The Latent Sentinel

FATEFUL ENCOUNTER 4

Ella POV:

He shifts then and there, undressing himself. I am terrified thinking about what could be out there, but even in my fear-driven mind, I notice him. I am attracted to him. God, something is wrong with my brain. I should think about escaping, but something is keeping me here. I want to stay by his side. I want to see him smile and hear him laugh. I want to get lost in his hypnotic voice. I am lost in daydreaming about him when another crashing sound echoes through the forest. Nyx is instantly alert. She shows no signs of escaping or moving. She is ready for a fight.

“We are not going anywhere until he returns. We owe him that much.” She roars, looking at the entrance. I don’t know why she is staying put, but I can't go alone, she is part of me, and she is forcing me to stay put. He told us to stay but nothing is stopping me from following him. Yet Nyx is rooted to the spot as if following his command.

“We will put him at risk, you know that,” I say when she doesn’t show any signs of moving. She whimpers but stands her ground. I can’t move my muscles. Even if I wanted to run away, she wouldn’t let me, that is clear. Why?

“We won’t leave till he comes back,” I said after a while. I know when I am defeated, she is not someone you can win against. I leaned on the stone wall and sat back down folding my legs. I am waiting for him silently, but I am anxious and worried. I am afraid for him. I have no idea how to deal with my emotions, they are making me antsy.

After a while, I got up and tended to the fire, trying to calm myself. I thought of all the worst possible scenarios in the few minutes I was alone after he left. What if he is hurt? What if he died? How will I know if he is alive? What if he is wounded and needs help? I can’t just sit here and wait for him. What if he doesn’t come back ever? I am getting impatient and, more than that, I am terrified. I am terrified for him. For the first time in my life, I was afraid for someone else. I am worried about his safety. I am scared of losing him. I don’t understand my own feelings, I barely know him. Yet being away from him terrifies me. My head and feelings are scattered.

While I am afraid, Nyx is roaring mad. For some reason, Ethan’s well-being is affecting her a lot. I am afraid for him, but she is crying for him as if he is family. I have no family, no one is left in my family, I remind myself. I have made my resolve; I need to check on him and if he is injured I need to help him. I can’t let him die. He helped me. I owe it to him to at least save his life. Nyx reminds me we can’t shift, or they will catch us. So I partially shift into Nyx and slowly go out of the cave.

I tried to smell Ethan’s scent in the wind. How do I know? How am I so aware of his smell? Lemongrass and bergamot, that’s what he smells like. It feels eerie that something is wrong. I have this weird feeling which I get every time something is wrong, and those people are around. I slowly edged towards the trees. There is no sound. There should be some kind of noise. Sounds from insects and birds should be heard. We are in the forest. Why is there a suffocating silence?

A dark aura surrounds me. I feel as if I am being watched. When I went around and walked a few meters away from the cave, I saw an unconscious Ethan on the ground. I ran to him without a second thought. Just as I am about to touch him to check his pulse, I feel someone behind me. I whirl around and come face to face with a monster.

“tsk..tsk..tsk.. You have run quite far, little dove. But finally, I trapped you. Little birdie, you won’t get away now.” Says a man from behind me. He is smiling at me, but his smile is creepy and terrifying. It is the smile of a monster. A monster who is ready to devour you.

He is filthy, not theoretically dirty with scars, but actually dirty with dirt and grim. He is covered in filth. He looks as if he hasn’t bathed in ages. His clothes are yellow and grim. He smells like sewer water and a garbage bin. The smell alone makes me vomit. The filthy-looking man is built like a mountain with a bald head and yellow teeth. He has a scar running from his throat to his chest. He has four men behind him. They all look like him. They all looked like they hadn’t bathed in ages. The other three are trying to surround me. One has silver handcuffs in his hands and is pointing a gun at me. I just stood there unblinking and unafraid, waiting for him to make a move.

“I would have killed you for all the drama you caused. But master needs you alive.” Says the other guy, sneering at me.

Who is this guy? Master? I have never heard that name before. Why does this master want me? Is he the reason I am being followed? Is he the one who ruined my life? Why am I so important to him?

Nyx interjects, “We have never been caught before. We never had time to have a chat. And who cares who he is? I will kill him the day I catch him.”

That’s true as well. She is highly alert. I am not even worried about myself this time; I am worried about the kind stranger. I can sense Nyx’s feelings and her rage. She will surely kill these guys, there is no doubt about it. I have never felt such rage from her. She is usually angry or being angry is her nature, but this feels different. This feels personal as if she is on a war path. She wants revenge. I looked at Ethan and understood instantly that this was about him. I myself feel enraged. I have not known him long, but he gave me something I have not felt in a long time; companionship.

When the one behind us attacks, Nyx tears his throat out. She holds it up as a display, it is gruesome and so unlike her. She has never enjoyed killing anyone, but right now she is relishing it. She is bathing herself in the blood of her enemy. He dies instantly, which startles the rest. They attack all at once. Coming at me altogether, but Nyx is ready for them. She kills one by pulling his heart out, as his limp body falls to the ground with a thud. The remaining two are taken back, hesitation is evident in their movements. That is enough leverage for Nyx to tear their arms apart. They are writhing in pain. When she comes forward and growls at them, they look pale.

“Which one of you attacked Ethan? Who touched him?” She growls with hatred. The guy on the floor doesn’t respond, which makes her angrier. She tears his heart out, focusing on the other one. He is frozen in fear.

“Why do you want to capture me?” I asked as Nyx didn’t care about anything but the unconscious stranger on the floor.

“I don’t know I am just a henchman; I was paid to kidnap you. I don’t know anything, please leave me.” She kills him by pulling his heart out too. All of them are dead and are lying on the floor like dead flies. She doesn’t waste a moment on them. She walks away without looking back at them.

We went to Ethan; he had been badly beaten. He has a pulse, which relieves my anxiety. He is breathing slowly but steadily, so I know he is alive. He looks rough as if he fought hard. I was looking around when I noticed something in the distance.

The scene in the distance caught my attention. I see more people on the ground up ahead. He must have fought them with all his strength. We get up and check the people lying on the ground. They are all dismembered body parts. Bits and pieces, not a single whole body. The ground is painted red in blood.

Ethan must have fought really hard. I walked back to him and bent down as soon as I touched his checks I realized it. I realized the haunting truth which was right in front of me.

“Mate”