The silver knife trembled slightly in Ellis's grip. Moonlight slid along its cold edge, casting sharp glints aimed at the pale figure. Wind whipped grit and the tang of rust against her face. Sweat-dampened hair clung to her temples.
"Little girl," the vampire's voice cut through the silence, low and smooth as silk, laced with lazy danger. "Clever. Carrying two weapons." A faint, amused smile touched his lips, as if he'd found a curious trinket. "But pointing a blade at a guest? Terribly rude."
As the last word faded, his cold, silver-white eyes ignited. Twin points of crimson fire bloomed in their depths like malevolent rubies, burning unnervingly bright in their shadowed sockets.
Ellis's heart lurched. An invisible, suffocating pressure slammed into her mind, icy threads trying to worm their way deep.
A low, guttural snarl ripped from her throat. She wrenched her head aside, fighting the dizzying assault. Her thumb dug hard into her palm, the sharp pain a cold spike forcing her thoughts clear. "Won't work!" Her voice scraped, harsh as metal. "Your tricks… useless on me!"
The crimson amusement in his eyes froze solid. He tilted his head, drawing out the word. "Oh?" The sound was slow, chillingly playful. "Well then… you're not entirely mortal, are you, little girl?" Before the words fully settled, his tall form dissolved into the moonlight like ink dropped in water.
A rush of frigid air, colder than the night wind, slammed against the back of Ellis's neck. She felt his presence, close, greedily drinking the air around her. She whirled, the silver knife hissing as it carved a vicious arc through the air.
The pale figure materialized effortlessly a few paces away, pristine. Only the hem of his fine black velvet coat swayed silently. He brushed non-existent dust from the fabric with pale, almost translucent fingers, the gesture unnervingly graceful. "Tsk," he chided, the mockery clear, yet laced with something that chilled Ellis's bones: familiarity. "Such… agitation. That raw pulse, that untamed scent…"
He inhaled deeply, savoring it like rare wine, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I haven't… oh, not for centuries… caught a scent quite so… intoxicating."
Those red eyes swept over Ellis's tense form like probes. "Little creature, your origins must be… fascinating."
"Why attack this village?" Ellis demanded, ignoring his baiting, her knife unwavering.
"We?" The vampire let out a sharp, derisive snort, pure contempt. He spread his hands theatrically, posture arrogant. "You mistake your quarry entirely, dear girl. I have no association with that rabble… My tastes run far higher. Those low creatures who wallow in filth and chaos? Unworthy of mention." His gaze locked onto Ellis, naked hunger blazing within it. "I prefer… rarities. Like you."
"Bloodsucker!" The possessive stare sent ice through her veins. She channeled her fear into a furious shout, launching herself forward. The knife became a silver blur aimed with deadly intent at his pale throat.
He didn't dodge—he vanished. Where solid form had been, only empty cold remained. Momentum carried Ellis stumbling forward, the blade slicing useless air.
"I like your spirit." The low, warm murmur sounded right beside Ellis's right ear, his icy breath brushing her neck like a snake's tongue. She flinched.
Before she could turn, a hand clamped like an iron manacle onto her right wrist. The grip was impossibly strong, cold and unyielding as stone. Numbing cold shot up her arm. Her fingers spasmed involuntarily. The silver knife clattered onto the stony ground.
Pure animal instinct seized Ellis. A choked snarl tore from her throat as she threw her weight backward, driving her free elbow with all her force towards his ribs.
He drifted aside like smoke, avoiding the blow. A low, cold chuckle vibrated against Ellis's spine. Instantly, his chilling presence pressed against her back again.
His other arm snaked around her waist like a cold serpent, yanking her hard against his unnaturally frigid body. It felt like plunging into glacial water.
"So much energy," he murmured reproachfully, icy lips grazing her ear. The contact sent a jolt of cold straight to her toes. "Save your strength, little wolf. No need for such roughness… yet." His arm tightened possessively, one hand splayed flat against her lower abdomen. Beneath the elegance was terrifying power; Ellis felt like a doll frozen in ice.
Rage and cold terror churned in her chest. She stomped hard on his instep while snapping her head back, aiming for his nose.
He anticipated it, tilting his head back just enough. Her skull scraped uselessly against his jaw. He actually laughed—a deep, mirthless sound. "Feisty! Been decades since anyone tried that." His constricting arm squeezed the air from her lungs. "Bracing."
Ellis drove her knee upward like a battering ram, targeting his groin.
He shifted his hips, letting the strike glance off his thigh. Simultaneously, his free hand shot out, catching her ankle mid-air. He held her suspended, his gaze sweeping over the captured leg with unsettling appreciation. "And flexible too. The wolf blood adds… interesting spice."
Ellis snarled, a trapped animal's sound, thrashing violently. She managed to wrench one arm partially free! Fingers hooked like claws, she raked towards his burning ruby eyes!
He caught her wrist easily, lifting it.
No evasion. No anger. Instead, he turned her hand over. Above the frantic pulse beating in her inner wrist, he pressed a slow, deliberate kiss. His lips were frozen earth. "So warm," he breathed. His tongue, a cold probe, flicked against her heated skin, leaving a fleeting, horrifying dampness. "So vital… like aged spirits."
Revulsion choked Ellis. She spat directly into his face.
Saliva struck his icy forehead. Time froze. The predator's playful malice vanished, replaced by a silence deeper than polar ice. The air itself seemed to congeal, thick with lethal intent.
He slowly released her ankle and wrist. Lifting a hand, long pale fingers meticulously, almost ritually, wiped the moisture away.
He examined his fingertips. Then those eyes, now hardened into blood-red gems, locked onto Ellis. The charming predator facade shattered, revealing something ancient, pure, and incandescent with cold fury.
"Now," his voice cut the air like a poisoned icicle, "that… was discourteous." All velvet pretence was gone, stripped down to pure, glacial menace.
Ellis had no time to breathe, no time to react—
He moved. Not the teasing vanish, but pure, ruthless speed. One hand fisted in the fabric of her tunic, twisting it brutally. The other clamped like an iron claw on her shoulder. Irresistible force wrenched her off her feet! A heavy thud followed as her back slammed into the cold, unyielding stone of a ruined wall behind her. The impact blasted the air from her lungs in a pained gasp. Black spots danced in her vision.
She slid a few inches down the rough stone, thin fabric scraping painfully. He held her pinned against the freezing wall, suspended, her boot toes barely brushing the ground, dust trickling down around them.
He leaned in. His perfect, deathly face filled her vision, mere inches away.
His chill pierced her clothes, stealing her last warmth. All mockery was extinguished, replaced by the absolute authority of pure, enraged power. Those blood-light eyes, bottomless and hard, bored into Ellis's pain-clouded vision.
"I could grant you another chance, pup," he hissed, his breath frosting the air between them. "After all, I find it hard to stay angry with you." His gaze, like physical ice, trailed slowly down her throat, pulsing with her frantic heartbeat, before returning to her eyes. "Where to bite? The neck is traditional… but the inner thigh, that rush of heat…" His free hand traced a phantom line just above the skin of her neck, along the artery. The intent was horrifyingly clear.
The cold stone pressed into her spine like a tomb slab. His hands were shackles of frozen iron. The silver knife lay useless yards away, catching the pale light.
The game of elegant predation was over.