Hells Royalty The Princess

by Wennberg, Jessica

  I used my phone to search for a taxi service and discovered the town was too little to have one. I sighed at my appalling luck and then heard someone clear their throat behind me.

  "I can give you a ride home if you like or wouldn't mind. I mean I'm not really a bad driver. You saw from the traffic camera that both of our lights were green. Really, I promise I will be super careful and I will even drive under the speed limit. Please Ms. Stiles let me at least get you home since I am the reason that you are stuck here and not already there." Matthews was very concerned and was being very chivalrous. Oh what the hell, it's not like he can kill me.

  "Ok fine, but you had better be careful. I really don't want to bleed anymore today." I followed him to his truck and he was even a gentleman and opened the door for me then helped me in.

  "Thank you" I stammered as he let go of my hand. I had a really weird vibe coming from him and I could not place it.

  "So where are we going to Ms. Stiles?" Matthews asked as he started his truck and headed to the exit.

  "Please call me Katilyn; Ms. Stiles makes me feel like a teacher or something. And we are heading east to a lake house on the outskirts of town, on McAdams Lane. Do you know where it is?" I asked him as he headed out of the parking lot.

  Matthews had a fleeting look of being uncomfortable, but it was gone as soon as it crossed his face.

  "Um, yeah I know that area. Actually I live about ten minutes farther down the road." He turned the radio on and turned it down low like background noise.

  "Huh well that's interesting. So are you going to be one of those crazy neighbors who come to borrow a cup of sugar late at night and then winds up murdering me?" I raised an eyebrow at him and let him know I was teasing him. Matthews laughed a deep laugh which made me laugh.

  "No, I'm not going to murder you, and I probably won't be coming to borrow a cup of sugar, I keep my place well stocked. What about you? You're new and I wasted all of your groceries today, sure you won't come to borrow sugar and then murder me?" he smiled at me with a breath catching smile.

  I scoffed at him, "Me, no I'm harmless to you. And besides if I had wanted to kill you I would have at the crash and made it look like it was part of the accident." His face was priceless and I couldn't hold back my laughter. I at least had him believing that I was innocent.

  "Oh Matthews I'm playing, lighten up." I lightly smacked his arm and felt that same heat with the weird vibe, I kept myself from jerking my hand back but I removed it a lot quicker than I should have which made him raise an eyebrow. That heat and feeling were starting to worry me.

  It only took us about 10 minutes and we were pulling in my drive.

  "Well here we are Katilyn. WOW, you ordered a lot. Did you buy the whole store?" he asked as his eyes bugged out.

  "Yeah well when you don't bring anything with you and I also tend to go overboard when I shop." I smiled a sad smile and got out.

  I let the guys in and told them what went to each room. As they loaded my new house down with new furniture I saw Matthews approaching me at the stairs.

  "Well Katilyn I should leave you to your home. Again I am sorry and I will never forgive myself for what happened. If anything had happened to you I don't know what I would have done." He took a deep and shaky breath.

  I placed my hand on his shoulder, ignoring the heat. "Matthews it wasn't your fault. The light was screwed up. Really I'm not mad at you anymore. Go home, get some rest and you can come and take me to the Jeep dealer in the morning. OK?" I smiled at him hoping his grief would end now that I had tried to mend things and I had asked for his help. I cast a peace spell over him since I had physical touch to him. He seemed to calm instantly.

  "Ok, well I will see you then." He smiled back at me and left.

  I felt a feeling of sadness after he left and could not wait for the delivery guys to finish up. It was almost ten when they left and I headed straight in, locked up the house, and got a hot shower. Tonight it was hard to clear my mind. I kept going back to the blood and the broken bones and the miracle that everyone thought it was. Yeah it was a miracle, unless you knew the actual truth.

  Thanks to my mom, I learned early on that this was not a miracle, it was a horrible burden. As I washed the blood from my hair and watched the drain turn scarlet I thought back to that day.

  ---"Sweetheart can you come here? I need to talk to you about your dad and I need you to listen. You are not to ask questions till the end." Mom had said as she took my hand and lead me to the couch.

  "What is it mommy? Did that lady tell you something about daddy; has he done something bad?" I asked worried he knew about me now, all I knew about him was he was a bad man and we did not want him to find us...

  "Well she did tell me something about your dad, but she actually told me a lot about you, something really good. You see she is a really nice lady and she has special powers like we do." She smiled but I could tell she was still worried about something.

  "Well if it is something good, why are we talking about daddy, there's never anything good about daddy." I crossed my arms and moved my body in front of her on the floor so she could braid my hair.

  "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. Well we have to talk about your daddy to get to the good stuff about you. Okay, listen you know I told you that he doesn't know about you, and that I didn't tell him because he is a bad person. Well that has changed Katilyn, he knows about you now. He will be coming for you now, but I promise you that I will keep you safe from him." She was very calm for this conversation.

  I jumped up from the floor, "No mommy! He can't have me. You can't let him take me. You said he is the devil and I'm a witch I and can't go to him, I can't go to the devil!" I yelled at her.

  She put her hands on my shoulders to calm me, "Sweetie you must calm down! He is not going to take you; I will die before that happens. And you are right, when I said he is the devil I meant it, he really is Lucifer himself, he just goes by Damien. And you are also right, you are a witch, but unfortunately you are also part of him which makes you a hybrid witch with demonic blood in you." She stopped because I had literally stopped breathing. I was part demon, part witch and I was flipping out. I couldn't be the daughter of the devil, I felt good, and I didn't feel like I had bad stuff in me.

  "Katy it's ok. That nice lady today, she is what we call a prophetess; she can see the future and she saw great things for you. You will not turn out to be like your father. You will kill his kind, the demons and the other creatures that do his bidding. You are a warrior and you are strong. She also told me that you will start coming into stronger powers and when you turn twenty one you will have your full witch and demonic powers. Normally you would get your full witch powers at 15 but the demon blood is blocking it. They will both come to full strength when you are 21 and you will be the strongest anyone has ever seen, practically invincible. She also told me that you will meet a boy and he will help you fight Damien and you will save the world from his domination." She smiled as she thought about this and watched me absorb all this information.

  I opened my eyes in the water and then opened my hands while they were in the spray. I watched as a rainbow appeared between them, then turned into a beautiful white star, and then finally morphed into a brilliant green emerald. I cried myself dry and then got out.

  I went to bed hungry, lonely, and with a wet head, so naturally when the doorbell rang at 7 am the next morning I looked like a crazed maniac looking for her next hit.

  "What?" I snarled as I opened the door to find a very startled Matthews.

  "Well hello and good morning to you Miss Grumpy. Should I be looking for Sleepy and Dopey also?" he smiled as he walked in past me with his arms full of bags.

  "What the hell are you doing here and with all those bags to boot?" I was starting to calm down but my brain was still in defense mode.

  "Well actually I came bearing gifts before I take you to the dealership. I brought groceries to replace the ones that I ruined yesterday, plus some extra ones that I pick
ed out. Oh and breakfast is in that first bag, so dig in" and he walked back out to the car.

  Okay, see this is why I don't make friends. They show up just whenever they want and it’s way too early after a horrible night's sleep. My dreams had morphed from my mom into the blue eyed stranger once again, and he seems intent on chasing me into hell, literally, the hell with fires and demons and brimstone to boot.

  "Earth to Katilyn. Hey did you hear a word I just said?" Matthews asked as he placed a final bag on the counter and raised an eyebrow at me.

  "Um, sorry I had a bad night's sleep. Still waking up, what did you say?" I plopped down at a stool and started picking through bags.

  Matthews seemed to eye me up and down then and that made me notice my wardrobe, boy shorts and a tank top, well at least my tattoos were covered.

  "Yeah why don't I go get dressed and you can get the plates ready. I will be right back." I exited from the room and bolted up the stairs. I dressed in my classic outfit, worn denim jeans, fitted red t-shirt, and pulled my hair in a low braid. I don't wear makeup because apparently my dads' genes make my skin flawless, along with self-healing, incredible strength, and a greater speed than the average human. I put on my custom Frye boots that concealed a blade that I always carry with me and headed downstairs for breakfast with Matthews.

  I picked up my coffee and studied it for a moment. In answer to my gaze Matthews answered, "Two spoons of sugar and a dash of milk, I'm hoping that's right" he said and laid a plate full of food in front of me.

  I took a sip and sighed into the goodness of the drink, "Perfect! Wow, look at all this food. It looks delicious, thank you for cooking all this." He nodded welcome and we ate in a comfortable silence. After eating and cleaning up we headed out back to the porch.

  "So where did you come from?" Matthews asked as he sat down on the bench swing.

  Ugh, personal questions so early. This cannot be happening. A guy at my house, bringing me food, cooking for me, and asking me personal questions, there is something seriously wrong with the world; it must be coming to an end.

  "Well, I come from all over actually. I love to travel and I don't call one place home. Have you lived here all your life?" I asked him in hopes of steering the conversation away from me.

  "Yeah, I have actually. I've only traveled to a few other states. What you do sounds awesome though, always at a new place, seeing new things. Where all have you been, have you ever been out of the states?" he turned the questions back on me. Matthews also turned his body towards mine which made his knee touch mine and even through the fabric I could feel that weird pull and the heat…I wonder if he could feel it too.

  "Well I've seen all fifty states, England, France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain. I think Ireland was my favorite, all the green and the old castles, made it feel like I was in a fairy tale. But then this is nice too, the small town, quiet all around, lets me enjoy the natural pleasures of life. What about you, what's your story?" I really wanted to get away from my trips which always involved running, hiding, and killing.

  "Hmm, my life story. Well my parents also grew up here, John and Linda Matthews. I am an only child, almost 21, and my parents died when I was 16. So I have been on my own since then. That's my story." Matthews talked with sadness but like he was okay with all that had happened.

  His parents had died when he was 16, I knew how he felt and I was anything but sad and okay, I was downright angry.

  "I'm sorry about your parents. I know how you feel; my mom was murdered in a home robbery when I was 2 days shy of my sixteenth. I had no one to go to so I have traveled the world seeing everything I thought she would want to see one day." That was the best that I could do without showing my true feelings. I sensed his aura change I could feel that he felt uneasiness and maybe shock flooding him; he was confused like he could not believe something.

  "What about your dad, if you don't mind me asking? Couldn't he have taken you in?" Matthews asked concerned about my story.

  "Well my dad has never been around; he didn't know my mom was pregnant when they separated. My mom had no living family so I was either going to a home or traveling and I chose traveling. I didn't want to stay cooped up with people who felt sorry for a girl whose mom was murdered in front of her. You know what; can we not talk about this anymore?" I got up from the swing and walked to the edge of the porch.

  "Katilyn, I'm very sorry about that, it must have been awful. I know what you mean though, I was in the car with my parents and someone pulled me from the car just before it exploded into flames killing both of my parents, otherwise I would have been in there with them. I saw them burn in front of me so I know how that feels. Look, what about your ride, you said you needed to go to the dealer in town today, how about you get ready and I will take you there." Matthews got up and headed over to me, I figured he wanted to console me or something, I couldn't let that happen.

  I turned back to him quickly, "That sounds great, let me go freshen up and I will meet you downstairs in a few minutes." I brushed past him and bolted up the stairs. I had to do something about this connection I was feeling to this human.

  As I was drying my hands and face I heard the faint whisper of the stranger, "You cannot hide forever my dear Katilyn". That sent ice through my veins and I immediately started protection spells. I was terrified of only one person other than Damien and that was this stranger. I knew he wasn't there, but it was on the wind, so I knew he had to be using a witch to help send his warnings. Mother Nature does not do any favors or help any demons, so a witch was manipulating the wind so that it would carry the voice to me. I needed to get out of this house and get me a ride.

  Chapter 4--Blood Loss and Bravery

  Matthews dropped me off at the dealership around eleven and said he would see me later. I had told him I would get a rental if they didn't have what I wanted so he wouldn't have to wait. Lucky for me this town likes to keep a fresh inventory of vehicles for some weird reason, so I had no problem finding the new MW3 version of the Jeep. This one was pretty bad ass for a stock Jeep, but I would definitely be customizing it myself. It had four doors, so I could put more stuff in it and so that was going to be a bonus.

  I only pay cash for things so I had to haggle the sales manager for an out the door cash price. That was hard because he had a really hard time believing that I had that kind of money just sitting in a bank waiting to be used. After an hour of looking and negotiations I was driving away with a really awesome Jeep. I decided I needed to head to the junkyard to see if there was anything that I could salvage from my old ride.

  Around 4:30 in the afternoon I finally made it home. I had retrieved all that I could from my wrecked Jeep but I still had to order some parts for the new one.

  I went upstairs to my locker when I got in and started unloading it because I was on the defensive now that the stranger had reached me in the daytime, on the wind, of all things. I checked all my gear to make sure it was in top form and performed any spells that were becoming weak. My leather jacket was still perfect, but worn. The demon knives inside were still strong and did not need any boost. I checked the bottles of holy water and the vials of salt water, all were sealed and intact.

  In the past ten years I have learned a lot. My mom started explaining to me at the age of ten about all the things people believe are only myth are actually real life creatures. All the things that little kids like to believe go bump in the night and the parents tell them no, just go back to sleep, well those kids are right. Most of the time kids have a stronger sixth sense and are able to pick up on the paranormal and freaky things, but as they get older and lose their innocence they lose those abilities and become like every other adult on this planet who chooses to believe that scary things simply are not real.

  Ghosts are real, although they are either trapped here or are left with unfinished business. They normally do not mean any harm and humans just usually get in their way when they are trying to do something so that's when humans get scared.

 
; Witches are real, well duh, I am one silly. The majority of us follow the three fold rule, so we normally don't do a lot of harm to others as whatever we dish out we receive back three times three fold whatever it was. But then there are the witches that use the magic to perform dark spells and actually do cause harm to others cursing the homes and people in it. You have your good and bad in every culture.

  Vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, faeries, and even gnomes are real. I tend to stay away from all of those when possible. I have only ever crossed a handful of decent vampires and faeries are beautiful, but very mischievous. They like to trick you into owing them for something that they might give you and let me tell you, you do not want to owe a fairy. I have heard stories of angels being real, but they are the only entity that I have never had the pleasure of meeting. I have however come across their counterpart, the demon, many, many times. Although I am a relative, or actually an aunt, to all demons, I kill them ferociously and without remorse. Most look human like me, while others fit the profile perfectly, ugly, charred skin, growls, and the worst smell ever.

  So those I fight and regardless of their human form I will kill them the same. When they are in human form it happens one of two ways, either they are a stronger demon and can alter their appearance or they have killed or possessed a human and taken over their body. Whichever one it is I don't have second guesses as to whether or not I will kill them, the human is already dead or wishes they were so they will never be sane again. So legally you cannot kill a dead person and the ones who are still alive in there I am doing them a favor.