[Arissa’s POV] "Uh... Luna," Hans murmured, flicking his gaze from Gretchen to the large creatures that were now standing behind her. "Who exactly is this?" Feeling my eyes grow wide, I remembered that only Ivan knew about Gretchen being here with her... creatures. Of course, after I agreed to become his luna, having her here was my only request, and of course, my man granted me anything I wanted. "I’m so sorry," I gasped, quickly stepping beside Gretchen and snaking my arms around her. "This is Gretchen and she is..." "My ex-wife," Elder Theodore grumbled, cutting me off. "I’m shocked to see you’re still alive and well." "Disappointed?" Gretchen countered. "Sorry to disappoint you, dear." At her words, the area around us grew deadly silent, aside from the rumbles of the obakes. "Wait, wait, wait." Igor announced first, breaking the silence. "Did you just say... grandma?" "That’s right." I confirmed, biting back the laugh that wanted to escape me due to the look of disbelief t
Author’s NOTE: Hello readers! No this is not a repeat chapter, I made an error in the chapter title name. This chapter is in fact violence, while the previous is Heresy and has been edited to the proper title. However until the review to allow the change goes through it will continue to show as Violence. Sorry for the mix up and I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)[Ivan’s POV]"Is that how you solve everything?"Flinching, I looked up into the face of the fiery skeleton. Right before my eyes, it began to shift and shrink until standing in front of me was no longer a horrible monster, but a woman with long white hair and an ethereal beauty that was not meant to exist in the real world."Is violence truly the only solution?" The woman continued, frowning.Unable to speak, I simply stared, trying to make sense of exactly what was happening. Why did the fiery creature that the celestial being was so afraid of suddenly turn into such a beautiful and calm woman?"Well?" She continued to push.
[Arissa’s POV]My eyes stayed fixed on the dock that was slowly beginning to grow smaller and smaller. After leaving Gretchen’s cabin, my group and I made our way straight to Stefan’s ship. Once we were boarded, not wanting to waste anymore time."Please hurry up, Ivan." I sighed, feeling my heart tug.Despite trying to keep positive about the fact that I now knew Ivan was okay, there was still so much that could happen. What would I do if Ivan wasn’t able to pass through the gates he spoke of? Did that mean that he would never come back?No, I couldn’t think like that. He would come back. He had to.Letting out a breath, I lifted a finger and waited as the tiny little creature that sat on my shoulder climbed onto it. Bringing it to eye level, I took in its scaly black body and wings so tiny they didn’t seem like they’d be able to even lift a feather."Must be nice." I noted, using my other hand to give it a quick pet. "To be a mindless little creature without a worry in the world."A
[Arissa’s POV]My eyes continued to linger on Hans until a loud shriek ripped through the air, reminding me of the reason this happened in the first place. I snapped my gaze away from my injured comrade and watched as the ugly water horse surged towards me and Igor."Igor," I murmured, keeping my attention fixed on the beast. "I need you to get Hans back up on the deck and staunch his blood the best you can.""What are you planning?" Igor asked."Don’t question your luna!" I hissed, feeling an odd energy burst out of me.Beside me, Igor let out a gasp of shock before his body began to head back to the ship, where I could hear the sounds of the others taking in what happened."HELP HANS!" I yelled, "IF HE DIES, I’LL KILL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!"Letting a snarl escape me, I began to move, surging towards the creature. My anger was the only thing spurring me forward, and when I was close enough to the bastard sea creature, I dove under, gaining as much momentum as I could. Once I was
[Arissa’s POV]I stumbled backwards once Hans was finished feeding and wiped the sweat that was beginning to form on my brow. Blinking away the black spots that were beginning to appear in front of my eyes, I looked at his injury and found that it was beginning to close. However, where the skin healed remained raised and a purplish color, but it was healing and that was all that mattered."You should try to get some rest." Lindsey murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder."Yeah, what she said!" Pixie agreed, popping out from my other side. "You’ve been through a lot.""I’m okay." I assured the duo, forcing a smile. "There might be more of those creatures lurking. We need to stay on alert.""We can handle them." Nazhoni chimed, narrowing her gaze at me. "I agree with them. You need to rest after everything. ""By the way," Pixie murmured, lifting her curious gaze to me. "Why did you give him your blood?"Busted… I forgot that some of those present didn’t know my secret."Pixie," Lindsey
[Ivan’s POV]"Now," the being announced. "Are you ready for your next trial?""So soon?"I just finished fighting a pretty strong opponent and would be lying if I said that I wasn’t feeling it. Though I managed to tap into a new source of power, I didn’t know how to control it yet and therefore was wiped out."Is that a no?""No."Standing up, I did my best to push away the exhaustion that I was feeling. If I let myself stop now, all the struggle prior to this would be worthless."What is it?"I watched as the being began to use its hands to make circular motions in the air. Where its fingers passed created tiny glowing orbs. Frowning, I tried to determine exactly what was going on here, but came up short."What are you doing?""Creating two paths." The being explained."Paths?"Furrowing my brows, I continued to watch as the glowing spheres that were being created started to grow bigger and bigger until they were the perfect size for someone to pass through."What?" I hissed when wha
[Arissa’s POV]My heart raced and I wondered if I was hallucinating or if this was another fucking jinn. How was it possible that when all hell was beginning to break loose, the person I needed the most would appear?"I-Ivan," I whispered, "You’re back?"At my words, a broad smile replaced his worn-out expression."That’s right, my love." He responded, getting to his feet. "Didn’t I tell you that not even heaven or hell could keep me from you?"Unable to contain my emotions, I surged forward, slamming my body against his while his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I buried my face against his chest and breathed in deeply, letting myself get lost in his smell. It really was him."Does this mean you passed all the trials?" I asked, pulling away enough to look at him. "You’re back for good, right?"Before he could respond, a roar ripped through the room, followed by Nazhoni’s curses.Whirling around, I watched Hans race towards us with his teeth bared and his claws extended. Fuck, I
[Ivan’s POV]I bit back the laugh that wanted to escape as Arissa’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Goddess, she was beautiful, and when she flushed it made her so damn sexy, as it reminded me of when we were alone and..."You have quite the smooth tongue." She murmured, trying to regain her composure. "How do you stay so serious when spouting such bullshit?""Bullshit?" I repeated."That’s right."If she wanted to claim what I said was bullshit, I would show her true bullshit. However, as I prepared to speak, I felt a slight tap on my consciousness. Frowning, I allowed whoever it was to enter and immediately regretted it.‘Sorry to disturb.’ The being chuckled, even though it was clear that it wasn’t sorry. ‘But I have to remind you that there is still one more trial.’Right… If I wanted to stay here with Arissa, I needed to complete the final trial, but what the hell was it?"What’s wrong?"Letting out a long breath, I fixed my gaze on Arissa’s and gave an apologetic smile. It