He presses his wrist to my closed lips, but they do not open.
“DRINK EMILIA!” I hear him order but I am too weak. I can’t move…
His fingers pry apart my lips and jaw and then he holds his wrist against my mouth. I feel his blood drain down my throat, but I cannot swallow it, instead, I choke, coughing up the liquid. I manage to open my eyes for a moment and see blood, all over his face.
“DAMNIT EMILIA! DRINK!” he commands. I’m barely whimpering. Too weak to even cry but the urge to drink from him is something I cannot fight. He presses his wrist to my mouth again and this time, I am ready. I swallow back the hot liquid and feel it’s warmth, flow down my throat. I feel it course through my body, and send tingles exploding internally. “Keep drinking. I have to complete the ritual. I have to stay inside you. I am so sorry, my soul. Stay with me. Please,” he desperately begs, while he begins thrusting inside me.
I sense another sensation. My numb, tingling body can barely feel it, but I know, he is biting me, drinking from my neck once again, while he continues to feed me his and fuck me at the same time.
I can feel myself shut down. My light has gone out, leaving only darkness in its wake. I feel nothing. I am nothing. I am gone… death calls to me. I can’t hear its voice, but I feel it. I feel the pull. There’s a force… it wants me to let go. It wants me to surrender…
“Emilia! Hear my voice! Listen to my voice. Don’t let go of my voice. Stay with me! EMILIA!” he screams.
Everything goes dark, except for the tiny white dot of light, that floats within my third eyes sight. Its pulsating. Growing big, then small, big then small. It wants me to reach for it. It wants me to take it. “Em,” whispers the light. “Hello,” I greet.
And then a flood of white light washes away the darkness. It spreads and warms my body with a soothing wave. I inhale peacefully and then, exhale... one… last… breath.
My throat closes. My mouth begins to fill with my mate’s warm blood until it overflows and pours out of my mouth.
“EMILIA!” screams my Devil. “DRINK! What is happening? What is happening?” I hear him frantically cry.
I can’t breathe. I can hold on no longer. I’m dizzy. Weak. Dying…
“NOOOOO! EMILIA!” I feel my body shake, in an attempt to wake me up but it’s no use.
“I love you…” is the last thing I tell the boy.
CHAPTER 30 - NEVER LEAVE ME
“STOOOOOOOP!” shouts a voice. A female voice. I can’t see her, but I hear her.
“Mother!” yells my anguished mate.
“Stop my boy! She can’t breathe! Turn her head!” she yells. I feel him turn my face. The blood then begins to drain from my mouth.
“Force her to breathe!”
“Breathe!” the boy demands. I instantly inhale deeply.
“Huhhh!”
“Good girl. Good girl,” my devil coos, and then leaves kisses all over my face.
“I’m still alive. I’m still alive,” I keep reminding myself internally.
“Stay awake. Please,” my devil cries against my ear.
“Emilia? Daughter. It’s too soon to go. The ritual isn’t complete. You die now, then you will not be reborn. I’ve seen your true death, but I am here to prevent it. Son, she’s too weak to drink the last quarter of your blood by herself. She needs it to heal her. Her heart is failing fast. We’re going to need to do a transfusion. I brought a tube. Cut the artery on your wrist! HURRY!” she yells.
“I have to remain inside her when she feeds,” I hear him tell her.
“Yeah. I’m trying not to look at that. Ugh… this is going to scar me for an eternity. Fine! Do what you need to do while I put the tube in, then place your wrist over the funnel. Now!” she shouts.
I can’t see what is going on. I can barely feel anything, but I sense my mouth being parted and something foreign, being forced down my throat. I know it must be the tube. I feel Augustine quickly enter me. He holds himself still, inside me and presses his body against mine.
“Stay with me,” begs the crying boy, before he kisses my neck. After a moment, I begin to feel quite full. I’ve consumed so much of his blood. I feel like an over inflated balloon.
“What did I do wrong?” I hear my boy’s desperate voice ask his mother.
“Nothing son. You did everything right,” says his mother.
“BUT SHE’S DYING BEFORE I CAN EVEN FINISH!” he shouts.
“Well what did you think will happen? Of course, her body is dying! She’s human. She’s exhausted! Burned. Drained and probably fucked more than any human can take. That’s to be expected but something is off though… she’s not supposed to be this weak. Your blood within her, should keep her alive until the kiss, but something is wrong. I can sense it,” she curiously states.
“What? What is wrong?” my mate urgently asks. I feel a pressure, press against my cheek.
“The light. There’s a piece that lingers within. That’s not supposed to happen. It was all supposed to leave after your declaration.”
“What does that mean? Mother! What does that mean?” he frantically asks.
“It means, the light is not ready to give her up! With any trace of light left…” She pauses and is hesitant to go on but does so. “It means her soul can be redeemed. Therefore, there’s a chance that if she dies before she ascends, she may very well be sentenced to the Heavens. Something or someone is clinging on to her soul and the only way that’s possible is if there’s a challenge. A challenge over claim,” she states.
“Who?” asks the raging Devil.
“Someone obviously above, because I doubt anyone below would ever think twice about crossing our family. I don’t know who though! Does she have some angel boyfriend up there we don’t know about?”
“I’ll rip the light from his fucking angelic throat. I should have damned his soul! I should have—”
“Enough! We’ll deal with that later. Right now, our priority is to keep her alive. She’s not dying tonight. So, relax. No one can claim her soul but you, but if she dies…”
I listen to them bicker. I don’t know how I am still alive, but I am, barely.
“No! He can’t take her. She’s mine! She’s still alive. I can finish the ritual. I need to finish the transference of our blood. I need to drink from her one last time before moving her to the bath and uniting our lips.”
“Son, have you not listened to a damn thing I’ve been saying? I swear, you are just as stubborn as your father. SHE WILL DIE BEFORE SHE ASCENDS! You cannot finish the ritual! Whoever is challenging your claim is up there right now, battling for her soul. They are summoning her soul. Calling her. That is why she needs more of your blood. Your blood is the only thing that’ll keep her alive and strong. It is the only thing to bring her back. The only thing keeping her alive. For now, at least.”
“How do we rid the light? How do I fight his claim?” he quickly asks.
“Either whoever challenges this claim withdraws or—”
“I kill him,” he viciously growls.
“Or that.”
“I still don’t understand how a small trace of light remains within her. I watched it leave her body. Very dramatically too,” he adds.
“I’m afraid somewhere deep within, your Emilia wasn’t ready to let go. An ounce of hesitance can hold one back. The angel must have sensed the small piece of her humanity still intact and that is what he clings onto. I told you to make sure she was completely ready.”
“She was! I felt it!” he exclaims.
“Then I don’t know. Maybe she fooled herself, thinking she was when she wasn’t,” she says.
“I’ll find out. I’ll make sure she’s prepared and ready when we try again,” says the confident Devil.
Their voices are fading… everything is fading… the light is back. It’s so warm. So, inviting. “Em,” I hear his soft whisper. Peace. I feel so at peace. So internally warm…
“I’m afraid that won’t be tonight—” she stops talkin
g. “Uh oh…” she says.
“What?” asks the boy.
“This isn’t working. Emilia! Can you hear me? No, no, no, sweet girl. Emilia!” I hear her shout.
“EMILIA!” Augustine shouts. “Stay with me,” begs the boy, against my ear.
“She’s leaving us. I’m removing the tube,” she states and then I feel it withdraw. “Back away Augustine. She’s fading. I’m going to bring her back,” the woman tells him.
“EMILIA!” he screams again.
There’s two heated points of pressure pressed against my chest, followed by a harsh burst of energy.
“AHHHH! FUCKING HELL!” I deeply shout, as I jump, and sit up quickly. My eyes pop open and my entire body is convulsing from the current of electrical energy that flows throughout my body.
I fall back on the mattress with eyes still wide open. My heart is pounding, pounding too hard. So much energy, flows through me. I feel so wired. So alive. My mate hovers over me and no longer is he in his Devil form, but now appears in human form I know. I gaze into his bright blue eyes and I see tears, stream down his cheeks. He holds my head between his palms and kisses every inch of my face, excluding my lips. My body finally begins to relax.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” he brokenly cries, against my forehead. He sits me up and pulls me across his lap and holds me close. He holds my head dearly against him, while resting his on top of mine. I wrap my arms around him and hold him tight.
“It’s okay Austin. I’m fine now,” I tell him within my mind. He still blames himself. I feel it. The guilt.
My head turns to my other side and I see a woman. I know her. I’ve seen her before. That night Cole and I were together at the party. She was the woman who had got my friend killed.
“You,” I barely croak.
“Me,” she says, smiling. She glances over me, towards her son.
“Emilia will not be ascending tonight. This wasn’t how this night was supposed to go down. Something or someone, I don’t know who, but they interfered—” she cuts herself off as her eyes go wide. She gazes off to her side, staring blankly at nothing. Her face is still. Emotionless.
“What is it? What do you see now?” the boy holding me asks. I watch her blink a few times and sigh heavily, before she turns her attention towards my mate.
“I can’t see but I know it’s someone from above. I’m being blocked from seeing but I can feel the power. Its light. It’s definitely an angel.”
“I know who and he will pay,” the boy menacingly threatens.
“In time but not now.” Her emotionless expression changes. She claps her hands once as her brows arch and she smiles brightly. “So! Plans have changed. Augustine… you need to listen to me when I tell you. If you go through with turning Emilia tonight, you will lose her, forever. Do you understand me? She cannot ascend tonight,” she reiterates.
“I understand. I will not risk losing her. He will not redeem her soul. It’s mine,” the boy assures. His mother smiles warmly while pressing her palm against his cheek.
“I know my boy.” She withdraws her hand and takes a step back. “Now you’re not going to like what comes next but it’s what needs to be done. I’m going to be taking Emilia to her human home and—”
“No!” he quickly shouts.
“Augustine… listen to me. I’ve seen this scenario play out two different ways. You know my gift. Now I either take her home tonight and she lives, or I leave her here, knowing the bond will force you to finish the ritual, which will ultimately kill your mate before you can. We can’t take the chance of her dying before ascension. Whoever is after her, wants her to die, so that they can redeem her soul. Do what you know is best my boy.”
His hand cups my cheek as his thumb caresses my lips. I glance up, gazing into those hypnotic blue eyes of his.
“Is there no other option that allows me to stay with her tonight, in her home?” he asks his mother, while gazing deeply at me.
“No, my son. You need to leave her alone. You must separate yourselves or the bond will trigger the need for completion. This is the only way. Trust me. When have I ever been wrong about a prediction? Plus, you have a mighty clean up to do. I’ve tried to contain outside the perimeter, but the mess within still runs wild. I’ve had to call in a few favors from some demons who owe me. They’re cleaning up the spread from social media and news outlets. WIFI and cell towers are down across the country. Earth hates you son. Great job,” she sarcastically jokes.
“I don’t care about the mess. I only care about her,” he states.
“I know son. I know… but you know you mustn’t draw attention. Don’t bring your father into this.”
“Fuck father!” he shouts.
“Maybe later but you need to let her go. I need to take her home, Auggy.”
“No. Not yet. Let me just hold her a little longer. Just give us a moment, alone. Please,” he calmly begs her. He continues gazing into my eyes, while caressing the side of my face in loving strokes.
“Fine. Okay. I won’t be far. Make it fast. Time is running out,” she says, before backing away. My eyes have never left my mate but from the corner of my eye, I see her vanish, leaving behind a black shadowy mist, just like Austin does when he disappears.
“You can’t leave me. What did I tell you? I can’t lose you,” my mate tells me.
“I tried to fight it.”
“I know, sweetness. You fought so hard. I’m so proud of you for holding on. Promise me, no matter what, that you will never give up. Promise me you will always fight. Fight for me, my soul. Never leave me,” he desperately pleads.
“I promise. I’ll never leave you. It’s us forever. For eternity,” I assure him. He leans down, kissing my forehead for a long moment before raising up. “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here with you, but I think we should listen to your mom. If this bond between us, forces you to finish—” he cuts me off,
“It won’t come to that. I won’t risk it. Trust me, as much as I need to be near you, I know that I shouldn’t. Not today at least.”
“Will we be okay, being separated? I can’t seem to let you go. I don’t know how it’s going to be possible to let you go. I can’t even think about it, without going crazy. You’re all I want right now. You’re all I need,” I profess.
“I feel the exact same way as you, my sweet and no. One cannot be separated from their soul. Not for long. It would be far too painful but do not worry. I will see you when you wake. Nothing can keep us apart. Nothing will ever keep us apart. I may not have finished the ritual and made you immortal, but I have claimed you and made you mine eternally. You’re mine now. You will always be mine, Emilia.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means that we now, officially own the same soul,” he states, while smiling brightly.
“We really are soul mates,” I acknowledge, while smiling so big. He chuckles softly, which causes a single, running tear to drop and splash against my cheek.
“We always have been. Long before you were ever born,” he warmly enlightens. His fingers gently comb through my matted hair and he smiles down on me with so much love. I may feel this hollow
emptiness within but not towards him. He fills me, completely. He makes me feel whole. He makes me feel strong. He is in me and I feel him. I feel his warmth, his love and his soul. My soul… I feel my new soul. I have a soul.
“I love you Austin or Augustine. I don’t really know what to call you anymore.”
“I love you too and you can call me whatever you like in this form but while I’m in my Devil—”
“Augustine. Got it. You were pretty clear on that,” I shyly smirk.
“I was, wasn’t I?” That cocky grin returns to those sweet lips of his and I sigh heavily at how much I had missed it.
“Times up, I’m afraid. It’s time my children,” his mother returns and states. We both give her a quick glance before returning our eyes towards each other. My heart aches at the thought of l
eaving my mate behind. I find myself panting, until he places his warm hand against my chest.
“Calm, my mate,” he gently orders. I instantly sigh and relax.
“Austin, will you be okay tonight, alone?” I ask him.
“I’ll be fine, my sweet,” he assures, and smiles lightly. “It’s you who I will worry about,” he tells me, and I feel it. I feel his worry and concern.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll just be at home, sleeping more than likely, hopefully dreaming of you,” I tease. He chuckles lightly, before leaning down and kissing my head. He pulls away to gaze into my eyes.
“I’ll make sure to send you pleasant dreams.” We both smile brightly at one another, while sharing a quick, blissful moment until we are interrupted.
“Okay son. Another two minutes and your Devil will appear, and I won’t be able take Emilia from you,” she urgently states. I can tell by her voice, that she is serious, nervous.
“I can’t let her go,” he says. I raise my hand and place it against his cheek to ease his anxiety.
“I know. That’s why you need to let her go now before your Devil emerges. Quickly,” his mother demands.
“It’s okay Austin. We will be together again. I promise.”
“Soon. Very soon,” he insists.
“I love you.”
“And I love you, my sweet. I love you so much,” he declares.
“Times up!” she shouts.
Austin holds me tightly against him before his mom pulls me from his arms. I feel his pain. His loss and it takes everything in me, not to fight the woman holding me and run back into my mate’s arms. She lifts me, cradling me in her arms. Austin growls and attempts to lunge after me but somehow finds the strength to stop himself. He eyes me intensely, while his mother moves away from him.
“I’ll find you later son. Now go clean up your mess before your father finds out,” she tells him.
“Emilia, I’ll see you soon. I promise. I’ll see you soon,” he sternly repeats. My bottom lip begins to tremble and then I burst into tears. I’m crying. Bawling my eyes out. The pain from being separated but a few feet is already too much.
THE MONSTER INSIDE ME: The Immortal Chronicles: Book One Page 26
