The Devil's Daughter: A Paranormal Romance

by Shyenna Renee

“We’ve been in worse situations. Pull the piece out. Get off your ass, and get back to the house so we can interrogate that piece of filth by the tree,” she says to me, a sudden burst of courage coming through from her.

  “I’m too tired.”

  She growls in frustration before pushing herself from the dark recesses of our mind.

  “Fine, I’ll be the strong one now.” Then she takes control, and I let her.

  I just want to rest for a while.

  CHAPTER 30

  |celeste|

  I gasp out in pain as the effects of the wound down on me. I’ve never been good with pain. That’s why Cat always takes control when we’re injured. Now, I’m the one who has to be strong and block the pain from her.

  I take in deep breaths, calming my rapidly beating heart as I sit up. A small whimper comes from the back of my throat as I stand and lean against a tree. The small silver inside my body has my breath hitching when I try to take a step.

  I need to remove the silver tip.

  I stare at the hole on the side of my ribs.

  “Oh goddess, help me through this,” I whisper up into the sky as a silent prayer before digging my fingers into the bloodied gash.

  A strangled scream leaves my lips as I dig deeper. It feels like forever when my fingers finally grip onto the burning silver and I’m able to rip it out. I quickly toss the piece to the floor and grip onto my side, trying to lessen the bleeding. As I try to catch my breath, I take shaky steps towards the unconscious man.

  I’m a few feet away from him when he begins to stir.

  You’ve got to be kidding me.

  “Seriously!?” I call out to no one in particular. The man starts to sit up and I rush over to him, ignoring the pain on my side as best as I can.

  The man clings to his forehead in pain before his gaze snaps up to me. His confused gaze turns dark after a few seconds, no doubt remembering what happened.

  When he makes a move to stand, I growl in annoyance before punching him in the jaw.

  “And stay down,” I yell in anger when he crashes to the floor.

  I lean down and lift the man’s overly sized arm onto my shoulder before pulling him off the floor. A groan leaves my lips as the feeling of my muscle and tissue mending back together sends another wave of pain through my body.

  “At least we’re healing,” Cat says tiredly in the back of my head.

  “Get some rest.”

  She listens, letting out a yawn as she disappears into the dark depths of my mind.

  “Okay, I can do this.” I try pep-talking myself as I take small steps forward.

  Not one foot and the heavy man I’m lifting begins to slip from my arms.

  “Shit! No, no, no.” I try to grip the man tighter, but he still slips from my grasp and falls face first into the dirt. I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up and come out of my mouth.

  “Serves you right,” I mutter angrily.

  “Okay, I can’t carry your fat ass, so I guess we’ll use a different method.” I grip his ankles and try to drag him, but I end up running out of breath faster than I did when I was carrying him.

  “Arghh!” I scream into the darkening sky and kick his side. “Why the hell are you so heavy?”

  I give him another kick before Cat decides to speak up again.

  “You’re a demon dumbass. Just teleport.” I can feel her roll her eyes as sarcasm drips through her voice.

  “Oh yeah,” I chirp happily before bending and lifting him up again.

  “Okay, all I have to do is picture Zeke’s house,” I mumble and close my eyes.

  I picture his living room: the giant marble fireplace, the gold trim lining the walls with matching furniture, and the giant windows overlooking the forest. I smile as I think of how badly I wanted to sit by the window, curled under a warm blanket while reading a book.

  Within seconds, I feel the warmth swarm around me. I open my eyes to find a swirl of magic surrounding me. It works for about a second, only sending me a few feet forward. I’m thinking the magic is unsuccessful since I’m still a little weak from the wounds and the blood loss.

  I try for a second time. I put more energy into it. Doing this, of course, takes away energy to heal all the way. My cracked ribs are taking their sweet time to mend, and I can feel the agonizing pain of my skin slowly being pulled together. I already know there’s going to be yet another scar seared onto my skin.

  I smile as the heat returns to my skin, and I can almost hear the weird red flames wrapping back around me. A few minutes later, I’m standing in the empty living room of my grandfather’s house.

  Dropping the man to the floor, I lean myself against the wall and call out for someone, only to be answered by the sound of deafening silence.

  I try again. “Anybody here?”

  This time, I hear the sound of loud footsteps echoing down the grand staircase.

  “Celeste?” Cal calls as he appears in the doorway with Zeke right behind him.

  “Cal, where’s Austin?”

  Cal comes to my side and leads me over to the couch to rest.

  “Out looking for you. Zeke, go get her a robe or something to wear.” He covers me with a blanket as he turns to my grandfather.

  “He said he felt pain come from you through the bond. Are you alright?” He feels my head and worry flashes through his eyes at the heat radiating from it. “You’re burning up.”

  “I’m fine, Cal. I just need to rest.” I push away his hands when he begins to inspect me for wounds. “I was only stabbed. It’s even healed already.” I push aside the blanket, enough to show him the puffy new scar across my ribs. “Soon, it will no longer be puffy. It’ll just be a faint line against my pale skin.”

  I cover myself up and stand when Zeke comes back with a fluffy white robe.

  “Take that man somewhere where he can’t escape. He’ll lead us to our family, Cal.” I take hold of the soft material and wrap it tight against me. “I’ll be in my room. I need to sleep to gain my energy back. One of you get ahold of Austin and tell him to come back. Zeke, there’s a body of a boy deep in the woods that I need to fetch and give a proper burial.”

  “How will I find him?” he asks.

  I step in front of him and place my palm on the side of his head. I try to give him a mental image of the boy. Once I knew that the picture already flashed across his gaze, I drop my hand back to my side.

  “Think of him and your instincts shall lead you to him. He was a good boy. He didn’t deserve to die.”

  With that said, I make my way up the grand staircase and to my room. I collapse onto my bed, entering the dark void where my nightmares lurk.

  CHAPTER 31

  |celeste|

  “Mommy, where are we going?” I ask as I walk beside my father, my tiny hand clasped tightly in his calloused one.

  “To a special place,” she calls from over her shoulder.

  She seems rather annoyed than happy with having to trudge through these trees.

  Maybe she doesn’t want to get dirty?

  “Only a little farther darling, then we’ll go home and have a treat,” my father whispers in my ear as he picks me up and rests me on his hip.

  I let out a squeal and a fit of giggles when he spins us in a circle while tickling my stomach.

  “Quiet!” My mother snaps ahead of us.

  “Sorry, little C. We’ll have to shush for now, but don’t worry, the tickle monster will be back.” He does a mock scary voice at the end and wiggles his fingers at me before giving me a gentle kiss on my temple. Father has always been gentler than mother.

  “Where here. Let Celeste down,” my mom whispers harshly at my dad.

  “What’s going on?” My voice is small and hesitant as I take small steps towards my mother and the scary wooden door in front of us.

  “Mommy needs you to be quiet and to take a test. Okay, Celeste?”

  A test? But I hate tests. Judging from the look on my mother’s face, I have no choice but to c
omply.

  “Okay, what kind of test?”

  “Just a simple one. I need you to go inside and speak to the woman. All you’ll have to do is stand still and let her look at you.” She ushers me forward before fully shoving me into the dark and moldy house.

  She slams the door shut behind me, eliminating any light.

  “H-Hello?” I call out hesitantly, only to be met with a harsh shushing sound.

  I hear light steps behind me before I feel warm and harsh breaths against the back of my neck. I scream in panic when cold bony fingers shove me forward.

  I land with a hard thud on my arm, and I cry out when a sharp pain shoots up to my shoulder.

  “Mom! I don’t like this!” I scream but she doesn’t come to the rescue.

  Candles, instead, flicker around me, forming a complete circle as I lay in the middle of them.

  “Daddy, please help me!”

  I can hear my parents arguing outside as I call out to them.

  “She’s a child, Lilith!” I hear my dad yell.

  “This has to happen. I need answers!” My mother bites back harshly.

  A low mumble starts to echo around me as cloaked figures come from every direction. I don’t know what they’re saying since they are not speaking in English. I try to call out to one of them, but I hunch over in pain as I feel a punch in my heart. I grip my chest in a panic. It feels like my heart is about to explode.

  The pain travels throughout my whole body until I’m rendered motionless. I scream, but it starts to sound muffled as I grow tired and wish for sleep to come. Black spots start to dance across my vision.

  My eyelids start to flutter shut when I feel another wave of pressure on my chest. When my eyes open, I’m met with the sight of a sickly old woman, her hand plunged into my chest as a glowing blue light casts itself around us.

  “Stop, please!” I cry as her hand digs in further. “Stop!”

  “Stop!” I shoot up from my bed, sweat drenching my body as I try to catch my breath.

  “Celeste? What’s wrong?” A deep, groggy voice asks from beside me.

  Turning my head, I see a half-awake Austin leaning against the edge of my bed as he sits in a chair next to me.

  “Austin? Why are you in that tiny chair?” I ask, eyeing the very small seat he’s squeezed himself into.

  “I didn’t think you would appreciate me just climbing into your bed while you were passed out.”

  A small chuckle leaves my lips as he tries to stand, but the chair gets stuck on his butt.

  “Why didn’t you try to find something bigger to sit on then?”

  “Well, one tends to not leave his mate’s side when she’s just been stabbed in the chest,” he says sarcastically as he pulls off the chair and lets it fall to the floor. “I wanted to be here until you woke up. If that meant sitting in that midget chair, then I was okay with it.”

  He takes a seat on the edge of the bed and draws circles on the bare skin of my arm.

  “And who changed me?” I ask, just now noticing that I’m in a shirt and leggings.

  “Zeke had one of his maids do that.”

  A sigh of relief escapes me at this news.

  “Is everyone okay? I didn’t get the chance to ask when I came back.”

  He nods, his gaze still not leaving my arm as his hand roams on it. “They were just stunned by a flash bomb. And I would’ve found you sooner if it wasn’t for the pain that went through my chest when you were stabbed. I was scared you died.”

  He is solemn, as if deep in thought, and his bottom lip juts out to form a pout.

  A small chuckle escapes my lips as he reminds me of a lost pup. He gives me a glare in return. “How is my sadness over you being dead amusing?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just, when you pout, you look like a little puppy.”

  I laugh harder as he snarls and stands to leave.

  Before he can even take a step, I reach out and grab his hand. “I’m sorry. I won’t laugh anymore.”

  I bite my lip to hide my smile, but it doesn’t work. The smile breaks through. The sight seems to snap him out of his sour mood. His eyes brighten, and his own little smile shows.

  “Come lay down with me. There’s still a few more hours until the sun comes up.” I tug on his arm and he flops down beside me.

  “Good night, Celeste.” I hear him mumble as my eyes flutter close.

  “Good night Austin.”

  CHAPTER 32

  |celeste|

  “Has anyone talked to him yet?” I ask as we walk down the large corridor.

  “No, we decided it would be best to let you handle this.” Jack speaks up from behind me.

  We all fall into a tense silence as we think about what’s about to happen. This could be it. After what seems like forever, we could finally bring back our family.

  We stop in front of two large doors, and I take a deep breath to calm my heart. I try to turn myself into the intimidating wolf I’m known around the world as.

  I harshly push the doors open, a scowl taking over my features as I take sight of the man a couple feet away. He’s chained to a chair in the middle of a very elegant room with his head bowed.

  “Why isn’t he locked up in a more secure place?” I growl out to my grandfather.

  He looks at me, completely unaffected by the anger and power in my voice. Everyone else takes a step back and shows their necks in submission, knowing it eases my wolf’s anger when she’s like this. Well, besides Cal and Austin. Cal steps back out of instinct while Austin just stares at me, looking proud.

  “This house has no dungeon or anything of that sort because this is a house of luxury, not business.” He turns back to the man in the chair. “At least I gave him the worst room in the house. It was the best I could do.”

  “And I have also cast a spell around the room so he couldn’t leave. It’s perfectly safe.” Cal steps forward as I glare at Zeke.

  “Good. Thank you, Cal.”

  With that, he steps back in line next to the others behind me. I focus my attention on the man in question, and I step right in front of him.

  “Look at me.” I ask calmly and he doesn’t budge.

  “Now!” I yell as forcefully as I can and smile sarcastically at him when he snaps his head up.

  “Oh, you can actually listen. Good pup.”

  I roll my eyes at his pathetic excuse of a growl when I call him pup. “Oh, shut up. I get it. Being called a pup hurts your stupid little pride. Well, guess what? I don’t give a flying fuck about your pride, so stop with the growling and be good or else I’m going to have to play dirty, and I really don’t feel like getting blood all over my good shoes. Got it?”

  He snarls again, and I sigh dramatically before pulling off my favorite leather jacket and tossing it on the nearest couch.

  “Hard way it is then.”

  He is about to growl again, but I punch him hard in the nose before a sound leaves his lips. I smile happily when I hear a crunch, and he groan’s in pain.

  He looks up at me, blood spilling from his nose as a sadistic smile spreads across his face.

  “What are you smiling about?” I hiss out he gives out low chuckles.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he says in a sing-song voice as he keeps laughing.

  “Oh? And why is that?” I cross my arms in annoyance, already itching to punch him in his smug face again.

  He suddenly grows serious as the dark smile falls from his face and his laughter stalls. “Because I doubt my Alpha would like his Beta bloody and bruised, and you really don’t want to make him upset, especially with your family’s lives in his hands. I mean, we don’t really need all of them, do we?”

  A smirk covers his face as he stares up at me. My fists clench together at my sides.

  “What do you want from me?” I ask quietly, turning my face away from everyone in the room so they don’t see my facade break.

  CHAPTER 33

  |celeste|

  The man smiles
happily at my question. He feels that he’s getting his way.

  “Oh, Celeste. Sweet little Celeste. I just want to talk. It’s my Alpha who has bigger things in mind.”

  “Okay, so talk.” I growl out at him.

  “Oh, no can do, my dear. At least not until we’re completely alone that is. This is, after all, a private matter between you and my pack.”

  I snarl at his choice of words. “You’re filthy rogues and nothing more. Don’t disgrace all packs by placing that title over your barbaric followers.”

  “Careful, darling, you’re a rogue too. Which is why I don’t understand why you haven’t ditched this prick of an alpha and come back to your natural habitat?”

  Wait, where have I heard those exact words from?

  “Okay, I’ll grant your wish to speak alone as long as you tell me one thing.”

  “Ask away, dear. You are the one in charge after all.” His tone is sarcastic, both of us knowing I have no control in this situation even if he is the one tied up.

  “What’s your Alpha’s name?”

  |austin|

  “Don’t you mean alphas? Cause we have two.” The man in the seat smirks up at my very angry mate.

  “What are their names?” She gives a low hiss, her fists clenched at her sides.

  “Sadly, my dear, I can only give you one. The other wants it to be a surprise.” He sighs dramatically, making Celeste take a threatening step forward.

  “Tell me his name!” She seethes, her eyes switching to that of her demon’s.

  “Alpha Foster.” He smiles evilly as Celeste freezes, fear flashing through her eyes.

  “Celeste?” I ask quietly as I take a step forward.

  “Stay back,” the man growls. “We had a deal, Celeste. It’s time for us to speak in private. My alpha is getting agitated.” He looks up at my mate who wastes no time in lifting him off the chair and directing him towards the door.

  We all step in front of the door to block her path. Placing my palm on her shoulder, I carefully lift her head to look up at me.