I stare up at the dark and decrepit-looking mansion nestled among the trees of Hoia-Baciu Forest. It’s four-story’s high, and aside from the numerous windows, the structure almost looks like it was carved from a giant rock. It’s built – or likely conjured – from stones of charcoal grey, with spires lining the edges of the roof as if screaming to the world not to touch or come near it. I’ve never looked at a home’s exterior and thought it resembled a living person, but everything about the home Azadou built for himself screams him: dark, scary, isolated and threatening all who come near.I make my way up the winding stone steps, my heart lodging itself in my throat as I approach the front door. As I raise my fist to knock, I sense that addictive cold presence that stops my breath short as the door swings open, revealing Azadou in all his glory.“Which God dropped you at my door this time?” he accuses.“None. I flew here myself,” I correct him.His perfect black brow arches as his pierc
I watch, stunned by my actions – though doing my best to hide it – as Azadou casually turns his head to glance at his back. He glances up at me, his face expressionless and my own emotions becoming so amplified I can’t even get a lock on what he’s feeling right now.“That tickled,” he deadpans.Have you ever seen that moment in an anime where a character just turns red and keels over? That’s what my brain is doing at this very moment.It tickled. It fucking tickled. Of course, it did! He’s a God. I may harness the same power as Jartre, but when it comes to conjuring lightning, my bolts only contain a fraction of the power the Gods hold.Azadou turns his head away for a moment and then proceeds to sit down on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees.“I discovered the anomaly the night I woke you up,” he states with a suggestive glint in his eyes.I feel my cheeks begin to flush at the memory, but I refuse to get distracted.“You mean the surges?” I press.“They’re not coming from eyti
Stepping into Superno, I try to peer around the people in the crowd packed together like sardines. Eventually, I manage to spot distinctive, wavy white hair as a strobe light bounces off it. Feeling excited, I make my way over to the booth to find Invidia happily sipping on a fruity-looking cocktail. As soon as she spots me she lets out an excited shriek, hurrying to finish the sip of her drink while simultaneously placing her cocktail on the table.“You made it!” she cheers, leaping from her seat and rushing over to pull me into a hug that I eagerly return.“Of course, I did!” I giggle.The two of us are bouncing with excitement, squeezing each other tight as we sway from side to side like two twenty-something-year-old best friends who haven’t seen each other in two days but it feels like years. I’ve never had this before, this kind of friendship. Someone who just wants to spend time with me because they enjoy my company and are so genuinely thrilled to see me. It’s infectious and I
I immediately begin choking on my drink and have to put it down to catch my breath. I stare wide-eyed, the implication of her words leaving a nasty taste in my mouth. She patiently waits, her dark eyes watching me with innocent curiosity. I swear that expression teamed with her question reminds me so much of Ayawamat. That’s the kind of thing he would say and look just as innocent while saying it.“We are by no means brother and sister,” I correct, coughing to clear the rasp in my voice. “Yes, Jartre made us both, but not in the same way. I mean, he’s a God and I’m not. Jartre used his ability that allows him to tear through the fabric of the universe to tear away his own malice, but it was so powerful and ultimately still a fundamental part of his being, so it ended up manifesting in the form of Azadou,” I explain.“Right… Okay, so then, wouldn’t that kind of make Azadou his twin? If he’s like the evil version of your dad, doesn’t that make him like your uncle?” she continues looking
Walking up the stairs to my bedroom I still can’t wipe the smile off my face. It wasn’t until tonight that I realised that most – if not all – of my friendships are based around duty and necessity. Spending time with Invidia I see what a real friendship should be like; fun, relaxing and somewhere to turn when you’re at your lowest. Having a few drinks and dancing the night away was exactly what I needed to distract myself from everything going on in my life.As I reach the top of the stairs I freeze in place, the mild spinning of my inebriated mind suddenly being hit with clarity as I feel a blanket of coldness covering the third floor. My eyes focus on my closed bedroom door as I try to envision what – or more accurately who – I will find on the other side. For a second, I consider turning around and trying to sneak out of the house, but I quickly dismiss the cowardly thought. Between the two of us, that’s his style, not mine.I take a deep breath, steel myself, and walk towards my d
He yanks me with more force than he needs, pulling me down across his knees. A woosh of air leaves my lungs and an ache spreads through my torso as my body connects with his granite-like thighs. I drop my nightshirt in an attempt to brace myself and whip my head around to stare at him in shock.“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” I demand as I start to get up.He leisurely pushes me back down and lays his forearm on my back, pressing down with minute force, sending fire radiating through my spine.“You’re going to do everything I command,” he declares in an eerily calm, though still deep voice.“Last I checked, hell hadn’t frozen over,” I snap defiantly, trying with all my strength to get off his lap only to realise my efforts are futile. He’s only using a minuscule amount of his strength to keep me pinned, but it’s enough to make his body weight feel like a giant boulder on my back.His hand begins to caress my backside, the tight fabric of my dress doing little to dull the s
Azadou rises from the bed, pushing his sweatpants down and stepping out of them as his rock-hard, 13-inch cock springs free like a deadly projectile, forcing me to lean away. I stare at his inhumanly large girth twitching in front of my face as a bead of pre-cum drips from the tip. I’ve never actually seen his cock before. I’ve felt it and from that, knew it was big…but I wasn’t prepared for this. He couldn’t have fit all that inside me, he just couldn’t have! The tip is smaller and pointed but the rest of him is just thick, meaty flesh. To think I’ve had this monster inside me is almost terrifying…Azadou grabs hold of my Dutch braids and fists them in his hand, holding my head in place. If he were anyone else, I wouldn’t have let him get close enough to touch my hair but he’s my animai, him touching my hair feels right, even in this capacity.He fists his cock in his free hand and brushes the tip of his cock against my lips, the bead of pre-cum coating my lips.“Open your mouth,” he
The sleep begins to lift from my mind, followed by heat burning through my body. The heat is so intense that through the delirium of sleep, I feel as though someone has doused my body in gasoline and set me ablaze. I force my eyes open and suddenly become aware of the dry ache in my throat but that is quickly forgotten when I register the large muscular arm draped over me.I freeze in place, my heart breaking into a sprint while the sound of it floods my ears. I take a slow breath through my nose and register the unmistakable scent of burnt-down ash after a long fire, its coldness tantalising my senses as it engulfs me. Ever so slowly I turn my head, glancing behind me only for my heart to become lodged in my throat. Laying behind me looking rested and peaceful in a way I never even thought he could is Azadou. His blacker than darkness hair splayed out on my pillow as his shoulders slowly rise and fall to the rhythm of his breathing.I dreamed of waking up like this since the day our
Something forceful shakes my body, pulling me from my slumber and sending shockwaves of pain through every nerve in my body.“You are not ruining everything I have worked so hard on,” I hear Invidia’s voice angrily hiss close to my ear.I struggle to open my eyes, only managing to catch glimpses of her through blurry slits. I see the dreaded syringe in her hand and begin to scream internally, pleading with my body to do something, anything. My vision repeatedly fades between darkness and Invidia’s small frame hovering over me as I struggle to keep my eyes open even a fraction. I can feel the life leaving my body bit by bit like water going down a drain. I want to scream, I want to cry, but I don’t even have the energy to produce tears anymore.The despair strangles me like a noose around my neck as I watch Invidia lift my shirt, ready to jam another needle inside me. Her eyes turn obsidian, her golden pupils glinting at me with disgust when suddenly a soft lilac-blue stone hanging aro
“Wh…what do you mean you can’t grant me a wish?!” Ayawamat stammers in confusion.Tituba sighs sympathetically. “Don’t you remember? You accidentally triggered a wish two centuries ago and I had no choice but to grant it.”Ayawamat’s face scrunches up as he thinks hard, followed by a look of realisation that confirms Tituba’s words to be the truth.“Fuck!” he shouts, clutching his head. “You’re right. I remember Orenda and I came to spend time with you; we were drinking, and I stupidly tripped and fell right into you,” he sighs lamentably.She nods solemnly. “I’m sorry, Aya. I really do want to help you, but you know I can only grant one wish per person,” she gently clarifies.“Then grant me the wish,” I instruct, walking over to them.Their heads snap to me as they both look taken aback.“I’ve never granted the wish of a God before…” she muses warily. “But if it will help find Orenda, I am more than willing to try,” she declares confidently, extending her hand to me.As I reach for he
With Ayawamat at my side, we appear on a cliffside high atop a mountain, standing at the entrance of some cave. The cliffside has a scenic view of the surrounding forest; a sea of lush colour that stretches on for miles until it reaches the ocean on the horizon.Orenda would love this view.I’m startled by the sudden thought that infiltrated my mind. Why did I just think that? How the fuck would I know what Orenda loves? I don’t know her any more than I know myself, and I’ve come to realise I am still a stranger to myself. I shake away the unruly thought and focus back on the cave, becoming aware of the magic exuding from within.“How exactly can this cave help find your sister?” I question sceptically.Ayawamat rolls his eyes and steps inside. I heave a sigh and follow in behind him. He raises his hand in the air and summons an electric charge to his hand, using its energy as a light source to guide his path.“This cave is home to a visum named Tituba. She has lived here in isolation
“You know, over these past weeks I decided to do a little extra research into your species,” she discloses like a teacher addressing a class as she slowly starts to pace in front of the bed, making me uneasy. “I knew you wouldn’t willingly answer my questions, so I went back to my old method of scouring magical libraries around the world only to realise I’d already exhausted that avenue the first time I started researching you,” she says with a dramatised sigh.She pauses, waiting for me to prompt her to continue with her monologue but I remain silent. I’m painfully accustomed to this performance by now and still refuse to feed into her need for an audience, though it’s obvious where the need stems from.She huffs with irritation at being denied her spotlight, but continues, turning to face me. “I was racking my brain when suddenly an idea hit me!” she exclaims. “I needed to expand my research parameters, after all, humans have tons and tons of lore on supernatural beings all over the
“Spare me the virtuous bullshit,” she rasps. “You think you have me all figured out, but you don’t have a fucking clue,” she ridicules.I force myself to sit up, pushing through the overwhelming ache in my body. “Then explain it to me,” I insist lethargically. “Because from my side of things, I see a promising young woman so hell-bent on accumulating power that she’d sacrifice her future and soul without a second thought.”“This isn’t about power!” she snaps in reproach. “Power is…it’s nothing!” she continues with contemptible disinterest. “This is about respect. This is about reclaiming everything that I was denied!” she declares forcefully, her eyes wild with determination. “That heartless bitch treated me like some dirty little secret, using me and my powers to make herself stronger, all while making sure no one ever knew I existed,” she reveals scornfully. “Oh, she wanted me to believe that it was for my own protection, claiming people would try to hurt me if they knew I existed,”
As I slowly wake up I am met with an unbearable soreness emanating from every part of my body. Within seconds I am pleading with my brain to let me go back to sleep so I might resume being blissfully ignorant of my suffering. I shift slightly, grimacing when the soreness intensifies only to then groan in pain when I feel the profound throbbing and swelling spreading throughout my right cheek.“About time you woke up,” grouses a voice I detest.I reluctantly open my eyes and see a distressingly familiar wooden vaulted ceiling. A glance at my surroundings confirms that I am back in the bedroom that doubles as my prison cell, with my warden sitting on a chair at the foot of the bed. Invidia's eyes are obsessively fixed on me as a glower fills her features. She’s leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, her muscles rigid with tension and her hands clasped tight in front of her. Her white hair is pushed back with a headband, allowing me to see the beads of sweat gathering on her brow.
“You said everyone believes the eyti surges were a trap to lure in you and your sister and that whoever was behind them has and is cloaking Orenda,” I repeat for clarification, trying to stay focused.He nods, looking intently at me. “That’s the current theory, but it hasn’t helped us figure out who it could be.”“I think you’re all right. I think this is related to the false surges and I believe I’ve come across the person behind them,” I announce.“What? When? Who?” he sputters with rapid fire.“I don’t know who, but I’m sure Orenda told you of the conversation we had on the matter,” I suggest gently.His brows knit together so tightly they almost become one as he thinks hard. “She did tell me how she told you we believed a makkari was behind everything and you confirmed that was true. That you had figured it out and just didn’t bother to say anything,” he recalls resentfully.The list of all the ways this is my fault is becoming exceedingly long. Not only is it my fault Orenda was
I stare at him in disbelief, the chasm of despair that formed inside me the moment I accepted Orenda’s rejection widening painfully in response to his words. Abducted? All this time Orenda has been held captive, left all alone while…“So why the fuck did you come here, Azadou?” he questions angrily, his voice congested as he fights back tears. “Why after all this time did you finally decide my sister was worth doing right by? If that’s even how you feel at all,” he adds cynically.I wade through the emotions that are drowning me from the inside, as I see the turmoil oozing from Ayawamat’s pores. His pain is so intense that I can barely detect the stench of malice. I have been suffering because I pushed Orenda away. I did this to myself and deserve every drop of pain that comes from it, but Orenda doesn’t deserve to suffer, and neither does her brother. I’m understanding this is what sympathy and compassion feel like. I know I have to tell him why I came here, but the compassion I now
I scrub my face and run my fingers through my hair, taking in a lungful of air as I stand up. I push down the pain and the fear and transport myself to Orenda’s home. I appear in Orenda’s room, expecting to see but all I see is an unmade bed. I take in a deep breath, seeking to inhale her scent and reprint its fading memory on my mind, but as I do a frown sets on my face. While I can detect traces of it lingering all over the room, giving me a relieving sense of comfort I haven’t felt in ages, I am confused by how weak it is. The scent is so faded it’s as though she hasn’t stepped foot in this room in weeks.Feeling perplexed and uneasy, I open the door and step into the hallway. Having only ever been in her bedroom, I wander the house in search of her. I’m detecting numerous scents, her brother’s being the most prominent, but not Orenda’s. I don’t hear her or smell her at all. As I look around the open layout of the ground floor, not finding any trace of her, I feel my heart deflate