The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

  I waited. I mean, I started to feel more like myself, but the effects the whole Jonah incident had on me was so minimal compared to the fact that Josh had endured not only that, but receiving Johnathan’s light too. He took a breath and cracked his neck, and I took the cup from his hand. He looked at me and grinned.

  “Oh shit,” he said, as he looked at his hands and his head tilted back.

  I stepped towards him, fearful that something was wrong with the drink that I gave him. He placed his hands to his mouth and took a breath, as I watched the color start to swirl around his feet, then it wrap around him… strong and deep black. I watched it reach his mouth. He placed his arms out to his sides, and the color started to enter his mouth, as he closed his eyes.

  “Josh?” I asked, as I watched him.

  The black color started to rise in the room, and it crept along the ceiling, until it reached the walls and slipped down them. I watched it start to work its way towards me. I raised my foot, and it slipped under me. I jumped up on the bed and stood there, not thinking that it would get on my bed too… but it did. I had nowhere else to go; so I stood still, as it touched my foot. I felt a vibration, like a slow pulsating thump on my skin, and then it started to move up my leg. I looked up. Josh stood there grinning at me with his fists clinched, and I bit my lip. I thought he was about to kick my ass… not in a bad way though… in a…

  The color moved up my leg. I started to breathe harder, as it felt like a stronger thumping, and I knew where it was going. Boy did I! My skin started to swirl in blue… not because I caused it, but because I was reacting to him and his energy caressing my legs. My breath became staggered, and I looked at him, as I started to lower to the bed.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered.

  Josh grinned and placed his hands in front of him and moved his fingers. I sucked in my breath, as the black color kept moving north on my body, and he seemed to be controlling it now. I placed my hand on my stomach and rolled my head towards him and smiled… a little. I won’t lie… it felt amazing, it really did.

  He tilted his head and grinned at me.

  “Are you enjoying it?” he asked in a low voice, sounding as if he wanted to torture me.

  I nodded and bit my lip, as I moaned and rolled on my side.

  “Ahhh,” I said, as I pressed my face in my pillow.

  Josh hissed, as he stood his ground. I knew he probably wanted to jump on the bed with me… but I was almost there… you know where I was going. Someplace I have been before with him. Only this time, I can guarantee you that if anyone asked me my name right then, I so would not have known it. I reached up above me and grabbed the side of my headboard and dug my nails into the wood. Josh watched me and bit his lip, hard enough that blood started to run down his chin.

  “Rue,” he whispered.

  A knock came to the door, and Josh kept his hands in the air in front of him and glanced back.

  “Did we drink?” Theo yelled through the door.

  “Oh, you bet,” Josh said.

  I nodded and gritted my teeth, as I started to sweat.

  I placed my hand on my forehead and moved my hair out of my face.

  “Rue?” Theo called out.

  I cleared my throat, and Josh grinned at me.

  “Ye… yes?” I asked him, as I placed my finger in my mouth and bit it.

  Josh sighed and watched me.

  “Feeling better?” he asked.

  I crinkled my eyebrows and tried to sit up, it didn’t go well.

  I ‘oh’d’, as I moved, and fell back down on the bed.

  “Much!” I screamed out.

  Josh laughed under his breath, and I rolled to the other side of the bed and clinched the comforter in a death grip.

  “Very good!” Theo yelled out.

  I shook my head and pushed up on my knees and started to breathe harder.

  “Yes… much better!” I screamed out, as a flash left my chest and bounced off the wall in front of me.

  It cracked my headboard and ricocheted around the room. I feared that Josh would be hit by it, but he watched it go all around him, until it hit my mirror on my Vanity and shattered the glass. I moaned and fell onto the bed, and Josh lowered his hands and stood there all sweaty and proud of himself.

  I looked over at him and started to grin.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered.

  “Uh huh,” Josh said, as he smiled back at me.

  “What the hell was that?” I said, as I tried to catch my breath and rolled on my back.

  My legs felt like rubber, and my stomach still vibrated from all the crazy he zapped me with.

  “That was foreplay,” he said.

  I shook my head and looked at him.

  “You are kidding me, right?” I said.

  He shook his head slowly and took a step towards me.

  I held my hand up.

  “Whoa… whoa, wait up,” I said.

  He smiled.

  “Too much?” he asked me.

  I so should have shook my head ‘yes’ but no… how could I do that and be me?

  “I can handle you,” I said all deviant.

  “Good, because we have just started,” he said.

  I bit into my lip too and stared at him, shocked at what he had just pulled off without touching me.

  “I, ah… wait,” I said, as I placed my hand on my heart and felt it beating so hard, it felt like it was trying to escape me.

  He tilted his head and grinned, as he placed his finger to his chin and wiped his blood from it, placing it in his mouth. He slowly pulled it out, as he licked the blood from it.

  “I don’t understand… this feels different than it did before.”

  He stopped and pulled his finger from his mouth.

  “Oh, you mean when we did it before?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  He grinned and started to move towards me.

  “I wasn’t myself,” he said, as he stopped right by my bed and looked down at me. His eyes scanned my entire body, and then his eyes settled on mine.

  I wanted to look away from him, but I couldn’t.

  “You are freakin’ kidding me!” I said.

  I mean when we did, you know… before; it was beyond amazing.

  I couldn’t imagine that it would be any more intense than that.

  “Nope… you are in trouble,” he said, as he slowly sat down next to me.

  I moved to the other side of the bed away from him.

  “Whoa…I ummm, I am…”

  “Nervous...? You should be,” Josh said.

  I rolled from the bed and almost fell onto the floor.

  I heard him laugh, and I stumbled, as I stood up and tried to compose myself.

  “I, ahhh… I need to ummm,” I said.

  He stood up and stared at me.

  “You need to what?” he asked, as he held back his laughter.

  I pointed at the door.

  “I am gonna eat… Yea, that is so what I need to do… eating is good.”

  “I want to eat too,” he said, as he looked at my chest, and his eyes lowered.

  “Oh… okay… good, you are hungry, that is good,” I said.

  Josh smiled and looked at me, with his head tilted down. His hair was half in his face and he looked wicked, in a great way. I cleared my throat and placed my hand on my neck.

  “I am starving… I really am,” he said, as a little blood ran down his chin.

  I felt a vibration in my hand.

  I clinched my fist shut and tried to smile, but it looked nervous, it really did.

  I started to walk towards the door, and he took a step to his right and there he was, all in my face and smelling amazing. I looked up at him and took a breath. The sweet smell of his blood and sweat filled my nose, and I closed my eyes. He leaned forward, and I could feel his breath on my ear.

  “I will have you… You should eat, and maybe sleep first,” he whispered.

  I looked up at the ceiling and then turned my head; his
lips were right there, at mine.

  I opened my mouth and then shut it, without saying a word.

  “Yea… okay,” I finally said.

  He lingered there, way too close to me, and raised his hand… not touching me, but letting his hand move inches away from my face… down my neck and then over my chest. I shuddered, because I could feel his energy coming off of his fingertips, and he grinned, showing his canine teeth. I leaned back and sighed.

  “Okay… food,” I said, as I swallowed hard.

  I moved past him, how I do not know.

  He turned and watched me walk to the door.

  “I can taste you in my mouth,” he said.

  I stopped at the door and closed my eyes.

  “That’s neat,” I said, as my voice pitched.

  I jerked the door open and hurried out of my room and down the hallway. I hit the stairs running and tripped down them… I had to grab onto the railing to stop myself from biting it altogether. I pushed myself up and adjusted my shirt, which was all jacked from me pulling on it, while Josh had me all… uh, you know in the room. I rubbed my hands on my hair and cleared my throat, as I looked at Theo and Sam standing there waiting on us. I tried to smile, but all my muscles felt like they were tensed up. Sam tilted her head and looked at Theo.

  “He’s fine,” she said, as she tapped him on the chest and laughed.

  I looked at the two of them and walked, as straight of a line as I could, to the kitchen and grabbed a chair. I sat down and interlaced my fingers on the top of the table and stared off. I must have looked crazy… I had too. Kai looked up and saw me.

  “You look like you fell,” he said to me.

  I glanced at him and shook my head ‘no’, as I mumbled to myself.

  Sam walked in and grinned at me.

  “So,” she said.

  I looked up at her.

  “Josh is here again, huh?” she asked me.

  I shook my head, as he jumped down the stairs and leaned in to see me.

  I looked away and cleared my throat.

  “Yea… he seems to be all Josh and stuff,” I said.

  “Uh huh,” Sam said, as she looked back at him.

  Sam walked in and stared at him, as she smiled.

  “You out of pussy mode now?” she asked him.

  He looked at me and grinned.

  I looked everywhere but him and rubbed the side of my neck with my hand.

  “Wish I wasn’t,” he said.

  “Don’t be vulgar,” Theo said, as he walked back into the kitchen and touched my shoulder.

  I hunched my shoulders, and Theo took his hand off me and grinned.

  “Oh my,” he said, as he walked to the stove and started to mess with real food.

  I sat there and shook off the vibration Theo had caused in me. Sam and Josh both leaned to look at me, and she hit him in the back of the head. Josh looked at her and crinkled his eyebrows.

  “And why?” Josh asked her, as he rubbed the back of his head.

  “Be nice, you ass… she doesn’t know you,” she said.

  “She will… I can guarantee it,” he said, as he glanced at me.

  I swallowed hard and realized at that moment that I was in trouble. The kind some people would love to be in, but me… I was worried. Well, nervous…was a better word.

  “Joshua Barrington… go hunt,” Theo said as he stirred whatever goodness he was cooking.

  Josh looked at Sam and grinned big. She did too.

  “I’m on point; you track,” Josh said to her.

  She shook her head and laughed.

  “It’s about time,” she said, as he flashed out the door.

  She followed him, excited to do what they were built to do.

  Chapter 11

  Unanswered Questions

  Clytie stumbled through the woods and grumbled, as she reached for her ankle. It was swollen and starting to fester with a black ooze that sat like a ring around her perfect pale skin on her leg. She sat there and slammed her fists into the ground and tried to touch it, as she hissed. She heard giggling and looked up to see Lizzy standing there, in a cute burlesque style dress, all pretty and wicked.

  A beautiful vision she was, standing there in red with the forest as a backdrop. Well, beautifully evil. She tilted her head and played with the many strands of pearls that wrapped her neck and flowed over her one shoulder. Clytie rolled her eyes and looked back at her ankle to inspect it.

  “Oh, perfect… it is you, of course,” Clytie said, as she gently touched her blackening skin and pulled her fingers away quickly, looking at the black residue on her fingertips.

  Lizzy grinned and took a step towards her. She squatted down, letting the short netting under her skirt pop up, as she held the front of it down with her hands.

  “Looks like we ran into some trouble,” Lizzy said, as she looked at her ankle.

  Clytie half laughed and looked up at her.

  “Yes…it would appear that I underestimated my opponent,” Clytie said.

  Lizzy squatted there and then looked up at the trees overhead and closed her eyes, as she took a deep breath and held it. She slowly let it out and looked back at her.

  “You know, your list of enemies have grown,” Lizzy said, as she stood up, grabbing a thin broken twig in her hand.

  She swung it around in the air and then pointed it at her.

  Clytie watched her and grinned.

  “I would not doubt that,” she said.

  “Mmm,” Lizzy said, as she started to make lines in the dirt and leaves under her with the twig she had collected.

  “What do you want?” Clytie asked her.

  Lizzy’s eyes flashed to her quickly, and the look on her face would have sent chills down anyone’s spine except for Clytie’s, who had endured much more than that of a mischievous demon, hell-bent on chaos.

  “I wanted to check and see how you were,” Lizzy said.

  Clytie grinned and shook her head.

  “You are still lying… so nice to see that you have maintained your wickedness,” Clytie said.

  Lizzy dropped the twig and placed her hands on her hips.

  “That was unnecessary,” she said.

  “What...? Did you expect me to be excited to see you...? The last time I did, you turned me into that retched plant, rooted to the ground to rot,” Clytie said.

  Lizzy clicked her tongue and touched her chin, as she stared at her.

  “Yea… about that, I apologize… I was in a bad mood that day.”

  Clytie laughed.

  “I am shocked that you would claim some of your best work as simply a lack of having a good day,” Clytie said, as she kept her eyes on her.

  “Just accept my apology so that we can come to an agreement,” Lizzy said, as she looked at her skirt and played with it.

  Clytie watched her and grinned.

  “Enjoying that body, Aiwass?” she said.

  Lizzy looked up at her, and her eyes rolled to black.

  “Don’t call me that… my name is Lizzy… Lizzy Crowley,” she said, as she gritted her teeth, and her skin started to lose its color and go to a pasty white.

  Clytie adjusted herself on the ground.

  “I did not mean to offend you… I just find it humorous that you inhabited the body of Aliester Crowley’s daughter.”

  Aiwass stared her down and crouched down to the ground, digging his nails into the dirt, causing the earth to bleed under his fingertips. He tilted his head and spoke in his own voice, as Clytie watched the deeper voice come out of the pretty girl that crouched in front of her.

  “I find it humorous that you taunt me… I happen to love the taste of nymph; it is sweet to the palate and causes my lips to tremble,” Aiwass said.

  Clytie bit her lip and stared into his eyes, as he lifted his dirt-filled fingernails, streaked with blood, and placed them in his mouth. Shuddering from the taste of the two mixed together. She scooted back a little, and Aiwass grinned and looked at her, as he bit into his fingerti
p and tore off a small piece of flesh, letting it linger on his tongue.

  “I meant no harm… but you took the body of a girl, young at that. I would have assumed that you would have taken another boy… as you had when we met the first time.”

  Aiwass stood up and wiped his hand across the front of the dress, staining it with blood and dirt.

  “Well, I like this body… it comes with many advantages. One, it has a lure about it, and two… it is easier to find boys willing to fuck me,” he said.

  “Oh… I see,” Clytie said, as she looked up at him and leaned her head to the side.

  “So… what are you meddling in now?”

  Aiwass grinned, and his eyes rolled back to their original color. His face turned back to the porcelain finish that Lizzy had.

  Clytie smiled at him.

  “I had to take this body. I felt it was fitting to steal the body of Aliester Crowley’s daughter, it was payment for stealing my book,” he said.

  Clytie shook her head and looked at her ankle, then back up to him.

  “You are the epitome of vengeance,” she said.

  He smiled and looked her up and down, as he cleared his throat and his voice returned to that of Lizzy’s.

  “As are you, my love,” he said.

  Clytie grinned and spread her legs a little, to reveal her panties to him.

  Lizzy grinned and looked around the forest.

  “I have no time to waste. I came to heal you of your infliction,” she said.

  Clytie closed her legs and frowned.

  “What a pity; I assumed that you would like to have a taste of me.”

  Lizzy smiled and looked her up and down.

  “Your temptation does not go unnoticed,” she said.

  Lizzy looked at her and smiled, revealing all her teeth.

  “Perhaps later… as for now, I need you up and running,” she said to her.

  Clytie sighed and placed her hand on her breast.

  Lizzy watched her and bit her lip.

  “I have always known that you were special, Clytie, temptress to the gods… and to demons,” she said, as she lowered her head and looked at her hands.

  She started to wipe them together, and then she spit on them and rubbed them on her dress again. She looked up quickly and snatched a bird, as it flew to close to her and squeezed it in her hand, until you could hear the bones snap under her grip. The bird cried out, and she shuddered, as she leaned her head back and felt its life leave it. She dropped it on the ground, and Clytie looked at it and back up to her.