“A peace offering.”
“What did you do to him?”
“An arm for an arm,” Donovan shrugged.
“You’re sick!”
“Call it whatever you want. When you wake up, you’ll be very hungry.” Donovan edged closer to her.
“I can’t believe you!”
“I did this for you.”
“You’re doing this for yourself.”
He cocked an eyebrow and whispered, “Vengeance is bitter sweet, Caroline. Now, be a good girl and let me see your hand, hmm?”
“No,” she snapped. Katrina struggled to hide her hand.
He leaned in so close to her she could feel his breath on her cheek, as his stern voice whispered, “This can be the easy way or the hard way. It’s your choice.”
Katrina debated whether to push him further. Part of her wanted to see just how far he was willing to let her go before he kept his word and killed her, but in the end she knew he would do something worse than death. Her body couldn’t handle being struck by his thunderous blow a second time. Glaring back at him, she knew she had no choice. She slowly wiggled herself out of the way and surrendered.
“Good girl,” he softly pecked her on the cheek.
Katrina watched in terror, as he reached for something hidden behind his back. Revealing itself slowly, Katrina could see a small engraved dagger. On the handle was some type of serpent. With voluptuous wings the size of its body, it embodied evil. It was very similar to the family crest she had seen on the Aldrich family wall.
By its aged appearance, Katrina could tell it must have been something Donovan had been carrying closely with him for many years. She also noticed that the symbol on it was slightly different than others she had seen. The dragon’s face had more of a demonic presence, something that was definitely not seen on the other symbol.
“Do you like it? It was a gift from my mother. Well, my first mother, I guess you could say. She always did have exquisite taste in cutlery.”
Frightened, Katrina swallowed the lump developing in her throat. The silver blade glistened against the pale moonlight like a plague of death. Now she knew exactly what Donovan meant about blood. Her heart started to race even faster. She tried to pull her arm away and protect it before the tip could penetrate her skin, but Donovan was much stronger.
He was holding her hand so tight against him; she found it hard to breathe. The weight of his body leaned against her like an anchor of cement. Any air she had inside was being forced out.
He had her pinned between him and the cold hard slab of stone. There was no room to for her to move. She felt like a caged animal. There was no choice. She was forced to go along with his every command.
Attempting to suffocate the screams she felt wanting to come out, Katrina bit down as hard as she could on her bottom lip. It took all her strength to bury her panic down inside her. She didn’t realize how hard she bit down until she felt the pain.
With the taste of her salty blood seeping into her mouth, Katrina fought the sudden urge to gag. She hated the taste of blood, its metallic taste made her dizzy with nausea. Even as a kid, she couldn’t stomach watching the other kids suck on their own wounds. Then, Katrina had a sudden thought. If I can’t stand the taste of my own blood, what’s going to happen when they turn me into one of them?
Donovan’s voice interrupted her thought before she could dwell on it too long and as it did, it took on a very different tone. It was suddenly very deep. Katrina’s heart stopped at the sound. It became a low inhumane grumble. At that moment, she could have sworn he was possessed by the devil himself.
“Ego adveho pro, A verus heir of Lycaon, Recipero vox cruor ut key.
I come before thee. A true heir of Lycaon, Accept the powers blood as the key,” Donovan uttered as he looked up towards the starry sky and sliced a small cut into the palm of Katrina’s hand.
At first there was no pain, only the silence of shock. Then as the dark wine color crept to the surface, her hand started to burn. It felt like a thousand tiny needles stabbing her all at once. Katrina’s stomach turned. Her hand throbbed like a wild fire. The throbbing sensation was starting to take over her entire body. She took a deep breath and tried to focus her attention elsewhere. Anywhere that could hide the pain was fine by her.
She felt Donovan force the amulet into her hand and squeeze it shut. Repeating more of the strange language, Katrina shut her eyes and tried to tune him out.
“Patefacio vestri universitas volo.
Open your world to me,” Donovan finished.
There was a brief pause of silence as he finished. Then the amulet took on a life of its own. It vibrated with such force, Katrina’s hand was starting to ache and she opened her eyes in a panic. It became a blazing ball of fire in her hands. She could feel the electricity pulsate through her whole body. The pain was much different this time. It felt dark and evil, like Satan himself was trying to break through. It was starting to scare the hell out of her. She wanted to let go and throw it far away from her, but Donovan held her so tight she couldn’t.
At that same moment, Katrina could see dark clouds rolling in. The glimmering flecks of glitter Katrina had seen moments earlier disappeared. A wicked darkness enveloped the entire night sky. Soon after, Katrina heard the bellows of thunder off in the distance. It sounded like the sky above her was exploding into thousands of tiny pieces.
Drops of wetness splashed against her skin. The rain was unusually warm. It felt like blazing hot beads, stinging its way into her flesh, one by one. It was as if the sky was raining pure drops of fire, scorching anything in its path.
“Almost done,” Donovan’s condescending voice taunted. She cringed in disgust, as she felt his hands lift her off of the cold stone slab and hold her against him.
Standing there facing the zealous crowd, Katrina felt terror overcome her. There was nowhere to run. This really was going to be the end for her. Looking into each of the creatures faces, she found their eyes empty and soulless. She didn’t want to become just like them. It was against everything she believed in.
Sickened by the sight before her, she tried to resist, but her body had nothing left. Exhaustion was overpowering her and she was no match for his monstrous strength. Instead, she was forced to follow his movements. Her body was part of his, wherever he wanted her, she had to go. She felt him squeeze her closer to him and hold her into place. Being nestled snugly against his body made her want to throw up.
“Smile at your new family. They’re going to worship the ground you walk on,” he whispered.
Katrina cringed in disgust. Feeling the warmth of his moist tongue slither its way up her neck sent her pulse racing in disgust. It felt like damp sand paper grazing against her delicate skin. She never felt so degraded and violated. Any fire she had to fight started to dwindle.
As his arms coiled around her, Katrina could feel he was eagerly ready to pounce at the slightest sign of movement. Pressing the tip of the dagger firmly against her waist, Katrina was forced to stay still. One wrong move and she would be pierced by the jagged edges of the blade. Though it was a tempting thought to end it all right now, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He still had her other hand clenched around the amulet.
Tears of disgust began to fall as Donovan’s repulsive lips pressed firmly against her cheek. Leisurely creeping down to her neck, they lingered longer than necessary.
“Mmm, that tasted like heaven.” Donovan pressed his face into the back of Katrina’s neck and let out a sigh of ecstasy. “Was it good for you?”
With every touch, he sent shivers of rage pulsating through her.
“I wonder what the rest of you tastes like?” he seductively teased. Katrina felt a lump build in her throat, as she felt him entertain the thought. She could imagine the ready look on his face and it made her dizzy with angst. She was nothing more than a prize he had won.
As the rain fell onto her skin, Katrina’s heart quickly sank into despair. She wasn’t ready for the
inevitable. Even if she managed to make a sound, her cries for help would fall on deaf ears. The only thing this crowd wanted was to see her human life ended.
Angry, Katrina couldn’t believe this was the end. Her heart told her there had to be more to her life than this. Why would she be reborn so many times, only for it to end like this?
Suddenly, she felt herself spun around out of her fog and back into reality. Once again she was face to face with the person she hated most. Katrina didn’t want to look Donovan in the eye, but had no choice. His yellow eyes blazed with a savage thirst against the darkened sky. Watching the tiny droplets of rain bounce off his unscathed face, Katrina began to loose her sanity. Seeing his eyes burning into her with intrigue, she knew the horror coming next.
“Let’s find out, shall we,” Donovan snickered.
“NOOO!” Katrina screamed in horror, as she watched Donovan’s sharp K-9’s pry their way free. These weren’t like any she had seen before. They were much more sinister than Cole or Andrew’s. Donovan’s teeth were more like massive blocks of ivory ready to devour her whole.
“Don’t worry. This won’t hurt a bit.” He wickedly smiled, revealing his massive K-9’s once more. “No, wait. I lied.”
Overcome with panic, Katrina went into shock. Clenching her eyes shut, she hoped Donovan would make it quick. Nausea began to build in her throat, as images of his bloodthirsty face polluted her vision. Not wanting his monstrous face to be the last thing her human eyes would ever see, she coerced her thoughts elsewhere, somewhere where she would be happiest.
Images of Cole flooded her frantic mind. Every intimate moment the two had shared from their brief time together replayed itself in her head. Those bittersweet memories were the happiest moments of her all too short-lived life. From the very first time she had met him at the ball to their reconciliation in the cemetery, it all came crashing down on her like an iron fist.
Feeling the sharpness of Donovan’s incisors pressing their spiky tips onto her neck, Katrina gasped in her last breath of air. There was only one thing left to do. She prepared bravely for her untimely demise.
Chapter 23
The pain came, but not from where Katrina had been expecting. Something hard and cold slammed against her body. Katrina had the wind knocked out of her as she fell. Landing in the mud, her hand was forced open and the amulet fell off into the dark.
Her hand went right to her neck and she was instantly relieved. She shook some of the mud off of her and tried to look around, but her tired eyes couldn’t make out anything. Blackness filled the air. Deep snarls were the only thing she heard, as they echoed through the mountainous field.
Wasting little time, she took what little strength she had left and pulled herself together. She bent her arms and used her bound hands to prop herself up. Having one arm in a cast and the other still reeling in pain from Donovan’s dagger made it all the more challenging. It took her a few tries, but she was finally able to help herself up.
Disoriented, Katrina began to try and look around. All she wanted was a safe place to hide, but it wasn’t easy. She couldn’t see much of anything from where she was. Rain was streaming down like a river. The only light coming through was remnants from the occasional flashes of lightning. Dark shadows moving not too far from where she stood was all she found.
She slowly edged forward, away from the scuffle behind her and stopped. At that same instant the rain suddenly stopped and one last crash of lightning hit. The clouds slowly dissipated and the moon lit up the night. It gave way to a ledge a few feet in front of her. Her heart pounded. A couple more steps and she would have fallen to her death.
Her panic was interrupted by snarls. They were starting to sound much more violent and loud. She had never heard anything like it. The noise made her legs quiver uncontrollably with fear. She wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to go.
Standing in dismay, she was startled by a pair of icy hands. As they grabbed her, Katrina did her best to fight back, but they weren’t releasing her. Fright consumed her and Katrina let out a fierce holler that she was sure the heavens could hear.
“Let go of me!” Katrina screamed, as she turned to face the stranger.
“Easy Kat. It’s me,” laughed a familiar deep voice.
Tears streamed down Katrina’s cheeks. “Jake!”
“Yeah, it’s me,” he reassured her.
Katrina couldn’t bring herself to move. She could already tell he was different. Jake’s once warm hands were gone and replaced by frozen limbs. He was also much stronger than he had ever been before. The part that bothered her most was that he wouldn’t look directly at her. And it made her wonder if the rest of her brother had changed as well.
“I want to see your face.”
“Now? Kat, we don’t have a lot of time. I need to get you out of here,” he reminded her.
“Jake, I’m not going anywhere until I see your face. I deserve at least that.”
“Fine.” Jake reluctantly moved into the moonlight. “Happy?”
“Oh, my God,” Katrina blurted out before she could think.
Jake’s baby blue eyes gleamed at her with delight. His iridescently pale skin was smooth and flawless. He was no longer her lanky frail brother, he was more, much more. To her, he resembled a Roman god, finally come home at last.
“Not too shabby, huh?” his now whimsical voice laughed, as he spun around flaunting his new body.
Curious, Katrina wanted to reach out and touch her brother, but stopped herself. Instead, she stood back in awe. It took a few moments for her to wrap her head around the new and improved image of Jake. She was dumbfounded at the spectacle of his ghostly pale perfection. Her eyes couldn’t believe that this was the same clumsy brother she had grown up with.
“Wow,” was all her stunned voice could manage to utter.
“Oh, here let me help you with that.” In an effortless motion he ripped the rope away from her bound hands.
“Thanks.” Katrina rubbed her wrist. She couldn’t describe the freedom that rushed through her at that moment.
Still staring at Jake, Katrina was at a loss for words. She couldn’t believe this gorgeous creature staring at back at her was her brother. Her eyes roamed over every inch of him. It was strange to see parts of Jake still coming through blended with the same features as Cole or Andrew.
Leftover droplets of rain glistened flawlessly off every part of his translucent flesh. His skin was better than perfection. The longer she stared the more intrigued she became. Katrina was so consumed by her own curiosity that she didn’t have time to realize what had happened. All she saw was Jake suddenly lunged forward towards her.
“Watch out, Kat!” Jake warned, as his icy hands shoved her out of the way. Looking back Katrina could see a dark figure smirking at her.
“Not today, dog,” Jake taunted.
Still stunned by the sight of her new brother, Katrina couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Watching him transform from the pale figure into a wild hunter only fueled her fascination. Jake’s sky blue eyes darkened and burned like a brilliant blue fire, as he stared down his enemy.
“Well, well. Elias, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
“Principal Weber. I should’ve known you’re one of them.”
“Play nice, Elias. All we want is her. You can leave and go about your business elsewhere, boy.”
“Not going to happen, mongrel.”
“Suit yourself, bloodsucker.”
Katrina watched in horror, as Jake lunged towards the Principal ready for the kill. The two became locked in a demonic dance, snarling and snapping like wild animals. Jake heaved the principal about like he weighed nothing. Then she could see the true sign he had changed. Fangs replaced his human teeth, as they attempted to rip the flesh off Principal Weber’s neck.
Jake waited for an opportunity and took it. He kicked the principal in the chest, sending him flying back. He turned around and ran over to Katrina. Without a word, he picked her up and he
ld her against him.
“What are you doing?” she demanded to know.
“Getting you out of here.” Jake pressed her against his chest and jumped off the ledge. Butterflies swirled inside Katrina’s stomach as soon as they went airborne. She closed her eyes and prepared for a harsh impact, but it never came.
“You can open your eyes,” Jake teased, as he lowered her to her feet.
Katrina slowly pried them open and was relieved to be away from danger. Looking off in the distance, she couldn’t find anything familiar about her surroundings and there was a bitter chill in the air. The mountains went on forever in every direction.
Jake nodded with her thoughts. “They took you so far in, we weren’t sure we’d get to you in time.”
“How long have I been gone?”
“A little over a week.”
Katrina shivered at the thought. Her days and nights had blended together. She couldn’t believe she had been alone with Donovan and his monsters for that long. Then her mind wondered something else. “Who’s we?”
“All of us.”
“Cole’s here!” Excitement burst through her at the thought.
“Don’t even think about it. We need to get you out of here and where it’s safe.”
“But Jake!”
Jake went to answer her, when he was suddenly knocked to the ground.
“Jake!” Katrina screamed. Hearing a growl behind her, Katrina slowly turned around. Principal Weber was standing there with a menacing grin on his face.
“All we wanted was her and you couldn’t even share! Now I’m going to have to teach you a lesson!” Principal Weber’s eyes began to morph into those yellow embers Katrina had dreamed of so many nights. He let out a loud scream, as his body began to shift. Katrina cringed, as she heard the bones in his body break and readjust themselves. Every facial feature she had recognized was disappearing, making room for a protruding snout. His clothes were ripped to the ground, while his muscles began to swell. His snarls grew louder and deeper with each addition until finally coffee-colored fur eventually covered his entire body.
Everlasting Bond Page 32