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 33So I decided to manipulate her even more. I had already ruined anything we ever could have had, which, in this realm wouldn't have been anything... At least not with Master Rowen around. So what would it hurt? In order to open Pandora’s Box, you need two sacrifices. We have to start the ritual on our side with a spell and the amulet, then Ambrosia has to be the one to finish it. She has to use her powers to kill both myself and my brother. It has to be her, and we were going to be the sacrifices. Once we were both dead, the Box would open and I would have my revenge by releasing pandemonium onto this world. I may not be here to see it, but I would go to The Otherside. Once Pandora’s Box was open, The Others would start working on a way to trick Ambrosia into opening the portal to The Otherside. In hindsight, that may not work, but I’m sure there is another way to open the portal and they would find out. Once that happened I would be back, and my plan would be complete. Th
Chapter 34I turned and looked at everyone lined up, ready to give their very lives, or at least fight until they couldn't fight any longer, to stop us. But actually, unbeknownst to them, to help us open the Box. The guilt was rising in my chest. I can't believe I'm second guessing this. My eyes locked straight onto Ambrosia, even though I was trying to purposefully look anywhere else but her. I could see the sorrow in her eyes and I knew she had come to terms with what she was going to have to do. I could see her pain and I wanted nothing more than to take it from her. I could fly… I could just give up the amulet and go. I could stay, I could give her the amulet and beg her to send me home. Beg her to come with me. I tried to hide the emotion on my face but I couldn't. It was too strong. I was in utter turmoil and I know she could see it. She could read me like an open book, she always had been able to once I opened up to her. I knew this was no different. She could see exactly wha
Chapter 35(Ambrosia) I looked up at Dominik, standing there in the clearing. He was alone and his wings were out, lying gently down his back. He must have just flown here. I admired the way his wings glinted in the sun and I had the sudden urge to touch them. I recalled how soft they felt in my fingers, and the memories came flooding back through my mind from my time within my Box. I saw the look of surprise on Dominik’s face when he realized what I was wearing. I saw him scan my outfit and I saw a hint of pain across his face. He missed home. I knew he did, because I did too. And he had lived there a lot longer than I had. It was hard not to miss that place. It was so beautiful, especially at night. Although terrifying, with the never ending waves of monsters. Still, it was beautiful, nonetheless. Nothing here compared to over there. It was almost like a feeling that you couldn’t shake, just a feeling of things being different. The magic flowed through tha
Chapter 36I took his chin in my hand and raised his head so we were locking eyes. I was crying, all of this was just too much. I couldn't bear the thought of killing him and I couldn't bear the thought of merging the realms. I refused to release anything from my Box onto this realm. This was my home too. I could tell my tears were bothering Dominik but I didn’t mean to cry, I was just so full of emotion. It always bothered him when I cried. "Brosia, why are you crying?" He asked me, and he reached up to wipe a tear from my cheek. I fought the urge to hit his hand away, but I thought it would have more meaning if I let him wipe it. So I did. “You guys don't have to die. You don't have to do this! Is revenge really that important that you have to pull this realm into pandemonium over it? Dom, you know what the creatures are that reside within my Box. You know what kind of havoc they will wreck on this realm if you release them. You can take the higher path. You can let the anger go."
Chapter 37I walked over to Ramses who was on his knees with silent tears streaming down his face. Raziel was kneeling next to him and Raphael on the other side of him. None of them were saying anything, they were just being there, being present for him. I knelt down in front of my brother, my closest family member, my best friend, and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me slowly and I could see the absolute agony etched onto his handsome face. We locked eyes and I could basically feel his pain. I knew this had nothing to do with Ambrosia and the Angels. I could see the unmistaken look of loss in his eyes and I knew this had everything to do with Katrina. “I’m so sorry brother.” Ramses said through his tears. I took him in my arms while he wept. “I’m so sorry… Andres said the only way to open the portal to The Otherside was to make sure that he stayed alive. I panicked, I didn’t realize they weren’t opening that portal at all. It was a trick, and I almost caused them to wi
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