Tides

CHAPTER 6--Cassin

"You–" Cassin staggered back as he spoke, fear throbbing in every cell of his body. "You–You were going to kill me."

The werewolf's eyes flashed a canine silver. "I was not." He was amazingly calm.

"Yes you were!" Cassin hissed angrily. "You were just waiting for the right moment, weren't you?"

"No!" Jalno–or whoever he was–took a step forward. "I wasn't!"

Cassin snarled. "Don't lie to me, beast!"

Among vampires, werewolves were the monsters of the night–the ones who stole children away and killed prey in overabundance. They were feared like extreme temperatures among vampires–they were beasts. All they did was raid and ruin. It hadn't always been that way, but it was now.

"Try it then," Cassin goaded him angrily. "Kill me now."

The werewolf's voice was low as he answered. "No. I won't."

"Fine then I will kill you!"

And Cassin charged the Wolf, jaws wide.

Hitting the werewolf was like hitting a tree–solid and immovable. Cassin staggered, taking the brunt of the impact and the werewolf took his chance to backhand Cassin across the face. He went down hard.

"A vampire slave is better than a dead vampire prince any day," the wolf said coldly. Cassin spat, tasting blood.

"So that's what your plan was!" Cassin shouted. "You never were going to take me to the palace, were you?!"

The werewolf paused. "No."

"Well fuck you, then," Cassin said, and he reared to tackle the werewolf.

 Both of them went rolling over, the werewolf slashing, and Cassin snapping and trying to take a chunk out of the werewolf's hide. They were almost evenly matched, but the werewolf was slightly stronger. Bearing down all his weight, the werewolf wrestled Cassin into a chokehold.

"Let...me...go," Cassin gasped, clawing at the werewolf's arm. But his broad shoulders and solid muscles made it impossible. Honestly, Cassin didn't know how he hadn't seen it before–the werewolf. The wide shoulders and narrow waist no vampires possessed; they were slighter and more skinny.

Stupid, thought Cassin. I'm so stupid.

  "I could kill you," the werewolf growled. "Like I killed the other one just the other day."

  He had killed a vampire that recently?

  "She was trespassing on my boundaries--and she was young too."

  In the werewolf's grip, Cassin went limp. She. "You--You killed my sister!" Then with more certainty, "You killed her!"

  The werewolf shrugged. "Maybe. I don't differentiate, vampire."

  Struggling with all his might, Cassin unhinged his jaw and sank his fangs into the werewolf's arm that was holding him captive. The werewolf howled and released him. Cassin fell to the ground, gasping. Rearing his arm back, the werewolf prepared to slash Cassin's face open. Cassin curled into a ball. The werewolf swiped–

– "Stop!"

A man was standing outside of their fight zone. He was tall and handsome and had the same build as Cassin's werewolf, with long dark hair and darkish skin. His presence was commanding and the other werewolf stopped his hand mid swing.

Cassin scrambled away.

The younger werewolf froze, breathing heavily. "Uncle," he breathed.