Cold fear wrapped around Ellis's heart. Yet as the vampire's icy fingers brushed her neck, the potent mix of terror and disgust ignited something primal deep within her bones. The beast inside stirred, sensing the unnatural intensity—a dangerous cord snapping taut.
The instant his cold touch withdrew, heat exploded up her spine! It flooded her limbs, a fierce wave driving out the chill. Fire ignited in her pupils. Her eyes blazed vivid red, the world now veiled in crimson.
A low thrum vibrated deep within her, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of expansion. Her shoulder blades drew back smoothly, like wings unfurling. Her chest expanded with powerful ease, each breath deeper, primal.
Muscles flowed, defining themselves beneath her skin as dormant strength awoke. Her shoulders broadened, arms corded with tension. Her clothes strained instantly against her suddenly fuller chest and thickened arms. Fabric groaned, then tore at the shoulders and back, revealing smooth, taut skin beneath.
A resonant growl rolled from Ellis's chest, making the air tremble.
The change surged onward! Warmth prickled along her spine—thick, glossy fur sprouted silently. A deep silver-grey pelt shimmered over her arms and chest, flowing up her neck to form a thick ruff at her nape, sharpening her jawline.
Her teeth ached faintly. Upper canines lengthened, sharp points pressing against her lower lip. Her nose sharpened; her sense of smell exploded. The vampire's scent—old dust, cold blood, and that cloying sweetness—overwhelmed her, screaming danger.
The red haze in her vision solidified into twin golden fires burning in deep-set eyes! Pupils narrowed to cold, focused vertical slits, radiating raw ferocity.
This wasn't pain, but release. A profound uncoiling. Every shift of muscle, every subtle bone realignment, flooded her with power. The heat surging within her burned away icy fear, replaced by heavy confidence—the kind that could crush stone.
"Ah…" The vampire drew a long, astonished breath. Raw greed and fascination churned in his crimson eyes.
He devoured the sight of Ellis's transformation—the powerful, feral body retaining its feminine curves. His elegant fingers twitched unconsciously. His breath quickened. "There she comes…" His voice thickened with pure possession.
Before the sound faded, Ellis moved. Her mind emptied, driven only by primal hunger. Instinct ruled.
Her foot stamped down. Cobblestones cracked. She wasn't running; she was a lunge of grey-silver shadow, propelled by newborn savagery straight at the vampire.
Fast. Faster than his ancient reflexes anticipated! Shock flickered across his elegant calm. Instinct made him dissolve into a blur, darting backward.
But the beast within Ellis roared! In her golden, slit-pupiled vision, his movement dissected itself, unfolding in slow-motion clarity. She didn't slow. Claws ripped the air, aiming to rend.
The vampire reacted faster. A subtle sidestep avoided the strike. His cold nails grazed the fur at her neck, slicing strands and drawing thin blood-lines. But as he passed, Ellis's thick arm swung like a battering ram—carrying the raw force of the newborn wolf.
A sickening thud echoed. The vampire's form flew backward as if hit by a cannonball. He slammed hard into the cold stone wall! Spiderweb cracks spread instantly across the ancient surface. Dust rained down.
Hngh! A soft grunt escaped him. Dark blood seeped from the corner of his pale mouth. Greed in his eyes intensified, burning with near-madness. "Good… good. Such wild strength! That form! That pelt! Exquisite ferocity!" His voice rasped, edged with sick excitement.
Ellis landed, her heavy frame shuddering the ground. She smelled the vampire's cold blood mingled with dust and sweetness. It no longer enticed. It smelled like prey. A threat to be torn apart.
The vampire pushed upright against the cracked wall, movements unnaturally graceful despite stiffness. He wiped blood from his mouth. His tongue flicked over the dark stain on his finger. Red light flared in his eyes. "Please," he murmured, icy despite the plea. "Let me taste your blood."
He vanished. Dissolved into shifting black smoke, circling Ellis at blinding speed. Cold killing intent pricked her heightened senses from all directions.
Ellis's golden eyes darted, tracking the phantom movement. She spun, claws tearing air, shredding only shadow. The vampire clung like a ghost, materializing between her attacks. His cold hands struck with cruel precision—targeting the softness beneath her ribs, the vulnerable nape. Each touch left icy stings and shallow, bleeding cuts.
"Grrraaah!" Ellis snarled in frustration. Her newborn strength was immense but clumsy, like a child swinging a hammer at a butterfly. The vampire's tactics worked. He wore her down, using millennia of combat wisdom to toy with the beast.
Yet instinct defies calculation. When the vampire materialized beside and slightly behind her, Ellis didn't turn. She drove her elbow backward in a brutal strike—pure animal reaction to threat.
This time, the crushing elbow met only empty, cold air!
The vampire had drifted backward like mist the instant she committed. A mocking smile touched his lips as he watched the struggle.
In that split-second pause as Ellis recovered—that tiny opening—he struck. Solidified beside her! A pale hand shot out, lightning-fast, sharp nails aimed at her exposed flank.
Schlick! The sound of claws sinking into flesh was horribly distinct. Icy agony exploded in her side! Like needles driving into bone, numbing half her body.
Ellis staggered. Hot, dark blood welled from the wound in her silver-grey fur. The pain burned, but ignited pure savagery. She lowered her head, licking briefly at the blood. The hot, metallic tang filled her mouth.
Moonlight streamed through a broken window, illuminating her blood-streaked form. The powerful, feral silhouette, retaining its fierce beauty, looked like an ancient fury carved from moonlight.
The storm was here.
The sick excitement in the vampire's eyes flared hotter! He watched her like a bloody masterpiece nearing completion, that unnerving smile still playing on his lips. He didn't retreat. Instead, he dissolved into shadow again, flowing around her furious charge like smoke.
He avoided her brutal frontal assault, winding close beside her flank. Pale fingers brushed over the silver-grey fur bristling with her rage. The touch was unnervingly cool and slick, gliding over Ellis's skin like something reptilian. The terrifying power beneath his fingertips made the crimson in his eyes contract briefly before deepening into pure intoxication.
He traced her spine with unnerving grace, sensing the storm-force power surging beneath. His fingertips hovered between restraint and caress, perfectly calculated to draw a furious, shuddering snarl from Ellis.
"Shhh…" The vampire's voice slid over her senses like cool silk. "Such a wild treasure… I'd hate to break it."
His target was the vicious wound on her flank—where her newly awakened power warred violently with the icy trauma. He gathered his cold power, shaping it into a needle of ice. He drove it deep into the nerve cluster surrounding the wound! A swift, precise strike to end the fight.
"Hngh!" Ellis gasped, the sound choked with pain and shock. It felt like the lower half of her body plunged into an arctic lake. Her surging power slammed against an invisible ice dam! Her frenzied movements locked up mid-strike. Like a beast paused, her massive form lost balance. With a roar of pure defiance, she crashed heavily to her knees.
Now!
The vampire descended like a hunting owl. He exploited her imbalance with lethal precision. One powerful leg clamped over her lower back like an iron band, his knee driving into the hollow behind her knee, pinning her hind legs instantly.
Simultaneously, one hand seized her wrist, wrenching it up and back against her spine. His other hand slid over the thick fur at her neck. His thumb pressed down with irresistible force onto the artery beneath her jaw—the source of her power, now her weakest point.
Absolute control. With skill alone, he had pinned the newborn tempest to the earth.
Ellis's massive body shuddered violently. Rage and humiliation boiled in her throat, escaping in choked growls. Her claws scraped furrows in the dirt, powerless. The numbing cold prevented her from gathering strength, and the vampire's holds locked her joints. Every desperate struggle only tightened his grip.
The furious power, denied release, raged inside her like a volcano straining against its plug. The intense turmoil and the vampire's invasive chill shattered her internal balance.
The silver-grey fur covering her limbs thinned rapidly, losing its luster. Her muscular contours softened and drew inward. The taut lines of muscle trembled, reshaping into the leaner curves of a young woman. The overwhelming pressure dissipated like smoke.
The change was shockingly swift. Within moments, the creature pinned beneath the vampire was gone.
Cold moonlight streamed down through the shattered window.
The silver-grey mane vanished, revealing skin pale as new snow. But this covered a body honed by relentless training—taut lines, powerful shoulders narrowing to defined shoulder blades. Pale scars marked her back. Muscles in her arms and legs softened but remained clearly sculpted. The fresh wound on her flank looked vicious. Dark red blood welled and traced a slow path down her waist, dripping onto the stones.
Most arresting was her posture: utterly exposed. Naked as if carved from ivory and steel by moonlight itself. Sweat, blood, and dust smeared her skin, adding stark beauty to the vulnerability.
The vampire's hold adjusted subtly. His knee still pressed behind her knee. The hand gripping her wrist now felt the fragile pulse fluttering. His thumb rested on sweat-dampened skin, pressed against the artery throbbing with fury and shame.
Cold elegance pressed against heated exposure. Absolute mastery met utter vulnerability. The raw contest now thrummed with darker tension.
The vampire's breath hitched. His gaze drank her in: the raven-black hair fanned across the ground, strands plastered to her stubborn jaw. Her face, sharply defined—high cheekbones, straight nose, brow set in defiance. Even clenched in anger, her jawline screamed resistance.
But her eyes commanded attention. No longer gold slits, but deep forest green. Blazing not with bestial rage, but human fire: fury, humiliation, and unyielding will. The look of a cornered cub, vulnerable yet fierce.
The vampire's crimson eyes burned with obsession. He leaned down, icy lips brushing her flushed ear. His voice, low and rough with satisfaction:
"Now…" His fingers traced the ragged edge of her bleeding wound. The cold touch drew an involuntary shiver. "You belong to me."
He savored the tremor through the warm flesh beneath his hand—a surrender more potent than any snarl.
Moonlight flowed over her naked back, illuminating the curve of her spine and the victor's smile on the vampire's lips. Profoundly satisfied. The hunt's end had yielded an unexpectedly exquisite prize.