And with each step came the relentless berating. You’ll never defeat her. You won’t succeed. Give up. Lie down. Sleep. Forget about Maleficent, the Akuma, and the darkness. Stay here. Here you can’t fail.
Time passed, and I began to believe this was my only existence. The sand and dark sky were real. Everything else had been a dream. I finally lay down, not caring that the sand burned. In fact, I relished its stinging, welcomed it. Closed my eyes, desperate to be done. Hope no longer existed. Only the burning sand and the darkness. Only failure and depression. Only sadness and death. I took a long, last breath, and blew it out with a sigh of impending relief.
The voice became comforting. That’s right. Come to us. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.
“Jasmine!” The voice was loud and sharp.
I jerked my eyes open. An apparition stood in front of me. I sat up, my mind trying to recall how I knew the person before me. Not a person, a vampire, the voices said. He will kill you, they added. But as he came closer, I didn’t feel afraid. He was life. He was… “Christopher.” I tried to speak but the words came out a croak. My tongue and throat were covered with sand, so dry.
He knelt beside me, a gentle smile on his lips. “What have you done to yourself?”
“I—”
He lifted me onto his lap, slashed his wrist with one of his fangs. As soon as the scent of his blood struck my nose, my eyes opened wide. “That’s it, my girl. Drink.” He stuck his wrist to my lips. Blood flowed like honey into my mouth. I swallowed and swallowed, growing thirstier with each drink. I worried I might drink him dry, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. I sensed he would let me drink until he had nothing left. And I realized I couldn’t kill him. So I released his wrist, falling back onto the sand.
Christopher lay down beside me. “Tell me what’s wrong. What are you doing in this place?”
“It’s what I deserve,” I said, feeling the truth of it deep in my chest.
“Why do you say that?” He turned his head to face me, his voice compassionate. It sounded so out of place amidst the all-encompassing despair.
“Because of my wishes, everything is ruined.” My voice broke and a tear leaked from the corner of my eye and rolled down the side of my face.
“That’s not true.” He leaned up on his side so that I could see his face. “You made choices, Jasmine. That is true, but you need to climb off your high horse and quit thinking the world revolves around you.”
That staggered me. “What do you mean by that? I don’t think the world revolves around me.”
He laughed. “You believe the Akuma are here because of you. You believe your friends died because of you. Don’t you realize that yes, you played a part, but the calamities happening on Earth began way before you made your first wish?”
“No, they didn’t,” I said, but felt a flicker of hope.
“You think Maleficent and Sharra were just sitting around waiting for you to make a wish so they could destroy the world?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
I hadn’t thought about it like that.
He continued, “They’ve been making plans, throwing out tentacles in every possible direction, waiting, waiting, waiting. You are only one piece in the plan.”
“Really?” The hope was stronger now, growing inside me.
“If you search your feelings, you’ll know it’s true.” His steady gaze held mine, daring me to trust his words.
I did as he said. I wasn’t strong enough to do anything else, anyway. Even before I shut my eyes, I knew he was right.
“I don’t know how to leave this place,” I said when I opened my eyes. “I don’t even know how I got here.”
He leaned down, kissing me on the forehead. “You’ve had a lot of grief in your life recently and instead of dealing with it, you’ve been pushing it down, ignoring it, pretending it doesn’t exist. This place is called the Wasteland. And the way to leave is to make a conscious choice to do so.”
I closed my eyes. Immediately, the voices taunted me. Don’t do it. Ignore him. He just wants to cause you pain. He’s betraying you, just like he did your mother. Stay with us. You can’t fail here.
Part of me wanted to give in. If I did I knew I would drift away. No more feeling, no more misery or sadness. But then I thought of my mom and what she would do. My eyes flew open.
Christopher smiled. “You ready?”
“Almost.” I rubbed my lips together. “Where do you go when you aren’t saving my life?” I asked softly, touching his face with my hand. I wanted to see if he was real or just a figment of my imagination. His face felt solid against my palm.
He chuckled. “I am in charge of the vampires, remember. They keep me busy.”
“So you aren’t lonely?”
His expression became serious. “Only a little.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, wishing I could bring him some little happiness.
He lightly hugged me. “I have much to make up for. And while your mom and dad might not believe me, I intend to make it right. Helping you in any way I can does that and brings me immense happiness. More than I’ve ever known. Remember that.”
“You’re sure?” I wanted to believe him, but I saw the sadness as it oozed from his pores. I understood what he wanted, and that was me, even though he knew I didn’t feel that way about him.
“For now.” He gave me a sad smile. “And I’ll wait for you forever, Jasmine. Always.” He started to disappear, like a sand castle slowly blowing away in a mild wind.
“Thank you, Christopher.”
He grinned and was gone.
It was time to wake up, face my fears, and stop blaming myself for everything. At least I’d try.
Thirty-Five
I opened my eyes for real this time. They went immediately to the window. It was even darker than I remembered and I wondered how long I’d been gone.”
“Jazz.” Troy was abruptly at my side, sitting beside me on the bed. Relief covered his entire face like a blanket.
“Where are we?” I rubbed at my temples, trying to regain my bearings.
“We’re still in the gargoyle realm,” he said. His eyes shone with unshed tears. “I didn’t think you were coming back to me.” With infinite care, he brushed some hair off my forehead.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Eleven days.” He scooted closer. “You look better, like you’ve eaten.”
I glanced down at my hands. “I did.”
“Oh?” He was understandably alarmed by the revelation. “How?”
I touched the wooden bear on my wrist. “Christopher,” I said plainly.
“That’s impossible.” His voice was hard. “I’ve been with you the whole time and he hasn’t been here.”
“Well,” my voice lifted along with my gaze. “He was able to reach me in the Wasteland. He fed me and helped me to return. So here I am.” I shrugged lightly.
“The Wasteland?” Troy’s gaze was a baffling mixture of relief and worry. He probably thought I was going crazy. I sounded crazy, even to myself.
I gave him the small details of what I’d been going through, leaving out the part about the voices. When I finished, I said, “But I’m feeling much better.” I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. “Where’s Professor Pops and the others?”
“Pops is around. So are Cole and Rayne. Laeddin is… still gone,” Troy said, tenderly.
“I know, but not forever. I’ll get him back, just like I’ll get my mom and dad back.”
Troy placed his hands on my arms. “You should lie back and rest.”
I didn’t want to rest. I’d been resting for eleven days. “Troy,” I took his face in my hands and kissed him. Troy responded carefully at first, but I was having none of that. I wanted him. I pushed his lips apart, deepening the kiss, tasting him. He groaned, moving so that he was lying on top of me, his hips between my legs. I felt him press himself against my core and moaned. “Don’t stop,” I whispered.
My words seemed to wa
ke him up. He jumped off me like I’d suddenly caught fire. “I’m so sorry, Jasmine.”
I was in a lustful fog. It took me a second to realign my brain cells enough to speak. “Wait.” I took his hand, standing beside him, not caring I was naked. But he held the covers against me so that I wasn’t exposed. My perfect gentleman.
“Let me get you some clothes.” He disappeared into the closet and reappeared with a deep purple pair of pants and a top. Give the boy a hand, everything matched. “Here.” I took them and he turned around, the back of his neck scarlet. “I swear that wasn’t my plan, to wake you up and seduce you.”
When I finished dressing, I turned him around. “Troy, my dragon boy. I love you.” I took his face in my hands.
He lifted me into his arms, kissing me again. For a moment I thought he’d changed his mind and intended to make a woman out of me, but too soon he let me back down. “I love you too.”
“You think we’ll end up together?” I asked, still breathless from the kiss.
“I can’t imagine myself with anyone but you, Jasmine of Sharra.”
I smiled, leaning against him. We were young. Barely old enough to be thinking about who we’d end up with. But I knew I was in love with Troy. With all my heart. It didn’t matter that I was only—” I froze. “What day is it?”
Troy looked confused. “July the twenty-seventh. Why?”
I slapped him lightly on the chest. “Today’s my birthday. I’m sixteen.”
He gave me a heart-stopping smile. “Happy birthday, Jazz.” He kissed me for a long time after that, only stopping when we were out of breath. “What do you want to do?” he finally asked.
“Tell me about Pops, Cole, and Rayne. Are they all right?”
His face darkened, but only for a moment. “Yes. I told Pops to take Cole and Rayne back to the human realm. Cole wasn’t going to go. He’s the new emperor’s son, but when Rayne said she wanted to leave, at least for a while, he agreed and they went back together.”
“But Cole is coming back?” I asked the question, knowing the answer. It was easy to read Troy’s expression.
“Yes. Edge intends to raise him as the next leader.”
That surprised me. “I thought the gargoyles didn’t like half-breeds. The guards called him a mutt while in we were the cell.”
“I’m not sure what Edge intends to do about that, I only know what Cole told me.” He snorted, blowing smoke out of his nose. It was a complication for another time.
I took his hand in mine, enjoying the warmth his touch caused. “Will you help me get the crown piece?”
“Right now?” Troy laughed.
“Yes. I’m tired of being here. It’s time to move on. Come on.” I was out the door and down the hall before he’d moved.
“Jazz.” He walked beside me.
The castle was quiet. “Is everyone gone?”
“No, they’re sleeping.”
“Even better.” We went down the stairs and into the throne room. It was empty too, expect for all of the statues.
The jewel in my forehead began to burn. “Hang on a second.” I grabbed Troy’s hand. “This way.” We walked quietly along the outskirts of the statues in the direction of the female with the bird wings. At the foot of her statue, the gem in my forehead burned more painfully than ever before. I looked up, feeling like the statue went on for miles it was so tall. It was more than twice the size of Edge, and he was nearing seven feet. “It’s here. Help me find a lever or something.”
He went one way and I went the other until we met back where we’d started. “Anything?”
“No.” He shook his head. “You?”
“No.” I stepped back, looking up at the woman’s face, taken by her familiarity.
The rock rippled as the statue of the woman came alive. I grabbed hold of Troy and he wrapped his arms around me.
The woman smiled. “Hello, Jasmine.”
I swallowed, fighting the urge to hide behind one of the other statues.
“I’ve been waiting these long weeks to talk to you. The gargoyles know me as Aria, but I am one of the original vampires. I believe you know my sister, Sharra.”
I sputtered. “You’re Silindra.” A quick flash of the story my mom had shared about how Sharra had Silindra killed many years ago filled my vision. For the briefest moment I questioned whether I’d really woken up, or if this was actually a very elaborate dream.
“I’m sorry for all of the trouble she’s given you. The crown piece you’re looking for is here.” She opened her mouth and a box fell out. Troy half changed into a dragon, jumped up and caught it, using his wings to return to the ground.
I quickly took the box from him, smiling. “Thank you, Troy.”
“Be warned,” the woman said. “My sister will not stop until the universe is exactly as she’s always wanted it. The Akuma and the darkness are only two of her tools. The vampire called Arthur has begun laying plans to catch you. He intends to extract the pieces once you’ve gone through the trouble of finding them all, then give the crown to Maleficent.”
With that much power, nothing would be able to stop her.
“What can we do?” Troy asked, tucking me closer into his side.
“Find all of the pieces and keep Jasmine away from Maleficent and Arthur.” She smiled at Troy. “You’re good for her.” Aria’s body began to revert back to stone. “One more thing.” Aria removed the necklace she was wearing and dropped it. I reached out and caught it before it could hit the floor. The chain was made of silver and the gem was large and multifaceted, sparkling with all the colors of the seven magics. “This will allow you to travel between realms as you search for the remaining pieces.” The final word hung on her mouth, as she once again became stone.
I shivered, trying to shake off the bizarre encounter. Then I looked at Troy. “Will you hold my necklace?”
“Sure, but why?” He took it, looking like he’d just about reached his quota of unusual happenings for one day.
I held up the glistening black box. “As soon as I open this box, an assassin will appear. I have to fight him before I can take the crown piece.”
“Oh, well I’ll help you.” Troy rolled his shoulders, looking more eager than worried.
“Sorry, Troy. You can’t. Laeddin provided me with a spell that allows only me to defeat the assassin. If anyone else tries,” I gave Troy a pointed look, “he will be killed and I don’t want you dead. Understand?”
“You’re serious?”
“You’ll see.” I set the box on the ground in front of me. “Promise me you’ll stay out of the fight.”
He closed his eyes a moment before meeting my gaze. “I promise.”
“Good.”
As before a sickly sweet scent emanated from the box, though it was a slightly different from the first. I guessed there would be flower petals inside like the first time, though possibly a different species. “Here we go,” I said, opening the box and peering inside. Sure enough, the piece of the crown lay on top of a bed of violet colored petals. The emeralds embedded within the crown twinkled in the low light. I tipped the container, allowing the petals to fall to the ground as my fingers brushed against the cold metal crown. Immediately, the petals found purchase in the rock and burrowed deep within. Smoke billowed up, thickening and taking shape until an assassin stood before me. His eyes opened, the same violet color as the petals. “Who dares awaken me from my slumber?”
Like the first encounter with an assassin, I said, “It is I, Jasmine. I’m here to take the piece of crown you protect.”
His violet eyes flashed with anger. “I will not allow that.” He reached back and grabbed his swords from the sheaths at his back. “Prepare yourself for destruction.”
“I won’t die, assassin. It’s my fate to kill you.” Twin blades exactly like the assassin’s appeared in my hands. Red lightning crackled all along their honed edges.
The assassin came forward, his weight causing the ground to tremble slightly. I held m
y stance as he brought his blades down, trying to kill me with one blow. In answer, I crossed my blades, blocking his swords. Red and purple lightning flashed together. Metal grated against metal like chainsaw slicing through ice. He pressed down heavily, sending me to my knees. But Christopher had just fed me and I was strong.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Troy come forward. “No!” I yelled. “I mean it. Stay back.”
Troy stopped, but didn’t look happy about it.
I pushed back hard. The assassin growled, turned, and turned came at me from a different angle. I held him back with one sword as his blades clashed against mine. With the other, I stabbed him in the side. The assassin fell to one knee and I took the advantage. With my vampire abilities, I jumped high in the air so that I was above him. He stood more rapidly than I planned, but I hung in the air long enough to cross my swords and chop off his head. I reached the ground as his body fell forward. Stepping back, I moved out of the way just as the head landed on the floor in front of me. It rolled forward, empty eyes staring, his mouth hanging open. Then his body and head vanished along with the swords in my hands.
“Holy hell. That was amazing.” Troy seemed nervous to touch me.
“Thank you,” I said, though I hadn’t taken any pleasure in it. The assassin was doing his job. I understood that it was his destiny to defend the crown piece until death.
“And for the briefest moment, it looked like a pair of wings were on your back.” Troy shook his head as though he thought he was seeing things.
My insides shredded into ribbons. I’d seen wings too, right after Laeddin had performed the spell on me, but not since. “I—” I wasn’t sure how to respond. It was too painful. Instead, I knelt in front of the crown and picked it up. Immediately the metal edges dug into my skin. I watched in awe, not scared like the first time, but accepting.
Vampire Nights (Vampire Wishes Book 3) Page 16
