I coughed and gagged as icy fingers dug into my flesh trying to rip my throat out. I heard Kayla's loud scream as she rebound from the ground and reached up as if to snatch me out of death's grip. But whatever it was lifted up and out of her reach. The ghostly fingers around my throat were so cold that my windpipe began to freeze. I tasted ice mixed with blood in my throat and the more the fingers tightened, the more ice coated my throat until shards of it began to crack and slide into my stomach."No!" Kayla screamed. "Leave him alone!"Another gust of icy wind swept her off her feet, throwing her hard against the floor. The ground cracked when her back made contact with it, fragments of jagged pieces torn from the ground, tore into her sweater revealing cracked skin. Kayla was hurt but she did not remain down for long. She lifted herself off the floor, preparing to launch against the cold wind when Alex flew across the room and crashed into her almost the same way I did, pinning he
Everything that has happened to me since I moved to WhiSare has been out of my control. Once I believed that the wheels of fate brought me to where I am. Moving out of my father's house to stay with my mom couldn't have been just because I was running away from the consequences of my actions with Camila. I thought that meeting the Storms at a time when trouble was brewing in WhiSare was predestined. Sure I didn't believe in premonitions then but even then something must have propelled my being there at that particular time.Or so I believed.Now I'm not so sure.Now I'm beginning to think that all my troubles began when I decided that sleeping with my father's girlfriend was the next best thing to do. Maybe this is my punishment for such a grievous sin. This has to be God's way of punishing me for betraying my father.When I woke up, I was in a very large room. It was huge, nicely decorated with all the facilities a hotel suite should have and it was bright. The curtains were drawn b
Before noon I had cleared the toast, eggs and bacon from the plates. Don't blame me! I had only two options; go mad thinking or eat and sleep. I need my sanity if I must leave this place alive so pardon me for eating the food prepared by my enemy.As soon as breakfast was cleared I made my way to the window to see that Kayla and the others were still there. They had stopped banging at the gates long ago. Now they were seated with their backs resting against the huge black gates. I wish I could send word to them. I wish I could reassure them that as of now, nothing bad has happened to me. Then it suddenly occurred to me what Alexander had said about being in many places at the same time. How the hell do I talk to him when I'm locked up.I went to the door to examine the lock. It was a simple lock but a dull hum from the bolt drew my attention to it. As I bent to examine the handle of the door, my eyes caught green movement like wispy smoke moving in and out of the lock.I should have
I made it to the bed just in time. Green smoke swirled off the lock of the door, thicker than I had seen it before. Then the door opened.Cleopoda stood on the other side, her face betrayed nothing and her smile held the same warmth it did earlier. I returned the smile but knew at the back of my mind that I looked suspicious as heck.I forced myself to breathe normally and that in turn helped me to control the insane beat of my heart. My palms were sweat up a storm but I forced them to stop shaking, clenching my fists together until my knuckles cracked.Cleopoda looked down at the tray. She walked slowly into the room. Her shoulders were the only indication that she knew something was out of place. They were tensed, the muscles bunched up."You finished your breakfast."I listened to the cadence of her voice and tried to detect any signs of anger and suspicion but she was playing her cards so close to her chest that it took a lot of effort for me not to cave in and confess that I had
This time when Cleopoda came to the door she knocked lightly. I was waiting, already dressed in my shirt and jeans. I had earlier thrown my jacket carelessly over my bed. There's no use alerting Cleopoda to my intention tonight. As I said earlier, I trust her but I'm more eager about getting home than making friends here. As soon as I get out of this room, I'm grabbing Kayla, Silver and Miles out of here. We will deal with the Daemons ourselves. Cleopoda's eyes were trained on my face as soon as she walked in. She had a warm grin on her face as she moved from the door to the small table where she had earlier dropped my breakfast. The tray in her hand was loaded with lots of dishes."I hope you are hungry. I took great measures preparing your dinner tonight."I smiled back. She opened one of the plates and thick steam carrying the delicious aroma of roasted chicken and steamed vegetables filled the air."Yum!" I said dutifully. "Smells delicious."Her pleasant face creased into an eve
I turned slowly toward the voice, expecting to see a talking lampstand or clock or some other inanimate thing that had suddenly developed the ability to talk because at this point, I feel like Belle in the beast's castle. But in the dying light of the day, there was nothing there, just me and Pyne the talking door and my abandoned dinner. "Over here."My eyes darted across the room and I was looking at the direction from which the voice came. And when I saw what it was, I almost fainted.With all the things I have seen here you would think I would have gotten used to the unusual but nothing prepared me for the transparent, shimmering sight in front of my eyes. She stood at the center of my room.My throat became dry. Is this...a ghost?I never thought ghosts were real...well I never thought vampires were real either until I moved into a town where not only vampires but other creatures inhabited.Still, in all the years I have lived on this Earth, I never thought the day would come wh
I tried hopelessly to do as she asked. Dreaming has been so easy for me but for the first time in my life, I was having difficulty coming up with dream I wanted both consciously and subconsciously. All through the night I tossed and turned, too worn out by an overactive mind to sleep. You know how when you intentionally try to do something, it doesn't come naturally to you? That's exactly how I felt. And it didn't help that the gag around Pyne's thin lips had dissolved. He continued to berate me throughout the night for listening to the Whaif. I couldn't escape his voice, not even when I pressed a pillow to my head. His voice was a constant source of mockery. Eventually I shut him up by pouring another bottle of oil all over his wooden face. He sighed gratefully and shut up for good after that.I stayed in bed minutes later trying to take advantage of his silence but it was all to no avail. It was not long before the sun began to come up again, streaming in through the window as a m
So I ended up with more questions than answers. That seems to be a constant since I came here. Now Cleopoda is planting ideas in my head, new stories that I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around. She's wired to be biased in his favor, after all she is his daughter - foster daughter. Now that's a question for another day. Octavius is a sick man? No shit. What kind of man who supposedly doesn't feed on humans create Daemons and vampires alike?The more I thought about it, the more my head ached until I had no choice but to take a few bites out of the food in the tray and lie back on the bed. I was so tired from the overload of information Cleopoda fed me and the exhaustion that was a result of my inability to sleep throughout the night that the moment my head hit the pillow, I drifted off into sleep.It felt so good welcoming that blackness behind my eyelids. The cool fingers of sleep worked its way into my brain, massaging neurons and nerves until I began to relax. "It's been
EPILOGUEAnd just like that, every Daemon crumbled to dust, screaming and screeching like dying birds.Ashterah's chain fell lose and I rose immediately, running toward Kayla and my child. Kayla was crying crystal tears as she hugged me, her hands tight around my neck.My son, when I looked down had gone to sleep. But his venom, his blood had been the secret to killing Ashterah. Starlight knew this and let it happen even though it meant the death of her mother.Cara crawled out of the corner crying. She was holding my mother and Logan had his arms around both of them.Camila was nowhere to be found although later when we searched the damage we found her limp body, bloodied.Later when we cleared the rubbles there were a lot of questions to answer. Mom had to answer the questions about my birth. Cara needed answers to my identity, my child with Kayla. There was so much to know. Some many questions to answer but most importantly there was healing. Will I tell you everything went back
A crack in my neck was the only noticed I got as the side of Dad's palm connected with my neck. Mom's wail grew louder. She ran for Logan who tried to step in between me and Dad but Dad's attack was swift. He easily sent the force of his hand through Logan's chest sending the larger man flying into the wall.Logan sputtered blood. Mom screamed and ran toward him. Camila lifted herself and went to a far corner of the room where she sank to the floor in tears. Dad stepped back from me. "You are a Mergant whose powers hasn't finished manifesting. Do you think you could easily hurt me, Shawn. I've been fighting against all sorts of creatures for mankind for years. You think a few venoms flowing through you will make you defeat me?"He laughed.I raised my hand to my neck to see that my neck was still intact but the force of that blow was so bad that my vision was still blurred. "Your powers are manifesting, boy. You are a combination of human, hunter, daemon and vampire. Have you wonde
"We are in a lot of trouble."I nodded. It hadn't been easy to send Cara off and it sure as hell would not be easy protecting everyone if Sam, Gabe and the rest of their vampire hunters club get in the way of this battle. "First things first," I said. "I need to go to my Mom. If Cara knows I'm here, it won't be long before Jeff hears about my arrival. Eventually, word would get to my Mom." The disadvantage of a small town. "I need to leave now before that happens."Everyone agreed that was the next best course of action. They also agreed that taking Kayla was good too. The Storms had a sedan in the garage with tinted windows. The plan was simple. I go in and reunite with Mom then figure out how to present the lie about Kayla.If I was human anymore I would be sweating buckets but the only since of my anxiety was the tap of my index finger against my thigh as Silver loaded the trunk of the sedan with my things and Kayla went to the front passenger seat. As soon as the car was loaded,
"We can't turn her away can we?""She's seen us already, the car is outside. She knows we are here.""She's here to see me," I said getting up. If I had a heart it would be racing heavily. How can I meet her now? It's too soon."Maybe I can tell her you're not here," Silver suggested.I was really considering that but right at the moment, Cara pressed the bell again and this time she peeped around the glass door. "I know you're there Shawn. I saw you."I exchanged glances with Kayla and Silver. She's seen me already. There's no point hiding now. I nodded at Silver who came to stand in my path. Felicia had risen too and was standing in front of me defensively. "Are you sure?""You've see how I am. I have enough control where people are concerned. It's not like I'm going to suddenly attack Cara of all people.""Maybe not," Felicia said. "But all she needs is to look at you to know something is different about you.""Not if we act normal."Cara rang the bell again and this time she pre
The Jeep bounced on loose rocks and uneven ground, sending stones flying in the air as Silver navigated the trail that led up to the Storms house.Unsurprisingly, Felicia and Jared were waiting outside. As soon as Silver brought the car to a stop in front of the garage, they half ran toward it. And then came to a stop when they saw Cleopoda and Phoenix sitting in the third seat at the back.Their eyes were wide."Goddess!"Hold your greeting, Cleopoda told them as she stepped down from the Jeep to the ground. "I have come to save your lives not to be praised."Phoenix on the other hand was not so amused. Felicia and Jared didn't seem to keen to talk to her too. They passed Silver a wary glance full of questions which Silver promised to answer later. There were other pressing issues.Like Kayla.Felicia was the first to notice it even before she stepped out of the vehicle.Her jaw dropped and she looked around for explanation. "You are... pregnant? How?"Then her gaze caught mine and h
The plan was set, the only thing remaining to do was it's execution and we needed to that as soon as possible. Soon which meant the next day. Silver and Miles left toward midnight to head back to the guest house to get our things while Cleopoda and Phoenix went behind closed doors with their husbands.As for me, I spent the night in Kayla's room, watching her - well lie still. Her skin was pale against the white sheets. A tray lay on a bedside table and it in were six blood bags, three of which were empty. Kayla barely opened her eyes but sometime before we finished the meeting downstairs, Cleopoda had brought the blood and Kayla had taken three at a go.That tells me something. The baby was hungry - very hungry. Unlike me. After transformation there were no pangs of hunger. Sure, I reacted to see blood and being around humans but that was all. Maybe this child is a little more normal than I am.I left the window where I had been standing, keeping watch of Kayla, and made my way towar
Her voice was hoarse, very throaty with pain. Her face was a grimace, a mask of pain but every time anyone tried to go close to her, Kayla would shrink back, worried that we would try to hold her down to tear the lump in her belly away from her even though it was obviously killing her. In just a few hours her skin had taken on a gray tone, looking dried and shrunken to her skin.Silver was more forceful with trying to get Kayla to see reasons with why we had to get rid of the child but I stood in her way. The last thing I wanted was for her to hurt Kayla in the process of trying to save her."Take it easy, Silver," I told her, pushing her back from Kayla.Her eyes sparked anger at me. "That thing is killing her!" She screamed."I'm fine!" Kayla argued but her voice was weaker. Cleopoda had run to the room with Silver but she withdrew to get something. Maybe to call the others.Silver's gaze softened. She clutched desperately to my shirt, "Shawn you have to do something," she whispere
We got upstairs together when Kayla stopped, turned around and put a hand on my chest."I meant what I said, I'm keeping this child. I don't care what it is - monster, human or vampire. I'll keep it. You don't have to feel responsible...""I want to be responsible for taking care of it with you. We made it together. It wouldn't be fair if I just up and skipped off - not that I am ever going to do that." Camila came to mind and I took Kayla's hand off my chest to hold between both of my hands.Her eyes encouraged me to explain further which I did. "I did that before. I made a mistake once, slept someone I wasn't supposed to. My stepmom to be. I was worried about getting her pregnant or getting caught. The last thing I wanted was my father getting to know the truth and if j had stayed any longer, he would have known. So I did what I had to do, I packed my things, took off and came to WhiSare. I was a coward but right now, the new me doesn't want to be a coward anymore."She smiled, her
To say that everyone's jaw dropped is an understatement. One thing I'll say for sure is that the same look of disbelief was etched into every facial feature. That is, until Kayla stood up, pushed her chair back and revealed the bump.Silver nearly fell out of her chair. Same with Miles. Neither of them could believe what they were hearing. And seeing.And so I too because in an hour Kayla's belly seemed to have grown a little more. She noticed this too and turned worried eyes to me. I took her hand in mine to let her know that I was there with her every step of the way. The only people who didn't seem too shocked were Octavius - well, in his case as you have gathered, few things surprise him and he barely shows his feelings in his expressions. He's also a man of few words. And Phoenix. But it looked more like she was angry than unsurprised which in itself was surprising. "H-how?" Silver muttered. She could barely even get the words out. It's the second time since I've known her that