THE MONSTER INSIDE ME: The Immortal Chronicles: Book One

by Tristin Clark

  Finally, we come to a halt.

  “EMILIA!” screams my blue-eyed beauty.

  I’m immobile, barely conscious. I turn and see Van in the driver seat. She’s moaning in pain and cupping her forehead. I turn to look for Cole, but I can’t find him.

  “Cole!” I struggle to scream, through my pain.

  “Emilia!” I turn to the passenger window and there lays my beautiful mate, peeking in.

  “Austin,” I whisper. I close my eyes and smile softly.

  “Emilia, sweetness…” I hear him cry. “I’m going to get you out. Keep your eyes open. EMLILIA!” he screams. I open my fluttering eyes.

  “Aus…” I try to say, slowly reaching my hand towards him. He takes it and gives it a quick kiss.

  “I’m going to get you out. Stay awake. Please!” That’s the second time he’s begged me.

  I watch him rip the side door clear off its hinges. He crouches down, bending awkwardly to fit through the small space. I hear the crackle of shattered glass beneath him as he moves in.

  “I’m here, my sweet,” he says and then grips under my arms and begins pulling me.

  “AHHH! STOP! IT HURTS!” I scream in pain.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he weeps, while pulling me through the rubble.

  “AUSTIN… ahhh! Stop… it hurts…” I cry.

  “I’m so sorry,” he brokenly repeats.

  I’m out now. The boy kneels behind me, holding me against him. “I’m so sorry,” he cries. I can hear his broken voice. I can’t see his tears, but I know he is crying. I feel his pain, his guilt, his sorrow. He kisses the top of my head and holds me close, apologizing profusely.

  “It hurts Austin… make it stop. Make it stop hurting. Please!” I beg him.

  “You need more of my blood. I can heal you,” he tells me.

  He holds his wrists out in front of me and then he takes his pointer finger and extends his nail. I witness him slice a clean cut across his wrist. Blood instantly spills.

  “Wha—” I try to say.

  “Shh. Don’t speak, just drink,” he tells me, and then brings his wrist to my lips. His hot blood covers my closed mouth and I can’t find it in me to do as he says. There’s no way I can drink his blood.

  “Open Emilia!” he yells. “Drink. Swallow as much as you can,” he urges. I give in and open my mouth. He instantly presses his wound against my lips, and I begin swallowing back the hot, liquid, but stop when I gag.

  “Emilia! Drink!” he commands, and by some strong controllable force, I drink, and I do not stop.

  After a moment, the taste begins to change, and I suddenly find it quite exotic. It’s become a delicious blend of all the foods I’ve ever craved. It’s everything I’ve ever desired, all in one delicious warm gulp. I am addicted. Now I know what he meant. Drinking blood is truly addicting.

  My thirst suddenly becomes insatiable. My hands move to grip his arm and I latch on to him and devour his blood like a ravenous vampire.

  He caresses my head, running his fingers down my long locks and whispers sweet things to me but I’m not listening. My focus is solely on what he is providing me. It’s mouthwatering. It’s delectable. It’s everything and I want more. So much more.

  “That’s enough my sweet. I’ve already lost enough tonight,” I hear him say, but I can’t stop.

  “Emilia. Emilia. Sweetness, let go,” he urges.

  He pulls his wrist back while I’m still sucking. I watch him bring it to his lips while it still bleeds and drips from his wound. His tongue darts out and he licks his skin. He turns his wrist towards me, showing his now completely healed wrist.

  “But how—” I start to say, before I gaze down at my body and I realize… my pain is gone.

  “I don’t hurt anymore,” I say in amazement. “How—"

  “Powers,” he says. I roll my eyes and suddenly remember…

  “Cole! Van!” I jump up and shout.

  I stand too quickly. My entire body is tingling with needles. I fall back but Austin catches me, holding me dearly in his arms. I twist my body and wrap my arms around him. We both gaze deeply into each other’s eyes.

  “Don’t ever leave me again,” he tells me. He’s scared. Was scared. Never have I ever felt this boy feel fear but here he is… he feared he’d never see me again and it breaks my heart.

  “I didn’t want to,” I tell him.

  “I know,” he says. I go to hold the side of his cheek.

  “Austin… I love you,” I sincerely tell him.

  “I love you Emilia. More than you know,” he tells me. I release a shaky breath of relief and smile.

  “My body feels numb,” I confess.

  “My blood. With the amount you consumed, you’re going to feel effects.”

  “What effects?” I ask.

  “Powerful ones. Brace yourself. The high will be overwhelming,” he enlightens.

  “Great,” I mumble.

  And as soon as I finished saying that, my head falls back against his chest. It feels so heavy, almost impossible to keep up. My eyes close and flashes of memories come flooding back to me. I am as high as a kite. Bright visuals invade my mind, playing out like a flickering through a network of tv channels. I can’t pin-point them, the memories, but I know they are of Cole and I, but they are coming back to me in such rapid flashes, that it’s difficult to understand them.

  “I’m dizzy,” I tell the boy. “Austin, lay me down.”

  Austin lays me flat on my back and holds my head on his lap. I rest and watch a series of memories flicker within my mind.

  “Don’t leave me,” I tell the giant boy while gripping his hand.

  “I’m right here, sweetness,” he assures. “I’m not going anywhere.” I squeeze his hand harder and concentrate on his presence. I feel him. I know he is here and knowing that, eases my hallucinated mind.

  “Ahhh!” Van’s scream and tears me away from my high state.

  “Van… help her. Help her Austin. Please. Help them both. Find Cole,” I whisper. I am so relaxed. Too relaxed. I can barely open my eyes, barely speak, barely move.

  “No,” he insists. “I’m staying here with you. You need to rest. You’ve consumed too much of my blood to be left alone.” I grip his hand and try to sit up.

  “Don’t sit up. Lay back. Rest,” he tells me. He presses his hand against my stomach and pushes me back down. I open my heavy eyes and attempt to sit up again. I grab ahold of his arm and pull myself to a sitting position on his lap and hold him, so I don’t fall.

  “Austin. Help them. They were only trying to protect me. They did nothing wrong,” I explain.

  “Nothing wrong? They hurt you. He hurt you!” he shouts.

  “No. He didn’t. You messed with our memories. He didn’t hurt me. You just made me think that. Why would you do that?” I ask him.

  “I didn’t do anything to you two. I would never make you believe you were put through such trauma,” he sincerely admits, and I believe him. He’s telling the truth.

  “Then if you didn’t mess with our minds, then who—"

  “AHHH!” Van distracts me by screaming again.

  “Austin! Help her damnit!” The blue-eyed boy eyes me seriously for a moment and then lifts me off his lap and sets me down beside him. He stands and makes his way over to Van.

  He goes around to her side of the door and I can’t see them, but I hear the sound of a door being ripped from its hinges and thrown. It clashes against the asphalt, scraping against the road until it comes to a stop.

  “NO! Get away from me!” Van yells.

  My giant returns with Van cradled in his arms. He walks towards me and when he reaches me, he lays her down next to me. I hover over her as she lays back in tears.

  “Van… are you hurt? What’s wrong?” I urgently ask.

  “I think I broke my ribs. My face hurts,” she says, holding her hand over the wound on her forehead. I turn to Austin. He shakes his head. He already knows what I’m thinking.

&nb
sp; “No. I’m not giving her my blood,” he sternly says.

  “Please! She’s hurt. We need to save her,” I plead.

  “We? No. There’s no we.”

  “But you gave me your blood and it healed me!”

  “I gave you my blood because you’re my mate and I would never see you in pain,” he adds.

  “Austin… please! Do it for me,” I beg

  “My answer is final. My blood is not for consumption by anyone other than you.”

  “Where’s Cole?” Van asks.

  “I don’t know,” I say.

  “Cole!” I yell. “Cole!”

  “Stop yelling for him,” Austin says in distaste.

  “Then go find him,” I tell him

  “He’s better off as roadkill,” he spits. That did it for me.

  “Austin! GO! FIND! HIM!” I yell. The darkness is beginning to burn through my veins again. I can feel it and if he didn’t watch it, I was about to throw a burning hot plate of it at him.

  A slow smirk begins to build on the corner of his lips. He’s proud of me. I feel it.

  “Stop smirking at me and do what I say.” I warn.

  “I’ve seen the fire burn brightly in you tonight, sweetness. You’re going to make a remarkable queen my mate. A remarkable queen indeed,” he says, grinning widely.

  “GO!” I yell.

  He snorts, turns and walks away. I turn to Van.

  “Van. It’s going to be alright. Do you have your phone on you? We need to call an ambulance.” I see her reach into her side pocket and pull out her phone. Her trembling hand reaches for me and she hands it to me. I’m about to call 911 but stop when I see Austin return, dragging Cole back by his hair.

  “Cole!” I shout. Van attempts to sit up but falls back in tears.

  “Cole…” she cries.

  Austin drops Cole’s body in front of us. I crawl to him and turn him on his back. I gasp.

  “Cole… oh no. Cole?” he is cut up badly. He must have flown out the window and slid across the pavement.

  “Is he alive?” Van asks. I eye him. His eyes are closed. I check the pulse on his neck. It’s barely there but it’s there.

  “Barely,” I tell Van. I hover over him and hold his cheek.

  “Cole? Can you hear me?” I ask.

  “Em?” he faintly whispers.

  “It’s okay Cole. I’m going to call for help. Everything is going to be okay. You’re going to be alright,” I tell him.

  “Where is he?” Cole asks.

  “You mean me?” Austin answers, standing over him, grinning wickedly.

  “Don’t hurt them,” Cole struggles to say.

  “The question shouldn’t be as whether I’d hurt them but whether I’d hurt you. Don’t think that I’d forgot about what you did to my sweetness,” the blue eye boy reminds.

  “He didn’t do anything! Austin. He didn’t do anything,” I tell him.

  “I didn’t alter your memories. The memories you have are of your own. He hurt you. He denies it and now, he will pay.”

  “NO! HE DIDN’T DO IT!” I almost scream. I try to stand but fall to my knees. Austin pulls Cole up by his hair. Cole’s hands reach up to pry Austin’s hand away. I watch Cole’s feet dangle in the air, kicking like crazy.

  “Let him go!” I yell.

  “Cole!” Van cries.

  “Austin! I swear to God, if you don’t let him go, I’ll—"

  “You forget my sweet, I am a monster and monsters do what we do best.”

  “NO! AUSTIN! DON’T YOU DARE—" But before I can finish my threat, Austin’s finger slices across Cole’s throat.

  “Huhhh!” My hands reach up to cover my mouth and nose in pure horror.

  The blue-eyed boy smiles sinisterly, while dangling Cole’s body mid-air. I watch Cole’s eyes flutter to stay open, while blood squirts and pours from his neck.

  The scene before me releases a flood of emotions within. Emotions I can no longer control and everything in me explodes.

  “NOOOOO!” I scream as loud as a crying banshee. “COLE!” I rush towards him, but before I can get to him Austin grips Cole’s shoulder and twists his body one way, while twisting his head the other way. The cracking of bones fills the dark night and Cole’s body drops to the ground.

  I stop in my tracks, eyeing the headless body of my dear friend. I glance up with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, at the grinning boy who holds the hair of the head of the boy I once knew.

  Everything… comes… back… to me. Everything. EVERYTHING! I fall to my knees.

  “NOOOOOOO!” I scream.

  “COLE!” Van screams, crying hysterically behind me.

  “NOOOO! COLE! NOOOO!” I scream at the top of my lungs. I jump to my feet and charge at the boy before me.

  I rush him back, pounding my fists against his chest.

  “YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED EVERYONE! YOU KILLED JULIE! I REMEMBER! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING! I remember everything…” I finish, bawling my eyes out.

  Austin tosses Cole’s head and I hear it hit the ground behind me. He grips my wrists and holds them against his chest.

  “I did it for you,” he gently tells me.

  “You’re the Devil,” I cry, while resting my head against him.

  “Well actually, I’m a Devil,” he states proudly. I glance up at him and I should feel terrified but all I feel is curiosity.

  “What?” I ask, no longer sobbing, but sniffling.

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” he says as his bloody hands brush my matted hair behind my ears. “Right now, all I want you to do is to say your goodbyes. It’s time we go sweetness,” he tells me, with a cheery hint to his tone.

  I back away from him, shaking my head.

  “No. I can’t leave my friends.”

  “Friend,” he corrects. I gaze down at Cole’s decapitated head and body. My bottom lip trembles.

  “Why? Austin… why? He didn’t hurt me. I told you he didn’t, and you didn’t believe me,” I say, on the verge of tears again.

  “This again…” I see him roll his eyes before sighing dramatically. He’s annoyed but so am I.

  “YES! THIS AGAIN! You may not have altered our memories but someone else did!”

  “Someone else?” he questions.

  “YES! A woman,” I tell him.

  “What woman?” His head tilts and he suddenly seems more than concerned.

  “I don’t know. Some woman with black hair and—”

  “Blue eyes? Like mine?” he quickly asks.

  “Uhh. Yeah. As a matter of fact, they were just like yours. Do you know her?”

  “Mother,” he replies coldly.

  “What?”

  “We need to go. NOW EMILIA!” Austin moves towards me, takes my hand and begins to pull me away. I resist, stopping and pull back.

  “I can’t leave my friends! Stop!” I yell. Austin stops for a moment and turns to me. I can tell he is in no mood for games, but he can get over it. He at least owes me this much. “I need to call for help. Van needs an ambulance and Cole…” I cut myself off while gazing at his body.

  “Fine. Make your call and then we are leaving,” he orders. I pull out Van’s phone and dial 911. The phones rings once and then the operator answers.

  I quickly tell her of our whereabouts and that there’s been a wreck and then Austin grabs the phone, ends the call and tosses it at Van.

  “That’s enough, now let’s go.” He pulls me a few steps away and brings me close.

  “Say your goodbyes Emilia. This is the last time you will ever see your friends again.” I glare hard at the boy who holds me in his arms. I take a deep breath and turn back to my friends.

  Van is on her back, crying loudly and screaming for Cole. She is too inconsolable and Cole… I can’t bring myself to say it. Cole is… Cole is dead. My best friend is dead.

  “Goodbye…” I swallow the lump in my throat and turn back to the boy. I gaze up and into his eyes.

  “I feel your pa
in, but I do not sympathize with it. You may not understand now but you will in time. I can assure you, what little human emotions you have now, will be but a laughable joke within time. You’ll see,” says the boy.

  I can feel myself boil within.

  “Austin, I love you but fuck, you,” I spit. My insult only makes him smirk proudly.

  “I rather fuck you, my sweet and I still intend to. Very soon.” And with that, we vanish into the night. Into the darkness. Leaving my dear friends behind.

  CHAPTER 27 - NEVER TEASE A DEVIL

  I open my eyes in the arms of my mate and notice the many dark silhouettes of trees that surround us. A low howling whistle of wind swirls through the ominous forest. An eerie creaking, and cracking from swaying trees echo within the background, filling the silent night. It’s dark. I have never ventured into the woods during the night and now I know why. This place is haunting. Truly haunting. It’s no wonder why my Devil mate brought us here. He fits right in.

  “We’re here,” says the boy still holding me.

  I gaze up at him, holding his solid biceps tightly. A part of me feels terrified, to be standing within this haunting forest but I quickly realize, nothing can be more terrifying, than the monster who holds me close and to my luck, I am the last thing he ever wanted to hurt and for that, I am thankful. For that, is the reason why I feel, safe.

  “Where is here, exactly?” I ask, while glancing around. Instead of answering me like I would have loved for him to, he dodges my question, grabs my hand and pulls me, having me follow behind him.

  I shake my head in annoyance and sigh heavily.

  “You’re annoyed,” he states, while still looking forward.

  “Yeah. No shit. I think I have a lot to be annoyed about, Austin. I mean, you did just kill one of my best friends and made me ditch the other, when she needed me most. Now you’re dragging me into the woods, without telling me where we are going. I should hate you right now. I should be screaming at you. I should—”

  “But you don’t and you’re not,” he interrupts.

  “You’re right and it’s because of this damn bond between us. I can’t stay mad at you for even a second, without wanting to just kiss that evil grin off your ridiculously gorgeous face.” I can feel a sudden burst of happiness within him. It makes me smile lightly, but for only a second before I bring myself back to being upset. “Austin… you’re driving me crazy here. My emotions are a complete chaotic wreck! I’m trying to keep my shit together but I’m only human and I can only take so much.”