He smiled. "A little bit, actually. This man's far more hard-headed than you are."
Throwing a scowl at Kataros, Bella went up to her father's side, ignoring his babbling. Then she raised one of her hands above him and brought it across his face, which came out more forceful than she had meant it since her strength was changing just as much as she was, and she cringed at the sound it made and the quick redness that flooded Johnathon's cheek.
He stared at her, a look of pure shock written about his features, a look that made Bella feel ashamed and guilty. He opened his mouth, as if preparing to speak—or shout—but then closed it, never letting that expression slip. For one of the very few times in his life, he was speechless.
Then, finally, he managed to muster a simple and disbelieving, “You hit me.”
"I'm sorry," Bella told him, biting her lip, "but you need to listen. I'm supposed to help Kataros—the incubus. That's why he kept me here; and he saved my life when the wolves attacked me. Now they want to kill me, and he's trying to keep me safe." She glanced over at the demon, who was watching her carefully with a look she couldn't quite read, then back at her father, whose eyes were narrowed uncertainly. "It may be his fault that all of this is happening, but he saved my life, and he's trying to do it again. If there's anything we need to do, it's to accept what's happened. I know you don't want to—I don't either—but we have to."
Johnathon stared at her for some time, long enough for her to begin thinking that he really was too stubborn for his own good and was going to ignore everything she had just said. But then he met the demon's unsettling eyes and nodded.
"Alright," he said. "What do I do?"
Kataros looked at Bella, who nodded to him, and stepped forward, gesturing for Ganesh to get closer. "You need to consume my blood."
Ganesh looked just about as startled as Bella's father, blinking rapidly before drawing out a knife from his waist, frowning thoughtfully. "Are you sure it will work?"
Before he could be answered, Johnathon gave Bella a startled look. "Why...?"
"It might help," she told him, though not even she knew if it would. There was only the sneaking suspicion that Kataros had merely thrown out the suggestion to keep her from looking for his mother, but—honestly—how bad could consuming the blood of the Fae be? She sat down beside him, grasping one of his hands in hers, eyes pleading. "You have to do this."
His lips twisted grimly, and he looked nervously at Kataros. "There's no other way?"
He gave Bella a brief glance, then looked back at the man. "No."
"Not yet, anyway," she said, shooting the demon a glare that he ignored. She smiled gently at her father. "We're not sure if the help will be permanent, but it may give us some time."
He nodded slowly, staring deeply into her eyes, then relaxed against the bed beneath him. "I'll do it."
"Are you sure this is wise?" Ganesh asked Kataros, staring down at his knife hesitantly. "You don't know what your blood will do to that of a wolf's—let alone, a human's."
"That's why we have to try," he replied, giving Bella an uncertain look, which she returned with a confident nod of her head. "It may not work," he reminded her.
She looked down at her father, who was watching her with his frightened eyes. She thought about the possible consequences that the demon's blood could create, and the consequences of not taking the blood. True, there were no windows, but her father could probably tear through the door when he shifted into his wolf form. There was also a chance that he could kill several of the Fae, and maybe even kill her before he realized what was going on.
They may even have to put him down.
"Do it," she told him, blinking back the tears that her thoughts were creating. She clutched her father's hand as she gasped back a whine, biting her lip and leaning into him. "I'm so sorry, Papa."
He shook his head sadly. "It's not your fault, Bella."
Ganesh handed the knife over to Kataros and went around the bed, pulling Bella back gently, lips pressed into a thin, grim line. "Keep back, child," he murmured to her when she tried to pry herself away.
She obeyed, coming to a standstill, and sucked in a breath when Kataros slid the blade of the knife neatly down the length of his forearm. As the thick blood flowed to the surface, he held that arm over her father's face, and watched as it dripped from his skin and into Johnathon's mouth, sliding all across his face and over the sheets. When he was done, he drew back, pressing a hand to the wound, uncertainty etched across his face.
Johnathon lay there, face twisted from the taste of the blood, breathing raggedly. After about a minute, he looked over at his daughter. "That's it?" Then, before anyone could reply, he gasped, twitching the slightest bit before coming to a stop.
"Papa?" Bella asked uncertainly as he stared up at the ceiling with a confused gaze. "Are you alright?"
He frowned, eyes narrowed. "I think-" His whole body jolted suddenly, and he stiffened, hands fisting as he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"Papa," Bella breathed, rushing over to his side.
Thais ran in right then, panting for breath, eyes wide. "Don't give him your..." she trailed off as she took in the scene before her, eyes wide when she spotted the red substance on Johnathon's face, "blood."
Bella gave her a confused, yet terrified, expression, brows pinched together, eyes wild.
Johnathon let out a strangled scream, catching his daughter's attention, back arching, jaw clenched, and wheezed, his eyes wide and alert, aware of every ounce of pain he felt.
"Papa!" Bella shouted, wanting to grab him, but not sure how to help him. Her hands hovered above him, trying to figure out where they should put themselves. She cried out when his body started jolting again, and looked up at the demon, tears streaming down her face. "Do something!"
He blinked, like he wasn't all too sure what was happening. "It's already done."
She let out another unbelieving cry, and looked down at her father, who was still thrashing about wildly, watching helplessly as he continued to let out shouts of pain. The shouts turned into groans, his teeth clenching as he tried to hold in his cries, managing to peer up at his daughter, who hovered over him, mouth hung open in her own silent scream. Then his eyes rolled back, the jolts becoming more and more violent. His back dropped down onto the bed, and his eyes glazed over, filling with a sort of unmistakable emptiness.
Bella stared down at her father for a long moment, shaking violently, refusing to come to conclusions. Then, managing to still her hands, she pressed two fingers to his neck, feeling for something—anything—that would prove her fears incorrect. She sat there for a minute, digging her fingers into his skin hard enough to bruise, crying furiously. She found nothing.
Despaired, Bella threw her head back and screamed.
15
The Fae wandered about the castle, completely unaware of the demon's plans for helping the girl's father. All they were certain of was that the room he was being held in wouldn't be enough when he shifted into his wolf form. They were sure that it would bring difficulties, especially since they were preparing for a battle, but they didn't once complain to one another. They simply idled around, rushing about, collecting and making weapons and armor, and they discussed the past and the wars of before. As they did this, something stopped them, something so full of sorrow and rage.
A shriek echoed through the halls of the castle.
* * *
Wake up, Bella thought as she stared down at her father, silent tears falling in small waterfalls down her face. She sniffed as she gazed down at his blank face, starting to feel blank herself. Please, wake up, Papa. His open eyes stared up at the ceiling, nothing radiating from them. Not the careless joy she was used to seeing. Not the worry.
Not even the fear.
"Child," Ganesh murmured softly, his rough hands gently pulling at her shoulders, and he let go when she shrugged under their touch.
"Bella, I'm sorry," Kataros whispered.
I'm sorry.
She continued to stare down at her father while she repeated this phrase over and over again in her mind. Then she looked up at the demon, a fire of burning hate beginning to build up inside her—so strong it almost hurt. "This is your fault."
"Bella," she heard both Ganesh and Thais say, but she ignored them.
"This is your fault," she repeated, slowly getting to her feet as she glared at Kataros. "If you would have just helped him—stepped in before the wolves..." She let out a strangled, frustrated cry, slamming a hand onto one of the nearby tables, cracking it right down the middle. "This wouldn't have happened if you would've just helped him!" She grabbed a vase from one of the other tables, throwing it at the demon.
He ducked his head to the side, and it smashed into pieces against the wall behind him. "Bella, please..."
"What?" she asked. "You have another plan? You can still save my father? Because, if so, please enlighten me. I would really like to hear your ideas right now." She grabbed another item, chucking it at his head and watching it sail right past it again; then she gave up, dropping beside the bed, clutching at the blankets and sobbing. "Get out." When no one moved, she raised her voice into a screech. "Get out!"
She listened to two sets of footsteps disappear out of the room. The last ones left didn't move, and it was so quiet that she thought she had heard incorrectly. But then she heard Thais say, "It's not his fault, you know."
Bella sniffed, gathered herself, and lifted her head, lips twisted into a sneer as she looked at the faerie. "My father was attacked by the wolves, and he just stood aside and watched."
"Is that what you think? Is that what you truly believe?" She shook her head, a grim smile placed about her face. "My, Bella, and here I thought you knew people well."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
"Kataros didn't just stand by," she told her. "It's not who he is. I actually thought you would know that by now. Obviously, I was wrong."
"He said that he stepped in after they attacked my father," she told her, frowning. She peered down at Johnathon's face, which only brought up more tears, and she let in a deep, ragged breath.
"How blind you are," Thais said, regaining Bella's attention. "He got to your father after the wolves attacked, Bella." When Bella opened her mouth, uncertain, she shook her head, chuckling flatly. "The wolves had already infected your father and trapped him. They would have killed him, eventually... Bella, Kataros saved your father." That said, she turned and left the room, not even giving Bella a second glance.
Tears welling up, and lips quivering, Bella looked back at her father. "I'm sorry." She stood up, shaking, chest screaming—a feeling she wasn't used to, one that nearly put her back on her knees. "I'm so sorry, Papa." She put a hand to his face, wishing that his eyes would shift over to her. "I love you." She sat down on the bed, burying her face into his chest, clutching his arms, wanting them to come to life and wrap themselves around her. "I love you so much..."
A spark in her chest startled her. It was like her heart had suddenly lurched around, a feeling that made her jump. It hurt as much as it felt harmless, but it scared her the slightest bit. And, as she sat there trying to figure out what had just happened, a breeze fluttered about the room, starting small and starting to pick up speed.
She stood up, trying to decide whether or not she had finally lost it, but the breeze picked up to a small wind that knocked her back onto the bed, only allowing her sit up as far as her knees. The pain in her chest flared back to life again, and she clutched at it, letting out a small cry as she scratched frantically at it, and the wind picked up, growing with a steady roar.
I don't want to lose you, Bella suddenly thought as she stared down at her father with scared eyes. The wind threw her hair around, making it fly wildly about, and tore at the gown she wore, ripping at her as much as the pain in her chest was tearing at her heart. These were her thoughts, but not of the present, seeming to flow from a different time, and she remembered saying it to her father before he left to travel East.
Our lives are about to change forever, her father's voice whispered, and she looked down at him, half expecting to see him smiling up at her. But his eyes were still empty and gazing up at nothing in particular.
The sight only made Bella hurt worse, and the wind picked up even more, so much that she was surprised to even still be on the bed. But her body remained solidly planted on the bed, as if her place was right beside her dead father.
As she sat there, trying to make sense of what was happening, different voices flooded into her mind, all different as much as the same, and all radiating from the echoes of her past, hurting her ears as much as soothing them, screaming as well as whispering.
There is something this girl is meant to do. What if she is meant to die? I heard that she was going to the mountains. What's the Light? It's a pact of ours—with the Fae. You know, where the Iceling is? If she is meant to die, then it will happen. It is just all the realms everyone has forgotten, and all these realms are a part of this world.
Bella brought her hands to her ears, pressing them into her skull, trying to rid her mind of all the voices. But, no matter how hard she tried to escape the past, she couldn't. The voices only grew louder, and made less sense as much as more.
The Fenrir is of our kind. I'm not leaving without you! He fell in love with the human. Forgive me. Yasandre had a different name. You're different. I don't understand.
The wind shoved Bella onto all fours, and her face came a foot from her father's, forcing her to look at him. Her hair fluttered about, stinging her face as it whipped around, and her dress pulled every which way. She dug her fingers into the blankets beneath her, and she opened her mouth, letting out a silent scream that crawled across the room before fading, and the pain in her chest increased, spreading to all points of her body, searing through her like a fire she couldn't contain.
What have you done? This is your fault. I can't let you do that. You're tainted.
Bella gritted her teeth, trying to fight against the wind and her memories, shoving away their embrace. But, no matter how hard she fought, they wouldn't back down. A flash of Malum, Kataros, Xana, and Yasandre filtered through her vision, slamming their faces into her mind so many times that she started to lose sense of whom was who. The wind picked up as the images gained speed, switching to scenes she couldn't make sense of, and she dug her fingers deeper into the fabric, screaming at the pain that coursed through her body.
Bella, Johnathon's voice whispered in the wind as she slowly began wandering in and out of consciousness. Bella...
Bella felt fingers latch themselves to her shoulders, and someone pulled her away from her world.
* * *
When Bella awoke, she found herself on the floor of what looked like a cave. The walls and ceiling melted together into a ragged arch of rock, and the ground beneath her was hard, packed dirt. A few feet away from where she was laying, there was a lake, stretching beyond her line of vision, the water black. For some strange reason, Bella felt an odd sense of deja vu.
She slowly sat up, holding her head when a steady pulse ached through it, and cringed at the dizziness she felt in doing so. Her shoulders hurt, and when she looked she saw five small, round bruises on both of them, all five looking very much like fingerprints.
Curious, she gazed around. Mostly, all she saw was darkness, rock, dirt, and dead grass every now and then. But, when she turned around, she saw a girl sitting a few yards away. Her back was to her, and something in front of her was glowing.
Bella stood up silently, not sure whether or not she should trust the girl, and wanting to get out of there more than finding out why she was there in the first place. But she didn't even get to take a step before the girl's head turned slightly, hardly glancing over her shoulder.
"I see you've finally woken up," she said. She couldn't have been all too far into her teenage years, if her age related to her voice, which still sounded young and a little on the high-pitched side.
"There's no need to worry about that. Just know that I mean you no harm."
She looked at the girl suspiciously, taking a few hesitant steps. "Why should I trust you?"
This time, the girl fully turned her head and peered over her shoulder. But, where a face should have been, she saw only blurred features. The only certain attribute was her long, dark hair, and the dark of her faded eyes. This unsettling sight seemed to slam into Bella's consciousness, and she found herself stumbling back in shock as she gaped at her.
"You...your face," she managed to muster out, unsure of whether she should scream or run. Perhaps both.
Though she couldn't see it very well, she heard the smile in her voice as she spoke. "Just a precaution. I can't have you remembering my face when you see it in the times to come."
She frowned, still somewhat breathless. "You're from the future?"
The girl nodded. "For me, it's merely the present and past. But, yes, I am from your future."
"How is this possible?" Bella asked, unbelieving. What if this was all a trap? What if there was a witch working with the Northern wolves, and they had managed to contain her?
If so, why put up with the theatrics?
"As I was looking into the past, you were looking into the future," the girl told her. "Our present times linked, creating a bond, which allows the sources of those bonds to come here." She waved her arms around her, gesturing to the cave they were in. "Though, I am able to wander in here regardless of such things."
"I don't understand," she said after a moment of considering, shaking her head as she gazed around their surroundings, though she made sure not to take her eyes off the strange girl for too long.
She laughed. "Yes, you have always been one for details." Before Bella could ask her what she meant by that, she turned her back to her, facing whatever it was that was giving the light. "You almost died, Bella. You're lucky we were linked together, else I wouldn't have been able to pull you out of there. If I hadn't..."
Beauty's Beast- The Light Page 23
