The Kings Blood Calling

Fire

Angelo's pov.

As I'm crouched down lighting the wood-burning stove I feel a bit angry at my lack of tapping into the ultimate vampire power I am a prince in the making of a great King! As the fire ignites I watch it slowly and decide to play with this mass since I'm already angered but all the sudden the mass becomes the flame and I'm now a flame of fire. I quickly try to extinguish it and in my panic, the flame grows only stronger.

I hear Annarose scream dropping the pail of water as she comes through the door causing me to look to her in panic. Her hands have flown to cover her mouth her eyes bulging in fear. I quickly get up running past her out the door to drop to the earth rolling to put the flames out. They quickly die and my whole body steams in its wake. 

I quickly run back in the cottage worried I may have started a fire within our only safe haven. Luckily, there are some dark black smoldering spots along the floor and ceiling where I crouched before the wood-burning stove but noting major or burning I let out a sigh falling to the floor on my back to catch my breath.

"Fire. Your power is clearly fire or you would be dead." Annarose speaks with nervousness evident in her trembling words.

I nod. That freaked me out. I wasn't expecting to catch fire or even almost burn our home down that could have all ended badly I could have even hurt my wife!  

"I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking and it definitely wasn't catching on fire," I tell her still in shock from what about went wrong. 

"It's fine everything's fine now nothing was burned. The black smut will wash off." She comforts me with her words again picking up the water pail. I jump to my feet taking it from her hands gently.

"Let me clean it up. I was the one who caused it you should sit down and take a break." I look into her eyes lovingly and lean in placing a soft kiss on her forehead before heading out to fill the pail with water. I can't help but feel like a failure for a husband. Every time I turn around I'm putting her in more danger. Not only have I failed Annarose but Katherine as much so. 

I can't help but secretly wonder what types of food she craves now or if she's showing and how cute a baby bump would look like knowing my child thrives and grows within her tiny belly. I probably won't even get to hear the little things heartbeat with my own ears and that's a bit painful. I don't like the thought of abandoning my wife and child that's not the type of man I am! 

Walking back into the cottage I notice Annarose has got in bed and has shut her eyes for rest. Maybe using powers for her today was a bit draining she should probably rest more often to stay strong.

I clean and scrub for three hours who knew scrubbing burnt smut off wood was such a task. I can only be grateful I didn't burn the place down. I leave the door open hoping the smell and smokiness dissipate. 

Since I won't be doing any resting since the door is wide open and it's my duty to look after my wife while she's at her most vulnerable I want to go out and test this power and see what I can do with it. 

I walk a good fifty yards from the front of the cottage so I can still keep an eye and ear on Annarose. I find a couple of twigs gathering them close and fetch out my flint from my pocket. Hoping a small flame will be efficient enough to work with. I start playing with the mass before me stretching it pulling it as the flame grows the mass sucks the fire within as I push the mass away from me the flams surround me but do not touch me.

I'm amazed by the flames and my control over them. I push the mass out further the flames moving further from my body. I want to see if I can limit it to one controlled area. I concentrate on the mass only being in my hand and shortly a huge flaming ball is in my hand but only a moment before it extinguishes leaving smoke in its place.  I again try to resurface the mass but it's too weak meaning only time and extended use of the power will strengthen it so I can use it longer. 

I actually feel a bit worn out after doing all that. I walk back into the cottage to see Annarose still sleeps the smoke has dissipated so I close the door locking us in. I go over and wrap my wife in my arms I should also get some rest to rejuvenate my powers and maybe extend their usage a tad more tomorrow. I close my eyes basting in her scent and warmth.

.

.

.

slowly opening my eyes I realize my wife is not with me in bed making me quickly jot up in worry and quickly scan the cottage. She's not in the cottage. I flash to my feet unlocking the front door and quickly scanning the front yard. She not here. I hear a weird noise coming from the back yard causing me to flash there in a heartbeat afraid needing to place my eyes on her to see she is indeed fine. 

What I see about sends me into a full-blown heart attack if vampires were to have them anyways a bear! A huge brown bear scratching the dirt under its paw. 

"Annarose!" I yell out. If she's within a mile of me she will have heard it and respond if she hasn't fled.

"I'm right here." She giggles but it sounds weird I can hear the bear with my ears and her voice in my head. I almost want to crouch in a fighting position as she approaches me in this form. It's huge I'm in shock! 

"You're a bear?" I ask again not completely sure if not I'm in danger and probably should run or kill quickly. She giggles again.

"Yes, I was going to try flying above seeing our surroundings but then I kept hearing this bear and transformed into a bear. It was comical to see your face I think you were about to pee yourself." I let out a huge sigh and rub my face in relief. I won't really tell her how she almost really scared a vampire I do have some sort of a reputation to uphold. I look back at her shaking my head with a smirk. She's playful today and I like it. We, vampires, run a tad on the boring non-jokeing side of things this is a change I could definitely come accustomed to for sure. 

"You just worried the daylight out of me love especially when you were gone when I opened my eyes." She giggles again which sounds really weird coming from a bear to my ears. 

"You think that's funny do you?" I say low and playfully start stalking toward her way.

"What are you doing? Don't look at me like that! I'm sorry!" That's all she can muster before I pounce on her back tickling her with a bit more strength than I would use if she were in her human form. She giggles and snorts and screams. 

"Please....stop! I won't...do it again...I promise!" She pleads. I laugh at her pleads but decide I've repaid her kindness of thinking me being slightly afraid of waking up to no Annarose is funny. 

The smell of powder hits my nose. Gun powder! Maybe a hunter? My eyes go wide who would be out here hunting?

"Annarose do you smell that it's gun powder you must quickly change!" She gives me wide bear eyes that she's instantly afraid. I quickly take off to where the scent is coming from. 

I stop fifteen yards from the scent. It's really strong now almost a burn in my nose. Gun powder burns our scented nose. I climb the tree in a flash looking down on the hunter. 

The man is frozen to his spot looking around at his surroundings with his eyes only. I can tell instantly he is no vampire. A threat still maybe. A vampire would have heard him flash up the tree even seen him already. I sit quietly waiting for his next move. Theirs no other cottages close by so why would he be out here. A paranoid part of me can't help but think he could be looking for us. Humans work for vampires and just don't know. He could just be a hunter after a bear but still why all the way out here and how did he get here? I flashback to the cottage.

"Go in the house. There's a hunter about half a mile up I'm not sure why he's hunting all the way out here but he's not a vampire. That still means nothing especially if he is working for someone and looking for us." I speak low my eyes stearn with do as your told quickly. She nods hurrying to the cottage.

I stay rooted where I stand till I hear her shut the door. Then I flash to the nearest tree to our yard in the direction of the hunter. I wait. I'm in quite a bit of a predicament. If he comes to the cottage and doesn't turn around then if I kill him and he was sent to search for us we could be exposed. If I don't kill him and he knocks on the door and we greet him we could be exposed. If he's nobody and someone meets him in the future asking about our whereabouts we could be exposed. I hate to live in fear among all else. 

I've never had to hide from anyone except the fact I'm a vampire. This is not the life I want for my wife and me or our children in the future. Anticipation is slowly killing me. If I have to kill him at least I will have a rifle as a normal human would. Rifles are good for some things like they can slow a vampire down. If you shoot a vampire right in the face it will kill it too.

I can hear every step he slowly takes coming closer and closer to where we are. I won't reveal myself unless necessary. I've decided if he is brave enough to step out of the tree line I will question and kill him. I can't chance anything right now it's the safest option. 

What seems like an eternity he stops at the tree line not stepping out but crouching down with his rifle looking at the cottage for any signs of life. He sniffs the air like an animal. Maybe he's an experienced hunter. 

Don't do it!

Don't do it!

Don't do it! I repeat to myself. What does he do though? He stands up slowly taking a slow step towards the cottage. The cottage my wife hides within now. I shake my head releasing a frustrated sigh.

Flashing down the tree I flash before him slinging his gun yards away from reach and choking him in the air next to no second later. He thrashes trying to break my hold with his weak hands. Terror seeping from his eyes.

"What business do you have here?" I ask low and menacing letting him crumple to the ground coughing for air holding his chest.

"Answer me!" I fume a bit louder. 

"I was hunting sir." He speaks with fear trying to scoot back from my reach.

"Why would you hunt so far away these are my lands?" I say coldly.

"I was looking for a more remote area to find game I didn't know someone would occupy this area." He says all while avoiding eye contact.

"Then what business would you have to approach my cottage with a rife?" He pales before my eyes. My fears become reality within seconds. I flash before him ripping his throat out before the next second. 

flashing in the house I already have a plan not of my liking but one that might just work.

"I need you to turn back into a bear. That hunter was a lookout for our whereabouts. I need you to sink your teeth in him ruff him up a bit to look like an actual bear attack but not here way further in the woods. The surroundings we must make look real too. He's already dead you just have to make it look like a bear attack." The look of shock that flows from her doesn't escape my knowledge. We just don't have time right now for claiming up under pressure. 

"We must hurry Annarose or else he be found or worse us before we can even make this look like a bear attack," I say softly hoping she can understand it's not just my life at stake every day until my father sends for us.