by Lexi Thorne
She struggled to sit up, removing her hand slowly. The pain came once more, but she fought through it.
As she gradually regained her sight, she started to remember.
Sounds of a moving vehicle came to her. She looked around, hoping to spot one probably abandoned somewhere, but there was none in sight.
She sighed.
The memory was back. A moving vehicle. She was flanked by two men, while another drove.
Edrea's face.
A sharp feeling of anger streaked through her body as the face of her former friend came to her.
Gradually, she was beginning to recognize where she was. It was familiar territory. Her territory.
Again Edrea's face came to her. This time, the witch was talking.
"I let you live as a courtesy. Because of what we had, but next time, best believe you won't be as lucky."
The witch's face disappeared leaving that sick feeling in Keira's gut. She couldn't believe the amount of hate she was feeling.
Another headache, another memory fragment.
"...and don't worry about Chayton, he will be a nice addition to my harem. More than a replacement, seeing as he killed quite a number of him. I don't know where you found him, but I feel the need to thank you. What are friends for right?"
Keira's heart beat rapidly in her chest, and she looked around helplessly. Edrea had Chayton. What did she plan to do with him?
The obvious answer to the question came to her, and she shivered at the thought of a hollow eyed Chayton under the command of Edrea. She couldn't let that happen.
She tried to get to her feet, but then she collapsed back on her backside. She felt a wetness running down her neck and instinctively touched the spot. Her hand came back covered with blood.
Her vision blurred and she felt lightheaded. No, she couldn't black out. She had to help Chayton. She had no doubt that he would try to resist, but for how long would he be able to do that if at all?
Even as she thought of this, she was slowly losing consciousness. Her last coherent thought before she blacked out completely was a clear image a hollow eyed Chayton. Her heart constricted in her chest as she collapsed fully into the darkness.
CHAPTER SIX
The drip of water sounded like church bells as his senses were on overdrive. What was happening to him?
He struggled to move, but it was clear that he was tied up. He opened his eyes, grimacing at the loud dripping water which he could now tell was coming from the bathroom. He was tied to a chair, and it didn't take much for him to conclude that the ropes were enchanted. It would take a lot of will power to break them. What were Edrea's plans? Why had she kept him?
"Hello?"
Somebody needed to close that tap completely. He felt as though his head would burst.
"Hello?" he called out again. Still no answer.
Just as he was about to call out a third time, the door flung open, and a hollow eyes vampire poked his head inside the room. Wordlessly, he closed the door as he left. Two minutes later, Edrea entered the room.
"Well hey there. Glad to see you awake Chayton" she said, and he glared back at her quietly. His eyes had taken in the room in one glance. The only unguarded exit was the window, and he had no doubt that he was currently in the highest room in the house. Even if he jumped through and lived which he most likely would, he would he badly injured, and he didn't know why but he didn't think he could heal as fast as usual. She had done something to him, he could tell.
"Well aren't you a sour puss," she said, then added, more quietly, "...a very stubborn, sour puss."
What did she mean by that?
She stared at him as one would a fascinating object one didn't quite understand.
"Your mind..it's...it's amazing. So strong-willed, so stubborn. I had a feeling it would be a chore to break you. Not like those other monkeys. Those others broke with less than half of the effort I've put into you. But not you. No, you're real. They're just knock-offs" she said, walking around him. He struggled against his binds, still to no avail.
"I have no doubt that you will break through those binds given enough time Chayton, but here's the thing. Before that happens...you would have been fully under my control," she said and winked.
"Screw you" Chayton spat. He was tired of keeping his cool. Just who did this witch think she was? He had gone up against equally strong and even more experience beings. Just where did she get off messing with his mind?
"He speaks," she said finally then walked towards him and caressed his face.
"With time you'll become an obedient little doggie. Just you wait and see."
With that, she exited the room.
Edrea sat in her pool of divination. An entire day had passed since the so called parlay, an entire day which she had spent trying to break Chayton, all to no avail.
She sighed, soaking deeper into the tub.
She was down to four men out of her ranking seven who had not been cut down. And that was excluding the countless recruits Chayton had single-handedly taken down, and Silas. She had no doubts whatsoever that he would be a worthy replacement for all three men she lost and then some. She just needed to break him somehow.
Everyone had a breaking point. She knew his weakness was Keira; he had divined that much. She only now needed to do something worthwhile with that knowledge.
She had used her spell on countless people, and within a few hours, she had them eating out of her palm. But Chayton wasn't having any of that it seemed. He intrigued as well as annoyed her.
He was a challenge. It had been a while since she'd faced a challenges. It was fresh. But for a woman who was used to getting what she wanted when she wanted, his resistance was getting old fast.
She sighed as the hot water jets soothed her. She just needed to think. She would come up with something.
She always did.
Keira was a child again. She recognized the woods in which she had played as a child. In a moment of self-awareness, she realized that she was dreaming about the day things had changed for her and for her friend.
She was playing in the woods with her friend Andrea.
"Come on, really feel it. Then say it" the latter was saying. Keira nodded, and took a calming breath; then she stretched her hand towards the pile of leaves.
"Incendia!!"
The leaves burst into flames, and the little girl jumped in excitement, staring at the flames she had created. She did that.
Andrea congratulated her and with a wave of her hand, of out the flames.
"We'll try again, but now, let us play," Keira said, and Andrea nodded excitedly. They were best friends. They were going to be best friends forever.
Suddenly the scene changed. They were at Andrea's house. A small group was gathered in front, and Keira's mom rushed towards them and hugged Andrea tight.
Later, they were to discover that a set of vampires Andrea's father owed money had come to collect, and when he'd showed some resistance, they had proceeded to kill them. Andrea, everyone said, was lucky that she had been out playing that day, if not, who knows what would have happened?
In the way in which dreams act, the scene changed once more. Again, Keira was aware that she was dreaming, and she recognized the scene.
It was the day she found Andrea and the "bad book."
The various witch communities taught their children of the bad books in order to prevent them from accidentally practicing the arts enclosed within them. They were addictive and tended to corrupt. After Andrea's death, Keira's parents have taken her in.
Keira looked around her houses. Yes, this was the day. Suddenly, a younger her ran past and moved towards her room. When she got close, she began to tiptoe so she could scare her friend.
When she entered the room, however, her friend jumped in shock, and something dropped.
Little Keira noted the sign on the front cover and ran to tell her parents while the latter ran after her, begging her not to tell.
They scolded Andrea t
hat night and made her promise never to use the book again.
Little Keira had noted the look of concern her parents had shared when they saw the book and heard that Andrea had been studying it. She thought nothing of it until much later.
As Keira watched, self-aware in her own dream, she remembered that from that day, her relationship with Andrea had become strained.
Andrea had still been very bitter about her parents' death. She wanted revenge, and she didn't care how she came about it.
Keira tried her best to get her to stop practicing what she had learned from the book, but she adamantly kept practicing, losing a bit of her soul every time she used it.
Keira remembered everything now as it played before her eyes like an ultra 3D movie.
She watched herself cry the day she found that Andrea had run away.
Andrea found the book where Keira's parents hid it, and she'd taken it with her.
She remembered that that was the day she'd asked her parents' about the look she'd seen them share. She could see them sitting with her as they explained that Andrea's ancestors had been known practitioners of those forbidden spells.
She would never forget the last time she had seen Andrea. The latter had called her a backstabber and said that she was not her friend. According to Andrea, she had no friends. She had no one.
As the memories played like a movie she was both part of and not part of, Keira found herself shedding tears.
When Keira opened her eyes, she was in a hospital bed. Tear drops marks stained the sheet.
She struggled to talk but she couldn't. The nurse on duty ran out to get the doctor.
She could sense a lot of activity now and knew it was somehow connected to her waking up. Where exactly was she? And how had she gotten here?
Chayton tried not to close his eyes. For what seemed like weeks, he had endured various levels of mind spells. It seemed as though Edrea had gone back to the drawing board to fashion out the perfect spell for him. He could feel his resolve gradually breaking.
Why had Keira not come for him? Had Edrea broken her word and killed Keira? He couldn't put it past her. It would definitely explain why he had been abandoned to rot here without as much as a single rescue attempt.
He closed his eyes but quickly opened them aging. Something wanted him to close his eyes. He wasn't sure why, but he was certain that he didn't want to find out. He couldn't trust his senses anymore, and with each passing day, he felt like giving up and just allowing her to win. The mental load was getting too much. Distinguishing between reality and imagination was getting difficult. He struggled to keep his eyes open.
Suddenly he heard a loud sound, and the door to the room flung open. He couldn't believe his eyes. Keira raced into the room panting heavily. Chayton blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
"Keira! I thought you weren't coming. I'm so glad to see you. Are you okay?" Chayton asked. His joys knew no bounds at the sight of his mate.
Keira checked the window and moved towards him.
He saw her first.
"Keira watch out!!!" he screamed as Edrea moved towards her with a sword.
By the time Keira turned in response to scream, it was already too late. The sword passed clearly through her chest. Despair spread throughout his being, and he felt tears run down his cheeks. What??? Keira?
He struggled with his binds, wanting to go to her. He dropped to his knees then, leaving the chair hanging awkwardly behind him. He managed to maintain his balance and crawl closer to her.
Her vacant eyes stared up at him, and his tears just kept coming. What else was there to fight for? He has wished for her to come and rescue him, and yet, when she came she had died. Wouldn't it have been better if she had just stayed away? Wouldn't it have been better that way?
Chayton stared into her unseeing eyes. His whole world had crumbled around him. Just then, however, something caught his eye, and he paused. He bent down and looked closer.
When he lifted his head to look at Edrea who just stood there, it was a look of intense anger rather than despair that covered his face.
"Enough of these games. Release me or kill me and get it over with. I grew tired of these mind games."
As he spoke, the room dissolved and he opened his eyes. He was still in the room, but there was no Keira on the floor, and he was still seated in his position.
He had closed his eyes without knowing.
He cringed at the thought of how close he had been to relinquishing control. He didn't think he would be able to resist an attack that powerful a second time.
"How did you know?" Edrea's voice asked, and he looked up sharply. He hadn't sensed the other presence in the room.
"The eyes. You got the wrong in the illusion" he said weakly.
Edrea didn't say anything. The sound of the door locking told him that she had left the room.
Keira couldn't believe that she had been out for two days. When she'd opened her eyes at the hospital, she had felt strong enough to perform the healing ritual on herself, and it had worked.
Chayton had been in Edrea's clutches for three whole days. Three days. What were the odds that when she found him, he would still be in control of his own mind?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Chayton was under Edrea's spell by now. But it didn't matter, not even one bit. As long as she had him, she would come up with a counter spell. She just had to get him back first of all and teach Edrea a well-deserved lesson.
Her hands clutched the steering wheel tightly as she approached the human settlement. From the moment she woke up, she had begun concocting a plan that would help her get back her man, and now, she just needed the last part of the puzzle to fall into place. She needed to talk to the leader of the settlement, Martin. She didn't think he owed them anything, but she knew that if he did what he was about to ask, she would be indebted to him.
The people welcomed her with sad smiles. They had heard of their attempt to parlay and the outcome. They respected her for trying. And also, of all paranormal, witches were the closest to humans.
She was taken to the hall where Martin was supervising a reconstruction. She had sent word ahead that she would be arriving, so he knew she was on her way.
Martin had been informed already that the clan leader was around. When he had heard of Chayton's capture, he had been dismayed and felt partly responsible for it. Now, as the door opened, he was certain he knew who the new arrival was. He turned to receive her
"Miss Keira. Good day. I heard about everything that happened. I feel terrible. If there's anything, I can do to help..."
"Let me just stop you there. I'm glad you mentioned it." she took a short paused and hence urged her on.
"If you will be so kind as to help me. I will need you to do something for me tomorrow."
CHAPTER SEVEN
As he approached the gate, he slowed down. His heart beat erratically in his chest. He had no doubt that Chayton deserved the favor he was being done, but it didn't stop him from being afraid. He was just a human after all; he had no business fighting paranormal battles.
Taking a deep breath, Martin steeled himself as he smiled at the hollow eyed guard who ushered him in after he stated his business.
The guard had made sure to inspect the vehicle and make sure he was alone. Impromptu visits to the mistress were prohibited, he had informed the human, but for matters of the gravity he described, an exception could be made.
As he searched for parking, he looked beside him and caught sight of the document neatly placed on the seat of the passenger seat of his minivan. He sighed. This was going to be hard. The document stated that Edrea was then official owner of all the land the settlers held claim to and that the humans swore their fealty to her.
He sighed once more and came out, grabbing the document as he did. He hoped Keira was sure her plan would work.
He strolled towards the house, stopping to admire the architectural detail. He was beyond impressed.
/> Once inside, he was met by Edrea herself. In spite of himself, he was instantly taken by her beauty. He couldn't believe such a beautiful creature was responsible for all that she was infamous for.
She led him down a corridor and into a room directing him towards a seat.
They were alone, and Martin could not recall a time when he had been as nervous as he was then, in his life.
"So, Mr. Martin, I'm told you have a document and good news for me," she said, and the human nodded, looking every bit as nervous as he felt.
Here goes nothing.
Chayton stared at the walls angrily. How could she have left him here to rot? According to Edrea, he had been there for close to a month now. Could she really be leaving him to his fate or had something happened to her? In any case, he had decided to stop fighting. What was the use? He had been strong for almost a month. Nobody had made it past the first day before. Or so Edrea had claimed.
As he made up his mind, the door swung open and closed back on its own. He blinked. These days, reality and nonreality mixed freely, so he wasn't very surprised.
What happened next surprised him though.
Then air in front of him shimmered, and Keira materialized out of thin air, flanked by two men he recognized from the clan.
This time he knew he had to be seeing things.
When she spoke though, he couldn't help the way her voice made him feel. That part was real, why not the rest of it, and her?
"Chayton, we're here to take you home."
"Will you sign this thing already?"
Edrea was getting impatient. For the past fifteen minutes, they had been sitting there, poring over what he described as the subtle nuances of contracts.
"I will" his voice shook "I will. I just have to be sure. I have a people to consider."
He bent down and read lines that he had read more than thirty times now.
Where was Keira? He couldn't stall for much longer.
When Keira had told him what she needed him to do, he had refused. But then she had explained the plan, and he'd seen that they actually stood a chance. Plus, he was fairly certain that if he had refused, she would have cast a compulsion spell or something.