“When Jartre discovered Apaki, he blacked out. It was like his mind couldn’t process the pain, so it shut down. He flew into a rage unlike anything anyone had ever seen. It was as though all the hurt, heartbreak and betrayal turned into pure malice and consumed him. In that moment, he placed a curse on Oshmin, one that still continues to this day,” they say carefully. “Gods can curse people? Even other Gods?” I question as shock takes over my mind. Just when I think I’ve made it past the bottom of the supernatural iceberg, it turns out it’s bigger than I anticipated. I’m like the fucking Titanic. “That they can. Jartre placed a blood curse on Oshmin, turning him into the first sanguidae.” “Sanguidae?” I question, then slowly realise what that name translates to. “Holy shit, he turned a God into a fucking vampire?!” They nod gravely. “It was not Jartre’s intention, but the blood curse is just that. The moment the curse took hold, Oshmin flew into a blood craze, his entire being cra
Before I know it, two warm, dark espresso hands are cupping my face as bright liquid silver eyes stare at me with concern. Their voice slowly begins to filter back into my ears and soon I can make out what they’re saying. “Gabriella, just breathe. No one is going to kill Jartre, I promise you,” they say calmly. “You don’t know that,” I whisper as I feel tears pool in my eyes. I just learned my boyfriend and soulmate, killed his ex, cursed her lover, nearly destroyed the world, made a God, caused a vampire and demon plague and still after all that, all I can feel is pain at the thought of losing him. So much so I can barely breathe. How fucking sick and twisted is that? Ezillus reaches past me and ends up placing my wine glass to my lips and helping me sip, “There you go. Drink your juice, Shelby,” they coo in a southern drawl. I spit the wine back into the glass as I burst into a fit of laughter. I look up at Ezillus through teary eyes as they smile back down at me. I hunch forwa
How I despise this realm. Yes, this is where I was born – if that’s even the right word – but it’s not home. Being here only reminds me of the past, so I avoid returning and find spending my time on Earth far more soothing. The only reason I’m here now is that I’m struggling to quell my anger, and I already know the damage I did to Earth the last time I couldn’t control myself, and I don’t wish for that to happen again. This entire realm is made of pure magic, so it’s less susceptible to my destructive forces. I have places I reside, but none that I’ve ever truly called home. The first time I felt I’d found my home was when I first laid eyes on Gabriella. My essram felt at peace the moment I held her in my arms, and I feel at home each time I’m with her. Being lightyears away from her feels like torture. I ache to be at her side, but would she even want me? After the way she looked at me, would she ever welcome me back? Would she ever let me hold her in my arms again? To breathe in
I suck in a breath as my heart beats ferociously, her eyes beseeching mine as she stands her ground bearing her all to me. She said she’s mine. Ezillus told her everything and she still wants me. She knows I am a wounded, tortured being and still she is choosing me. It is selfish to want something so pure, knowing I am already tainting her, but still, she’s choosing me, and I want to choose her. I choose her above all others. I would forsake all others, even this very Earth just to be the one to make her smile again. I love her. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I loved her. I thought I knew love with Apaki, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I feel for Gabriella is all-consuming. It burns me to ashes only to renew me time and time again. I would give my all for her. There never has been, nor will there ever be another for me. She is my destiny. She cleanses my past, graces my present, and paves my future. I am hers, and I think it’s time I stopped running from that.
“Wh-what?” I stammer, staring into his hypnotic liquid silver eyes. “I know I tend to underestimate you as a human, but I’m very certain your hearing is perfectly fine,” he says with a sly smirk. “Hardy-har-har,” I say sarcastically. “Everything I said didn’t mean we have to have sex now, I’m okay waiting if it’s what you want.” He places his large finger on my lips to silence me, making them burn pleasurably as a warm smile peeks out through his snow-white beard. “I’ve wanted you since the night I saw you in that club and every night since. Not giving in to my desire for you has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I liken it to torture.” I chuckle and place a tender kiss against his finger. “It’s been torture for me too.” “Are you implying my tongue hasn’t been sufficient?” He leans in, peppering soft, tender kisses down my neck making my entire body tingle as my breathing hitches. “Your tongue should be declared one of your superpowers,” I say between breaths. My hands tra
With his eyes fixed on mine, peering into the depths of my soul, he shifts his hips and slowly enters me one glorious inch at a time, filling me up as I take shallowed, pleasured gasps and fight to keep my eyes open. I feel him sink into me completely, sheathing himself exquisitely inside me like a key finding the lock it was meant for. He leans down and presses his lips tenderly against mine, his facial hair tickling my face as I feel my pussy throb around his hardness. “Jartre,” I moan softly against his lips. “You’re perfect,” he whispers. “My Gabriella.” I wrap my arms and legs around him as our lips move in perfect tandem. His arms encompass me like warm, protective armour as he begins to thrust slowly. I start to moan as our lips move in heated caresses, his hands roaming my back, burning my heated skin. I’ve had plenty of sex in my life, but this is different. I’ve had sex, but I’ve never made love. I never really thought there was a difference, but I realise how wrong I was
Dark shadows, bright purple eyes, and flashes of blinding light plague my sleep. I even hear the faint sounds of animals growling and hissing viciously in my ears. The images carry a strong sense of unease that fills my dreams, putting me in a state of unrest, until, finally, I wake up. My eyes haven’t even fluttered open yet and already the pressure in my skull is so agonising, that tears start to pool behind my lids. I feel my body go into some chaotic state between shock and panic, where I no longer have control of my limbs, my body torn between running from pain it can’t escape and curling into a ball and surrendering to the agony. I feel a scolding, yet soothing, hand on my shoulder, but I don’t pay it any attention as the excruciating pain splitting through my skull has a wave of nausea hitting me hard and fast. I roll to the side of the bed, instinct trying to aim me somewhere safe when my body becomes weightless, followed by projectile vomiting my guts out like a nuclear miss
The moment she’s out of sight, I let out the breath I hadn’t realised I was holding as I scrub my hands down my face and sit up. I thought I’d experienced everything this universe had to offer, but since meeting Gabriella, I’ve begun to realise how much is still new to me. I thought I knew what love was, only to find out I had but only touched the tip of it. I now see what true, unyielding love is and it makes me wonder how I ever lived without it. Not only is true love new to me, but so is fear. Thinking back over my long existence, I can’t think of a single moment where I felt true fear. I’ve never been scared of anything. Not of someone or even my own actions. I’ve known pain, but not fear. Until now, that is. From the moment I met Gabriella fear has taken root within me, branching out and spreading throughout my being like a noxious weed sucking the life out of me. Fear of her rejecting me, fear of her hating me, but this morning was by far the worst. To feel the echo of her endur
I walk down the front steps of the beach house, making my way across the sand and over to Jartre who continues to stare out at the horizon. I sense his anguish and guilt and if our bond were complete I’d probably be crushed by their weight. That’s the thing most people don’t realize about Jartre. Jartre feels everything far more intensely than others. His own emotions are a destructive force to himself and those around him. His love for Apaki nearly destroyed the world and then his love for me nearly did the same thing, only on a much larger scale. His guilt, disgust and shame birthed a new God and that has come with its own set of problems. I can’t blame Jartre for wanting to run and hide from his feelings all these years because it seems whenever he lets them out, someone gets hurt.“Are you going to keep standing there watching me?” he utters, not sparing me a glance.“I didn’t want to disturb you. Do you want to talk?” I gently ask.“I’m sure you already know what happened, so wha
I appear in a wide open, sparse living room surrounded by walls of stone and endless glass windows that look out onto an incredible mountainside from atop a hill with trees as far as the eye can see. The sound of the rain echoes around this somewhat hollow domain, each drop beating down on the glass ceiling and cascading down like a waterfall all around me.“What do you want, Jartre?”I look over to see Oshmin sitting at an oversized dining table, his head buried in his hands while flecks of golden glitter in his azure hair manage to twinkle in the light of such an overcast day. A simple whiff is enough to tell me Yildiz is here too, but as I pay closer attention I can feel her energy emanating from somewhere upstairs.“I’m sure you would love more than anything to throw me out, and that would be more than fair, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to speak,” I say with all the confidence I can muster. I feel like a human child confronting their disappointed parent. It feels revolti
Instant relief washes over me when Gabriella finally appears. She crawls onto the bed, collapsing and snuggling up to me, wrapping her arms tight around my body and nuzzling against my chest, setting my body ablaze. I put the TV on mute, wrap my arms around her and plant a tender kiss on the top of her head.“How did it go?”“I knew it would be emotional but…that was even harder than I anticipated,” she exhales.I gently comb my fingers through her green locks as I tenderly run my fingers up and down her arm, her scent swirling around the room putting me at peace. “Did Fretez put up a fight?”She shakes her head, “No, she was very sympathetic and understood why I wanted to do this and said that ultimately it’s my decision and she no longer has a say on the matter. That alone is crazy to me. I mean… having the power to move the spirits of the dead from one plane of existence to another…it’s insane to think that’s something I can do now.”“And how did the young Alpha handle it?”“I thin
The tender moment is interrupted by the suite's buzzer, so I reluctantly free my hand from the mighty grip of my daughter and answer the door. I stand there, mouth agape, looking up at the 7’7” Goddess standing at the threshold of my suite. Dark, yet radiant forest green hair frames her face in long natural waves while her bright, silver eyes look down at me with apprehension.'What would a Goddess have to be apprehensive about?' Zara utters in astonishment, echoing my own thoughts.'Beats me, but a better question would be: why in the hell is a Goddess at my front door?''That is definitely the superior question,' Zara nods in agreement. 'What kind of God rings the doorbell?' Zara appears more lively than she has in weeks. I’m not the only one who lost both her parents. Just like me, the only things keeping her going are Ace and their pup.“I’m so sorry for just showing up like this. It’s Amelia, right?” she says hopefully. “Sorry, I mean, Alpha Amelia,” she quickly corrects herself.
As I look down into the bassinet, listening to the steady thumps of my precious baby girl, I lose count of how many emotions are running through me. My mum tried to brace me for how overwhelming having a baby is. She warned me that from one moment to the next I won’t know whether I want to laugh, scream or cry and she was right, but I still wasn’t prepared. However, the one thing she didn’t prepare me for was how to do this without her.Zara whimpers quietly in my mind as I look over at the framed picture by the television of my mum holding my daughter the day she was born, and I can feel the tears filling my eyes. She tried so hard to make herself look healthy and strong for her granddaughter that day. It’s such a beautiful, bittersweet photo. My mum’s radiant red hair almost cocooning my daughter, her thick black tufts a stark contrast against my mum’s red. Mum was so happy to meet her granddaughter and even though my daughter was fresh out of the womb, it’s like she knew what my mu
I place a glamour over my eyes just as Jartre taught me, allowing people to see my eyes as they once were and not as they are now. I figure this will make it a little easier to take in my new appearance. I wait until Wyatt steps out, then let myself into Derrick’s hospital room. I walk over to the bed and look down at my best friend, his hair damp with sweat and his face pale. He doesn’t deserve this, and I feel like a bad friend for not being there more for him lately because of all this supernatural drama.I quietly pull up a chair and sit down, reaching out and holding his hand between mine. Derrick slowly opens his eyes and looks over at me, first his brows furrow in confusion, but soon his eyes widen in disbelief as he looks me over.“Ella?”“Hey, you,” I say softly.“What…Is that a wig?” he asks in confusion.“Uh no.” I grab a strand of hair between my fingers and look down at it scornfully. “This is my real hair.”“You hate the colour green.”“Oh, I still hate the colour green,
“According to sources, the FBI is working with local law enforcement throughout the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho to get to the bottom of this sudden wave of unexplained disappearances. Conspiracy theorists are going wild on public forums suspecting everything from alien abductions to human trafficking. As for the real cause behind these disappearances, authorities still have no leads on the matter.”I take in a deep breath, guilt strangling me as the news shows more faces of people who have been reported missing since the eyti were released. I allowed this to happen. Those people aren’t missing. They’ve been pulled into an unfathomable dark abyss, infected by the eyti set free from their prison and fuelled by the malice that lives within every human.The TV turns off and I look over to see Jartre getting up from the couch and making his way out to the patio, anger and frustration radiating off him in waves, rippling against the radiating pure white of his essram, now spotted
Whoever said exposure therapy was ideal for curing people of their fears was a sadistic fucking cunt.From the moment I met Gabriella, my greatest fear was that I would lose her. Whether it be at my own hands or due to her humanity. Nothing could have prepared me for what it would be like to feel her life slip away from mine; to feel her soul leave her body and to hold her corpse in my arms. That pain will haunt me for the rest of my life and as an immortal being, that means this ghost will be with me always.I look down at Gabriella as she sleeps peacefully on her bed, her mind needing to recharge from all that has overwhelmed it today. I can feel in my essram that she is still the same Gabriella at her core, but I can’t help still feeling a sense of loss. I carefully reach out, picking up a lock of her dark, forest-green hair and run it between my fingers. It has the same luminous quality Fretez’s always had, and yet it seems more intense to my eyes, perhaps because of what she is t
He holds his hands out in front of him, conjuring a giant ball of black energy and purple electricity. I watch as it draws darkness into itself, but then I notice where the energy is coming from. As I glance around to the barely recognisable field, I see the eyti getting pulled towards it. I don’t think he’s even aware of what he’s doing, but he’s using them to power up his attack, and that’s one thing I can’t let happen.I glance at Zarseti who gives me an encouraging nod. She told me to trust my instincts, and that’s what I’m going to do.I reach out through my mind, feeling for Merlos’ thoughts. Her eyes connect with mine when she senses the connection, quirking an eyebrow at me. 'Merlos, I need you to blind every mortal around us,' I say urgently through my mind.Her brows deepen in confusion for only a second when realisation fills her expression and her mouth quirks up into a smirk of approval. 'Now that, I can do.' With a disinterested wave of her hand, she fills the eyes of ev