Itch

I went over to wrap my arms around my cat. Rubbing my face all over his cheeks, neck, and gave a quick lick at his lips. It was hard to control my new instincts, especially with Vlad.

He pushed my head back with his palm. Giving me a face full of attitude.

"Blue. I am not a female." He wiggles a finger in front of me, like scolding a dog. "Repeat, Vlad is not a female." He narrows his eyes for emphasis. "Vlad is not a bottom."

Quartz chuckles. I can't help but grin. My kitten hisses and growls at us. I oh so seriously repeat the words as ordered. He gives a final puff of complaint.

"That's it. Tonight I'm topping you Blue, you promised me." He snaps at me.

I'm hit by a sudden concentration of his scent. I let out a whimper. Temptation entering and reason leaving me. Vlad grins devilishly, a hand moving toward me.

"It is still morning, you can play later." Quartz cuts the air with an authoritative voice. "We have along way to go before the northern lands." He is already on Jasper, he leads him over to us.

He offers a hand to me, I hop up. I wrap my arms around his waist, still aroused from earlier. Taking a risk, I brush around his hips. A bit of pink lightening sparks, causing me to yelp.

"As I said, 'we' can play later." He releases a hot breathe, clearly tempted but restrained.

We head out further down the forest road. It's a less traveled path. Weeds, animal tracks, and the sounds of nature are abundant. I find it hard to focus on my men, the world around me overwhelming with my new senses.

I soon get a whiff of humans, very smelly humans. I wrinkle my nose, a disgusted grunt as a warning.

"Do humans normally smell bad?"

"Guardians are beings of nature. They find most humans distasteful. The exception of a few earth mages of course. You'll have to get used to it. There are a few villages on the way to the castle." Quartz explains rather drily. Perhaps he dislikes humans as well.

"We could just clean them out." Vlad suggests, fangs showing, a smirk displayed.

I roll my eyes at that. I had no interest in harming people without good reason. Even then, I disliked the idea of murder.

I heard whimpering, crying, a female. A sudden,upsetting thought, seeping in. This was not near a town. The sounds were frighteningly familiar. I tighten my grip on my knight's waist.

"It's alright." He whispers delicately. "Vlad deal with the bandits." He gave a knowing look Vlad's way.

Quartz stopped the horse. Vlad disappeared in a blink. The sound just ended. Silence. I was distracted by my knight. He leaned back, petting my head. Aware of something I wanted to forget.

Vlad reappeared, not a drop of blood, no evidence of his clean up. A small woman with him. She was shivering, repulsed by Vlad's touch. He quickly placed her on her feet, backing away. He looked very disinterested in this.

"Are you alright, miss?" Quartz speaks out cold, emotionless as ever.

She doesn't speak, struggles to give a nod, no expression. In the end we have Jasper carry her on her own. We follow a detour road to the nearest village.

"We are wasting time like this." Vlad grumbles.

"We can't just leave her in the woods." I snap at him.

He shrugs at me. The woman is dropped off at the local church. I'm surprised by an itching, uncomfortable feeling inside. I leave before Quartz even finished talking with the priest.

I scratch away at my throat, Vlad pulls my hands away.

"What are you doing?"

"It's itchy."

He raises an eyebrow at me. Looking over at my knight, a question in his eyes. Quartz responds with a shrug, no answer to give. The itch disappears as we move away from the church.

Still my wolf remains wary, jumpy. Feeling eyes watching me, shivering, I speed up my pace. We leave the town, not interested in its offerings. This time I don't ride Jasper.

"I want to run." I share. "I'm faster now right?"

"Barely." Vlad teases. He grins at me, I ignore him.

"Yes, but you could transform on accident. You don't have control over your wolf. You could black out again." Quartz warns.

I frown, sighing. My wolf is insisting, seeming extra protective over my little pack.

"I won't black out." I insist. Quartz questions me. "I'll be fine, cross my paws." I grin at my own joke.

Quartz gives in, riding Jasper alone. I let the wolf takeover, removing my clothes behind a nearby tree. I grow, my wolf's fur glistening in the sunlight.

My cat walks over, petting my side. He quick places my suit in his space. My tail wags as Vlad's hand wanders up to my jaw. I lick it.

"Are you still there master?" I woof a reply to my knight, satisfied we start up on the road again.

Vlad and I maintain a slow pace with the galloping Jasper. I make sure to speed up at times, checking the front. Sniffing, listening for any danger. My wolf is on edge, my men take notice.

"What's wrong pup?" Vlad tilts his head at me.

A let out a whiny growl, unable to communicate. Only the next second my thoughts slip through.

'I don't know. My wolf is nervous. He has been seen the church.' Vlad blinks at me, grinning.

"Hey knighty, I can hear MY mate's thoughts."

Quartz rolls his eyes at him. "And I can hear MY master's thoughts." He snips back.

Vlad growls at him, disappointed by the response. Quartz responds to my worries.

"Don't worry master. You are stronger now, and you have us to protect you."

My wolf responds with a snarl. 'We will protect them.' Not convinced at all. His pride stronger then logic. Two old vampires are far stronger than one new guardian.

I speed up even further up the road. We travel for some time, no longer taking breaks. My wolf can hunt for food on the way, and I have no need to rest my paws.

A sudden hiss from Vlad catches my attention. He pulls me back by the tail, using his supernatural strength. A let out a yelp.

A hear the sound of Metal. Quartz sword is pulled out. His horse rears up in expectation. I smell nothing, hear nothing. I growl in frustration, nerves, wolf ready to pounce.

The first words, deep, warm, and unnerving.

"Hello beasts. Try not to bleed too much on my uniform."

Vlad quickly places himself between us. Quartz hops off Jasper, whistling for him to run off. He stands beside me, ready.

My wolf takes control, growling at the hunter before us.