Night Hunt Ch. 17-18

"Just say it. You're scaring me," she said.

He looked at her in bewilderment, as if he was working out something that he couldn't quite comprehend.

"It's the mating knot," he said finally.

"But that's.. I thought it only happens if a wolf has sex with his mate," she said slowly, shaking her head. "Only that can't be, because that would mean that I am..."

Her throat went dry as her heart slammed against her chest.

"My mate," Connor finished with a weak grin.

****

Tyrus felt his body go numb. A roaring filled his ears as he watched Anya's body go limp and slump to the floor. It took a moment for Tyrus to realise that the roaring was actually coming from him.

Dead. She was dead, her neck twisted at an impossible angle from being snapped by the intruder. His Anya. The deranged vampire stood over Anya's body and actually smiled.

Pain and grief tore through Tyrus, the force of it so great that he dropped to his knees. He thought he'd known despair before, but nothing prepared him for the terrifying darkness that threatened to overwhelm him now. A howl ripped from his chest.

"Oh relax," Sylvester scoffed, "she'll rise in a matter of days."

He stood there smirking, oblivious to the magnitude of his actions.

"You turned her? You have know idea what she is, you fucking imbecile. Do you realise what you have just done?" King Primakov asked, his voice shell-shocked.

Apparently that was not the reaction Sylvester expected. Something in King Primakov's tone must have warned him, because he didn't look so sure of himself now.

"Katya, alert security. Alert everyone! We need to have every trained fighter in the castle on hand. Evacuate everyone else. Tell them to aim for containment, not to kill. Unless we really have no choice." King Primakov commanded the vampire servant at the door.

Tyrus forced himself back on his feet.

Sylvester now looked about nervously, licking his lips. "Your majesty, surely such measures are not necessary. I merely came to talk..."

"It's not you, whoever you are. I couldn't care less about whatever stupid scheme you're plotting. Let me guess... you want vampires to come out in the open and rule over humans. Turn more humans into vampires and start an uprising, am I right? Very original. Never heard that one before."

King Primakov paused to roll his eyes. Sylvester now looked disconcerted. And more than a little contrite.

"You see, Anya wasn't fully human. And thanks to you, she's about to become the most destructive supernatural force known to earth in the last few thousand years. We have minutes to hours to avert a catastrophe. In fact-"

The room doors burst open as vampire warriors burst into the room, surrounding the four of them. At the exact same moment that Anya rose from the ground behind the oblivious Sylvester.

It should be impossible. Newly made vampires took days to rise from the earth. Some speculated that the magic required to make the conversion needed to incubate. Sylvester had just killed Anya and in minutes, she was rising.

Tyrus only had a split second to register that her eyes had turned blood red, the pupils black and dilated, and her movements were preternaturally graceful. He stopped breathing as his heart squeezed painfully. What had risen showed no sign of his sweet Anya. In her place stood a predator with madness in her eyes. She looked around the room and he knew. Anya was changed forever.

"Stop her!" King Primakov yelled, "before she-"

A sickening crack interrupted him. Sylvester's body burst into dust before it hit the ground. Anya had struck, lightning quick, and drained him of his blood with so much force that his neck had snapped.

"Anya! No!" Tyrus called out before he realised what he was doing.

She paused, cocking her head as she looked straight at him. There was no sign of recognition in her eyes. A drop of blood trailed down the corner of her mouth. Mindlessly, she licked it clean.

"Please Anya," Tyrus pleaded, "Tell me you're still in there. Come back to me baby."

She was gorgeous before, but the turning had changed her into something otherworldly. Her pale skin seemed to glow, her lips turned a deep red. Her features still resembled the human Anya, but everything had transformed into flawless, breathtaking beauty. He couldn't help it, he was entranced just looking at her.

Ever so slowly, with the same preternatural grace, she strode soundlessly over until she was face to face with him. His heart stuttered with hope. He locked his gaze with hers, still searching for the Anya who had made her way into his heart and soul in such a short amount of time.

"I'm here Anya, and I'm not going anywhere. You have to fight this and come back to me... I love you." The words were effortless. He'd known it for a while now but had never told her. Why had he never told her?

Anya stayed silent, regarding him. Tyrus kept eye contact and waited. It didn't matter how long, he would wait an eternity if it meant he could get Anya back. He felt all the eyes in the room locked onto them in a hushed silence.

Before he could register what was happening, a frown crossed Anya's face and Tyrus found himself flying across the room. He grunted as his head hit a wall with so much force that his vision blurred. He heard the marble behind him crack. He fought for consciousness as he landed on the hard floor with a painful thud.

King Primakov shouted a command and the room burst into chaos. Tyrus tried to push back onto his feet but his limbs refused to cooperate and he slumped powerlessly to the ground. He must have snapped his spinal cord. He could only lie there paralysed and watch the disaster unfold.

Vampires rushed at Anya, trying to contain her. The first tried to aim a kick at her head but she dodged and grabbed his ankle in one smooth motion and flipped him over. Her hand shot out with inhuman speed and tore his heart out of his chest. She looked at it with unblinking eyes as the vampire turned to dust.

A small, inhuman smile crossed her features. She spun around and snapped the neck of another vampire, turning his head until he exploded into dust. Quicker than lightning, she shot out her hands in opposite directions and tore out another two hearts. More vampires came in to fill the empty spaces but she incapacitated them as if she were merely swatting at flies. Dust filled the air, churning in agitation as Anya made quick work of anyone who dared approach her.

It was then that King Primakov moved in front of her. His eyes glowed an unusual pale grey, ancient and brimming with power. The hairs on the back of Tyrus' neck stood, pure instinct telling him to run and hide.

Anya paused, tilting her head as she regarded her new challenger. He aimed for her head, so fast Tyrus barely saw it. She blocked. He moved again, but so did she. Over and over he came at her and she deftly dodged him. King Primakov was attacking with deadly skill, honed by millenia. Tyrus and never seen anything like it before. And yet, Anya was able to counter every move he made. Any blow that managed to land wasn't hard enough to do any real damage, and he didn't seem to be holding back, although Tyrus knew he was avoiding a kill.

Tyrus watched riveted, unable to tear his eyes away. They were moving so fast they were a blur even to his enhanced reflexes. He saw King Primakov's mistake before his mind registered it a second later. He had come in too close and missed, leaving his side exposed. Anya didn't show any emotion, only took the opening and kicked, sending Primakov flying the way she had with Tyrus moments earlier. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, but didn't turn to dust.

Tyrus' eyes widened. Did he dare to hope? Anya was pulling her punches. She could have killed King Primakov, but something in her must have made a subconscious decision to spare his life. She was reluctant to hurt her father. And she had done the same for him. He had to believe it. His Anya was still somewhere in there. He just needed to get to her.

"Anya!" He called, straining to raise his voice in his weakened state. "I know you're still you! You need to fight this, or many more will die. You can stop this, all of it. I'm here to help you."

She looked to him, frowning. He held her stare, willing her to fight. He didn't waver, waiting for the glimmer of humanity he knew had to be in there.

Sounds of many footsteps approached the room from a distance, no doubt more fighters responding to King Primakov's alert. To Tyrus, it sounded like the whole castle had been activated. They hadn't wasted any time.

Anya turned away from him and dashed out the door.

****

Thanks to his werewolf hearing, Connor picked up sounds of fighting from all the way across the castle. He could do nothing, given that he was still literally stuck to Sam whilst waiting for the mating knot to subside. The sounds were faint, so he knew Sam's elf hearing wouldn't be sharp enough to pick them up.

He hoped they weren't missing out on something important. Fights broke out from time to time at the ball, but they never sounded this big. If it wasn't the most awkward moment of his life, he might have tried to enjoy the fact that Sam was stuck lying naked under his equally naked body.

"You knew I was your mate all this time and you didn't think to mention it?" Sam asked, her green eyes livid.

Connor winced. "I suspected. I didn't know for sure."

"How could you not know? I thought wolves had that whole mating instinct thing. One sniff and there you have it."

"The instinct to recognise our mate only happens if our mate is also a wolf. It's harder to tell if our mate is another species. I only really started to suspect it a few days ago, but I still wasn't sure," Connor explained.

"So what now? Are we mated? Joined for life?" Sam asked, the panic rising in her voice.

"I didn't complete the mating," Connor replied with unexpected irritation.

Sam's jaw dropped. "That moment when you were behind me and you flipped me over! You almost bit me didn't you? That would have made me your mate forever?"

"Will you quit sounding so freaked out? I could have bitten you but I didn't, ok? We're not mated so calm down," Connor snapped.

His cheeks heated as he looked away. He would rather be dumped in the sea and eaten alive piece by piece by tiny baby sea serpents than continue to be trapped in this conversation. He rubbed at his chest, wishing whatever feeling this was that was causing it to tighten would just stop.

They were silent for a moment. Connor could feel Sam's gaze burning into him but he refused to look back at her.

Finally, Sam sighed.

"You're hurt by my reaction." She didn't say it like a question.

Connor clenched his jaw until he thought his teeth might crack. He raised himself up onto his arms, trying to put some distance between them.

"Look, the mating knot should go down in another five minutes and we don't have to talk about it again okay?"

He shouldn't feel this low but he did.

"Connor... Connor look at me, will you?" Sam asked, her voice gentle.

He continued to look away. He didn't need her pity. He should have expected this reaction from her, but now that he knew exactly what he'd be missing, he wasn't sure he could handle it. He'd never wanted a mate, never even cared about relationships, and now he couldn't imagine moving on after tonight.

Sam placed her hands on both sides of his head and guided him to look back at her. He exhaled and stared back defiantly. That was a mistake. Just looking at her face was like taking a punch to his gut.

"Hey, I just need some time to process all this, okay? Of course I'm freaked out. A mate is forever, isn't it? That's totally different from going on a few dates. It's way more than even boyfriend and girlfriend. But Connor... I think I feel it too," Sam said.

The tightness around Connor's chest loosened by an inch.

"What do you feel?" Surprise was an understatement.

"I think... if I'm totally honest with myself, I might have suspected that I was your mate too," Sam admitted. She traced her fingers affectionately down the side of his face. He found himself leaning into her touch before he could catch himself.

"Connor I think... I don't hate the idea of being your mate," Sam said with a shy smile. Now it was her turn to blush.

"You don't?" The felt corners of his lips tugging upwards in response.

"Give me a while okay? Maybe we should go out on a few dates. Try things out and see where it takes us."

Connor knew he was grinning from ear to ear now. His cards were all on the table and he didn't even care.

"Dates. Yes," he nodded emphatically, "I can handle that."

He dipped his head and caught Sam's lips with his. She didn't hesitate to kiss him back. It took a while longer before they came up again for air.

"Oh hey, the mating knot's retracted," he informed her.

Sam looked down his body, one eyebrow raised. "You're still hard though."

"What did you expect?" He asked, smugly raising an eyebrow. He pulled out of her and got up before he lost his willpower.

Sam lifted herself up on her elbows and raked her gaze down his body. She bit her lip. Just like that, her pupils dilated.

"Do you want to get back here?"

Connor groaned reluctantly. She looked so luscious laid out like that on the sheets.

"Trust me Sam, I would, but there's something going on at the other end of the castle and I think we should check it out. Sounds like possible bloodshed and it's not stopping."

"What! For how long?" Sam was out of bed and dressed in a flash. "Connor if you're going to keep withholding information from me until you think it's time to share, we're going to have issues."

He shrugged. "There was the mating knot. It's not like there was anything we could have done- Ow!"

Sam smirked as he rubbed his head where she had given him a healthy whack.

"Try again."

"Alright alright I promise to tell you things the moment they happen! I know, okay? I won't keep anything from you because I'm invested in this. In us," he said gruffly.

They were an "us" now. Now was the time to acknowledge that he was well and truly whipped. His mate was an elf princess and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Alright," Sam said, her face growing serious. "Let's go see what trouble the Primakov ball has stirred up, shall we?"

****

(11 months later).

Tyrus sat near the door of the dungeon cell, his eyes on the back wall, body alert. King Primakov's guards had locked him in and secured the secondary doors leading to the dungeon as well. Just like they had every time that he had come here, every single day for nearly a year.

It had taken an army, but they had eventually secured Anya on the night of the ball. It was pure luck that she had been turned on the night where the most powerful beings in the supernatural world had been gathered in one place. She was also newly turned, albeit the most powerful fledgling the world had seen in thousands of years.

Once the elders from the different factions realised what was going on, they joined forces and knocked her out, then secured her here. She was chained to the back wall, her restraints heavily enchanted. Every week, just enough blood was given to her to sustain her, but not strengthen her enough to escape.

Some days when he arrived, Anya pulled on the restraints, fangs out and eyes red. Other days she only stared, no hint of recognition in her eyes. Still, he came down every day, refusing to lose hope of reaching her. Today, she merely sat facing him, leaning back against the wall with her legs out in front of her, knees bent and hands in her lap.

King Primakov had cautioned him that the Anya he knew might be lost forever, but he refused to believe it. He knew what he'd seen that day at the ball.

"The wedding was beautiful," Tyrus started, filling the silence. "You would have loved it. Sam and Connor looked so happy. Can you imagine? Connor, happily married. Their families look like they've fully come around to the idea of a wolf and elf pairing. In fact, it's become a political symbol of peace between the two factions. I know you would have wanted to be there."

It was the event of the year, maybe even the decade. Sam and Connor had completed their mating a few months ago too, after Connor had proposed. Evidently, he was so in love with Sam that he was happy to go through a wedding to fulfil elven tradition. And given who their families were, it had been a grand, royal affair. Connor wasn't even phased. If someone had told Tyrus this was going to happen, he would have bet his life's savings against it. But now that he'd seem the two of them together, it made perfect sense. His friends had never been happier, and he was ecstatic for them.

His own happiness, on the other hand...

"Anya please. Give me a sign, anything at all. Fight this thing. The hunger, the rage -- they can be controlled. I want you back. I miss you more than you know."

He blew out a breath. How many times had he repeated this speech? For the past month, she had seemed calmer. And she looked like she was listening, he just didn't know how much she really heard. Every day he watched for the spark of intelligence in her eyes, refusing to give up.

King Primakov, Lara, even Sam and Connor had all been down here often to talk to her. They had tried spells, dreamwalking, hypnotism, and blood. Nothing seemed to work. The fight was for Anya and her alone, nobody could do it for her.

"I'll never stop loving you, you know." He said it quietly, more to himself than to her.

His words were met with silence. He sighed, feeling his heart shatter all over again, the way it did every day.

"I'll never stop too. Loving you."

Her voice was soft, raspy from disuse. His pulse quickened. Did he really hear that? Or was it his imagination?

He looked at Anya, and found her looking back at him, changed forever. Her features were still too perfect in their vampiric beauty, and the way she held her body was different. But her eyes...

"Anya?"

"I did it," she said, a tear tracking down her cheek. "I found my way back. You brought me back."

His heart soared.

"Is this real?"

She nodded. "I heard you. I always did. But it sounded like you were so far away. The bloodlust overpowered everything. It was so tempting to let the madness win. I can't even describe..."

She shuddered.

"But I never fully let go. I just kept listening for your voice. I think it grounded me. The hunger is still here. I don't trust myself without these chains yet. But I'm learning to control it and I know I will... because you never gave up on me."

"Can I... can I come near?" Tyrus asked, still afraid to trust that this was finally happening.

"You may," she replied, her tongue worrying her lip in uncertainty. "But be careful. I'll warn you if you need to back away."

He moved then, slowly, warily. Shaking, he came up in front of her, then moved closer still. He crouched and brought his face towards hers until their foreheads touched. Her breath was warm on his face, her breathing even. He felt the restraint in her body, holding back the power it held. He knew, he trusted that she wouldn't hurt him.

He kissed her. The world fell away as she kissed him back.

They pulled apart and it hit him then. She was here for good. They had all the time in the world now, she and him.

"You're back," he said, giddy with joy and relief. This was real.

She nodded and laughed. He had never seen a woman more beautiful in this moment.

"I'm back. And I'm all yours, now and forever."

****

Author's note:

What? It's been three years? Life was so different when I posted the last chapter. Hope y'all are holding up ok! This story has been sitting on the back burner for ages, nearly complete. But I just couldn't find the energy, time or inspiration to find the right ending. I hope I've done it justice. It still doesn't feel quite right, but I'm going to put it up or it will never be done.