The Elemental Mate
Chapter 3

Aurora POV

“What are you doing here, witch?” he snarled down at me as he dug his nails into my skin. I cried out in pain as he clawed my arm, “Tell me what you are doing here?”

I tried to focus on the ground beneath us as strongly as I could. Pushing my mind into the soil, I shook the ground. It felt like a mini earthquake as the trees and ground rocked. The man stumbled above me, and I took it as an opportunity as I made a gust of wind knock him on the ground.

Before I even had a moment to try and move, he was up again. He stood above me again before slamming his claws into my thigh. I cried out as the pain grew as he tore into my flesh, “That was a neat trick you have,” he smiled down at me. I tried to speak, but more blood was coughed up as my chest heaved without oxygen, “I have a trick too. Let me show you.”

He smiled widely as his teeth grew into long fangs, his eyes darkened into they were completely black. His predator glared stared straight into my soul as I realized what he was. The creatures of the moon, a werewolf.

“Who?” I try to ask as I cough more blood.

“Cortez, but I don’t suppose it matters much who I am,” he says, “Just that I’m the one who is going to kill you.”

“Why,” I choked out as my body screamed from the pain I was in.

“Why?” he raised his eyebrows.

My response was more coughing blood as I tried to focus on connecting to the earth again. I wasn’t strong enough to reach the fire, but if I can just focus my energy on the water, I might have a shot to live.

Water, I thought to myself as I tried to think of spells that I could use to escape from this spot, Water is in every living thing. It’s in him.

“I don’t think the answer is going to satisfy you in any way,” he smiles as he leans down, almost within touching distance, “You were here.”

Just a little closer, I tell myself as he continues talking.

“Convenient timing is all. I have a job to do and I need a distraction. It is a shame that it has to be a witch. I so do love using magic,” he states as he gives a thoughtful look off to the woods before bringing his focus back to me, “Anyway, do you want me to slit your throat or should we just let you bleed out? By the looks of it, neither choice will take very long.”

I open my mouth as I cough more blood, before muttering the spell under my breath.

“What was that?” he smiled as he leaned forward even more, “I didn’t quite catch it.”

The second he was within reach, I lifted my hand to his chest and focused on his being. I pulled at the energy in his body as my hand started to glow. I felt my fingers touch a light essence as I continued the spell.

I had been trying to control the water in his body, but I seemed to have found something else. As I finished the words, I felt my hand separate from the light it had been touching, leaving behind a black mark.

The truth about what I did hit me. I didn’t reach the water in his body, I touched his spirit. I cursed his soul.

Cortez roared in pain as he fell backward, clawing at his chest. He seized on the ground, crying out from the agony. I couldn’t watch what I did to him as I turned away from the horrid sound of his whimpers. The sounds of his cries felt like they were breaking me themselves.

Pushing past the guilt of what I just did, I used the distraction as I clawed at the ground to help me move. My entire body was screaming at me as I could feel the darkness coming, but I couldn’t give in just yet. I pushed myself along the ground, trying to reach the river when I heard bones snapping.

I heard snarling before turning to the source. A dark brown wolf growled lowly at me as he showed his teeth. Fear spread in me as I looked back to the river. I had been so happy here once, and now I will die here.

I couldn’t move fast enough as the wolf came barreling forward. He sank his teeth into my side as he ripped at my skin. He pulled back for a second as his eyes connected with mine. His eyes were pitch black as my blood dripped from his nuzzle.

He growled again before biting into my shoulder. I screamed as pain rocketed me before I felt my body leave the ground as he threw me again. My body hit the ground harshly.

I heard a long howl before I lost consciousness completely.