The Alpha's Little Slave

Chapter 98: A Game of Chase

I squeezed through the toilet window and lept out from the other end, just in time for the cabin to be blasted apart. I winced in pain as my bare knees hit the floor with a loud thud, but I quickly rolled myself back up and began running to escape, the sound of shattering wood still ringing in my ears. I stumbled as I started to run, my balance affected by my impaired hearing.

The vampire wasn’t making an empty threat! If I hadn’t escaped, I would have been crushed by the rubble.

"Does the little poppet want to play tag?" I heard the cloying voice of the vampire as though he was whispering straight into my ear. I whirled around, shocked, only to see no one following me.

This was madness. I knew I didn’t hallucinate his words!

I put on another burst of speed, desperate to get away. Yet, running blindly was the worst thing I could do― my stamina was finite, and even my improved strength and speed wouldn’t be enough to deal with this particularly pesky vampire.

Vampires were also gifted with extraordinary strength, speed, and the ability to turn into a bat, but I wondered why this one had the ability to destroy part of a cabin with relative ease, as though he could summon the wind itself to do his bidding.

Ironically, he seemed to remind me of the big bad wolf that blew down the pigs’ houses in that childhood nursery rhyme. I couldn’t believe I was one of the pigs. If I managed to escape from this menace, I should remind Blaise and Damon to use bricks instead.

Speaking of, I needed to find Blaise and Damon.

I focused my ears, trying to listen for the sounds of conflict― if there was a fight, those two would definitely be right in the thick of it. But other than the sounds of my own panting and the rustling of leaves, the forest was unnaturally silent.

Crap. I was on my own then.

I decided to avoid the forest trials since that would be making me an easier target. Instead, I threw myself through the dense forest thicket, hoping the trees could camouflage my body and scent, gritting my teeth as the sharp branches nicked my exposed skin.

Distance. I needed to put enough distance between the both of us while remaining in this forest.

If I ended up back at the mountainous gorge, my death would be all but certain since I couldn’t fly. I tried to comfort myself with the thought that at least the vampire hadn’t found me yet, but it was only a matter of time.

I had a feeling he was simply giving me a head start for his own amusement.

I glanced up quickly― the trees were tall, casting impressive shadows into the undergrowth, but it would be foolish for me to climb up the trees to hide since vampires could technically fly when they transformed into bats. freeweɓnovel.cøm

Or would it?

It was such a ridiculous idea that it just might work, and I had enough heightened speed and agility to pull it off. The vampire might simply assume that I was running underfoot and not look up.

I purposely removed my shoes and shoved them in the undergrowth as a weak decoy, before running further, the earth under my feet, quickly looking out for an acceptable tree to hide in.

A tall one, with a thicker trunk for easier climbing. One with enough leaves to hide my presence.

Soon I stumbled upon one tree that had all these, and I clambered up quickly like the devil was hot on my heels. Unfortunately, there were limits on how high I could climb. The taller branches were too thin to support my weight.

"Ready or not? Here I come!" The vampire declared cheerfully, and my face paled.

It was now or never, and I could only hold my breath as I caught sight of the rustling undergrowth making a beeline for where I left my shoes. Good. He had taken the bait.

Then my ears caught the unnatural rustling of the leaves before a shadow descended upon me. I gazed up in horror― it was the vampire, perched on the higher branches of the very same tree, looking down at me with fond amusement, my shoes dangling from his fingers. His silver hair somehow glinted in the dark undergrowth.

How was this possible? Did he weigh nothing?

"Found you, little poppet." He smirked, and that was all the warning I had before he dove straight towards me. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

I screamed, instinctively letting go of the tree trunk, causing me to fall back to the earth. Thankfully, the lower branches broke my fall so I wasn’t completely crippled upon impact.

The vampire was already waiting for me on the ground, an indulgent smile on his face.

"There, there poppet. It was a good attempt," he said consolingly, tossing me my shoes. They landed on my face, causing me to cough. "Put those on, we have a long way to go."

"You’re not here to kill me?" I asked in surprise, putting the shoes on. No point running through the undergrowth without my shoes. What’s more, I had to keep him talking, keep him distracted, so that I could escape again.

"No, you have someone that wants to see you. Hopefully unhurt, so be a dear and let me do my job?" he said.

"Someone? Is it Lydia? Because she’s dead already," I said.

The vampire laughed uproariously. "No, do you think I would ever sink low enough to do the bidding of a lowly werewolf? You must be delusional―"

My reply? I charged forward and headbutted him straight in the chest, before slamming my interlocked hands against his face. The vampire grunted in pain and I took the chance to flee, dashing between the trees.

"You fucking bitch!" The vampire roared in outrage, running after me. He caught up in an embarrassingly short time, pinning me down quickly.

I screamed and fought, trying to kick myself free and claw at his face. He hissed as one of my blows managed to land with a loud smack, retaliating with a sharp blow to my head that caused my vision to spin. I tried to get up, but then he landed another blow on my stomach, causing me to fall. He then finished it with another blow to my head.

"Aren’t you supposed to be human?" Through my rapidly darkening vision, I heard the vampire grumble to himself. "This wasn’t what I was told... how can a mere human be this strong? Whatever, this is the last time I’m working delivery."

I felt my body getting lifted, and then I knew nothing more.