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10|Candle of Interest
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2024-10-29 19:42:56If anyone would tell me how deranged I became, I wouldn’t argue with them.
The hypothetical question-and-answer Elijah and I had were certainly not intended to produce a hypothesis. He asked. I answered, less the hypothetical words.
I sighed, hands trembling while I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter. I glanced over my shoulder, wondering how I even thought that this place was bigger for one person in the first place.
Elijah, peering at my endless stack of books on the shelf, made the living area look smaller than it actually is. He blends in perfectly on the beach-inspired decoration I managed to put up little by little.
I’ve always wanted to live close to the beach. That’s the reason for the white and blue drapes around the apartment. The dark bl
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Hellbound: The Last Tribute xx
~Every life has its essence. Every sacrifice has its gain. Every death has its purpose~ Thank you for reaching this far on the story ;)I’d like to introduce my books before HELLBOUND if it’s your first time stumbling upon my work. COMPLETED1|Devin ~ CEO/Billionaire Romance2|Don’s Fiancée ~ Mafia Romance3|Promise Me Jake ~ Teen Romance [A sad love story.]4|Evan ~ CEO/Billionaire Romance [Devin’s spin-off, but it can be read as standalone]5|Falling For My Husband ~ Mafia Romance6| A Game With No Rules ~ Mafia Romance7| HellBound: The Last Tribute ~ Fantasy/Mystery Romance Lastly, this novel is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. Don't forget to follow me on lnstagram Castiel.Lj.xx12.19.21
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 11|One With The Wind
The dipping sun’s burst of orange, yellow and red pigment in the western clearing reflected on the calm waters of Lake Salvatore.On the other side of the lake, where the water meets the bank, fescue and ryegrass grew in abundance, green and full of life, gently swaying as the wind swept by. As the stretch of the grass field ends, the treeline begins. Towering trees loomed over the forest grounds. Movements from pygmy rabbits, squirrels, and deers echoed with the cacophony of the twittering birds and insects.The water moved in small waves, crashing on the bank closer to where I stood. Warm air, telling me Silver eyes were watching in the distance, caressed my skin ever so softly.I closed my eyes, inhaling the cedarwood scent fused in the air, smiling at the stillness and fire that slowly ignited within my ch
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 12|Flashes
I’ve witnessed countless deaths in all forms and manners. Some were untold to the public, sugar-coated to avoid stirring chaos and panic in their everyday lives.The entire town mourned Corina’s death. A vigil was held in the town square. Everyone, including Mayor Davis Howard, gathered together in memory of Corina Parker.Her family and friends created a board where they wrote farewells and goodbyes in colorful papers, unspoken words they couldn’t say when Corina was still alive. The words ‘farewell Corina’ were written in bold letters above the thousand little notes. Flowers were overflowing everywhere. Red roses, which I learned were Corina’s favorite, filled the air with a scent that haggles between sweet, fruity, and minty.Even the night seemed to mourn with the entire Salva
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 13|In Denial
Elijah once again turned my apartment into a claustrophobic place - the good kind, if that even makes sense. I’m tucked in the couch, a white woven blanket around me, while Elijah forages through my kitchen.Upon my request, he drove me home and refused to leave, telling me I was in some kind of shock and something of the same scenario might happen again.I doubt it. The only possibility I see is me drowning in the dark nightmares just like every night.Just when I’m starting to accept my fate of having such horrid dreams, now I’m faced with another reality I should accept. Is it really the man in dreams I saw in the square, or was I just hallucinating? But I’m certain it was him. I’ll never forget the shape of his face, that nose, and that wicked smile.
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 14|Vision
~Elijah~I reached for Rory’s face, hoping I could ease away her agony. Her dreams… I knew all about those because I saw what she was dreaming about. It’s the only time when I can see what’s on her mind. But Henry is right. I cannot tell her anything, and it’s my fault that her abilities are awakening at a faster pace than they should.Fat tears rolled down her cheeks, drenching her shaking hands.“Rory,” I waited for her to lock gaze with me, eyes softening at the torment in her brown eyes. “Get some rest for now, okay? You’re in shock. Things like this happen all the time to people when they see death. And I know for a fact that Rivera and Corina’s death is more brutal than most.”Her pearl white teeth
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 15|Not Anything
~Rory~The moment I woke up, I ran my fingers through my hair and checked if it had turned blond. I actually love my hair color, and I don’t think any other shade will suit my light skin tone. A heavy breath left my lips when I saw it was still the same.This is the first time I didn’t have any nightmares in weeks. But I had a weird dream that gave me a funny feeling in my chest, and Elijah was in it. We held hands, walking through the forest into the sunrise wearing happy faces. Speaking of Elijah, he’s not in bed anymore.I felt utterly cold without him. He was always so warm, like a portable furnace. How I wish I could keep him in my bed.‘Oh God,’ I audibly groaned. I’m really losing my head. We’re not even together nor datin
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 16|Unnerving Feeling
~Rory~ The last time I saw Paul, I still had that bitterness in my chest because of what he did. But now, I don’t feel anything while staring deep into his blue eyes. All I see is the boy who I grew up with, my friend. It’s weird since I’ve always thought that I won’t be able to move on from him. He was my first everything, after all. “Friendship is all I can offer for you, Paul. You knew I never keep broken, unrepairable things in my life, and our relationship crossed that line the moment I saw you with Merideth.” “We started as friends, and I can work with that.” The determination in his face never wavered. I knew him too well to know that that look meant he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. Ignoring the glint in his eyes, I sipped my coffee and remembered why I
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 17|Marks
~Rory~ Mortals that have supernatural powers, humans that could shift into animal forms, walking corpses, and bloodsucking demons. These are the common details of the books I’ve read throughout the entire week. There are tons of literary pieces inspired by these myths. I can’t say that I haven’t heard about witches, werewolves, and vampires before. Every culture has its own version of these folklores, and the Čuvari Tribe is no different. But none of these books speaks of the ritual that Paul was speaking of. I closed the last book on the list, setting it above the four others that I’ve binge-read. I threw the comforter from bunching around my waist, swung my legs on the side of the bed and padded to the kitchen. I returned to my bed with the bottle of Chardonnay, la
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Hellbound: The Last Tribute 101|A Lost Hero
“Jace…” “Sh…” I cooed, kissing her quivering lips. Her cheeks were wet from crying. I wiped it away with my thumb as our lips grew frantic, unwilling to pull apart. Her kiss was different. It wasn’t of love but of sadness, of fear. Fear of what? I do not know. “I love you, Aurora,” I said, cupping her face. “I will come back.” “There must be another way….” She whimpered, pinching her eyes close, setting her hand above mine. “You know there isn’t. Plus, I get to be the hero in this story.” She shook her head. An outcry followed, and she was snatched away from me. “No!” I pushed up from the bed, sweat rolling down my skin. Running my fingers through my drenched hair, I exhaled the emotions brought by that dream. This night was different. Usually, it would end with me telling Aurora I would come back. Now I am boasting about being a hero? What the hell does that even mean? A dream about Aurora was another sleepless night for me. The full moon made me restless. I shouldn’t have taken
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 100|Epilogue 2
~Elijah~Henry sighed. “Can you at least pretend that you’re listening to what I’m saying?”We are on our way back from inspecting the western border of Sapiro. The peace in the kingdom was monotonous, but boring is better than war. Last month, there was a conflict between the Lockwood pack of the west woodland and the Riverstone pack of the northern woodland. Alpha Lockwood believed that the members of the Riverstone packs were crossing the border to hunt for food. And Alpha Riverstone was throwing the same accusation towards the Lockwood pack. They could hunt in each other’s territory, but they had to ask for permission from the other pack.We did an investigation, and it turned out that Alpha Lockwood’s firstborn son had been sneaking out to meet Alpha Riverstone’s youngest daughter in secret. Both teenage wolves were afraid their parents would disagree with their blooming romance. They recently found out they were mates.Lockwood and Riverstone had a century-long rivalry. And it w
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 99|Epilogue 1
~Rory~For weeks, I’ve been dreaming of a boy with gray eyes, dark brown curls, and a snooty smirk. He was playing on the beach, sitting on the sand. His trousers were wet from the waves hitting his leg on the side, hands and toes were covered in sand... his cheeks too. He kept rubbing the back of his hands on his cheeks, leaving traces of wet sand there.He looked up and met my eyes, smiling brightly. Those gray eyes twinkled as his eyes narrowed to slits. He dropped the shells he was playing with and raised those tiny hands, opening and closing, asking to be picked up. When I didn’t, his lips quivered, eyes widened as a saucer, clouded with tears. His cry was so loud that I woke up from my sleep, discovering I was alone in our bed.Looking on Elijah’s side, a red rose lay on his pillow, weighing down a paper folded in half.The sun hasn’t risen yet, but he told me he’d be out the entire day to check the western border of Sapiro, accompanied by Henry.I reached for the rose, sniffing
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 98|Endgame
~Rory~ I refused to live in the castle. It was aesthetically beautiful but a constant reminder of what I lost when I stepped inside its vicinity. The council disagreed with my choice, but Elijah was adamant about giving me what I wanted. We compromised on building our home close to the castle. Surrounded by trees in the clearing ten minutes away from the citadel, they turned it into a keep, a fortress, yet I got to design how our house would look like. It was inspired by Elijah’s estate in Salvatore hills. The place where Elijah and I had been the happiest. I am happy to be with him, truly, and I could never ask for more. But life as royalty was not as glamorous as I thought it would be. As the crowned princess, responsibilities weighed upon my shoulder even in my sleep. It’s different from working a nine-to-five job where day-offs and holidays are offered. In fact, rest has become a foreign word in this household. Elijah was always out. He spends more time with his council, meeting
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 97|Rest In Peace
~Rory~The moment my eyes fluttered open and saw the familiar gray ceiling of Elijah’s room, tears brimmed in my eyes.I feel the same old me, but not. The fear in my chest deepened as the seconds ticked by. I’m alive. Jace’s plan worked.I pushed myself from the bed, hearing footsteps echoing through the hallway. Not a second later, Elijah barged into his room, hair disheveled and eyes wide with worry and relief in equal measure.“Rory…” he breathed out, eyes clouding as he ran to my side.“Elijah…” I buried my face in his chest as he cradled my body, murmuring how grateful he was that I was alive, worried, and much he loved me.Words are not enough to voice out my happiness. My throat was tight, with emotions storming inside me.We are alive, Elijah and I. We survived the ritual and that damn prophecy.“Cara mia,” Elijah cupped my face, leaning to press his lips against mine.His kiss did it if his touch wasn’t enough to convince me how alive we were. The familiar taste of him. The
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 96|Silver Eyes
~Elijah~“Do you want to have children?” Rory asked, glancing up at me with those big brown eyes. Her cheeks were flushed from our previous coupling, hair wild from my tugging and pulling. The warmth of her naked body entangled with mine was heaven under the silk sheets.“Children?” I repeated my thumb, drawing circles on the small of her back. “Plural?”She hummed a yes, circling the crown of my nipple. She knew it was my tickle spot, but she loved tickling me. I caught her fingers and playfully bit them.“Yeah.” She giggled, squirming. “Being an only child is sometimes lonely.”I honestly wouldn’t know. I didn’t actually have a normal childhood. King Emilian was kind and did everything to give me what a child my age must have. But circumstances didn’t allow him to be a father like he did with Greco and Orme. He was forced to take me out of Lira to protect me.I relished the way she talked about the future. A glow in her eyes only appears when she doesn’t worry about the prophecy or
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 95|A Backup Plan
~Rory~Tayen and Jace were just leaving with reinforcements when we arrived at Salvatore Hills. After bringing them up-to-date on what happened with Elijah, we had to devise a new plan in under ten minutes.They were keeping Elijah on the estate’s west side ruins. It was the highest part of the land and the best spot to see the eclipse at its peak.Even if Henry, Tayen, and Nolani knew this place like the back of their hands, planning this attack was difficult. We cannot be overconfident with the advantage we have.Jace and Henry did a quick sweep of the area, taking details on the number of the enemies waiting for us to come. Meca was with them. She was Agata’s witch friend and Greco’s mistress. Our best guess is that she’s the reason Greco was able to survive the Lycan venom he attained two thousand years ago. She has grown stronger, is what Henry told us. She also cast the warding in Greco’s room; hence, the witch we have to unbind Elijah from.About thirty vampires were guarding t
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 94|It’s Ironic
~Rory~“What do you mean he was taken?” I threw my hands in the air.After Elijah vanished from my grasp, I called Henry, Nolani, and Ali into Greco’s room.I told Ali what had happened after he left. There wasn’t so much to tell, anyway. He literally just disappeared, as if he suddenly harnessed Ali’s disappearing act and did the trick on me.We’ve turned the room inside out. Nolani and Henry went to the other quarters to see if there was a witch’s hex bag or any clue that might lead us to where Elijah went but came out bereft of answers.“It’s the only explanation I have right now,” Ali murmured dejectedly. The three of them looked tired and shaken. They have been in the heart of the war, and Elijah’s disappearance clearly imposes a toll on their morale.“But how can someone as powerful as Elijah be taken with no trace?” I asked, desperate to know where he was.We’ve completed the mate bond, but I can’t feel him or reach him. Our bond was supposed to be stronger than ever, which mea
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 93|The Only Way
~Rory~Something is happening to me. There was an unfamiliar, simmering energy inside me.Like a spring suddenly appeared somewhere in my core, an endless energy flow blossoming into a beautiful sensation that enticed my body to wake up from a deep sleep.It was exhilarating.“Open your eyes, cara mia,” Elijah’s melodic voice floated in my thoughts. “Please… come back to me... I love you.”I searched for the will to do as he asked. His pain was excruciating. He was in agony, and I wanted to ease his torment away.Forcing my body to move, I squeezed my eyelids and obliged them to part. The bright light blinded me. The war’s outcry brought me back to where, how, and why I felt so much pain in my body. Greco. Recollection of what happened before I lost consciousness flooded my brain.Like an image that suddenly made sense, my pupils adjusted to focus on the man holding me.Elijah smiled down at me. His eyes were wild with a mixture of emotions, cheeks drenched with tears and crimson liqu
