I wished that my grandmother would’ve had more faith and confidence in me. I know I was a bloody, insane asylum mess when she saw me, but she could've waited at least a few weeks before making such a momentous decision. There were many other aspects about this that was so wrong that I had a hard time keeping the list in my head at the moment.
I was having difficulty concentrating on anything since all I could think of were memories of my dad. I remembered a game we used to play when I was little. He would hide little trinkets all over the house and mark them with numbers. I would have to use a map to figure out the clues and only when I had all of them could I get my treasure.
It was silly and fun but sitting here now I realized how much time and effort he must have put into those treasure hunts. We hadn’t reminisced about that game for years. I could see him helping me put bait on a line and teaching me to throw my rod out just right. I never was interested in fishing. It had been just an excuse to spend time with my dad.
I smiled as tears rolled down my face when I thought of him teaching me how to drive a stick shift. I was horrible at it because the whole concept seemed so foreign and ancient. He kept pushing me to learn how to do it properly. It’s like riding a bike, he said, once you know how to do it, you’ll never forget. He was right of course, but I was very relieved when my first car they had bought me had been an automatic.
His face started to blur in my brain, and all I could see was him with red eyes. It was such a horrific picture in my head. The fact that my father was now a vampire was just wrong.
Why? I asked to the heavens. Why him? I started shouting. The air whipped around me, and the tree roots began to make their way over to me. I felt their comforting embrace as they wrapped around my body, and I held on to them with a death grip.
A small fire danced in front of me as a thundercloud began to form off to the west. I hadn’t reached out to the elements. They had come to me in my time of need, and I could feel their strength surround my body.
I don’t know how long I sat there but when I thought about Mathias I sighed with regret. I didn’t blame him. I had lashed out at him, and he didn’t deserve that from me. He had done nothing except try and give everything of himself to me, and I had pushed him away like a piece of trash. I remembered what the ghost of my great grandfather said. This is what I lost. I lost a piece of my father. How big that piece was I didn’t know quite yet but I knew he might never be the same. I needed Mathias now more than ever. I needed him to keep me grounded and stable because I was always one step away from losing it completely.
Most of all, I just wanted to be with him because I loved him.
I stood up and tried to release the elements, but they wouldn’t leave me. I tried again and felt a small fission of fear. I knew that they thought I needed them, but I couldn’t handle them for this long. I begged for them to go, but they stubbornly stayed put.
That’s when I started to feel anger. They were angry on my behalf, and they wanted me to release them as violently as possible. I didn’t want hurt anyone, especially Mathias, but I had to figure out a way before they overtook my mind again.
I decided to teleport and was almost happy when I did it with no problems. I stopped in the meadow and hoped that was enough of magical release, but they were still under my skin. When I started scratching myself, I knew I had to get to Mathias quickly.
I found him on the back deck and when I tried to talk he put up his hand for me to be quiet. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I wanted to give him the courtesy of listening to what he had to say, but I was in the middle of a mini crisis right now.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry Willa, you’re right I could've fought Winifred on this more…”
“No,” I said. “I’m sorry for saying that to you. Look, I need you to…”
“No, please,” he said as I groaned inwardly. The creepy crawly feeling was back I wanted to scream
“I’m not sure if I could’ve stopped this or even delayed it, but I could've tried harder for your sake. I knew only too well what this might do to you, but I was so wrapped up in protecting you right at that moment. My only focus had been on you and how I could help make you better. I let something happen that should never have taken place without your input, and I apologize for that.”
“I accept your apology,” I said. “Look I’m having a little problem here…”
“I know you are, and I’m here if you let me help you,” he replied. “I will do anything I can to make things right again.”
“I’m glad you said that because I’m about to explode.”
“What?” he said confused
“The elements came to me and now they won’t leave.”
“All right,” he said slowly. “Stay calm.”
“I can’t fucking stay calm, I feel like I’m going to either rip my skin off or kill someone.”
“What should we do?” he asked urgently as he started to rub his hands roughly up and down my arms
“I had an idea,” I said in a rush. “I know you’re probably going to freak out but I need to get rid of them and I think the only way is to do it with anger. That’s the problem you see, they can sense my misery, and they're mad on my behalf.”
“Ok,” he said perplexed
“Take me to a den of Rau,” I said looking into his eyes. “I need to kill something now.”
“Are you crazy?” he asked
“Um, where have you been these few last weeks?”
“Absolutely not, that’s madness,” he said shaking his head. “I’m sure we can find another way to channel your overactive energies.”
“Listen, I would love for you to bang it out of me but that’s not going to help me right now,” I replied. “Besides I think I might hurt you.”
“What a way to go,” he remarked
“I know that you think this is funny, but I’m serious Mathias,” I said. “Please help me. I can feel it creeping in, and I’m freaking out.”
“Why don’t you go into the meadow and try to release some of it right now,” he suggested
“Why don’t I release it on the people of the great state of Colorado?” I asked in disbelief. “I’m pretty sure this is a Rocky Mountain high they don’t want.”
“What is a Rocky Mountain high?” Mathias murmured. “Isn’t that…?”
“It’s a John Denver song ok?” I practically shouted
“How do you come up with these songs?”
“Jesus fuck Mathias, are we true mates or not?” I asked
“It’s just never ceases to amaze me,” he answered
“Please, Mathias,” I said as I started to shake. “Please take me somewhere so I can kill the Rau and get rid of this inside of me.” Mathias sighed and looked off into the distance. I knew what I was asking maybe a tad bit crazy, but I this just felt right.
“Fine,” he finally said. “I know a place where we can go, and you can commit a massive amount of mayhem and murder.”
“Thank you,” I said relieved
“There’s also someone I think you should meet.”
“Well, can we do this meet and greet when I finish killing a bunch of Rau?”
“He’ll be there,” Mathias said. “Try not to kill him. We need him.”
“He’s going to be there?” I asked as I started to scratch my arms
“You’ll find out later,” Mathias said as he grabbed my hands. “Open a portal to London. The place we’re going is near the warehouse where we rescued Julia and Gussie.”
“Oh, awesome,” I said as I chanted the spell to open the portal. “I have so many fond memories of that area.”
A few minutes later we were walking down a dark and smelly alleyway in between two old brick warehouses.
“You know the whole time change thing just never occurs to me whenever I open a portal on another continent,” I muttered as I jumped over what looked like a used condom
Mathias eyes were darting around as we continued deeper down the
path. I could tell he was annoyed at me for even suggesting doing something like this, but I didn’t care. If I didn’t release this from my body soon, I was going to crazy.
“I love that you take me to such romantic places,” I said. “I am totally throwing these shoes away when we get home.”
“Shh, quiet,” he said in a low voice. I strained to hear anything, but all I could make it was the sound of scurrying rat feet on the trash that littered the ground. He stopped suddenly in front of a boarded up door at the end and turned to me.
“I realize that this is something that you feel like you have to do in order to not only release your anger but also seek some sort of revenge because your father is now part Rau. You will listen to me when we get in there and let me do all the talking. If and when I see fit for you to release your power, I will signal for you to do so but not before then.”
“Wow, it’s like the moment we stepped back on English soil your stick magically reappeared up your ass,” I said
“There is someone in there that you cannot under any circumstances hurt or kill,” he ignored me as he kept talking. “I will point him out to you. Leave him alone Willa.”
“Fine,” I answered as I started shifting my feet anxiously
“Are you nervous?” he asked as his hand stilled on the door
“No, I’m just antsy and slightly disturbed,” I said. “I know that I shouldn’t want to harm another human being but right now all I want to do is to kill. That’s so wrong, isn’t it?”
“The Rau are not human beings,” he reminded me. “They choose to lose their souls.”
I nodded, and Mathias ripped the board away from the metal door with ease. I watched as he tore the hinges off as quietly as possible, and I followed him through the door and into a dark hallway. He grabbed my hand, and we made our way cautiously further in the building. I started to hear music thumping away and all of a sudden I felt them.
It was like every part of my body went on high alert. I could smell their scents and feel their viciousness. It was horrifying yet exciting all at the same time. My body repelled against their presence yet my power from the elements surged inside of me almost painfully. As we rounded a corner I spotted two of them guarding a door and before they or I could react; Mathias rushed towards them and ripped their hearts out onto the floor.
When he tore their heads off, I didn’t feel any repulsion, I felt wired with anticipation and strangely aroused. I shook off the sexual feelings though. Now was not the time for any of that. Mathias looked at me silently and for the first time in weeks, talked silently to me through our bond.
Mask your scent for the time being.
Mask my scent? Why? I want to drive them crazy
Just for a minute. You can undo it easily enough
So now may not be the time to say this but when you just killed those two, I was completely turned on
You are correct, now is not the time to discuss such things
I smiled and shook my head at his formality. Where had my easygoing mate gone, I asked myself
I will be sure to make a note of that though for future reference
Good idea, if I don’t put out, you just need to kill a Rau in front of me. I have to be honest that makes me moist with anticipation.
Mathis rolled his eyes and sighed. I was still laughing to myself when he opened the door to an open and airy room. It was large and dark, but I could make out four stories of catwalks that circled the entire perimeter of the area. The music was blasting, and there were a few hundred Rau dancing, talking and lounging around as they drank a dark red liquid out of crystal wine glasses.
We only had about thirty seconds before they noticed our presence and in an instant every Rau in the nightclub went silent and unmoving. Mathias walked ahead with an air of confidence that was almost awe aspiring. I could almost see every person in the room shrank under his powerful gait. Their shocked expressions turned to curiosity when they focused on me though.
The more they looked, the more power I felt. I had to bit the inside of my mouth to keep a war cry from erupting from my mouth. I wanted blood, and I wanted it now.
“Mathias, this is a surprise,” a voice called from above. I looked up and all I could see was a shadow of a man on the fourth floor
“Lucian,” Mathias returned. “I brought someone for you to meet.”
“Oh, I think we both know why you brought her here,” he laughed. “Please proceed but make sure she doesn’t kill me. That would put a damper on my night.”
That’s Lucian. Do not…
Kill him, yes I know. Who is he by the way?
You’ll find out soon enough
“Mathias?” a man said as he came to stand in front of him. “Surely this is not the high and mighty Guardian of the Solas?”
Mathias didn’t say anything. He just looked at the man with such loathing that I’m surprised he didn’t burst from the inside out.
“Why on earth have you brought a human with you?” the man asked. “She does not belong here. If you have a business with Lucian that’s fine but leave your little piece of garbage at the door.”
“He’s all yours sweetheart,” Mathias murmured as he turned to me and walked away. I saw him go towards the bar and watched in shock as he poured himself a glass of whiskey
“Who are you?” the man said to me in disdain
“Well, I’m your worst nightmare,” I said. “I’m a crazy bitch who knows she’s crazy and on top of that I am extremely pissed off at the world right now.”
“Whatever are you talking about?” a woman asked laughingly. “You’re our worst nightmare? Little girl you have no idea who you are talking too or do you have any concept of what a truly scary nightmare can be like.”
“I would have to disagree with you on that.” I replied. “You have no idea how my reality recently was much worse than anything you could ever do to me.”
“Who are you?” the woman asked
“I just want to say beforehand that I’m sure you all came here tonight looking for a good time. Maybe you wanted to come and hang out with your friends or maybe you wanted to find some random person to hook up with for the night. I apologize ahead of time, but none of you will be leaving here tonight to go slinking back to your lairs to plan or kill any more innocent people. I take that back; I could care less about you. I will be happy to watch you burn in hell when I take your pitiful so called lives.”
I unmasked my scent and every single one of their noses flared. They all flashed their fangs at me and moved in threateningly. My fire rippled under my skin, and I knew it was time to release everything I had in me. They were not going to wait for any more conversation to take place.
“All right, now let’s play,” I said. “Who’s first?”
Chapter Seventeen
I had about a half second to react before they started to rush me. I decided not to play around too much at first and quickly teleported around the main level setting as many of them on fire as I could. I stopped to survey the damage and every single one of them that was left looked at me with a mixture of shock and fear. My scent though was too much of a temptation for them though and soon enough more started coming in my direction.
I flung more of my fire at a group of twenty or so before teleporting up to the second story balcony. I could tell that these vampires were older and much smarter than any of the ones currently smoldering in ash below us. I decided to use the earth and when I called it I felt a rush of happiness. Long vines suddenly thrust through the walls and enveloped all those that were around me. The sharp thorns punctured their skin and I danced around lighting them on fire as they writhed with agony.
Roars filled the air, and I teleported my way up to the third story where I was met by a furious mob. I laughed as more vines appeared and wrapped around them. A few had been quick enough to escape, and I teleported up and around the building while they chased me furiously. I finally was able set each one of them on fire and went back to where the group
of fifty or so were lined up perfectly on the third floor with the vines still holding them.
I called upon my air and decided to try something I never thought possible. I thrust the element at every vampire’s chest and when I saw them all gasp as the air hit them I pulled it back as hard as I could. I was almost disgusted at first by the hearts that were ripped out of their bodies and onto the floor, but I didn’t have too much time to wallow in my revulsion. More were coming down from the fourth story balcony, and I had to act fast.
I made the vines retreat from their bodies and used the razor sharp thorns to slice their heads off neatly. I swallowed a bit of bile but teleported up to the fourth and final story. I landed in front of Lucian, who stepped out of the shadows, and I almost stumbled as I took in his extremely handsome face. I frowned though when something about him seemed so familiar. I wasn’t sure if it was his face or sherry colored eyes, but he caught me off guard with his appearance.
“There’s one coming behind you Luv,” he smirked and slid away again into the corner
I slipped into a vapor and had just reappeared when two Rau grabbed hold of my arms. I glanced down and saw Mathias stiffen, but I shook my head and just called upon my fire. My whole body went up in flames, and I twirled around and flung it out to every direction I could see at my dizzying pace. I breathed out a sigh of relief when I stopped and went downstairs to join Mathias at the bar. I grabbed his glass and drained it before saying a word.
“It was like shooting fish in a barrel,” I smiled
“Incoming,” Mathias said. I looked behind me and saw the last twenty or so coming towards us carefully. I could tell they were trying to be smart, but it was no contest anymore.
“You want to take those?” I asked him
The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook* Page 86