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56|Second Phase
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2024-10-29 19:42:56~Rory~
Crickets. Thousands of them singing inside my head.
Of all the possible conclusions of this prophecy, me being a sacrificial lamb has never crossed my mind.
“Fuck,” Elijah rubbed his hand over his face, looking at me with clouded emotions.
“I...” I swallowed hard, groping blindly for the back of the chair within my reach, grabbing onto it; the marbled floor beneath my feet turned to puddles. It makes sense now. The gruesome deaths, the six-pointed star carving on each victim’s forehead, the missing hearts... It’s a sacrificial ritual. “Your soul,” I murmured, each puzzle piece slotting together now. “I am your twin flame, and my death will complete your soul.”
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Hellbound: The Last Tribute 57|Cage
~Rory~Elijah’s kisses had always been out of this world. The kind that turned my knees to jelly and muscles to mush. However, this one was different. It’s not only emotionally exhilarating but there was a physical charge of electricity that cascaded from where our skin touched to my entire body.Prickles of gentle fire ignited under my skin, setting my world to burn with flames of impetuous passion. It was uncontrollable. Each slide of Elijah’s lips against my own had my heartbeat walloping wildly.My blood simmered - literally - I had to set my hand on Elijah’s chest, needing space to breathe. It was too intense; the emotions enveloped me.“Focus on me,” he murmured, hooking his thumb under my chin. His eyes clouded with affection, h
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 58|The Situation
~Rory~ I hope I had lost count of how many times I watched Elijah drown; the darkness devouring us together, but to no avail. My consciousness of the agonizing torment remained intact every time we’d go back to the beginning, knowing where we would end. I was exasperated by not finding out the solution to our recurring situation. This is my cage. Elijah cited this repeatedly through the past fourteen sequences of us living and dying, but I still haven’t figured out the problem that needs to be solved. My tears were real. My fear and pain of losing Elijah were real, but why is it that all my efforts into saving him were futile? We went back in circles, an actual limbo of death and life. “Elijah…” I clung to him. Every par
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 59|For Argument’s Sake
~Rory~ “Is something wrong?” I asked, growing conscious of the way everyone was gazing at me. I sat up straight, pushing a lock of my golden hair out of my face. I froze, twirling a few more locks so I could scrutinize it. I was struck dumb when I realized I didn’t see things the wrong way. Indeed, my hair was gold. Frantic, heart pounding in my chest, I took a few more strands. They were golden, like the streak of the sun passing through the mountain pass at the crack of dawn. In search of an explanation, I met Elijah’s gaze. “Leave us,” he said. Ali vanished into thin air while Nolani and Henry exited the room through the door. Jace, however, didn’t leave as uncoerced as everyone else.
Hellbound: The Last Tribute xx
Hi guys, this is not such a nice way to start a new month, but I kind of uploaded an older version of chapter 59 Argument's sake. Even the chapter title was wrong. I'm so sorry. Because of this, I have to wait until Monday, Apr 4, for my editor to approve the upload change of the right chapter.I went to the mountains for a few days. I think my mind was still in vacation mode.Anyway, there's not much change in the thought of the chapter or the scenes. It's just that the presentation was a bit messed up. I mean, drafts are always messy.Again, I apologize for being so messed up these last few weeks, and thank you for understanding. xx 4.2.22
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 60|An Investigation
~Rory~The werewolves and witches led by Maestro aim to finish the ritual and gain what they lost. And then there are the royal vampires led by their king Greco who would do everything to prevent the prophecy from taking place.It was like a game of push and pull, a miss or hit. These supernatural races are determined to see me die and use me for their own benefits.‘I’m going to die either way,’ I said to Elijah. ‘I better live my life the way I wanted to.’It was more complicated than it looks, though. Elijah told me I have to act normal, count my movements and be careful in showcasing my abilities.Apparently, apart from my hair - which Nolani helped me dye back to its original color - my spee
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 61|Overflow
~Rory~I was on edge all day, thinking of how stupid I had been to believe that Paul would be on my side this whole time. I sensed his lies, but I blindly trusted my human instinct, which has proven to be a huge mistake. To keep my mind from wandering into tearing Paul into pieces, an effect of my animal spirit’s awakening, I focused on doing a background on Logan Hickman, a.k.a. coach.Based on Mike’s words, he moved here eight years ago and has coached Salvatore Hills University’s football team since. His record was as clean as a freshly washed dinner plate. Not even a parking ticket, which was disturbing when I was sure that he’d been hurting Bobby that day physically. It only meant that he was good at hiding his tracks.Zwick’s death marked the stalking case closed, giving me no rea
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 62|Being With You
~Elijah~It had been an hour since the bathroom incident at her place; still, Rory’s body continued to shiver. We spent the drive up to my place in utter silence. After what happened tonight, I have to ask her to move in with me. Her growing power is proving to be much more unpredictable than what we anticipated. Her request to live her life the way she wanted to needs to be set aside. Someone must watch over her twenty-four seven. Apart from the threat to her safety, she is also in danger of getting lost in her own mind.It took me a fucking lot to get through her mind. I’m afraid it will only worsen until she finishes shifting.I reached for her hand. She threw me a grateful smile and turned to resume gazing at the window.If not for our stronger bond, I wo
Hellbound: The Last Tribute 63|Better Than Nothing
~Rory~While Elijah was getting ready for bed, I read through the files I have about Hickman. Things such as where he lives, who he’s living with, what he does in his free time, and even who he associates himself with when he’s not at school.‘I had to do something productive,’ I thought, to ease the dreadful image of the redhead drowning in my head.Elijah told me her name was Tala, a fae like Ali. He promised to tell me more about her and my vision tomorrow after I rested. It’s not something I would want to hear, that’s for sure.There was nothing unusual in Hickman's file, which was kind of frustrating. I hoped to find anything suspicious to get my mind off of this galling sensation in my belly. It was hard to keep my feelings from
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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
