I can feel his violet gaze watching as I notch the arrow and aim it at the hunter's heart. I hate myself as much in this moment as I hate him. I should be strong enough to turn the arrow to him and let it fly and get rid of the real culprit in this situation but I know I can't do it. As much as I don't want to kill the hunter below me, I don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he can draw such a reaction out of me even more. Besides, I know the arrow would never get the chance to leave the bow. He would freeze me before I could release and then it would all be lost. Then I'd probably be forced to watch as he slowly tortures the hunter. I could never forgive myself for giving him that fate so instead I do the next best thing and really the only good thing I feel I can do in this situation. I give him a quick death awya fromt eh pain Frost has been giving to him.

He seems unimpressed by my words though I hardly expected a reaction. I don't btoher to answer back, instead turning to walk away because I don't want to look at him. All I'll see is that hunter's face as he made him convulse and then turned his face to blisters. All I'll see is the blackness that should be in those eyes because he is nothing more than a monster, a pitiful coward who uses his powers to control everyone and everything around him. He may have Claire fooled into thinking his protection is the best way but I've been on my own now for a few months and I've managed to survive. I'll keep surviving without his help. That's the last thing I need.

I knew he wouldn't just let me leave. I almost expected to meet the same fate of the hunter, to find myself collapsing to the ground in a bundle of convulsing nerves and muscles. But instead I hear the pitter patter of his feet as he catches up easily and then steps into my path. I come up short, not wanting to bother to touch him, the revulsion clear on my features as I lean back, looking up to meet his gaze as if waiting for the pain to come. I scowl at his words, my eyes narrowing once more. My hands clench into fists.

"No, I don't feel better. I feel dirty, tainted, evil."

I point back to where the hunter's body still lies presumably.

"That was not survival of the fittest. That was inhuman. You're no better than they are. At least he would have given me a clean death. You tortured him and what's more, you did it because you could, because you ENJOYED it."

My eyes glisten, my entire body tense, my heart hammering in my chest because I don't know what will happen next and the suspense is killing me. My eyes find the arrow he's twirling in his hand and I cringe inwardly at the bloody head. He pulled that out of the hunter after I killed him. Why? The answer comes to me as I suddenly find that same bloodied head poking at my throat, my entire body going rigid as I inhale sharply, eying him now in apprehension but I never let go of the loathing pouring from me in waves. When I speak, it comes out in a strangled whisper.

"Stronger? Better? You mean like you? You're neither of those things. You're just a monster, plain and simple. You hold your victims prisoner with your powers. You don't even give them the chance to defend or fight back. You're a coward, Frost and I'd rather die than become anything like you."

I spit the words out, my eyes almost begging him to drive the arrow into my throat now and be over with it because something tells me he won't. He may hurt me, damn well torture me until I beg for death but he won't kill me. He would have done it already if he'd wanted to. I have a feeling Frost likes to break someone more than he likes to kill. He likes to see them die from the inside out. Well I'll be damned before I let him break me down.

He puts more pressure on the arrow and I swallow, feeling the point cut just a little into my skin but my eyes only close for a second. I refuse to flinch in front of him. He suddenly steps away and I know I'm already breathing smoother at his sudden departure, my eyes watching as he steps around me in a circle.

"You can't force loyalty. You would hold no benefit from making me join you and you know it. It would only cause you more trouble than it's worth."

When I feel his fingers suddenly tracing along my arm, I set my jaw. He even dares to lift his finger to my jaw and I have to resist the urge to bite it off. He moves my chin so that I meet his gaze and my blue yees are bright and full of fire, even though my body feels the ice in my veins, the dominance he's trying to exert. I know it's a losing game but I still fight it because if I can't do that, what can I do? My jaw slackens and my eyes widen a little as he starts threatening my friends next. Tobias, Raven. He threatens to make me shoot them next and I can't help the gasp that escapes my lips. The moment he releases me, I can feel my strength suddenly return and I shudder as the warmth takes over my veins once more. He steps back, goading me with a grin as he tells me I can go. Instead I step closer to him, pulling my shield around myself as I go so far as to reach out to touch his arm. My shield is my best weapon against him because while I can feel the cold from his power, he cannot harm me like this. The stronger my fear, the stronger the shield and while I put up a strong face in front of him, Frost has a way of making me more scared than I ever remember being of my father.

I'm not just scared of what he can do to me and my friends. I'm afraid of the side he brings out in me. I'm not the type of person who stands up to someone like this. I don't usually speak my mind to someone who can hurt me or kill me with just a thought. With anyone else, I would probably be cowering beneath him, trembling and begging for mercy. Frost is the only one I've ever stood up to, the only one I'v ever defied since I left my father. I feel powerless around him but at the same time, I feel something deeper, darker inside of me around him. I killed someone today and I'm not crying. I took a life that wasn't mine to take and I'm not grieving. That scares the hell out of me. What's happened to me? And the only person I can blame is the man standing in front of me, the one threatening to make me kill my own friends. The worst part is, I think he can do it. I think he can find a way to persuade me that killing them is the best thing and that horrifies me. What would Raven think if she could see me now?

As my hand lies on his arm, I look up to meet his gaze daringly, even letting a soft smile whisper across my lips for a moment as I lean in, my nose right beside his as I whisper softly, my eyes boring into his, my lips so close that he can taste my breath.

"You can threaten me all you like, but I'll never join you. My decision will never change. Threaten my friends again and you may bite off more than you can chew."

I turn away, my hair brushing his face as I start walking away. I make sure to keep my shield up especially now because I know he'll pick up on the threat and I have a feeling he won't like being threatened. I resist the urge to look over my shoulder to see his reaction. I don't like this feeling pouring through my veins like acid. I don't like the enjoyment I feel when I play his mind games back at him. This is not who I am. This is who he makes me become and I hate it. I hate him for it. I am becoming my own worst enemy and I don't know how to stop it. If he doesn't move to stop me, I start running full blast when I'm out of eye sight. I run until my lungs feel like they're going to burst and the tears stop pouring down my face. I am scared, terrified actually. I find a corner to crawl into and curl up into a little ball, rocking and hiding myself from the world until I can breathe again.

alexis wilde