“What is wrong with you?!” Prescott shouted in Emma’s mind, but Emma shrugged, not giving a reply.
But Prescott continued.
“We were almost done finishing them off. Why did you open your big mouth to spoil all our plans? Huh? Must you do this?” He asked, and Emma snorted, building a shield all over her mind, cutting him off.
She wanted to fight. She wanted to release the tension and anger that had coiled up her nerves. Why didn’t they understand that?
“She shut me out.” Prescott whined, throwing up his hands as if in tired surrender.
Freya soughed, not knowing what to say.
She was only aware that the guy, whoever he was, was so happy about the newest development. She didn’t know why Emma had thought it wise to bring up this matter, but she was afraid and knew that the former had little or no chances of winning.
So, why would she do it? Why would she disrupt their well laid plans?
Beside her, Yodah, Aiden and Julius stared at Emma with wide disbelieving angry eyes.
Julius spoke then.
“Why?” He asked Emma, who met his gaze steadfastly.
“I just want to fight.” Emma replied.
“A fair fight.” She murmured, thinking that even though they had been outnumbered, the magic-gifted beings had been no match for the vampires from the start.
But her and Casper, fists to fists?
That was a fair fight.
And that’s what she wanted.
Yodah rolled his eyes at Emma’s statement.
He has never seen a stubborn girl like this.
Aiden sighed, and stepped back from the wizard he had been trying to kill off.
“Okay then.” He muttered, and Freya felt like giving him a hard knock.
How could he consent to this madness? She thought.
Emma nodded at Aiden in gratitude for letting her have her choice, before cocking her head at Casper, inviting him in for the fight.
The remaining wizards drew back as Casper took up the challenge and walked towards Emma. Emma’s companions did the same too, leaving a space in between, where Emma and Casper stood, staring at each other.
“Emma, are you sure of this?” Freya asked, beckoning to Emma, or rather pleading with her to stop this form of madness which had no meaning.
“Yes. I’m sure.” Emma replied, and Casper smiled, his hands fixed inside the front pockets of his plain blue trousers.
“No interferences?” He asked, his attention shifting to the vampires.
“No interferences.” Emma concurred, balling her fists. Prescott shook his head.
They started circling each other then, their eyes never losing focus.
“You know, I have to admit that this decision of yours is a really foolish one, even though I would end up being the one benefitting from it alone.” Casper mentioned, with a small smile, obviously pleased with the turn of events.
” We will see about that. But I think I should warn you that I’m not the same person as the naive girl that you had played with more than a year ago.” Emma replied, smiling sarcastically too.
“You look the same, just more beautiful.” Casper said, pausing in his movements, trailing his eyes all over Emma who had also stopped moving. She was at attention.
“Thank you.” She muttered, furrowing her eyebrows.
“But I don’t need your compliments now. Let’s fight.”
Casper smiled wider and nodded, while battling with his little man who seemed to have been triggered on by Emma’s bad ass looks and words.
*
Emma and Casper circled each other, each one grinning at the tension they had and were still causing amongst their audience. There was dead silence everywhere… not even the sound of crickets. It was as if they had all kept quiet to watch the upcoming battle between the duo who had been friends at one time.
Suddenly, Emma leapt forward, charging at Casper. Unprepared, Casper recoiled from a punch to his jaw with a wince. In retaliation, he prepared to strike Emma in the stomach, but he hesitated, unsure of what he was actually doing. He still loved her after all.
“Don’t do that,” Emma told him before striking him in the shoulder with a hard fist, which shocked him to his bones. So hard and forceful was it that he fell backward to the ground with a loud thud.
“It’s fatal,” Emma finished, a smirk appearing on her face.
“Seems you’re getting older, Casper… That’s bad. Still, don’t take it easy on me. I told you I’m not the same girl you had known then.” She taunted, bouncing on her feet, balling her fists the more, watching as Casper grunted, still in shock, and stood up.
“You weren’t kidding.” He muttered, dusting his trousers.
“You’ve really trained up. Who taught you? Derek? Too bad he rejected you then.” Casper taunted back, striking a sore spot. He had mentioned the latter factor to get back at Emma for humiliating him. The looks on the faces of his still surviving subordinates were enough insults already.
He would show Emma now. He thought, balling his fists. Time to get it done with, once and for all. There were no rules after all. He mused and smirked, especially as he watched the taunting smile on Emma’s lips disappear at his statement. In place of that was a deep frown, or rather scowl. She was glaring daggers at him now, her humor totally gone.
“Calm down Emma. Don’t do anything rash. Focus. Utilize your anger well.” Prescott stated in Emma’s mind, but she was already far gone in the angry haze to listen. She just wanted to keep sending blows on Casper’s face till it was beyond recognition. How dare he mention Derek and rejection in one sentence?
When Casper drew closer to her for another round, she stepped back, balancing her weight on her left foot, and threw her right fist in rage, out in a curved punch at Casper’s temple.
But turning ninety degrees to the side, Casper brought his right forearm up to counter the blow, formed a fist with his left, and threw it at her outstretched jaw. A direct connection happened, and an outflow of blood sprouted out from Emma’s mouth.
Freya balked, then shook her head, about to join the fight, but Aiden held by the hand and dragged her back, reminding her of the conditions of the brawl. No interference of any kind.
“Who is old now huh?” Casper asked, cackling in mock laughter.
Emma smiled, a thin ghostly smile.
Using the back of her right palm, she wiped and cut off the blood stream flowing from the corner of her lips to her jaw, down to the floor. The blow had been hard. It was a surprise to the others that she hadn’t fallen. She was stronger than she looked.
“Nice blow.” She said, nodding her head as if assimilating the intensity of the blow.
“Glad you think so.” Casper mentioned, a smirk still in place.
“Throw a punch then … let’s compare.” He stated, dropping his hands to the sides of his body, cocking his head at Emma.
Emma shook her head.
“This is a fight, not a game.” She replied.
“True. But you should throw a punch. I’m giving you the last chance now, some good thing that Derek never gave you.” He taunted, smirking as he watched her glare daggers at him.
She was angry.
But he was concerned.
It was time to end this farce of a fight once and for all. He needed to take her to his queen. Perhaps, the woman would let him have the redhead at least for a night as a present for bringing the latter to her. And then, there was his throbbing manhood. He needed to leave.
That decided, Casper lifted his index finger, crooked it tro and fro towards an angry Emma, inviting her to throw a punch.
But when Emma risked a strong punch purged and pruned in anger, her fist hung on the air.
What the hell.
“What are you doing? This wasn’t part of the rules. It was meant to be a fist fight.” Emma stated angrily, her voice rising.
“That’s not true. The only rule made was the ‘no interference’ rule. There was no rule against using one’s powers.” Casper replied with a smirk, thinking that Emma had no powers. He still thought of her as human.
His smirk disappeared, his eyebrows thinning when he saw a devilish smile spread across Emma’s lips.
Her next statement, for no reason, made him suspicious.
“Is that so?” She had asked, before dropping her hand to her side, and stepping back.
**
“Ketura, are you sure of what you’re saying?” Tempest asked, her eyes still wide in shock.
“Yes.” Ketura replied, in all sincerity. “I saw her with my own eyes.”
That’s impossible.
It couldn’t be. Could it? Tempest thought, remembering the last conversation Sheila and her had had before her demise; about the father of her baby, or was it babies now?
This was confusing. She needed to see this new girl by herself. She needed to confirm something.
“Where is she now? Did you see where she went?” Tempest asked, intense curiosity ringing in her voice.
“Yes. She is with Emma. Last I heard, they were going to Emma’s place. The other vampires are with them too. I believe she will be safe for now.” Ketura stated, and Tempest nodded slowly.
The two seemed to have gotten along fine.
But she had to get them both.