"What do you mean by stitch?" Sofiane inquired, watching the wisp of red smoke collapse back into the bowl.
David looked delirious. Like he did not want to answer Sofiane. He could put the fragmented pieces perfectly. "Sofiane, you were sure Jason's mate wasn't human, why?"
"How does that answer my question?" Sofiane changed the topic.
"Answer me!" David screeched, a bit of orange sparked in the depths of his dark eyes, like a phoenix out of ashes, and magic surged in the room like true heat. Hot flames burst out of the ritual bowl and David's determined irises flicked in Sofiane's direction waiting for a proper answer.
"She could read my thoughts," Sofiane revealed.
David was dumbstruck. He knew he couldn't be wrong but a huge part of him wished he has been wrong because it would only get worse from here. He knew he could lie to Sofiane but the Alpha had a knack for getting into unfortunate predicaments. There would be a chance he would find
Trust me, you want to know Candice and we'll be driving into the twisted legacy she has left behind.
Six months ago... Olamide scavenged her freezer for something edible. It was the third time in a row. Perhaps she wished some out-worldly magic would find its way to her or perhaps it was the chaotic worry that plundered her mind. Her brother, Deji was nowhere to be found. He had left their shared apartment thirty minutes ago to get Big Macs. It shouldn't be taking him this long. Sure her brother could take care of himself but he had just been back from a bumpy time in rehab. Coke was a nasty drug to break off from and a tiny part of Olamide suspected her brother had broken his promise and was probably nose deep in another wrap of white powder along with his delinquent friends. She wished she did not let him out but his therapist had mentioned that she needed to trust him and trust him she did. Now, she was regretting it. "Stop being paranoid," Olamide said to herself as she pulled the last piece of pizza out th
JASON Dust particles danced through the stale air. I could notice that and more as I faced the congregation of werewolves; the folks we had converted and saved from another era of senseless and avoidable murder. Although, the peace and prosperity we had cultivated seemed to be threatened. Sofiane had stepped over the line. The goddess knew I wanted to kill that bastard but I understood him. The pesky fly might have become an itch we couldn't quite reach these couple of days but I comforted myself knowing Sofiane was unaware of the evil his mate had done. Candice Blossoms deserved what came to her and Sofiane Hobbstone was only fighting a one-sided battle that would wind him in a very difficult position with my trigger-happy brother if he wasn't careful. I refocused my attention on the crowd waiting for my speech. They were scared. My betas had filled me in on the recent pack gossip and some of it might be the backbone behind their fears.
JASONDevin pulled me aside. His face indicated concern, a feeling I was certain was slowly becoming alien to my brother."What?" I demanded, keeping my eyes glued to the tied-up vampire."I don't know. What was that about?""What? I am just concerned about what might happen to Olamide if she reconnects with her brother. He is one of Lilith's boy toys now and we all know the way this is going to end if he refuses to let go of his sister's fleeting memory.""Why do you care?" Devin retorted in a cold voice. " The last time we talked about your human mate, you said she was trouble. You insisted that you felt nothing for her if it wasn't for the accursed mate bond and that you couldn't wait for one of your enemies to foolishly waste their resources in hunting and killing her in hopes that they could get to you. Has that changed Jason? Because the August visiting of her vampire brother gives me a spectacular idea for your first mate to go down in style
OLAMIDE"Wake up, Olamide." Her familiar voice roused me. It was the porcelain woman. Her voice albeit foreign felt so familiar. It felt like home. My eyes flickered open. I proceeded to survey my surroundings. The air was chilly and the gust that caressed against my prickly skin was strong. I was atop a bridge and just the thought of looking down made my stomach churn. This place..."You remember this place, don't you?"I whimpered and turned to my left; where the voice had originated from and sitting at the edge of the bridge was a woman with skin white as a drained corpse and hair black as death. Her orbs laid intently on me for a moment before her neck twisted back to the roaring waters."Who are you?" I demanded. For the time being, it was the only question that seemed to matter."You didn't answer me." She said, ignoring my question. "Is it because you still have nightmares about what you did?"I swallowed still refusing to look down.
Elder Quentin was one of the six head witches of the Primrose coven. The two hundred and eighty-seven-year-old warlock had the power, wealth, and status to remain in significant places of power in the North. He was the oldest after all. He had seen things and he knew things other witches wouldn't have the slightest knowledge of. David held on to the spider rune as Elder Quentin's firstborn led him through the thick tendrils of ivy and roses, making sure they escaped the path where they would encounter more questioning witches. They arrived at the bare porch which was lit up by a lone bulb that illuminated half of the graveled floor a dim yellow. Elder Quentin's son made it to the door giving it a light knock."Who is there?" A deep voice inquired from within."Father," The son cleared his throat. "David Blossom seeks an audience with you."There was silence within, almost like the old warlock was considering what to do next. David was certain t
Elder Quentin roamed in circles for the span of a minute before dropping the question "So what do you intend to do?"David felt his knee jerk. The spell was wearing off and now he had to deal with a scheming elder witch. David's plan was to exorcise his sister before Alpha Sofiane or Candice did anything to jeopardize the rocky peace that had been sustained between the eating faction. He had no problem telling Quentin if he trusted the warlock. It sounded selfish to put oneself above the preservation of one's kind but that was the Blossom way of survival. He was a shunned one. The disgraced runts were the first to kick the bucket. If he told the elder, there was more than a fair chance the warlock would just leave him to the wolves literally and take credit for everything. Exorcism was not a difficult task for a witch of his ranks. In fact, David suspected the idea might have already popped into his stupid head but for clear reasons, the man seemed to be wary of the underesti
DEVINIt took me about twenty minutes to drive over to the countess of blood's house. Wilhelmina"Lilith" Harker was the crazy undead bride of the most fearsome vampire that ruled the eighteenth century. Her nickname was coined from her unending taste for men's blood after the assassination of her husband Vlad the impaler. It was said that she was unable to feel a love any like the kind Dracula has shown to her and had reverted to reliving the only memory she and her husband shared; draining the lives of the innocent. Given all that, Lilith made her home in a ritzy subdivision by the name of the fraternity house where she threw unholy parties with her sires and pets before she got bored and killed them off. Of course, the cops and the many shadow organization that preceded the supernatural society had nothing to say about it. There was little one could do when an ancient immortal with virtually almost no weakness was suffering from centuries of heartbreak.Within a few
DEVIN"Why does that matter?" I retorted, not minding that it was a foolish move on my part. "He is here now, isn't he? Shouldn't that be comforting?"Lilith's eyebrows went up in seconds. She was beyond surprised. She studied me in silence for a minute or less before speaking again. "That wasn't the answer to my question.""So?""So, it means my compulsion failed. I was stupid to think it would be that easy. You are after all one of the feared member of the supernatural society." She continued, pouring the last drop of the liquid in her glass into her throat. She then sauteed over to the couch I was seated on and stalked behind me. My bold front was unshakable but something about this vampire gave me the chills. I felt her breath heavy against my helix and she sang like a canary. "But you should be very aware that you are not the only feared member of this society. I don't know what se
Olamide walked out of the Crimson lane house unscathed. Witches and warlocks from the Primrose coven gathered around the house with the sole aim of retrieving Yasmin Maplewood. Olamide locked her arms with her brother as the Primrose coven witches surrounded them. Yasmin didn't resist arrest. Jason handed her over to the eldest member and watched as the aged warlock slapped handcuffs engraved with various sigils to Yasmin's open hands. The sigils glowed brilliant green as they clasped shut. "What happens to her?" Jason demanded."She will be tried by the high courts. Her powers will be stripped and she will be jailed for a very long time. I can however assure you that Ginger Maplewood will not know the pain of losing her mother. The Primrose coven will do its best to protect her." Olamide's eyes drifted from the conversing supernaturals. Far from where she stood, She noticed Sofiane walking towards an almost totaled car. In his hands was the limp body of David
Only you have the power to save them... a sweet voice reminded me...Save them allThe memory of my mother reared up before me, so intense that for a minute the greens of the forest plundered in my vision, the image of it transposed over the frozen horror to come. I smelled the rain, felt the coolness of fresh air running through my face and hair. I remembered the feats my mother has performed with her gifts, the stance she took when she chose to heal ravaged the recesses of my mind. The bearing of her breath in the cold night when she helped dying animals and plants, the isolated moment I saw her drain ichor from a coyote that stole her goats. The sigil atop my palm glowed hot and sang to every memory. And finally, I understood what the power my mother had left in my protection did. What it meant and why it was converted by many. All that power resided in me to create balance and the frozen picture before was not harmony. Single stran
"Don't do this..." Lilith pleaded. "I love you Mamu."Deji pulled his sister close as Lilith spewed that blasphemy. His brows jerked high as he silently implored how the vampire countess could tell herself such a lie. "And you love me too." Lilith insisted. “I know you do. Just hand over the girl. Give her to me Mamu. I will forgive you.”“Shut it!” Deji slammed, pulling his sister even closer. "You do not get to tell me what to do anymore."“When...” Lilith for the first time faltered. Her attention left Deji and lingered on Jason. She remembered those black smokes that shot out of his hands. It took that little for her to come to a conclusion. With a splay of hands, she picked the Alpha from the floor causing Yasmin to retrace her steps from the Relic–Alpha duo. "This all started when your so-called gifts hit him. What the fuck did you do?" The look in her eyes was clearly maniacal. Her irises were crimson red and the white parts were oily orange. Veins of
JASON There was something truly horrific about watching your allies die. Even the volatile ones. As David dropped to the floor with petrified eyes, my heart skipped a beat because his death was more than losing an ally. Our lives were on the line. Seconds trickled by. It turned to minutes but the worst had yet to happen. I took one good look at myself then at Sofiane. We were still very much alive. I wasn't even sure what to believe anymore but one thing was painfully clear, I was terrified. I hated to admit it but for the first time in a long time, dying scared me. Lilith licked her bloody fingers and let out a maniacal laugh. "How unfortunate," She said, her eyes sewn onto the body on the floor. "He broke the spell before he died. How noble." Did that make things better or worse, I pondered. I reckoned with the latter because, in all honesty, I expected nothing but the worst from the now late surviving Bloss
Yasmin continued to slice onto Satake Crow's skin, ignoring his screams for help and the obvious opposition that has managed to sneak past a coven of vampires and her maze of chaos. Crimson blanketed over her hands reminding her she was executing a sin. A moment of relapse causes her to look back into the eyes of the dying relic. She could tell he was begging for mercy even when his mouth couldn't move. "You have come too far," Yasmin told herself. "You can't back out now." The witch reminded herself that Lilith would have the intruders cornered in no time. The scythe sliced through Satake's flesh and bones like it were butter and soon, Yasmin noticed his beating heart. She spared Lilith a look for security. The countess of death had her hands on the now unconscious attribute's throat. Her eyes however were not on the Aloha werewolves who had broken in. Her gaze lingered on the vampire she had sired as he too was unconscious. The bright side to things though was that Lil
Two wisps of smoke shot in Lilith's direction. One burst into Olamide's chest rendering her unconscious. The second flew in Lilith's direction, aiming for her cold heart but before the disintegrating ball of darkness could hit Lilith, Deji jumped in front of her causing the darkness to hit him instead. Like Olamide, Deji collapsed to the floor, both living their worst nightmares.IntermissionThe room was dark but below a flickering lightbulb was a woman dressed in a satin black nightdress that accentuated her features and complimented her dark skin. She looked familiar to Deji. As he strained his eyes through the window of the girl's apartment, a spark burned bright in his mind. This was the human girl bound to the chair. Why, he wondered. Why was he here? He barely knew the woman. Deji pondered if he was in her head. He tried to move to make sense of the situation on groun
Two wisps of smoke shot in Lilith's direction. One burst into Olamide's chest rendering her unconscious. The second flew in Lilith's direction, aiming for her cold heart but before the disintegrating ball of darkness could hit Lilith, Deji jumped in front of her causing the darkness to hit him instead. Like Olamide, Deji collapsed to the floor, both living their worst nightmares. ***Intermission Candice Blossom's world grew darker as she threaded a familiar forest. This was a memory. One she remembered like yesterday. The night it all went to hell. "Why am I here?" Candice asked herself. Her lips weren't moving. Neither did she have control over her legs. In fact, the only thing she had power over was her sight and all she could do was continue to watch as her legs jogged into a clearing. There was a man slumped to the floor. A woman was above him.
JASONSofiane pulled open the gates and we slipped in, breaking off leaves and stumbling over a low ground shrub but managing to step high and land on a cobblestone pathway that we followed toward the side of the property. The night was opaque and sheltered amid the vines and overgrowth, but the moon was still very bright and that gave us werewolves an advantage. If we stepped out into the open, we would be noticed. The expanse was crammed with long teeth. With a stake in one hand, I darted aside a long, hanging vine heavy with flowers and crept close to the finewood-sided house. I signaled to Sofiane and he nodded in understanding before disappearing to the back. If he entered through the rear, we would find each other inside. So that left me with David. Tilting my head into one of the walls, I listened, honing my senses toward the house and beyond the walls.A scream alerted me. It sounded like Satake and I fucking lost it! I was about to burst through a dust
Satake woke in a standing position. Except his feet were barely touching the floor. Head bowed forward, the muscles in his body twanged. Something was banded across his chest. A crest of some sort and it stung. His body felt numb. Especially his back region. He tried to move only to realize that his arms were wrenched above him, his wrists hemmed together. He wriggled but couldn’t move much. The air around him was musty with a lingering scent of blood.Flickering his eyes a hundred times to adjust to the darkness, Satake came to be fully awake. He tried to talk but he could only wince as a sharp pain shot up his body. His jaw was messed up. His foggy memories were beginning to prop up. He had remembered resisting after that damn witch had attacked him with a cursed weapon. He also vividly remembered being driven to unconsciousness by one of her vampire pals. His sight cleared slowly and in time Satake came to realize he was in someone's living room. There were rugs rolled up to a