Chapter 101

Chapter 101
Mae PoV

I’m surrounded by men, and not in a good way. I like attention as much as any woman, but not when they want to actually rearrange my insides. I’m not going to die today, whether they like it or not, I’m much stronger than them.

Sure, there are a lot of them, a whole fucking lot, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go down without a fight. I’ve faced much worse odds than this and won, I just have to keep my head high and my blade even higher.

Mihai and my father are here, they made it, but there’s a lot of hunters separating us, and I’m pretty sure some of them aren’t even human. They’re some kind of medically enhanced super soldiers, and I have to face them alone.

Just my fucking luck.

Honestly, I should have guessed this would be how it all ends for me. The hunter council don’t fuck around.

But neither do I, and I’m ready for a really good fight, win or lose.

“Mae!” I hear Luthor shout, but I can’t concentrate on him or his voice right now, not when I’m a second away from becoming a skewer.

“Surrender.” The guy with red eyes orders, circling me. “The council want you alive, come quietly and we won’t have to hurt you.”

I laugh; I laugh so hard I swear I almost pee a little. “Not a chance.” I say, raising my blade.

Red eyes smirks like he’s already won and charges at me, they’re playing some kind of sick game, I just know it. Only one or two of them are coming at me at a time, it’s like they’re taking it in turns to see who can take me down first. Which is more than a little annoying.

But I’m also kind of grateful they’re not all rushing me at once, because I’m strong, but I’m not THAT strong.

Red eyes swings his blade into mine with such immense force that I’m pushed back, and I almost fall on my arse. Almost. Honestly, it’s a little embarrassing. But I still don’t back down, I can’t. I won’t become a slave to the council.

I’d rather die here in the middle of nowhere than go back to that life, a life that was never mine.

They don’t control me anymore, and they can’t fucking stand it. They thought they had the perfect weapon when my mother came back pregnant, but they were wrong. I’ll never be their weapon.

But I will be the weapon that destroys them.

Red eyes attacks again, knocking my backwards again until I land on my arse for real this time, and fuck, it hurts like hell.

He laughs, kneeling in front of me. “You are no match for me, girl. Admit defeat and we can take you away without all this messiness.” He says, voice soft as silk.

He can try and convince me all he wants, but I’ve always been stubborn. I won’t be going anywhere with him or the council, not whilst I’m still breathing.

He’s a smooth talker, I’ll give him that, but it’ll take more than words to make me put my weapon down and surrender.

“I don’t think so.” I pant, slowly rising back to my feet.

I’m hurt, and my back is screaming at me, but I can still fight, and whilst ever I can hold a weapon in my hands, I won’t back down.

He shakes his head, “silly girl.”

Maybe I am. Maybe it would be a lot easier just to give in, but that isn’t who I am, and it never will be.

“Mae hold on, I’m coming.” I hear Mihai shout from somewhere in the crowd.

I want to believe him, I want to hold onto the hope that he will come and save me. But I also know that we didn’t bring enough men to fight forever, and there are a lot more of them than there is of us. A whole lot more.

More than I expected.

I underestimated how much the hunter council wanted me back, and I didn’t expect them to go to such lengths to capture me. That was my first mistake, I didn’t prepare as much as I should have.

I should have known something like this would happen, I know them like the back of my hand, and yet I stupidly thought they could be swayed into making peace. That was my second mistake. The hunter council don’t want peace, they want my kind to die. All of us. And those of us they don’t kill will become like red eyes, a slave to their wants.

I didn’t want to accept the fact that they’ll never be peace, but I have to face the reality of the situation, and that means I have to give up on the idea that the hunter council will stop hunting us.

They will never stop.

But neither will I, I won’t stop until the people I love are safe enough to live life the way that they want to.

I won’t stop until every creature in this word is free, even the witches, even the turned vampires, because we all deserve the chance to live.

Red eyes watches me, his body shaking with adrenaline. “This is your last chance to surrender, Mae.” He says coldly, “your friends will never get to you in time.”

“You can break every bone in my body, but I will not surrender.” I say, taking a step forward, blade raised.

He lunges, but this time, I’m ready. I raise my blade and slash it down his shoulder, catching him by surprise. Blood oozes from the wound, but it doesn’t slow him down, not even a little. He’s definitely some kind of super soldier.

I jump to the side just as his blade comes crashing through the air, hitting the dirt with so much force the ground beneath my feet shakes. My eyes are wide and wild, but I don’t stop, I can’t afford to stop. No one here can.

“You’re weak.” Red eyes taunts, shifting the sword to the arm I didn’t injure. “Pathetic.”

I smile at him, and it ain’t a nice smile. He can think I’m weak, he can think I’m not worth the effort or the risk. But clearly the council need me, or they wouldn’t be here.

I’ll find out everything I need to know, but first, I need to kill this arsehole.  

Steel clashes against steel, flesh striking flesh, and all around me, I hear the sounds of people fighting for their lives on both sides. It didn’t have to be like this, peace could have been obtained today.

But the hunter council chose violence, and who am I to deny them that?