endless pools of darkness like a bear's.

Footsteps drew closer, and I glanced backwards to see Sara approaching with a sword. The creature looked highly amused with what was going on. I made a decision. I wasn't sure if Sara's sword could even nick the creature. With a trembling hand, I reached for my necklace.

"Baila. Don't!" Sara snapped, but I wasn't listening. I ripped the necklace off with all the strength I could muster, and it fell to the ground with a clink.

"Pretty girl. Dead witch," the creature croaked, stretching a crooked hand to point its index finger at me.

I groaned as red veins travelled up my arms and neck until they finally stopped at the sides of my head. I bowed my head to focus on the ground instead of the burning pain spreading rapidly through my head. My eyes turned blood red as I stood in the hallway facing the creature. I could hear nothing but the whispers and my breathing.

The creature cackled loudly and lunged for me. A whimper left its black lips when I caught it by its neck. My right hand was wrapped firmly around the creature's neck as I continued to stare at the ground. I lifted my head slowly to lock eyes with the creature. I could see the fear in its eyes as it clawed at my hand. I could taste its fear too, and it was thrilling.

"Ugly creature. Dead thing," I pouted, squeezing harder and harder until the neck of the creature snapped and it exploded. Blood and guts went everywhere. I wiped at the blood on my face, but all I did was smear it all over. With an annoyed sigh, I gave up, and then I heard Sara's voice.

"Baila?" the physician whispered.

I turned around to look at her. Sara was holding up the necklace I had ripped off.

"I'm not wearing that again. It's annoying," I shrugged, smacking the side of my head to quiet down the whispers.

"It's what keeps you safe. You're a red witch. You can't control your demon. At least not without this necklace, and you're going to wear it," Sara hissed.

"Make me," I sneered, readying for another fight.

"Come here," Sara ordered. "Now!"

I folded my arms and shrugged. Sara was becoming annoying. I had just saved both our lives, and the redhead wanted to tie that stupid necklace around me again.

When I didn't move, Sara walked up to me. Her steps were confident and determined. She grabbed the hem of my dress and pulled me closer.

"I really like you, physician. I don't want to wear it," I complained.

"I know. Wear it for now. Please," Sara said, placing the necklace around my neck.

I fell to the ground, groaning in pain as the burn in my head retreated to my chest.

Sara knelt in front of me, and I buried my face in the crook of her neck as the pain intensified. It would pass in a few minutes or hours. It always did.

More footsteps echoed in the hallway as Nolan and Aaron came running in. I lifted my head a little, and for a brief moment, my eyes met with Nolan's blue ones. He looked concerned for me, but then again, Sara had also been in danger a few minutes ago.

The burning pain in my chest eased, and I went back to resting my head on Sara's neck.

"The creature?" Aaron asked.

"I'm sure you noticed all the blood and guts splattered on the walls. The creature is dead," Sara replied calmly, but I could hear her heart thudding violently in her chest. She was still scared for some reason.

"What's wrong with Baila?" Nolan's voice came through.

"She's a little shaken up, is all. She'll be fine," Sara replied.

"I'll help you take her to her room," Nolan offered, bending down to grab my hand, but I wrenched my hand out of his grasp. He couldn't see my face or my eyes; else, he would know, and I was sure that was what Sara was scared of.

"No," I whimpered.

"I'll take her," Sara rushed, stopping Nolan from trying again.

"Nolan, we have to check on other people," Aaron reminded, but I could hear the hint of suspicion in his voice. Hopefully, he wouldn't be back for hours.

"Alright," Nolan agreed reluctantly.

Once their footsteps retreated, I stood to my feet and rushed into my room. Sara trailed right behind me. We placed a chair beneath the handle of the door, and Sara helped me strip out of my bloody clothes. We kept quiet as I quickly cleaned myself with a wet rag. After changing my clothes, I grabbed a mirror and slipped beneath the comfort of my bed sheets.

Just as I had suspected, my eyes were still red, and the red veins on my neck had left a nasty bruise.

"Nolan and Aaron don't know what kind of witch I am," Sara spoke, her green eyes had darkened tremendously. "And we will keep it that way. Nolan's parents were murdered by a red witch. If he comes to know that I am a red witch myself, he will kill me."

"Thank you," I breathed, placing the mirror down. "Why are you helping me?"

"I don't know," Sara answered. I could hear the sincerity in her voice. "But to be honest, I've always loved to play with fire," Sara added with a smirk.

I chuckled. "I hope you don't get burned then."

An awkward moment of silence passed between us before Sara spoke again.

"Those creatures... Have you seen them before?" Sara questioned.

I hadn't. I would have definitely remembered if I had seen them before, so I shook my head.

"Have you heard of them before?"

"No, but maybe my mother or one of the older witches has."

"They were so powerful and fast. It was almost impossible to cut through them with our swords, but we were lucky. We might not be next time, so thank you Baila for fighting it. Although, the creature stood no chance against you. Vaeya be praised, but you were amazing," Sara gushed, her cheeks turned red.

"That was my demon half. I'm nothing without the demon blood that flows through my veins," I shook my head. Without my demon, I would have been dead by now. My mother always said that there were worst things than death, but I was certain that nothing scared me more than death.

"You'd be beautiful without her. That must count for something," Sara murmured shyly.

I licked my lips thoughtfully. "It does. Thank you."

"Why don't you write another letter to your mother? Tell her about the creatures. She might be able to help us," Sara suggested. "I'll make sure the letter gets to the village of ash myself," she said, giving it some thought.

Whatever those creatures were, they were a threat to my stay in the castle. Aaron and Nolan would suspect me more now. The creatures had attacked a day after my arrival. The lycan alpha and his beta would not see it as a coincidence.

I hopped off the bed and sat behind the table with a quill ready in my hand. It was only then that I noticed that the candles that had gone off when the creatures came had lit up again. I made my observation known to Sara as I wrote.

When I was done, I sealed both letters in an envelope and handed it to Sara, who tucked it away inside her shirt. "Aaron and Nolan should figure this out," I said, crossing my leg. "Who would want to do this?"

"Nolan does have many enemies naturally, but I would bet on the vampire prince. That power was so dark, like his smell and how he feels," Sara responded, with a faraway look in her eyes and a grimace on her face, as if she were standing in front of the vampire prince.

"Salem Kalamai, right?" I inquired. I had heard his name before, but I wanted to be sure.

"Yes. He's a bastard, but he loves women and he treats them with respect," Sara sighed.

"Perhaps you and I could do a little digging ourselves," I suggested.

"What do you propose?"

"You said he loved women. When I was younger, my mother and I would go to the City of Night during the eclipse. When we ran out of money, she would find a vampire, and she was very seductive. Once she found a man who let us live in his house for weeks. He fed us well too."

"You want us to seduce Salem. What's the plan? You're the expert," Sara smiled, sitting in my lap.

I laughed. Salem Kalamai would crash and burn right into me.