CHAPTER FIVE: THE CONNECTION

Before Durian found out that Elle was in danger, he happened to see that it was Oliver and Saffron by the barrier. They had been trying to break in before sighting him.

In Ashfalls, there was an existing enmity between the vampires and the werewolves while the witches lived secluded lives away from the power turmoil. “A vampire...I see. Oh! And, a witch too? How interesting! Perhaps, you must have forgotten that you are not allowed into this territory unless you want your entire clan annihilated?” He sneered towards them.

Ready to launch an attack, Oliver’s fangs became more pronounced in retaliation, the two were ready to start a war there and then. For the sake of Elle’s safety, Saffron held Oliver back. “We need his help to find her” she whispered to him before turning to face Durian.

“Durian, hear us out. Please?” Saffron pleaded. “We think our friend might have wandered into your territory and we just want to find her. She has been missing since yesterday. Please help us! We mean no harm.” She was fully aware that the best method to find Elle was to beg Durian, them forcing their way would only anger him further.

“Is your friend Elle? Brunette? Sassy little human?” He answered shabbily. Deep down, he wasn’t willing to let her go with them until he satisfied his curiosity surrounding her. Seeing how much Oliver cared for her, a sudden urge of possessiveness came upon him, he felt as though he had some underlying ownership of her.

“Yes, please!” Saffron responded.

“I’ll bring her to you. Don’t come in here. If the others find you, they might pity the witch, but the vampire definitely won’t be spared. You know what I mean.”

As he turned back to get Elle, he felt an unfamiliar sharp pain in his chest. At first, he shrugged it off but then the pain continued to heighten. His body, weakened by this pain, stumbled upon an old oak tree which he grabbed for support.

Saffron bit her lip in concern “Is anything the matter? Do you need help?”

He groaned in pain “Mind your own business, witch.”

Painstakingly, he struggled to leave the sight of Oliver and Saffron so they don’t see him so weak and helpless.

“What the hell is going on with me?” He wondered to himself. An unfamiliar wave of a powerful sensation washed over him. It didn’t feel like the pain of a wound. It was something deeper, something primal.

Images of Elle being strangled by a shadow wraith flashed through his mind. He finally realised that the feeling could be signalling that she had been in danger.

“What horrid connection might this be?” He mumbled before he took off, his feet barely touched the ground as he bolted through the forest to find her by tracing her scent.

The moment he found her struggling for her life, the pain he was experiencing instantly intensified. Tough feelings of rage, possessiveness, and something far more dangerous sent ripples through his entire body.

After dismissing the shadow wraith that threatened the life of Elle, he was curious as to what type of person she was, strong enough to conjure a shadow wraith and even go through his barrier.

It all felt too unusual to Durian. Because Elle possessed a wolf-like scent, she was not supposed to have a conjuring ability. What on earth was she?

Perhaps, had she been sent by his rivals to spy on him, find his weakness and get rid of him altogether. What was the possible reason for the pain that connected her to him? So many questions lingered on his mind.

Judging by how she looked, he knew that it wasn’t a good time to interrogate her. However, he needed answers. Unfortunately, she was unable to go through with his interrogation. Due to her exhaustion, she fell unconscious in his arms.

Durian contemplated between getting her back to her friends or just keeping her with him. After much thought, he eventually decided to send her back but would continue to spying on her.

After coming to this consensus, he effortlessly lifted her into his arms. His chest hurt less when her unconscious body rested against his chest, but the anger remained within him.

He had no explanation for this newly found connection that posed as a weakness.

**************

Elle’s eyes slowly fluttered open as she held onto her neck, remembering her near-death experience. She looked around and saw Saffron next to her, they were in Saffron’s tent.

“How long was a knocked out for?” she asked.

“Not much. Just a little over twenty-four hours. You should rest some more.” Saffron responded with a slight hint of concern in her voice.

“What happened to me? I...how did I get back here? For a second, I was lost in the woods. I met an old woman who told me that... I was cursed. And then I met a guy named Durian...who claimed to have ownership of some type of territory and I happened to have gone through his barrier. And then I got crazy injured and strangled...it’s all hazy.” She rambled on and on.

The response she got from Saffron surprised her “Oh poor Elle. Did you have another nightmare?”

Elle’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion “What? No, I didn’t have a nightmare. All of this happened. For real”. In an attempt to prove her point, she tried to show Saffron a few injuries and leftover bruises from the attack.

“If all of this didn’t happen, then how did I sustain all of these bruises around my neck?” She frantically motioned towards her neck with her hands.

“There’s nothing on your neck, Elle. No bruises! Everything you think happened must have all just been in your head. Forget about it.” Saffron sighed in fake sympathy.

Knowing fully well that she was intentionally trying to manipulate her friend just so she could protect the identity of her kind, she felt like a hypocrite.

Earlier on, she intentionally used her witch powers to heal Elle, just to cover traces of her encounter with Durian. She even tried erasing her memories of the incident. Luckily for Elle, Saffron’s powers couldn’t work on her.

Elle took the nearest mirror to confirm and sighed in disbelief as she realised that there was indeed nothing on her body to back up her claims of the encounter with Durian. She opened her mouth to speak but no words made their way out of her mouth.

Breaking the silence, Saffron said to her “Maybe you should see a therapist. If you’re too scared to go alone, I can come with you.”

“But- I’m...not crazy, Saf. I’m not assuming these things.” She wasn’t going to believe Saffron. She was acting suspicious as if she was trying to hide something from her.

“How did I get knocked out? Tell me the truth.” she pressed further, just so she could have a grasp on what was on Saffron’s mind.

“You fainted from tiredness while trying to find Oliver, he found you unconscious. That’s all that happened.” Saffron responded as if she had already crammed those lines as a script. She held a forceful smile on her face.

Elle could tell that she was lying and being suspicious. She couldn’t trust anyone at this point. Her friend whom she confided in, was trying to manipulate her and somehow this manipulation seemed to be suspicious. Elle, herself, had no explanation for how her injuries had been able to vanish.

She concluded that she was going to continue on her quest to investigate her nightmares and curse on her own, Saffron wasn’t helping matters.

“You’re trying to hide something from me by manipulating me into thinking I’m crazy. I’m going to find out an explanation of whatever happened on my own. I don’t need anyone convincing me that I’m crazy.” For the first time since they became friends, her gaze towards Saffron was filled with fury.

“You need to chill, Elle. You don’t understand yourself right now. Take a chill pill.” She said as her siren looked subtly threatening.

“I’m starting to think that you know more about these things haunting me in my dreams. Whatever it is that you’re trying to hide, I’ll figure it out!” With that, she stormed out of Saffron’s tent.

A wave of guilt flushed over Saffron, she knew that Elle didn’t deserve what was being done to her. Plus, the nightmares were already overwhelming for her. However, Saffron had a sense of duty to protect her kind and she wasn’t willing to compromise it for Elle.

Maybe, she never thought their friendship to be as genuine as Elle felt it. That was the thing about humans, they gave their trust too easily.

Outside the tent, Elle rummaged through her pocket for her phone and in the process, she found a necklace with an engraved wolf on the pendant. She was certain that it wasn’t hers but oddly enough, she felt a strange connection to it as the engraved figure let out a slight glow.

“I was right” she muttered to herself. “It wasn’t just a nightmare. That creep, Durian, could have clues on the nature of my nightmares and an alleged curse. I need to find him.”