He carries me away quickly, getting to the back wall and passing me up to Cecil, who's smirking. I ignore him. For now. That cheeky bastard.
Cecil grabs me, pulling me up over the fence and I look back over my shoulder. I see Fletcher turning to face my father. My Father has his blade raised. Fletcher is slowly crouching into a fighting position.
I look up at Cecil. He's not even watching me as he hauls me up and over the wall. His eyes are glued to Fletcher with a look of panic. A look of complete and utter fear for his friend, "Fletcher!" He cries out, his voice breaking with worry and fear.
I look back at Fletcher and my father. They're already starting to fight. Fletcher ducking and dodging my father's attacks. It was like everything was going in slow motion.
"Get her out of here!" Fletcher screams, not looking back. Completely absorbed in the fight. Honed in.
"I ca-can't… I can't…" Cecil whispers, slowly shaking his head, like he's being asked to face his biggest fear and he was on the verge of sheer panic. His breathing starting to go ragged.
'If you run into them in the future, what side will you take, you think? Will it be ours?' Cecils's own words mock in my head. Over and over, 'what side?'
Who's side?
I look at Fletcher. He ducks, throws himself to the side, barely dodging my father's attacks. My father's sword getting closer with each new attack as he learns very quickly to adapt to fight Fletcher.
I look at my father, he face scrunched up with hate and anger.
I shove Cecil away, grabbing a dagger at my shin and without anymore hesitation, I flick it.
Picking a side.
The dagger lands with a thunk sound, stabbing deep into my father's thigh. He cries out, his eyes widening with confusion, his eyes flickering to me, then down to his thigh. His confusion and pain turning into pure, unfiltered rage.
Fletcher takes this split second of pain and confusion to palm heal strike him right in the chin. My father staggers back and Fletcher kicks him in the stomach, sending him back onto his ass.
"Come one!" I yell, as I extend a hand down off the wall, "Run!"
He immediately whips around and sprints for me, leaping up and grabbing my hand. Cecil helps me pull him up to the top as my father gets up, throwing his own dagger.
"Jump!" Cecil says as we all leap off the wall on our safe side. The knife flying right over our heads.
Ivy waits in the car with Michelle and the witch girl we just saved.
"Let's go! Let's go!" Fletcher says, ushering us along quickly toward the get away car.
Cecil doesn't hesitate to tear off his shirt. The air fills with the crackling and crunching of his bones as he shifts in mere seconds. Tearing off most of his clothes when he changed. Oddly enough, I notice he doesn't wear underwear… Strange thing to note, maybe, but I notice it.
Fletcher and I hop into the car and Ivy steps on the gas before we can even get in all the way. Fletcher grabs my arm, pulling me up and into his arms before I could get left behind. Practically pulling me into his lap. My breath catches as I realize how close our faces are. Our eyes locked together, our breathing sinked.
We're both panting from the run.
"Quinn, she's terrified." Michelle says, snapping me out of it.
I move around Fletcher and climb into the back with Michelle and the girl. She's shivering with terror. Seemingly dissociated. Her eyes wide and completely vacant.
"Oh my god…" I whisper, sitting beside her. I reach up and gently move her hair aside, taking a pulse. Her heartbeat is around one hundred and seventy beats per minute. "She's panicking…" I whisper, shaking my head. My heart is just breaking.
Michelle holds one of her hands, gently rubbing the back of it with her thumbs, "What do we do?" Michelle asks.
I shake my head, completely at a loss for words.
This isn't what I do! I didn't know how to deal with this! A hunter isn't taught how to deal with feelings. We're not even allowed to have feelings!
Fletcher grabs my shoulder and pulls me away, climbing in back with the witch and Michelle who throws him a dangerous warning glare. Which he completely ignores.
Fletcher gently grabs the girl's chin, tilting her head up to make her look at him. Her beautiful, ice blue eyes shift up and meet his gaze, her fear rising.
"Fletcher…" I warn.
"You're safe." He tells the girl in a soft, gentle voice, "You. Are. Safe." He repeats, leaving the words to hang in the air for a moment. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. I'm Fletcher. A royal vampire and I'm telling you, with the power invested within me, I'm going to protect you from now on. Me and my friends. We're taking you to others. We're going to get you help. You. Are. Safe."
A choked sob escapes her. Her body just giving out and slumping forward. Her shoulders jerking as more sobs escape her. He reaches up a hand and gently rubs her back. "Shh, it's okay now, little one. It's okay." He says, her whole body releasing so much pain and fear.