A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 70: Midnight Slaughter

"Hide!" Gabriel exclaimed, pointing towards the bedroom door. With Elena’s heart beating incessantly, she crouched low into the other room. Horror field her eyes and for a moment she imagined the worst. Had they moved sooner, the hunters would not have caught up with them by now. She wanted to pin the blame on Gabriel but remembered it was her condition that made him stop in the first place.

The horses whined outside the stables as if sensing death. Gabriel peeped through a hole and saw a number of men surrounding the house, their ultimate weapons, crossbows. His eyes settled on the arrow implanted in the wooden wall. These were no ordinary arrows. They were somehow longer and thicker. One strike and even the strongest of vampires would succumb to death with no chance to breath the last words.

His claws pierced through his skin, and in a flash of annoyance, his eyes turned red. He could feel Elena’s uncontrolled breath and heart race. She had never been so scared, and he hated it.

The door swung open, forcing the hunters into a halt. All the candles had been blown out leaving a vortex of darkness as the welcoming sight. The moon hid behind a dark cloud as if scared to witness what would prevail.

The one closest to the door cautiously approached, his fingers rested on the trigger of the crossbow. It was a heavy one and reloading it would take some effort. But that was the amount of time Gabriel needed to wipe out someone’s existence.

The hunter’s eyes were fully open, watching for any slight movement in the darkness. And as if testing his patience, a figure moved in the dark. The hunter fired the shot, his arrow drilling through the wood. He had missed. He fetched another one in the quiver, now one step inside. The others were closely behind.

With shaky hands, the hunter clumsily dropped the arrow. Gabriel run his tongue over his fangs. This was the moment. In what could be termed as a blur, he flashed across the room taking with him the hunter. A scream ensued from the other side of the ban before it turned silent.

The moon materialized from behind the dark clouds illuminating light outside the ban. A corpse was the first thing the hunters saw. His eyes were wide open in horror cast towards the world in an empty stare. The rest of his body was not something a morgue attendant would like to have as a customer. His guts were out, claw marks all over his body. But they had to kill him before he killed them first.

"Spread out!" The lead hunter ordered in a whisper. "Circle the whole cabin." They dispersed evenly, entering the house through the front and back doors in two sets. The lead hunter however took the lakeside route.

Another scream ensued from a part of the cabin. The glass windows were painted red.

Elena crouched at a corner in the bedroom, her heart racing with each passing second. Her eyes occasionally fell on the closed door whenever she heard a scream outside. She just hoped none of it was Gabriel’s.

A body dropped just outside the room making her heart skip a beat. The sound of receding footsteps gave her a temporary sigh before she heard the sound of flesh tearing from another part of the room. The smell of death suddenly hung in the air.

Elena’s grip on her skirt tightened, and if she muttered a silent prayer or not, she could not tell. She would gladly relieve herself here than take a step outside unless Gabriel came for her.

The door suddenly burst open sending Elena’s heart into a start. She whipped her head to that side and saw a man approaching, a stranger. It was too dark to make out his face, or he was dark too.

She apprehensively stood but the man grabbed her by her hair almost pulling it off her head. She noticed a dagger in his hand, reflecting the glimmer of the moon.

"You bitch!" He cursed, pulling her hair even harder when she resisted. Elena felt his hand leave her head and before she knew it, a hot slap landed on her cheeks, sending her falling on the floor. The hunter didn’t give her the pleasure to sit. He held her by her hair again forcing her into a standing position. She shrieked in pain, letting out a muffled scream.

A cold metal rested on Elena’s neck, her pain suddenly turning to panic. The blade was sharp! She could feel its edge graze her skin.

"Another word and you’ll be food for the crows," warned the hunter.

Gabriel was ripping out the heart of the last standing hunters when he heard a shriek from his wife. Panic-stricken, he moved swiftly and found the door already open. He was welcomed by a view that made him momentarily cease to exist.

Elena was standing there, in the mercy of some worthless hunter. A dagger rested on her neck, to which the decision of her life lay. He found her eyes. They were teary, a thin line of blood lacing her lips.

"Step back or I’ll kill her!" Warned the hunter. Gabriel could attack if he wanted. But was he fast enough to stop the consequences of his actions. He’d blame himself forever! In the end, he decided to stay calm. He held his hands out and took a step back.

"Let her go and I promise I won’t harm a single strand of your hair," he said, meeting with the eyes of the hunter. He was a vampire!

"I should be asking that instead. You’re in no position to bargain," the man sneered.

"What do you want?" Gabriel asked. "Money?"

"Your head is worth a fortune," said the hunter. "Unless you’re so kind to sever it for me, I don’t see any other way we can negotiate. And she’s worth a fortune too, dead!" He said fanning Elena’s neck with his breath. He pressed the blade tightly drawing a thin line of blood on her neck. Gabriel’s blood boiled but he dared not to make a rational decision.

"I’ll come with you if that’s what you want! Bind myself!"

The man smirked. Gabriel watched his face, hopefully. But the hunter’s face turned into one of agony. A thin line of blood formed on his lips, his grip loosening around Elena. She took the chance to free herself, running straight into Gabriel’s embrace.

Gabriel saw the hunter fall, now lifeless! He caressed Elena’s head softly but still concerned. A dark figure materialized from the darkness.

"You’re going nowhere, Gabriel Sinclair," he said, lowering his hood to reveal a familiar face.

"Vathin!"