Emma.I stood at the doorway, staring at Antonio who seemed shocked at my words. She looked me over and then turned to Derek. “She doesn't look like a vampire." She said to Derek. Derek too was a little surprised, “You'd said you were a hybrid. If your brother is a vampire, then a werewolf bite could kill you, you wouldn't survive it." It was a long story. But clearly, my past was catching up with me. No matter where I ran, there would always be the smoke of my past hovering. “He's my adopted brother. I never knew of what he was until it was too late and he tried to turn me into one. I was lucky because I was saved by a werewolf bite and then I turned into a hybrid,” I sighed heavily, “I didn't know what I was until the doctor told me of the pregnancy.” Antonia nodded, "So, you're like my aunt? My sister?” she chuckled, "Since Alec is now my dad and I still want to fuck him, does that make you my sister inlaw or my aunt?” She laughed at her own joke. But it wasn't funny. My brot
Emma.I felt the tears drop down my eyes before I could stop them. Daniella was a traitor. She'd betrayed me. Betrayed my trust. Given Cathy up to be taken and also given my child to a psychotic man that had done nothing but hate me from the moment I stepped into the Coastal Moon pack. Cathy had been right. Daniella was too perfect. She was too nosey. she'd wormed her way into my heart and now she'd crushed it with a single blow. “Madrid took my child," I said, my voice was cold and almost unrecognizable to my own ears. "He made me do it, I swear! I didn't know,” Daniella argued and wept on the floor. But all I heard was the same voice that had told me my baby was gone. "You took her, you took my baby to a mad man and watched him take her away.” It wasn't a question. It was a statement and it hurt like hell. Daniella shook her head, she was weeping but I couldn't believe her remorse. There was no way she was remorseful. Antonia had exposed her lies. She was never going to say i
Emma.My bags were packed and I was ready to leave. I threw the small duffel bag into the backseat and climbed in. Antonia stood at the porch with a smirk on her face. She was practically shaking with excitement at the thought of doing off to fight Kael. I wondered if she knew what she was signing up for. Kael was a very strong alpha and he had a powerful wolf. I had never seen anyone defeat him Ina fight. But I knew I couldn't just sit still and wish. I had to do something to take my child back. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her and I didn't at least try to help. “Antonia is used to war. She was a soldier before Kael sired her.” I looked back at the lady on the porch again and for a brief second, I could see the sadness in her eyes. She had a story and possibly one as tragic as mine. “She mustn't come, I don't need anyone to fight my war," I said pointedly. Derek seemed amused at my bravado. “Of course you don't. But we know werewolves more than you do.
Emma.I couldn't feel anything around me but death. The blood. It called out to me. My nose caught every stench. Every single smell. But what called out to me was the blood. The crimson stains on the snow. I could see them. I could smell them. I could almost feel my body moving towards them. I wasn't myself. I couldn't feel my own legs. It was like a strange being was inhabiting my body and my mind receded to the edges. “Emma?" A voice called out behind me and I turned to see Antonia. The vampire was a little weary as she moved forward. Inside my head, I knew that she wasn't a foe but somehow, I couldn't keep my feet from moving towards her in rage. I tried to scream but all that came out was a hoarse growl of rage. My hands shook and my legs stomped the snow as I raced to her. In a blur, I was right in her face. I could see the shock in her eyes at my speed. But just before I could sink my hands into her neck, rip out her throat like I wanted to, I heard another voice call o
Derek.Emma was a hybrid. She was awakened. Her body was nothing like a human girl. Gone was the soft feminine build and her silky blonde hair. In its place was a furry beast standing on both legs with arms the size of his own thighs and feet twice as large. For a second, I couldn't believe my own eyes. She was different. She had changed and she was an object of nightmares. I watched her tear into the werewolves that tried to hold her down for the wolf at the entrance to take over. But Emma was stronger. She held them with her powerful arms and shoved them away, hurting them fiercely on the floor and dismantling their forces. “Kill!" She yelled again. That was all she seemed able to say. Kill. The single word seemed to raise some sort of strength and anger within her. She was furious. She was dangerous and as she said those words, her power seemed unmatchable. “Emma!" I called out as I noticed that she was winning against the alpha wolf. Without turning back to me, she threw
Emma.My limbs were shaking. I could feel everything around me. The wind in my face, the pulse beating wildly, the sound of the guard who was tapping his foot nervously against the stone floor. Everything was heightened. The pain on my left wrist, the ringing in my ear, the slight numbness of my left thumb. It was all so vivid. For a second, I couldn't help but wonder if I was losing my mind. “Emma?" I heard Derek call out to me. I jumped slightly at the proximity. Despite how much I felt, how closely I heard each sound, he still managed to sneak up on me. “Hey," I replied with a soft sigh and leaned back on the chair. We were in a secluded house in the town. I'd lived in the small mountain town for many years but I was a stranger to the cabin in the woods. Derek and his men seemed to know exactly where to go and they stopped right at the cabin and led us all in. Kael was still unconscious and he'd been tied up in a chair in the far corner of the room. Two guards stood by his sid
Emma.Shock. That was what I felt. A bone crushing, soul numbing shock that left me punching my own skin to be sure that I was still alive. Brother?! “You're no use to anyone alive!" Derek spat in rage. Derek was his brother? Kael was still tied up on the chair. His slightly wet and tousled hair was right in his face. His jawline and sharp chin stood out strangely. Like I had somehow broken something while beating him up. Then I turned to look again at Derek. He looked nothing like Kael. Both had two different shades of hair. A deep blonde and jade respectively. And while Kael had deep black eyes, Derek had ocean green eyes that she could get lost in. He reminded her so much of Roger that sometimes, staring at him hurt. But beyond the difference, she could see the chin, the jaw, the bridge of their nose. The size of their palms. It was all so different and yet so familiar. Like they could somehow be seen in each other. Bits and pieces. “Yet there I am. Alive and even our prett
Emma.My mother stood before me. My foster mother. I hadn't seen her in many years and now here she stood, staring at me. A woman that had turned my life upside down. The source of my joy and yet the bane of my existence. I was broken at the sight of her. Somehow, time seemed to pass very quickly. It seemed like it was just yesterday when she last saw Barbara and Alec. All together, as a family. “Mother," I breathed. But my voice broke. She couldn't say anything without feeling the pain, the tears, the anger, the rage. "Please, let me help you.” Barbara said. “Where have you been?" The words slipped out of my lips before I could stop them. Barbara's eyes teared up and she looked at me. She moved closer and I stepped back, holding my hands out. “Do not touch me." "Emma, please, I'm sorry.” But what apology could ever fix what she'd broken. She has taken all I ever had. She'd killed our family with her lies. She'd pretended to be human and with that, she'd carved a delusional ho
Emma.Life has a funny way of coming full circle. One moment you're a normal teacher trying to help void beings understand humanity, the next you're standing in front of a classroom filled with every kind of supernatural being imaginable, all eager to learn the art of cosmic evolution."Remember," I said to the diverse group before me, "everyone's path to transformation is unique. What works for a vampire won't necessarily work for a werewolf. What feels natural to a void being might be challenging for a witch."The classroom – now expanded to accommodate our growing community – hummed with excited energy. Through my evolved awareness, I could see each being's potential shimmering just beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.Derek stood beside me, his vampire-cosmic nature casting beautiful patterns across the walls. "The key is finding your anchor," he demonstrated, shifting between states while maintaining his core essence. "The thing that makes you uniquely you, even as you
Emma."Remember," Derek said to the small group of vampires gathered in our backyard, "it's not about fighting your nature. It's about letting it expand."I watched from the porch as my husband guided the first volunteers through their initial steps into cosmic evolution. Each vampire's shadow was beginning to shimmer with possibility, their immortal essence reaching for something new."Like this?" A younger vampire named Marcus asked, his form flickering between states."Almost," Derek moved closer, his own transformed nature casting constellation patterns across the grass. "Don't try to leave your vampire self behind. Let it be your anchor while you reach for the cosmic."First drifted between the practicing vampires, offering their unique perspective. "Is like learning new language. Still speak old language, but now can speak new one too. Both together make more meaning."From inside the house, I could hear Mom and Sara working with another group of supernatural researchers. The wo
Emma.You'd think that after everything we'd been through, nothing could surprise the supernatural council anymore. But watching a room full of ancient beings literally lose their composure as Derek demonstrated his new abilities?Priceless."Impossible," one of the vampire elders whispered as Derek shifted between shadow and starlight, his vampiric essence now interwoven with cosmic energy in ways that defied their oldest laws. "Our nature is fixed. Unchanging.""Clearly not," Mom interjected, spreading out her research data. "What we're seeing is a natural evolution of supernatural energy. The vampire's immortal essence provides the perfect conduit for cosmic transformation."I watched as Derek moved through states of existence as easily as breathing, his vampire nature not fighting the change but embracing it, enhancing it. He was neither fully vampire nor fully cosmic, but something gloriously in between."Show them the bridge thing," Violet encouraged from where she sat cross-leg
Emma.They say evolution is a slow process. Try telling that to a family that just accidentally created an entirely new form of supernatural existence over an evening kiss."So," Sara said, her scientific equipment scattered across our living room while she tried to make sense of readings that kept shifting into impossible patterns, "let me get this straight. You two kissed...""And the universe basically went 'oh, that's a good idea' and decided to upgrade everyone?" Violet finished, still experimenting with her new abilities by making small objects phase between vampire shadow and cosmic light."Not quite everyone," Mom corrected, looking up from her rapidly filling notebook. "Just those with a direct connection to both vampire and cosmic energies. Though the implications for supernatural evolution are fascinating-""Maybe we could focus on the immediate situation?" Derek suggested, his new form casting constellation patterns on the walls every time he moved. "Like figuring out if t
Emma.It started with a kiss.Which, if you think about it, is how a lot of supernatural revelations seem to happen in my life. Though this one was admittedly more spectacular than usual.Derek and I were having a rare quiet moment on the back porch. I was still in my human form, day ten of the "cosmic detox" as everyone had started calling it. He was watching the sunset with that particular intensity that only vampires and artists seem to manage."I miss this," he said softly, his hand finding mine in the growing darkness."Sunsets?""Being able to touch you without worrying about cosmic interference."I smiled, squeezing his hand. "Well, according to Sara, I should be able to start accessing my powers again soon. Though," I looked down at our intertwined fingers, "I'm thinking maybe I'll try to stay human-shaped more often."He turned to me then, and something in his expression made my very human heart skip. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I've been thinking about what you said a
Emma.Have you ever had to orchestrate a disaster so perfectly that it teaches a lesson without actually destroying reality? It's trickier than you might think, especially when you're working with beings that consider quantum physics a hobby and existence optional."Everything ready?" I asked First as we watched the eager void beings put what they thought were the finishing touches on their transformation machine.They nodded, their form perfectly stable despite the excitement. "Others in position. Remember plan."The plan was beautiful in its simplicity, really. Sometimes the best teaching moments come from carefully controlled failure. And who better to control failure than a group of experienced void beings pretending to be inexperienced void beings?"Sara?" I checked my very human watch – another adjustment I was still getting used to."Containment fields are ready," she confirmed from her position behind the monitoring equipment. "Though I still think this is insane.""Welcome to
Emma.You know what's worse than a supernatural crisis? A supernatural crisis when you're temporarily grounded from your cosmic powers.The call came during what was supposed to be a normal human lunch break – another exciting adventure in remembering how to eat food that existed in only one dimension at a time. Mom's voice had that careful calm that immediately set off every alarm bell in my very human nervous system."So," she said, "don't panic, but we might have a situation at the void being integration center."I put down my sandwich, already reaching for my car keys. "Define 'situation.'""Remember those void beings that tried to speed-run transformation downtown?""Please tell me they're not back.""Not exactly," Mom hedged. "But apparently they told some friends about their experience. Friends who decided that if quick transformation was possible, maybe they could find a way to... streamline the process.""Streamline how?" I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I knew where t
Emma.It was strange, seeing myself as just... me. No cosmic energy rippling beneath my skin, no reality-bending aura, no occasional transparency. Just Emma, with bed hair and yesterday's t-shirt, looking simultaneously more solid and more fragile than I remembered.The smell of coffee drifted up from the kitchen, and my very human stomach growled in response. That was another thing I'd forgotten about – actual hunger, not just the abstract concept of energy needs that I'd been dealing with in my transformed state.Making my way carefully downstairs (after successfully remembering to open the door this time), I found Derek at the stove and Violet at the table, both watching me like I might accidentally try to float through the ceiling."I'm fine," I said, heading for the coffee pot with the determination of a heat-seeking missile. "Just... readjusting.""Uh-huh," Violet said, not even trying to hide her amusement as I missed the coffee mug twice before successfully pouring. "That's wh
Emma.Turns out, downgrading from cosmic entity to regular human is about as graceful as trying to parallel park a spaceship. In the dark. While wearing oven mitts."Focus on your breathing," Sara instructed as we sat in the meditation room she'd set up in her basement lab. The walls were lined with specially designed dampeners to block out cosmic frequencies. "Try to feel your core self.""I'm trying," I muttered, then winced as my voice made the air ripple. "But it's like trying to forget how to read. Once you know what all the letters mean, you can't just... not know.""Then don't try to forget," Mom suggested from where she sat taking notes. "Try to remember instead. Remember what it felt like to be just Emma."Just Emma. The phrase echoed through my being, stirring something deep and familiar. I closed my eyes, thinking back to simpler times. Movie nights with Derek. Teaching Violet to ride a bike. Burning dinner and ordering pizza instead. Normal, human moments.My form flickere