“Who let an outsider into the camp? Who? I demand you speak up!” Lia stood in the center of camp with everyone surrounding her in her rapidly decaying state.
The remains of her mate smoked in the air, with only a few of the embers remaining. She had not cried when they burned his body. The body did not matter, she had retrieved the catalyst memories to instill after he was born anew.
That did not mean that it didn’t hurt, however.
Kreiten, her dear twin, rubbed his hand down her back soothingly while she leaned into him. The camp had been broken down for quick movement, their location had been compromised and human hunters could know where they were. The cubs, not yet mature enough to take on a humanoid form, cowered behind their parents when they heard one of their leaders’ voices shout.
“He had help! How else would a mortal get in?!”
Kreiten leaned into her and whispered softly in her ear, “We best not act on anger, Sister. Better to simply take pleasure when we torture those responsible for letting a hunter in.”
He paused, “He was as much as brother to me as he was your Mate.”
Kreiten’s own violet eyes flashed with a calculated coolness as he looked into his sister’s eyes.
They had never been without one another, he and Lia. Never did they live a life without one another. Lydia nodded into his neck and replaced her anger with icy hatred for the traitor.
Kreiten led her away from the Kit and glared at any who did not make quick enough escapes from their path. He sat her down at the bed of his caravan. He sat on the bed beside her and held her as she shook, the tears flowing down her face.
“Did you get the memories?” He asked and she nodded against him.
“Of course.”
The silence stretched on for more than a few moments before she looked up at him.
“What if they all acted together? They hate us, Kreiten. They hate us.” She breathed and he shook his head in denial.
“No, they wouldn’t. They loved Lucien, you know that.”
“Even so, it could be that I was the intended target.” She shuddered in his arms, tears streaming once more, her shaking harsher and more violent. Kreiten, for his part, seemed unnerved by her words.
“Lucien was raised this time around by the Kit. Not like us. In every other life, he went through the same trials we had, but not in this life. This time they were his family and he treated them like such and was blind to their misgivings! Kreiten, one or all of them did it and I want them to suffer!”
Lia awoke in a bed that was not her own like she had since she and her brother had parted ways several months ago. It was not intended to be permanent, and the permanence of his death in his life seemed to her to foreshadow her own.
Not when she had come so close. So close to having him back.
They had never lived past one another before, not really.
She should have known that Kreiten was dead, at the very least because by every passing day she had begun to feel hollower and hollower. Her other half was gone. Her mate was not her mate anymore. Her kit was dead.
Everyone was dead, and she knew her other family outside of Kreiten would not miss her if she were gone herself.
Gods help her, she had stopped feeling pain a long time ago, and she had savored the nothingness that had overcome her.
But then she had seen him again. He was nothing like he was before, but then again, he always changed with every lifetime. She didn’t, neither did Kreiten.
She had seen the pain in his eyes when she smiled at him. She knew he was damaged, but wasn’t everyone? She was certainly.
He had made her feel something for the first time in what seemed like ages, even if it were for a few brief moments.
Lia sat up in the bed, glancing at the door, already knowing that it was locked. The one window was locked and a metal plate blocked out any light. She could see fine in the darkness, but she turned on the bedside lamp beside her regardless.
No one else was present, though she noticed that her coat was laying on top of a chair in the corner.
The furniture looked expensive, and the sheets she was laying on top of were good silk. She nearly slipped off the bed attempting to get up too.
Lia stood up, pulling off her heels and walking over to the opposite door that led to a bathroom that looked equally as expensive. Inside, she stripped off her pants, tee shirt and underwear, running the bath with the water on steaming hot.
The physical was the only respite she had from the inner ache that haunted her mind, and she clung to that respite desperately in any way possible, even if it were only pointless in the end.
She sunk into the water after finding the fully stocked cabinet with anything she could ever want.
Using a generous amount of lavender vanilla bath salt, and the eucalyptus shampoo and conditioner, she took her time cleaning up, draining the water when she was done, and refilling it once more for the heat.
She sighed and leaned back, not opening her eyes even as she heard the door slam open to the bathroom.
“What the hell did you do to me?!” The black haired warrior who had assaulted her was pissed, and appeared to being taking a nasty trip.
“My blood has hallucinogenic properties. When you grabbed my neck, which was bloody, it sunk through your skin and into your bloodstream. So you’re just taking a bad trip, and it’ll probably only get worse till it gets out of your system.” She notified him calmly.
She opened her eyes when he felt him grab her roughly by the arm, “How long?!”
“Probably a day or two. Now let me go, or I’ll be showing how much worse it can get.” She narrowed her eyes at him.
He stormed out of there so fast she was almost offended at his blatant disregard for her.
Pssh, at least I don’t look like a grown toddler.
He had one of those faces that you could tell had been practically the same since childhood, only more grown up. Not to mention that most of them were so built that if you looked at their shoulders they looked like a smaller man popping out of a larger man.
Not Rid though. He was built leaner, and from what she gathered he was faster.
What was his full name? She wondered.
I suppose I’ll have to wait for it.
She stepped out of the tub, sighed as she noticed healing bruises on her arm. Fucking manhandling. Keep ignoring me, boys. I’ll make you pay for it in the long run.
Grabbing a towel, she dried herself off and dumped her dirty clothes and the towel in the hamper, before checking the chest of drawers for any spare clothing.
On the top was a pair of jeans that fit perfectly and a slightly too big tee shirt. Not necessarily her style, but it would be fine.
Lia pulled on the clothes, taking only her bra from the day before to put on.
When she was dressed she glanced at the door to see it still locked, but the air vent was hanging slightly open haphazardly. A Bean-Tighe, perhaps .
She blinked, re-appearing outside her door. It was a lock that required a key, so she’d have to settle on blinking for a while. Well, until they realized that it was fruitless in the end.
The halls were empty, even of the tripping grown toddler. She wandered around, scouting the house and the layout. She finally stopped at the kitchen, scrounging up a sandwich and a bottle of water before continuing her exploring till she found herself underground in a gym of sorts.
The gym was not empty. She sat down on a bench and watched her reincarnated mate for a while silently.
Her opening of the water bottle caught his attention however and his eyes met hers in the mirror above the machine.
He turned around, “How did you get out?”
“Blinked.” She stated, “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep like everyone else? I mean if my internal clock is right it should be daytime.”
“I don’t sleep often.” He replied, walking over to her.
“You have a bean tighe living in the house.” She told him.
His eyebrow rose, “What is a bean tighe?”
“A benevolent-grandmother sort of faerie. A servant must be leaving out strawberries and cream for it. I only noticed because the servants are all asleep as well and the only one that visited me was the grown toddler, but he locked the door when he left. The air vent was open also.”
“The air vent?”
“Their small and very delicately built. They find room wherever they can. Less to clean, I imagine.” She stated, taking a drink of water.
His eyebrow rose again and she saw a small twitch at the corner of his lip. “Grown toddler?”
“Percy, I believe his name is.”
He turned away from her, but she saw a slight smile at her words. She found herself feeling happy, but it quickly sank away as memories of her brother began to come to the forefront.
He was just as much my brother as your mate, you are not the only one in pain, sister.
At least we have each other, I suppose that’ll be the only thing we can wish for in the end.
I love you, Wickalie, even enough to let you go. His smile was bittersweet toward her, and it scarred her memory, to know that she had caused him any pain.
Her brother had been calmer than she had ever been in any life. He was known for being her complete opposite outside of looks, and she liked to think that they suited each other perfectly because of that.
And that was normal for kitsune. Twins divided up one soul amongst themselves. It was accepted and encouraged to mate with your other half, but she had never loved her brother like he had loved her.
As soon as she had seen Lucien she had known that with certainty.
But Kreiten never saw anyone outside of her, she knew. He took no lovers, which was incredibly odd for kitsune. He never lied to her, always told her everything she wanted to know. He was there for her when she needed it. And now, now she was alone. And this time she knew it would end that way too.
She looked at the male beside her, noting the angular features, the eyes that were so very dark, and the way he held himself in an almost self-deprecating manner. Most would not have noticed it, but she knew the signs. She had done so after Lucien died, but now everything about her was fake, false, and pointless.
The dreaded numbness was taking hold again, and she couldn’t bear it. Pain, she thought, would be far better than this. At least pain meant that you were alive, this awful feeling made her dead, and she doubted she’d escape it.
Lia turned to him, “What do you do for fun around here?”
Rid turned back to her. To tell the truth, she was not bothered by the burns that scarred his right cheek. The scarring was thick, but it did not distract from the beauty of his aristocratic features.
Lucien had scars, Kreiten had several decorating his back, and as for her, she had her own at the base of her neck, though hers were covered by her hair.
Though she knew it probably bothered himself more so than anyone else.
He was slow to respond, “Workout, train, though some of the others watch TV. Some read.”
She nodded. How boring.
He stood up. “Everyone is about to wake up for the night. Perhaps you should get back to the room.”
She sighed and sent him a teasing grin, “Perhaps.”
She grabbed the water bottle and walked out of the gym, making her way upstairs. She wouldn’t go back to her ‘secure room’ just yet, and settled down on a secluded bench in a hall of paintings. She was out of sight and thus out of mind, and settled down to watch the waking residents.
A few minutes after she sat, a woman appeared in the doorway to the hall. She was about an inch taller than Lia, with long black hair and startling cool blue eyes. She must be a maid, given her crisp uniform.
Lia whistled at the woman, waving at her from her position.
The woman caught her eyes and approached the blonde kitsune with wide eyes.
“Who are you?” She asked and Lia scooted over and pat the seat beside her.
“My name is Lydia, or Lia if you prefer.” Lia replied, angling her face so as to take in more of the female’s features.
“I am Marnya.” The female introduced and took a seat beside the kitsune. Lia bit back a laugh as she imagined how the males would lose their shit if they spotted the two of them.
They sat in silence for a while, though Lia got the feeling that Marnya was waiting for her to speak. Lia was in a contemplative mood instead.
She wondered what they planned to do with her. She wouldn’t be easy to kill, even if she wanted to die.
Did she want to die? Was that what she was feeling?
Marnya spoke up, “Why are you here?”
Lydia turned to her with a blank look. It was not cold, but it wasn’t warm either. It unnerved Marnya clearly.
“I don’t know.” She looked away, “I wish I did.”
After a few minutes, Lydia stood. “I suppose I should get back to my room. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”
She walked off, leaving the female vampire alone.
Rid walked into his room, closing the door behind himself firmly and walked into the bathroom to wash up before breakfast.
When he stepped out of the shower he stilled as he noticed a figure standing in the doorway.
It was her brother, and he appeared as alive as ever.
Kreiten was dressed in what looked like renaissance era clothing, tights and all. At his hip was a sword kept in an elaborate leather sheath, and he wore knee high boots as if he were about to go horseback riding.
Rid wrapped himself up in a towel, but Kreiten simply nodded at him and walked out. He followed the dead kitsune out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, noticing how he looked surprisingly comfortable in a chair that was more decorative than useful.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, my ass hurts in this chair. Just not as much as when Lia threw a spear into my damn hip. I’ll give her that her aim was pretty damn close to what she was really aiming for though.” Kreiten said off-handedly.
“Aren’t you?”
Kreiten laughed, “Oh, yes. Quite dead.”
Rid turned to the closet and got dressed while the blond ghost waited for him. He left the room to go eat and noticed the male kitsune follow him into the dining room. He took his seat and noticed that no else saw the eccentric male, not even Young and he could actually see the dead.
As they ate, Rid watched the blonde apparition walk around the room. Kreiten analyzed them all and their actions with a calculating eye. When he grew bored with that however, he paced the room humming the same tune that his sister did often.
A ring pierced the air and Alder withdrew his phone, scanning the room for anyone missing. Only Percy wasn’t there, but he was still in the Mansion.
It was an Unknown number, but he picked it up regardless.
“Alder,” he answered.
A voice was heard and he placed the call on speaker.
The voice was female, but distracted. Music was blaring in the background and thumping was heard frequently over the phone. Her voice came through clearly surprisingly, but it seemed like she wasn’t quite present at the moment.
“Shhh Shhh,” she cooed, “Mummies on the phone darling!”
A clicking was heard over the speaker before she continued, “Anyways, I came to innnnnfoooorm all ya about a newbie headed your way.”
“You’ll need Lia-Bia for it too!” She cackled.
“Cassandra,” Kreiten told Rid, “She is a seer witch. Because of her gifts, she isn’t totally sane.”
No one else heard him, though the witch seemed aware of him, “Lucien knows what’s up!”
She cheered for a moment. Then her voice became sterner, “Tell her Rosemary needs her help. Little Rosie is protecting a what do you call them? Runt? He can’t speak and doesn’t know what he is.”
“Anyway, thought it would be useful for ya’ll to know too!” She cheered happily again.
“Biya!” She hung up and they were silent for a moment.
“Rosemary. Rosemary. She is an exiled Fae, one of my sister’s friends, I believe.” Kreiten told him.
They looked at Brigg. He sighed.
They finished quickly after that and Rid was the one left in charge of Lia. He found her in the room on the bed staring up at the ceiling when he opened the door.
She turned to face him and smiled at him, her eyes lighting up. Not a-fucking-gain.
Kreiten slid in through the doorway, though his twin did not notice him. It appeared that only Rid could see him, and the ghost looked angry that his sister couldn’t see him.
He stood at the foot of the bed and Lydia sat up, swinging her legs off to the side and onto the floor to face him.
The male kitsune stared at her, and wet trails traced lines down his near perfect face.
“I hate that I was never who she wanted.” The kitsune spoke, shaking and squeezing his hands into fists.
He was pissed, but not at Rid. He looked angrier at himself than anyone else.
Kreiten turned to him and his sister stood and they walked to him at once and the male twin stood closer to the vampire than Lydia. He screamed in his face, but only the vampire could hear him.
“I never forgot her. I never left her. I was better for her. But she never wanted me! Not like she wanted you!” He shouted before disappearing when his sister stepped closer.
“Rid? Are you alright?” She seemed genuinely concerned for him and he realized he must have responded to Kreiten’s anger, at least facially.
She touched his face briefly before pulling away when she saw that he was uncomfortable. She dropped her smile, and her face looked blank.
“A friend of yours called us. Cassandra? She said you needed to help Rosemary.”
She nodded, still looking blank and she appeared to force herself to express any feeling.
It looked awkward to him, but when they came downstairs no one else seemed to pick up on it.
“Do you know where she is?” She asked them, but Alder shook his head.
“No one has seen the sickly male that the woman said they were with. She didn’t say anything on their location.” Alder said and she nodded.
“Rosemary doesn’t like humans, so she’d stay somewhere secluded and where most humans wouldn’t dare go. She is an Irish Elf, which is probably why she’s attached herself to someone. To briefly summarize, they don’t like to be alone, but she was exiled from her court. And just don’t outrightly thank her, because it’s highly offensive to most fae.” Lydia told them.
“Secluded, forest, maybe?” Godric suggested and Rid noticed him for the first time that night. He must have come in when he went to retrieve her.
Godric was the oldest of all of them at one thousand one hundred and sixty three, but despite that he appeared the youngest of all of them. His cropped black hair was disarrayed and in his face, his pale face making his emerald green eyes stand out like a beacon. He was the shortest of all the warriors and often got carded when they went out. It was a running joke amongst them all.
“Do you have a map?” She asked and he nodded, pulling the group down the stairs and into his office.
He rolled out a map of Maedbell and the surrounding areas onto the table. Lydia held out her palm above the paper and squeezed it into a fist briefly before shades flew out from beneath her skin and into the paper, sweeping over it, but not discoloring the areas they travelled over.
They appeared to skim the area and suddenly the lights shuddered in the room as if the shades were above them. In the map, they were.
Then it was gone and the lights came back on.
And so it went for a few minutes till they located an old abandoned house on the map.
“The Haizier House. Of course.”
“It’s located along a ley line, too. Makes sense.” Lydia stated.
The shades seemed to evaporate from the paper. She looked down at the map again, scanning the area surrounding the house. “That cave there, be careful. I have heard that Huldrafolk live within.”
“What are they?” He asked and she sighed.
“Dark elves, they’re especially nasty. They tend to blight mortals with a lick of their tongues. With one lick they can fuck your body up with some deformities. To be touched like that ultimately results in the victim turning against the world of mortals. I’d think that would include you all too..” She stated, turning toward the door.
They left the office and stepped outside the front door, headed towards the garage. He got the feeling that she would rather run there or whatever the hell that disappearing trick was.
She followed them without sound and followed him into Alder’s escalade. “Is she dangerous?” Birch asked her.
“No,” She said, “Most fae are, but Rose is so naive that she really isn’t. Her species aren’t malicious.”
“Why was she exiled then?” Alder asked as he pulled out of the drive.
“She was a part of the Seelie Court first, but was exiled as a child because she did not fit in physical looks wise. Then she was exiled from the Unseelie because she spoke out against an ally of their monarch. And once you’re exiled from the Unseelie, no court will take you in.”
Birch opened the window and Alder took a drag from a cigarette, “That’s awful.”
She shrugged her shoulders, “The Fae are complicated, and almost always at war. Most of the smaller courts are always at war and the Seelie and Unseelie seem to always be near such themselves. But like I said, it’s complicated.”
She sighed, “The Fae courts are shit allies to have too, because you’re constantly brought into their petty conflicts. Witches, on the other hand, fantastic, mostly crazed, but they still make amazing allies.”
“What is the woman who we spoke to?” Alder asked.
“Her name is Cassandra. A powerful seer witch. I wouldn’t play her in any game if you know what’s good for you.”
“How sane is she?” Birch inquired.
“Barely. She has rare moments of clarity, just not often.” Lia remarked.
They fell into silence soon and Rid felt the skin on his shoulder twitch. He turned and looked behind his seat to the far back where Kreiten sat smiling at him as if he hadn’t been screaming at him before.
He beamed at him, “Don’t worry, I’m over it for now.”
Rid turned back to face the front schooling his expression.
“Where are we going?” Kreiten asked, reaching out and touching his shoulder.
He seemed to gather all the answers he sought and withdrew, humming the tune underneath his breath and relaxing.
He noticed Lia pick up the tune as well, and she leaned against the headrest, relaxing as well.
Soon enough, they reached the dilapidated house’s drive. They got half way down before parking the cars. Lydia hopped out and in a flash she was at the house’s door, leaving the rest of them to catch up.
She knocked on the door. He was the first to catch up and she nodded toward him. The door did not open so she broke the window and slid inside, opening the door for the rest of them.
She touched the walls and felt a stirring in her senses up the stairs and down the hall. She walked up, Rid trailing behind her.
The rest of the others were stopped by a girl’s appearance from the shadows of the stairwell.
“Who are you? Why are you here?” She asked, stepping into the moonlight that poured down from a hold in the roof.
Her hair was long and tied back with a red ribbons, her tight curls smooth and bouncy. Those curls were a dark copper shade and her skin was freckled by the sun, even though for the most part it was so pale it seemed to glow.
No, she was glowing. How did they not notice her, then?
She was short and slight, making her seem like she could be blown away in a small breeze. She made Lydia look full bodied in comparison and it was surprising that she could live like that.
“We’re looking for a boy.” Alder stated.
“Why?”
“Why did you let them pass and stop us?” Godric spoke up.
“I know them.” She replied evenly.
“How do you know Rid?” Trace probed, but she shook her head.
“I know Lydia and Lucien.” She stated, stepping in front of the staircase when she saw some of them move towards it.
“Who is Lucien?” They asked as a thump was heard from the upstairs.
“Rose?” A male voice was heard, but something about it was off and only Rose and Slade seemed to hear him.
“Coming!” She called.
She pointed to the wrecked living room and it seemed to turn back time and repair it back to its original state.
“I’ll be back.” She bid, before following the voice up the stairs. Her gown skimmed the floor and Trace noticed it for the first time. It made her look like she came straight out of arthurian legend, which she probably did.
Rose heard the warriors go into the living room and followed Ian’s voice into the bedroom down the hall where Lydia sat beside the ill boy on the bed. Lucien/Rid, whoever he was, stood in the corner with his back to the wall.
“Ian?” Rose asked as she step into the room.
She made her way to the bed and kneeled beside the mattress, grabbing hold of his pale hand.
He was sick, so sick she didn’t know what to do. She glanced at her cousin of sorts.
“Lia, can you do what you did for Moira? Please,” she pled.
Lia gave her a soft smile. “I can only give him a chance. You know that.”
“Do it, I don’t care. He’ll die if you don’t.” Rose admitted and Ian squeezed her hand.
Lia sighed and closed her hand, where a light soon glowed for a few brief moments. She unraveled it to reveal a… petal?
“Open your mouth,” Lia bid him, “Take this underneath your tongue. It’ll taste good at first, overwhelmingly good. Then it will numb your senses and you’ll sleep and you’ll die and if you have the will, you’ll come back.”
Rid knew that Slade and the others would not trust her, but something told him that he should.
Ian, small and thinner than any healthy male of their race, was sweaty and wrapped up tightly in blankets. His skin shivered constantly till the… petal… seemed to take effect. Someone had grown restless waiting and had come into the hall above. He glanced at the door as Alder stepped inside.
“Is this him?”
Riddle nodded, “He’s dying.”
Alder stepped forward toward the bed, Lydia sliding off to give him room.
This room was restored as well, he noted.
Ian had closed his eyes and he had fallen slack. His breathing was unstable and barely present. His heartbeat was still going strong however, well until his body started to shake and flail against the bed. It began to race to its max, before sharply cutting off, and he was gone.
“And now we wait,” Lydia sighed next to him.
“What did you do?” Alder asked, his voice even and calm, but his aura irritated. This would get them chewed out by Brigg and Slade.
“He was going to die regardless, I gave him the option of coming back, is all.” She stated, watching Rose rub small circles over Ian’s hand. She must care a great deal for him, Lia had never seen her worried before.
“As what?” Riddle asked.
A pecking came from the window. Snow was falling outside and a bird with purple feathers was perched on the branch beside the window.
“What is that?” Alder asked.
Rose glanced up, “A phoenix.”
Lydia approached the window, sliding it open. It was dark outside except for the moonlight casting itself onto the snow. The bird flew inside and settled itself on the tip of the lamp beside the bed. It stared at Riddle for a long moment before turning its gaze onto the dead boy. It’s feathers were growing sparser by the second and the air began to reek with the scent of smoke.
The window slammed shut, drawing their attention till the appearance of fire drew them back to Ian’s body. The bird was no long perched on the lamp and instead sinking down in the center of his chest, seeming to ignite in the process.
Rosemary had tears streaming down her face at the sight and Lydia pulled her back from the fire that burned only the body.
It burned quicker, far quicker than it should've. Within five minutes, it was nothing but ash and the smell of smoke had drawn the other warriors up the stairs as well.
Rosemary was silent as she stared at the ash. Her tears had dried as Lydia held her and as stepped into the room, the ash began to stir and take form again.
“What’s happening?” Godric asked as he stepped inside.
“He died and now I’m pretty damn sure he’s making a comeback.” Alder attested.
Ians’s new form looked little like his previous, except for the dark brown, almost black hair. He was built similarly to Lydia’s mother’s race than the Scribe Virgin’s race.
Lydia’s mother, a first generation descendent of the Ancient Darla, was one of the first vampires to be created. Not native to this world, it was surprising to see Ian take after them, though when she gave it thought, the phoenix was often called Darla’s bird.
At least he hadn’t gone through their true transition, only half of the blood descendents made it through.
He was leaner than any of the warriors in the room but if he was similar to any of the Descendents, he was stronger. And probably far faster, though he probably wouldn’t be able to beat Conner in a race. Not that she had met someone who could anyway.
He was fully matured now, and had grown taller than previous. He was close to seven feet, another similarity to both of the races.
Lydia released Rose and the faerie female was over to the bed in a heartbeat. She grabbed hold of his hand tightly and his eyelids fluttered.
“That was fast,”Lia remarked.
She approached the bed and touched the back of her hand to his forehead. “I’ll call Katia and pull in Conner and Garrett.”
“What is he?”
“Closer to my Mother’s race than your own.” She claimed.
“So…” Percy led.
“A different race of vampire. Older, far harder to kill, and more powerful. Though I don’t know how he’ll fare since we don’t yet know his limits. But he is built similarly to my uncles.” Lia admitted.
“Excuse me,” She left the room, leaving the warriors alone with the faerie and the reborn boy.
Rid stayed in the room and watched the boy. He opened his eyes for the first time and they were no longer dark, but a bottled green. He blinked several times, before trying to sit up.
“How do you feel?” Rosemary asked.
He opened his mouth to mouth the words for the others, but a low sound rumbled out. His eyes went wide and he bolted up faster than any of them could see.
He did not open his mouth again, either too shocked or too confused.
“Better.” His voice permeated the air, but did not come from his mouth, seeming instead to be broadcasted from his thoughts.
This time, the rest seemed to hear it as well, like it had been strong enough for them to pick up this time.
“What is your name?” Slade asked him.
“Ian Caer.” He replied, seeming to recover faster and faster as time passed.
Lydia came back into the room and tossed some clothes at him. “I doubt your old ones would fit.”
He thanked her and she nodded. She escorted everyone else out of the room to provide him with privacy, leaving Rose to help him. They went back down the stairs, stopping when the door flew open and a man appeared in the doorway.
“What?” He shrugged, “It wasn’t like I came here uninvited.”
Lydia stepped forward, “Conner.”
Conner stepped forward and pulled her up into the air swinging her back and forth like a child. He did this with a lot of his family members, including the male ones.
“Niece-y!” He cheered, pulling to a stop as another man appeared in the doorway appearing to manifest from nothing, somewhat differently than Lydia’s talent.
“Conner,” The man admonished and the clearly younger brother sent him a pout.
“Just having a bit of fun.” He said, “It’s not like we’ve seen her in what, four-five centuries.”
“Garrett,” Lydia said, pulling away from Conner and looking up at the man.
“I’m sorry about Clara,” She pulled him into a tight hug, and he seemed to shrink into it with a desperate need. His facial expression did not change, and it seemed hard and cold.
Conner appeared solemn at her words, but beamed up at the warrior males.
“So… Who are they?” He asked but his eyes were drawn to Rid.
A flash of familiarity that was gone in a heartbeat, he turned his gaze to Lydia, his question forgotten.
“What do you say we go sit down?” He suggested, making his way into the living room.
The others followed him in. They all sat with Conner and Garrett sitting perched against the fireplace. Lydia sat beside Riddle on the couch, with his twin sitting on his other side. The rest took up spaces on the countless chairs, that seemed to have multiplied from when they had left.
“What are you?” Slade asked the pair of brothers and Lia snorted looking at Conner.
He looked offended, “I am not stupid, Liiiiiaaa. Just…”
He trailed off and appeared to grow bored looking for the right words.
Garrett spoke up, “Old vampires. Really old vampires. Not your species, though.”
Rosemary and Ian appeared at the door. Garrett analyzed the youth.
He took after one of them, but he looked almost as fragile as one of the male vampires in front of him. The heartbeat, slow and barely present, marked him as closer to Garrett’s kind though.
Conner was over to the youth in a flash, his head at an angle as he looked at the neo vampire.
“Are you one of us?” He asked him.
Ian shook his head, “I don’t know.”
“Well,” Conner mused, “There’s always a way to figure it out.”
He sliced open Ian’s arm before any of them could react. Ian glanced down at his arm, but he didn’t feel any pain. An opaque black liquid gushed for a moment before the wound sealed itself over like it had never even happened at all. Alder reached out to touch the liquid but Lydia caught his hand.
“We call it hellfire,” She said, “It’s poison to other races. Kitsune blood is similar, except it usually doesn’t result in the sufferer trying to kill themselves to escape the pain.”
He wisely pulled his hand away as he saw the ‘hellfire’ burn its way through the hardwood and onto the earth below.
Rosemary pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the remainder off of his healed arm and tossing it out the window.
“That answers it, then.” Conner cheered, “Feel like a race? I’ll go easy.”
Rid noticed the way the younger brother’s face seemed to regress to that of a child’s when happy. His dimples made him look younger than he probably was. He looked like his elder brother in all but hair and the childish dimples.
His eyes looked like supernovas, and Rid realized that Garrett’s did as well, a slight difference in the shade of blue each of the brother’s presented.While Garrett’s hair was pitch black, Conner’s was such a dark red that it almost looked black. They looked almost identical, but Garrett was slightly taller, putting him at the tallest in the room. Conner was also built slimmer than his elder brother.
Ian shook his head, “I’ll pass.”
Conner pouted again. He turned to Lydia, “What’d you need us for?”
“He’ll need to be trained by someone he can’t accidently hurt too bad, and outside of you two, everyone else is too breakable.” She confided softly, annoyed.
“She’s right,” Kreiten told him, appearing to Rid again. The spectre poked and prodded at Ian’s face and the young male shivered slightly.
Garrett stood, drawing his brother’s attention, in his hand he clutched a small device. A phone of sorts?
In that moment all of time seemed to freeze and the people surrounding the pair of brothers, and Rid ceased to move. In the blink of an eye, the room was empty save them, and a cold blue haze settled over the room.
Lydia was not there, nor Rosemary.
Kreiten was there, however and the others noticed him now.
“Kreiten?” Garrett asked and the apparition smiled.
“Hello, Garrett. It seems you’ve been pulled to the other side.”
Another flash and Godric appeared.
“Uh oh.” The male kitsune smirked, “You’re not supposed to be here..”
“Who is he?” Godric asked taking in the spirit. “What do you mean I’m not supposed to be here? Rid is.”
“Lucien’s not really mortal. But you are.”
Godric glanced at Rid, “What does he mean?”
Rid clenched his fist, annoyed. “I don’t really know.”
Cheering was heard from the outside and they followed the sound out through the back of the house. Outside at the far end, people- ghosts, were surrounding a hangman’s stage, seeming to thirst for the death of a woman chained atop the stage.
She was fuller bodied than most women, and her brown hair was hanging loose from what had previously been a bun. She wore the gown of an aristocrat, but it was worn and covered in holes. Her mouth was caged and locked into place, with some sort of device that was sure to be painful.
“Evangeline,” Garrett breathed and in a flash he was on the stage. None of the dead noticed him, but the woman did, for some reason. The rest of them approached the gathering, but as soon as the tall male touched the woman it all evaporated into nothing.
They reappeared in the middle of a forest, it was dark and cold and desolate. They all wanted to get out save Kreiten, who seemed thrilled at the turn of events.
A shot reverberated throughout the air. Kreiten was in front of Godric then, a toxic smile on his face.
“You really shouldn’t be here.” He said, “The living can only suffer here.”
His form seemed to implode and from the ashes the silhouette of a man collapsing on the ground yards away could be seen.
“Ben?”
“Kreiten, you’re taking it too far.” Rid whispered and a sound of laughter was heard before the blond male appeared again.
“I do not control Limbo, Lucien. I merely exist here.” He reminded.
“I’m not Lucien,” Rid denied.
Kreiten laughed. It was a horrible sound and it made him seem crazed. Which he probably was. “Of course, you are. I’m never wrong. Never.”
He sighed. “But if you need proof, I can give you what you need.”
“Kreiten,” Conner called, “Why do this?”
“I’m doing what needs to be done! Nothing less! Nothing more!” His violet eyes were not completely violet anymore. Instead the black around his pupil seemed to be stretching out and consuming it.
“You’re losing all hold on anything that grounds you, Kreiten.” Garrett insisted, but the kitsune was too far gone and he shoved Riddle to the ground and stabbed him in the back.
Blood, too much blood. She was covered in it and sobbing as she held the body of her mate in her arms. She was screaming and hysterical in her pain. She was rocking back and forth, her grasp on sanity loosening further and further till something in her snapped and she cried no more.
She glanced up, her pale features cold and unfeeling.
“Kreiten, come to me.” She whispered.
Another flash and he felt himself heal and this time they stood side by side. He felt himself smile as she hummed her lullaby.
“Lucien,” She spoke, her voice soft and bittersweet, “I don’t know what I’d do without you two. You’re all that I have. I couldn’t stand to lose one, nevermind both of you.”
Yet another flash.
She’s crying again, but her mate is still there and so is her twin. Blood covers her lower body and the smell of death permeates the air. She has been alone for too long, left alone when she needed them most, and now part of her is gone. Part of them both are gone.
And then he’s alone. He’s cold and alone, separate from his family, his Kit. A girl and a boy who both look to be his age emerge from the forest.
“There you are, brother.” The boy says.
“We’ve been looking for you. Quite silly to keep us waiting so long. I’d think you’d remember Wickalie’s wrath when she goes without you for so long.” He continued a smile on his face, he’s happy, truly happy to see him.
He’d never seen someone so happy before. The girl emerges from behind her brother and punched him so hard he felt his jaw break before it healed again.
She was crying and he felt awful for making her feel like that even though he couldn’t remember her.
“Lucien,” she spoke, her voice rough.
“My name isn-” He denied but it all hit him at once. The pain he always seemed to be causing her, the joy they felt when their cubs had been born, long before his current life with a different family, and the sense of contentment that made every moment seem perfect when he was with the twins.
The girl kneeled before him, her body covered in dirt from living in the forest for so long. “Don’t you remember me?”
Another life, long passed comes to the forefront. She looks different, but she’s still the same.
“Don’t you remember me?” She asked once more.
And all at once their back, and he slumped forward in the couch, blood pouring out from the wound Kreiten gave him. The room turns to chaos and his older brother grabbed hold of him, pulling him up, while Lydia held his wound tight between her hands.
Alder takes over from there, staunching the wound. “What the hell happened?”
“Your brother was angry, Lydia. He’s turning nogitsune.”
Garrett’s word shocked her to the bone and confused the rest of the vampires. Godric stood, “That was her brother?”
The female Kitsune nodded as if to herself before turning back to Rid. He was pale and barely conscious.
“My brother is dead, but I haven’t completed the death rites.” She acknowledged.
“I saw Evangeline.” Garrett said, “It was like in fifteen twenty three. She was about to be hung.”
Lydia nodded.
“What does it mean?” Godric asked.
“Limbo is only meant for the dead, but it tends to foreshadow events to come or that which is going to come to importance once more. Weaker beings typically see their own deaths. You shouldn’t have been able to go.” She told the vampire.
She turned to Alder, “We need to go.”
“We’ll come,” Rose decided, “I’ve got a feeling you’ll need us.”
Ian nodded beside her. The warriors and Lydia retrieved the cars and left for the mansion while the others they had met ran instead.
Alder sewed Rid up himself instead of going to the underground hospital like Godric had suggested. He didn’t particularly trust the vampire doctor, and Lydia would not have been allowed in most likely.
The scarred male slept in the infirmary, with Lydia at his side. The warriors did not question it, since she seemed to trust the male over anyone else.
She had only left to retrieve her coat from the room she was staying in.
He slept for a long time, and it was only during the next night that she noticed something was wrong. From below the sutures, blue liquid seemed to drip out, till it formed a pool beneath him.
It was odd, but his heartbeat was just getting stronger. As she glanced at him, she noticed the roughness of his acid scarring on his cheek had smoothed out.
She rang for Alder and showed him the liquid and pointed out the new changes.
“What did your brother do?” He asked and she shook her head.
“I don’t know, he hasn’t appeared to me.” She replied, sitting down in the chair, pulling the coat around her.
She stuck her fingers in the pocket and was shocked to find the orb still there. She pulled it out, staring into it. Alder noticed her movements.
“What is it?”
“His soul.” She stated, wrapping her hand around it.
“Is that why he hasn’t moved on?” Alder inquired and she nodded.
“It must be.”
Alder nodded. “Go ahead and finish it if you can.”
She nodded again and exited the room, heading for the room she had been staying in.
She had never needed to do the death rites for her brother, since they usually perished in the same moments. Lydia locked the door behind her and made way to the center of the floor, glad that the floor was not carpet.
She carefully drew out a circle on the floor with chalk she had found on the dresser waiting for her. She made a note to leave out strawberries and cream later on.
Pulling out candles she found in the room, she laid them out in a circle surrounding her.
The ceremony was quick and decisive, resulting in her consuming the orb as tradition demanded.
It was only in the minutes that followed that she began to get hotter and hotter. Her skin red and itchy, the feeling unbearable. She ran to the tub, shedding her clothes as she went and settling down within and filling it with ice cold water.
Hot, too hot, way too hot.
What’s happening? What’s going on?
The water began to steam around her and she passed out in the tub, her breathing erratic and desperate.
Riddle awakened hot and irritated. It felt like the air was clinging to him and it was hard to breath. He opened his eyes to see Alder hanging over him.
Kill him. A voice spoke up in his mind, strong and compulsive.
Rid shuddered at the tone. It was masculine and sounded like the man, Lydia’s mate. Lucien.
Kill him! The voice screamed and he felt Alder hold him down. He was the one who was screaming.
And then it was over and Rid was gone.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
