“In the cell to your right,” Ana answered. “Remi, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“No, they didn’t hurt me. I’m fine. Where are we?”
“Purgatory.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Remi confirmed. “How long have we been here?”
“Not long, maybe an hour or two,” Ana said. “They want to keep watch over me until my gift reveals itself.”
“Did you tell them that it already had?” Remi asked.
“No. I told them that I didn’t know yet.”
“Well that’s good. At least now we have time to figure something out.”
Just then the hounds started to growl.
“Remi?”
One of the hounds rose to its feet and started growling as it ran towards the way that they had came earlier. The other hound was still lying down, but was on high alert.
“Ana, what are those things?”
“I’m not completely sure, but I’m guessing that they are hell hounds.”
“Should’ve known,” Remi laughed.
“How is that even funny?”
“Sorry, you’re right,” Remi apologized.
There was a loud yelping sound and it caused the second hound to get up and run towards the noise. It seemed that the constant drum of yells and screams had somehow managed to get louder, if that was even possible. Chaos was how Ana would have described it.
There were more shouts and creatures of all makes and sizes seemed to go running by the cells. Some had slime trailing behind them and others smelled so bad of burnt flesh that it burned the inside of Ana’s nose.
“Remi. What do you think is going on?” Ana asked.
“I’m not sure, but it seems like a good time to try to get out of here. Do you see anything that might be helpful?”
Ana looked around but came up empty handed. “I’m sorry, Remi, but there isn’t anything in here. Nothing.”
“Figured as much,” he said.
Just then someone appeared out of the darkly lit corridor. “Ana! Remi! Ana!” the voice yelled.
“Here! Over here!” Remi yelled back.
When the shape came into view it was none other than Sam. Ana’s heart wept with relief. Sam would save them; there was no doubt about it.
“How did you find us?” Ana asked.
“When I went to the safe house, the portal was still open. I knew that you guys must have gone through it so I called for backup and followed you through,” Sam answered. “Now, let’s see about getting you out of here.”
Sam lifted his hand in front of the lock so that he could say a spell. After a while, nothing happened. He tried again, this time saying the spell louder. After three times he gave up.
“It appears that my magic is useless down here.” Sam turned to see if he could find something to break the lock. “Be right back,” he said as he took off down the corridor.
His absence seemed to go on forever but he finally returned with a crowbar in hand. “Here, Remi, stand back,” he said as he lifted the wrench. He swung hard and after two hits the lock finally broke.
“Never have I been so happy to see you, friend,” Remi said. “Thank you.”
Sam patted him on the back and turned to open Ana’s lock. It took four tries to break the lock, but it finally gave way and Ana was free.
“We need to make our way back to the portal before it closes,” Sam said. “This way!”
Everyone ran in silence, trying to stay close to the other. There were light warriors everywhere battling with the dark’s gruesome crusaders. Ana tried not to look as they passed, but it was impossible. The stench of charred death made her want to vomit.
“There it is!” Remi yelled as he pointed ahead of them.
Ana looked to where he had indicated and sure enough, she could see the bluish white glow that came from the portal. She picked up her pace, trying to get there sooner. She reached the portal first and turned to see where the guys were at. Remi was close behind her and Sam was at the rear, not far behind Remi.
“Sam!” Ana screamed. “Sam, behind you! Look out!” she yelled. “Remi help him!”
Without a word, Remi turned back to help out Sam. There were four of the dark creatures closing in around Sam. Remi tried to say a spell as he ran, clearly forgetting that magic was useless down here. He looked down and grabbed a good sized rock, throwing it at one of the creatures. The hit was a success and the thing fell to the ground, not moving.
Remi looked for another large rock but all he could find were smaller, flat ones. Picking up 4 or 5, he threw them like ninja stars at the closest creature to him. Each rock landed on the creature’s back and after howling in pain, he too went down.
Sam was busy using the wrench to fight off the remaining two. He swung the wrench upwards and hit the biggest creature square in the jaw. The creature stumbled back and that’s when Sam hit him again, this time on the side of the face. Dark brown blood was oozing from the creatures face like a waterfall. With one last hit to the other side of its face, he fell to the ground.
Sam turned around to find Remi, who was busy pelting the last creature with rock after rock. The creature didn’t seem fazed and moved towards Sam. Sam lifted the wrench and went to swing at the creature, but the creature moved at the last second and Sam hit nothing but rock. Momentarily distracted, Sam tried to regroup.
It was then that the creature went to make his move. He roared and raised his hand in the air, which revealed his razor sharp claws. His hand was in a downward motion when all of a sudden Sam was knocked out of the way, Remi had replaced Sam with himself and the creature’s aim was true. There was blood flowing from Remi’s stomach, staining the stone underneath him.
“Remi!” Ana yelled. “Oh god! Remi! Please no! Remi!” she screamed. She tried to run towards him, but Sam stopped her.
“Ana! Go through the portal. Go home. Please. It’s too late, please!” he pleaded.
“But Remi!” she cried.
“I know-”
Sam was cut off by the creature hitting him in the back. Sam went down and before Ana knew what was happening, she found herself entering the portal.
Chapter 7
Ana found herself on the floor of the safe house. The portal was gone and the damage from before still evident. She couldn’t bring herself to get up. Instead, she decided to let out every emotion that was rolling through her.
Tears fell from her eyes in fat droplets and she knew her wailing sounded awful. But it was how she felt and she didn’t care about anything. Remi, precious Remi, was gone. Lost to the underworld, never to return to her. How was she supposed to deal with her new life without him at her side?
And poor Sam, who knows what happened to him. For all she knew he had met the same fate as Remi had. What was Remi thinking when he saved Sam? Ana didn’t know and guessed that it didn’t matter now, since they were both gone.
She cried for what seemed like forever. When she had no tears left, she still didn’t move from her spot on the floor. Instead she closed her eyes, trying to block out reality. It didn’t take long before her breathing evened out and she was finally asleep.
When Ana awoke in the morning, she was lost. It took a moment before reality sunk back it; Remi, Sam, safe house.
She got up and made her way to the bathroom, being careful to avoid the destruction. When she finished, she looked in the mirror and was horrified by the person looking back at her. Dark circles, pale skin and scarecrow hair made the vision complete. She was a mess and a hot one at that.
She looked around the apartment for her purse, which seemed surreal after what had happened the day before. Finding it on the kitchen counter, she grabbed it and left the safe house. She made her way back to the alley and then hailed a cab the rest of the way.
When she entered her apartment, she was suddenly at a lost for what to do. She could call Rachel, but what good would that do? Their worlds were vastly different now. Ana suddenly realized that she knew no one from her n
ew life. Remi and Sam had been it and now they were gone. How was she supposed to know what to do, if there was no one to help her?
Feeling at a loss, she went to her bedroom and lay down on top of the covers. She started to think about her decision to choose the light or the dark and without a second thought, Ana chose the light. The dark had taken Remi and Sam from her and for that, she would fight against them until she died.
Instantly her heart felt lighter as if a huge weight had been lifted. The sun coming in from her window seemed to shine brighter and she felt free. There was a knocking on her door and with some caution she went to answer it.
She slowly opened the door, thinking that she needed to get a peephole installed, but when she saw her visitor, all her thoughts left her.
Remi, her precious Remi, was standing in front of her. In the flesh, smiling no less. She opened her mouth to say something but no words formed. Remi moved closer and pulled her into his arms for a hug.
“God, how I’ve missed you,” he said.
“Oh, Remi. I thought I lost you,” Ana said against his chest.
“I did too there for a while.”
Ana pulled back to look at his face. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the apartment. Once they had sat on the couch, she began to ask questions. “What happened? I saw your body, you should be dead.”
“I was dead, for a little bit anyways,” he explained. “It turns out that somehow Sam is my half-brother and neither one of us knew until very recently.”
“What!?!” Ana gasped. “Brothers? But how did you not know before?” she asked.
“We each had our own families and no one expected anything. When I died, I was saving Sam. In that instant I put someone else’s life above mine. It was an act of selfless love. It was because I saved my brother that I was granted back into heaven.”
“Oh my god! Are you serious? Remi, that’s huge! How do you feel about it?” Ana asked.
“It’s strange and amazing all at the same time,” he answered. “I had always felt a close connection to Sam, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I understood why. We had always been brothers by choice, and now we are brothers by fate. I’m not sure I could forgive my parents for not telling me, but at the same time, it’s hard to be mad since Sam and I were already so close.”
He continued on, “Being back in heaven was so unbelievable, but the more time I spent there, the more I knew that it wasn’t for me. I have spent so much time on Earth that I have changed. My heart might still be light, but I’m not made for the demands that come with living in heaven anymore. Now that I have my life back, I want to live, to find out who I am now. Sam decided to continue working for the council, just like before.”
“Wait, Sam is still alive?” Ana asked.
“Yes. He was given a promotion for guarding you and he will remain in the heavens until we need him for something,” Remi answered.
Tears started to fall from Ana’s eyes. She couldn’t believe what Remi was saying. It was all too perfect. He and Sam were both alive and she couldn’t have been happier.
“Have you thought about your decision?” Remi asked.
Ana shook her head, “Yes. I have chosen the light. And it might sound strange, but the moment I made the decision I felt lighter in every way.”
“I’m glad. Your decision was yours alone to make and you picked well.” Remi moved to brush a stray hair out of her face. “Ana, I chose to give up life in heaven to live on Earth permanently. I chose to be here with you, forever. When I thought about living a life without you, it was unthinkable. You are where I want to be and who I want to be with. I want to spend our days together, doing everything and anything. I need you to say that this is what you want too, Ana. I need to know that you are in this as deep as I am.”
Ana smiled and more tears fell. She took Remi’s hand a placed it over her heart. “This has always been yours. Even from the first time I saw you in the coffee shop, you seemed to tear down my defenses and plant yourself right here, not going anywhere. You are the person that I want to spend my every moment with. When I thought you were gone I felt so lost and lonely and I never want to feel that way again. I want you, Remi. More than anything in the world. I want you to help me master my gift and help me use it for good. So to answer your question, yes I am in as deep as you are.”
With that she pulled him in for a kiss, sealing their love for one another.
THE END
Part XI
Ghost
Paranormal Romance
About the Book
Tana
This was supposed to be a nice and peaceful camping trip - no mobile phones, TVs, computers or iPads.
But stumbling into a strange village, lost and injured, wasn’t part of my plan!
They’re a very strange but nice bunch, except him.
Their king, their cult leader... the sex god.
But he is such an idiot and he just won’t quit picking on me.
Just as well he’s so rude, I can’t afford to fall in love. I must leave before it’s too late...
Kajika
She’s gorgeous. She’s so different from anyone I’ve ever seen.
But she doesn’t belong here.
This is no place for the living.
I want her so badly, but she has to go before it’s too late.
Before I make her my own.
Chapter 1
Tana Jackson pulled into a parking spot at the bottom of the latest mountain she was determined to hike and smiled happily. Two weeks of camping, hiking, and total peace from the world outside awaited her. World War III could start and she’d never know because she was going to be hiking up a mountain, through thick woods, and cooling her feet in cold mountain streams. Just the kind of holiday she’d been longing for.
Tana pulled her gear out of the back, checked in with the office, and pulled out her map, refreshing the trail in her mind. Finding the trailhead, she started her way up. Early morning sunlight barely penetrated the canopy of the trees and Tana knew she had hours to go before she made her first campsite. The canopy overhead provided shade and kept it cool but Tana was sweating an hour into her hike and pulled the electric blue fleece she had on over her head, and tied it around her waist.
Wiping her forehead, Tana looked around the rocky terrain, wondering how much weight she’d shift on this holiday. She wasn’t vastly overweight but she never denied herself whatever she wanted to eat so that she could look like a supermodel. Brushing at the strands of long red hair that had escaped their clip, she reminded herself that life was meant to be lived and enjoyed, denying yourself food so that you could go to parties where you hated everyone else didn’t appeal to her. In any case, she reminded herself, exercise usually shifted most of it and she was a healthy 28-year-old woman. She wandered off the trail for a moment to snap some pictures of a stream that had caught her eye, and then carried on, wanting to set up camp by lunchtime.
Halfway up the mountain, Tana stopped and made her first campsite, using an area provided by the forestry service that oversaw the parkland. The wind was up a bit so she used a barbecue pit provided by the service to cook her lunch rather than making a campfire herself. The sky was a little more open where some of the trees had been cleared out for the campsite, and Tana knew the night wouldn’t be too cold, especially with a sleeping bag to warm up in. She set up her one-person tent, slid the sleeping bag inside of it, and pulled out a book, deciding a little rest was called for after that hike up the mountain.
Tana spent the rest of the day exploring the area, taking photographs, resting her feet in the spring that ran down the mountain, and generally just enjoying where she was. She prepared another dehydrated meal that evening, changed into more comfortable sleep attire, snuggled down into her sleeping bag, and quickly fell asleep, looking up at the stars through the trees, totally at peace with the world and quietly happy.
The next morning she set off early, wanting to reach the peak of the mountain and see the vi
ews from the top before the sun went down. This part of the hike took considerably longer as the altitude increased and the terrain became rockier. She consulted the map periodically because she’d lost the trail markers somewhere along the way, but she was certain she’d stayed on the right path.
Tana was near the top when she started to smell smoke. The scent confused her at first, but then she realized there must be some campers up top. As long as they didn’t impinge on her quiet time she didn’t mind other people around. Sometimes campers liked to party until the morning hours and that usually made Tana a very unhappy camper. She giggled at her bad joke and carried on trudging up the mountain.
She started to hear voices, children’s laughter, the yips of dogs chasing each other, and what sounded like wood being chopped. Oh good grief, there was a whole village at the top by the sounds of it. Her mood souring and her hopes for a peaceful evening quickly disappearing, Tana climbed the last little bit and stood behind a tree, expecting to see a whole commune of tents and campfires. What she saw made her jaw drop.
The top of the mountain was mainly clear of trees with some kind of wigwam structures dotted all along it. People walked in between the structures, clad in buckskin clothing, working; performing a variety of jobs from curing more of the leather used to make their clothing and footwear, to chopping wood, and preparing food around a large fire. An elderly man with long grey hair sat in front of one of the cooking fires caught her attention, and she watched him for a moment as he turned meat on large stones set over the fire. Well that was one way to get the job done, Tana thought. As her gaze drifted over the village, Tana became aware that she needed to relieve her bladder and glanced at the old man once more.
“Such a brilliant way to cook food,” she said to herself as she turned around. Tana was startled to find the old man standing in front of her and tried to backpedal but her left foot caught between two rocks and she fell, rolling 20 foot down the slope of the mountain before landing against a tree. She cried out in agony just before she passed out, the side of her head colliding with a rock.
Kane (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 1) Page 102
