Between Monsters

Life can be so fragile, one-second one is planning a life, and the next is over. There are a million ways to end life, especially for a predator. The concept of mortality was not something young Aka would ever think of in the 1900s, late on a spring night, she was walking home.

She knew coming back so late wasn't the best idea, but she loved staying outside lost in the night sky, daydreaming, running through the fields, seeing the sunset, and chasing after shooting starts that was the best thing ever.

AKA

AKA's world was young back then, she carried the lantern through the field, she knew nobody would be around this late; this was the fastest shortcut to her house.

She took off her shoes to be quieter, she heard the dancing and singing from the distance away, on the sugarcane plantation.

People were still celebrating the local football championship, and in those days every little thing was cause for jubilation. Aka only ever knew her house, the small school down the road, the market, and the plantation, she used to sell fish and fruits at the market, back when the people suffered, but life was simple in Dominique.

The crickets were loud, but the sound of the party was louder, she heard a noise in the dark, but she knew better than to turn around instead, she walked faster until she heard it again, a noise right behind like an animal breathing heavily.

She stood still this time, Her heart raising, hands sweating, she slowly unhooked the blade from under her dress and place her shoes on the ground, adrenaline running through her, Aka got ready for a violent fight. She turned around to face her attacker, blade in hand.

She was met with only darkness, she looked around, but there was nothing but the dark of the surrounding bush.

She continued walking, trying to get home as fast as possible, and then she remembered she had told her sisters Leila, Donna, and Cecile she would be at the lake.

But now that she wished she had gone up with them to the plantation instead. Aka wanted to cry as she heard footsteps behind her but instead, she broke out into a run, whoever was behind her was not going to get a chance to hurt her, things had been a bit crazy since the last worker's revolt, and she was not going to die in the middle of nowhere. That's when she saw the light from her house, she ran faster still, but as soon as she cross the small bridge, she felt arms around her dragging her into the darkness, and she gave the most blood-shredding scream.

Aka remembered all the blood and screams as she stabbed and fought her attacker.

The way he bit into her tearing her apart, her attack was brutal, violent, and quick. She remembered feeling cold, losing the fight; she closed her eyes and stopped breathing.

That was the day she died.

TYR

He drove around for hours that felt like minutes. The world did change a lot since the days of old, his phone ranged, and he picked up.

"My lord." Lin said, "I have found your painting, if you let me, I could go get it for you."

"No, I fetch it myself this time, you have done enough," he said, ending the call.

He always enjoyed driving in the dark; it helped him clear his mind.

He wanted to crash this car for the fun of it, and while insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome, he didn't mind it this once.

He parked his car right in the middle of the road, in front of a remote factory opposite a forest, and walked into the woods. He always did enjoy Finland's winters.

He looked up at the night sky; he closed his eyes, waited, and he stopped his heartbeat. Likewise, he had been standing there for hours which felt like mere minutes to him when he heard it behind him, two guards.

One young, the other a bit older, they looked around in the car with the flashlights and the surroundings but saw nothing, he waited as the young one ventured out into the woods to ease himself.

The poor soul was unaware he was the prey. Tyr waited as the blue portal in his mind explored their memories, he saw the blood running through their veins and every single cell moving, repairing, dying, and being born, he hated doing this, but nature had its ugly sides.

AKA

Aka sat still at Jaclyn's birthday party, she looked on at the pool, people were having fun, the music played and drinks flowed, she didn't get why a 700-year-old vampire would have birthday parties, but being among her kind did ease the pain of eternal loneliness.

She was so deeply unhappy, all the witchcraft and science in the world couldn't bring her back to her family, and it sure wouldn't erase her memories of that night.

She was born again, this time in the darkness of a casket; broke out, and ran home.

But as she stood in front of the door, she couldn't bring herself to knock. A part of her knew it was better to stay away than to watch her family be accused of witchcraft.

Over the centuries she learned to survive on her own and make peace with what she was, a monster, a killer, something unnatural, a creature of the night.

She remembered the last time she had feasted seemed like decades ago, and over the centuries she had tried to end her life way too many times to count.

Just to wake up again.

That was the darkest part of the curse; she would never find rest or peace.

She was destined to suffer in silence and watch the world change over and over again.

While she stayed in the shadows and hide, she moved around a lot over the decades.

Trying not to be hunted, this would only cause further pain, not the release she truly needed.

While she was stronger and faster than any predator, the cursed did carry immortality and the thirst that would never leave her be.

Aka needed to find an ancient one, an Elf-lord, and convince them to kill her.

While she suffered in hiding and wished she was dead every single second. She could only imagine how it would feel like to be hunted by every other creature in the universe.

The sons of Freyr were even better at hiding than she was, they were few in the world, but she needed to find TYR at least he still had his body.

Lionel had been turned almost 300 years before Aka and had shown her all the ways of their dark world.

But in this century he had turned his back on their kind and decided to do business with the ancient ones.

These days he was selling art pieces to the "best of the best" as he called them.

Lionel was as conning as he was elusive, but she welcomed the challenge of finding him, it hadn't been easy but after more than 30 years looking for him city after city and town after town, she had finally found him in a small village on the outskirts of Macao.

TYR

His dark blue eyes were cold; he was getting tired of hearing the same scream.

While he could have done without the violence, a young one like Lionel needed to be though a lesson.

He enjoyed his coffee as he heard his silent screams from underneath the pillow while he was being stabbed by his men.

Tyr didn't like big messes, but it would leave Lionel weak for a while, being killed and healing almost immediately over and over again, would take its toll even on the most ancient of creatures.

Tyr didn't like vampires, but they were easy enough to control. he would have killed Lionel after finding out his painting was gone but, he was amused to know a very young one had stolen it, most of the things Lionel sold were fakes, but this particular painting was special, Tyr needed it to complete his collection.

He didn't care about the collection at all, but it did give him something to do. He had learned that the only thing one could do when nature cursed one to be an Elf Lord was to enjoy the little things.

Tyr smiled to himself as he got up and walked out of the room, he knew whoever had his painting would come to him eventually, he knew how vampires worked he had done this song and dance way too many times, and he knew what the young one wanted.

The peace only his power would deliver.

AKA

The god of war, bloodshed, order, and justice, a fitting name for an Elf Lord, she thought. The painting was more modern looking than she was expecting, but she couldn't bother to think too much about it, she needed to find him, she knew it was nearly impossible to lure a creature this old out into the new world.

She needed to find him herself, as she landed in Finland, hating how all eyes were always on her as she passed through the airport, she needed to get as much attention as possible as she let her curls loose and got into the taxi.

Aka didn't know how long he had been around, she had only ever seen one of them once back in Israel almost 90 years ago, but she was sure this Tyr creature was the real deal.

In the darkest corner of her heart, there was fear, but she had been looking so long and hard for one of them.

All she could think about was the peace, the possibility of seeing her family again even if it was for a moment in the afterlife fueled her, she had spent decades dreaming about dying, and now that the possibility was near she would not hesitate.

She would find a way to bargain with Lord TYR, then she would be free from this curse. Aka wondered if she had truly gotten his attention by stealing his ugly painting. She knew a creature like that wouldn't have gone all the way to Macao just for a painting, maybe he was bored.

TYR

And so the waiting game began, he sensed a change in the air as he stared up at the view from the mountains, he knew a new creature was around, she had been around for months now.

He decided to be patient sooner or later she would come begging to be free from immortality, he could give her what she wanted, but he had already decided this one would be fun before he had to rest for another century.

He was also getting tired of his current body, and while this body had been able to contain him for a few centuries, it was wearing him down.

Tyr didn't like to have to take a new body every couple of hundred years just to be able to perform his duties, but at last all good things must come to an end.

He remembered what it was like to fight for honor, peace, and justice alongside his sisters and brothers, back when the worlds were new he stood tall among the sons of Freyr and vowed to protect peace and prosperity at all cost.

They were four as they set off to defend their worlds of evil, but in a twist of fate their most powerful brother Fjolnir was defeated, and they were all punished by becoming the very thing they hunted.

"My lord, is there something you wish?" Lin spoke up from the corner of the room.

"I would like to finish my collection before, I part from here," he said as he was driven away from his memories.

"Should I seek for her... I would force her to bring it back," Lin said.

"I know you could, but you can't kill your own kind, I would wait a bit more, but I am getting impatient," he said looking at her.

"What do you suggest?" Lin asked.

"An invitation," he said.

Tyr knew what to expect with vampires, but he was done waiting around to see what this new one could do.

AKA

She felt at ease somehow walking into the big house, knowing the Lord had invited her, she knew she had his attention.

She wanted to look beautiful, for this could be her last day, she wore her favorite lipstick, her most expensive heels, and a silk deep purple dress, she let her curls free to dance around her bare back and a perfume that reminded her of the rivers back in Dominique.

Aka was ready but as she walked up the stairs and entered a large study room full of books resembling a library, something inside her wanted to run, all her senses screamed to run away, she was so scared she wanted to run.

She tried to rationalize it maybe she was really scared after all, but that couldn't be it, she started to shake as she looked around the empty room, maybe she was panicking, she couldn't breathe all she knew was that she needed to leave this place before it was too late, turned around and started to walk away to the door.

Another door behind her opened, and then she heard his voice.

Tyr

Something was wrong; he could feel it with every fiber, but it was a power he had never felt. Deadlier than he had ever encountered in battle, everything screamed at him not to walk through those doors, but the pull was way stronger than him.

"My painting?" he said.

The instant his eyes meet hers, he unknowingly had sealed his fate, he stood frozen in time and space for a moment as her eyes woke everything he hadn't even known was inside him to life.

Her bouncy black curls, her lips, legs, curves, her coffee skin, and her dark brown eyes, every single part of her essence enslaved him from the moment he saw her, nothing and no one in the universe could compare.

Tyr smiled, he had always thought himself better than Fjolnir but in this moment he understood.

He looked down at the ground, she must be a very skilled witch, because this wasn't possible would a vampire try to use magic against him and succeeded!

He knew something was wrong, was this body getting weaker, had he failed to see the danger ...that was impossible.

He walked to the chair and took a seat, something had gone wrong somewhere,

and he needed to know what it was as soon as possible.

"My Lord Tyr," she said, it was a shaky, fearful voice.

Her voice only agitated him even further, it seduced his mind and he couldn't think.

"I came here to offer you a deal," she said.

"Speak." He said.

"I offer this painting to you, in exchange you offer me freedom from immortality," she said, regaining her control.

"You dare, offer me something that is already mine?" he said intrigued and amused "It's nice to see Vampires never change, do you have something else to offer?"

"If you refuse my offer, then I challenge you! I denounce your right as Lord and I oppose your ruling to this world, what say you?" she said loud and clear.

Lin walked into the room from behind her.

"This one here is of my kind and bears witness to my claim... do you still refuse my challenge," she said bolder still.

Tyr felt heat and fire he hadn't felt in millennia.

"You challenge an Elf-lord and steal something that is already mine, all for the need of your peace, I see." he said, "Do you truly believe you are first to challenge me? More so, do you think you are powerful enough?"

Her eyes wavered, she knew the answer.

"Is this your play vampire?" he said, smiling at Lin, and then looking back at her "Ego? I am not my brother, you know this." He stood up "I will not give you what u seek, your challenge is no match for me, you are human born" he walked away "Keep the painting if that's all you have to offer."

AKA

Her mind was in shambles, she had never expected things to turn out this way, she hoped he wouldn't have known she was turned and not born a vampire, for all the research and the rumors she had heard from the witches she had befriended over the decades, she didn't expect him to be this powerful.

As the day burned bright she rested her eyes, she had been unable for weeks afraid to rest or even breath, from the moment she had seen him he invades all her thoughts, she felt his eyes on her all the time.

She wished she would have listened to her instincts that day, she should have run out of that room, she felt her world turn upside down in his eyes. A part of her wished she had never seen or heard him.

Since that moment she was bound to him, she had never felt a pull like that, she found it strange that he would have a vampire as a company; the mysterious Lin made her felt a strange curiosity.

Aka knew Lord Tyr was not fond of vampires or demons but yet he allowed and even confided in Lin.

Regardless, Aka needed to find something else to offer, before he left this century.

She didn't know that much about the sons of Freyr, she didn't know if he had the power to make her feel the way she was feeling, she was imagining him everywhere all the time like a ghost.

But surely there was a way to get to him, she didn't think she could get Lin to go against him, maybe she knew how to kill a vampire...but if Lin did why wouldn't she beg Tyr to kill her? There were so many questions inside her mind.

For now, all she could do was research all about Freyr's sons, more importantly. She needed to know if he had used something on her to cause all this chaos inside her.

TYR

The past few weeks had been a nightmare for him.

He had been looking for any spell, poem, or ritual in hundreds of manuscripts' for something that would help him understand, why the same thing that happened to his brother was happening to him.

By now he was almost certain it was not magic, but he knew that vampire had broken him in some way, and he desperately needed to regain control, she was in every breath he took, he craved her so much he feared he might go insane like his brother.

Tyr had spent lifetimes hating Fjolnir for what happened, but now the same thing was happening to him, and he couldn't stand it, for the first time ever he doubted himself.

All he could think about was testing her, being inside her, the sound of her voice when she called his name. Tyr could deal with lust it was easy enough to bypass but the other thing? something deeper about her was the one thing that scared him the most, that most have been the thing that drove his brother to be defeated and have them all punished and banished.

"My lord, the way I see it, you have two choices," Lin said, closing up the last book. "You could accept his challenge, are you not stronger than Fjolnir?"

"Vampires" he whispered, sipping some wine. "I am not my brother."

"Yet, you suffer just like him; I have never known you to cower in the face of a battle, your grace," Lin said, closing the blinds on the windows.

"This is no battle, Lin," he said, sitting back down.

"Well, it is no magic either...might I suggest?" she said closing all the manuscripts on the table.

"Don't say it," he said hating the answer already.

"Nature? You have long resented Lord Fjolnir, maybe nature decided to give you a taste of your poison" Lin smiled at her own joke.

"If it is this is war." He said looking up at her.

"So what will you do about it?" Lin said

For the first time ever TYR didn't know the answer.

xoxoxox....Just edited a few mistakes.