by Adria Wade
“I won’t be here when you wake up, but I’ll stay for a little while.” His voice, sweet to my ear, sounded so far away, it was like an echo traveling through a tunnel.
It was the last thing I heard before falling into a deep sleep.
****
Pain stabbed through my stomach. It was so excruciating that it took my breath away. Already curled in a ball, I whimpered and pressed my face against my knees, feeling drops of sweat run down my face, tickling my skin. I was so afraid. I didn’t know what was wrong. I’d never felt such unbearable waves of pain ripping through my stomach before, and I felt so incredibly drained to where I could barely lift my limbs to get out of bed. On top of that, nausea hit me a few minutes ago. I was taking in deep breaths to hopefully prevent myself from being sick. My heart sped as I began to panic at one body numbing, heart dropping, thought…What if I was dying? Tears filled my eyes. I feared death. I wasn’t ready, despite how miserable I was.
Silas left while I was still sleeping, so I had no one. I had to get out of bed. If I was going to die, then I wasn’t dying in this cold room all alone. I wanted my comfort. I needed Eli.
It was a struggle to sit up. I fought against my weak body, pushing against its resistance. As I stood, I was immediately knocked in the gut with an excruciating, crippling pain. I whimpered and held my stomach as I quickly grabbed onto the bedside table, needing its support.
I held my breath and fought through the pain as I reached for the sheet on the bed and wrapped it around my naked body. With my body hunched over, it was a slow walk to the door. My legs were shaking and I was afraid that at any moment, I would collapse on the floor and not be able to go any further. I was finally able to make it, though.
I opened the door and stepped out in the hall. My arm slid across the wall as I leaned on it and walked my way to Eli’s room. My tired body didn’t want to go on, but I pushed myself to walk. His room was just straight ahead. It wasn’t that much further now. My feet practically drug on the floor as I slowly but surely grew closer to his door. I opened the door. The light from the hall had shed its light in his dark room.
“Eli,” I called, my voice cracking and laced with pain.
He sat up and turned on the lamp that stood on his bedside table. His sleepy eyes squinted at me as they adjusted to the light. They widened at once, his face filled with worry as he saw that I wasn’t well.
“Help me,” I pleaded.
He jumped out of bed and ran to me, using his immortal speed. He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bed. I curled into a ball and sucked in a breath. He kneeled on the floor and ran his fingers through my hair. My eyes closed as the feel of his fingers gently gliding through my hair felt good, calming me in an instant.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” he said in a panic.
“Pain-” I whimpered as a stabbing pain, so much stronger than what I’d had to endure for the past hour, silenced me at once.
He cupped my chin, lifting my head. I opened my eyes to his cold glare, which stared at my neck.
His nose flared as he met my gaze. “You were with Silas.”
How did he know?
I nodded. “I told him that I only wanted to be friends.”
“Oh, is that why you have a hickey on your neck?”
My heart dropped. Damn him! Silas wanted Eli to see the hickey so that he would know that I had been with him.
He shook his head. “You look bad, Paige.”
The sorrow that flooded his face had taken over the anger as his eyes filled with tears. He looked so helpless. The tears that fell from his eyes had answered the daunting question that haunted my thoughts. I was, indeed, going to die.
“I’m not going to be okay,” I said.
“I’m not sure,” he choked out.
I knew then that I had to tell him. I refused to die without telling him how I felt.
I grabbed hold of his hand. “I love you. You’re the one I want. You’re my forever, Eli.”
He gave the saddest smile I’d ever seen. “I love you, too. Don’t leave me, okay? You can’t leave me, too.”
It was the sweetest, yet saddest thing I’d ever heard. He lost Alyssa, a death that completely destroyed him, and now he had to watch me suffer. I didn’t want to ruin him. I couldn’t leave him broken. No. I had to fight. My body had to fight.
Chapter Nineteen
I tore my heavy eyes open, seeing double before my sight had cleared. Eli was sitting in his chair, leaning forward with his head resting on the bed and his hand wrapped loosely around mine. His lips were parted slightly and the sweet sound of his steady breaths filled my ears. The excruciating stabbing pains that I was forced to endure for hours on end until finally passing out were gone, and it was a relief. I was afraid to move. My body ached all over, but I would take a sore, aching body over unbearable pains ripping through my abdomen any day.
I eased my hand out of Eli’s and ran my fingers through his soft, unkempt hair. He stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He looked up at me, and I smiled as I stared back into those beautiful, captivating orange eyes of his; a sight I thought I would never see again. He lifted his head and ran his hand over his tired face.
“How is my dad?”
“He’s okay. It was obviously a concussion.”
“Good. I’m happy he’s okay.”
“The good news is he still can’t remember what happened.”
“Good. No exposure for the supernatural world.”
“Exactly.” He paused, and then continued. “I’m not giving you up, even if you decide you love him one day, because, despite what you think, I’m not only fighting for your love; I’m fighting for your soul.”
His last words, so powerful and cryptic, made the hair on my arms rise as a surge of fear chilled every inch of my body.
“What?”
“That’s what I wrote in the note that I left on my pillow that morning I left. I know exactly what I said, because I read that damn note three times before I left.”
I slowly sat up, wincing from the pain. My hand flew to my mouth as I was suddenly hit with nausea. I noticed then that Chelsea was lying at the end of the bed, sleeping. I breathed deep through my nose, swallowing back the bile that slid up my throat.
“You said you were fighting for my soul.”
“Yeah, I did. I told you Silas was dangerous, and last night was proof of how sinister he is.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know him like I do. He wouldn’t hurt me. I can feel it in here.” I pressed my hand to my chest where my heart thumped against my ribcage.
He growled, his wolf stirring within as he got up from the chair. “He still has you so wrapped. He’s the reason why you were in so much pain. You can’t be his friend, Paige. You have to break yourself free of him and kill him. But that’s the problem; I don’t know how to kill them, and you have to be willing to let him go. I know what happens in the end.” His voice, filled with frustration, grew louder with every word he spoke, forcing Chelsea to stir as her eyes popped open, alert at once.
“Would you stop blaming him for what another incubus did?”
“They’re all the same!” he screamed, his voice deepening as the wolf came out. The blue gradually took over his eyes. Afraid of the creature he had unleashed, my eyes widened as I watched him pace the room, his hands fisted at his sides as his body shook with anger he could barely control.
Chelsea got out of bed as quickly as she could. “Eli, calm down,” she said sternly.
“She refuses to listen, no matter how many times I try to tell her. I’m the one that has to watch her suffer. I’m the one that sat here last night and watched her sleep, hoping that she wouldn’t stop breathing.” He stopped pacing, then turned around to face her. “How does she not suspect that he’s the one behind her suffering?”
“You said it yourself: mind manipulation. Instead of getting angry at her, which isn’t going to solve anything but make her afraid of you and quite possibly drive the
both of you apart even more than you already are, calm down and let her see for herself.”
He exhaled. “Okay…you’re right.”
He walked over to me and sat back down. His eyes still glowed blue, but I wasn’t afraid. He seemed like he gained control over his emotions once more.
“This whole situation hits too close to home.” He looked away and exhaled. The misery that poured on his face tugged at my heavy heart. I wanted to crawl in his lap and wrap my arms around him. “It’s like ripping old wounds back open. If I fail to save you like I failed to save Alyssa, then it will completely destroy me.”
He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and handed it to me. “Google ‘incubus’. Half of the facts that I have learned by dealing with them aren’t even on the internet, but it does say what their goal is, and that’s exactly what you need to read.”
“Okay then.”
I exhaled and clicked on the Google app on his Samsung and typed in incubus. An image of an eighteenth century incubus hovering over a sleeping woman popped up. Such things as ‘Dream stalker’, ‘Demons’, and ‘Satan’s minions’, caught my eye. As I read over a passage, I learned that they lie upon sleeping women to engage in sexual activity. Their main goal is to either impregnate women or feed off their soul. Repeated sexual activity with an incubus can result in the deterioration of health, and even death—a fact that made me so sick to my stomach. Silas had visited me in my dreams before, and what I thought was just a fantasy, had actually happened. We had sex, and after I woke up, I felt drained, as if he sucked all of my energy out of my body. He had, indeed, fed off my soul.
I shook my head and tried so hard not to cry, but the tears keptbuilding. I read on. They are master manipulators. They are able to control your mind and emotions. Even their kiss can be deadly.
So many emotions ran through me'—sorrow, anger, confusion—yet I could still feel the trust that he embedded in me, working its magic in his favor. But the doubt was growing, pushing at the trust that I had for him until there wasn’t much trust left. Why would he risk his own life to save me multiple times when he knew that in the end I was dead, anyway? Why, after saving me, after winning my trust, would he stab me in the heart and not think anything of it?
I put the phone down and bowed my head. I knew why. It was all crystal clear now, and I saw him for who he really was. He went through all that trouble to take my soul. I felt so foolish. How could I let him in? Tears, warm to the touch, rolled down my cheeks, and my heart, made of glass, had shattered. The deceit made my blood boil as the feeling of bitterness grew, making the hurt that Silas had caused to heighten. I let myself care for a monster, who, in return, did nothing but use me and stomp on my heart.
I sniffled and looked up at Eli, who was looking down, displeased that I was actually crying over him. How could I not, though? I liked Silas. He made me believe that I was safe with him. He showed me a side to him that any woman would’ve fallen for.
“He had sex with me once in my dream, and…” I paused, daring not to look him in the eyes. “…last night, but I was absolutely awake this time.”
Eli’s brows furrowed. “He had sex with you when you were awake?”
I nodded and wiped the tears from my face.
“That’s odd. Incubi never have sex with women who aren’t sleeping.”
“Wait a minute, so you’re telling me that he’s only visited you once in your dream?”
“Well, no. He visited me a few times, but he didn’t sleep with me.”
Chelsea looked at Eli. “Why wouldn’t he sleep with her every time? If he was only after her soul, she should’ve been dead by now; at least that’s what I assumed after everything you told me about Alyssa.”
Eli rubbed his face, a sign of frustration as he sighed. “I don’t understand his game. When Alyssa bonded herself with Ambrose, he didn’t drag it out with her. She died not even a week after meeting him because he visited her so frequently. Silas isn’t doing that.”
Confused, I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. They were making me question everything. Was he good, or was he not good? The proof pointed more toward him being the sick, evil, manipulative demon that Eli warned me of, but even he was not so sure anymore.
I casted my eyes down and fell into deep thought. There was a time back at the café where he didn’t use his allure on me. I knew that night when I asked if he ever loved someone that there was a longing, a sorrow that grew in his eyes. I felt like that night I was actually seeing the guy behind the mask. And again, when we were swimming. Although there was that one moment where I felt his power, but after that, he didn’t use it to draw me in. It was more so his personality and how playful he was. He made me laugh, and I liked that.
I groaned. I wasn’t sure about anything. My heart was pulling me in two different directions. He was dangerous, yet there was a different side to him, a less dangerous side. Maybe, though, he meant to show me that side so I would trust him that much more. Or what if that good side never even existed?
“What am I supposed to do? You’re telling me he’s evil, but he’s not acting like an incubus should because he hasn’t killed me yet. I’m confused.”
“Look, the bottom line is: he has fed off you and it’s killing you, so no matter what his intentions are, you need to break free,” Eli said.
The door swung open and in walked Athena and a tall, strange man who wore all black, with medium length, black hair, and piercing, light blue eyes. Everything about him was intimidating.
“Violet and Hunter are back.” Her eyes shifted from Eli to me. “You gave us a scare last night. How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “I feel like crap.”
She then gestured to the man beside her. “This is Demetrius, the incubus hunter.”
Demetrius’ eyes drifted around the room, nodding once as a greeting. “Don’t worry; all of your problems will soon be gone once I’m done.”
My heart soared into my stomach. I wasn’t ready. Everything seemed like it was happening so fast. I just found out that not everything was as it seemed with Silas, yet I had a terrible gut feeling that he wasn’t as cold hearted as an incubus should be. There was a piece missing to the puzzle. Now that Demetrius was here to kill him, I wasn’t so sure if it was the right decision; not now that Eli and Chelsea made me question his intentions.
I looked at Eli. “How am I supposed to kill him when I’m not so sure about him?”
Demetrius moved toward the bed, his piercing eyes resting on me then Eli. “Women who are bonded with an incubus are weak, and, therefore, are easily controlled by the demon. They obey, because their willpower isn’t as strong anymore. If she’s still loyal to him and you can’t make her see reason to break the bond then I’m wasting my time here. Breaking the bond is the first step in order to kill the incubus.”
“I want to break the bond. I’m just not sure I want him dead.”
His eyes, serious and penetrating, locked with mine. “I would seriously think twice about that if I were you.”
“Choosing to kill someone is a huge deal. Her mind will never be the same after that, so if she decides not to kill him, Violet should have something that could protect her,” Athena said.
Demetrius scowled at Athena, who in return, folded her arms and gave a scowl right back.
“The best option is to kill them,” Demetrius said.
“Well, I’m just putting it out there,” Athena said.
Eli ran his hand through his hair and exhaled. “Okay, let’s just break the bond and we’ll go from there.”
“If we’re going to do this then we’re going to need the witch, the witch’s blood, a pentagram, her crystals, and Paige’s blood.”
“Why my blood?”
“You’re the only person who has the bond. You’re the one with the connection, so only you have the power to break it and end him. We’re also going to need your blood to call on him. I know you only have to call his name and he’ll come running, but if I know a
nything about incubi, they like to hide within the shadows of your room, watching and listening. I know he’s here. He can choose to ignore your call if you don’t call on him with your blood, but if you use it, then he’ll be forced to come.”
I nodded. “Okay, let’s break the bond.”
****
I sat on the hardwood floor in the training facility while everyone stood around, watching as Violet drew a white pentagram on the floor. The walk from the manor to here took the only energy I had in me and even though I desperately wanted a bed, I knew that sleeping was deadly until the bond was broken.
“How does one become bonded with incubi?” Lucas asked.
“It all begins with a simple kiss,” Demetrius said.
I thought back to our first ever kiss. The lust that filled the air. His eyes, so hypnotizing that they sucked me right in. His lips rubbing against my own. Little did I know that one kiss was the beginning of the end.
I felt a soft sensation run down my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up at Eli, who knelt in front of me. The warm smile he wore on his face instantly made the corners of my mouth rise, even if I wasn’t feeling all that great.
“Hi, there,” he said.
“Hi.”
“Are you okay? You seem a little out of it.”
“I’m fine. I’m tired.”
He held out his hand for me to take. “Violet needs you.”
I placed my hand in his and groaned as he pulled me to my feet.
Violet had a black, velvet, rectangular box in her hand and handed the violet crystals to Hunter, Lucas, Athena, and Kyle.
“What are they?” I asked.
“Amethysts. It protects you from people meant to do harm. You place the four crystals around the pentagram and it will enable his ability to move.”
“I’m not so sure I want to kill him.” I sighed. “I’m not sure about anything. I just want to break the bond until I’m certain that his demise is best. I don’t want to make a mistake.”