The worst thing I could do was let fear take over and prevent me from acting. Inside, a power was simmering. All I needed to do was pull on the right string.
I grew angry at myself for the seconds of hesitation, and that spark of rage helped ignite the saving fire within me. Clasping my palms together, I helped myself by thrusting my elbow into the attacker's face with a twist. His grip immediately loosened, and a ringing, bell-like laughter followed.
"Not bad, Asya," Arthur said, rubbing his fingers under his lip, checking for any blood.
"Not bad," Max echoed, stepping onto the trail with Viola. The twins' blonde hair shimmered with a blue tint in the twilight shadows.
"You're still far from the hunters' reaction speed," Violet said, her tone stricter than usual, and unlike the brothers, she didn't come closer to me.
If anything had changed over the last six months, it was our relationship with the blonde witch. Since my first transformation, Viola had begun to see me as a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any moment. At first, I was even glad that she urged others to stay away from me, but lately, I began noticing aggression directed at me instead of the usual cautiousness, and I didn't particularly like this turn of events.
"Arthur, what the hell?" was all I could say, putting on an offended face. "What if you'd started bleeding?"
The big guy smiled, and his full row of snow-white teeth flashed under his plump upper lip, and dimples appeared on his cheeks, softening his friend's look.
"But I didn't," he replied, and Viola snorted, clearly displeased with his antics. "What are you doing here? Training?"
"Training to completely ignore others' advice," Kaandor replied instead of me, and Max, one of the few who could hear the spirit, looked in his direction.
"Yep," I nodded.
I quickly looked over the group and realized that they were dressed pretty much the same as usual for school. When Max and Violet went out at night with me and my dad, the twins preferred tight-fitting clothes that stretched well. In everyday life, though, they dressed quite simply, preferring outfits made up of basic items in neutral tones.
"Why are you here?"
"We're exploring the area," Max replied, enjoying the view through the tree trunks, admiring the aesthetic of the evening forest. "Just in case of uninvited guests."
"Just don't mistake Denis for a potential threat. He's still running around somewhere nearby."
"More like crawling," came Denis's voice, and he appeared from the gap, dripping with sweat and struggling to catch his breath. "Where the hell are you rushing off to? We'd be done by now if you just slowed down."
"Oh, look who's all delicate," Violet said, her eyes widening theatrically as she fluttered her eyelashes. "Little wolf is scared to step off the safe trail."
Arthur and Max giggled carelessly, but Denis didn't appreciate their fun. His face changed, and he became more composed. I could see him trying to bend over to catch his breath, but his pride wouldn't allow it.
"Go to hell, vampire."
"You go to hell," Violet retorted, a smile on her face that was more of a grimace.
"Don't forget yourself, wolf," Arthur interjected, standing up for his girlfriend and straightening his shoulders. "Just because you're Asya's friend doesn't mean I won't snap your neck."
"Your arms are too short to be snapping anyone's neck." Denis lifted his chin and stepped forward to meet Arthur.
The distance between them became so small that if either of them raised a hand, it would be trouble. I hurried to step between the guys and started pushing Denis aside.
"Denis," I looked into his eyes, pleading, "they're not our enemies."
"Oh, really?" he replied with a bitter smirk. "What's the difference between those bloodsuckers and these ones?"
"I see a difference. Besides, you don't talk like that to Stas."
"Stas doesn't provoke me."
"Oh, really?" Kaandor's voice spoke up, and out of habit, I shifted my focus to him and threatened with my finger:
"Stay out of it."
"Was that aimed at me? Me?" Violet suddenly straightened up, and Max rolled his eyes.
"If you spent a little more time on magic and less on movie dates with Arthur, you would have learned to see and hear Kaandor by now," he reprimanded his twin sister, but Violet wasn't the type of girl who would blush and mutter excuses after hearing such remarks. Instead, she swiftly dropped to the ground, stretched out her right leg, and spun around on her axis. Max didn't react in time; the sweep caught him by surprise. He fell on his back and pretended to groan.
"What the hell? That hit right under my shoulder blade!" Max exclaimed, and Denis, enjoying the sibling bickering, laughed.
"You're absolutely right, Asya," he began with feigned cheer, "these idiots are definitely not our enemies. They'll probably end up killing each other before..."
A loud thud echoed, and Denis was spun like a puppet from a punch to his jaw, but he managed to stay on his feet. Even Arthur's patience had its limits, and I felt horribly embarrassed by Denis's behavior. However, there was little I could do: I couldn't force them to get along. And it was a damn shame.
In Denis's eyes, I saw a flash of animalistic excitement, as if both he and the wolf spirit inside him were just waiting for the vampires to strike first. Satisfied with himself, he pulled his elbow back, tightening his fist, but I quickly snapped into action and caught my friend in a hold. My hand easily slipped between his shoulder blades, and I pulled him upward. He immediately bent toward the ground and muttered several curses. Arthur took a step forward, clearly intending to continue the fight, and that's when I shouted:
"Enough! Stop!" I forcibly spun Denis around and made him step toward the roadside clearing. "This is going too far. We're leaving, and you guys can keep doing whatever you were doing."
"Denis and I haven't finished our conversation," Arthur said, his jaw tightening.
"I said: you're done for today," I cut him off, and a guttural growl escaped from my chest. Energy sparked at my fingertips. Damn it.
Hastily, I dragged Denis forward, trying to take him as far away from the others as possible. The problem was that I knew well how quickly they could move if they wanted to, so we still had quite a way to go before we reached a safe distance. All I could do was hope that Arthur or Viola wouldn't follow us.
I didn't understand why they kept provoking Denis. It was even harder for me to understand why he kept falling for their bait every time.