Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2)

by Michelle Hercules

  “Hello, Saxon. I was hoping you would show up. You’re exactly what I need to finish my little spell.”

  She raises her hand, and at once, it feels like my throat has been gripped by a deadly invisible force. I’m lifted from the ground, then dragged toward the demon. She forces me down on my knees, facing the mirror. The image of the raging fire changes to a scene much more gruesome. Kari’s murder.

  I try to shut my eyes, but I can’t. The demon forces me to watch the whole thing again. First the violent beating, then my father shredding Kari’s body into pieces with his bare hands as my mother and I were forced to watch. I should have tried to stop him, but I was too afraid. My cowardice is my biggest sin, and even after I killed my father, I wasn’t absolved of my guilt.

  “Your sister got what she deserved. She was such a whore,” a familiar voice says.

  I jump to my feet, not questioning why I can move freely all of a sudden. My father is standing in front of me in flesh and blood.

  I shake my head, disbelieving. “No. I killed you.”

  “Did you?” He raises an eyebrow. “Then why am I here talking to you?”

  I stagger back, even when my vision is already tinged in red and my desire to avenge Kari all over again is bordering on bloodlust.

  “You want to kill me, don’t you? Go ahead, I want to see you try. You failed once, and you will fail again.”

  “No. This isn’t happening. You’re a trick, a figment of my imagination.”

  His face contorts in rage. He gets into my face in a split second. “Kill me now, Saxon. Prove to everyone you’re nothing like me.”

  My hand holds the katana pummel tighter. I’m on the verge of snapping, of obeying the order to kill that’s pounding in my brain, but deep down, I know what I’m seeing is not true. Ashmedai got into my head.

  Instead of striking him with my katana, I cut his arm with the athame. It’s only a superficial wound, but the demon steps back, letting out a roar. The image of my father morphs into Niko. She’s clutching her arm while staring at me with her demonic eyes.

  “Where did you get that weapon?” she hisses.

  “I thought you knew everything.” I smirk.

  “It doesn’t matter. The only way you can kill me with that is if you kill the host.”

  I freeze even though I knew all along that would be the case. It’s probably the reason the demon decided to possess Aurora’s little sister. But why would he try to trick me into killing her? It doesn’t make any sense.

  “Now, you interrupted me at the best part.” She turns toward the mirror, which is once again showing hell. “Oh, I almost forgot. I do need to borrow something from you.” She raises her arm, and my katana flies from my hand into hers.

  “You see, as much as I like this host, I’d much rather have my own body back.” She holds my sword with both hands, pointing it toward her stomach.

  I fly like the wind, knocking the katana from her hand as I body-slam her into the mirror. Instead of crashing against the glass, I go through it. The most excruciating pain imaginable flares up everywhere as I roll over a rocky surface. My lungs immediately protest when I inhale toxic smoke.

  It doesn’t take long to realize where I am. I crossed into hell, and I brought the real Ashmedai with me.

  41

  Aurora

  “Okay, I think I figured out what spell those bastards used on us.” Solomon pulls a small twig from his pocket and flicks the object in the air as if it were a magical wand.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Warlock magic is not bound to the four elements like yours. I have to break it the old-fashioned way.”

  “Which is?” My mother raises an eyebrow.

  “Using Nightingale magic, naturally.”

  “I didn’t know you had that,” I say.

  He rolls his eyes. “Girl, where did you think my powers came from?”

  “If those warlocks hurt Niko in any way, I’m going to make them pay, even if it’s the last thing I do,” Mom grits out.

  “Nice to see that you care about someone in our family.”

  She flinches, which I didn’t expect. “I care about you and Miranda too. You’re my daughters.”

  “Oh, am I your daughter now? Didn’t you disown me only a few hours earlier? What made you change your mind?”

  She glances away. “I … You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Almost there,” Solomon chimes in. “But do carry on. Pretend I’m not here or that there’s a demon in the next room.”

  “No, Mother, I can’t understand how you could turn your back on me. I told you Elena was evil, but you didn’t believe me. You were too hung up on the fact I’m in love with a vampire.”

  “Got it!” Solomon interrupts again. “Thank fuck. I definitely didn’t sign up to be in a Dr. Phil special.”

  Ignoring his jab, I sprint ahead, holding the crystal in my hand tight. Getting stuck thanks to the warlocks’ hex served to give me time to restore my strength, and I need every bit of juice I can get. My heart is stuck in my throat when I burst into Elena’s study just in time to see Saxon body-slam Niko and crash through the mirror, disappearing from view in a great explosion of bright orange light.

  “No!”

  I jump over the bodies of Ryker and Declan, not caring at the moment if they’re alive or dead. When the light fades to a darker ochre shade, I find Niko’s body sprawled in front of the mirror. Dropping to my knees, I pull her onto my lap, ignoring the warning in my head that Ashmedai could still be inside of her.

  “Niko, wake up. Please.” I touch her neck with trembling fingers, looking for a pulse. It’s there, even if it’s a little weak.

  She blinks her eyes open, and it’s another second before she focuses them on my face. “Rora? What happened?”

  She sounds like my sister, and I don’t sense any malevolent aura coming from her.

  “You were possessed by a demon. You don’t remember anything?”

  Furrowing her eyebrows, she says, “No. The last thing I remember is going to bed.”

  Son of a bitch. He broke into our house despite the wards my mother keeps in place. But it’s good that she doesn’t remember her ordeal at his hands.

  Groans and curses sound behind me. I look over my shoulder and see that Ryker and Declan are alive, both now sitting up and massaging their temples. Mom runs to us and steals Niko from my arms.

  “Where’s Saxon?” Solomon stares at the mirror, which does not show the room’s reflection, but a barren landscape that can only be described as hellish. Dark terrain, jagged stones, smoke, fire, and lava are everywhere, but no sign of Saxon.

  “I don’t know. He crashed into the mirror and disappeared.”

  “That fucking demon turned the Taluah Mirror into a portal to hell,” Ryker pipes up. “My guess is that he wanted to free his friends. Bring them here.”

  “You’re hurt,” Mom tells Niko.

  I see then that she has a cut on her forearm, superficial at first glance. Then I see Saxon’s sword lying not too far from her. She probably cut herself when she fell on top of the blade, but fuck, if Saxon somehow ended up in hell, he’s weaponless.

  “Where’s my damn athame?” Ryker whines.

  Facing the mirror again, I stretch my arm, but Solomon drags me back before I can touch the shimmering surface.

  “What are you doing? Do you want to be dragged into hell too?”

  “You don’t expect me to simply stay here and not go after Saxon. He’s my mate!”

  “You might not be able to come back.”

  “I have to try.” Hot tears stream down my face.

  Mom stands, pulling Niko with her. “You love the vampire that much?”

  “Yes,” I breathe out. “He’s the love of my life.”

  Remorse seems to shine in her eyes. “I didn’t realize you felt that way. I’m sorry.”

  I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. “Save your apologies. They’re useless to me.”

&n
bsp; “If you’re determined to rescue your mate, you’ll only have one shot to return using that mirror.” Declan walks over.

  “What is it?”

  “You must slay Ashmedai and use his blood to reopen the gate from your side.”

  “How am I going to kill him?”

  “With this.” He offers me his athame. “There’s a cost to wielding this weapon to slay a demon, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “To ignite the full potential of the Alton jewel, you must sacrifice something vital, something you don’t know you want yet.”

  “My soul?” I stare at the small weapon in my hand.

  “No, not your soul. It varies from person to person.”

  I take a deep breath. “That’s it?”

  “Yes,” Declan replies.

  “No, not yes,” Solomon butts in, cutting a frown at the man. “You’re forgetting an important detail.” He turns to me. “Once you give what the jewel wants, you’re bound to the creed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The Alton jewel in each athame is linked to a matrix of energy. Its power is what makes it possible for us to do our job,” Declan explains. “Once you’re linked to the jewel, you’re linked to the matrix.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “You’ll become a warlock, and your number one priority will be to hunt down demons,” Solomon answers.

  “No, Aurora. That’s a terrible life,” Mom chimes in.

  “No, it isn’t,” Ryker snorts. “It’s better than serving the king of a dying race.”

  There’s nothing to think over. The decision is simple. I’ll do whatever it takes to save Saxon, even if that requires going to the bowels of hell and losing something vital.

  “Are you really going, Rora?” Niko asks in a small voice.

  “Yes.”

  She leaves Mom’s side to crash into my arms. I hug her tight, burying my face in her hair. “Take care of Miranda. You have to stick together.”

  “Don’t talk like that. You’re coming back.”

  “Yes, I will.” I kiss her forehead, then I briefly glance at our mother.

  I have nothing to say to her. Her apology came too late.

  “You’ll have to strike Ashmedai in his heart to kill him. Stay clear of his claws. They’re deadly,” Declan warns.

  “Noted.” I face the mirror, taking a deep, steadying breath before I step into it.

  My skin prickles as if I’m being burned by ice, but when I’m through the portal, all I feel is unbearable heat. It’s humid, and the fumes from the acrid smoke make me feel like I’m in a gas chamber. I cover my face, coughing into my jacket, while keeping all my senses sharp. If this is hell, then there must be other demons besides Ashmedai.

  My heart sinks when I look over my shoulder and there’s nothing but darkness. The portal is shut. I need a marking to know where it was so I can reopen it, but there’s no obvious landmark around here. It’s hard to see anything. It’s so dark and foggy, and the only source of illumination comes from the crevasses full of lava and towers of fire. I collect a few mid-sized rocks and build a small tower with them. It’s the best marking I can come up with.

  I’m tempted to call out to Saxon, but that would be a damn stupid move. I focus on our bond, hoping it wasn’t severed when he landed here. I almost laugh in relief when I find it’s stronger than ever, pulsing in sync with my heart.

  The euphoria doesn’t last long. I sense a second later that Saxon is in distress. I dash in his general direction, mindful of the perilous terrain. It won’t do to fall into a lava pit while running like a fucking crazy person through hell. Death by stupidity is not how I want to go.

  I tighten my hold on the athame, tapping into its strange power. Declan said that I must sacrifice something to the jewel encrusted in it, but he didn’t say how I’m supposed to that. My hand tingles from its magic, so maybe the weapon is already searching for something I want and don’t know yet. You can take anything from me that’s mine to give besides Saxon.

  My hand becomes warmer, almost to a point where it would burn, while a foreign power seeps into me, invasive and aggressive. My instinct is to let go of the athame, but I fight it. I can’t fail now. Saxon needs me. The foreign force wraps around my heart, squeezing it in a barbed wire embrace. Then the image of a little girl with my eyes and Saxon’s blond hair pops in my head. She smiles at me and comes running with her chubby arms open wide. But the image dissolves into dust a moment later, leaving me with the most terrible sense of loss. A sob lodges in my throat while I deal with the knowledge of what the athame took from me. My child with Saxon.

  A cry of pain brings me back to the here and now, and just then the smog in front of me thins, revealing Saxon on his knees with the athame he stole from Ryker in his hand. Saxon has gashes on his forehead and arm, which are bleeding profusely. My heart twists savagely as fear spikes through my chest. I glance at Ashmedai, my mouth going dry in an instant. He’s a giant with muscles capable of pulverizing anyone with a simple hit. Saxon is David and he’s Goliath. There isn’t a scratch on the demon’s body. To me it’s obvious he’s been toying with Saxon until now.

  I’m not sure if Saxon is aware that I’m here, and I don’t want him getting distracted by my presence. I need to make an entrance, draw Ashmedai’s attention. I wonder for a second if my magic works in this place, but then I decide against using it. Instead, I search the ground until I find a piece of rock that I can throw at the demon.

  His tree-trunk-like legs flex, and thanks to the barkish appearance of his skin, he looks like a walking evil tree with the face of a rabid dog. He’s much more terrifying in person, and he’s about to charge toward Saxon.

  I throw the rock with all my strength, hoping I don’t miss his back. Hitting his head would give me more satisfaction, but it would also be harder. The demon staggers forward, then glances in my direction, eyes glowing orange-yellow rather than black.

  “Wifey. You came for me.” He smiles in a deranged manner, showing his impressively sharp teeth. “This is going to be more pleasant than I expected.”

  Saxon locks his gaze with mine for one split second, which is enough to tell me I can expect a tongue-lashing from him later. He can be mad all he wants as long as he’s alive. He doesn’t waste the opportunity to attack our enemy while he’s distracted by me, though. He breaks into a super-speed run, invisible to my human eyes. A second later, Ashmedai throws his head back to bellow out a roar, leaving his chest exposed.

  I dash toward him, keeping the dagger concealed behind my back until the last second. Unfortunately, I don’t possess the same supernatural speed as Saxon. By the time I’m near the demon, he’s no longer distracted by his pain. He reaches for me with his claw-like hands to crush me like a bug, or worse. I duck out, missing his sharp talons by an inch, only to trip on the uneven ground and fall too close to him.

  I still have the athame in my hand as I try to scramble back to my feet. I’m not fast enough, though, and Ashmedai grabs me by the ankle, dragging me toward him.

  “Leave her alone!” Saxon slashes the demon’s arm, only to be swatted away like a fly, disappearing in the dark fog.

  “Saxon!” I cry out.

  Ashmedai laughs, holding me upside down as if I were a rag doll. I’m too far from his chest to attempt a strike, and desperation is not my ally either.

  No, I can’t let it end like this. It’s time to test if my magic works in this godforsaken place. I turn my attention inward, focusing on the power that resides in my core. At once, the spark flares to life, dissolving the fear a fraction. I’m not calm by any stretch of the imagination, though. Mortal peril is something hard to ignore.

  I don’t dare use all my power in one spell. Instead, I transform my body into a conduit—much like the repel spell Elena put inside of me—and electrocute the demon. He lets go after a moment. I use my arms to protect my head, and then I hear a bone crack upon impact. The athame slips from my fingers as white-hot pain
shoots up my arm, drawing a ragged scream from my throat.

  Heavy steps approach slowly, and with them, the stench of evil. Without any weapon, all I have left is my magic. Trying to control my shallow breathing, I focus on creating the biggest ball of energy I can conjure out of thin air. It’s not much—it’s less than I would usually create under better circumstances—but it’s all the hope I have left.

  Ashmedai’s dark shadow looms above me. He opens his mouth wide, exposing his teeth as he descends for the kill. I strike, illuminating the area with the brightest light any of the demons in the vicinity have seen in millennia. Ashmedai cries out, moving away. Deep satisfaction makes me forget the pain for a bit.

  I roll onto my belly and crawl toward the athame. It’s near; all I have to do is stretch my arm. My fingers brush against the handle, only to be crushed by Ashmedai’s foot. As he breaks the bones in my hand, darkness takes over my vision for a moment. The pain is just too much.

  Suddenly, the pressure is gone, and my eyesight returns to normal. Saxon is back, bloodied and covered in soot, but still fighting with everything he has. His eyes are bright red, his fangs longer than I’ve ever seen. No sign of the athame, though. He must have lost it.

  Breathing through the pain, I extend my broken arm and grab my weapon. There’s no chance I’ll be able to stab Ashmedai in my condition, but I can use the little bit of power I have to help Saxon finish the job.

  I get to my knees, then slowly rise. Words pour out of my lips in a whisper, a simple spell. A gust of wind comes out of nowhere, shoving Ashmedai sideways. He peels his eyes away from Saxon for a second to glower at me. It’s the opening I need. With the last bit of power left in me, I send the athame flying straight into Saxon’s hand.

  “The heart!” I yell just before my legs give out from under me.

  Saxon leaps, burying the magical blade deep into the demon’s chest. I expect a roar as loud as thunder, but no sound comes from Ashmedai. He’s frozen like a statue. Cracks begin to spread through his body, slowly at first, then picking up speed as they take over every inch of his frame.