Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  “Nik, it’s no use! There’s no way we can kill it!”

  “We have to, or it will kill us!”

  The creature finally reached up and sliced Nik’s hand with a talon. Blood flowed out of the wound, making everything slick, and Nik lost his grip on the monster’s neck and slid to the ground. As he fell, he grabbed the Keeper’s leg and pulled, causing the creature to fall. As it fell, it reached out for Tessa. She was just within reach, and it pulled her toward its mouth. Nik climbed over the creature and put himself between it and Tessa. The thing grinned and clamped down on Nik’s shoulder with its razor sharp teeth, and the combination of the penetration and the acid saliva made him scream in agony.

  “No!” shouted Tessa.

  It turned its head back to her, and she scrambled up off the floor and backed away. The creature rose and moved toward her faster than she could get away, and it swiped at her with its claws, making a twelve-inch gash in her side. Scared, angry, and in pain, Tessa faced her attacker defiantly.

  “Go ahead. Just kill me.”

  The creature grinned, its fiery eyes glowing, ready to grant her request. It moved closer, its body almost touching hers, but Tessa didn’t back away this time. She was defeated; there was nowhere to run. But she didn’t realize Nik had circled around behind her, and the Keeper had been too busy moving slowly toward Tessa for the kill. Tessa saw Nik fling water from a bottle toward the creature. The water hit the monster in the eyes, and suddenly there was no more fire. The Keeper roared in pain and grabbed his eyes, but there was nothing there. The flames were gone and the creature was apparently blind. Nik and Tessa rushed toward the entryway into the chamber where the souls were kept. There was a stone door that slid over the opening, and they quickly closed off the entrance before the Keeper could figure out where they were.

  “I’m glad we brought our backpacks. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had the granola bar or the water,” Tessa said. “Someone must have been looking out for us.”

  “You’re hurt,” Nik said, reaching out to touch the gash in Tessa’s side.

  “So were you, but I see that’s no longer the case.”

  It was true. Nik’s wounds had already healed as if they hadn’t even been inflicted. “I wish yours could heal that fast.”

  “That’s one of the perks you’ll miss,” said Tessa. “That is, if you become truly human.”

  But Nik had stopped listening to her. Fascinated, he walked to the shelves full of jars containing the souls of vampires. He reached out with trembling hands and pulled one off the shelf. He turned to Tessa, wonder in his eyes.

  “Is that one yours?” asked Tessa.

  He nodded.

  ***

  Nikolas felt a tightness in his chest, a longing for something to fill the emptiness inside. The jar he held in his hands was blue, and the glow within seemed to be pressed against the side as if it were trying to escape from its glass prison. He looked at it in fascination, awed by the fact that this was it, the part of him that had been missing for so long. He looked over at Tessa. Her face was anxious, and he wondered if she was afraid this would change him, make him not care for her anymore, or if she was fearful for him. Neither of them had any idea what returning a soul to a vampire would do. They weren’t even sure if it had been done before.

  “Tessa, it’s okay. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Whatever happens, it can only be good, right?” Nik said with a trembling smile.

  “Of course it’ll be good. You’ll get your soul back, and….”

  “And what? Are you afraid I won’t love you anymore?”

  She looked at him in surprise. “That’s not what I was thinking at all! I’m just a little nervous because I don’t know what this will do to you. But I’m sure it will be wonderful, Nik.”

  “It will be.”

  Nik turned back to the jar in his hand. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was supposed to do. He would just have to go by instinct. He raised the jar over his head and threw it to the ground. It shattered into tiny shards of blue, and the glowing soul burst out of it like a caged animal would leap at the first sign of freedom. He watched it dart quickly toward him and it moved all around his body, almost like an animal would sniff someone to determine friend or foe. Then it easily slid into his chest and he took in a sharp breath as he felt his soul spreading and permeating his whole body. At first, the warmth felt good, and he was ecstatic. Then the memories started flooding in. Everything he had done, everyone he had killed came back to him in a rush of horror.

  “No, no, no,” he moaned as he fell to his knees. He held his head in his hands and screamed.

  ***

  Tessa watched in dismay as Nik fell to his knees, his eyes haunted, his face a mask of misery. When he screamed, she rushed toward him and knelt beside him, pulling his hands from his head and holding them in hers.

  “Nik, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  He wouldn’t answer her, but started sobbing, and she gathered him into her arms like a mother soothing a young child. She didn’t know what had happened, but she knew it was something horrible, and she had to help him any way she could.

  “Nik, tell me what’s hurting you. Please, let me help you.”

  He turned his tear-streaked face to hers, and she saw his eyes were now hollow, empty of the feelings she had seen in them minutes ago. Fear shot through her. It was almost as if Nik was gone and had been replaced by an empty shell. What had happened? Wasn’t getting his soul back supposed to make things better? But what she saw here was a man who seemed on the brink of insanity.

  “Come on, Nik, let’s see if we can find a way out. Then we can deal with this, okay?”

  She stood up and pulled him with her, and he didn’t resist. She breathed a sigh of relief; Nik was a big man, and she wouldn’t have been able to get him up if he hadn’t been willing. As soon as they stood, she heard someone trying to move the stone that had sealed them in. She wasn’t sure how easy it would be to move it from the other side, but the Keeper had been strong, and she didn’t want to stick around to find out if it could move it. She briefly wondered if the creature had somehow gotten its sight back.

  Tessa led Nik to a passageway behind the stone shelf housing the souls. She hesitated just a moment, wishing she could free them all, but she didn’t even know if they could find their way home or if the vampires they belonged to had to be here in the cave. Reluctantly, she turned away. There was nothing she could do.

  The passage she had taken was on an incline, and after about thirty minutes, she had to stop and rest. Nik didn’t offer any resistance when she stopped, nor when she started back after a short rest. She had no idea if she was just leading them deeper into the cave or if there was an exit. The fact that they were going slightly uphill gave her hope, since they had gone downhill on the way in. For some reason, the direction she was going in felt right. Tessa just knew they couldn’t have gone the other way. The Keeper would be waiting for them, then they would have had to cross the water, and she didn’t know if the ferryman would come back. Not to mention the fact that the entrance had been sealed off.

  When they came to a stream of water, Tessa almost cried in frustration. But the water was only waist deep, and they made it across without incident. Now they were both shivering with cold, although Nik’s expression didn’t change at all. She couldn’t think about that right now, though. She had to get them out of there.

  Tessa’s heart leapt with joy when she saw moonlight coming through a hole in the top of the cave ceiling. It was an easy climb on a sloped wall, although it was made more difficult by Nik’s lack of coordination. He was almost like a zombie. She finally got them both through the opening, and when they climbed out, she saw a familiar shimmering not five feet away from them. Without even thinking, she walked through, pulling Nikolas along with her. When they entered the other side, they were in the same place they had gone in. Tessa gently led Nik toward the clearing where they had stayed. She could see a faint light in the sky and reali
zed dawn was near. She gently tugged on Nik’s hand until he followed her into the hut. Opening the lid of the coffin, she helped Nik inside. Since she wasn’t one hundred percent sure he wasn’t still a vampire, she wasn’t going to take any chances. As he lay there, he looked up at her. There was just a hint of lucidity as his eyes warmed with what she thought might be love. But it was over so quickly, she thought she might have imagined it. With sorrow in her heart, she closed the lid, walked over to her own primitive bed and lay down, oblivious of her wet clothing. She was tired and heart-sore. She just didn’t feel like dealing with anything right now…she would worry about it when she woke up later tonight. Tessa finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When Tessa woke up, she groaned at the pain in her side. She touched the wound and winced. The dried blood had covered up the raw flesh, but it was still extremely sore, and she hoped it wouldn’t get infected. Who knew what kind of germs the Keeper harbored in its claws? She sat up and felt even more aches and pains make themselves known. The fight had been a tough one, and every inch of her body felt it.

  She walked like an old lady toward the table where someone had set a fresh pitcher of water as well as some fruit, bread, and cheese. She ate ravenously, saving half for Nik. If he was human, he was going to need real food. Tessa nervously watched out the window as the sun slowly went down. She hoped with all her heart that when Nik woke up, he would be okay. She had no idea what had caused him to first scream in agony, then shut out the world. Getting his soul back should have been the best experience in the world for him. What had gone wrong?

  When the last rays of sun disappeared, Tessa walked to the coffin and lifted the lid. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. Nik was gone! She looked around the hut frantically, but it was small, and there was nowhere he could hide. He obviously was human or he wouldn’t have been able to leave before the sun went down. But where could he have gone?

  In a panic, Tessa hurried out of the hut and ran toward the bar, asking everyone if they had seen him. When that got no results, she sought out the old witch, Ariel, hoping she could help. One of the patrons at the bar had told Tessa where to find her, so she had no trouble locating the hut. Tessa knocked lightly on the flimsy door, and the witch opened it, stepping aside to let her in. Tessa turned to her frantically.

  “Ariel, have you seen Nik?”

  “Calm yourself, child. Nikolas is not in any physical danger.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “I have my suspicions. But he needs time alone now. You need to respect his wishes and let him be.”

  Tessa shook her head. “No, I have to see him. I need to make sure he’s okay. He wasn’t acting right after he got his soul back.”

  “What did you expect him to feel, child? Did you think it would be that easy? All those memories of what he did when he was a vampire; it weighs heavily on his soul. He needs time.”

  Tears sprang to Tessa’s eyes. “I can’t believe I never even thought of that. How blind could I have been?” She looked at the old woman, her eyes pleading. “How long will it take for him to get back to normal? Can you help him?”

  The witch reached out and touched Tessa’s shoulder, a surprising gesture from one Tessa had thought to be unfeeling. “No one can help him. He must help himself. I know many things, but this thing I cannot know. The real question is: Can you love him no matter the outcome? Can you love him if he never returns to his true self?”

  “I loved him even when he was a vampire,” Tessa said fiercely. “I’m not going to turn my back on him now.”

  “Very good. You truly have a pure heart.” She saw Tessa wince when she twisted slightly. “Are you hurt?”

  “The Keeper scratched me,” said Tessa.

  “Here, let’s have a look.”

  The old lady pulled Tessa’s shirt up to expose her wound. She nodded and went over to a trunk, pulling out a jar of ointment. She applied the wonderfully scented balm to Tessa’s laceration, and she sighed in relief as the pain subsided immediately.

  “That should do the trick,” said Ariel.

  “Thank you,” said Tessa. “For the ointment and for talking to me about Nik.”

  “I’m just protecting my investment.”

  Tessa looked at her sharply, shocked that the old lady was still thinking only of herself. But then Tessa saw the twinkle in her eyes, and she smiled at Ariel. Maybe the witch had deeper feelings than she had imagined.

  Tessa went back to the hut and made sure all her things were packed. The ship was supposed to leave late that night, and she wasn’t sure what to do about Nik. She decided to go ahead and make sure all his stuff was packed, but she had a horrible feeling that she wasn’t going to see Nik for a while. After eating the rest of the food, she decided to take another nap. When she woke up, she was surprised to find it was very late. She had slept longer than she meant to. She knew she had to get to the ship soon, but she wanted to find Nik. She hefted her backpack onto her shoulders, leaving Nik’s pack behind. She started off to look for him, but she soon found that no one had seen him since he had left the hut. With a heavy heart, Tessa walked to the dock along with most of the other passengers who had gotten off here when she did. Anxiously, she looked around the ship, hoping to see Nik somewhere. When it was finally time for the ship to cast off, she knew Nik wasn’t coming. Was he just going to stay on this island? The thought of him here without anyone he knew around to help him broke her heart. For just one moment, she contemplated getting off the ship before it started pulling away. But she knew she couldn’t do that. She had a life and a job, and she couldn’t just abandon that, especially not even knowing if she could find Nik. She sighed and said a silent prayer for the man she had come to love.

  She spent the entire voyage in her cabin, mostly lying around feeling sorry for herself. When she finally arrived back home, Tessa gladly fell into Jan’s arms at the dock. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief to be here in the presence of Jan and her grandmother, Belinda.

  “Was your journey successful?” asked Belinda, looking around for Nik.

  “Yes…and no. Nik did get his soul back, but it didn’t go exactly as I thought it would.”

  “Let’s go to my house and we’ll discuss it over a cup of tea,” said Belinda.

  When they arrived at Belinda’s house, Tessa was exhausted. She was able to tell the two witches what had happened, though, before she completely conked out. Belinda insisted she stay there for the night, and Tessa readily agreed. That night, Nikolas haunted her dreams. Over and over, she relived the look of horror on Nik’s face as his memories flooded his heart and soul. It was a look she never wanted to see again.

  ***

  In the small chapel on the island, Nikolas knelt in front of the cross with the image of Jesus hanging on the cruel tree. He had been kneeling for hours, but he didn’t feel the pain or even discomfort from being in the same position that long. All he felt was the agony of the horrendous deeds he had done. All the blood, all those innocent people dead. The killing spree he had gone on with Marianna was foremost in his mind. The two vampires had shown no mercy as they went about their bloody business.

  “How can you still love me after all I’ve done?” Nik said to the statue of Jesus, the tears running down his face. “Why do I not just burn up in your presence?”

  He had been praying similar words for all the hours he had been here. He hadn’t expected an answer. In fact, he was pretty sure God wasn’t listening to him anymore. He had thought when he got his soul back, prayer would come back to him and all would be well. Nik never dreamed the guilt would slam into him the way it had. He was willing to do any kind of penance to atone for what he had done. But even the cruelest thing he could do to himself wouldn’t wipe out the memories and the guilt. There was just one thing he knew that would stop the pain.

  “Please, just strike me dead right here. I don’t deserve to live. If you ever love
d me, you would do this thing for me. Please, take my life as a sacrifice.”

  Nik pleaded to God over and over, but it was no use. God had decided not to punish him by killing him…he was punishing him by letting him live. He lay down on the floor, pressing his cheek against the cold, rough stone. Sobbing, he didn’t hear the door open or the footsteps coming toward him.

  “Get up from the ground, child.”

  He looked up and saw the witch that had removed the barrier from Tessa. He saw kindness and pity in her eyes, and he looked away, knowing he didn’t deserve either.

  “Come, get up,” she said, extending her hand.

  Nik looked up at her again, and finally took the hand she offered. Slowly, he arose from the floor. She led him to a crude wooden pew and they sat there together.

  “You know, this chapel was built over a hundred years ago. It’s much nicer than any of the residential dwellings here. There used to be preachers that lived here and held services for anyone who was willing to come, but those days are long over. Most magic practitioners these days don’t believe in God, or at least aren’t sure.”

  “What do you know of God, witch?”

  “Why do you assume I know nothing of God? I know God is much more forgiving than you’re giving him credit for.”

  “How can he forgive what I’ve done? I used to be close to Him. I prayed every day, I went to church, I tried to be as good as possible. Then look what happened to me. I became a vampire. An abomination! I did things….” He shuddered.

  “God will forgive any repentant soul. And you are repentant, aren’t you? You regret the things you’ve done. He will forgive you, Nikolas.”