The Nightwalkers Saga: Books 1 - 7

by Candace Wondrak

  Fangs sprouted, teeth sharpening into a greater Vampire bite. Through the transformation, my eyes remained their vibrant green, a call to what I was, before I was turned. I’d chosen my own name after the God who healed. I was a pathetic excuse of a man, of a Purifier. I only put shame on the Archangel’s name, for the name Raphael never belonged to me.

  I had no name.

  “This is what I wanted for you all along,” Crixis exclaimed. “This! Be free with what you are, my friend. Let the world cower. We are strength incarnate. Even Purifiers are nothing when compared to us. Your bloodline is my own, so let it show!” His grin infuriated me.

  I was before him in a Vampiric flash, my hands around his neck. He didn’t stop me, even as I shouted, “I never wanted this—”

  Even though I choked him with inhuman strength, Crixis acted as if I were a fly, swatting me off effortlessly. “Do you think that I asked for this? Do you think that I wanted this?” He frowned at me, catching one of my thrown punches and kicking me hard in the stomach. “I had a life. I had a village. You stupid thing! We’re never given what we want. We take—” He kicked me, landing his foot on my nose. Blood squirted from me. “—what we—” I managed a blow to his side, temporarily knocking the air from his lungs. “—can get.” He hoisted me up and threw me toward the back of the church.

  My body collided with the cross, breaking the already cracked Jesus statue into multiple pieces. I laid there for a while, not moving to get to my feet right away.

  “I know what you want now, though,” Crixis continued, flashing beside me. “I can’t blame you. I wouldn’t mind turning her, too.” A loud whack echoed throughout the air as part of the cross impaled his stomach. He was merely inconvenienced, pulling the big chunk that I threw out and dropping it on the floor.

  “I would never,” I stated, baring my sharp teeth, finally standing.

  “Maybe you wouldn’t turn her. But you’ve thought about other things, haven’t you? Some very immoral, despicable, animalistic things.” There was a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “Don’t deny it.”

  “I did not deny it,” I whispered lowly. “Simply because my thoughts wander does not mean that I would.”

  “Give in to the sinful, lustful, depraved act?” Crixis offered with a grin. “Why not? If you showed her your true strength, she couldn’t stop you.” His penetrable gaze forced images in my head.

  Images of Kass helpless, of her beneath me. My hands around her throat, her hands tied. My hungry mouth on every inch of her body. The noises she’d make when I…

  “Get out of my head,” I said, trying to fight the images. In spite of what I’d said, there was a certain appeal to them. I was never one to relish in anything immoral. It went against my nature. But now…I was no longer a Purifier. I was a greater Vampire. A Daywalker, as she liked to call them. I’d been fighting my true nature this entire time.

  Crixis stepped closer, his voice a deadly sort of serious, “She could be yours. She could belong to you. Don’t you want to experience how it feels? How she feels? How she tastes?” He meant something so sickeningly wrong, and yet my mind went there of its own volition this time. He didn’t have to force images in my head.

  Kass in my bed…knowing a part of her that she hadn’t given to anyone else. Being one with the deepest, most intimate union that God would intensely frown upon.

  “Admit that you want her, Raphael,” he coaxed me. When I did not respond, barely even breathed, he added, “Admit that you want to feel her squirming beneath you. How good it would feel to have her body and soul. Admit it, my friend.”

  “I…” I couldn’t get those images out of my head. I’d lost control. And control, once lost, was one of the most difficult things to get back. “I do.”

  Crixis quieted. “Good.” He looked toward the door. “Then take her.” With a gust of wind, he was gone, leaving me alone, but not for long.

  The doors to the church flew open, and Kassandra Niles herself walked in.

  Chapter Thirty-Four – Kass

  I got dressed in jeans, zipped on my scuffed combat boots, and threw on a thin leather jacket. It was well past midnight now, nearly one in the morning. I hadn’t heard anything from Gabriel about Michael. I didn’t know if my brain could handle any more news. With my rose blade in my hand, I crawled on the window seat in my bedroom, lifted the window, and snuck out. It was a tad difficult with no ladder or garden tresses, but there was a roof, and I balanced well enough. I tossed my rose blade down on the grass first; then I slowly hung off the roof, dropping myself and dulling the impact with a roll.

  I snatched up my sword and took the woods in the back to avoid the parade of people that were currently in our living room. I didn’t want them to see me; and Gabriel…well, I didn’t want him to see me, either. He’d only try to stop me.

  The cooler than average night air caused the hair on the back of my neck to prickle. I shook off the memory of Gabriel saying Koath wouldn’t want me to do anything stupid. I knew it was true, but he was dead. What did it matter what he’d want? I emerged on the side street that sat beside ours, hiding behind bushes when cars went by.

  Soon I made it to the cemetery, and the anticipation of what was coming, what I was doing, made me break out into a brisk run. Once I reached the dead-end street and saw the dilapidated old church, I resumed a walking pace. I thought I’d encounter Crixis in the cemetery, but I didn’t, so the church it was. If Raphael knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t be there.

  When I reached the church’s giant doors, I didn’t pause. I didn’t hesitate. I barged right on in, only I didn’t enter the church.

  I entered a vision.

  The first Council sat high in their seats. Their clean robes covered most of their bodies. Each had a golden amulet sitting on their chests. The room that surrounded them was giant, circular and majestic. But it felt cold.

  I knew what was coming, but I found myself gravitating toward the center of the room, where the first Purifier stood while the Council argued. The same symbol that graced the floor and the Council’s amulets was also displayed prominently on his bare back.

  “He is no man,” one of the burly members cried. “He does not deserve to be named.”

  “Look at him, and tell me again that he is not a man,” the eldest spoke, wiser than his peers. He turned to the Purifier, examining him. “He is Helio’s final work. He deserves a name just as any other man does. Purifier, you’ve chosen a name for yourself. What is it?”

  I now stood between the Council and the first Purifier, who had turned his head upward to the ceiling, where the Archangels were painted, captured in the battle between good and evil. One Angel caught his eye, and the middle Council member noticed.

  “Ah, the God who heals,” he said, nodding as he stroked his beard. “So that is indeed your choice, Purifier? To be named after one of God’s own?”

  The Purifier gave a single nod.

  Despite the bickering on either side of him, the old man smiled. “Very good. Henceforth, you will be known as Raphael, the first Purifier. The task before you is a great one. Do not waver, and fear not the dark. Good will prevail, even in the darkest corners of the globe.”

  Bowing his top half, Raphael said nothing. He was lead out of the room by guards, and I, still holding my rose blade, followed.

  I walked through dozens of time periods. Small villages, old cities, covered in a black hood and cape, Raphael purified Demons in them all. Even Daywalkers. He wielded his blue power effortlessly.

  And then I was in France, walking through a church with beautiful stained windows. As the priest went on with his sermon, I saw Raphael sitting a few pews in. The pews were packed, but none drew my attention quite like the woman who sat on the other half of the church. Her light hair was in a gorgeous curled up-do, her chest covered in a lacy bodice. She had a fan in her hands, and it was clear she was no longer paying attention to the priest.

  Her gaze lingered on Raphael.

  Whether he
had supernatural instincts, or just the simple human feeling of being watched, he turned his head. When he met her gaze, he blushed and quickly looked away.

  Yes. He blushed.

  I left the church, suddenly in the center of town, where Raphael and the woman strolled arm in arm, down the stone road. She carried a parasol, and she laughed at something he said. He looked uncomfortable and pleased at the same time. They walked through a public rose garden.

  Suddenly, he bent down and laid a gentle kiss upon her cheek. Surprised, she gasped, and he took it as a sign he went too far. As Raphael apologized about being too forward, the woman smiled and said, “Not forward enough.” She kissed him hard on the mouth, so hard that nearby onlookers frowned in disproval. When she slowly pulled away, Raphael had an annoyingly silly grin.

  I went down the street. Day became night. I couldn’t say how much time passed. A giant, grand bedroom housed two people under the sheets of its wide bed. Outside, a full moon hung low, shining its silver light through the glass. Its light landed on the nightstand, where a goblet sat. I peered into its contents.

  Blood.

  Raphael worried, “Should I not…wed you first? Is that not what is customary?”

  “If you are worried about taking my virtue, I’m afraid I lost it a long time ago.” Seeing it did not ease his visible tension, she whispered, “They were crooked men. Nothing like you. I’ve never met anyone like you, Raphael. It’s why I’ve fallen so deeply in love. You make me feel new.” She slipped out of the rest of her clothes, straddling him. She ran her hands down his bare chest, causing him to inhale sharply. “Do you not want this? Do you not want me?”

  The woman was stunning. Any man’s picture of a perfect woman. Not one blemish on her skin, a decently-sized chest, and full, red lips. I’d never look that good, even if I tried. But that’s fine. I was beginning to see that my life was too complicated, too dangerous for something as frivolous as love and dating.

  “Of course I do,” he was quick to say. “I love you, Leliana.”

  Was he too smitten to sense what she was? Maybe he did, and he was just a fool for love.

  What happened next, I wished I could both un-see and un-hear. Thankfully, it happened quickly. Guys’ first times, I’d heard, happen fast. Still, I was going to be traumatized for life. I did turn around, but that didn’t block out the initial…ick. I didn’t want to think about it.

  Hearing an all-too familiar sound, I threw a glance over my shoulder to see that she bit him while he, uh, you know. Raphael was too dazed to react. She grabbed the goblet, took a large swig, and brought her lips to his, locking onto them like a parasite. He gagged, and he tried pushing her away, but she was too strong. He was probably too high off of his first time doing the dirty. He swallowed.

  Leliana withdrew her mouth, biting into her own wrist and holding it against his mouth. Once again, he was forced to drink. “My love, we will be together forever. I will help you through the bloodrush, something my sire never did for me. We’ll travel the world!”

  As she went on and on about her plans, the vision changed to her cowering in a dark room, writing furiously in a diary. The same diary I’d looked for in Michael’s study. There was a loud bang as the door broke and Raphael stepped through. His hands glowed blue, and as he approached her with rage in his eyes, she screamed.

  Suddenly we were all outside. Leliana was tied to a cross. Chained, more like. Kindling sat beneath her. “Please,” she begged, “don’t do this to me, my love. My Raphael.”

  At that, he snapped, “Do not speak my name.” With a flick of his wrist, a blue spark danced, setting an orange fire on the kindling.

  “I’m sorry,” she shouted as the flames touched her skin. She screamed louder as the fires lapped at her waist. Her flesh started to sag. Due to her unnatural self, she didn’t need to breathe, thus the fumes would not kill her. She’d remain alive until she was nothing but bones.

  Raphael watched for a while, finally tearing his gaze away, tossing her diary in the flames.

  And then we were in a field of green. Peaceful, rolling hills. Raphael knelt, bloody, a thin sword in his hands. It was clear from his clothes and the blood on the sword what he’d tried to do. “Why will you not let me die?” he cried to the sky. “I failed you!” His eyes were squeezed shut, a single, remorseful tear rolling down his cheek. “I failed.” His voice was quieter this time. He dropped to his hands, muttering over and over, “I failed you.”

  What was this supposed to make me feel? Sorry for him? Frowning, I spun away from the pathetic man and was once more in front of the old church. Back to reality. I pushed open the doors, spotting Raphael instantly.

  Ready or not, here I come.

  His posture was hunched. At first glance, he didn’t even look like the Raphael I thought I knew. His torso was bare, showing the ancient marking on his back. His head hung low, his hair sticking every which way. He looked like an animal, a hunter.

  A Demon.

  From his position at the back of the church, where the cross and Jesus statue laid, toppled, he smirked. It wasn’t broken mere hours ago. Maybe Raphael was in the middle of a breakdown. Kind of like me.

  “Well,” Raphael spoke, straightening his back, lifting his arms. Free of his priest’s uniform, I could now see the muscles the black outfit usually hid. To think, before all this, I would’ve ogled him. He wasn’t a bad-looking man, and I used to think that he was in his twenties. Not that much older than me. Now I knew much better.

  “Look who it is. Kassandra Niles,” he practically hissed my name. “Come to right the wrongs of the world. Here is some advice: the world is full of wrongs, and you can never right them all.” His tone dripped anger, and as he talked, I saw that his Daywalker teeth were out.

  Shirtless and his Demon teeth were out? Yep. Definitely a mental breakdown.

  A deranged Demon was worse than a non-deranged one.

  “I think by now you know the truth,” Raphael stated, stepping off the altar, standing opposite me in the long middle aisle of the church, a good seventy feet away. “About me.”

  “I do,” I whispered, gripping my rose blade tighter, “no thanks to you, Teach.”

  The grin that graced his lips was very reminiscent of Crixis. It infuriated me further. “You disappoint me. You and that boy always loved your witty banter. That was a pathetic attempt at it.”

  Shrugging, I said, “They can’t always be zingers, but a girl’s got to try.”

  Raphael stared me down, what felt like minutes passing until he asked, “Would you like one, final lesson, Kass? One for the books?”

  “I have a feeling you’re going to give it to me even if I say no,” I deadpanned, readying myself.

  “Oh, I am definitely going to give it to you.” Raphael lowered his voice so that I barely heard, “You do not have the strength to stop me.” If the Raphael I thought I knew said that, I’d know he meant the lesson. With the current Raphael, though, the way he spoke it, made me think he had other things that he was going to give me beside the lesson.

  That wasn’t going to happen. Not while I was alive and kicking.

  “The most basic lesson of all.” Raphael disappeared from my view. I waited with bated breath, ready for whatever was coming next. There was a gust of wind behind me and he whispered in my ear, “You cannot trust anyone.”

  Not liking his closeness or the tone in his voice, I spun, my rose blade cutting through the air. I sought to…to do something. To decapitate him. To hurt him somehow. I’d take anything at this point. But, of course, it wasn’t that easy.

  Raphael used his Daywalker speed to catch the blade with his hand. The silver sword cut through his palm as he squeezed it, his blood oozing out, dripping on the floor. Funny. It looked like anyone else’s blood. It didn’t look dirty and traitorous.

  Though his teeth were out, his eyes were still green. He looked Human when he didn’t speak. My sword cutting into his hand, was nothing to him. And, just as he said, my strength was
no match for his. No wonder he always beat me when we sparred. He was a cheating Daywalker and the first Purifier. A card up each sleeve.

  “I knew I never liked you,” I hissed into the small space between us. It was a lie. While I didn’t necessarily love the man, I did like him. I did look up to him, a little. Plus, his looks were always on par.

  Just look at us now. A picture-perfect pair of angry psychos.

  The way Raphael’s eyes fell to my feet and unhurriedly made their way back up sent a shiver down my spine He whispered a single word as he yanked the rose blade from my hand: “Liar.” Before I knew what was happening, the backend of the hilt hit my face, sending me stumbling to the floor.

  As I recoiled and held my nose, which luckily didn’t break, he tossed the blade in the air, catching it with his injured hand. Raphael studied the blade, its delicate, intricate patterns. “Beautiful and deadly,” he mused, swinging the tip of the blade by my face. I felt the tip of the sword under my chin, forcing me to look up. “Simultaneously the worst and best combination, in my experience.”

  Before he could use it to slice me, I spun on my hands, leg lashing out, kicking the sword from his grip. In the same twirl, I was back on my feet, using the same momentum for a good side-kick. Raphael caught my foot before it made contact, pulling me closer. The hand that caught my foot now rested on my thigh, dangerously close to a part of me that no one had ever touched. Not John, not Gabriel, not the otherworld Gabriel; Raphael wasn’t going to get there.

  “I think you will regret coming here tonight,” Raphael uttered, keeping his hand firmly on my thigh, my heaving chest hard against his. His wounded, bleeding hand cupped my face. The gesture was anything but nice. “I think you will regret it very much.” Without saying another word, he threw me across the church. My back collided with a pew, breaking the wood instantly.

  As I stood, his hand was around my neck, lifting me. His Daywalker speed flashed against the stone wall. My feet dangled two feet above the ground. “I think,” I hissed, pressing my boots flat against the wall, “you will regret underestimating me.” Using all the power within my legs, I pushed away from the wall.