Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  “That’s right, my handsome Greek lover, come to me,” she purred.

  When Nik got close enough to finally see her, Marianna’s beauty took his breath away. The moon had risen and the pale light of it shone on her face, and Nik felt his body respond to her, call to her, and suddenly life was all about her. She took his face in her hands and drew him down to her, and he was powerless to resist. He didn’t want to resist. This was everything, this moment in the moonlight with the goddess who called herself Marianna.

  “My Nikolas, I have a gift for you,” she murmured as she kissed him. He was lost. He wrapped his arms around her and wanted only to stay here with her for eternity.

  He kissed her deeply and urgently, but soon she pulled back and looked at him. Smiling, she said, “And now for my gift.”

  She nuzzled his neck and he moaned in pleasure. He felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then Marianna’s mouth was latched tightly onto his throat. He could feel a pulling sensation as if she was sucking the very life out of him. But he didn’t care. Nikolas reveled in the feeling, groaning as pleasure mixed with pain, and he welcomed every sensation. He began to feel uneasy as he felt his body become weaker. What was happening to him? The pleasure he had been feeling was rapidly leaving him and was being replaced by fear. He struggled to release himself from this woman’s embrace, but she was incredibly strong and he was getting weaker by the second. She lowered him to the ground as she finished drinking. Just as he was on the point of what felt like death, Marianna bit into her own wrist and forced her blood into his mouth. He gagged and tried to turn away, but she was too strong to resist.

  “That’s right, Nikolas, drink. This is my gift to you.”

  Nik’s head felt like it was in a vice as the pain became almost unbearable. It wasn’t just his head…his whole body was racked with pain. As his muscles spasmed, he also felt a searing heat rush through his veins. He cried out, but Marianna just laughed. Then the pain was gone, and a heavy lethargy came over him. He opened his eyes, and felt a chill of fear as he saw something rise from his chest. What was that? It was a ball of white light that seemed to come from deep inside him. He watched as it rose and hovered over his body as if it was reluctant to leave him.

  “Be gone!” Marianna said sharply. As if her words released it, the ball of light rushed away into the night. At the moment the light disappeared, Nik felt empty. His body and heart felt hollow, like a shell that had been picked clean of its meat.

  “What have you done to me?” he asked hoarsely.

  She laughed. “Why, I’ve released you.”

  He sat up, dizziness almost sending him back to the ground, but he fought it, and soon his head cleared. He looked around, and was surprised to find he could see everything clearly, even though it was dark. The night sounds in the park seemed to come together in a symphony of nature, and he could pick out each individual creature’s song. He drew in a long breath, reveling in the smells that he had never noticed before. All his senses were attuned to the music of the night. This would all be perfect if it wasn’t for that emptiness, that ache for something that was lost.

  “What are you?” he asked as he stood. He felt much stronger now.

  “You’re just like me now,” she said.

  “And what is that?”

  “Vampire.”

  Deep down, he had known this. “And what was that light that came out of me?”

  “Your soul.”

  A chill ran through him at her words. But he knew what she said was true because he could feel the hollowness inside him. He had always taken his soul for granted, knowing it would be with him until his death. He had never expected this nightmare that had come to him in the form of irresistible beauty.

  “No, I won’t accept that,” he said. “Bring it back. It wasn’t yours to take.”

  “But you gave it so willingly, sweet Nikolas,” Marianna said, her voice like silk. “You could have walked away.”

  “You gave me no choice!” he shouted. “You compelled me.”

  “There’s always a choice. You made yours and you’ll have to live with it. Well, I’m not sure ‘live’ is the word to use.” She smiled in amusement.

  “There has to be a way to get it back. There has to be a way to change what you’ve turned me into. Please, Marianna, I’ll do anything to change this.”

  “I’m sorry, Nikolas…no, I guess I’m not sorry.” She laughed. “There’s nothing I can do. Your soul is gone and you’re now one of us, a creature of the night. It’s not so bad. You’ll learn to enjoy it.”

  Nikolas fell to his knees, his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, but there were no tears. And the weeping seemed to just be something he was supposed to do. Because the shell he was now didn’t have the capacity to cry. All that was left was the cold void where his soul used to be.

  Chapter Two

  Tessa rubbed her eyes as she closed the book and sat back in her chair. As researcher for the paranormal branch of the museum she worked for, she often spent long hours with old books since most of what she needed to find wasn’t on the Internet. She didn’t really mind…she loved her job and was grateful that this particular museum had a curator who was interested in this aspect of history.

  “Are you still here?” asked her best friend, Jan.

  Tessa smiled. “Are you surprised? I see you’re still here, too.”

  “It wasn’t by choice. A new sarcophagus came in today, and we had to take care of all the documentation involved.”

  Tessa shuddered. “I don’t see how you can stand dealing with all those mummies and creepy Egyptian stuff.”

  “Wait a minute. I’m hearing this from the paranormal researcher? Nothing could be creepier than that,” said Jan.

  “Well, I haven’t had to deal with anything gross yet. It’s all pretty fascinating.”

  “When is the museum going to put some of those artifacts on display?” asked Jan.

  Tessa looked a little uncomfortable. “Um…I guess when we’ve determined none of them are dangerous.”

  “What?” asked Jan. “Do you really think some of the artifacts have some kind of power?”

  “I’m not sure. We have to be careful.”

  “Okay, I don’t want you to ever call my mummies creepy again. At least they’re dead and they stay that way. They certainly aren’t dangerous.”

  Tessa sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit some of the artifacts make me uncomfortable. But they’re not gross.”

  “Instead of arguing about who has the most disturbing job, why don’t we just get out of here and have dinner?”

  “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. Let’s go,” said Tessa.

  She grabbed her purse and left with Jan after making sure to lock up. She would be fired for sure if she failed to secure the room with the relics that were supposed to have connections with the supernatural.

  They walked to the all-night diner that was a few blocks away from the museum. When they had sat down and ordered a couple of burgers, they both relaxed.

  “I’m really tired tonight. I could fall asleep right here in this chair,” said Jan with a sigh.

  “Me, too. But it always feels good to finish up a job.”

  “So what’s the latest artifact that’s come to the museum?” asked Jan.

  “This Indiana Jones type guy brought it to the museum this week. I’ve been studying it and have finally figured out what it is.”

  Jan looked at her in expectation, and when Tessa didn’t say anything, she asked, “Are you going to tell me or not?”

  “Well, I’m not sure I should talk about it.”

  “Aren’t we best friends? Don’t we both work at the museum? It’s not like I’ll go around telling anyone.”

  “Okay, I guess it won’t hurt. It’s an amulet with a ruby set in the middle of it. My research says it has the power to cast a love spell on anyone of your choice.”

  “No way!” exclaimed Jan.

  “Yep. It’s documented.” />
  “You don’t really believe all this stuff, do you?”

  Tess hesitated. “I think it might be possible that the artifacts do have some kind of power. Apparently, the curator believes it because he won’t let anyone but me near them. And he has all these rules about how I have to handle everything. There may be some validity to what he believes.”

  Jan shook her head. “I can’t believe you even consider the possibility these artifacts have powers. Come on, Tessa, they’re just objects.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Tessa asked.

  “Stuff like that only happens in movies like Indiana Jones or TV shows like Warehouse 13. Nothing like that can happen in real life. Right?”

  “Jan, I’m not so sure. There’s a feeling I get from these relics. I think that’s why the curator put me in that department in the first place. He knew somehow.”

  “Ooh, spooky!” Jan teased.

  “Oh, for crying out loud. Can’t you take anything seriously? Come on, let’s go. I’m really tired, and I need to get in bed,” said Tessa.

  The two women walked out of the diner and to their apartment building. It was really convenient to live within walking distance of the museum, but there were a couple of creepy alleys they had to pass on the way. They always tried to leave work together, especially when it was dark. There was a nip in the air, and Tessa could tell fall was making an appearance. She looked forward to it, though, with all the colorful leaves and the chilly breezes. Jan was more of a summer girl, and she shivered in the cool evening air.

  “It won’t be long until Halloween,” said Jan. “That ought to suit you with your creepy old artifacts.”

  “No, I think it suits you much better. You know, with all those icky old mummies.”

  Both women erupted in laughter, but it was short-lived when they heard a sound coming from the last alley they had to pass before arriving at the apartment building.

  “What was that?” asked Jan.

  “I don’t know. Just keep walking.”

  They both heard it again, the sound of soft footsteps. Tessa could have sworn she heard the sound of someone breathing. Then she shook her head at how she was letting her imagination run away with her. Just as they were almost past the alley, Tessa saw a shape moving in the shadows, and she gave Jan a little push to hurry her along. Soon they were past the alley and they both breathed a sigh of relief as they neared their apartment building. Both women dashed through the door and into the elevator. They both lived on the same floor, so they said their goodbyes and hurried into their respective apartments, neither of them mentioning what might have been in the alley. Because giving voice to their fears might make them real.

  ***

  Nikolas watched from the shadows as the two women walked by him. They seemed nervous, and they walked quickly to get past the alley where he was lurking. They had cause to be nervous. In fact, they should be frightened. He thought the dark-haired one might have seen him. It didn’t matter…she couldn’t know what he was. They had been really close to finding out exactly what he was, though. He could smell them when they were still several yards away. He had gritted his teeth and held himself in check, but it had been all he could do to resist his nature. The blood called to him, and the dark-haired woman’s blood had an exotic scent that had almost driven him to go after her. He could have easily taken them both, first the blonde, then the brunette. He would have saved the best for last. For months, he had tried to resist the blood’s call, and many times he was able to do so. But there were times he had given in to that primal need to hunt and feed. When he did feed, he tried not to kill his prey, but there had been a couple of times his need was so great, he had drained them. He could have brought them back, made them into what he was, but he wouldn’t do that to anyone. Marianna had turned him and left him, and he had been on his own ever since.

  Nikolas heard something in the garbage that had spilled out of the cans at the back door of a restaurant. Turning, his stomach already roiling with disgust, he grabbed the rat and bit into its neck, the repulsive blood running down his throat. Although the rat’s blood would sustain his physical hunger for a while, it did nothing to quench the hunger that lived deeper within him, the need for human blood that was more than just the satisfying of an appetite. The need burned hot inside him, and he was afraid if he saw the dark-haired beauty again, he would quench his thirst with her blood. He would have prayed to God for strength to resist this temptation, but he had already tried that. It seemed God didn’t hear those without a soul.

  Nik wandered out of the alley and toward the park where he had first encountered Marianna. A part of him always hoped he would see her again. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to beg her to stay with him or if he wanted to kill her. Either way, anything was better than this lonely existence. Even if he killed her, there was some satisfaction in that. He wondered if she could even be killed. Or if he could for that matter. Marianna hadn’t told him what to expect from this life, and there didn’t seem to be an instruction manual. So he was playing it by ear.

  He heard soft footsteps coming down the path in front of the wooded area where he was standing. No, please don’t let it be human! But it was human. He saw a girl, no older than eighteen, shuffling slowly down the path. Smelling her tears, he knew she had been crying. He couldn’t help himself. He stepped out of the shadows.

  “What are you doing here so late, little girl? Don’t you know there are dangerous people out this time of night?” he asked.

  She looked up at him. “I don’t care. I don’t want to live anyway. This life sucks.”

  “Surely it can’t be that bad.”

  “You don’t know anything. My life couldn’t get any worse. I just want to die.”

  “That can be arranged,” Nikolas said as he lowered his head toward her neck.

  Chapter Three

  Nikolas was sitting around the table with his family, laughing heartily and enjoying life as Greeks are prone to do. Even though his parents had been in the United States since right after their marriage almost fifty years ago, his mother still cooked the Greek food she had grown up with. Family was important to his parents, and that loyalty had been passed down to him and his sisters. So these gatherings were the best times of his life. He had been living on his own for a while, but he still looked forward to dinners with his family.

  The wine was flowing freely; the food was tasted and pronounced perfect. Life was good and comfortable and happy. Nikolas raised his glass in a toast and his family did the same. As Nik began to sip his wine, he noticed it had a salty, coppery taste. He looked in his glass and saw the liquid was dark and thick. He looked up and saw his family drinking deeply. When they had taken their large sips, they brought their glasses down and grinned at him. Gleaming white teeth, the canines long, contrasted sharply with the red drops of liquid clinging to them. Nikolas stood up quickly, shaking his head, denying what he was seeing. His mother, father, and sisters all started toward him, still grinning their macabre death smiles. He screamed.

  Nikolas awakened to darkness so black that even his vampire eyes took a while to adjust. He lay there for a few moments, trying to get his bearings, trying to figure out exactly where he was and what had happened. Shaking off the remnants of his nightmare, he finally realized he was deep in the earth in an underground tunnel. The events of last night started to come back to him, and a knife of guilt stabbed him deep in his heart. How could a soulless vampire even feel guilt? He remembered the girl in the park and her despair. She really wanted to die, so was it so bad that he had accommodated her? The flavor of her blood lingered on his tongue, but whether he was really still tasting it or if it was just a memory, he wasn’t sure. He recalled her limp body as he let go of her and she fell onto the ground, her life force drained. Regret filled his heart, but a part of him still thrilled at the thought of what had transpired. His nature had overtaken him last night, and the aftereffects were almost like a drug.

  His eyes finally adjusted enough
so he could see his surroundings. He began to remember a conversation he had with an older vampire not long after he was turned. The vampire had told him of this place, a haven for times when he might be too far from home to make it before sunrise. So, apparently, he had been some distance from his home and had stopped here to sleep instead. Why couldn’t he remember coming here? Had he consumed so much blood that he had been drunk on it? He had only been a creature of the night a few months, so everything was still so new to him. Would the feelings of guilt ever completely leave him? He still didn’t understand all the ramifications of being without a soul, but he knew he felt completely different since he’d lost it.

  Nik made his way through the tunnel to a ladder that led to the surface. Somehow, his senses told him it was nighttime, even though he couldn’t see if it was light or dark. He guessed it was vampire instinct to just know if it was time to sleep or time to be awake. Outside, the air was crisp and clear, and the moon was bright and full. This was when he felt the strongest. He had always thought the moon only affected werewolves, but that was just in the fiction he read. Nik didn’t even know if there were such creatures. But he did know the moon made him feel stronger. It also increased his need for blood, and that wasn’t a good thing. He had already let himself go the night before, and it had felt good, but he knew in his heart it was wrong. Maybe that was why he felt guilt; he knew what he was supposed to feel. The guilt was just a ghost of what he felt when he was human.

  Shaking off the thoughts that were running through his head, Nik started toward the museum. He wasn’t really sure why he was drawn there, but he felt a need to be in that area. He walked slowly toward the place that called to him, taking pleasure in the night and all the scents and sounds. His senses were heightened during the full moon, just like his strength. Nik felt exhilarated, as if he could do anything he wanted. He smiled.

  ***

  Tessa and Jan were once again in the museum well after dark. Both women had worked on their respective projects, and now they were sitting at the table in the employee lounge sipping tea.