"The migraines that usually knocked me unconscious whenever I used the fire when we were younger seems to have reduced. No, reduced is not the right word. After that night, anytime I try to use the magic, the migraines still send me to my knees and make me feel like my brain is going to explode but I'm able to stay conscious, even if it's for a short while."
"Maybe it's a sign that you were never supposed to use the ability in the first place and you might not wake up from using it one of these days."
"Then maybe it's better if it kills me. It's better than living and knowing that I'm the reason she's dead. That this 'gift' is why she's dead."
Ally (16) to Caleb (17), days after Kara's funeral.
_________________________________________________________
ALLY’s POV
"Christ, Broccoli. Where the hell have you been? Come on,let's get out of here before the oldies show up with the sentries." Caleb dragged me out of the party and I followed him to his truck, my body numb.
It couldn't possibly be him. The person that I saw a few moments ago didn't look like the person we'd been told about. Since I was a little girl, the old women in our pack took it upon themselves to warn us about vampires, but most especially about Him.
"Nana Meredith, please tell us about the Reaper." Rayna said excitedly and most of the kids whimpered in fear. I rolled my eyes.
"He can't possibly be the angel of death, right?" Caleb whispered and I shrugged.
"He is no angel. He's a bloodsucking demon, with only one purpose on this earth. To destroy us." The old woman stated vehemently. So much for whispering,huh.
"Why do you call him the reaper?" I asked, genuinely interested in the story for the first time.
"Anywhere he goes, a trail of death follows. He was born into one of the most deadly vampire bloodlines-The Thorne Dynasty. Some say he is the most beautiful man to walk this earth and he uses that to suck you in, like the venomous monster that he is, and when he is done with you, he discards you like a tree sheds its leaves."
Mrs Meredith whispered dramatically and even Caleb clutched to me, his breathing ragged.
Kara had always told me that the woman loved to exaggerate, although she did agree that the vampire was real and dangerous. Moreso than the usual vampires. Which meant extremely dangerous.
But to me, Mrs Meredith was creepier.
Nothing was as scary as the crappy song she'd taught eight year olds to sing every night as a reminder to protect themselves.
"Lock your windows every night, Never let strangers in,
Cause you never know when the Reaper will appear
The demon with soulless eyes,
Who is always out for blood
May the Goddess save us all
From a night full of thorns."
I sang absentmindedly and chuckled.
I'm strange, I know.
"Now I'm really worried about you. What happened when you disappeared?" Caleb asked as he parked in front of my house.
"I'm fine." I lied and fake-yawned, hoping he would leave it at that. I had every intention of locking myself in my bedroom and panicking to death.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you back at the party. Shit, it's your first party since, well forever and I didn't even do something nice for you. I don't know what's worse, the fact that you're mad at me or that you chose to even remember that freaky song out of nowhere. Please talk to me, oh man, I'm rambling again, aren't I?"
I stifled a laugh and nodded.
"You wouldn't be the Caleb I know if you didn't whine like a girl from time to time." I said and he glared at me.
"But are you okay, broccoli?"
"I will be when you finally stop calling me that."
He grinned and I knew he wouldn't keep bugging me about my welfare.
Not at the moment anyway. Le sigh.
"I would come in but my mom's gonna kill me for sneaking out despite being grounded."
I snickered.
"What'd you do this time?"
"I flirted with one of her friends." He stated like he was talking about the weather and I smacked his head before hopping out of the car.
"Hey, get back here. Say sorry."
"In your dreams, Buddie."
"I'll get you for that. Tell Myers I'll call him tomorrow." I raised an eyebrow.
"No. I don't want you corrupting my brother. I can't allow him to end up with you too."
He frowned dramatically and placed a hand on his chest. "You just broke my heart. Goodnight, heart breaker. I'm gonna go listen to demi lovato and cry myself to sleep."
I scoffed. "I know you'll be watching porn instead, dumb ass. Goodnight."
I waved and entered my house.
Turning on the light, I closed my eyes
and inhaled. It didn't smell like any unfamiliar person had been in here since I left. That meant Myers must have gone to the neighbor's and well, my dad. I couldn't be bothered about him. He was almost never around anyway. I started double checking every room in the house, just in case.
'I think he's dangerous.'
I rolled my eyes at my wolf's observation.
You're very intelligent, thanks for telling me that.
'He is dangerous, sister.'
I know. But he looked harmless.
'You want to rut with him.'
I groaned and slapped my forehead. Now I was becoming weirder than I usually am. I should stop having these conversations with my wolf. While sentient, I realized that my wolf spoke to me a whole lot more than wolves did in the pack. Dominic, Caleb's father had explained that while the wolf and man were not entirely separate entities, in order to be sane, the man always had to be in control because the urges of the wolf were most of the time not civilized. If the man ever lost that control, the wolf would have no one to leash it's deadly urges. That's how wolves went rogue and on killing sprees.
My situation with my wolf wasn't entirely different. While she listened to me some of the time, she had no problem voicing her own opinions, which was unwelcome most of the time, even though I trusted her with my life.
'Really?'
Oh God, shut up.
Even if I ended up stopping the habit of asking and answering her questions, something that'll never happen by the way, there was nothing to stop me from remembering Aiden. Especially when to her, he was supposed to be her biggest enemy.
'You can't rut with him. He looks like something we would want. But he is a vampire.'
See?
If he was actually the ruthless vampire everyone said he was, why did he need my help?
I didn't believe him when he said the strange deaths weren't only happening to wolves.
Even if he was telling the truth, who's to say that he didn't have a hand in the disappearances and horrifying deaths.
Arrgh, why did he have to come?
'He might not be who he says he is.'
True.
Satisfied that nothing strange had entered the house, I went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
"Boo"
A voice yelled and I collapsed on the kitchen floor. Next thing I heard was laughter and I frowned when his green eyes peered at me over the counter. "I should ground you."
I looked at the door and wondered how he got in without a key.
"I climbed the tree from Maya's bedroom to my room."
"Myers,you shouldn't be sneaking around like that. And stop all this jumping. You're not a monkey"
He shrugged and sat on the floor.
"So,how's Maya?" I wiggled my eyebrows and he blushed.
I knew he had a crush on her, because he was always talking about her. When he refused to respond, I smirked and he rolled his eyes.
"It's not what you think, Broccoli" he sneered and cackled.
" I'm going to ban Caleb from playing with you."
He stuck out his tongue and stood up.
"Are you hungry?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Have you done your homework?"
"Yeah, I did it with Maya. She's a genius at Maths."
See,people. Maya is a genius. His words,not mine.
"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Ally."
He kissed my cheek and walked out of the kitchen.
"Don't forget to lock your windows and make sure you brush your teeth."
I shouted so he would hear me.
"Yes,mum" I chuckled as I imagined him rolling his eyes.
"I love you, Myers"
"Love you too, sis."
_________________________________________________________
AIDEN’s POV
In the shadows, I watched as she waved her friend goodnight before entering the house. She didn't tell him about our encounter. I finally found her two years ago after I started having dreams about her as far back as two decades.
She'd been sitting on the roof of an abandoned old church on the outskirts of a human settlement, just like in one of the many dreams I had about her. Only this time, she didn't see me. Didn't talk to me. Just rocked herself as she wept.
She looked better than she did in my dreams and paintings, with her deep chocolate curls and fiery hazel eyes that were yellow gems when it glowed, just like in my dreams. Eyes that held no trust for vampires. I thought I was going crazy the first time she appeared in my dreams, dressed in a white gown, looking like a ghost.
A child.
She was a child.
I thought she was one of the many victims of my decades of bloodlust and rage who had come back to haunt me and felt the dreams would disappear after a while, but they never stopped. Soon, I couldn't even feed from a human without seeing her face.
She'd rendered me powerless.
Frustrated with myself and not willing to share that I was probably losing my mind with any of my relatives-they'd finally have a legitimate reason to put me down like a rabid animal- I sought the help of a Kriona; women blessed with the gift of sight.
"You seek answers, Aiden Thorne" the woman said, not looking at me but at the cards which lay before her.
"Yes."
"Why should I help you? The world would be better off if you didn't exist."
I flashed a fang, growing irritated that she wasn't already quivering in her boots at my presence, but she merely chuckled and packed her white hair in a bun.
"I know for a fact that you haven't been able to feed from humans for decades. You cannot harm me, not because you don't want to, but because you cannot anymore. Not when everytime you try, you see her face. She has tamed you, without even meeting you. Fascinating."
I frowned at her words. Not because she knew what was wrong with me,but the fact that I couldn't even do anything to prove her wrong.
"What is she?"
She gave me a knowing smile.
"You're not asking who? Are you not willing to know who she is? You've painted her many times and have written about her. Are you not the least bit curious of her identity?"
"All I know is that I want these dreams gone. I want her gone."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I cannot kill. That's not how my powers work. Krionas are fortune tellers, not murderers, Thorne."
I gave an exasperated sigh and ran my hand through my hair.
"I am not asking you to kill her. She is a child. I just need to understand what this is. Give me something. Anything, Makayla. I'm going crazy."
I'd have laughed at the last part. Going crazy?
I was crazy made flesh.
She nodded and looked through her crystal ball.
"This I know, Aiden Thorne, she is from a werewolf bloodline, but she is no ordinary wolf either. In the near future, a great evil will threaten the peace of this world and you are destined to cross paths. Know this, she can heal that void that you so desperately seek to fill, but she can ruin you"
"What do you mean by that, Makayla?"
"She is your destiny and your doom, Aiden. You are no doubt a powerful vampire, perhaps the most powerful Gifted in centuries. But that does not mean you are untouchable."
"So you're saying, she has the power to determine if I live or I die." I stated and when she said nothing, her grey eyes watching me ingest the information, I walked away.
My destiny was bound to that of a werewolf teenager who would be the reason why my miserable existence came to an end.
None of those answers brought me peace.
