23 | ELEMENTAL

After a few more minutes of utter silence, there’s a certain scent that catches my attention and I hear the sharp, telltale snapping of twigs. Soft, yet heavy panting confirms my suspicion before the wolf bursts out from behind a tree to my right. Beside me, Zoe tenses, her sure footsteps faltering. But it’s not a Wolven. Just a normal grey wolf. I tilt my head at the animal, nodding to it as it’s head turns to mimic mine.

I’ve come across wolves before, never once having an issue with the animals since I’ve never posed a threat to the creatures. But this is the first time I’ve seen one after Blooming. Much like the usual curiosity wolves have for us Wolven, this particular Alpha watches me for a moment, but it also seems to detect my hybrid nature as it keeps a safe distance away. Before, normal wolves would come up to me like any other dog and sniff me out, fulfilling their curiosity before leaving me alone.

This one just watches.

I say nothing to Zoe, just make a motion with my left hand for the vampire to keep walking. To my relief, the wolf remains still, glancing briefly at the vampire as she begins to slowly pass the animal before turning to stare at me. I give the wolf another nod, bowing my head a little lower and dropping my gaze as I move back to follow Zoe. Though I’m not afraid the wolf will attack, I really don’t want to fight - or even injure - the creature - even in self-defense.

The wolf trots away without a backward glance when Zoe and I are a few more yards away. Zoe, again, says nothing as we walk, but she’s more alert - I note - as we get deeper into the woods. Eventually - maybe thirty minutes later - the treeline thins and we’re suddenly standing on the edge of a large estate.

There’s a huge lake in the very center of the property with an ornate grey house twice the size of the main house of Hale’s Coven.

“Guess we’ve found them,” Zoe mutters to me under her breath, staying back as she scans the wide, open area leading up the enormous house. I follow her lead, but see nothing unusual around us - or anything moving aside from the branches of the fall leaves in the breeze.

“Guess so,” I mutter back, still feeling a little off from the brief encounter with the wolf. It takes me a little longer than it should for my mind to refocus on the task and plan at hand. “How should we do this?” I ask Zoe quietly, chewing my bottom lip.

Something about the wide grassy lawn and lake in the very center makes me feel uneasy. I realize - after a moment of silence - that there’s not an animal in sight. No chirping of birds, no rabbits, no foxes, no frogs…nothing. Not even the soft hum of life that should normally be in the woods around us. My ears twitch and I feel my shoulders tense.

“We ring the bell.” Zoe mutters back, looking as tense as I feel. Her dark eyes keep flicking across the lawn - almost nervously. “We should be quick about it.” She adds, quickly striding from the treeline and marching straight towards the house. I blink again and have to jog to catch up. Zoe never breaks her brisk pace as I struggle to catch up, her dark eyes sweeping across the lawn over and over the closer we get. The eerie silence around us feels like a palpable force the deeper we get into the clearing.

I’m so busy looking around that I almost stumble into Zoe’s back when she stops. Five feet in front of the large oak doors. Simple, yet heavy-looking things block off the entrance to the house. To our right a white button stands out against the grey, stony exterior. A doorbell. The sight of the normal looking thing brings the human custom out in me and I reach over to press the button. There's a gentle chime I can hear from the other side of the door, muffled by the thing. I duck back to stand beside Zoe as the my good hearing picks up the sound of movement.

A girl a few years younger than me answers the door. Her eyes have me staring at her, my vamp sense of auras going nuts. Her eyes are hazel at first glance, but as I stare at them, I notice there aren’t just the usual hazel palate there but red and silver and a shimmering gold - along with shards of blue and green. If I didn’t already know something about supernaturals, seeing her eyes would confirm any hesitant belief. Her aura isn’t like anything I’ve felt before, pulsing against my skin from five feet away like the waves from a wild ocean.

Each wave washing over me and charging the surface of my skin and tingling through it - as if the aura itself were trying to seep into my body. My breath catches in my lungs, staying suspended as the girl eyes Zoe and I with caution and curiosity. Waiting for us to announce ourselves.

There’s an awkward beat of silence, and I realize whatever’s going on with the girl is affecting not only me, but Zoe. I mentally struggle against the power trying to bleed into my body, but can’t seem to manage more than a few rapid blinks. Just as I realize I literally *cannot move of my own free will*, and panic surges into my limbs, Zoe and I are rescued.

“Eyre, don’t answer the door without-” A woman calls after the girl before us. A different shudder of fear ripples through me as I connect the name the woman used to address the teen and what I know. *This girl is the all-powerful Elemental*. “May I help you?” The woman blocks my view of her daughter, her blue-green eyes cold and icy. I blink at her as this woman’s much gentler aura seems to block out the girls’. Suddenly, I can breathe again. Move again. Beside me, Zoe lets out a hiss and takes a tiny step away from the door. There’s a huff of annoyance from the girl - Eyre - and the slapping of bare feet against tile, slowly leaving. I can literally feel the Elemental walking away, taking her raw power with her.

“Mrs. Cai?” I ask, getting ahold of myself long enough to recall why we’re here.

“Yes,” Mrs. Cai’s eyes narrow, the temperature around us plummeting as her eyes begin to softly pulse with hidden light. A warning. I swallow, the surge of power in her energy robbing me of an intelligable thoughts.

“We apologize for the intrusion, Mrs. Cai.” Zoe pipes up, drawing the woman’s attention away from me. “My name is Zoe, I’m with Halestorm Holland’s Coven stationed in Kiwina-”

“Let me stop you there,” Mrs. Cai interrupts Zoe, holding up one of her tan hands and exposing just how delicate-looking and perfect her manicured fingernails are. They’re completely elegant fingers - and I know with an absolute certainty they’ve never seen a day of work in their life. “We have no quarrel with Halestorm. Nor any of the Azures or Reiniers,” Her eyes flicker over to me briefly before returning to Zoe. “Whatever this is about, you can come back in about a week to discuss the matter with us, but I’m afraid right now is not a good time.” She tells us firmly, her voice becoming clipped and gaining a slight accent with the emphasis on the last two words.

“We’ve come to warn you,” I blurt out at the woman - just as she attempts to close the door in our faces. The swinging-shut door pauses and Mrs. Cai’s face reappears. An icy chill crawls up my spine as her eyes turn back to mine. “Y-your daughter-” I stutter, trying to explain, but Zoe grabs my arm and shoves me behind her body as the temperature - once again - plummets. I blink in surprise, my eyes catching on the spot I’d just been standing in…where four foot, thin, glass-looking spikes had erupted from the ground - piercing the air and standing firmly in their tangled icicle way. I know with a terrifying certainty, had I been standing there, I’d have been impaled by each if Zoe hadn’t moved me.

“Is that a threat, hybrid?” Mrs. Cai asks me softly, her voice dead-cold and just as clipped as before.

“No, ma’am!” I choke out, ignoring Zoe’s hiss as I move to stand on her other side and face the Elemental. “L-like I said, your daughter-” I try, but the Elemental cuts me off.

“I do not want to see either of you here again.” Mrs. Cai grits out. “My daughter is none of your concern.”

“Of course, Mrs. Cai, but if you could just-” Zoe begins, pushing me behind her again and letting out a yelp. My vampire friend lifts her arm and we both stare at the frostbitten limb in silence.

“Leave before I do something more permanent.” Mrs. Cai warns. And I have a feeling we won’t get a second warning. I grab Zoe’s uninjured arm and pull her after me as I turn and run back into the woods.