Last Snow - Chapter 1 (Re-Launched)
When the Good Men Fall
She had woken to the smell of smoke, thick and pungent in the blackened sky. There were screams coming from the village, and she made to move, bewildered when she couldn’t move. There was a heavy weight pressing her to her bed, and she struggled to regain her breath, eyes making out a figure in the dark.
Her eyes had found the figure’s, and her mouth fell open in a silent scream when he smirked down at her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He was leaning over her, teeth brilliantly white, and the skylight above them wide open.
He was startlingly beautiful, and he leaned down, cold nose touching her neck. Her entire body went still, the moment lost to time. The vein was found and he nuzzled it, eyes fluttering close and breathing her in deeply. Pleased his eyes opened, golden amber, and her heart hastened at the depth of power in his eyes - pureblood.
Her bottom lip trembled, and his eyes followed the movement, reaching out to still her fear, amused at how easily she had been subdued. He stroked it thoughtfully and her mind started racing, a hand discretely gliding over her inner thigh beneath the sheets. It was a careful, risky journey, as she stared at her intruder, utterly bewitched. Her hands were steady when they found the hilt of her dagger, and gripped it tightly.
“Hello, Fei.” He spoke silkily.
The magic he held over her erupted, and adrenaline filled soared through her. She yanked the dagger out of its scaffold and lashed at his hand. Red spilled forth and he yelped. She kicked him in his stomach till he was splayed on her floor and crying out from the magic entering his blood. Her blade had been laced with a hearty dose of lavender and sandalwood from the gardens of an old Fae.
Fei pushed out of bed and was out the door, into the village before he could catch her.
Outside the danger s were much worse.
Hunters were everywhere, guns loaded and daggers drawn, the silver gleaming as they defended the village from the enemy. There many lurking in the shadows, toying with the darkness. There were villagers lying in the dirt, a halo of blood pooled around them in a hauntingly beautiful image - was that Mrs. Brenson? Her heart cringed, tears trickling down her face.
There were flames everywhere, angry and ferocious. They licked their way up the houses, down the alleys, and over all of Ruins. From their light she could see the sweat and layers of dirt covering the Hunters as they valiantly protected the village.
They were at war, and Ruins was the battlefield.
Fei’s heart caught in her throat, and she urgently scanned the crowd for her father, finding found fighting with two of the beasts. His eyes lifted to hers and he looked startled to see her, eyes widening a fraction.
“Go!” He screamed, striking both of the creatures like the Head Hunter he was.
Fi stepped back, slipping on the fallen gun of an ally, dirt coating her chest and her pajama pants. “Fei, GO!” Her father bellowed, and one of the enemies turned in the shadows, cocking his head to the side and staring at her with amber eyes. They were dancing with mirth and pure delight. He gave her a once over and his eyes slowly closed as he scented her. The wind shifted, blowing through his long hair, and his eyes flashed open, a grin painting his face.
Heart thudding in her chest, Fei grabbed the fallen gun - the metal was hot and heavy, burning her hand - and ran.
Tears clouded her vision as she made her escape. She stopped briefly at the edge of Ruins, gasping as the flames swallowed Ruins, and all she could do was watch in helpless abandon as the village - her home - burned away into nothingness.
The true nightmare had yet to begin, and she was already terrified.
Fei turned and ran, deep into the forest and away from Ruins. She couldn’t stay. Her father had not trained her for this. She would die, and the thought made her insides quiver.
There was a safe house in the forest, protected by old Fae magic that was sure to keep her unharmed until morning.
‘Coward,’ The voice inside her head taunted. Fei choked back a sob. She was a filthy coward, and her father would be disappointed.
“Where are you going, darling?” A sensual voice echoed through the forest, and panick filled her body.
No, not now. Not when she was so close to the safe house.
“Leave me alone!” She screamed into the air, legs refusing to give out.
The voice laughed, and she aimed her gun wildly in the direction of the noise. She pulled the trigger twice, paying no mind to where they had traveled. She had to keep moving. Stopping…stopping would get her killed.
“I need your help.” The voice taunted, louder and closer.
Her heart was pounding violently in her chest, and she heard something running next to her.
There were few moments in her life where she truly felt fear. The kind of fear that gave you nightmares and kept you awke at night to keep the shadows from closing in. Fear that made you want to claw your skin off to bleed it out.
The type that Fei felt when one of the monsters from the battle stood before her, his eyes glowing like greedy jewels.
Panick mounted and she dug her heels into the earth, spinning in the opposite direction. And then there was the more - the who had scented her before her escape. The air was flowing around him, hair shadowing his forehead like a crown. The power radiating from him choked her, and she knew, the manacles of dread taking hold, that he was the Alpha.
Every inch of her quivered, and she kept moving back until she there was a cold hand gripping her arm, the one still bearing the gun, and swirled Fei around with such force her hair whipped her face.
“Thank you for volunteering for our first trial.” He said graciously, a sinister smile on his face.
“What trial?” Fei begged desperately, tugging at her arm in his vice grip.
He didn’t respond, and she heard footsteps behind her. The vampire holding her raised his gaze and smirked at his comrade. He switched his attention back to her, drawing her in with his mesmerizing presence.
She stared at him with despair, eyes wavering as she drank him in. She’d never seen someone like him up close. He was indubiously fascinating and she wanted to reach out and trace his jaw to see if the muscle would jump under her hand or if his body was too cold to feel anything.
A hand touched the back of her head.
‘Welcome to SHINee vampire clan.’ A voice echoed in her head and her world went black.
A/N: I cannot believe it's been nearly 1-2 years since I last updated this story! I've been so preoccupied with my work and schooling that I completely ignored my writing, and I missed it. I missed it and I missed my readers. I kept pushing myself and thinking that I had to get this done. I had to finish this and create the beautiful story that I had imagined, so without further ado, here's to the relaunch of Last Snow.
The same characters are back with some different plot lines and structure. I do apologize to those of you who wanted an update rather than a rewrite, but my past work was so horrible, I simply could not allow myself to carry on without correcting my mistakes. From now on I will do my best to update Last Snow to the best of my abilities, but I will most likely be writing in chunks, as I introduce scene after scene. That way it doesn't mess up the groove of the story and I can make changes to it as the plot grows and flourishes. Things will probably be more streamline as well. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, feedback, and scoldings. :)
It's lovely to be back. I hope you enjoy, and that this version is more fascinating than the one before. For those of you who are curious, I will be relaunching a writing blog (personal blog) at a later date which you can use to keep up with LS and myself. I want to organize all my writings in one place and make them easy for everyone to access.