Chapter 43: Chapter FOURTY THREE

Mia gradually regained consciousness, her head throbbing more and more, creating a migraine that clouded her thoughts for a moment. Before she opened her eyes, deafening noises came to her: roars, explosions, screams... She had no idea where she was and her memory continued to fail her for several seconds after she woke up.

A gunshot rang out to her left, startling her enough to snap her eyes open and stare at the source of the noise. It was a slender woman in her forties, with stern features and dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail. She held in her hand what looked like an ancient musket and alternated between firing and reloading, imitated by two other men rhythming their rate of fire out of step with hers so that there was always someone ready to fire.

Where am I? On earth? No... she realized when she saw their opponents. Where do these guns come from?

"Mia! You are awake ?" Andrei asked, yelling to drown out the sound of the guns.

She nodded, still stunned by the scene of war unfolding before her eyes. Why had she fallen asleep and what was she doing in the middle of a battlefield? And, most importantly, where was Ethan? Andrei put his hand on her shoulder as she slowly rose to a sitting position. Her migraine was beginning to clear, allowing the fog covering her memory to dissipate.

"Then get up! We're going to retreat soon, you have to prepare to calm Ethan down before he turns against us," he ordered.

Ethan? Where is he?

Both of her palms found the ground to help her up. Her balance was off and the exercise was more complicated than expected. Andrei had shifted a few inches to fend off a vampire, allowing the woman beside them to shoot him in the jugular. The soldier winced when she saw that she had only brushed against his skin and that he was coming back to the charge, enraged. This time, the attacker had decided to try his hand at another target. Andrei propelled himself in front of Mia to protect her, but he was quickly pushed back before he could cast a spell.

Mia's heart raced, ready to explode in her ribcage as the vampire was about to throw himself on her neck. Terrorized, she didn't even dare try to dodge the creature's superhuman speed. Her brain was emptied of all parasitic thoughts, focused on the gesture of her attacker who was only a few tens of centimeters from her body. It never reached it.

Claws pierced the vampire in the heart, crossing his ribcage to stop him dead in his tracks. A few drops of blood covered Mia's face, horrified by the scene unfolding before her eyes. The vampire's vital organ had been ripped out and found itself crushed in the palm of its assailant. The latter released him to remove his hand from his victim's body and groaned in contentment. Something inside her told her not to look up, not to lay eyes on whoever had made such an attack, but she didn't listen to that little voice. The creature in front of her, staring intently at her, was not something she had seen while on Istarea. It was scary and demonic, more than anything she had seen before. Although Mia claimed to be an atheist, she knew very well how demons were represented in the different religions of her world. There was no doubt that they must have been inspired by the creature in front of her. The memories of her past theological education forced her to instinctively think that it was dangerous and that she had to get away from it as soon as possible.

However, the creature did not seek to attack her. After a last pointed look, it went back to fight a few other attackers, always staying within reach of Mia, as if it was protecting her.

An explosion different from the others brought her out of her torpor as a smoke rocket shot into the air. Mia finally decided to take notice of her surroundings, which was no small feat since chaos reigned in the arena. Spells, fangs, claws, blood, it was all she could assimilate at this moment, while her memories came back to her in bits and pieces. The immobilization spell, the cellar, the cold seeping into her clothes, the misunderstanding... and Andrei, her kidnapper.

"You!" she threatened Andrei, pointing her index finger at his face. "It's because of you!"

"We don't have time for that Mia," he threw at her, lowering himself to touch the ground with both palms and murmuring a few words, transforming the earth surrounding his opponent into quicksand. "The retreat has been announced, as soon as the others arrive, you will have to go get Ethan."

"Where is he?" she reacted instantly.

Deep down, she already knew the answer. When Andrei pointed at the creature, it only confirmed her suspicions.

"Why... why is he like this?" she stuttered.

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"He must have lost his mind and let his Vila control him to protect you..." he explained breathlessly, getting up to watch the divisions of the bleachers and the castle running through the gates of the arena. "Look, you're his soul mate, he won't hurt you."

"But..."

"I thought you trusted him! We need to move now, the other divisions will protect our retreat! Go before he turns on us!" he got angry, pointing at the Vila.

Mia, uncertain, put her foot forward, one step at a time. Her limbs were shaking and her mind was racked with conflicting thoughts. Her heart was torn between wanting to run away and her feelings for Ethan. If she didn't calm him down, what would happen? Would they kill him? Would she then be free to make her own choices?

This is my last chance to choose a different path. I can choose now... If he dies, I'm free... she repeated to herself while heading slowly towards the Vila. Really? Spending time with him, having to bond, liking him... I didn't choose anything in that. But it's too late now... Maybe it's time to accept it...

"Ethan!" she shouted to challenge him.

The Vila turned to his soul mate, growling after propelling his assailant a few meters further. He quickly met death when the soldiers in the rear riddled him with bullets. They had formed a defensive wall, protecting the couple and the first division from the last opponents.

Mia's footsteps brought her back to within a meter of the Vila who was breathing heavily, in the grip of the rage inhabiting him. When he fixed his fierce gaze on his soul mate, she could have sworn he had mellowed. It was hard to tell when the corneas of his eyes were completely tinted black, making it impossible to read his gaze. She swallowed hard, terrified, then took a long breath to calm her mind and moved forward another few centimeters.

It's Ethan, it's not a demon, it's just him, she told herself as she wrapped her arms around the Vila's chest. He easily exceeded her by about fifteen centimeters in this form.

The monster froze at Mia's gesture and lowered his head to watch her, uncertain. The effect was immediate. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to place his palm gently and slowly on his soul mate's cheek so as not to hurt her with his claws. His mouth was parted to catch his breath and revealed his sharp teeth, reminding the blonde very much of those of sharks. This vision shook her determination for a second. She rested her head against his chest, however, and forced her eyelids shut, trying to calm the frantic throbbing of her body.

"Bite me," she asked softly, trying to control her voice so as not to let her fear show.

The Vila's hand gently gripped her chin to raise her head and meet her gaze. He was staring at her and seemed to be expecting something. She plunged her eyes into his for a few seconds and felt her body gradually relax. Ethan's expression, still indecipherable, had softened considerably, sweeping away the fury that still inhabited him a few minutes before.

"Bite me," she repeated more confidently.

When his fangs grazed her throat, she shivered in apprehension. When they planted themselves in her flesh, a sharp pain spread. She heard herself screaming from afar as if the screams weren't hers. The surroundings around them seemed to be slowly disappearing as his mind was fully focused on the Vila's bite. Quickly, the pain was replaced by a feeling of absolute serenity. Only one word came to mind at that moment. She felt...

Complete.

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