16. Aurel
16
AUREL
I slither through the dense forest, my serpentine body weaving between ancient trees. Every muscle in my body screams at me to turn back, but I push forward. The taste of freedom should be sweet on my tongue, yet all I taste is bile.
"You're doing the right thing," I mutter to myself, crushing a fallen branch beneath my coils. "She was holding you back. She's weak. Human."
But the words ring hollow, and memories of Vera flood my mind unbidden. The way she looked at me with trust in her eyes. The warmth of her body against mine in the river. The soft sounds she made when I?—
"Fuck!" I slam my fist into a tree trunk, splintering the bark. The pain helps clear my head, but not enough.
A distant scream echoes through the forest. My heart stops. I know that voice.
"She'll be fine," I growl, trying to convince myself. "The dark elves won't kill her. They need their slaves."
But my body coils tighter, every scale bristling with tension. Another scream pierces the air, closer this time. Then silence.
The silence is worse than the screams.
I close my eyes, seeing Vera's face. The way she smiled at me, even when I was cold to her. The gentle touch of her hands. The trust I betrayed.
"What have I done?" The words escape in a whisper. My chest constricts with an unfamiliar ache. Is this... guilt?
My tail lashes out, knocking over a small tree in frustration. I shouldn't care. She was just a tool. A means to an end. Nothing more.
But even as I think it, I know it's a lie.
Her face haunts me as I move through the forest. Those eyes - wide with betrayal, glistening with unshed tears. I can't shake the image of her trembling lips as I spat those final cruel words at her.
"You're nothing but a burden."
My tail coils tighter around a tree trunk, the bark splintering under my grip. The memory of her flinch cuts deeper than any blade.
"Weak human," I mutter, but the words taste like ash in my mouth. The warmth of her body against mine in the river floods my senses. The way she touched me, so gentle, so trusting...
"Stop it!" I slam my fist into another tree. Physical pain is better than this... this thing eating away at my chest.
Her voice echoes in my mind. "I thought you were different." The last words she spoke before I turned my back on her.
A sudden, searing pain rips through my chest. It's like molten metal being poured into my veins. My body convulses, scales scraping against the forest floor.
"Fuck!" The scream tears from my throat, echoing through the trees. The pain intensifies, and I thrash, my tail whipping wildly, taking down saplings in its wake.
Another wave hits, and I roar, the sound more beast than man. What is this? What's happening to me?
Through the haze of agony, her face appears again - but this time, it's different. Empty. Lifeless.
"Vera?" The name escapes in a broken whisper before another scream rips from my chest, echoing through the vast forest.
Pain rips through my body like lightning, forcing me to curl into myself on the forest floor. My scales scrape against fallen leaves and twigs, my tail thrashing uncontrollably.
"What is this?" I gasp, clawing at my chest. The agony spreads from my heart outward, as if my blood has turned to acid.
Then I hear it - her voice, carried on the wind like a whisper. "I curse you, Aurel!"
The words brand themselves into my soul, and I roar in pain. My vision blurs, but all I can see is Vera's face, her eyes filled with betrayal.
"Get out of my head!" I slam my fist into the ground, but her presence only grows stronger. Something primal stirs within me, an instinct I've never felt before. Every fiber of my being screams at me to return to her.
"Mate," the word tumbles from my lips unbidden, and I freeze. The realization hits me like a physical blow. "No... it can't be."
Her voice calls to me again, stronger this time, pulling at something deep inside my chest. I try to fight it, but my body responds on its own, turning back toward where I left her.
"Fuck!" I grip a tree trunk, trying to anchor myself. "She's just a human. Just a tool. Just?—"
Another wave of pain cuts off my words, and with it comes her scent, her touch, memories of her warmth against my scales. My body trembles with need, an ancient magic awakening in my blood.
The pull is impossible to resist now. Like a siren's call, her presence beckons me, and my heart pounds with a truth I can no longer deny.
I drag myself through the undergrowth, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through my body. The pain lessens with every foot I cover back toward her, but it's still excruciating.
"What kind of magic is this?" I grit my teeth as another spasm wracks my frame. "Some kind of binding spell?"
My tail thrashes against the forest floor as I push forward. The closer I get to where I left her, the more the vice grip around my heart loosens. Understanding dawns, bitter and sharp.
"I can't leave her." The words taste like defeat on my tongue. "She's bound me to her somehow."
The sounds of combat reach my ears - magical explosions and shouts cutting through the forest air. Dark elf magic crackles, making my scales bristle.
"No." My heart pounds against my ribs. "Not them."
I surge forward, my body moving faster despite the lingering pain. The cliff edge comes into view through the trees, and I see them - dark elves surrounding a familiar figure.
Vera stands at the precipice, her slight frame trembling but defiant. One of the dark elves reaches for her.
"Get back here, slave!"
My chest constricts as she steps backward, closer to the edge. Everything inside me screams to move faster.
"No!" The word tears from my throat as she tips backward into empty air. I burst through the treeline, but I'm too late.
She falls, her body silhouetted against the setting sun, and something in me shatters.
"VERA!" The scream tears from my throat, a sound so primal it shakes the very trees. My tail whips out, catching the nearest dark elf and crushing his ribcage before he can raise his magic.
"You let her jump!" I slam another against a tree, my claws ripping through flesh. "You fucking bastards!"
Blood sprays across my chest as I tear through them. My vision blurs red with rage, every movement driven by pure instinct and fury. A dark elf's spell grazes my shoulder, but I barely feel it.
"Kill the beast!" one of them shouts.
I laugh, the sound hollow and broken. "You can't kill me. Not anymore." My tail lashes out again, sweeping three of them off their feet. "Nothing matters anymore."
Their magic crackles around me, but I push through it, my scales smoking from the impacts. Each spell that hits me only fuels my rage. I don't care about the pain. I don't care about anything except reaching that cliff edge.
"Get out of my way!" I roar, crushing another dark elf beneath my coils. Their bones crack like twigs, their screams music to my ears.
Finally, I reach the precipice. The drop stretches endlessly below, disappearing into mist and shadow. My heart pounds against my ribs as I lean over the edge.
"Vera!" My voice echoes down the chasm, swallowed by the void. "VERA!"
Only silence answers. My claws dig into the rock face, crumbling it beneath my grip. "What have I done?" The words come out as a broken whisper. "I can't... I can't lose you. Not like this."
The remaining dark elves gather behind me, their magic humming in the air, but I barely notice them. All I can see is that endless drop, all I can hear is her final curse echoing in my mind.
"Please," I whisper into the abyss. "Please, Vera. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."
The remaining dark elves circle me, their magic crackling in the air. My muscles coil tight, ready to strike. Let them come. Let them feel what true hatred tastes like.
"The beast grieves," one of them sneers. "How pathetic."
My tail whips out, catching him mid-laugh. The crack of his spine echoes through the clearing. "Grief?" Blood drips from my claws as I turn to face the others. "This isn't grief. This is rage."
Their spells hit me like burning brands, but I barely feel them. Nothing can match the pain already tearing through my chest. I launch myself at the nearest elf, my hands wrapping around his throat.
"You want to see a monster?" I crush his windpipe, watching the light fade from his eyes. "I'll show you a fucking monster."
Three more dark elves attack from different directions, their magic forming a cage of lightning around me. I laugh, the sound raw and broken.
"You think you can cage me again?" My tail sweeps in a wide arc, smashing through their barrier. "I've got nothing left to lose."
One of them stumbles backward, fear finally showing in his eyes. "What are you?"
I grab him by the face, slamming him into the ground. "I'm your worst nightmare." My claws sink deep into his flesh. "And I'm just getting started."
The remaining elves try to retreat, but I'm faster. My coils wrap around two of them, squeezing until their bones crack like twigs. Their screams are music to my ears.
"Please," the last one begs, dropping to his knees. "Mercy."
I lean close, letting him see the emptiness in my eyes. "Mercy? Did you show her mercy?" My tail tightens around his chest. "Did you try to save her when she jumped?"
His answer is cut off by the sound of crushing bones. I drop his lifeless body and slither to the cliff's edge. Blood drips from my scales, mixing with the dirt beneath me.
"Wait for me, Vera." I look down into the abyss. "I'm coming."