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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 266 Better
The next day, Elle was stuck with Abi and the kids.
Alicia was not with them for the entire day. According to Abi, she was with Lilith and the two of them were dealing with some important matters. Although Elle was dying to know what those two gorgeous ladies were busying themselves with, she knew better than to ask for more details from Abi.
Alexander was not around as well but Elle did not ask of his whereabouts anymore.
The day ended quite fast thanks to being with the kids. The many different requests and antics they had were enough to keep Abi and Elle busy and on their toes, that they had no free time to feel the miss from the absence of those others who were not there.
Once Alexis, Azy and Alice entered their bedrooms to settle down for the night, Abigail joined Elle in sitting beside the bonfire in the front yard.
The two of them talked about mundane things at first until Elle began to shift the topic into something more serious.
"I am thinking about maybe... learning how to at least protect myself." She finally said, looking at the crackling fire and "My skill is useless to the vampires... And I've been thinking hard about it. I realised that I should learn something else that would be useful to my safety. Perhaps something that won't take too long to hone."
She lifted her eyes, nervous to think of what Abigail's reaction would be like. But she was relieved when what she saw in her eyes was nothing but understanding. Abigail did not need to say it. Her eyes were telling her that she understood fully why she was saying all these things.
"I think the easiest is..." Elle continued, feeling braver now to just spill everything that she had in mind at the non-accusatory look on Abi's face. "... a gun. It should be the safest for me to use as a form of self defense against the vampire's speed. But... I'm not sure if guns can even harm the vampires."
"Guns can actually harm them." Abigail replied while nodding, causing Elle to widen her eyes at Abi.
"And if you put poison on the bullet, it can even kill them." A voice that belonged to Lilith echoed from behind Elle.
She turned and saw the two silver-haired ladies approaching them. Both beautiful and stunning. Elle could not help but be mesmerised as she took in the both of them standing side by side.
When Alicia and Lilith sat on the empty chairs around the bonfire, Lilith continued. "So you're choosing to train with guns, huh..."
"Yes." Elle replied. "I think it's the most practical for me." She then shrugged a shoulder, indicating that she would listen to any better advice if they were to be given.
"I admit guns should be far safer for you than swords or daggers when you're against vampires, Elle." Alicia added. "Lilith and I can help you with the poisons. And I believe that for the gun, Alexander should be able to provide a nice one for you."
Elle's eyes flew to Abi and when she smiled at her, Elle's lips parted in both shock and gladness. She never thought that these ladies... that all of them would actually support her so easily like this! They did not look at her askance nor question her about anything. They just took her words at face value. She had thought that there was a big possibility where all of them would discourage her from touching weapons. But... here they were... even helping her already! Lord... how lucky was she to meet these amazing ladies?!
Gushing with gratitude, Elle rose from her seat and hugged each of them, saying her thanks for their support from the bottom of her heart.
"I was actually worried. That you might object or even stop me." Elle later admitted to Abi while they were ascending up the stairs. A gentle chuckle sounded from the gentle lady walking beside her.
"I won't. I know you needed it in your situation. And I once experienced it... being helpless. It was awful." Abi told her. "But the most important reason is because we know that you truly needed it for your own sake. We never know what might happen so it's always better to be prepared and have at least a secret weapon hidden under your sleeve. Now go sleep and rest, Elle. You heard Lilith earlier. Your training starts tomorrow."
Elle's eyes glimmered with gratitude and she thanked Abi once again.
Outside, Alicia and Lilith were still sitting around the bonfire in silent camaraderie before chatting again.
"I didn't expect you to immediately support Izabelle's desire." Lilith said.
"She needs it. From here on... everything's uncertain. Things could go down the drain in the blink of an eye. Especially when Elijah is advancing with his agenda faster than ever, we can only prepare her as early as we could." Alicia replied, quietly sipping from her glass. "Izabelle is already caught up in a world that requires her to fight and might even force her to spill blood to survive and protect herself and her loved ones. Though these same things are happening in human society, Izabelle had never dealt with blood yet. She needs to learn as soon as possible..."
"What if Prince Sebastian gets angry about this?"
"It's fine. Izabelle can calm him down and I know he'd eventually give in once Elle coaxes him. And he'd definitely choose this alternative. Rather than letting Elle end up learning and using the ability she herself knows nothing about."
"Shouldn't it be easier and more helpful for her if we instead help her learn about herself and her abilities as early as now? You said she needs to be prepared."
Alicia sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping a little as she stared at her glass and then at the fire. "If only it's that easy, Lilith. Even I couldn't help but agree that it's better if Izabelle never learns about it."
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 267 Approval
Dressed in a black camouflage cargo pants paired with combat boots and a long sleeve white stretch, Elle lifted her hands and aimed at the target before her. Her blue orbs were intent and focused on the target ahead but her expression was relaxed. There was no sign of tenseness nor emotions on her face.
The gentle breeze blowing caused some strands of hair that had come loose from her braid to start swaying in a quiet dance.
BANG!
The loud sound that used to jolt her crazy at first no longer fazes her. Well, it had been quite a while and she couldn't even count how many times she had fired her gun until now.
A clap followed the loud gunshot.
"Good job." It was Caelian who spoke. The man was standing beside Abigail, watching Elle closely as she had been taking her aim and when she released her shot.
Releasing a long breath, Elle stared hard at her target. Her shot barely missed the bullseye. She felt a little disappointed as she was truly aiming to finally shoot that bullseye. But seeing how close it was this time, Elle felt her motivation rise even higher. 'A little bit more...' she told herself. She just needed to practice more and she'll be even better!
Three days have passed since she started her marksmanship training. It was Caelian who taught her the basics and everything else about guns since it seemed that the man was quite knowledgeable about guns. She had heard from Abi that Caelian had been serving as a marine for many years in another country and had even participated in human wars many years ago.
He was incredibly skillful and Elle could tell how good of a teacher that he was. Just within three days, she had learned a lot from him.
With a big smile, Elle turned at Caelian and Abigail. "It's amazing!" she exclaimed. The feeling of accomplishment welling up within her was really uplifting. Though she had always been athletic, Elle was not very sure about her aiming skill. She had lowered her expectations but to her relief, it seemed that she was much better in it than she had ever imagined herself to be. She truly believed and was convinced that one of the biggest reasons was because of her trainer.
"You're actually amazing, Elle." Abi grinned proudly at her, causing Elle's eyes to gleam even brighter.
Caelian nodded in approval. "I told you... you have what it takes to do it
, Princess."
Before Elle could even form a response, another voice that did not belong to Abi or Caelian echoed from behind them.
"So this is what's occupying everyone for the past three days, huh?" Alexander arched a brow as he lazily leaned against the tree trunk. His arm had already snaked around Abi's waist but Elle did not even wonder how Abi was already right there with him. This couple who had already been together for so long were still so sweet on each other that it was nothing new to Elle and others around them, when they behaved like a couple that are newly married.
And based on Alexander's words, it seems like he did not know about this. So, it would only mean that the gun she was using would have come from Caelian and not from Alexander.
After Abi said something to him in a low voice, Alexander sighed and then he looked over at Caelian.
"So, how is she? I hope you taught her well enough, Caelian." Alexander commented.
"Princess Izabelle is good. I believe she's naturally a sharp shooter. She just needs more chances to train and take the time to familiarize herself enough with the gun."
Alexander glanced at Elle's target and he nodded with approval. But then he walked towards it, blocking the target with his body.
"I see you're indeed doing really well considering that it has only been a few days you've been training. I think it's about time you move on to the next step. Aim at me this time, Princess Izabelle." Alexander patted lightly on his chest, indicating for her to aim at his person.
Elle's eyes circled wide. She did not see that coming at all. Alexander looked serious and the way he was giving her that challenging look had her nerves stiffening. This man's presence had always been light and the kind that gives her the feeling of safety. Since the day she met him, he had never once intimidated her. Maybe because he has always been nice and gentle when dealing with her.
But today, Alexander was showing her something serious. And she could not help but swallow. She never dared to think that Alexander was not powerful. But the vibe he gives off just with him looking all serious like he was right now, was something she was not expecting. To think she would feel the chills running down her spine just by him acting all serious.
"I'm your target this time, Princess Elle. If you manage to even graze me, then you can consider yourself to have passed." He smiled and Elle somehow relaxed again. But what he said earlier was a bit... Was he trying to rile her up? If that was his aim, well, he has certainly succeeded. Because now, she felt like she really wanted to try and meet his challenge just to gain his approval.
Turning to Abi, Elle was again speechless to see her smiling. Even gesturing at her to do her best. Wow... was this real? Abi's actually cheering and encouraging her to shoot at her beloved husband?!
Now her confidence was starting to waver a little. She thought that their reactions could mean that they believe she could not do it yet.
"Now come at me, Princess. Don't hesitate. Because if you do, you won't even manage to barely graze me." Alexander continued urging her, his elegant smile even turning a little taunting. "Shoot me like you mean it."
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 268 A Bit Easy (1)
Elle's fingers tightening and clenching on her gun, Elle took a deep breath. She stared at the gun in her hand and recalled all the things that Caelian had drilled into her head over the past three days. One of the most important things Caelian had emphasized for her to keep in mind was to never underestimate the vampire's speed because some of them could even move faster than bullets. Mere human vision was not powerful enough to follow their swift movements.
Alexander was one of the Reign royals. A true vampire blue blood. If she could manage to shoot him - no, even to graze him a little - then it would mean that she would be good enough to the extent that she could definitely shoot Elijah as well, right?
"Don't worry, Elle." Abi said. "Even if you manage to shoot Alex, he'll be alright. So don't you worry, and don't be afraid. Just focus on shooting him. You can imagine him as your enemy if that helps to get you to focus." Abi even went to the extent of giving her some pointers and tips on how to properly aim at her husband. Elle was torn between wanting to burst out laughing or sweat dropping.
"Oh, how you love me, my dear wife." Alexander smirked teasingly at his wife. "Your love language did change a little over the years. But I'm loving the little changes anyways." And he then playfully sent her a sexy and playful wink.
"Behave Alex. Don't distract her." Abi replied, feigning a stern look.
"Yeah, don't distract my student with your cheesy lines, boss." Caelian butted in with a cheeky grin, knowing that this was a rare opportunity to dig into his boss while the missus was also in on it.
"If this is enough to distract her then… she's not going to ever land a shot –" Alexander replied before his sentence got cut off.
BANG!
After a moment of silence, everyone nodded in approval.
"Terrific!" Abi clapped and Caelian crossed his arms over his chest in a proud stance, still nodding sedately.
Elle's heartbeats were racing hard within her though outwardly, she held herself still and waited for Alexander to respond. Caelian had told her that one of the most effective ways for her to land a shot on a vampire was to catch her target off guard. He had constantly reminded her that having a gun would still be useless, no matter how high-tech it was, because of the massive difference in speed. But if she could use her top speed while the enemy was being distracted, she would definitely have the chance. And so she applied it all. While Alexander was distracted with Abi, she had caught onto that opportunity and raised her hand as fast as she could and immediately fired a shot. Not forgetting about Caelian's words, that vampires can even snatch the gun from her hands before she could even fire it if she did not shot fast enough.
She did her very best. Believing in Abi's words that Alexander will be alright even if her shot hits him was enough to make her throw her fear and worries to the back of her mind. It was actually amazing how she had reacted because no matter what, this person was Alexander. She should not even be daring enough to point a gun at him. But she did it and even dared to shoot at him.
"Good, but not good enough." Alexander commented. "You didn't even touch my clothes."
What?! She still did not manage to hit him? Elle pressed her lips tight after hearing his words. It seems as though Alexander was not the type to mince his words when he becomes serious?
"Try it again, Princess Elle. You're not fast enough." Alexander immediately called out her weakness.
After Abi and Caelian gave her an encouraging nod, Elle raised her arms and aimed before shooting at Alexander again and again.
She did her best until she was out of bullets. But still, Alexander was untouched and unscratched. None of her bullets even grazed the corners of his clothes.
Speechless, Elle panted as she was out of breath and more than a little frustrated. It seems, it was really hard to harm a vampire even if she was armed with a gun!
"It's okay, Elle. You really are doing great actually. Alex is just on a whole other level." Abi said, trying to console her. But Elle still pursed her lips in disappointment at her own disheartening performance. "Geez. Don't be too hard on yourself. Come, let's have some rest for now. We can try again after this."
As Abi and Elle took their seats, Alexander approached them. "Well… I think Caelian is going a bit easy on you, Elle." Alexander arched a brow as he pursed his lips a little.
"Oh, come on, boss. You're not expecting me to treat the Princess like she's a commando, are you?" Caelian retorted.
"If she's willing to train harder, then why not? I believe that she's the one who wanted this. Isn't that right, Elle?" Alexander replied to Caelian then smoothly turning to look at Elle for her agreement.
Elle sheepishly nodded. She was the one who had wanted this and that was why she repeatedly asked Caelian to not go easy on her. She did not ask to go through this training only for him to treat her like a princess and give her preferential treatment. She wanted this to train very seriously and she wouldn't mind no matter how hard it was because to her, there was nothing harder than being helpless.
"I didn't go easy on her, Alex. I think that she needs just a little more time before she's able to jump to the highest level."
"But she might not have enough time, Caelian." Alexander's words had everyone falling silent. Elle noticed how even Abi looked a little surprised at what Alexander had said. "We don't know if today might be her last chance to learn and train."
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 269 Oppurtunity (2)
Elle did not even have the chance to ponder about Alexander's latest statement because of Lilith and Alicia's arrival to the scene.
"I think that the princess is a little too pressured. Why don't we make her training a little bit more fun?" Lilith said, causing everyone to look at her questioningly. Everyone was piqued by her suggestion and wanted to know what fun training she was talking about.
"She had suggested a hunting game. But it would be with maybe a few of us involved as her target." Alicia was the one who answered. "Experience is always the best teacher as they say... so since she does not have the luxury to train normally due to lack of time, I agree with Lilith's suggestion. We should simulate her training to be, as best as possible, the closest to reality as it can get."
Somehow, Elle was starting to feel a little nervous after hearing the suggestion that Lilith and Alicia had suggested and agreed upon. She felt nervous because everyone's actions right now were telling her that things seemed to be getting really serious... and fast. They were obviously trying to rush her to learn as fast as possible. And she did not even know why... Was the situation with Elijah getting worse? Were they keeping something from her? Thinking about it, she decided to bite the bullet and just directly ask about it.
"Is there... a serious problem going on that I know nothing about?" Elle could no longer stop herself from asking. All these while, she had already had a feeling that there were certain things that she seemed not to be privy to. "Everyone seemed... suddenly in a rush..."
They looked at her, not saying anything. She waited but still no one spoke until Alexander cleared his throat and finally responded to her. "Don't worry. If you're worried about what's happening outside the Black Forest or with matters on Sebastian, everything's fine as of now. Elijah still has yet to make any moves actually. But that is the reason why we are trying to utilize any time of peace that you have right now. Something could happen any time now, and by then, you won't have the luxury to train anymore. Thus, what Lilith and Alicia said is really relevant."
What he said was understandable. If something did happen... there was no way she could still focus especially if Sebastian was being forced into a dangerous situation. Though she felt as though there seemed to be more to this, Elle decided to brush that feeling off and put it aside for now. She'll bring the issue again after this because right now, she knew she had to focus and grab this opportunity. If this truly was the fastest way for her to learn then... she needed to do it now.
"Lilith's suggestion is a hunting game, right?" Alexander asked.
"Yes." Lilith nodded then she looked at Elle before giving short and clear instructions. "You alone against a number of witches. Hunt them down and shoot at them with this gun."
The gun that Lilith handed to Elle was one that had a silencer equipped on it.
"The reason we chose the witches is because we know you are definitely scared to really shoot at anyone. We understand how you feel. But as long as you have that fear, you won't be able to move past it and get better." As Lilith explained, a witch appeared. It was a woman with dark hair and almost ashen skin.
Without any preamble, Lilith shot at her, shocking Elle. There had been no warning, no hints, not even a slightest indication that Lilith would react in such a way.
And what she saw next had her eyes widening in shock once again. The witch had exploded into bats as soon as the bullet hit her and then came together once again.
"The bullets you shoot are not capable of killing them. It won't even make them bleed a little." Lilith continued. "You'll only find out that you manage to shoot if they explode into bats. So, if one does explode, it means that you have successfully shot at them... If you pass this challenge, we'll move on to the real deal. Which is going to be some of us you will hunt next."
Elle secretly swallowed. Her heartbeat raced but not out of pure nervousness. She could feel the thrill mixed in there too.
"Will you be able to handle this, Princess Elle?" Alexander asked, looking straight into her eyes, wanting to determine how she was taking it. That challenging look was there in his eyes again. And that only caused the determination to flare up even more within her.
Sweeping her gaze over everyone, Elle realized that she was surrounded by extremely powerful people - powerful not just in positions that they hold, but also in real and natural powers that they hold within themselves. Not just figuratively but physically as well. Everyone was either non-human and supernatural, while she... was just a human. But for the first time in her life, she felt like she was starting to feel something different. She felt like this was the beginning of something she knew nothing about yet.
Maybe with this... she could be one day closer to them. If not, at least she could be somewhat useful. And she would no longer feel like she did not belong in these powerful people's company. No, she would do her best to strengthen and grow herself to be deserving of all these amazing people's support and the chance is being placed before her right now. She would do this. There was no way she would let this opportunity slip through her fingers.
"I will do it!" Elle declared with so much fighting spirit, her eyes sparkling as though silvery flames were burning behind those blue irises.
"Good." Alexander said and nodded decisively as everyone smiled proudly at her. "Then let the game commence. We will be waiting here patiently for our turn to be hunted by you."
"I will do my best!" Elle exclaimed and with that, Caelian and Lilith began their coaching as Alexander, Abigail and Alicia gathered the witches who will be participating in this exercise and had discussed some secret matters with them.
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HELLBOUND HEART
Chapter 270 Chance (3)
The moon was shining bright when they started the hunting game.
Lilith left Elle alone somewhere in the middle of the forest while the others scattered themselves around the area designated to them for the hunting game. They are allowed to move around the allocated zone until Elle comes along, then they should try their best in avoiding getting shot at.
Now left alone in the darkness, Elle took a long deep breath. She needed to do this! If she could not at least pass this, there would be no way she could even stand a chance against Elijah or any of his men!
She tried to calm her wildly beating heart, remembering all the things Caelian and Lilith had told her earlier. They had reminded her of a few things to avoid and also some other hints for keeping herself from giving her position away.
Immediately, Elle hid herself upon seeing an ideal place where she could hide. There was a large growth of bushes she had come across. However, Elle didn't choose to go there, remembering what Caelian had taught her that she must not choose the first potential spot she found because according to Caelian, if the hiding spot stood out for her, then it would also stand out to her pursuer.
'Look closer and choose the place that isn't expected.' Caelian's voice echoed in her head.
When Elle finally chose her hiding spot which was a not so large growth of bushes but enough to cover her, she crouched low and laid down low in the underbrush, careful to keep her head down.
Double checking on her current crouched over position on the ground, Elle slightly repositioned herself to be more comfortable and able to maintain an alert stance. And then she took calming quiet breaths again. She needed to lower her breathing as much as possible and avoid being excessively stressed from the expectations of this exercise.
Lilith had advised her to stay in hiding and remain quiet, which honestly made Elle think twice because this was supposed to be a hunting game. She needed to hunt her prey so she should be moving, right? But Lilith wanted her to just stay put and hide herself and wait for her prey to come to her instead.
Elle does get the point that this method was indeed less dangerous. But would this really be the best option for her to pass this test? She honestly doubted a little but nonetheless, she would listen to advice given to her. Lilith sounded so confident when she told her that with this, she could utilize her uncanny ability of not being easily detected.
The curiosity about the ability Lilith was talking about also made Elle decide to listen to all her advice. She wanted to know if she really had such a skill or whatever that might be called.
Time ticked by but no one appeared yet. Elle had somehow really calmed down. The quietness of the night did not bother her or scared her even a bit. Maybe because she was busy trying to identify every sound like she was looking for a phantom. And this was slowly making her feel the thrill and adrenaline of stepping into an uncharted territory like she had felt when she was exploring secret passages back home when she was younger. Just that, this was definitely an upgrade from her previously kiddy play and make-believe.
Just as she was thinking about that, a sound made her hold her breath. It was the faint sound of leaves being crushed under a person's feet.
Elle did not move. She slowed her breathing even more and breathed as shallow as she could. She focused her senses to her ears, trying to listen and identify from which direction the sound was coming from.
From the left. But then it suddenly stopped. Elle felt nervous at the thought that the witch must have sensed her and that was why they were now taking precaution.
She was tempted to move, to run away. She knew that was her innate instincts that were prompting her. But she forced herself to repeat the advice Caelian and Lilith had plied her with. Running away was a bad idea because she was going up against supernatural beings. She could never outrun a witch or a vampire! As a human, it was impossible!
So, she stayed still. Not moving. She could not tell how long time had passed before she caught sight of a dark silhouette appearing behind a tree trunk across her hiding spot.
She watched the witch look around first and then come out from her hiding spot behind the tree. This was a good sign that she had not picked up on Elle's presence yet.
Lilith had told her not to rush, but not to take too long to take action either once she had set her eyes on a target. She told her, the limit for her to wait for the perfect time from the appearance of her prey to her attack would be about two minutes.
Elle's fingers slowly wrapped around the gun as her fingers ready themselves over the trigger. She was itching to fire, but her body hesitated. Despite all her willful spirits a while ago, she found herself unable to pull the trigger.
Her fingers trembled slightly, causing her to berate herself inwardly. How come she was feeling this right now? Did she not manage to shoot at Alexander without trembling a few hours ago? What is going on with her now?
As she fought for calmness and courage to aim and pull the trigger, the witch moved closer to where she was hiding. She seemed completely oblivious that someone was watching her, and aiming at her.
Then she turned around, exposing her unprotected back to Elle's view, literally making herself completely vulnerable.
Elle swallowed. This was the right time. This was her chance! Might be her only chance! Her time limit was approaching and she needed to fire now!
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