The Devil's Daughter: A Paranormal Romance

by Shyenna Renee

  Interesting he thinks I’m Celeste. It’s probably for the best that he doesn’t know she’s sleeping and I have control.

  “Wow, Tom, you sure have aged.” I lean over the back of the couch that is currently hiding my naked body, my elbow resting on the edge and my chin on my palm. “Time really hasn’t treated you well, has it?”

  His smirk falls into a glare that’s almost as strong as mine.

  “You’re trespassing, rogue,” he hisses, his eyes glowing as his wolf surfaces.

  “This isn’t pack territory,” I growl back.

  “That’s not what the scent on the house says. My scent, my land.” He crosses his arms, assuming he’s won the argument.

  He assumes wrong.

  My nails elongate, my black claws taking over. I crouch low, and before he can act, I pounce on him. I

  “What have you done to my parents?” I yell at him, my body holding him down as I rest on his torso, my claws placed right against his neck and ready to cut.

  “Killed them, spared them. Why should I tell you? They tortured you for years. They’re gone, and you should accept that,” he says through clenched teeth.

  “You knew?” I ask, shock clear in my voice. “You knew our parents were beating us and you didn’t try to stop it?” I yell, on the verge of shifting as my breathing comes out as pants. My voice gets deeper and rougher as the facade I put up to sound like Celeste gives away.

  He uses my shock to shove me off of him, but I’m quick to stand and face him again. I lunge at him once more and smack the back of my hand across his face, causing him to fly into the rotting dining room table.

  “What? You see an innocent pup being abused and you just sit by and watch? You’re an alpha; you could’ve stopped it.”

  I scratch my claws down his face when he tries to get up, effectively making him fall back to the ground.

  “Celeste…”

  I snarl when he speaks.

  “I am not Celeste.” I kick him in the ribs and smile when I hear a crack. “I am Cat,” I kick him again, “and you were supposed to be our friend.”

  “Cat,” he gasps my name, spitting out blood. “I’m sorry. I wanted to help, but your parents had vital information on me and threatened to spill it. I couldn’t do anything.”

  My foot stops mid-kick as I start to think back to the day before my birthday.

  ***

  “We’ll do it tomorrow,” my mother says in a hush tone from the kitchen.

  “He’s agreed?” my uncle asks.

  Not a word is spoken, so I’m guessing she just gives a nod in response.

  “The pathetic man doesn’t want his pack knowing about his little sessions with the younger females. He’ll help us ditch her if we keep quiet about his flings,” my mom speaks again, both humor and disgust filling her tone.

  “Do we have to do it tomorrow, Lilith? It’s her birthday,” my dad whisper-yells. He was the only one who was ever really nice to me but was always too scared to question his mate whenever the abuse began. The first time he did try to stop it, he got hurt. I don’t know how or why, but every time he tried to go against my mother’s wishes, he ended up on the floor screaming, writhing in pain until he eventually just stopped trying.

  ***

  “You!” I yell down at Tom after the memory flitted through my mind. “You helped them!”

  I stomp down as hard as I could onto his left hand, and it shatters his bones. “You didn’t care. You just didn’t want anyone to find out what a filthy pedophile you are.” I bend down to his level. “You’re the one who deserves to be beat, abandoned, and left on the verge of death.”

  Then I growl out in a whisper, “And that’s exactly what you’ll get.”

  My eyes open to find Austin’s intense and curious stare. His hands are clasped together with his elbows resting above his legs as he soaks up every word that leaves my mouth.

  “What happened then?” he asks quietly, as if making his voice any louder won’t end the story and solve the mystery.

  “I did just that. I beat him till death was at his door and abandoned him in that little cottage.”

  He looks mesmerized as he thinks over each and every detail. “But he was an alpha and you were a pup. How’d you beat him?”

  “He was a retired alpha. His son took over the pack because his father, much like yours, was weakened in battle. The poor excuse of a leader could barely walk without limping and stumbling.” My face scrunches in distaste as I think about the alpha.

  “So, then how did the rumors start?”

  “A warrior was patrolling the area, probably looking for his missing ex-alpha, and saw me covered in blood after leaving the cottage. He spread the rumor that I had killed him for fun, and one by one, each of my kills went down as unjustified murders.” I intended to say it matter-of-factly but there is no denying the hint of disappointment in my voice.

  “And they recognized your kills from the missing eyes?”

  I nod. No one ever understood why I used that signature.

  “Why?” he asks.

  “The men I killed were all disgusting in some way. They had a past that not only played a part in my misfortune but to many others too. Removing the eyes meant that they were animals who didn’t deserve to see the beauty around them that they destroy daily.”

  I laugh at my own words. It’s crazy. I know, but I’m a rogue, and every rogue does something a little crazy every now and then.

  “You can think I’m crazy for doing it. I won’t care. Every rogue has gone batshit nuts at some point in their life, but I used my crazy to rid this world of the sick people in it, even if I had to become one of them in the process.” I look down to the floor, guilt flooding my system. “I just ask you not to blame Celeste for my wrongdoings. I know she acts tough and mean, but she had to become that way to survive. For nearly five years, she was a rogue with no one to protect her; not even me because she locked me away after she saw glimpses of what I did. She’s a good soul who just needs a little help bringing out her joyful and trusting side again.”

  I’m basically begging as I look up into his eyes, watching his every reaction.

  He stands up from his desk and makes his way to me slowly, lowering himself when he gets in front of me.

  “Cat?” He lifts my head up when I look away from him. “You did what you could to protect my mate, so I won’t judge you for what you did. You two had a hard life. I actually understand why you did it. Hopefully, one day, Celeste will be able to open up, just like you have, and tell me what exactly happened while she was a rogue, so I can protect her as well as you have. I just want what’s best for you guys, and if that means dealing with a few crazy decisions as your baggage, then I’ll deal with it.”

  He kisses my forehead, and the small action catches me by surprise, causing a smile on my lips. “Thank you, Austin. You and Ezekiel will make fine mates for us.”

  CHAPTER 14

  |celeste|

  “What have you done?” comes the strangled voice of my father, a look of horror plastered on his face. His wide fearful eyes couldn’t leave my cowering four-year old frame while my mother towers over me.

  “She ruined our lives!” My mother gives out a venomous response.

  “He found her! He found his mate,” she says, getting ready to launch another kick. Before the blow to my side can land, my dad snaps out of his trance and rushes towards my mom, picking her up by the waist to pull her away. She kicks and screams, trying to get out of his grasp. “Let me down. She needs to pay!”

  “She’s our daughter!” He puts her away and stands above me.

  “She is the reason we had to go rogue. She’s the reason that we have to degrade ourselves at the mercy of the Davidson pack to survive,” my mother responds

  I can’t even remember how her anger had started this time. All I can remember is her coming home from work in a rage and then she hits me for the first time. Sure, I am already used to her anger being directed towards me, but I
never thought she’d hit me. I am just glad my father is here to stop her from doing any more damage.

  “You hit our daughter.” He scoffs in disbelief. While shaking his head in disappointment, he turns around and picks me up from the ground. With me hanging off of his hip, he checks my injuries. Sadness shines behind his light blue eyes as he looks at my bruised eye and split lip. “She’s bleeding, Lilith.” His voice is barely above a whisper as he tucks my head into his neck and looks towards my mother.

  Hatred and disgust are still spread across her face as she stares at me.

  “I’ve let your remarks and comments towards her slide, but you’ve gone too far! You hit our daughter, Lilith.” His voice breaks as he stares from me to his mate. “I’m leaving with Celeste. You need to think about who you are because you’re not the same girl I met five years ago.”

  My mom’s eyes widen at his words, completely forgetting about her anger towards me.

  “You can’t, Dean. We’re mates.” She tries to reason with him, grabbing on to his arm as he makes his way to the front door. “No, she’s ruining everything again,” she whispers to herself, clutching chunks of her hair.

  It happens so fast, I don’t even have time to warn my dad. Right when he turns his back on her, her sadness shifts to anger. Her eyes start bleeding black with a red ring on its center. Her nails changes to claws. How did she do that? She’s human.

  “You’re my mate. You can’t leave me.” Her voice sounds dangerously low, causing my dad to stop in his steps and stiffen.

  In the blink of an eye, she’s in front of us. My father falls to the floor at the suddenness of the movement. He pushes me away and urges me to rid of myself from the room.

  “Hide.” That’s the last thing he says to me before a horrible scream bubbles out of his mouth. His body is tense, and his jaw clenches as he struggles to breathe.

  “Dad!” I try to make my way to him, but a blunt object connects to the back of my skull. I’m knocked down, and black spots start to blur my vision.

  “You brought this on him.”

  And then darkness consumes me.

  The next day, I wake up on the floor in the same spot. My dad is on the couch with an emotionless face, and my mom is nowhere in sight.

  “Daddy?” I squeak out before stumbling towards him. I stand in front of him, trying to catch his attention, but he wouldn’t look at me or talk to me. It’s like I am nonexistent. “Dad,” I cry and beg for him to answer, to take me away, but he just stands and leaves.

  The last words I ever heard from him is “hide”.

  “Dad!”

  “Dad!” I jolt up with a shriek leaving my lips. Sweat covers my body as I pant and try to even out my breathing. Once my breathing is fixed and the memories of my dream have drifted away, I realize where I am—in the woods. Taking in my surroundings, I see a little shelter built out of sticks, leaves, and trees.

  “What happened?” I mumble to myself while popping my stiff joints.

  “You forced a shift.”

  I almost jump at the foreign voice. It feels like forever since I heard her. “Cat?”

  “Don’t worry, C. You’ll remember soon.”

  With that, she shuts me out, leaving me in my thoughts to think about the past few days.

  “Weeks, Celeste. It’s been weeks.” She corrects me and I roll my eyes.

  “Stupid wolf always correcting me,” I grumble while pulling myself up from the ground.

  “Wait a second.” Not even two feet from my little shelter, I halt my steps. “Weeks?”

  Then everything hits: the memory of how I escaped, me begging Austin to give Cat back, and me forcing a shift.

  “How many weeks, Cat?” I ask slowly, waiting for the worst.

  “Almost three.”

  “Three weeks? I thought you were going to say months.”

  “Sorry for the confusion, but it’s time for you to go back to our mate.”

  She cuts our link, and with a huff, I stretch my neck and start walking. I’m not even sure where I’m going, but my gut is telling me to go south, so that’s what I do.

  After nearly an hour of walking, I hit a lake; a beautiful lake with clear water surrounded by trees and mountains. The water sparkles as the sun beams down on it and fishes dance underneath it. The forest floor is covered in leaves with different colors, blown by the autumn air from the trees.

  “Go to the tree on your right. There’s a hole with a little baggy inside.”

  Following Cat’s instructions, I head to the tree, and I find a little black make-up bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and all the other bathroom essentials that are needed.

  “Why’d you put this here when the pack house is not that far away?” I ask Cat.

  “This is just for when I was done with catching dinner and didn’t want to go back looking like Carrie from the prom scene.”

  I laugh lightly at her little joke.

  I use the toothbrush, getting to all the nooks and crannies to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth. I zip the little bag up, and realize I needed more than this little kit. So, I open up a new link with Cat.

  “Where’s a towel and change of clothes? I want to appear clean.” I finish my statement up with a scrunch of my nose, the slightly sweaty stench of my clothes hitting my senses.

  “Up in the tree, there’s a duffel bag.”

  Sure enough, the bag is in one of the taller limbs.

  “Thanks, Cat,” I say happily as I go behind a tree and strip before diving into the semi-warm water. Going under, I wash my body and hair before swimming around to calm my tense nerves. I sing one of my favorite songs.

  I spend countless of minutes just enjoying the feel of the water on my skin. It’s been a while since I allowed myself to be this unguarded; to allow myself to enjoy.

  “You have a beautiful voice.”

  A shriek escapes me as I go under the water and pop my head up again.

  “What are you doing here?” I call out to the green-eyed man.

  “I wanted to see if my mate was awake, and when I didn’t find you in your little hut, I knew you’d be here.”

  “How’d you know I was here?”

  He grows confused as he walks closer to the edge of the water. “We’ve been talking here nearly every day for the last week, Cat.”

  I get a little annoyed at the fact that he doesn’t realize it’s me.

  “I’m not Cat.” I turn around in the water and make my way towards where my clothes are.

  “Celeste? Is it really you?” The joy in his voice freezes me for a few seconds before I climb out of the water and hide behind a tree to cover myself.

  After wrapping myself in a fluffy towel, I look out to see him facing the lake, giving me some space. “You really didn’t know it was me?”

  He shakes his head no, looking down at his feet like a little kid who’s about to get a good scolding. “She’s been in your human form for the last two weeks, and your voices sound almost exactly the same. I’m sorry. I should’ve noticed.”

  He rubs his hands down his face in frustration.

  “It’s fine. We do act kind of similar, so it’s no biggie.” I give him my best reassuring smile. I then dress up in black leggings and a t-shirt that seems to belong to Austin.

  “What did you and Cat talk about?” I ask as I walk to where he is.

  “You.”

  My hands are clasped behind my back as a groan escapes my lips. “What embarrassing things did she tell you?”

  “Nothing, Celeste.” He chuckles while walking towards me. “She just threatened to hurt me in multiple ways if I screwed things up with you. It’s no biggie.” He shrugs his shoulders with a small smile on his face.

  “Wait. She’s actually giving you a shot? Without asking if I was okay with that?”

  “What are you talking about? Do you not want to be my mate?” Hurt is clear on his face as he tries to hold on to my arms, but I move away from his hold.

  “No! It’s
just,” I run my hand through my tangled hair, only for it to get stuck halfway, “I don’t want a mate at all.” I cross my arms on my chest with a huff. “I can’t have a mate. I’m not supposed to have one.” I turn away from him and try to walk away, but he grabs hold of my elbow gently.

  “The goddess gave me you and you me. If you weren’t supposed to have a mate, then you should have been born with the mark of a mateless wolf,” he speaks softly while he makes me turn to look at him.

  “Why in the world would you believe you can’t have one?” He bends his body slightly so we are looking eye to eye.

  “Because I’m supposed to die alone as a mateless wolf. I’m not supposed to be a pack wolf with other people to rely on. I’m a rogue who has always depended on just myself, and I like it like that.”

  “You are my mate, Celeste. We are supposed to get married, have pups, and grow old together. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.” He holds the sides of my face, the pads of his thumbs rubbing gently against my cheeks.

  Fear strikes my heart at the mention of children. “I-I can’t, Austin. I’m not made for a family or pups.”

  I hold his wrists as I try to push his hands away, but his grip remains firm and gentle.

  “Why not? Just imagine a little girl with your beautiful eyes and your button nose or a little boy, a little mini me to annoy the hell out of you or me—or both. Our son would do everything to protect his little sister, and we’ll be there to scare off all the boys that are after her because with you as her mother, she’ll have boys busting down the door just to be with her.”

  His eyes fog over with unshed tears, but my head shakes slightly. “I can’t, Austin. I told you: I’m not meant for a family.”

  “Why not?” He tries to yell but his voice breaks. “We’re mates, Celeste. Why can’t you be with me?”

  “How could I be a mother and a luna after all I’ve done? After how my mother acted? I can’t risk the chance of me turning into her.”