by Jennise K
A slow sigh left my lips as I turned around, nodding.
“Yes, I suppose so.” I admitted. It truly was.
Matthew’s comforting smile remained bright and warm as he settled himself beside me, allowing a fraction of a distance between the both of us to remain.
“Isn’t it funny?”
“Funny?”
“Yeah.” Matthew shuffled on the sofa beside me, pulling up to rest one of his feet on the other.
“It’s a storm both outside and inside the castle.”
I couldn’t help but grimace at the truth.
“Yes, quite hilarious.”
Still, with that comforting smile on his lips, Matthew turned towards me. “Where is Rome?”
“Taking a shower,” I replied, sending a smile of my own his way.
I felt a very familiar sort of closeness with Matthew. He was always kind, positive, and comforting. If I ever had an older brother, I’d love for him to be just like Matthew.
“Yeah, he was beginning to stink,” Matthew replied with a chuckle, and I couldn’t help but let out a snort at that.
“True.”
“Do you both honestly not remember the fact that I can hear you?”
Both Matthew and I turned sharply towards the bathroom door. Both of us sent a sheepish smile towards the towelled beast.
“It’s true, though.” I shrugged, turning towards the older man for support.
“Yeah, man. You stunk!” Matthew shrugged as well. Leaning towards me, he threw a hand around my shoulder as he did so.
“Oi, why are you touching her? Do you want to die?” Romanov hissed at his best friend, and I grinned, leaning closer to Matthew.
“You know very well how I feel for your soulmate. So, shut up. She’s like a kid sister,” Matthew shot back teasingly, still with the same good-natured attitude that I’d come to get so used to.
“Yeah! He’s an older brother I’ve never had.” I nodded enthusiastically, forgetting for a minute the seriously dangerous situation we were all in.
“Good thing, too.” Matthew turned towards me. “Your mate is an idiot. You’ll need all the protection you can get from his mood swings.”
“Ha ha, shut up. You two make such an irritating team. I’m going to go get dressed before you two kill all the brain cells I have.”
“Can’t handle this,” Matthew whispered as the sound of the closet door closing sounded around the room. I snickered hysterically, completely enjoying the bantering between Romanov and him.
“Alexander was speaking about someone arriving soon. Who was he speaking about exactly?” I frowned as I thought of the conversation I had heard about this person.
“Oh, that’s Derrek. He’s the alpha king of Canada, Alpha Alexander’s best friend. He’s coming over as well.” Matthew chuckled, shuffling away again.
“Oh.” I nodded dumbly, shuffling myself on the couch again until I found a comfortable spot.
Just then, a set of two knocks echoed around the bedroom before the bedroom’s door swung open, making both Matthew and I turn towards the person who had just entered the room.
“Beta Matthew, dear, Alpha Alexander needs to see you in the study.” Marsha smiled at us as she walked in with a tray cookie and what smelt like hot chocolate.
Matthew turned towards me and smiled. “I’ll be back, okay?”
“Okay!” I beamed at the older man.
“Thanks, Marsha,” Matthew spoke to the older woman with a kind smile on his face. Getting up, he straightened his sweater again before walking towards the bedroom door.
I also stood up, greeting Marsha with a wide smile. I took the tray from the older lady and walked towards the coffee table.
“The hot chocolate smells delicious, Marsha! Thank you!” I thanked the woman as I leaned down, placing the tray on the coffee table.
“It is not for you.”
I grinned. The older woman always had a habit of teasing me when she made me something sweet. “I thought you loved me, Marsha! How could you?”
“It is for Julius.”
I froze. One by one, the hairs of my skin began standing up in attention and dread. My grip on the tray loosened, and I slowly straightened and turned around.
A gasp ripped out of my mouth when instead of Marsha’s red hair, a woman with blonde hair stood before me. Her beautiful green eyes peered into me sceptically as she just stood there.
Yvette.
My eyes ran over her from the top to bottom. It was then when I noticed the stumpy older woman now sprawled on the floor near her feet. Yvette had possessed Marsha.
My eyes snapped up again. “Aaahh!”
Yvette was suddenly almost nose to nose with me. Her green eyes began to turn black, and she grinned at the fear in my eyes. My eyes snapped to her mouth, and I stumbled back. Instantly, her fingers clutched around my arm.
“Livia?”
The door to the closet began to swing open. Yvette’s eyes snapped towards the door, and I watched, terrified as it swung back shut with a bang.
“Livia!” Romanov growled furiously, rattling the door violently. I could hear the fear and panic behind his anger. I knew he was afraid. Our plan hadn’t worked. She hadn’t attacked Rose, and Yvette hadn’t fallen into our trap. She was here for me instead.
I knew she was holding the door, keeping him out of the room. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to react—to yell for help or to try to help myself?
“Rome!” I screamed, moving away from the tall woman looking at me with her whole eyes filled with black amusement.
She took a step forward again, and I brought my fists up in front of me in a defensive stance, my heart hammering in my chest. I didn’t know if this was going to work. But I’d try. I’d try anything! I didn’t want to die!
If someone would have asked me if I wanted to die a couple of months ago, I would have thought about it. There were times I had thought I would be better off dead. But I didn’t want to die now. I didn’t want to die.
The beautiful blonde woman took a step forward again, her ankle-length dress rustling as she moved. How could she be so…tangible? How could she be so lifelike when she was dead?
I took three steps back, the back of my leg bumping onto the sofa.
“Livia! Fucking hell!”
The door flew open, and a large black beast stood on the doorway, heaving out foam from his mouth.
Suddenly, Yvette’s cold thin hand closed around mine again, and my head snapped towards the demon just in time to see her sharp mouth begin to move. “Let’s go, dear.”
And then the room around where we stood was no more.
One second, we were in the room and the next I was being thrown onto a filthy floor. A loud yell ripped out of my chest as I felt my right wrist crushing underneath me with the impact. The pain was unforgiving. It seared through my whole arm, and I cried out in pain as I just lay there.
“Could you take care of yourself a little more, sweetheart? I do have to use your body as a vessel after all.”
My head snapped up in the dark room, and I began to desperately fumble around, trying to find her in the darkness.
“Show yourself!” I screamed when I couldn’t find her.
She just laughed.
Her laughter rung around the dark room, an evil melody resonating in all the corners. It was like poison to my ears. Her laughter felt like death was winning, like she was going to have her way.
“Shut up! Shut up! Do you hear me?” I screamed as loudly as I could over the thunder that was furiously raging outside. I clenched my good wrist, and I began to drag myself to stand.
“Oh, come off it, dear. No need to act hostile. We can go about this the uncomplicated way. You aren’t rude, are you? Aren’t you ought to the kind, sweet Olivia?”
I scoffed despite my terrified heart hammering away in my chest. I was terrified. But I was also getting so angry. Exceedingly angry. I had a feeling it was Romanov’s anger I was feeling. For a moment, I w
ondered if he could feel my fear, too.
Still, I let his anger run through my veins freely. This was better off than being scared.
“Just because I’m kind doesn’t mean I don’t get angry, Yvette.”
Lightning struck somewhere outside, and the room lit up for a moment. A gasp left my lips when I realised what a wreck it was in. Everything was burnt!
“Oh, how smart! You already know who I am! I feared you would call me that worthless pile of rubbish Edika like everyone else does!”
“You have lived your portion of life, Yvette. It’s time to let go of this world. It is not yours anymore.” I flinched when my shattered wrist throbbed. Still, I put my left hand out, trying to feel around the room as I began taking unsteady steps around.
“Now now, dear. Indeed, I have lived and died and lived on for hundreds of years waiting for Julius to return to me. I have seen the world change while waiting for him. I have evolved my strength. There is no escape for you. Still, I always welcome change with peace. Therefore, we can do this very easily. All you have to do is give me your body. You were made for me to replace you. Your soul is temporary, my dear. Julius belongs to me.”
“Julius may have belonged with you.” I agreed, clenching my teeth when my bare feet stumbled on something and I found myself on the floor again. “But Romanov belongs with me. He is mine. Get this through your ancient head!”
“Such a shame! You were never this feisty, my dear. This could have been so much easier if you had just given in. Think it through again, sweetheart. It wouldn’t be so bad. I would still let you visit your body some time.”
“Yeah right, like how you completely ruined everything for Edika? You killed your own children, you stupid woman!”
“Do not speak of my children!” At that moment, lightning struck again, and I fell back as I saw, with horror, that Yvette was only an inch from me. Despite being in her human form, she suddenly didn’t look so beautiful anymore.
“Rome will get here in no time! You’ll see!” I choked out, dragging myself away from her as far as I could.
Again, her manic laughter rang around the walls of the room, sharp enough to cut through my skin.
“Of course, he will dear.”
I blinked at how quickly she was back to being sweet again. Had this woman been a psycho when she was alive? Or was this merely the effect of death?
“That is the reason I’m requesting you to hurry along, now isn’t it?” Yvette’s spoke in sugarcoated words, in a singsong voice. Again, she was far away from me. Again, I looked around the completely dark room with wide open eyes, and again, all I saw was nothing.
“Should I do you a favour?” Her breath hit the back of my neck like a chilly breeze. My breath hitched, but I clenched my hand to stop myself from yelping. Instead, I just sat there as still as I could.
“Should I turn on the lights?” Yvette whispered again into my ear again. A whimper ripped out of my lips when suddenly, her fingers glided over my shoulder, her nails digging into my flesh. “You know, Julius is much more animalistic in bed now. I believe I will enjoy it.” A giggle left her lips, and I tried to shuffle away from her. She pulled me back instantly, and I felt as her nails broke into my skin. “Stay. Still. Now, where was I? Oh yes, he was always very concerned about my skin bruising before. He seems to enjoy his marks now. Very erotic.”
“You’re a perverted old hag,” I spat back, disgusted beyond words. I wanted to hurl out my lunch. Everything felt so dirty, so contaminated.
All of a sudden, the lights of the room came on. My eyes darted around the ruined room, trying to find an exit. I gasped when I realised where she has brought me. This had been Edika’s room. This had been where she had burnt herself!
“You’re right. This is where that fool made the stupidest mistake of her life.”
I twisted around sharply at the whisper. Her dark black eyes bore into mine, while her thin lips were pulled up into a smile. I wanted to vomit.
“You killed her! She didn’t kill herself! You made her do it! You’re a murderer!” I hissed, glaring at the woman in front of me.
Her smile only brightened. “It was her fault. Why did she have to want something that wasn’t hers? Look where it got her. The fool didn’t even know she was pregnant! Such a shame.”
“Why did you kill River? He didn’t do anything to you!” I shot back, fisting my left hand against my skirt. I wanted to throw a punch at her, demand her to bring River back. I wanted to scream and yell for Romanov.
“He meddled where he wasn’t supposed to.” Yvette shrugged. Bringing her hand before her, she began looking over her nails. The anger bubbled inside the furnace that my chest had become.
“No,” I spat at her in disgust. “You meddled where you were not supposed to!”
“Whatever you say, sweetie.” Yvette smiled at me. “Now shall we get back to business? I believe it is time to hand your body over.”
It was like a switch—the sort of switch that stood at a junction between being rational and giving absolutely zero fucks.
I must have taken her by surprise when slowly my lips curled up into a smirk. Yvette’s eyebrows cocked up as she noted the change in my demeanour. “Romanov is not Julius, Yvette. Romanov is Romanov. And Romanov is mine. The quicker you understand this, the better it will be for you.”
“Do you really want us to play this game, my dear?” Yvette leaned forward, her eyes glowering with something I couldn’t identify. Impatiently, my eyes scoured around the room again, and this time, I spotted the large black bedroom door. Then I noticed the frail-looking figure curled up just in front of it. My chest constricted in shock and pain.
Sophia…
“Why did you possess Sophia? You stole her entire childhood and youth!” I blurted out furiously as I turned to glare at Yvette.
“Why, my dear, I did no such thing! The girl accepted my offer to use her body.” Yvette shrugged as she turned towards the frail body.
“Oh, shut up! She was too young to do any sort of inviting, you old evil hag!” I snapped at the sneering ghost. Slowly, her smile disappeared, and the same black pool of death glared back at me.
“Give me your body, Olivia. Or I am going to rip it away from you! And that will only hurt ten times more!” Yvette hissed slowly, putting an emphasis on every word.
Despite myself, I felt a tremor of fear run down my spine. This wasn’t good. The castle was so large! Were Rome and the rest not going to find me in time?
“For saying that Romanov is Julius, you sure do not want to rip my soul out of my body in front of him, do you, Yvette?” I whispered back, looking at Yvette straight in the eyes. “I wonder why that is?”
“Be kinder with your words, my dear. Young ladies have such foul mouths in today’s generation. You must remember that I can kill you in this instant if I truly wish to,” Yvette said and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
“If Romanov was Julius, and he were your soulmate, you wouldn’t need to steal my body just to get him to be with you, Yvette. Romanov is not Julius. He is my soulmate. He loves me. I’m his only adelfí psychí. Not you!”
“You little whore! I have been acting kindly as a royal luna should, despite the fact that you have seduced and spread your legs for my adelfí psychí countless number of times. Despite the fact that you took the position that belongs only to me. I forgave you and still decided to bestow this great privilege on you. Yet you repay me with snark!”
Yvette stopped, closing her eyes, and she let out a deep breath. Her eyes opened. “Fine. Since you do not accept my kindness, I will rip your soul apart. Julius is mine.”
“Listen up, you dead old cow,” I hissed back at her, gritting my teeth as I tried to keep the fury in. “This is the last time I’m telling you this. Romanov is not Julius, and Romanov is mine.”
“You wh—”
“Livia!”
I didn’t have a lot of happy memories that stood out to me a lot. Most usually faded just as soon as my smil
e did. However, amongst the ones that I did cherish, I was sure that moment was going to be one of the best.
I was always going to cherish the moment when the doors of the damned room burst open and Romanov stormed in along with Dominic, Grayson, Adyl, Fin, Matthew, Alexander. Behind them, dozens of men and women marched in as well. My eyes focused on a specific face I recognised, though—Rose.
For a moment, both Yvette and I remained on the floor, stunned. I watched dumbly as Grayson reached for Sophia and picked her limp body up.
Then I blinked, the warmth of protection that always blanketed around me whenever Romanov was around wrapped itself around me again, and I smiled as I turned to my soulmate.
“Hey, Beasty, what’s your name again?” I called out to him, turning towards Yvette to see her blazing eyes on me now.
“Livia! Don’t wo—Romanov Naight! Why?”
“And who, out of the both of us, do you love?” I asked again, motioning between both Yvette and I.
“I love you, Livia, and only you. Now stop asking questions. My patience is limited for fuck’s sake!”
I beamed at Romanov before turning towards Yvette again. “Are we enlightened now?”
“Admit defeat, Yvette. It is time to cross over.” Rose stepped forward, a beaded chain hanging from her right hand and a candle in another.
“My dear.”
I flinched when the woman in front of me chuckled. Had it been in some other time and had she been someone else, I would have thought her laughter to be beautiful. However, in that moment, it sounded as if fingernails were scraping against a chalkboard. Unbearable.
“You’ve ruined everything.” She continued laughing hysterically now. I glanced towards Romanov with wide, terrified eyes. I had a feeling this was going to get way out of hand very quickly.
“Oliviaaa.”
My head snapped back to the blonde woman. It did. It got way out of hand very quickly. Yvette launched herself forward, her beautiful face melting away to show something I was sure would always become a permanent part of my nightmares.
Oh my God! Move away, Olivia!
I was terrified. The adrenaline and fear began pumping through my system, and immediately, by reflex, I began shuffling backward as quickly as I could despite my shattered wrist and traumatised brain.