Hunting to Hunted

In the dead of night, with the sky painted in hues of dark crimson, Silvina moved through the dense woods. Her hand rested on the hilt of her silver dagger, the sharp edge glinting under the pale moonlight. Her legs remained strong despite the fact that she had been tracking him for days — a creature known only by whispers in the dark. Yet, something about this hunt felt different. The air itself seemed to suffocate her. She had always seen vampires as monsters to be eradicated, their dark allure nothing more than a tool of manipulation. But tonight, she could feel his presence. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he was hunting her or if she was hunting him. The thick canopy overhead made it impossible to see the stars, but it provided the perfect cover for what she was after. Silvina’s senses were heightened. She could hear the rustling of small creatures nearby, the soft swaying of the trees above her, the distant howl of a wolf. The forest felt alive, but not in the way it once had. Every leaf and branch now seemed to whisper warnings, every shadow an omen. She carefully climbed over a fallen log when she heard a larger movement — not the scurrying of an animal, but something deliberate, something dangerous. Her hand instinctively reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh. She paused, crouching low, feeling a subtle shift in the air — a flicker of movement in the shadows. Her eyes narrowed. A soft chuckle, barely audible, drifted through the trees. "You’re getting better," a voice purred, low and taunting. "But not good enough." Her pulse quickened, but she remained still. Silvina knew it was him. He was close now, closer than she had anticipated. A chill ran down her spine as the vampire’s presence seeped into the air, curling like smoke around her senses. She couldn’t see him yet, but she could feel his gaze on her, like a phantom's touch. "You think you can stop me, Silvina?" The voice came again, now just behind her, too close, making her muscles tense. "Do I scare you?" Silvina didn’t answer. She spun around in a swift movement, her dagger slicing through the air. But a rugged hand caught her wrist before she could react. His figure emerged from the shadows, tall and commanding. His dark eyes gleamed with a dangerous amusement. "Are you here to kill me, Silvina?" His voice was low, smooth — a melody that seemed to hum through the air, unsettling in its calm. “Let me go!” a slight grin tugged at the corner of his lips. He was confident, perhaps a little too much. Without warning, Silvina lunged, aiming for his midsection, her other dagger merely missed him as he dodged her stab. With a quick movement she used all her strength and pushed him away. As he stumbled slightly from the momentum, she spun, her dagger slicing toward his ribs. He barely managed to bring his arm up in time to block the strike, the blade grazing his forearm. "Nice try," he muttered, his voice low, husky. The man pivoted and came at her again, this time with faster, more calculated strikes. Silvina danced backward, each of her movements sharp and deliberate, her daggers a deadly extension of her hands. She didn’t just rely on her agility, but on the fast movements of the dangerous animal across from her. He tried again, this time using his leg, aimed at her head. But she anticipated it, dropping into a low roll just beneath the kick. As she rose, her daggers flashed out in a double strike, one aimed for his chest and the other toward his neck. The man grunted as he deflected the first dagger with a swift block, but the second one barely missed his throat, leaving a line of stinging heat on his skin. He backed up, his muscles flexing as he tightened his stance. Silvina stared at him sweat glistening on her brow, her stance perfectly balanced as she waited for him to make a move. Her chest rose and fell with steady breaths, her mind focused. "You ready?" His dark eyes locked with hers, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His body was still—coiled, like a predator waiting to strike. He took a slow step toward her. His presence was commanding, magnetic, and for a moment, it felt like the space between them wasn’t just measured by physical distance. She could feel the heat from his body, the muscle in his arms flexing as he moved. The forest itself seemed to have gone silent. The sudden proximity sent a flicker of heat through her veins. She had to push it down. Focus. With a fluid motion, he lunged, quick and precise, aiming for hers hips. Silvina was ready. She sidestepped, her body moving with the smoothness of a well-rehearsed move. She could feel the air shift as his arm brushed past her, close enough that a slight touch would have sent her heart racing—but it didn’t. She was in control. Not giving him a moment to recover, she spun, her dagger connecting with his upper leg. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t groan , with a deliberate move he caught her other wrist midair, a firm, unyielding grip, his breath coming heavier now. “You’re getting better,” he murmured, his voice close, his lips barely inches from her ear. Silvina’s pulse skipped. She tried to pull her wrist free, but he kept her in place, his hold tight but not painful. There was an odd tension in the air, like a spark waiting to ignite. She tried pulling the dagger out of his leg, put it was lodged in deep. She met his gaze, her eyes narrowing with a playful challenge. “You’re not as fast as you think.” A faint smile tugged at his lips. "We’ll see about that." His midnight-black hair moved slightly in the wind, as Silvina struggled against him, but the vampire’s grip only tightened. His dark eyes locked onto hers, and for the first time, she felt something she couldn’t name. Her pulse hammered in her throat, her chest tightening as she fought to regain control. "Let me go." But he didn’t. Instead, his other hand reached up, fingers brushing along her jaw, his touch light but electric. Her breath hitched, and despite everything—despite all her training—she couldn't pull away. "Why do you fight it?" he murmured, his voice low, seductive. "You know this is what you want." Her heart raced, her body betraying her. She could feel his closeness, the heat of his skin, the intoxicating scent of him that made her forget where she was, what she was supposed to do. The hunter in her screamed to push him away, to finish what she had started. But there was something in the way he looked at her—a depth, an unspoken understanding—that disarmed her, made her feel like she had been caught in a web she couldn’t escape. His fingers brushed against her lips, soft, almost tender. "Let me show you, how fast I am" he whispered, his voice a dangerous promise. And before she could protest, before she could draw her breath to strike, he leaned in. His lips met hers with a force that stole the air from her lungs. The kiss was sharp, commanding, yet there was something deeper beneath the surface. Something she didn’t understand but couldn’t fight. Her heart pounded as he pressed her back against a tree, the weight of his body trapping her in a way that made her feel both alive and vulnerable. Silvina’s mind screamed at her to pull away, to fight back, but her body responded in a way she hadn’t expected. She could taste the centuries of darkness on his lips, the danger, the thrill—but there was also something else. A part of her that ached for this, despite everything she had been taught. She broke the kiss, gasping for air, her body shaking with the intensity of what had just happened. Her hands clenched around the daggers, the desire to strike him overwhelming. But her voice faltered. "You’re nothing but a monster." His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile, his eyes gleaming with amusement and something more—something darker. "Am I?" he asked softly, his voice almost a whisper. "Or have you been hunting the wrong kind of monster all along?" With a swift twist, He released her wrist but immediately spun into a low sweep, he swept her legs right from under her. She could feel the other dagger ripping out from his flesh Silvina fell to the ground with a loud thud. But in a few seconds she hurled herself upright, but he was gone. She frantically looked around, searching but she saw nothing. “Show yourself!” Silvina yelled. “I am here.” His voice came from behind her again, In an instant he closed the gap between them, catching her arm and twisting her into a lock. His body pressed against hers, his breath heavy on her neck. She could feel the heat from his chest, the firm grip of his hand on her wrist again, and his face was so close, his lips nearly brushing against the skin of her jaw. Her other hand still was still loose, still able to pierce the final blow, but she couldn’t. “Don’t play with me!” Silvina said in a gasp “Silvina” His voice was low, like a whisper. Silvina’s body tensed, but it wasn’t from the physical restraint. It was the way he said her name—like he knew her better than anyone else did. “You want to get out of this hold?” He murmured, his breath warm against her ear. She hesitated for a split second—then, with a swift motion, she used his body’s proximity against him. She dropped low and twisted, using his momentum to flip him over her shoulder and send him to the ground with a swift, fluid motion. It was perfect—effortless, almost. The man hit the floor with a grunt, but as he lay there, looking up at her with a mix of admiration and surprise, she realized the space between them had shifted again. It wasn’t a fight for survival anymore. He was playing with her. "You're good," he said finally, a trace of amusement in his voice, but there was something deeper there. Something heavier. "You’re fast," She said in return, tightening her grip on her dagger. With a swift movement she fell towards him, ready to stab his heart, but in a gust of smoke , he was gone. Silvina gritted her teeth. "You’re different," she whispered, before she could stop herself. "Am I?" The voice spoke from the darkness. "I have lived a long life, Silvina. I’ve seen kingdoms rise and fall. I’ve tasted both love and loss." Her grip on the dagger tightened, but she did not raise it. Her eyes searching the darkness. "You’ve killed my kind before," he continued, his voice steady. Her pulse quickened, her breath shallow. "I will kill you.” An owl hooted in the distance, making Silvina flinch. “Would you like to know my name, before you kill me?” "Yes," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. In that moment, he appeared just a few feet from her. His face was chiselled with sharp, perfect features—high cheekbones that caught the light in a way that made him seem both otherworldly and impossibly beautiful. His jawline was strong, and when his lips curved into a smile, they held an irresistible charm, as though he was hiding a secret he wasn’t quite ready to reveal. His eyes, a deep brown, gleamed with an intensity that seemed to pierce through to her very soul. His hair, dark as night, fell in short waves, brushing his forehead in a way that only added to his allure. His body was strong and muscular, the kind of physique that spoke of both power and grace. His clothes—dark, tailored, and perfectly fitted—clung to his frame like a glove, emphasizing his every movement. He smiled faintly, his features softening. "My name is Soran, Silvina.” The night air seemed to hold its breath as she stood before him. “Soran,” Silvina said his name softly, and in a blink of an eye he disappeared again. She felt her heart… yearn How did she get here? She thought to herself breathless.