Bitten by Desire: The Vampire's Forbidden Love - Chapter 7

The Hunter’s Shadow

The air in the forest had shifted, thick with tension and the metallic tang of impending violence. Isabella ran through the shadows, her heart pounding not with fear but with determination. Victor’s command to stay hidden echoed in her mind, but she knew she couldn’t simply wait and hope. Not this time. Not with him in danger.

As she approached the clearing, the sounds of their struggle reached her. The clash of flesh against steel, the thud of boots against earth. She pressed herself against a tree, her heightened senses capturing the scene before her. Victor and the hunter moved with a lethal grace, each a predator in their own right.

Rhys was relentless, his silver-tipped dagger flashing like lightning as he pressed Victor with a practiced ferocity. Victor, faster and stronger, dodged with uncanny precision, his movements a blur. But Isabella could see the strain etched on his face. The years had not dulled the hunter’s skill.

“Is that all you’ve got, old friend?” Rhys taunted, his voice a low growl. He lunged forward, his blade slicing the air where Victor’s heart had been a moment before.

Victor countered, grabbing Rhys’s wrist and twisting with supernatural strength. The hunter grunted but didn’t falter. With his free hand, he struck Victor across the face with a silver-coated knuckle guard. The sharp hiss of burning flesh filled the air as Victor staggered back.

Isabella’s nails dug into the bark of the tree as she fought the urge to intervene. She had never seen Victor falter like this, and the sight of his pain sent a raw ache through her chest. But something in her stirred—a deep, primal instinct that refused to let her stand idly by.

“I see you’ve lost your edge,” Rhys sneered, circling Victor like a wolf sizing up its prey. “Immortality makes you complacent. Soft.”

Victor straightened, blood trickling from his jaw where the silver had scorched him. His eyes burned with defiance. “It’s not immortality that softens a man. It’s love.” His gaze flickered toward the shadows where Isabella hid, a fleeting glance that sent her heart racing.

Rhys’s eyes narrowed, following Victor’s line of sight. “Ah,” he said, a cruel smile curling his lips. “So, that’s it. The girl. You’ve turned her, haven’t you? Dragged her into your curse.”

“She chose this life,” Victor snapped, his voice a growl. “And it’s more than you’ll ever understand.”

“Then I’ll do her the mercy of ending it before it consumes her,” Rhys said, turning toward the trees.

That was the moment Isabella stepped into the clearing.

“No!” she cried, her voice a fierce command that cut through the tension like a blade. Her heart raced as Rhys turned to face her, his blue eyes cold and calculating.

Victor’s expression was a mix of shock and anger. “Isabella, I told you—”

“You told me to stay hidden,” she interrupted, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination. “But I won’t hide while you fight for both of us.”

Rhys raised his dagger, his smirk condescending. “So, this is the girl you’ve damned? Brave, I’ll give her that. But bravery won’t save her.”

Isabella stepped closer, her new instincts roaring to life. She could feel the predator in her awakening, a force she had tried to suppress but could no longer ignore. Her sharp eyes locked onto Rhys, and for the first time, she felt no fear of the man who had come to destroy them.

“It’s not bravery,” she said, her voice steady. “It’s love. And it’s stronger than anything you could ever bring against us.”

Rhys lunged, but this time, Isabella was ready. Her movements were fluid, faster than she had ever imagined possible. She sidestepped his attack, her hand striking out to knock the dagger from his grasp. The weapon clattered to the ground, and she pressed forward, her newfound strength driving her to seize the hunter by the throat.

The weight of her actions struck her even as she held Rhys in her grip. His pulse thudded beneath her fingers, a tantalizing rhythm that awakened the hunger she had tried so hard to resist. The world seemed to narrow to the sound of that heartbeat, the scent of blood tantalizingly close.

Victor’s voice broke through the haze. “Bella, no!”

Her grip loosened, and she stumbled back, shaking with the effort to control herself. Rhys coughed, his hand going to his neck as he glared at her with a mixture of fear and fury.

“You’re stronger than this,” Victor said, stepping between her and the hunter. “You don’t have to give in.”

But before Isabella could reply, Rhys took advantage of the distraction. He grabbed his dagger from the ground and lashed out. The blade caught Victor across the chest, tearing through his shirt and drawing a thin line of blood. The wound sizzled as the silver made contact, and Victor cried out in pain.

Something in Isabella snapped.

With a speed she hadn’t fully realized she possessed, she moved between them, knocking the dagger from Rhys’s hand once more. This time, she didn’t hesitate. She struck him hard, sending him sprawling to the forest floor. Her instincts screamed at her to end it—to protect Victor at all costs—but she froze, her human conscience warring with her vampire nature.

“Leave,” she said, her voice low and deadly. “Leave and never come back.”

Rhys stared up at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. For a moment, it seemed he might refuse. But then he saw the fire in her eyes, the raw power she could barely contain, and he nodded, scrambling to his feet. Without another word, he disappeared into the shadows.

As the forest fell silent, Isabella turned to Victor, her hands trembling. “Are you okay?”

Victor smiled weakly, blood staining his lips. “I’ve had worse,” he said, though his voice was strained. He reached for her, his touch gentle despite the pain. “You were incredible.”

Isabella shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I almost lost myself. I could feel it, Victor. The hunger, the rage... it’s like a storm inside me.”

Victor cupped her face, his gaze steady. “You didn’t lose yourself. You chose mercy. And that’s what makes you stronger than any monster.”

In the quiet aftermath of the fight, Isabella leaned into Victor’s embrace, her resolve hardening. The hunter was gone—for now—but she knew their fight wasn’t over. They had faced the darkness together and survived, but the shadows of the forest still held secrets, and the bond they shared would be tested again.

Together, they would face whatever came next.