Chapter 25“Rayne and Alpha Drake saved us a few tables upstairs. Nico and Amethyst are up there with them as well, let’s head up there and get some food ordered while we wait for the crowd.” Raziel said, and then he turned and headed up the stairs. Raphael handed Topaz some champagne and they followed him up there, leaving me with Rowen. “Ambrosia, doll, why don’t you head up there as well. I need to speak to my brother for a moment.” Rowen said to her softly. She nodded her head, then turned, grabbing some of the champagne too, and followed behind Raphael. “How are you holding up?” Rowen asked me. I just took a breath in and exhaled slowly. “I don’t know, brother.” I said, putting my head down. Rowen put his hand on my shoulder. “No one ever said you had to be strong through this. We understand, and we are here for you, man.” Rowen said. I looked up and locked eyes with my brother. I could see his pain but he was hiding it well, for once. “I know, I just… How am I going to live th
Chapter 26We got back to the table and I picked at my plate for a bit when a man I didn't recognize came walking up to our table. He was tall and large in stature. He had obsidian black hair and it was a little longer and straight. He was a Vampire, that much I could tell. “Ah, Rowen, there you are.” The man purred. His voice was like silk, but he exuded power. I could tell he was someone important. Rowen stood from his chair to greet the man. But I could tell my brother wasn’t interested in talking to him, whoever he was. “Lucian, so good of you to come.” Rowen said. “I’m sorry for your loss. Katrina was a lovely Witch. I do wish you had brought her by sometime. I would have loved to have picked her brain.” He said. Rowen just looked at Lucian with a death glare, but didn’t say anything. It had me wondering how Katrina knew this man. Then Lucian looked over at us all at the table. “I see you all are enjoying my pets?” He purred. Ah, so this was the Vampire King, Lucian in the fles
Chapter 27We said our goodbyes to Rowen’s brothers and Nico, then materialized home. Rowen was acting a little strange, and I knew Katrina’s death had affected him. He tried to act like it hadn’t. But I knew him, and his actions told me it had, and still was affecting him. We headed upstairs and Rowen started undressing to get in the shower. I followed, and while the hot water washed over us I could see Rowen was deep in thought. “Who was Katrina to you?” I asked him. I decided it was now or never and he may not want to talk about it, but maybe he did want to. Maybe this is what he needed. My question jarred him from his internal banter, and he looked at me. “Hundreds of years ago when Ramses first met Katrina, he came to me and told me that he found the one. I was surprised, thinking my brother, the wanderer, was going to mark someone. But that’s not what he meant. He had found the woman he knew he wanted to spend his life with. The woman who accepted him for who he was. He knew th
Chapter 28Rowen was still nestled in my arms when I reached out and for no reason at all, other than I felt the need to, I touched my Box with my free hand. Instantly, I knew exactly what had happened. The feeling of being transported between realms hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt Rowen stirring in my arms as we fell through dimensions. I was discombobulated as we landed on soft purple grasses, but went tumbling from the force. This was different than last time because that time, I blacked out soon after the trip started. I remember the first feeling of being pulled, almost like materializing, but stronger. I vaguely remember a sort of gut wrenching sickness overtaking me but then I blacked out. This time I remained conscious through the entire thing. I was up and on my feet within seconds of realizing what had just happened. I looked over and saw Rowen lying on his back with a pained look on his face. I ran over to him and knelt by his side. “Rowen, hey, are you ok?” I said ca
Chapter 29I walked out of the bathroom feeling a lot better and headed to the kitchen. Hilda’s soft voice stopped abruptly when she heard me coming but I didn’t hear Rowen talking at all. I only partially wondered what they were talking about but I had more pressing things on my mind. Rowen looked up at me as I entered and he just started laughing. “What is it with you and the 90’s clothes?” He asked through laughs. I put on a mock offended look and put my hand to my chest to feign offense. “This style is all the rage you know. Look at what Hilda is wearing! This is what we wear here, so you’re going to have to join in eventually.” I said with a smile. Rowen looked at Hilda like it was the first time he was noticing her bright pink shirt and whitewash levis. She even had a scrunchie on her wrist. He just shook his head and laughed. I imagined him in a neon pink suit and just laughed internally about it. “But on a serious note, I need to tell you some things.” I said, and I sat down
Chapter 30“So we have a dilemma, the Angels have the amulet back in my realm. All the Keepers are dead now, and their bloodlines must have been wiped because there was no next of kin. No one has come forth to claim the title. All that’s left in ways of security, is me, it would seem.” I said softly, while realizing just how heavy those words sounded. Hilda nodded her head. “I know, child. I trust that you will figure out a way to get the amulet back. Once you do you will appoint another group of Keepers. You need both yourself, and The Keepers to keep our realm safe. I also trust that you will find a way to bring Dominik and Andres back home.” Hilda said. I could see the worry in her eyes. “Of course! I would much rather them be here than in my realm anyways. They are wreaking havoc with us.” I said. She just chuckled. “Those boys.” I couldn’t help but smile when I remembered all the time we spent together. Dominik and I had fallen asleep on that couch right in the living room toge
Chapter 31(Dominik)This was taking a hell of a lot longer than I expected it too. The plan was to use the amulet to get outside of Pandora’s Box… Which we did, thanks to me. If I hadn’t had Hilda help me open a vein in Ambrosia for the magic to flow through, she would have died, and we would still be trapped there. She had to be the one to use the amulet, and if she was dead, that wouldn’t work. Plus, The Keepers could retrieve the amulet from our realm easily with some fancy Witchcraft. It wouldn’t have stayed there long had she died. Of course I knew what I was fucking doing, who do you think I am? I didn’t care for the Human, I just cared that someone took Pandora’s place. In all the years we had been trapped inside the Box, nothing ever came through that allowed me to do what I was able to do with Ambrosia... How or why a Human came through was a mystery to me, but I didn’t care. She was still alive when I found her, somehow... It had to be the amulet. That's when I saw it han
Chapter 32She took a breath in and looked at me before turning and leaping from the edge. I watched her as she fell, and the exhilaration I felt was next to none. I leapt off the cliff after her. I swooped down, carefully scooping her into my arms towards the bottom. We landed gracefully in calf deep water. She had made eye contact with me while we fell and I wasn't about to break it. I knew how much she loved the thrill, we had spoken about it numerous times. Her living in that pet shop for so long, she was deprived of a lot of things. And for some reason I wanted to be the one to give her everything she wasn't able to have. I set her down gently in the cool water, and to my surprise she stayed where I set her. I promptly removed my arms from around her but she stopped me before I could. She was still looking up at me, and I had just noticed that the bioluminescence was glowing around us. “Thank you, that was amazing.” She said softly, and then we heard a rumble in the trees to th
Chapter 49Ambrosia placed the six of us around the small altar style setup she had with the mushrooms and the lake water from her room, plus a few other tools. Once we were all exactly where she wanted us, she started speaking in that Archaic Fae language that no one but Azrael could understand. She kept chanting a series of sentences and she mixed the mushrooms she had previously crushed up, into the lakewater, and then drank some. She passed it to Raziel who was closest to her. He followed suit, and passed it to Raphael, who was next to him. We passed the jar until everyone of the six of us had ingested some. Then Ambrosia stood and turned her hand palm up, but this time she summoned the amulet instead of her Box. Once she had the amulet floating just above her hand she clasped both hands over it and started chanting something entirely different than what she started with. It was still in the Archaic Fae language, so I had no idea what she was saying, but the amulet in her hand w
Chapter 48(Rowen) I could hear everything Ambrosia was saying, and of course, I heard when she said that Azrael and I should speak to one another. As much as I despised that dirty Angel nowadays, I didn't always feel this way. Believe it or not, we were friends once. I had the feeling that if we never got past this it would be a miserable rest of our lives. Neither of us can die, and we were both clearly in love with the same woman. Ambrosia left the room with a snicker on her lips, and I figured it was now or never. "You know that this is going to be a long rest of our lives when none of us can die." I said, and I saw Azrael smile. "You don't have to worry. I do not plan to pursue Ambrosia. I know she belongs to you, and for the first time, I will respect that." He said. I was taken aback, I couldn't believe he said that. He definitely has grown in the last millennia. "I'm speechless. I didn't expect you to say that." I replied honestly. “I’m sure there is a lot you wouldn’t exp
Chapter 47When morning came, Rowen and I got ready for the day and ate breakfast, before he mind linked his brother's and Nico. I had to go to my realm to get Azrael, but that wouldn't take long. The meeting was set for noon, and everyone so far was down to come discuss the amulet. I had told Rowen to keep my idea and re-forming The Keepers a secret. I wanted to tell them all myself. We had discussed the ritual and the process in depth while we waited. I think it was more of me going through it out loud, than actually discussing it, but it helped at least. This was nerve wracking, and I couldn’t afford to mess things up. When it was finally close enough for me to go to my realm and get Azrael, I kissed Rowen goodbye. I knew I would see him again in a few minutes, but still. I would never get enough of this man. I called my Box forward and touched it, transporting me to my realm. This time though, it transported me to Hilda’s. It was night time and Azrael was on the couch watching a
Chapter 46(Ambrosia) I left my realm feeling powerful. Like I was in charge, but in essence I was. I was in control of an entire realm. The feeling of being Pandora never really set in, but after what Azrael did, it was starting too. It made me think about the way the creature of the night treated me while I was there. And I noticed that while I was there with Azrael, the creatures didn't bother us. It had to be because I am Pandora now, and there is a different level of respect and magic that comes with the title. I had never been anything my whole life, just a Human who’s family made a stupid mistake and caused my life to be a living hell until I was purchased by Rowen. I had never been a leader, never been in charge of anything before. And now I had my own realm, and an Archangel to help protect it. It made me wonder if we should build an army of sorts, train warriors to protect our realm. I realized also that we could send anyone to my realm to live there. It didn't have to be
Chapter 45(Azrael)I could see a spark of fear flash through Demitri’s eyes as I sauntered towards him in my full form. The last time I spoke with him was the day he did the ritual that split me in two. Andres and I then promptly killed him afterwards, but apparently, he didn’t die. I knew that he was the head of The Others. He wasn’t just a Vampire either, no… He was a Vampire/Witch Hybrid but it didn't end there. He was an enhanced Vampire/Witch Hybrid. He was more powerful than a regular Hybrid due to the enhancements, but he was still able to be killed. So, this had me wondering what exactly those enhancements did to enable him to have survived the brutal slaughter he endured at the hands of myself and my brother. I will tell you, we were not kind… And we definitely didn’t leave anything behind. His magic was powerful, I will give him that. “You, of all people, should know that I'm a little harder to kill than that…” Demitri said, with a sly smile. “I know this now, but you wil
Chapter 44I looked up at Azrael, noting that his chocolate brown hair was falling beautifully on his face, before speaking what was on my mind. “We have been looking for The Others for a while now. The whole reason any of this even happened was because Katrina fell in love with Rowen, and gave him the amulet for safekeeping. However, she didn’t tell him what it was, he just thought it was a necklace. Well, Rowens mate of 176 years was working with The Others the entire time they were together… Once he found out a few months ago, he killed her. That’s what started this whole thing. He put the amulet on me, not realizing it could transport me if I were in danger. The Others tried to capture me, causing the amulet to send me here for safe keeping. He’s been hunting The Others ever since. We have succeeded in killing one of them, and then ransacked a warehouse, eliminating a bigger crew… But we know they have numbers that we don’t even realize. It's exhausting, honestly.” I explained. A
Chapter 43"I want to merge my pack lands and your coven lands." She said, and then paused, giving me a second to comprehend her ask. "Merge them? As in make them one and the same, rather than divided?" I asked, mostly clarifying if that is indeed what she meant. She nodded. I knew she could hear my thoughts, my doubts at the alliance holding, my surprise that she would try to take on this big of a task. But I also knew she could feel my absolute pride in her for taking a step and trying to make changes that no one has ever done before her. "I know it has never been done. I know that every species has their own lands and they usually stick to their own kind, at least for the most part… But Beta Sean's twins are Hybrids. And they have to hide their abilities from everyone because of the old ways. The old rules are terrible but followed still, and no children should ever have to deal with that. If I was able to successfully merge the pack and your covens, can you imagine the strength w
Chapter 42(Raziel)“I miss you too, darling. We have been pouring over these files for hours and still have nothing. This was a waste of time, but we couldn’t leave any stone unturned. Get some rest, I will be home as soon as I can.” I purred to Rayne through the mind link, before returning to my stack of paperwork. I took both of my hands, rubbing them over my face and into my hair as I sat up straighter trying to assess the mound of papers in front of me. It had been hours and still, we had come up with nothing. The Others were as careful as they were clever when hiding shit. The only thing we found was proof that they were hireable hitmen. Besides that, these papers were nothing more than receipts and money laundering documentation. All illegal as hell, but nothing that could help us figure out their plans or locate the rest of them. Taking out one of their buildings was like crashing a car of someone who owns ten more. A small dent in their status and that was it. It was infuri
Chapter 41I wandered upstairs to my room to change. I was still wearing the funky 90s outfit that I had on from my closet back home. I knew Rowen was not that impressed with the style. He would rather have something modern on me, and rose gold, of course. I carefully removed each piece of clothing, hanging them back up in my closet together before picking out something else to wear instead. I grabbed a rose gold sundress and threw it on. I probably should have washed my other clothes before hanging them after everything I did while I was wearing them. But I decided it could wait. For now, it made me feel better to just see them hanging next to my other set that I was wearing when I came back here for the first time. It was like a small piece of home resided here, and it helped calm the nagging pull, if only just the slightest bit. My thoughts of Pandora’s Box, of my Box, flooded through my mind as I reminisced. I had just left, I hadn’t even been gone that long but, honestly, it fe