by Cara E Holt
Before I can give her an answer, Kol takes the drink from her and puts it down on the table. “Quit with the thoughts of seducing her Adara. I’ve told you I do not share.”
Adara laughs and leans back into her seat. “You used to love to share.”
Kol laughs and shakes his head looking away from her and back to me. He leans into my ear. “You okay?”
I nod. “This place is .…,different.”
He smiles, watching my eyes as they take in the people around us. A female demon with a green coloured short pixie cut, wearing literally a red leather bikini and black over the knee boots walks towards where we are sat. She smiles at Kol. “Kol.”
“Lexie.” Kol replies. The green haired demon drops herself across Adara’s knee and pulls her in for a deep kiss. Adara cups the back of her neck and kisses her back with equal greed.
I sit there and watch them and then flush when I realise I am staring and look away. “Kol’s fighting tonight.” Adara tells the female demon when they eventually pull apart.
Lexie smiles and rubs her hands together. “He has to fight the gargoyle.”
This brings a laugh from Adara. “Ready to face your toughest opponent yet my prince?”
Kol scoffs as if there is no such thing for him as a tough opponent. I’m gawping around the vast basement space again when my eyes must deceive me, because dancing seductively with a male demon is Melantha. “It can’t be.” I whisper to myself. I stand and walk towards her, confused. I hear Kol call out my name but my mind is focused on the girl up in front of me.
I come to a stop behind her and tap her on the shoulder. “Mel.”
She turns around and my heart drops as I realise that whilst the girl bears a striking resemblance to Mel, it isn’t her. Her eyes are a different colour, her face more round and she looks older than Mel.
The female glares at me. “What the fuck are you looking at?”
I gawp at her. “I thought..., from over there, you looked just like her.” Tears threaten as I feel the disappointment of realising it isn’t her. “My friend Melantha, you really look like her.”
I see a reaction in the girl’s eyes before she reins it in and gives me a blank look. “Yeah well I’m Tamara. So go on fuck off.”
I reach out and touch her arm and she stiffens instantly. Looking at my hand on her arm like it is a poisonous snake. “Are you sure you don’t know her, like maybe she’s a relation?”
Tamara steps back away from my touch. “I know no Melantha. Now leave me the fuck alone.”
Her eyes bore into my mind and I draw the hand back that I had been about to reach out to her with. I feel Kol’s arm on my shoulder. “Come on. Leave it be.”
I allow Kol to take my hand in his and pull me along back to the seated area with him but my eyes do not leave hers. The resemblance is to close for me to believe that she isn’t related to Mel.
“Which coven is she from?”
Adara follows my gaze to where Tamara has picked up dancing with the male demon. “She’s a Chattox witch.”
I clench my fists. I knew it. She was related to Melantha and she had just outright lied and denied it. I go to stand and Kol pulls on my wrist. “Leave it.”
I glare at him. “I will not.” I snatch my wrist from his hold and sift right in front of the witch. “You lied. You’re a Chattox witch. You do know Mel.”
The witch smirks at me. “I used to know a witch called Melantha, but she betrayed her family and refused to take the mate chosen for her.”
I glare at the girl and feel the anger in me building. “You disowned her because she wasn’t straight. All of you turned your back on her. None of you came to her funeral.”
The witches lip curls up and she hisses at me. “I suggest you fuck off little girl before I shut you up. Mel betrayed her family. She was dead to us long before she took her last breath.”
I snigger and rest my eyes on the male witch beside her. “Does your mate know you are here with him?”
She steps closer to me. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” I can feel eyes watching us.
I take a step closer and point my finger in her chest. “I tell you who I am. I am the girl who gave the relative you disowned a family again. You disgust me, how could you treat her in such a way?”
Tamara growls at me and takes my finger in her fist. “I said back the fuck off.”
“Make me.” I don’t know what has come over me, but I am super pissed at this girl. I am not sure how she is related to Mel but I hate her for turning her back on her. I hate her for not coming to say goodbye at her funeral. My anger bubbles over inside of me, itching to get out. Tamara holds out her arm and shoves me hard, forcing me to stumble backwards. I stand and shove her back and send her flying onto her backside, before I can process what I am doing I am leaning over her with a sword held in my hands.
“Ebs! Stop.” I hear Kol’s voice beside me. “This isn’t you.”
I flinch and then look shocked when I realise I am stood over Tamara with the tip of the sword resting above her heart. Tamara lies beneath me, looking terrified. “Get off me you crazy bitch.”
Kol gently pulls me up off her and away from her. I look around me and see that around us is deathly quiet. Eyes stare at me in shock and whispers are said behind hands. I look down at the heavy sword in my hand. Its power calls to me in a way I cannot explain. “The Nuada sword.” I say on a whisper. I am not sure how I know but somehow I do. This is the sword that Devlon seeks.
“Put it away flower.” Kol whispers with some urgency in my ear. I look up at him bewildered. I have no clue where it has come from or how I make it go away.
“I don’t know how.” I hiss.
“Will it away.” He suggests to me, so I close my eyes and will the sword to disappear. When I open them I breathe a sigh of relief to see it is no longer in my hands. Kol takes my face in his hands. “Your eyes are glowing flower, they are glowing a darker red than I have ever seen before. Calm yourself.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I am terrified of where that rage and anger came from. I almost drove a sword through a witches’ chest. “I want to go home.”
He nods and pulls me into his chest. He sifts us immediately out of there. As soon as I can see we are back in his home I sink to the floor and sob. “What is happening to me? That was not me in there.”
Kol crouches down beside me. “You are part demon flower. You are the daughter of the demon of war and death and the goddess of war. Being here is bringing out those demonic urges in you. Just as I thrive on lust you thrive and feed on war and death.”
I shake my head forcefully. “It isn’t who I am. It isn’t who I want to be.” I place a hand over my heart. “I am a good person. My soul is good.” Then a terrifying thought crosses my mind, one that I hadn’t considered before. “Do I even have a soul? Oh god.”
Kol grabs me by the arms and shakes me. “Ebony you are getting hysterical, just breathe and calm down.” He levels his eyes with mine. “Sleep flower.”
My eyes try to fight his command but despite this I feel the world fall away as my eyes close.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
Alana
I bend over and grab the kitchen unit for support. “Ebony.” I shout out. Causing Blaine and Lorcen to jump up from their seats on the sofa and run over to me.
Blaine looks at me frantic. “Alana baby, are you okay?”
I feel the panic in my chest and try to take steadying breaths. “It’s Ebony, I feel her. She’s upset and afraid and angry.”
Lorcen crouches down in front of me. “You can feel her?”
I nod, all the while trying to steady my erratic breathing. I grab hold of Lorcen’s top. “We need to get her out of there. I feel darkness around her. It calls to her.”
Lorcen looks at me with utter helplessness as he sits himself on the floor in front of me and runs a frustrated hand through his black hair. “I hate that I can’t help her. I am her mate and I am fucking useless to her.
” He stands and punches his fist into the wall, smashing the plaster and leaving a gaping hole. He swears and stalks off to the lounge area where he opens the portal.
“Where are you going?” Blaine demands in concern.
“I’m going home. I need to speak to Drustan and Mother. I’ll search every damn book myself until I find a way to break that oath.”
He disappears into the blue light of the portal. I take some more steadying breaths and Blaine rubs my back offering me comfort. “Is it easing?”
I nod. “Yes. It seems to have gone all at once.” I lean into Blaine and my mate pulls me into his arms and hugs me close.
“We will get her back, I promise you.”
I raise my head and meet his eyes. “Before we are Soul bound? I want my sister there for when we make our commitment to each other. I won’t do it without her there.”
He gives me a sad smile. “I know you won’t. As much as I want to be bound to you as soon as possible, I understand why you want to wait until your sister is home.”
“I’m scared for her Blaine. She is the strongest out of the three of us and she is so scared.”
Ebony.
I open my eyes and look out at the eternal dark skies of the underworld. I had slept peacefully last night and felt so much better this morning. A good night’s sleep had given me some clarity too. I was tired of being weak and teary and being the victim, being the puppet in someone else’s scheming. I was not human. I was a demon goddess and it is time I embraced who I truly was. I would be unstoppable. No one would control me anymore. I was ready to accept my destiny.
I stretch and pull myself out of bed. As usual Kol isn’t here. Does that Demon ever sleep?
I head to the bathroom and stare at my reflection in the mirror over the sink. My eyes are red, a permanent feature since I have been here in Lucifer’s realm. After a quick shower I dress myself in black ripped jeans and a black fitted hooded top. I go to search for Kol. I find him sat outside, his legs dangling over the side of the rocky clifftop. I stay where I am for a second and observe him. He looks deep in thought – troubled.
“Sleep well flower?”
I smile to myself. I should have known he would know I was there. “I did thank you.” Not being a fan of heights, I keep my distance from the cliff edge. “I was thinking I would like to go get a tattoo today.”
Kol swivels round to look at me eyebrows raised. “A tattoo? You?”
I fold my arms and scowl at him. “Yes. Me. Don’t sound so surprised.”
He gives me a soft smile. “If you want a tattoo flower, then we will go get you one.” He stands and stalks towards me and I let out a sigh. He was truly breath-taking in a deadly way.
“What?” He asks, tilting his head in question.
I shake myself out of my thoughts. “Nothing.” I turn from him and head back inside. “Oh, and after the tattoo, I want to train. I want you to teach me everything about my demon powers.”
Kol scrutinises my face. “Someone woke up with a mission today. You planning to take over the world today?”
I grin and shrug. “Not today, but maybe tomorrow.” I chew at my lip. “I don’t know, I just decided today that it is time I accept who I am and embrace it. I’m not ashamed to be who I truly am.”
Kol gives me a grin that goes from ear to ear. He steps closer to me and stroked my cheek. “I’m proud of you Ebony. I never doubted who you were in here,” he puts a hand over my heart, “and neither should you.” He takes my hand in his and guides me towards the kitchen. “Food first.”
I hold back and this causes him to turn around. “Kol, have you, you know…” I gulp going slightly red, “do you need to feed.”
“Are you offering flower?” He asks his eyes full of mischief.
I playfully slap his arm. “You should be so lucky, demon.”
Kol doesn’t answer but releases a soft laugh and letting go of my hand walks over to the fridge. “What would my little Dae like to eat?”
I furrow my brows. “I’m actually not that hungry. Which is weird because I didn’t eat that much yesterday.”
Kol’s eyes meet mine and the look he gives me makes me think he isn’t telling me something.
“Spit it out Kol.”
He sighs and closing the fridge comes to stand opposite me, across the kitchen island. “Yesterday, you may have fed upon the violence at the club.”
I suck in a quick breath. “Sorry, come again?”
He snakes a hand out and takes mine in his and strokes across my palm with his thumb. “You fed flower, that’s why your eyes are such a deep red today. You did it without realising.”
I go to pull my hand from his, but he tightens his grip and gives me a warning look. “Don’t. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Embracing who you are remember. All demons feed, it’s natural and normal.”
I feel sick inside but he is right. I hold my chin high. “You are right. It’s no big deal.”
This earns me a soft smile from my demon. “That’s my girl. Now let’s go get you that tattoo. I think I might get one myself.”
I snort as I stand and follow him out of his home. “Is there anywhere free on your body for another tattoo?”
He walks backwards so he can face me and waggles his eyebrows at me. “There are one or two places, yeah.” He winks, and I realise what he is implying.
I shove at him playfully. But then I am curious, can you get tattoo’s down there? I shudder. That is not something I want to even begin to think about.
An hour later, I am sat in a chair in a tattoo parlour having my first ink. I had googled celtic symbols and found one that was said to symbolise the Morrigan and the triple goddesses. It was circular in design and depicted three crows with the celtic symbol for trinity in the centre. When he is finished I rush to the mirror to take a look at it. I decided to have it on the top of my back. When my wings were out it would sit in the centre.
Kol grins at me through the mirror. “It looks really good flower. Perfect.”
I can’t help squeal in delight at how much I love it. “I love it.” I turn to face him. “Your turn.”
He nods and comes closer to me. “Have you ever heard of a blood tattoo?”
“Never.” I admit, looking at him puzzled.
“Sometimes when a demon wants a deeper connection with another demon, they have a blood tattoo. It gives them a link to the other. They would be able to track them and find them if ever they were in danger.”
“How does it work?”
He gestures to the demon who has just done my tattoo. “He would take a vial of you blood and mix it with the ink and use it to create the tattoo.”
I nod, deep in thought. “Would I be able to track you?”
Kol shakes his head. “No, for that you would need your tattoo to be infused with my blood.”
I frown. “Is this something mates would do?”
He smiles clearly seeing where my thoughts are going with this. “No flower. Mates don’t need blood tattoo’s to track each other.” He turns my hand around in his. “When two demons mate, the ink from the male’s skinflows over onto the females, forging the link between them. A blood tattoo is more for two who are friends or siblings.”
I feel my chest relax somewhat. “Oh, okay that sounds okay.” I roll my sleeve up and offer him my arm. “Take it.”
He looks at me like I have just offered to donate him one of my organs. He reaches for me and pulls me against his chest. “Thank you flower, for allowing me this honour.”
I scoff, feeling my face redden and pull gently away. “Ah, behave, it’s nothing.”
He lifts my chin with his finger so that I have no choice but to meet his gaze. “It is the next best thing to becoming my mate that you could offer me.” He drops a kiss on my forehead and walks away and I take in a deep breath. When he looks at me like that, it is so intense, like his eyes can see into my soul.
I sit and watch as the tattoo artists mixes my blood with the ink and then begin
s to work on the area on Kol’s chest. I sit backwards on a chair my chin resting on my hands and watch in fascination.
A short while later the tattoo is complete. I lean in closer to take a look at it. The ink is two black feathered wings with flecks of red and silver running through them and in the middle of the wings are two red eyes with long black lashes framing them. I gulp and look up at him and his dark eyes meet mine. “Why?”
He gives me a sad smile. “Because you will always have a place in my heart flower, even if I don’t have one in yours.”
I reach out my hand and touch his arm as he lays on the chair. “You matter to me Kol.” My voice comes out all croaky with emotion. “I hope you will always have a place in my life.” We both sit there looking at each other. In another life I could have given this demon my heart but in this lifetime it belongs to another – my green eyed fae. I cough, breaking the silence. “We should go. I need to train my demon arse into shape.”
“Okay flower, we are going to practice mind manipulation and memory extraction.” He tells me as he sits down on the floor beside me.
I rub my hands together in anticipation. “First can you show me how to take on another’s appearance like you did?”
He sits opposite me, his dark eyes smile. “Don’t look at me like that. You know I can say no when you do.”
“Look at you like what?” I say feigning innocence.
He shakes his head at me grinning. “Okay, so taking on another form. Close your eyes.” I do as instructed and close my eyes. “Now picture in your minds’ eye the person whose form you wish to take. Take in every detail of them from head to toe and then imagine that image over your own.”
I nod and with a grin I picture the person I want to be.
Kol groans. “Seriously? Thor??”
I open one eye. “You mean I did it?” I stand up and look down at myself. I was huge and well male. I jump up down and scrunch my face up in excitement. “Shut the fucking front door.” I lift the top of my Thor attire up and look down at my chiselled abs. “Oh good lord! I dreamed of touching this body.” I run my fingers down the defined stomach. “Oh yes! It feels as good as it looks.”