by K.N. Lee
Eagerly, Koa accepted his hand and let hers slip into his grasp. He pointed to the castle. It stood on a rocky hill with its back against the dark sea. Waves tumbled and rolled and crashed against the rocks as the wind picked up. At first glance, Wryn appeared to be the same as always, but Koa could feel that something was wrong. She pursed her lips.
“See that?” Halston whispered as he held his hand out to point towards the front of the castle where the tall gate stood.
Koa narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. She gasped when she saw the dead bodies impaled on the sharp points of the black gates that enclosed the castle.
“We’re too late,” Koa breathed with horror. Thunder boomed loud in her ears. The rain followed, slapping Koa in the face as the wind seemed to direct it right towards her. Koa couldn’t help but get the sense that the storm was trying to push her away from Wryn.
Halston didn’t reply, he flew full speed to the castle and Koa had to use all of her energy to catch up. She fought the wind and rain and struggled to keep up.
Halston’s speed was much greater than hers and he landed on the lawn right inside the gates. He darted towards the door of the castle too quickly for Koa’s eyes. She breathed heavily as she ran to him.
Before she could catch her breath, he pushed the doors open and what they saw made Koa’s blood turn cold.
Inside the doors of Wryn castle was a young man. No. He wasn’t a man at all. He had the face of a young man of no more than twenty but Halston and Koa both knew the truth. He stood in the middle of the foyer with nothing but the silence and the darkness. The demon that killed her father, threatened to kill her mother, and promised to keep her as his pet for an eternity of torture waited before Koa and Halston.
Koa froze.
Bund stood there, pale, tall, and with a wicked grin on his face.
Koa’s scream caught in her throat. He was the one creature that truly horrified her. His face was white as snow and almost translucent. He stood there with blood all over his clothes and face. His black hair was wild and fell over his face.
Even though he grinned, Bund seemed to be in another world. His eyes were glazed over and it was unsure if he even noticed that Halston and Koa had entered the room.
Koa touched Halston’s back. He held a hand up, silencing her. Koa put a hand on her sword’s baton.
“Well hello there, Halston. Finally decided to join in on the fun?”
Halston ignited his angelic glow and a surge of light pulsed from his body. Rings of golden light crisscrossed his body in circles, like hula hoops.
Koa stepped back from the heat so that she wouldn’t get burnt. Bund’s gaze darkened as he looked at Halston. “Always a show off.” He pursed his lips. He held his arms out with his palms facing upward and his body slowly went into the air.
Halston stepped further into the castle and his angelic glow cut through the darkness all around. Every dark corner was illuminated by his light.
Koa finally saw the blood and bodies of some of the vampire staff.
Bile came up Koa’s esophagus and she gagged when she saw Greta’s body pinned to the wall behind her desk. Her skin had been ripped off from the neck down.
Koa balled up her fist. She bared her teeth. Greta did not deserve such a death. None of the people or vampires in Wryn castle did.
She watched Halston. Bund watched him as well.
“These vampires dared to challenge me,” Bund said. He turned in a circle while in the air. “I do like playing with them though. I enjoy the looks on their faces when I drop the act.” He chuckled. “I cannot wait to reveal my true intentions. I hope you’re still alive to see what I have planned.”
“When are you going to stop this, Bund? I’m tired of watching you play these games. What do you want?” Halston asked. “Why are you here?”
Bund laughed then. It was more of a cackle than a laugh. It started off jovial, but became more bestial and seemed to echo off the walls of the entire castle.
Koa’s eyes darted around the room, searching for a brunette with shoulder length curls. None of the bodies fit the description, and she could not smell her cinnamon lotion.
“Where is Lexi?” Koa shouted.
Bund’s gaze fell on her and his grin faded. Black veins appeared on his pasty white skin. His lips curled into an evil snarl, and he revealed sharp fangs. He pointed to Koa with one long finger.
Koa shuddered. She felt as if he saw into her soul. She felt an overwhelming sense of dread and fear when his eyes met hers. They were blue from what Koa remembered, but now, they were inky pools of black.
Koa’s throat seemed to tighten. It was as if his cold hands had wrapped around her throat, and squeezed.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin.
“Her,” he hissed. “I want her, Halston.”
Koa’s throat went dry as she drew her sword. She knew already from a previous battle with Bund that her sword would not work against him, but she needed something to give her strength, or else she feared that she’d embarrass herself in front of Halston by running away like a scared little girl.
“Yeah,” Bund said as he clasped his hands and tapped his knuckles on his thin lips. He looked to be deep in thought as he watched Koa. “Give her to me, and I’ll leave. I won’t harm another person. I swear.”
Koa let the power of the sword pulse into her. It was all that kept her feet planted to the ground. She feared what Halston would say. She didn’t know what she wanted him to say. She did not want to suffer an eternity of pain with Bund, but she also didn’t want more innocent people to die. Perhaps it would be best to just give in to his demands.
“Why do you want Koa so badly?”
Bund shot a glare at Halston. His face twisted into rage. “You know why!”
Koa winced. Bund’s voice boomed throughout the entire castle. He was angry. Koa wondered what could have made him so angry so quickly. There was a sinister mystery to that demon. Something was not quite what it seemed to be. Koa was sure of that much. She was just too afraid to find out what it was.
“You already know that I can’t let you take her,” Halston said.
Koa breathed a sigh of relief. Better to leave the big decisions to Halston, Koa thought.
Bund shot down towards Koa with a snarl. Halston was faster. He met Bund in the air with such speed that Koa blinked and missed it. Before she knew it, Halston had Bund by his neck. He sent shards of fiery light into Bund’s body like electricity.
Bund howled and Halston tossed him across the room. Bund was sent flying backwards but controlled his speed. He laughed again as the flames seeped into his skin. “Hot,” he laughed. “I like it hot. Reminds me of home, Halston.”
Halston increased his angelic shield and his eyes turned golden with his inner light.
Bund clapped his hands at seeing this.
“Yes!” He cheered with a wild grin on his face. “Gimme a fight. Gimme a challenge! Good angel versus naughty demon! Too bad we don’t have an audience to witness this momentous occasion.” He flew over to the body of one of the vampire servers. He picked her up and held her to his body in a firm embrace. He held her hand up and spun her around as if they were dancing. His maniacal laugh made Koa cringe.
“I’m sick of these weak vampires,” he said while he continued to dance across the stone floor with the dead body. He dipped her and thick, black, blood fell from her mouth. “Why’d we make ‘em anyway?” He stuck out his long, rubbery, tongue and licked the blood from the corpse’s mouth. He winked at Koa.
Koa gulped.
Halston had both hands balled into fists as he glared across the room at Bund. “I didn’t create them, Bund. You started it. You and the others. I’m just here to clean up your mess and send you back to your traitorous master.”
“My master gave me a few gifts, Halston.” Bund ripped the corpse’s head from her body, opened his mouth, and defied the laws of physics by swallowing her head whole.
Koa cringed.
Bund licked his lips and with a snap of his fingers, ignited his own glow. It wasn’t an angelic one. No. Not anymore. He’d given up his halo centuries ago. He’d traded in God’s favor for Satan’s. With that, came a demonic glow. Black, and like a thick fog, it cracked with black sparks and surrounded him just as Halston’s did.
He placed his hands before him and the sound of thousands of screams filled the room.
Koa dropped her sword and covered her ears. She didn’t have a choice. The sound was so jarring that she felt she might go insane. She fell to her knees and caught a glimpse of a shadow form between Bund’s hands before she lost all sense of direction.
Blood covered her hands as it seeped out of her ears and the piercing sound shook her eardrums making her scream from her gut. A jolt of pain seared through her heart and forced her arms and legs out until she was laid flat on the cold stone foyer.
Her eyes widened and she saw nothing but black.
Koa’s breath was ripped from her and she was certain that she was dying from the inside out. Blood came out of her mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, and all she heard was the screams.
The pain was too much that she almost welcomed death. Almost.
22
Halston fought to break through Bund’s demonic aura. He knew what he was doing and the horror of having Koa linked to that demon made him consider doing something completely wrong.
He had to protect her. He’d promised her father. But even more than that, he refused to let the only woman he’d ever loved suffer a form of demonic possession. Bund would not have her.
Bund cackled and continued his assault on Koa’s soul. “How does it feel, Halston, to be helpless against my power this time?”
“Leave her out of this!”
Bund shot a glare at Halston. His hands continued to build upon his inner power and collect energy from the dead bodies all around.
“While you’ve been running around for centuries, trying to help these weak humans, I’ve been feasting on their souls and becoming stronger.”
“Stop this,” Halston shouted. Sweat beaded on Halston’s forehead. He tried to pump more power into his shield so that it could penetrate Bund’s. To his dismay, Bund’s dark shield grew larger and larger, forming a smoky bubble around his body, and pushing Halston further away from him.
Bund ignored Halston’s orders. His power lifted Koa’s seemingly lifeless from the ground.
“Want to know what I learned after all of these centuries on Earth?” Bund grinned. “Vampire souls make me even stronger.”
Halston growled with frustration. He realized that his only chance was to get Koa’s body out of Bund’s range.
He flew as fast as he could, grabbed Koa’s arm, and slung her over his shoulder. Bund chased him. Halston flew away with Koa, higher into the dark sky. Bund may be stronger than Halston in some ways, but Halston still had an edge on the demon because of his speed and agility.
He flew high into the clouds as the storm raged on. Before long, Bund could no longer see them. Halston could no longer feel his presence. They were safely out of the demon’s range. As if God knew that Bund was on their heels, the storm picked up. Rain fell in torrents. The wind howled loudly. Heaven was very angry.
Bund would never be able to find them. Halston said a silent prayer and turned his attention from fleeing, to finding shelter where he could revive Koa.
He knew a place nearby. It would not do to go to any of the inns or hotels. Instead, Halston took Koa to a cavern. He put her body down and touched her face. Her skin was nearly blue. Her eyes were wide open, but there wasn’t a shred of life within them.
Halston held her face in between his palms. He dripped water over her as he closed his eyes and focused on using his inner glow to heat her just enough to not burn her flesh. Halston was never much of a healer. That was more of Micka’s job. He wished he could get Micka out there to help.
To his utter joy, Koa sat up with a start. She screamed. Halston frowned and covered her mouth with his hand. She kept screaming, a scream that meant she had felt the demon’s presence in her soul. Halston could only hope that Bund had lost the link before completing his devious plan.
Koa fought him. She was obviously still locked in a state of terror. He held her close, firm but gentle.
He smoothed her wet hair. “Calm down, Koa. It’s all right. He’s gone. It’s just you and me.” He spoke softly to her until her muffled screams behind his hand ceased.
He removed his hand and she turned to him with glassy eyes. Tears dripped down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh God, Halston!”
He shushed her. “You’re safe now, Koa,” he said. “I shouldn’t have brought you along. I should have known that Bund would be there.” His brows furrowed in frustration. “I let my anger get the best of me, and almost lost you again.”
Koa pulled back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffled. “Don’t blame yourself. I wanted to come.” She put her hand over her heart and looked off behind Halston. “What was he trying to do?”
Halston hugged her close. “He tried to link you to him.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a form of demonic possession where he can make you do things or listen to your thoughts and know where you are.”
Koa shivered. “Did it work?”
Halston barely heard her question. She spoke so softly and the storm thundered so loudly outside the cavern.
He was afraid. There was no way of knowing if Bund was successful. His silence gave Koa the answer she’d been fearing.
“Oh God, Halston.”
“Now calm down, Koa. I didn’t say it worked. It’s just that I can’t really tell. You can though.” Halston’s eyes searched her. “How do you feel?”
Koa kept her hand on her heart. She felt her heartbeat and it reminded her of a hummingbirds wings. It beat way too fast. She drew in a long breath and tried to calm herself.
She tried to concentrate. Koa was silent as she searched herself for answers. She expected to feel an unwelcome presence. “What am I looking for?” Koa asked as she opened her eyes. “What does it feel like?”
“Can you feel Bund’s presence? Do you feel anything odd?”
Koa was silent for a moment longer. She finally shook her head. “No. I feel fine.” She looked up at him with hope in her eyes. “I’m cold.”
Halston nodded. “Let’s get you somewhere warm.” He started to stand and help Koa up, but Koa shook her head.
“No. I can’t even stand.” She felt weak and as if she’d been beaten. She rested her head on Halston’s arm. “I’m so tired, Halston.”
Halston cradled her head and nodded. “All right. It’s going to be just fine.” He stood and looked down at her. She was probably drained from what Bund had attempted. The storm didn’t look as if it would lessen. “I’ll build a fire. We can stay here for the night.”
Koa nodded and scooted to the wall of the cave. The moonlight made her look eerie as she gazed back at him with her ethereal green eyes. Halston made a fire in between his hands and formed it into a ball.
Koa watched him curiously as he set the golden ball of flames in the center of the cave. It hovered over the cave’s floor and illuminated the small room. Koa smiled. The fire heated the entire mouth of the cave. “It’s like magic.”
Halston felt his heart soar at her smile. It was that smile that she only gave to him.
“Impressive,” Koa said.
Halston shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
Koa scooted closer to the fire and pulled her shirt off from over her head. She closed her eyes as she warmed her hands. Halston avoided looking at her in only her bra. This was not the time to let his desire take over his intelligence. He had to think of a way to stop Bund.
Koa’s mother seemed like the only solution, but Jax was unable to reverse the curse. He glanced over at Koa as she sat on her heels. She wrung her shirt out of the excess water and placed it flat bes
ide the fire. She did the same with her long dark blue hair, twisting the water out.
She was so small, and slim, with tiny breasts beneath her black lace bra. Halston squeezed his eyes shut.
Stop, he said to himself. Just stop. This is not the time. He put his head in his hands and tried to focus on what his next move would be. It hit him. He sat up. He needed to find a way to bring the Alchemist to this world. Halston didn’t smile at his idea. He already knew that Viktor would not be pleased. It worried him to think of what Viktor had planned.
“Halston,” Koa called, breaking him from his thoughts.
Halston raised a brow and looked over to her. “Yes?”
Koa nodded to him and pointed to his clothes. “You should let your clothes dry too. You’ll catch a cold.”
Halston made a face. “You’re just trying to get me naked, aren’t you? You know I cannot get sick.”
Koa giggled. She shrugged. “Can’t say I didn’t try.” She winked at him and lay down on her folded arms.
Halston smiled as he watched her. His smile slowly faded as he realized how much trouble Koa was in. Seeing her face as she looked up at the ceiling confirmed that she had a feeling that things were about to get much worse. She had an uncanny sense for danger. She was trying her best to pretend to be fine.
That was when Halston paled. Koa had lied to him.
Bund had been successful.
23
Raven licked her paws as she watched Alice train the new vampire on how to defend himself. Raven sat up and raised a brow. It was almost comical watching the lanky young vampire try to block Alice’s blows.
To be fair, Alice was an angel with centuries of experience. Ian was just a geeky southern boy from the United States.
“Good thing you’re a vampire now, kid,” Evina said between laughs. “Because Master Alice is kicking your ass.”
Alice swept her feet underneath Ian’s legs and knocked him to the floor. He fell onto his bottom with a yelp. Alice reached a hand down to him. She smiled.
“You’ll get better,” she assured him.