Hunted (BurningWillows & BloodMoon)

[BurningWillows]

"I love you too," she breathed, burying her head into his shoulder once again as he finished and let her curl up within his arms.

As they settled, her eyes closed softly, her body melting into his embrace. The bed was soft and luscious, caressing their naked skin. This is...perfect. He's perfect.

Are you forgetting something?

Shhhh...hhh...what?

How long do you think you can keep me hidden? If he's always around, how long till I rip apart that pretty little neck of his.

You wouldn't dare touch him!

Images circled her brain, images of that first night with Braxton, when she had attacked him. The memories swirled to others, ones she couldn't remember because she had blacked out. The death in them disgusted her, the fearful cries and bloodcurdling screams making her sick.

You'll never find happiness Ashlin. Not while I'm around.

 

[BloodMoon]

His arms naturally wound around her, her perfect little body molding to him and fitting perfectly against Braxton’s well built form. Pulling the blanket over them, Braxton’s head curled into Ashlin’s neck. He could feel something in her shift, kissing her neck softly, his large white eyes watched her curiously.

“Are you alright love?” He asked breathlessly.

 

[BurningWillows]

"Yes my love, I'm-"

Lying to him already? Great way to start off an engagement.

I'm protecting him. From you.

You should be protecting him from yourself, you should-

"Shhhh," she hissed, trying to block out the voice and save the rest of the night from being ruined.

Her head nuzzle Braxton harder, wanting to sink into him and forget.

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton looked at Ashlin curiously, seeing her thinking.

“Anything on your mind?” He poked, wanting to know what she was shushing. Braxton’s hand slipped up into her hair as she nuzzled him, his body curling up with her happily within the bed.

 

[BurningWillows]

Should she tell him? What would he think of her? The alternative is hurting him, and I could never live with myself if he got hurt.

But she didn't want to do it just after his proposal, with how happy they both felt. You should have told him before the engagement in the first place, now you've waited too long.

"Uh, yeah baby...there is," she whispered, kissing his neck as her heart began to pound, scared he'd be ashamed of her.

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton looked down at her curiously.

“What’s up love?” He asked sweetly, kissing her forehead.

 

[BurningWillows]

She bit her lip, turning her head so she could see him better. Inside her waged a war, her voice and another yelling at each other louder and louder, trying to break through.

I want you gone!Ash shouted in her head, keeping the calm composure on the outside, You will not EVER hurt him!

You can't get rid of me, not as long as my soul stays in this body! We die together now, because your the selfish bitch who-

Fuck off!

Ash bolted up, sitting on the bed as she rubbed her temples, her naked skin growing goosebumps in the cold night air, "Brax, why haven't you ever asked about my...changing."

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton watched her, a growing curiosity as she shifted and jolted up.

“Because when you’re ready, I would hope you’d tell me. I won’t deny I’m curious about it but I don’t want to push anything if you’re not up for talking about it.” He spoke, his voice soft as he sat up with her.

 

[BurningWillows]

She leaned into him, "You should have pushed baby. You should have asked."

She let out a shaky sigh as she tried to ignore the fight inside her, "I need to tell you it all...I should have weeks ago."

She pulled at his hands, weaving her fingers in his, "It's not a short story..."

She began telling him everything. From the day she killed those children in her village, to her parents abandoning her, to being found and taken to a new village. She explained the village had helped her shape her powers and learn control. Most of this he knew, but then she got to the harder topics.

"As a teenager...the raw power in me wasn't tamable always. I, uh, lost all my hair. My skin became scaly, and I started feeling deathly ill. The power was eating me from the inside.

My tutor helped me learn control it better, but the damage was already done. I was ugly, freakishly so. In the village though, no one rejected me or pointed out my flaws. It wasn't until I ventures out around sixteen that the problems started. You...heard one of them...I went back to my parents, to ask them why they did what they did.

It...didn't end well. Actually quite poorly. And I, uh, I burnt the entire village down."

She winced at the words, but the damage was done and she needed to finish letting it all rush out of her mouth, "I was so upset with my parents rejection, and the village bullying me for my looks that I killed them all, then fled. And at the next village I got the same reception, the same rejection and hate for my looks. And I...I killed that village too."

Her body was tense, knowing how bad this looked to others, "I'll skip over the rest. For honesty sake, I will say there was more than two villages I visited. I eventually went back to my own village, depressed. Everyone rejected me based on my looks. It made me hate myself, and...and I started doing things. Dark magic. I'm not proud of it, but I was desperate to be accepted, to walk freely without hate."

She stole her hands back from him, dropping her head in them, "I'm an awful person Braxton. I know that. And I didn't get better. I found a spell...a spell to fix all my worries..."

You aren't actually going to tell him? He'll never forgive you for doing that to an innocent person.

At this point, you are far from innocent.

"...it was a spell that casted my soul into another's body," she whispered, her arms shaking, "I did it...and I stole the body of a young shape shifter. But it went wrong. She was supposed to die. And she didn't."

Her reddened eyes looked over at him, knowing this could kill everything, "She's still here Brax, inside. She's the reason that village is dead. She is the reason I almost killed you."

I'm also the person who saved your wolf friend. Does that count?

You only did it to save our hides. So no, it doesn't.

"Her name is Tamara. I trapped her soul inside this body a decade ago, and I've regretted it ever since."

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton looked at Ashlin curiously.

“I’m all ears love.” He spoke gently, holding her hands as she wove her fingers throughout his, starting her story. While he knew some bits, she moved on to stories he hadn’t heard yet. He nodded listening, allowing his eyes to drop to their hands as he listened. He bit his lip, his heart tightening as he listened. While he could hear regret in her voice, there seemed to be a flat tone as she described it all, a tone that made him question her regret. While he understood how she felt, how that disappointment and that need to be loved, to have someone there for her, but that didn’t give her the right to kill as many innocent souls as she had.

But then, he heard about the other soul, his eyes looking up into her violet eye. Were those her real eyes? Or Tamaras. Braxton opened his mouth, but found little words that could even form for him to say, completely unsure how to handle what he had just been told.

 

[BurningWillows]

"Say something," she whispered, his silence speaking louder than words and making her heart clench, "Please say something."

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton tried to think of something, unsure of what to say.

“Why did you stay in Tamara’s body if she still lived?” He asked gently, trying to sort through the confusion in his own head.

 

[BurningWillows]

It was an odd question after all she had said, but she answered it nevertheless, "The spell involved a sacrifice in body and soul. My body was burnt to ashes, and her soul was to die. Only half of that was fulfilled, which is why during full moon's she regains control over her body. The spell was never fully completed."

She could see his confusion, see the flickering emotions cross his face, "She's not a nice person Braxton, if that helps. She was cruel long before I met her."

"Is there...anything else?"

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton nodded softly, looking at her violet eyes.

“Did you feel anything when you killed those villages?” He asked, his voice wavering as his curiosity made his stomach knot, and his chest ache.

 

[BurningWillows]

Satisfaction?

Even I know that's not what he wants to hear.

I don't want to tell him what he wants to hear, I want to be truthful.

Don't get used to the ring than.

"I felt," she muttered, "I felt...hate, and anger at them..."

He wants guilt. Remorse. Sadness.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "I wasn't a nice person back then. I cared little for those in the town. When you get rocks and death threats thrown at you every time you walk into a town, you start feeling less and less remorse for what comes to them. I still...I still feel no regret for those villages. I want to though, but it isn't there."

"Be honest," she whispered, "Do you regret proposing to me now?"

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton nodded, still unsure of how he felt on the inside. He was glad she was being honest. He was very glad she was being honest.

“I don’t regret it Ashlin. I love you, and having found this out, I still love you.” He spoke, his voice soft and gentle. “I’m disappointed, I know what’s done is done, but I need you to work on what’s now, for this moment and in our future Ashlin.”

 

[BurningWillows]

"I'm trying," her body shook, relief that he didn't hate her, and more fear building up that she could still lose him, "I know this sounds harsh but...but I've been trying to get rid of Tamara. She's getting worse. She likes hurting people, she finds it fun. I...I don't. And she...she keeps threatening you. She wants you dead, and I...Brax I can't bear the thought of hurting you."

Her hands shook harder in her lap as she continued, "I have to do it. I have to kill her soul in me. And I do...I do feel guilty about this. But I don't know what else to do Brax. One day she might hurt you, or Luna, or Xael. I can't...I can't let that happen. Ever."

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton nodded softly, still looking at her beautiful violet eyes. While his head was still reeling, trying to take everything in, he felt relief wash over him as she started talking about working on it.

“What do you plan on doing to her?” He asked, his stomach tying in knots at the thought of what could be done. While in some ways he knew he could take whatever Tamara could hand out, but the idea she could hurt any of the friend’s they had gained seemed to be a bad idea. He could feel the gut wrenching thought dig into him, killing an innocent soul. Whether he had a hand in it or not seemed to make it worse.

 

[BurningWillows]

"Do you really want to know?" she murmured, unable to look him in the eyes as she continued with a sigh, "I'm sorry Braxton. She has to die. Her soul does. She's dangerous. I -I have a spell. But it just won't work, it's ingredients are too rare, and I'm not even sure it will work."

She curled her knees up to her chin, tears falling as Tamara's voice got louder in her head, trying to drown out her own thoughts. The two souls had been waging war against each other since Ashlin's eighteenth birthday. It had slowly gotten worse, but in the last few weeks it had become unbearable. When Tamara wasn't quiet she was screaming or taunting Ash. It had become apparent that Tamara couldn't stand Ash's happiness, and it was actually making her stronger. For ten years Ash had been the stronger soul, but now she was wilting under Tamara's hate and venom.

"I'm dying Brax," she finally breathed out, feeling sick with the truth she was finally admitting, "There can only be one soul in the body, and since I met you I've grown weaker than her. Her hate will suffocate me. I have to find away to expel her soul."

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I thought...I thought I could do this all on my own. I thought I was fine. I just wanted to be happy with you. I've only ever wanted to be happy."

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton listened, his stomach tightening at the thought of taking another soul. Both haunting white eyes watched her as she curled up, one of his hands moving out to grasp one of Ashlin’s hands softly. Her words made the tightening in his chest seem to relax slightly.

“Anymore then one can destroy the body.” He agreed, looking down as he thought about the situation. There had been one or two of those in his travels. Before the world had melted down due to a mutagen going around, one would call such a thing as a multiple personality disorder.

“I want you to be happy Ashlin.” He whispered as he looked back up at her, waiting for her to ask.

 

[BurningWillows]

"I want to be happy to," she hiccuped, "I'll find a way Braxton. Just don't...don't hate me when all of this is over."

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton shook his head softly, sitting up and pushing her back to hover over Ashlin’s beautiful bare body.

“That requires black magic Ashlin.” He breathed, his white eyes looking deeply into her violet eyes. Braxton bit his bottom lip softly, his heart strings tightening at the thought of another soul. “I’m not letting you do that to yourself.”

 

[BurningWillows]

"But I'll die if I don't," she whispered, staring into his eyes as her only anchor of calm as the storm inside continued to rage, Tamara getting increasing angry with every word they spoke.

 

[BloodMoon]

Braxton bit his bottom lip harder, his inner creature biting into his stomach at the thought of not only another meal, but the strength that came with eating.

“You won’t need to die.” He spoke, his voice gentle as he leaned in to kiss her.

“Tell me you want help…” His words vibrated against her lips, his eyes opening to stare at her almost sadly.

 

[BurningWillows]

She kissed him back softly, shaking under him. His words pulled at her, reminding her of what she had almost forgotten. What he could do.

Wait! No...no Ash no!

Her violet eyes stared with nothing but adoration and love, not a trace of fear in her for her man, "Baby...are you sure?

With a deep breath she touched his cheek gently, "I...I want-"

Her mouth hung open, the last word stuck as Tamara suddenly pushed for control so forcibly it froze Ash. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, the heat burning so quickly that Ashlin had no time to think before she could feel the snap backwards. And suddenly all she could feel was cold detachment, and utter darkness. She could see and hear but there was no control. Tamara had won over.

"I don't want your help!" Tamara snapped as she pulled her hand away and tried to push Braxton off, "Get off of me!"