The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

Sam bit her lip and kept her eyes on her.

  “You are not… Your energy stinks of death.”

  The girl slid down the wall and landed on her feet like a cat, looking towards the corner of the room.

  “Your brother doesn’t agree with you,” she said as she pointed to the bed.

  Sam glanced over quickly and saw Josh lying there, full battle gear on. His hands were placed over his chest, blood all over the white leather he wore. He moaned and Sam fought the urge to flash to him. The girl smiled and looked at Sam.

  “That is not my brother,” Sam said.

  The girl shook her head. She reached up and placed her hand in her leather shirt. She pulled it out slowly. Sam’s face went ghostly white as she stared at her hand. The girl had a beating heart in it, blood dripping on the floor.

  The girl grinned, showing her teeth to Sam. She lifted the heart to her mouth and took a bite from it. Josh arched his back on the bed and cried out. Sam fought back tears, new for her. The girl chewed and swallowed.

  “His heart is so tasty. Would you like to try it?” she asked as she held it out to Sam and continued to lick her mouth.

  Sam gritted her teeth as Josh continued to cry out on the bed to her left.

  She knew it was not Josh, but her heart ached for him.

  “Well,” the girl said as she let the heart fall to the floor.

  “You are no fun… no fun at all,” she muttered.

  Sam laughed.

  “You are a demon; I will not let you kill me.”

  The girl pulled her blades from her back.

  “Oh, so we are going to fight, I see,” the girl said as she placed her foot on the heart and kicked it at Sam.

  Sam ducked and it hit the door behind her.

  “I don’t know what you are… but you die here... You will never leave this room,” Sam said as she placed her foot to the side and started to raise her blade in front of her.

  The girl lowered her blades and started to pace back and forth.

  “So curious, who am I? I am the beginning and the end. I am Blood and Light,” the girl said as she started to raise her voice.

  She pointed at Josh on the bed.

  “He let me come here… He allowed me to be trapped in this hell. He does not love me.”

  Sam watched her and tried to remain calm.

  She expected an attack, but didn’t know when it would come. She grew impatient.

  “You are not Rue, and that is not my brother,” Sam said.

  The girl stopped and grinned at her.

  “Well, if this is not your brother… then you will not care if I do this.”

  The girl jumped on Josh’s chest and slammed both of her blades deep into it. Josh screamed out and his hands reached towards Sam. She grimaced as the girl twisted her blades and lunged from him… blood splattering the walls. Josh laid there clutching his chest, gasping for air. Sam tried to steady herself… even knowing that it was not her brother, the site of it made her stomach ache. Sam took a deep breath as the girl raised the blade to her mouth and licked it, all along the length of it. She sighed and swallowed.

  “Oh… he tastes so sweet,” she said as she grinned and held her blade out to Sam.

  “Would you like to try him...? I would think that you would find him tasty,” she said.

  Sam shook her head and tried to ignore Josh on the bed. He continued to gasp for air and clutch at his chest. The girl stepped up to him and leaned over, whispering something in his ear. She licked his face and looked at Sam as she grabbed his hair and pulled him up. He cried out and continued to fight to breathe.

  “I could do this forever; I really could,” the girl said as she slit his throat and he fell back grabbing it. Blood flowed over his fingers.

  “Enough!” Sam screamed at her.

  The girl flashed a look at her and grinned, blood staining her teeth.

  “Oh… Samantha, you care… How sweet.”

  Sam cleared her throat and stared her down.

  “Try that shit with me and I will take your head,” Sam said as she gritted her teeth.

  The girl laughed and looked at Josh on the bed. He reached out to Sam and Sam held herself back from running to him. The fact that it was not her brother, wasn’t enough for her to not feel anything for him.

  “Oh,” the girl said. “So feisty, I like that. That little bitch on the third floor just wines about everything. So concerned about everything… chattering on about everything. Ahhhhhhhh!”

  The girl screamed as she placed her hands to her head and leaned forward. Sam watched her and took a step back, towards the door. The girl rose slowly and put her finger up to her. She shook it and sucked on her teeth… making a clicking sound.

  “You want to leave...? Leave me like your worthless brother, Sam?” she asked.

  Sam shook her head at her.

  “My brother would never be with anyone like you,” Sam said.

  The girl rose up and clinched her fists.

  “What...? Am I not enough? Am I not everything he wants?”

  Johnathan started to bang on the door harder. The door creaked and Sam held her ground.

  “Sam! Hold on… I am coming!” he yelled out.

  The girl smiled and drew in her breath as she looked at the ceiling.

  “Oh… that is Johnathan… sweet Johnathan, half human, so innocent,” she whispered.

  Johnathan banged on the door and the door started to move.

  The girl looked down and Sam stood in her face.

  “I told you… you die.”

  Sam stabbed her in the chest with both of her blades and the girl cried out. The noise coming from her shook everything around them. The windows cracked and shattered in the room. Johnathan made a last run at the door with his foot and it flew inward. Sam stood there with her blades deeply buried in the girls’ chest. Johnathan stopped and stared at Josh on the bed.

  “Holy shit!” he cried out.

  Sam lunged backward in a flash and watched the girl lean over. Johnathan touched Sam’s arm and she shook her head. The girl started to rise up, laughing with blood all over her hands. She looked at both of them and held her hands out in front of her. A blue orb started to form. Sam grabbed Johnathan’s arm and flashed them both out of the way as a blue wave left the room and tore the wall down across from it. Johnathan shook his head and looked up at Sam. Sam grabbed him and started to run.

  “Elevator now!” she screamed.

  Johnathan nodded and followed her as she ran. The hallway tilted and the plaster started to crack from the walls. Johnathan fell and Sam held her hand out to him and he grabbed it, pulling himself back up.

  “What the hell did you do?” Johnathan yelled at her.

  “I pissed her off, you ass… RUN!”

  The hallway shifted and the floor cracked under their feet. Sam grabbed Johnathan and tossed him into the elevator as it tilted. She lunged in and they watched the mirror start to roll. Sam kicked Johnathan through the mirror and she jumped after him.

  They both rolled out of the mirror as Theodore flashed out of their way. Sam rolled and grabbed both her blades from her back, throwing them at the mirror. They both buried themselves in the mirror, causing it to crack with a deafening noise. Theo cried out as the mirror shattered and blew across the room. Johnathan and Sam covered their faces, shielding themselves from the flying chards. Theo stood there in front of the mirror and swayed a little. He slowly turned and had a large piece of the mirror protruding from his chest. He touched it and looked down at his hands, covered in blood.

  “Oh dear,” he whispered as his vision blurred and he dropped to the floor.

  Sam scrambled to him and cried out his name.

  ***

  Josh sat straight up and held his chest. He took a breath and then wiped his nose. He held his hand up as it trembled in front of his face. It had blood on it, from his nose. Johnathan sat there poking a stick at Sophie. Like a kid who finds a dead raccoon on the side of the road. Josh looked at him
and tried to focus. Evidently the whole transporting thing, with his mind, was now starting to take a toll on his body.

  “Stop doing that,” Josh muttered to Johnathan.

  Johnathan dropped the stick and looked over at him.

  “Well, happy now?” Josh asked him.

  Johnathan shrugged his shoulders.

  “What?” Josh said.

  “It was better,” Johnathan said to him.

  “Better?” Josh said as he pushed himself up from the ground.

  “Whatever… I was all romantic,” Josh said to him.

  Johnathan sat down on the flat rock and stared at him.

  Josh stood there and crossed his arms on his chest.

  “Well… go ahead, you look like you wanna say something, so spit it out already,” Josh said as he started to get irritated.

  “Well… it was good; I will give you that, but…” Johnathan paused.

  Josh tilted his head.

  “It needed more flare,” Johnathan said.

  Josh let his hands fall to his sides and sighed.

  “What the hell would ‘more flare’ be?” Josh said.

  Johnathan jumped up and started to pace back and forth in front of him.

  “Well, me for instance, I would have told her more… And the whole sparkly blue light thingy, well… if I was Rue, I would have thought that I was just going insane.”

  Josh snorted, “Uh huh.”

  Johnathan stopped and looked at him.

  “You need to really slam this home if you are going to convince her, Josh… You haven’t yet; otherwise you would be there… not here.”

  Josh stopped half laughing at him. He hated to admit it, but he was right. He could only go to see her so many times; one of these times he will simply not wake up. Josh stretched his arms out and suddenly grabbed his chest. He leaned over as a sharp pain hit him. He took a breath and steadied himself.

  “What’s up with you?” Johnathan asked him.

  Josh looked up at him and wiped the blood from his mouth.

  “Something is wrong…wrong with Theodore,” he muttered.

  “Oh shit,” Johnathan muttered.

  “Yea… oh shit… Not cool, nowhere near cool,” Josh muttered.

  Josh stood up and swayed a little. Johnathan looked at him.

  “So where to now?” he asked him.

  “We gotta find a mirror,” Josh said.

  Johnathan started to walk, leaving Sophie just lying there.

  Josh cleared his throat and Johnathan looked back at him.

  “What...? We gotta go,” he said.

  Josh pointed to Sophie. Johnathan rolled his eyes.

  “Really...? Come on, she is heavy, dude,” Johnathan whined.

  Josh shook his head.

  “We are not leaving her… She is real; you are not,” Josh said.

  Johnathan placed his hands on his hips.

  “Thanks a lot,” he muttered.

  “Oh shut up and carry her,” Josh said to him.

  Johnathan continued to whine as he walked over to her and looked down.

  “Why does she matter?” Johnathan said.

  “Because, she is your sister, you ass. I am not going to have the real you all bitchin and moaning about her.”

  “Huh,” Johnathan said as he looked down at her.

  “We don’t really look alike,” Johnathan said.

  Josh laughed. “Well, you have a different father… So no, you don’t look exactly alike.”

  “Who’s my dad then?” Johnathan asked him.

  “You remember d-bag back there...? Yea, he’s your daddy,” Josh said to him.

  Johnathan covered his mouth and got all emotional.

  Josh looked at him and shook his head.

  “Don’t do that,” he muttered to him.

  Johnathan continued to have a panic. Josh sighed.

  “Oh my god, dude, pick her up and start moving… now,” Josh said to him.

  Johnathan took his hand from his mouth and sniffled.

  “See? This is exactly what I mean…you don’t care, about anyone and how they feel. Do you?” Johnathan said three octaves higher than his regular voice.

  Josh pulled up his shoulders, like he just heard nails on a chalkboard, and looked back at him. He pointed at Sophie.

  “Carry… now,” he said.

  Johnathan continued to sniffle as he picked her up and put her over his shoulder.

  “I can’t believe you,” Johnathan muttered.

  Josh stopped again and held his hand up.

  “You need to get your shit together,” He said.

  Johnathan muttered under his breath and followed him, all shitty.

  Josh walked until he came to the top of a hill. He looked down and saw a girl… crouching over something. He held up his hand and Johnathan stopped walking behind him and rolled his eyes.

  “Dude, listen… I know you said that she is not heavy, but everything gets heavy after a while!” Johnathan said looking exhausted.

  “Shut up,” Josh said as he stared at the girl, dressed in white.

  Johnathan continued to bitch, but Josh ignored him and tilted his head. He felt something in his hands, a vibration… familiar. He watched the girl rise up and tilt her head like she felt him too.

  “Back up, go into the forest… hide Sophie for a while,” Josh said to him.

  Johnathan tilted his head at him and waited.

  Josh glanced at him.

  “Now!” Josh said to him.

  Johnathan backed up and turned, flashing into the forest.

  Josh turned back and watched the girl.

  “What now?” he muttered to himself.

  The girl turned and grinned… her hair blowing over her face in the wind. Josh watched her and then decided to meet this head on. He had to know her… everything here was meant to mess with his mind. He started to walk towards her and she stood her ground. He walked about ten feet and then heard a whisper on the wind. He stopped and squinted his eyes, not knowing whom he was about to face.

  The girl took one step away from whatever she was kneeling over and Josh looked down, it was Caine. He looked back at her and the wind blew her hair back from her face. He sucked in his breath.

  “Rue?” he whispered.

  She smiled and her teeth were stained with blood.

  He looked at Caine and saw that he had a bite on his neck.

  “What kind of trick is this?” he asked her.

  She placed her arms on her chest.

  “Oh, it’s you,” she said.

  Josh swallowed and held back the urge he had deep in his heart to run to her and pick her up. She smiled.

  “You want me so badly, it’s endearing,” she said to him.

  “I don’t… I mean, how did you get here?” he asked her.

  She looked up at the sky and let the sun warm her face. Josh looked at her, blood covering her mouth. She looked back at him and touched her mouth, wiping a little blood from it, and then sucked on her finger. He felt a vibration well up in his chest again.

  “I followed you… You are easy to track,” she said.

  “Followed me?” Josh asked her.

  The girl laughed and looked down at Caine.

  “Yes, I would like to thank you for leading me to him… I hate him,” she said as she kicked Caine in the side and he moaned.

  Josh looked at him and then back up to her.

  “I can’t believe that you were able to enter the Lord’s Trial Mirror; only a ‘Lord to be’ can enter here.”

  The girl laughed and shook her head; she started to pace slowly, keeping her eye on him the whole time.

  “Lords and mirrors… trials and heartache… all over rated,” she said to him.

  Josh tilted his head; he suddenly tasted a bitterness in his mouth, like poison.

  “Who are you?” he asked her.

  She stopped pacing and placed her hands on her hips.

  “Why is it that your family is so distrustful? I mean, i
t’s pathetic really,” she said.

  Josh reached behind him and she held her finger up and slowly waved it.

  “Do not do that, Joshua. I only want to talk to you… share our feelings and stuff,” she said.

  Josh stopped moving and stared at her.

  “I don’t know what you are, but if you did anything to Theodore I will kill you,” Josh said.

  The girl threw her head back and laughed out loud. Josh watched her laugh until she held her sides. She suddenly stopped and stood up, staring him down.

  “I didn’t touch your stupid brother… but Sam… now there’s a girl I could sink my teeth into... I mean come on! How hot is she...? Tell me, have you had her yet?” She said.

  Josh gripped his blades and pulled them out slowly to his sides.

  She watched him and placed her hands up.

  “Please… oh please, Josh… don’t hurt me. I love you,” she said in a small voice and then started to laugh at him.

  Josh shook his head and took a deep breath.

  “Tell me what you are,” Josh said.

  The girl looked around and then back to him.

  “I am the beginning and the end,” she said to him.

  Josh placed his feet apart and squared his shoulders.

  “You are not Rue… no way,” he said to her.

  The girl held up her hand and a blue flame started to rise from her palm. She gently blew on the flame and it started to rise above her. Suddenly the blue flame turned into blue butterflies and they all fluttered around her. She reached up and grabbed one; she lowered her hand to him and opened her hand up. The butterfly sat there in her palm, slowly moving its wings. Josh stared at it.

  “What is this?” he asked her.

  She smiled and placed the butterfly in her mouth, chewing until she could swallow.

  She cleared her throat and looked at him.

  “You left me alone… in that hell,” she said.

  He stepped back from her and held his blades at his sides. She looked at his blades and smiled.

  “First you want to kiss me; now you want to stab me… It’s confusing to a girl, you know that?” she said.

  “You I do not want. I don’t know where you came from… I really don’t care,” Josh said to her.

  The girl placed her hand over her heart.

  “That really hurts me… right here,” she said as she grinned.

  Josh sighed and looked into her eyes. She looked like Rue, almost felt like her too.