Ilena

20

“I will follow your lead.” He says and bows slightly trying to make me smile, I manage a half grin and then lay my hand on his shoulder. A moment later were in the garage and everyone is staring at me again. A quiet moment passed and then Charles speaks up.

“Care to explain a few things little lady?” He says with a half-smile but I know he’s serious.

“Yeah, you didn’t say anything else about the shifter before you left. We’ve been testing each other but nothings come up.” Evan adds.

“Oh, sorry. I killed the shifter back at the cabin, the company was right behind him, the guard were at my apartment and the Moors are at N…Fox’s cabin.” I say almost slipping up and cursing myself inwardly for it. I’ve been avoiding looking at him if I can help it, but if I can’t I’ve most definitely been avoiding his eyes. I’m almost certain that if I were to look into his eyes that I might do some stupid girly thing that he isn’t ready for yet, like break out crying or jump into his arms. Stress I don’t need right now. “The rest is irrelevant for now.” I say dropping the coats on the back of a nearby chair and walk off towards the office as I rap my hands around my neck.

Sparks arc and the room darkens, i look at my hands but its not coming from me. I spin to find everyone staring through the arch that leads into the other side of the garage where my dads oldsmobile still sits. I walk over to see what their looking at just as the form of a woman appears leaning against it and then slipping towards the floor. I rush her, realizing that this is a version of me probably from a future date. I wonder if i will disappear now like the other form of me had but when i look further she is badely injured and sword stuck through her side amoung them.

"Ilena...the queen...she's got some kind...of tracker on you...us...i couldnt find it...we must have swallowed it...shes coming...she'll start a real war...just to kill us." She coughs and wheezes a bit. "You have to stop her...you have to save him." She fades looking past me at what i assume is Nolan just before the light leaves her eyes and she withers away in my hands.

"A tracker that i swallowed?" I say mostly to myself as i stand and turn around, looking down at the blood on my hands. My blood. "But when...it must have been when we had dinner with her." I say looking up at Evan and realize that everyone is staring at me very confused. "Real problems now, curiosities ill explain later!" I say firmly and most of them seem to refocus. "Now the only thing i had was blood and wine, so if thats the case it would have to be a...liquid tracker? But ive never heard of such a thing and even if there was how would it be neutralized?" I ask deep i thought. This would explain why they have been able to find us no matter where we've gone, its why they keep dying and its all my fault. She's tracking me because she wants me dead.

I’m staring at the blood on my hands as I slip down the hallway and into the kitchen. Turning the water on, until its scalding and I scrub, trying to get it off. The harder I scrub the more my thoughts turn inward. I’ve got the tracker, I’m the one she wants dead. It’s my fault they keep dying, he keeps dying. What choice do I but to leave, just give myself over. At least he would be safe then even if he had to live without me.

“Ilena?”

“Yeah sorry, can you guys just give me a minute.” I was leaning over the sink now, tears falling freely and I prayed that they would just let me have some time. I vaguely hear footsteps walking away and went back to trying to clean my hands. Though I wasn’t so sure that they weren’t already clean and I wasn’t making new wounds in my skin.

Someone comes up beside me turning off the water but I refuse to look, refuse to breath them in. Though I already know who it is even before he takes my hands in a towel and starts drying them. I don’t look at him as he brings my fingers to his lips and licks the rawed skin there, making me breath deeper. My eyes whisper closed, tingles invade my skull, he pushes my hips back against the counter and his hands sink into my hair, just as I feel his breath on my face.

“It’s going to be alright princess, I’ve got you now.” He assures softly and fresh tears fall. I want so badly to believe him but I already know better. My hands fist in the sides of his shirt as I try to keep my composure.

“Nolan, I can’t…” His lips meet mine in a soft caress, that digs into my heart and tries to heal it.

“I know a place.” He whispers and kisses me again, I feel my magic being pulled and then the air electrifies around me and Nolan is pulling away. “Just stay calm, it’s only the shields sensing your vampire blood. Its used to mine, I just have to adjust it.”

He rushes across the room as the electrical force from the shield moves over and around me trying to protect all from me but reaching out a hand proves my invulnerability to it as the charge is absorbed by my skin and only proves to make me feel more powerful.

“Nolan…” I call softly and he turns to look at me, seeming very surprised as I wave my arms gently through the containment, absorbing the charge until it is all but gone. Something about the change in scenery, him and this have nearly rid me of the horrid feeling I had only moments ago.

“The alarm is coming from in here.” Someone yells.