Jasper
The fire burned furiously in front of me in an icy blue flame. Unlike an ordinary fire, it was as cold as Greenland's icy mountains, freezing you with its touch. It made the atmosphere similar to that of a crypt. Cold and unnerving.
An unburning arrow stuck out from the flame. The arrow had been used to light the fire. By my calculations, it had from travelled beyond the castle walls, past the large opening where there should have been a wall and landed right onto the spot it currently was. The work of a skilled marksman. Or markswoman.
Below the cold waves was a sign. A sign with an unmistakable message. It was as old as time itself and everyone knew what it meant. Revenge. Vendetta.
The sharpness of the points of the star-like sign chilled my bones.
This was the work of powerful magic.
I stared across the room. It was evening now. Night was approaching. Ivan would soon be here. I greatly anticipated his reaction to this. He would either lose his tempter and break something like he had every time he returned from hunting Zoladie or he would be eerily calm. My money was on the former.
I heard footsteps but they were not Ivan's. They were light and gentle. Looking past the open threshold, I saw Merideth passing.
She was about her business, probably on her way back to her chambers after a long day of work.
After gaining Ivan's favour...or pity at a human slave auction -he had only attended to ensure the proper standards were met- , Merideth was taken in and given homage in the castle. Ivan had paid her father's debts and in return she worked for him now. She was to give a modern touch to the age old healing techniques they used in the infirmary whilst working under one of the healers. It was either that or she would live a harsh and cruel life as a blood slave to a merciless vampire.
Her gaze met mine for a moment before she averted it quickly and hastened her pace. She was currently ignoring me. She hated me for how I had treated her. I hated myself too but it had to be done. Still it was nice to watch her walk away. The way her hips swayed as she strode... It could kill a man.
My guilty, lust-filled thoughts were interrupted when I noticed that Ivan was approaching.
He was dressed in black pants and a thick roundneck navy blue shirt. He had no doubt just arrived from the mortal world. The sweet feminine scent he carried indicated that not too long before, he had been with his beloved.
Despite the dark expression on his face there was joy in his eyes. The girl had that effect on him. She had that effect on everybody.She was so young and full of life. But I could tell there was more to her than just her smile. She was smart and humble and generous. Also considerate. And compassionate. Her attributes were endless.If all went well, with a profusion of the proper training, she would provide a balance he needed and rule at his side.
Only time will tell ,I thought. Thank God we have lots of it.
"When?" Ivan's guttural voice came to my ears. He stopped right in front of me, facing the flame.
"It appeared an hour ago. Maybe less." The exact time the flames had appeared was not clear. I had only been made aware of it an hour before. "It means-"
Facing me suddenly, he cut me off," I know what it means."
Ivan's knuckles whitened as he made tight fists. His jaw clenched and his teeth grit.
These flames were rarely used and when they were beware! War was coming! And quick.
There was no doubt in my mind that it was Zoladie who sent them. Such magic was only possible for strong witches and sometimes required an entire coven to perform.
Not only was this a declaration of war but a show of just how powerful she was. She was making it clear to the man who stood before me that she would ruin him. Devour him just like the fire devoured the air.
"She is coming..."I breath. There was hitch in my voice. I was fearful. I was right to be so. The Dark Sorceress was a force to be reckoned with.
"She is."
"She is coming for you. For Cara."
His jaw clenched. He rolled up the sleeve of his right arm.
I stood astounded as he reached into the flame with his bare hand and yanked out the metal arrow from were it pierced the floor.
The fire was extinguished leaving only the mark of the ancient symbol.
"Let her come and may she learn that I do not take such threats lightly." With an effortless swing of the wrist, he cast the arrow aside. It rolled across the floor, running past the edge and right off. "We will all crumble into rivers of blood before a drop of my beloved's is lost."
He turned. And walked away. And he was gone.
She declared war. He promised death.
Cara
Fumbling with the bunch of keys in my hand, I attempted to find the ones that would open the front door with one hand as my other hand balanced a bag of groceries. All the while, my phone was ringing away in the pocket of my denim jeans.
After a few frustrating attempts, I finally found the right keys and unlocked the door. I entered the house and kicked the door shut with my foot then placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter.
Glancing at the clock, I checked the time. It was still too early for supper so I decided to unpack the groceries and do some last minute preparations minute preparations for the interview I had the following day.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I checked who was calling. I had eight missed calls from a strange number.
The phone rang again. I answered. It had to have been important for someone to call that many times.
"Hello,"I said, pressing the device to my ear while unpacking the groceries.
"Oh my God! Cara," a woman spoke. Her voice was laced with distress. " This is Caroline Stewart, Liza's mother. Are you with Liza?"
"No. I haven't seen her since the yesterday. Why? Is something wrong?" I was suddenly filled with worry. It had to have been important for Liza's parents to call me up. They were very busy. The two were some of the best cooperate lawyers in the state of California and ran one of the top law firms in the country.
"Liza is missing. We haven't heard from her since graduation day. We thought she was with you."
I heard very little after the words 'Liza is missing...'
"Are you sure?" I was in doubt of the situation. I did not want it to be true.
"How could we not be sure?...You know what, you are no help at all," she spat. Frustration was clear in her tone. " Call me when you hear anything."
She hang up. The device fell out of my hand.
I found that I had taken a seat on bar stools due to the shock. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as the blood rushed in my veins. I was suddenly light headed.
It surprised me how useless I was I the situation. My mind was blank of ideas. Whatever it was people did when their loved ones went missing, I did not know.
I figured that the Sterwarts had already notified the authorities and filed a report. They had called everyone they could and considering the fact that they were highly esteemed lawyers, they had probably tracked her cell phone.
Then what?
What was to be done after all that? Were we to just wait?
Instinctively, I reached for cell phone and scrolled through my short contract list. I was conflicted between calling my father or calling Alice.
Alice would probably be better help. But in times like this, I was used to relying on my father for support. He'd made up my entire support system for an entire decade. The man had been there for me through thick and thin. From the time I sprained my wrist and ankle trying to skateboard to the time I got my first period. Weird as it may have been for him, he helped me through it. To this day, he never remembered the correct brand of milk we use but never forgot to buy me sanitary towels and skittle for my time of the month when he went out shopping.
Scrolling lower, I found Ivan's contacts. A breath of relief left me as I remembered him. His memory alone made me feel safe. He made all well.
But I had to notify Alice. She was Liza's friend too. I dialed Alice and waited for her to pick up. She did not. I rang her again.
There was a loud knock at the back door. Followed by another, so loud I feared it would break the glass.
I turned my attention to back door,I saw through the glass someone I had not expected to see. Of all the places...
I rushed to open the door. As soon as I did. She fell to the ground.
Bloodied and dirty with soil, my friend lay on the back porch. And I wasn't so sure she was alive.
CaraI dropped down, pain shooting through my knees due to the impact, but I did not care. I barely even noticed.Liza's form was cold. Freezing. I pressed my palm on her temple. She shivered under my touch. I was actually thankful that she did. It assured me that she was still alive.My breath caught as I took her in. She was covered in soil and grass. Her clothes -the same one she had worn the other night- were dirty and torn up. Her blonde locks were a mess. She was barefoot. Dry blood covered her hands and feet."Oh my God!" I exclaimed, my palm covering my mouth.How had this happened?Who did this?She was fine yesterday.What shocked me most was the gory cut on her left wrist. A deep anger accompanied my astonishment. I wanted to know whoever had done this to her.Was the work of a human or something else? Probably the latter.I felt defensive and protective of my friend in that moment, feeling a strong urge to find whoever it was that did this and exact a painful revenge on th
IvanShe stood at my side, my hand gripping her wrist. I ensured that my hold on her was not too tight. I had a problem controlling my own strength especially around her. Cara was my greatest reason to remain in control, yet she was the only reason I had trouble keeping myself calm.My greatest weakness and my greatest strength.Her eyes rested on her father who had not moved an inch from behind the long beige couch. His gaze was sharply fixed on me as I held his daughter's arm possessively. He was very protective of her, as was I. I was thus able to know exactly what was going through his mind. Who was this man near his daughter? Why did he speak as he did? What was his interest with her?Their resemblance was uncanny. Their relation was undoubtable. Their eyes were so much alike. They were bright and jade, unlike anything I had ever seen."Can we focus? Liza is not ok. Now is not the time to stare at each other." Cara spoke so commandingly. I felt myself smile for a moment. When the
CaraAnd only I can protect her ,the words echoed relentlessly in my mind.Without knowing what I was doing, I jumped out from where I was hiding behind the wall, at the staircase. I did not care that they now knew I had been eavesdropping. Ivan had probably already known."Protect me? Protect me from what?"Both men turned to me. Ivan's dark grey orbs were glued on me. As always, I felt stark naked under his stare."It's difficult to explain," answered Ivan. He pursed his lips, avoiding my eyes as if they burned his own."Try. Explain." Enough was enough. I was adamant on getting the answers I wanted."There's a witch. She will stop at nothing to...harm you. She wants to...to kill you," he faltered. Surprisingly, my father did not even flinch.He knows."She attacked Liza and if you do not get away from here, she will strike again." The world suddenly feel in, the room closing in on me. Ivan rushed to me but I stepped back, refusing him to touch me.What I got from his statement wa
CaraThe weight of all that had happened that day crushed my chest causing me a physical pain. Heaving, I collapsed onto the plush comforter. The beddings recieved me and comfort spread over me.My eyes shut and I began to drift off into the land of slumber - one of the best places known to troubled people. The feeling of solace however proved to be ephemeral. I was quickly brought back. Remembering that I was not at home and definitely not on my bed, my eyes snapped open. I was far from home.Sitting up on the luxurious queen sized, four-poster bed , I looked around the room again. I had hardly gotten a chance to look around before. Ivan had escorted me here and had quickly left. He clearly had other business to attend to. And it made me feel like... an inconvenience.My room was more than sizeable. It was huge. It was different from the room I had slept in the last time I had been here. That room was on the floor below the one I was presently in.Whoever had designed the place had m
CaraThe water felt like ice on my back. I turned up the knob, increasing the pressure at which the water poured down on me. The water came down on me from different sides - it was one of those multihead showers.I grabbed the shampoo and applied some of it on my hair. A soft honey scent spread in the air. I rubbed the shampoo into my hair then washed it out and did the same with the conditioner.The shower cleared my head and rid it of the harsh memories of my most recent nightmare. The dream had given me quite a shake. It had been so vivid. So real. Every moment had felt real and for a moment it felt like... I was looking into the future.Without even dressing up, I secured the towel around my body and took my phone from where I had kept it in my luggage bag.The first thing I saw upon unlocking the device was the my screensaver, a photo me and my father smiling, eating pancakes at this diner we used to go to before we moved to California. I remembered that day. It was the first day
CaraHis lips were strong and demanding against mine. He kissed me with passion. With need. And I reciprocated every one of his emotions. I tightened my arms around him and deepened the connection between us. For moments it felt like I fed off his passion and he fed off mine.My hunger grew and I became more aggressive, taking the lead. And he let me.Footsteps sounded around me, breaking through the barrier that had been created the second my lips met Ivan's. I tried to pull away but Ivan held me tighter and growled at my attempts to leave his arms."Someone's coming," I warned, my lips brushing against his as I spoke. He was only a breath away. I was tempted to ignore whoever was coming our way and close the small gap between us."Am I not allowed to kiss my own chosen in my own house?" He groaned, his hands running smoothly down my backside. For a second I'd thought he'd untie the knots that held my dress closed. " I shall have you when I want."You definetely shall , I thought.
IvanMy heartbeat was thunderous in my ears, my chest unbearably tight. The air in my lungs felt incredibly compacted. I clenched my fist, wondering why my body was acting the way it was. I became unnaturally nervous as I stared at my beloved. Her eyes remained focused on the gold and black tie I wore but she wasn't really looking at the tie itself. She was thinking. I knew it by the familiar look on her face that she was deep in thought.Upon informing her about my kingdom and my position in it, she had said nothing. The wait was killing me. Her silence was tearing me to bits.I realized then that the heightened senses, the weight in chest, the great discomfort, they were all due to anxiety. I was scarcely ever anxious or nervous - if at all - and so I was not well accustomed to whatever was happening. Not even in times of war, when I knew my enemies were drawing closer had I felt this way. This woman, standing right their drew something from inside me. She was able to reach into me
CaraI reveled in the pleasure of being on solid ground again. My head began to clear up, the dizziness the leaving me. I was amazed by the wonder of it all. Not more that five minutes before had I been back at Ivan's house and now I was here. And 'here' was quite far from home.My eyes travelled the room, taking everything in, from the shining stone floors to the spectacular view of the sky. The room was circular and large, with a grand cupola forming its ceiling. Large sculpted pillars held up the dome above us and in between them there were spaces allowing for a nice view.I shifted my attention back at the people before us. Directly in front of me stood a tall, heavy brown-eyed man with a head of long, curly, blonde hair. He eyed me top to bottom, saying nothing.Three people stood behind the giant of a man: a woman dressed in a leather military jacket and leather pants to match, a man dressed the same way and a young woman who wore a simple white dress."Sir," the built man greet