Twisted Blood -
The Evolving Axel
Ridley's predawn jog was different on a Sunday, since she had polo on a Sunday. In place of jogging from the headmaster's residence to the main school building, down to the main office and back again; she rounded the school building and detoured to the stables to prepare Mako.
She hadn't passed either the sun nor the moon dormitories when Dane and Marcus caught her eye, near the dining hall. Marcus was the one to block her path while she huffed in reply. Nobody really knew how old Marcus was; there were just certain things he kept to himself. What was known was that he had slaves, he was chivalrous and, at times, he could be a racist and a misogynist.
His wavy brown hair was always tied back in a white bow. His green-hazel eyes were staunch and it meshed with his general disposition. However, the staunch and astute air the goldblood gave off countered to his lighthearted and approachable personality.
Dane clenched his jaw from how Marcus caught Ridley in his arms to stop her. Her sly smirk that followed also infuriated him further. "Good morning, Ms Axel," Marcus purred. "You're looking grim."
Ridley huffed then brushed him off then turned to Dane who let out a nervous, "hey." She merely gave him a single nod. "I heard Richard's around. How long is that going to last?"
"As long as he's necessary," she replied coldly.
Dane looked down nervously while Marcus raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "Well," he began only to diffuse the awkwardness, "we didn't mean to keep you too long, Ms Axel. We'll leave you be."
Ridley walked away and Dane cleared his throat. "Wait," he bellowed. Marcus raised his eyebrows to his forehead while Ridley combed her hair out of her face from the chilled wind that blew passed them. "I-I was, er, wondering. I know you don't particularly enjoy your birthday but... um... do you want anything or... er... maybe we could-"
"No."
Before anything else exciting could happen, Ridley went jogging on her way. "It's it strange that I thought she was a lot more frigid than that," Marcus enquired.
"That's her when she's defrosted," Dane replied weakly.
"I like to think I'm familiar with the rules and regulations of The Hunt, Mr Sorensen. Despite that, I think you should still tell her that you're in like with her." Dane's eyes went wide while his cheeks flushed red. "My dear boy, I've been around for a long time. Even if times have changed, I think I can still tell when a gentleman is dreaming of relations with a woman."
"I do not dream about..." Marcus raised an eyebrow before Dane could finish defending himself. "What gave it away?"
Marcus cupped Dane by the shoulder. "For starters, you talk in your sleep," he stated. "Yesterday afternoon you two were in school library, I believe. Apparently she knocked over the newspaper stand when you told her to turn around."
"Oh God," Dane groaned.
"I've heard worse," Marcus countered. "Thursday afternoon, comes to mind. Come along, I doubt you'd want anyone to hear about the blood sex."
Meanwhile, Ridley bolted to the sports fields only to find it on complete lockdown. With the sun starting to seep from the horizon, its faint rays illuminated by hand full of hunters and the dozens of Canines of The Hunt. Richard was among the small group of hunters huddled around Jakob and his tablet.
Jakob led the presentation of the surveillance footage on his tablet. Casually Ridley squeezed in between Jakob and Mitchell, a lower ranking hunter who graduated from Dunon Academy the previous year. Richard furrowed his eyebrows with a light head shake.
The German Shepherds - otherwise known as Alsatians - were freely sniffing around without being leashed by a human hunter. One started barking at the group around Jakob before others singled out Ridley. The hunters around backed away and allowed the dogs to surround her.
The quiet twin turned to Jakob for an answer but he merely held on to his tablet while Richard, not far from him, folded his beefy wrinkled arms. The Alsatian that barked at Ridley cautiously crept closer towards her. He sniffed around her ankles and upper legs before snorting to dismiss the pack that surrounded her.
The dogs went on with their investigative sniffing. Ridley coolly walked up to Jakob. "Perimeter breach," he stated coolly. "Strange that the Unit 10 thought it was you," he added. "The breach wasn't human."
Instead of explaining on, the one-eyed Danish hunter handed his protege his tablet. Ridley watched the footage from the body cameras on the Alsatians. When they were alerted of the breach, they stealthy moved in only to be outnumbered by large furry cats.
"Eurasian lynxes," Jakob stated. "They don't usually come this far south; the weather's too warm for them."
"More than that," Mitchell went on, "they have padded paws which makes practically silent to the best of animal ears."
"They wanted to get caught," Ridley stated without looking away from Unit 10 that was submitting to the bearded cats. "Why?"
"Keep watching," Jakob stated. With Unit 10 neutralised, the litter of medium sized cats backed away. They didn't creep all the way to the shadow line when Renee appeared behind them. "That's your mother."
The eldritch smirked at the camera and merely raised her hand. The Alsatian fell over, wincing in pain before it fell silent. Renee towered over the camera before she raised her hand towards her lynxes, who turned to retreat. She followed after revelling in her teasing.
"She's taunting us, my harbinger," Richard replied in a purr. "She wants us to be afraid of her power and her gall. Not only does she have an army but she had the grit to attack when moon students were around. That tells you she's not at all concerned for her own kind."
Mitchell still shook his head. "How did she manage to, not unify solitary wild cats, but control them with so much sophistication?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that she's here and she's a real threat," Jakob replied. Ridley handed back his tablet then met his sullen mug. "For today, all extracurriculars are cancelled. Cover story: perimeter control test." Ridley nodded her acquiescence while Richard combed through her hair. "Units 2 through 9 have cleared perimeter. Unit 1 is on standby for all the moon students returning from the town," Jakob added.
Ridley mutely continued for the stables. Mako was still asleep when she got there, the way he usually was. The huntress prepared his tendon boots and his saddle while the other horses were being served breakfast by the ground staff. When Mako finally woke up, Ridley put on his tendon boots while he enjoyed his apples and carrots.
Tendon boots were a sort of horse armor because their ankles are their most vulnerable body part. A mere fracture would mean the poor equine would have to be out down. Once Mako had his saddle buckled on, his owner guided him out of the stables. Mako nestled his nose into her hair when she paused to take in the tree line beyond the polo field.
The huntress directed her horse towards the school buildings before she mounted him. The polo captain took hold of the reins before ushering her steed to stroll through the school. Mako neared the private sector (the dining hall, the dormitories and the headmaster's residence) when Ridley felt a wave heat her. It wasn't any particular sort of wave; a mix of a sort of power surge but also a wave of craving.
She shook it off then continued on Mako through the trees. She knew what she was doing was dangerous but the craving she felt beckoned her through the trees. Ridley was going against her instincts and thus put herself on high alert. She tuned out the clapping of Mako's hooves on the brick path to focus on surround noises.
The sound of leaves crushing beneath hooves soon filled the silence and Ridley was started to feel unnerved. Despite that, she couldn't resist the silent beckoning from the trees. She reached into the saddle and pulled out a crossbow and kept it aimed as Mako uneasily manuever over logs and uneven ground that was wet with dew.
Mako snorted before entering a clearing that revealed the river. A twig snapped nearby and the huntress aimed her crossbow over to a Unit 7 Alsatian. The hunter dog did nothing as another joined its side. Ridley exhaled then dismounted Mako to let him drink from the river. While the horse named after a shark quenched his thirst, his counterpart took in their surroundings.
There were unseen choirs of disharmonic birds in the trees and the rustling leaves were their accompaniment. The air was chilled to a crisp and matched the damp ground. Overall, a tranquil little spot. The huntress still didn't let down her guard. The sky was coming alive as the sun rose and coloured it an orangey-pink.
There was an owl perched in a low branch with a mouse in its talons. It made nothing of the hunter that was now watching it. Slowly Ridley took in the rest of the clearing, there were more Unit 7 dogs hiding in the trees and the human hunters with them were likely scattered nearby. The dogs were dead still, almost lifelessly so.
They were just as good as their human counterparts. Ampyra and non-ampyra, alike. Ampyra were considered human in present times but were once called vampires. A derogatory term that went hand-in-hand with 'spawn from Hell' or simply 'Hell's spawn'. Since they had human rights too - after the Scourges - ampyra are recognised as human.
Abruptly the birds went silent and Mako neighed anxiously. Ridley turned to her horse to rest a calming hand on his nose. Mako nestled into her touch and eased up but the birds' song did not return. A Unit 7 dog prowled along the tree line and Ridley followed it with her eyes, while listening to the communications in her earpiece.
She tightened her hold on her crossbow and pulled out a throwing knife from her riding boot. "Axel, you're in a dead zone," one of the hunters barely visible beyond the tree line boomed into her earpiece. "Get clear."
A choir of barking along with a bone-chilling scream resonated behind the hunter. She spun around only to see a blade knick her cheek before slicing across Mako's side and horse went amok but his reins were tied to the log on the banks. She touched her cheek and saw black blood was streaming endlessly from her face. Ridley saw a man running for his life from a small subunit of Unit 7. She scowled angrily and threw her knife into his leg. She charged for him while the subunit pinned him down with their jaws.
"Stand down," the young huntress ordered and dogs obeyed. The man scrambled to his knees. Ridley gave him a good smite with her crossbow across his face. He fell face first into the dirt, clutching himself. "You hurt my horse."
"Please," the man pleaded through his sobs. "A woman did this to me," he stated. Slowly he looked up at Ridley. The veins around his eyes were tinting black. A Class E. "Please help me."
"Axel," Jonathan, another one Richard's hunter students, called. "Stand down." Behind her, Mako was still in distress. "He's been bitten. We found him and two others in a makeshift shelter near the perimeter. We're taking him for questioning." Johnathan sheathed two daggers that were identical to the one that struck Ridley and Mako. "Sorry about the horse," he added.
Ridley immediately hurried over to Mako to calm him. She cupped his jaws in her hands, after slinging her crossbow over her shoulder. Mako was breathing shakily into her face while she stroked him along his blaze. When she was sure he was calm, she turned to the slash along his side. Blood was pooling out of the poor creature.
Ridley sighed then bit her lower lip. The smell was intoxicating. Shakily she raised her hand and some blood was embedded on her two fingers. She exhaled a shaky breath before testing it with a hum. While Johnathan and a few more hunters were detaining their suspect, and Ridley was sure they weren't looking, she took a full on lick across Mako's side.
Surprisingly it calmed the horse even more but it disgusted his owner. She spat out the blood then watched in awe as the cut healed. The horse sat down to lean his head into hers, unfazed by the German Shepherds that were closing in on them. Mako closed his eyes while his breathing grew steady.
"Axel," Johnathan called. "You good?" Mako stood up then turned to drink more water while Ridley was left stunned by what just happened. The taste of her steed's unsavoury blood was heavy in her mouth and tasted like pen ink. "Axel!"
She turned to be met by a pair of worried dark eyes. "A cut on the face won't kill me."
Johnathan furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay," he replied in confusion. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Ridley huffed then wiped her face where the tingling feeling from the blade was. There was nothing on her hand. Roughly she ground her palm down the side of her face but still nothing. Confused but still faced with a concerned colleague, she nodded mutely.
"Okay," Johnathan concluded then handed her her throwing knife. "Next time, don't aim for the knees. Joint infection would probably be the killer, which would happen if the dagger breached the joint capsule and touch the cartilage."
He walked away before she gave a reply, with the canine unit in tow. Once they were out of sight, Ridley hurried to the banks, only to see that her face was unscathed. The evidence was still on her fingers. Underneath the red of horse was the black of non-ampyra. She shook off the thought as she washed away the blood on her hands.
She turned to Mako, who was unnaturally cool as a cucumber. The horse trotted over to her and coolly snorted into her neck. Ridley slowly stood up, only to be hit by a wave of nausea. She hummed into Mako's neck while he shifted his body for her to lean on. Cautiously she mounted her horse that returned to the stables.
The polo team - as well as students hoping to join the sun polo team - were gathered around the soccer field stands with Mrs Tussaud, the polo coach and biology teacher. The hunters weren't letting them breach the perimeter ser up by barricading the soccer field from the polo field.
Ridley swallowed her nausea then dismounted Mako, who stayed close to her side even though she didn't take his reins. Mrs Tussaud scoffed before she saw Ridley and made her way over to her star player. "Thank goodness, you're here," she exclaimed and the other polo enthusiasts turned towards the captain. "Do you know anything about this," she asked gesturing to the barricading.
"The hunters said all extracurriculars are cancelled," Lucinda complained.
The young huntress exhaled lightly breached the barricading. "Perimeter control test," was all Ridley said. She pulled a steel barricade out of position to let Mako pass. "Protocol," she added while closing off the way to the polo field.
Mrs Tussaud sighed then shook her head defeatedly. "Okay, everyone," she began evidently disheartened. "You heard the captain; the hunters are just following protocol. We'll pick this up next week. I'm sorry everyone. I-I really had no idea of any of this."
Mako acquiescently trotted into his pen after being freed from his saddle. Ridley stripped off his tendon boots then fed him a juicy red apple as a treat. Before she latched his door shut, Mako looked her intently in the eye. The horse did nothing but there was evidently something happening between them.
The huntress furrowed her brows before grazing his lower jaw. She could sense he was still rattled from their encounter. Her hand ran over where the blade cut him. It wasn't tender, there was no wound and it didn't even scar. She fed him another apple, this time green, for good measure before leaving.
Outside the stables, Ridley couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was happening to her. Not only was immediate healing a scarce skill but it took years of practice, sometimes a century or two. It was particularly uncommon among non-ampyra, even those with ampyra parents. Not to mention that sick craving for blood and how she was stronger than normal, she noticed, after her incident in Mathematics with Mrs Auths.
She hummed as she took in her hands. Her fingers on her right hand were still faintly coloured from her and Mako's blood. The huntress let out a heavy breath before taking in the hunters still surrounding the edge of the school. Richard was doing what he was invited to do - consult.
Then Ridley remembered his clue on eldritches from dinner. There were answers in hunter section of the school library. She looked back at Mako, who was unassuming among his fellow polo ponies. His rider purposefully hurried to the school library.
A vain journey that was. Ridley was barely halfway across the quad when she saw Ms Ross locking the library doors. In a light sprint, the hunter raced to stopped the librarian. Ms Ross only gave her a rued smirk. "Don't even Axel," she began before Ridley could explain. "I'm following orders: re-open tonight at 20:00, for the moon students. Got an issue, take it up with Jakob." She huffed to herself while the librarian went on her way.
Ridley peered through the glass at the desolate book storage space. The first two floors were the school library. The third floor was the school museum - which was just a large room with paintings and items from throughout Dunon town's bloody history. The fourth floor was the hunters' library. One of the most secure parts of the entire school.
Every piece of information in the hunter's library was sacred knowledge. Most of it was handwritten tomes, if not detailed scrolls. The printed media was more on fighting styles and stealth techniques. Knowledge that valuable would not be easily accessible. The library had its own customised security system.
Sneaking in would be impractical and impossible so Ridley was left without an alternative. She shook her head lightly then returned to the quad to contemplate her next move. The day was still young and her patrol duty only started later on in the day. Usually on Sundays there was nothing to do other than the extracurriculars that took place.
After polo, Ridley had soccer then IT, violin, Mandarin, lunch, intelligence with Jakob, the occasional scouting lesson with Johnathan, swimming, combat training, archery, maybe some sailing along the lake before gym session and followed by a rushed dinner before nighttime patrol.
With all the sudden free time, the time would be passed buried in books, in the library. Since bettering the mind was no longer an option, there was only one thing left to do: better the body. Ridley massaged her throat before redirecting to the hunter's quarters - where their training facility was situated.
The broad daylight, Dane was doing pushups while casually shirtless. He couldn't have been outside for long; his back was scorching red. For an ampyra out in the sun, that didn't hurt much. It was more of their body's way of warning them that they were taking in too much ultraviolet at a single time. Ridley ignored him as she stripped off her riding uniform. She crossed the westernmost garden before ascending the steps that led into the facility.
The blackblood ampyra caught the faint tendrils of her natural perfume in the breeze. He smirked smally then jumped to his feet. He grabbed his shirt that was coolly tossed aside then hurried after her. He froze at the main doors, feeling the full extent of her musk. It was different. Not immediately different but something was not the same in the way Ridley Axel smelled to Dane's nostrils.
He shook out his shoulders while the burns on his back faded from the shade. His heightened senses made the hairs on his neck stand up. "Ridley?" There was nothing but an unnerving silence. "Ridley!"
"You're up passed moon time," she whispered from behind the front desk. The front desk was right in front of him and need only peer over to see her searching for the gym keys.
Dane exhaled his relief then leaned onto the countertop. "I've got patrol in a few hours," he replied. The huntress collected the keys then stood up and made for the gym. "Are you okay? You smell... off." She raised an eyebrow mutely at him while unlocking the double doors. "I didn't mean to invade your privacy but it was kind of hard to ignore your new tinge." She merely flicked an eyebrow. "That's not an answer."
She opened the doors and tossed her riding jacket and shirt aside. The black gym top underneath matched the skintight tights she wore underneath her riding pants. Dane sighed then grabbed her wrist before she could decide on a warmup.
"Ridley. There are five reasons why a person's scent changes. Only two are applicable to a non-ampyra and neither one is optimistic," he went on worriedly. He tightened his hold on her wrist and gently caressed the back of her hand. "What's going on?" She shook her head lightly with a shrug in her one shoulder. "You're either dying or you've been bitten. Which is it?" She looked him in the eye coldly but all she saw was genuine worry. "Ridley, please," he whispered. "You can trust me."
He stepped stiffly closer to her, sensing her always stiffened body just as stiff. She hummed her discomfort from his body spray in her nose. Underneath the overwhelming amount of Axe, was something no non-ampyra (not even a blackblood hunter) should be able to pick up. Ridley could smell Dane's scent. It was confusing.
A blend of unsavoury raw meat that had been left out in the sun with a note of something that faintly resembled sandalwood. Her lips parted without looking away from his dark eyes. His scent was intoxicating and it set her throat on fire. She cleared her throat then broke eye contact.
Dane squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Ridley," he went on when the silence between them was unchanging. "This is me you're talking to. We're part of the same unit; we're supposed to have an undying trust." She tilted her head slightly then leaned into his neck. Slowly she closed her eyes to breath him in while he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Talk to me Rid-" he groaned when her teeth were etched into his neck. She hummed her delight then combed through his brown waves. "Whoa," Dane replied breathlessly.
Ridley made one swift motion then pressed him into the wall. Dane was being crushed between the solid wall and Ridley's inhuman strength. Her strength levelled that of a goldblood. Dane's grey shirt filled with his black blood that escaped her reach. Regardless of what was happening to him, Dane couldn't believe what he was witnessing.
It took a less then a minute for Ridley to get her fill, unnaturally fast for any ampyra. She swallowed the last mouthful of black blood before straightening up. She exhaled shakily then looked away from her stem. He cupped her cheek, watching her heavy breathing. His thumb whipped away the drizzle of his blood that streamed from the corner of her lip.
He started shakily, "h-how...?" Ridley still wouldn't meet his gaze. "You just... and you-- Ridley?"
She exhaled her fluster then coolly turned towards Dane. "Blackblood non-ampyra can stomach blood," was all she said.
Dane took her in with concern. "I know," he replied, "but that doesn't explain what's going on. You're starting to smell like decay. Are you dying? Were you bitten?" She shook him off then continued into the gym. "Ridley!"
She ignored him and picked out a collection of knives to throw at the targets on the wall. Dane's scent was still heavy in Ridley's nostrils. Tye taste of him was delectable but fleeting. She directed everything she felt into her throwing technique. The confusion and the rage it caused her.
"Ridley," Dane persisted.
"What," she replied just as cool as she ever was while she threw a final knife. Nonchalantly she turned toward him. She was notorious for hiding what she felt in both her tone and her demeanour. It was a basic hunter skill that some, like Ryan, ignored and some, like Ridley, abide by.
Dane was stunned and the terror in his surprise was awash on his face. Ridley raised an eyebrow at him but he wouldn't say anything. "There's something going on with you because that," he roared and pointed at the target behind her, "is not normal." Ridley turned back to see the throwing knife impaled straight into the solid wall. "Not forgetting the fire thing at the bar! At least tell me you've told Clarke or someone."
"Tell anyone and I'll kill you," was all she cautioned before brushed passed him angrily.
"Ridley, stop!" He made a swift maneuver and pinned her to the wall. "You're not well!" She did nothing but look coldly into his eyes. "You could be killing yourself and that's a you problem. But I'm not going to watch the best hunter I know be compromised." He cupped her cheek and she raised an eyebrow warningly at him. Timidly he lowered his hands and she turned back to face him. "Please don't do this."
"Sorensen," she cautioned while looking down. He followed her gaze down to his abdomen. There was the tip of karambit pressed into his navel. "Stop."
Dane sighed defeatedly then looked into her eyes. He saw how little she truly cared about him and the decision she was willing to make to get out their conversation. He released her waist defeatedly then backed away from her. The scowling huntress sheathed her trusty talon knife in her sheath that was over her tights.
She tossed the keys to the gym to him before coldly brushing passed him. "Ridley," Dane called a final time. She exhaled softly before turning to him expectantly. "Jakob told Jason and I about Renee and... and I don't want to see you or Ryan or Clarke get hurt. I'm just worried about you. For a long time I've..." she walked away with an eye roll. Dane ruefully licked his lips in the silence. "For a long time I've been madly in love with you."
Sunday evening was cool. After a day cooped up in her bedroom, reading endlessly, Ridley descended for her patrol duty. The sun had set and the crickets had risen. The moon students were preparing for their school night. Stationed with Jason, Ridley was perched by the southernmost line of the school perimeter; the main gate.
The main gate was wrought iron with gold ornaments. The school crest - a levelled scale with a sword on one weight and a shield on the other - was at the centre of the gate. Unit 1 of the canine hunters were surveying the area with them, along with a few veterans scattered around nearby.
The leader of the pack was a German Shepherd-grey wolf mix, named Berserk. He was a large canine with strong legs and perched close to Jason. The night was mostly silent with the only noise being the school bell and the crickets. Berserk sniffed around the gate before returning to his post.
Around 01:30, there was a choir of howling coming from the main building. Berserk barked to get his unit in line while the human hunters were on standby for information from intelligence. Intelligence was the eyes and ears of any unit. Surveillance, reconnaissance. That was their department. Jakob was the head of Dunon town's intelligence.
Jason grew angsty and Ridley could see it under the shadows over him. The two of them were the only ones in the Guardian Program who didn't make hunt yet. He was clearly itching to do it and that was more dangerous than the potential threat that was in the school. Eager to hunt meant eager to kill. Eager to kill means ruthless killer. Four out of five eager hunters became homicidal, serial killers, or went on violent rampages. That's one of the ways to earn a rogue gradus - the shunned hunter tattoo.
More howling filled the air and the hunters around the main gate remained cool while awaiting orders from intelligence. Berserk snarled lowly as he crouched closer to the ground. Ridley narrowed her eyes on the alpha who was on edge. She knelt down to match his line of sight.
Then she felt it; it wasn't what he was looking at, it was what he was listening to. Berserk turned to Ridley with a hum and a small smirk on his snout. "Incoming," Ridley stated and everyone turned to her. "Three." Berserk shifted to sit next to her. "Stand down," she ordered.
Slowly she stood up as three wolves came racing towards them. Berserk growled as they exchanged information. The alpha huffed then returned to Ridley's side coolly. "What does that mean," Jason replied.
"A false alarm," Johnathan replied. "Nice, Axel. Where'd you learn that?" Ridley said nothing and Berserk only hummed at her. The huntress shook out her shoulders then turned back to her post. "Still Silent but Deadly, hey?"
That was the most excitement of moon patrol and the rest of the nighttime watch was uneventful. Johnathan turned to Berserk when birds started chirping in the dark morning hours. Berserk made his way to Ridley then sniffed her curiously. His dark eyes caught hers and the Alsatian-wolf mix nodded at her. He yapped at her before sitting down.
Jason sighed defeatedly from the lack of excitement. Ridley covered her yawn then started her early morning jog. She rounded the fountain in front of the main building before heading onto her main route around the main building. Dane and his usually circle of friends were nowhere in sight.
Most of the moon students weren't outside; probably an official order from Clarke, since his psychotic baby mama was clearly on a rampage. Since she had a few minutes to spare, Ridley detoured for the school library hoping to finally get answers on eldritch goldbloods. As luck would have it, Ms Ross wasn't there. Without her verification code, the hunter's section was impossible to access.
While defeat was awash on the huntress while she took in the empty desk chair, the library wasn't empty. A Unit 3 grey wolf laid motionless under the table and perked up when Ridley got too close to her. More than her, Marcus was by the crackling fire behind the nearby wall of books.
He coolly waltzed over to the coffee machine to refill his mug and paused at the sight of the young huntress. "Ms Axel, good morning." She gave him a single nod then defeatedly turned to leave. "Coffee," he offered. Ridley turned to him with her eyebrows furrowed. "Come now, Miss. Everyone drinks coffee."
"I hate coffee," she admitted.
"Oh. A cup of tea then?"
"What do you want Sinclair," she hissed.
"Ms Axel, you wound me," he declared. He lowered his mug and his book then made for her. "Why, in my day a lady with such ill manners was labelled a radical." Ridley narrowed her eyes on him. "Oh all right," he caved. "I've been around long enough to know when under threat. Now I know you're obligated to tell me nothing. However, I would greatly appreciate some reassurance."
Ridley smirked slyly to herself. She hooked her index finger into the ring of her karambit knife. She rested her free hand on his shoulder. Unexpectedly, she pinned the English nobleman to the table. In a matching flash, her karambit struck the polished wood table mere millimetres away from his ear.
Marcus gasped his surprise and a gush of wind brushed through the library. The huntress turned to where the wind came from and saw only the solid wall ahead of her. The wind didn't stop. She looked down at the goldblood underneath her then backed away from him, not lowering her knife.
The nobleman cleared his throat as the wind died down. He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I am thoroughly reassured," he stated shakily then nodded mutely to her before hurrying away, forgetting his coffee and his book.
The huntress furrowed her eyebrows before creeping over to the coffee machine. The Unit 3 wolf remained unfazed by her movement as she picked up the book. It was bound in tattered leather - probably as old as its reader. She flipped it over to see it was handwritten.
'I watched in disdain as our lands perished in the inferno from Hell. Nay, this was not the end of Lord Earnest William Sinclair III. As I look to my bride continued in her determination to snuff these flames with her eldritch and my sons with their unrefined magic, I see the truth about these creatures. The truth about these apparent humans: we were never meant to coexist! My family and I may have survived this night but this is not the end of the Gold Scourge.'
Ridley lowered the diary and took a picture of the entry. She turned back to where Marcus vanished. The diary entry only supported what she had already assumed; Marcus Sinclair - Dane's roommate - was an eldritch.
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