~VaelaMy feet scuff over rocks, gloved fingers gripping slick ice as I climb."Can you wait up? I'm going as fast as I can and am seconds away from breaking my ankle."Turning, I look over my shoulder. My friend and companion for this trip, Eyla, struggles up a particularly steep part of the cliff, bundled in layers of clothing to the point I can't see her face."We are nearly there," I assure her, prying my numb hand between two slabs of rock, hoisting myself up onto a ridge."Exactly, so wait up."With two feet planted on the flat edge of the ridge, I look out over the vi
~VaelaMorality is a punishing thing.Been there. Done that. Died young, spent nearly a century in death before arriving here. The immortal realm, where I am to live out a not so immortal existence, as I shall eventually die. The name must have sounded nice in its creation.The only true immortality belongs to the pure-bloods.Dark, twisted individuals with magic beyond their means. Magic to crush realms, to torture and abuse.Eyla’s voice echoes through my subconscious, jolting me from my vacant thoughts."No...No, no Vaela, tell me you're lying." She’s at
~Vaela"Ah!" My palms slap over my eyes, the image of the man burned into the back of my eyelids."Who are you?" The voice questions. It’s a deep, rich sound that spreads over me, slightly accented.I’m imagining this.I must be. There is no conceivable way that I just saw a tall man with silver tattoos standing at what I now realise is a doorway. Thankfully his bare chest was all I got an eyeful of, and not any lower down…My fingers part slightly as I peek through them. I am not imagining this.The man is now fully dressed, which took him only mere momen
~VaelaJust as he’s about to leave the room, I call for him to stop.“I know you’re immortal and all, but you don’t have anything for me to tend to my wound?”Both Hale and I’s eyes drop to the wound. Frankly, it’s disturbing, and if I don’t disinfect and wrap it, the fire isn’t going to end up being enough to save me.“Follow me,” he instructs grimly.I scramble after him, surprised as the warmth of the fireplace follows me from the room. It still hasn’t managed to get under my skin yet, to warm the deepest parts of me that are currently still glacial.&
~VaelaI don’t know how long I slept for.I wake colder than I was before, despite my proximity to the fire. Aside from the crackling of the flames, which I believe is stoked by magic, the foyer is silent, and lacking any Pureblood’s.Sitting up, I rub my eyes. Should I wait here, or should I seek Hale out?If I seek him out, it means I have to talk to him. Not that he isn’t interesting, or hasn’t been somewhat nice to me, he’s still utterly terrifying.
~VaelaWill and Eyla walk apprehensively behind us, fumbling through the shadows toward the entrance to Hale’s home.“Boyfriend?” Amusement is laced tauntingly in Hale’s voice as he walks closely in front of me.“I know you heard...” I mutter under my breath. "Ex."“Interesting.” There are endless alternative meanings laced in his tone that I'm not going to begin unpacking.I glare at his back. “Shh&hell
~Vaela"I don't like him."Collapsing down onto the couch, I tug a blanket over myself, glaring at Will. I’m too distracted by this strange feeling of loss that has settled within me. It feels wrong to have left the cave, to have left Hale."You're not meant to, he's a Sin,” Eyla responds, pushing past him to come sit next to me on the couch.Will’s jaw is set in a firm line, a distasteful look swirling in his eyes. "The fact that he was acting like he was going to see you again, Vaela."&nb
~VaelaVaguely, the sound of knocking on the front door can be heard past my hateful staring up at the ceiling, yearning for those moments I took not being sick for granted.“She’s in the bedroom," Eyla murmurs.She sounds so far away, and yet so close. Despite all the throwing up I have done, the dizziness still haunts me, my vision spiralling wildly. Time no longer makes sense. Days could have passed for all I know.A figure appears at the doorway, the edges of them slightly blurry as I sit up a little more to observe them. Hale.
*Mature Content Warning!! Read at Your Own Discretion!!*~Vaela"What are you reading?"I look up, mildly irritated that I'm being interrupted, just when my book was getting to the good part."A book," I respond, staring up at my mate, who seems to be enjoying looming over me with a very particular look on his face.I've only been home for two days, and finally I'm feeling better after having a good portion of my blood drained out of me. All my time I've spent reading this book, since it's not like I have anything else to do.Hale rounds my chair, looking over my shoulder. "I was going to ask what kind of book, but I think I get the idea."Frowning, I slam the book shut, dumping it on my lap. There goes that."I wasn't making fun of you," he assures me, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek, which I don't manage to dodge away from in time."Believe it or not, it's quite interesting," I mumble, feeling my cheeks flush.I'm quite sure I know why I picked up this book today. Hale has been
~Vaela Part of me didn’t expect Keo to actually keep his word once he grabbed me and assured me he would return me to my mate. But the moment my feet touch snow, I know everything is going to be okay. Glancing over my shoulder, I see the looming drop down the familiar mountain that I once climbed to a date I could never have imagined. Keo looks around distastefully, either not liking the snow or the height. Even as I sway unnervingly on my feet, still drained of a lot of my blood, I want to hug him. It’s not like he isn’t getting something from our deal, but the fact that he kept his word despite breaking it in the past gives me the sense that maybe the world isn’t trying to punish me. “I’m all about hiding, but up here? Really?” Keo mutters, kicking a clump of ice off the edge of the ridge, watching it shatter against a rock below. "What...what are you, exactly?" I ask, taking cautious steps back into the cave, grateful to be out of the environment. He looks normal…to an exte
~VaelaKeo holds his hand out, something appearing in the palm of it.I'm not bewildered by that kind of magic, considering Hale wields it at will. I just wish I had it right now so I can summon a way to either get out of here, or enact my revenge on the powerful men in front of me.I quickly realise, as Keo approaches me, that he's holding a needle, attached to a long tube that disappears somewhere I can't see.Flinching away as much as possible, horror consumes me."I apologise about any pain you feel," Relm says, seeing my reaction to the sight of the needle. He's going to dig it into my skin, and he's going to extract my blood for his own use.I've known many selfish people in my life, but this is just disturbing."Don't waste your breath," I tell him. I'll get my revenge, whether it's now or in the future, because I have to survive this. I can't not return to my mate, who will be looking everywhere for me in Death's realm.Keo grabs my arm. "This may hurt."Twisting my head, I tr
~VaelaMy feet touch the ground only moments later.Keo immediately let's go of me, striding forward. He's taken me to some kind of home. It's simple, rather uninteresting, but there is something haunting about the darkly coloured walls, about the lack of anything distinguishing."What is this place?" I ask distastefully, turning in a circle. Keo doesn't turn back, making his way down the lengthy corridor."One of Relm's many residences," he explains as I catch up with him.My hands brush against the hallway walls. There are no windows, which means I have no idea where I am. Has Hale gotten to Death's realm yet? Has he noticed I'm not there?"Where do you live?" I ask tentatively, looking at Keo's back as he walks. He's such an imposing, terrifying man, that I'm curious about him.I shouldn't be, I know that. Not with someone so dangerous."I live nowhere," he responds tightly.Narrowing my eyes upon him, I fight the urge to call him to a stop. "That can't be true.""I prefer not to s
~VaelaMy entire existence feels off its axis as I slowly come to consciousness.I feel different. Better.Sitting up, I look down at my skin, knowing I’m immortal again. A smile slowly stretches across my face. It worked, or at least, I’m alive.I’m in a small, unfamiliar room. The walls are stained a dark crimson, looking nothing like how I remember when I first came into Death’s realm.This doesn't feel right, but at least I'm Immortal.Standing from the bed, I shake the tension from my shoulders. I need to establish my surroundings, and then wait for a sign from Hale. I just hope this sign comes quickly.The home I've woken in is stunning and decadent, with rich wood furniture and dark carpet. However this place belongs to is obviously powerful and wealthy, which isn't a good sign.I find myself in a small living room. There are no windows anywhere, and in this room, only a small candle from the corner of the room lights the area.I draw in a breath, noting a body laying across th
~VaelaKicking my feet up, I lean back, flipping the page of my book."You're strong enough now," I hear Hale say. I let my book fall onto my lap. It's been a couple days since we last talked about how my wound is healing. Admittedly, I'm feeling much better.I grin. "Good, let's have sex then.""Woah," he laughs, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. "We need to be thinking about what is going to happen once you step back into that pool."I sigh, knowing this conversation was coming.It's not like we can avoid it for much longer. Keo is lurking, waiting for my twelve days to be up before he can come and collect me for Relm. I need to make the transition to Immortal again."You'll have to kill me," I tell him. I'm not sure I could do it myself. I died once, I'm not looking forward to doing it again.Hale frowns. He doesn't want this to happen, but what other choice do we have?"You will be sent back to Death's Realm. I know you are familiar with the procedure, so just go
*Mature Content Warning! - Read At Your Own Discretion*~VaelaKeo finally lets go of me, but I don't stumble too far."I think it's obvious what I'm here for," he says, looking around the cave, clearly dissatisfied with whatever he finds lacking. Hale shakes his head. "So you're serving him?""I serve no one, but myself. But where he happens to succeed, as do I." Keo spreads his arms out, smirking. I can imagine how such a smile has disarmed many in the past.But I see the cruel intentions behind it."Hale...What's happening?" I question.Keo turns his attention to me. "I'm here to warn you, Vaela.""About what?""Your existence is poisoning the very fabric of this fragile realm. And where this realm faces its demise, other's do also," he explains, a tight smile upon his face.He's clearly suggesting that one of these other realms he speaks of is where he originates from. I suppose that explains why he is so ardently pursuing me."Trust me, I don't want to be this way," I grit out.
~Vaela“Mate huh.”I chew on my fingernail. “I know.”Glancing at Eyla, I scowl at her smirk. She’s been infinitely amused since Hale brought her up to the cave, and we told her together that we are mates. Naturally, she was overjoyed for a moment, before she went on a rant about how obvious it was.“I knew it, and so did you, you just didn’t want to hear it,” she says, jabbing me in the side multiple times teasingly, making me jump.I'm still not entirely held. Being mortal again has reminded me of how long the recovery process can be.“He made it seem impossible. I’m just glad he was wrong about it," I admit, stretching out over the bed. I've spent most of my days here, trying to pretend my thoughts aren't driving me crazy.I want to be normal again. I want to be me.“Have you slept with him yet?” Eyla asks.I sigh. “No, I only found out a little while ago.”It's not like it hasn't been on my mind. In fact, each time I look at Hale I think about it, and I know he's thinking about it
~VaelaHale drinks in the scene in front of him, expression muddled with confusion."What the hell is going on?" He demands, looking between Trace and I.Trace now cowers against the far wall, mortified. He thought I was hallucinating after the hit I took to the head, and now he’s looking at a Sin."You're the Pureblood Vaela talked about." His voice shakes as he speaks."And who are you?" Hale demands.Trace swallows, pushing away from the wall as Hale strides in, slamming the door closed behind him. He’s realising how weak he is compared to the Sun, so he may as well own his fear."I'm Trace. I'm her boyfriend.” I grimace. Trace is setting himself up to face what he inflicted upon me all those years ago.Hale blinks, coming to terms with who he is looking at."You're the one who murdered her," he says softly.His tone is deceptive. I can feel the anger rolling off him, so palpable it hurts me, and I'm thoroughly enjoying this exchange already, even if I've fought against all these w