Blood Rose (Blood Books Book 1)
Page 3
My mother entered the room dressed in a burgundy cloak, traditional Pagan attire for such rituals. My aunt followed, dressed to match, hands folded at her naval holding my cloak, and the door closed behind them. My mother carried the burning bundle of sage that rested on the adjacent altar and waved it back and forth, cleansing my aunt’s aura. When my mother finished smudging my aunt, she handed the bundle of sage to her sister. My aunt then mimicked my mother’s actions, cleansing her aura. Cleansing was essential to our rituals. One could never enter the circle with negative energy.
My preparation was coming to an end, but it felt as though I had just begun my cleansing. Experience had taught me that even when it felt like only minutes had passed, chances were, hours had flown by. I thanked the gods for our spelled tub, which kept the water steaming.
“Stand, my child,” Mother said. Tonight, she was no longer my mother. She was my high priestess, and I was a tool of the gods.
And with those few words, she helped me step out of the tub. My throat knotted, and bile forced its way into my mouth. I swallowed it down and ignored the goose bumps that formed as I left the warm water. She covered my naked body with my cloak. While my mother buttoned the front, my aunt stepped behind me, placing a bowl of dried rose petals in my hand. My aunt wrapped my hair in a long braid, and I handed her petal after petal as she stuck the pieces of flower in my hair. I closed my eyes and pretended I was a princess awaiting the arrival of her prince. My heart burned at the realization that I wanted that fantasy more than my magical reality.
“It’s time,” my mother said as she placed her hands on my arms and rubbed. My goose bumps began to fade. I nodded.
Turning on her heel, she led us out of the room. I looked out the window as we passed. Those in our coven without magic continued on with their evening. They knew of the importance of this day, but it played little role in their daily lives. Without magic, there was no place for them in our ritual, so only thirteen would participate: besides my mother, aunt, and me, ten others awaited our entrance, including my aunt’s daughters, Nina and Everly. They had already begun entering our circle.
We stepped onto the back porch; farther out, I could see that our circle of witches was perfectly illuminated by moonlight. The forest outlined the clearing and left just enough sky for us to admire the full moon and stars.
Leaving my side, my mother and aunt entered the circle. Slowly, I crept my way toward the members of my coven, most being members by blood. My mother stood at the head of the circle, my aunt took her place at my mother’s right side, and beside her, my twin cousins stood. Eight others, men and women, completed the circle, leaving only the center open. Watching their lips move, I couldn’t hear their chant. I looked out into the woods as I approached the circle, my goose bumps returning as the breeze increased.
“How do you enter?” Mother asked, holding the tip of an athamé to my throat.
“With perfect love and perfect trust,” I replied.
She lowered the blade and stepped aside. I entered the circle and stood directly in the crosshairs of twelve powerful witches.
My mother shouted several Latin incantations. As the chanting grew louder, the twist in my stomach grew tighter. Mirroring the members of my coven, I held my arms out to my sides, palms facing the full moon. Looking into the dark sky, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Being one of only three spirit users in my coven, I often had a major role to play, but during this ritual, my mother had directed me to do nothing but remain willing. I had wondered if her lack of explanation was because she too wasn’t sure of what to expect.
The air became moist, hot. A film developed on my skin, dripping down the crevices of my body. My head was spinning, my eyes closed. I felt as though I was falling, but I refused to break connection. I would not cry for help, for mercy. My coven continued calling their elements, making it more difficult to breathe as each moment passed. Their chants grew louder, and the world continued to spin until, suddenly, it stopped.
The Power hit me in waves, entering through my crown chakra and making its way down my spine until it touched every part of my being. The layers unfolded within, forcing their will upon me, and I welcomed their smooth caress. Splattering into the deep crevices of my soul, The Power took hold of my spirit; my astral self rose above the physical world, smiling down at the beautiful wreckage it left behind. My astral self flowed back into my mortal shell. My skin felt binding, tight, as if it could no longer hold such power.
My legs buckled beneath me, unable to hold my weight. I landed on my side and rolled onto my back. Briefly, muscle spasms made it difficult to breathe. I opened my eyes. The members of my coven remained in their places and continued chanting.
I gazed back up at the moon, hoping it could give me the strength I’d need to control The Power that burned within me.
My muscles relaxed, and I began to feel the soothing effects of The Power. As it seeped into every fiber of my body, my mind began to cloud. My eyelids became heavy; I fought to maintain consciousness. I felt as if I was connected to the ground that held my body. Each blade of grass tickled my skin. Mountain air tingled in my lungs. Moonlight cast a glow around my frame.
Nausea boiled in my gut and burned its way into my mouth. I rolled over and heaved in the center of circle. I spit the last bit on the ground and looked to my mother. I was embarrassed. I had let my physical fear control my body. My mother stood directly before me, but she looked into the distance, jaw open, eyes wide with fear.
Still on all fours, I glanced backward. My eyes didn’t have time to adjust to the darkness of the woods before they approached.
Vampires.
Instinctively, my coven began slowly backing away, but my mother stepped forward. The witches formed a line and intertwined fingers.
Still unable to move, I cursed under my breath. Where I lay, I was in front of their line, unprotected, and only a few feet from the demons. These weren’t the vampires from last night, but I believed they were sent by them. Briefly, I wondered if telling Mother of our encounter with the vampires would have prevented another attack, but I shook my head at the thought. I couldn’t distract myself with should haves and could haves. I couldn’t change the past. I could only save the future. Our ritual was successful. I could feel The Power within me, and I had to protect my coven.
“Let’s get inside, Tatiana,” my aunt said.
“I will not leave her.” Mother didn’t need to look where I lay. I knew she spoke of me. She wouldn’t leave me. No, she couldn’t leave me. As our high priestess, it was her duty. Protect each member of the coven at all costs—regardless of the weight the decision inflicted.
“Go inside,” I said, my breath barely above a hush. I pushed myself off the ground, but I only succeeded in becoming dizzier. My legs wobbled. I could feel The Power flowing through my veins, yet it was just out of reach when I tried to tap into it. I didn’t understand. Wasn’t this why I was chosen? Where was my strength? Suddenly, I panicked. Where was my katana? A broken blade was better than none at all.
My mother took a step forward, and the vampires made their move. We knew of the darkness that lurked in the night, and Mother had always anticipated vampires would find our home. During every full moon, when elemental magic was at its most powerful, our coven spelled a protective wall around our sleeping quarters. It was tied to the full moon, and as each new full moon surfaced, the spell needed to be recast. Because of my calling, we hadn’t completed the protection spell yet. It would take mere minutes for the vampires to tear through our weakened defenses.
Consumed by rage and without options, I willed myself strength from the moon. I threw my arms to the sky, shouted a Latin incantation, and sucked the moon’s energy into me. Its power showered down upon us, soaking into my body. My mother reached my side.
I stood and threw my arms out in front of me and watched as the ground gave way; a deep crevice that ended in blackness formed, separating them from us. I c
alled upon earth, and earth obeyed. I matched their strength and tore through limbs as I called upon air; its newly razor-sharp edges eagerly did my bidding. My skin sizzled as a few vampires combusted before my eyes. I called upon fire, feeling its heat radiate through me.
“Avah! Stop!” Mother cried out, grabbing onto my arm.
I watched as she aged before me. Her smooth skin turned to wrinkles; her eyes turned dark and sunken.
Shocked, I dropped my arms and released the moon and witches I had imprisoned in my power-fueled rage. The Earth’s energy rejuvenated those before me, and the vampires attacked before I had time to stop them.
The vampire stood before me, clenching my neck beneath its cool hand, and without hesitation, it crushed my throat and tossed my frail body to the ground. My mother screamed my name as I gasped for air. In heavy, uneven breaths, I asked Mother Earth to heal me. I reached within myself, begging The Power to save my soul.
As my eyelids began to close, I watched a glistening blade slide across the throat of a vampire. His body collapsed to the ground, his head rolling to the side. Behind him, shadow figures stepped out of the darkness. A new group of vampires emerged from the woods. Our coven’s saviors hacked through our enemy with simple twists and turns of their weapons.
Vampires. The vampires I had encountered and failed to kill. But the newcomers fought on the side of witches. Ripping the fiends off members of my coven, they defeated our enemies and carried our wounded into the safety of our home.
As my soul slipped into The Beyond, I felt at peace. My pain diminished. The breath I begged for flowed within me. I smiled as I sank deeper into darkness.
“Look at me,” he said. “Focus.” His voice was smooth and echoed in my head. His words twisted around me, lifting me to him, to this world of agony. Torn away from my blissful darkness, I opened my eyes. His icy blue irises stared back at me.
He knelt on the ground before me, holding my bruised body against his. My head, too heavy for me to lift, was supported by his other hand. Only inches away from my face, his breath was hot on my cheek, his hand cool on my back. His aura burned brightly before me, pushing against my own. Momentarily, I was able to let go of the pain that encompassed my soul and grab onto his essence.
He tipped my head back, opening my mouth. He pressed against me, raising a hand. His irises brightened into the same neon glow as the night before. A rusted substance dripped into my open mouth as his lips grazed against mine. His essence, his power, soared through me, healing wounds as it passed. He reached The Power that was nestled deeply within me, and I felt as the vampire fought to maintain his hold on my life. A force expelled him from my body, taking his healing powers with him.
Tearing my watery eyes from his, I searched for my mother in the midst of a war. The vampires helped my coven, but they couldn’t save everyone. Bodies scattered the sacred ground of our ritual. Witches. Vampires. Their fragmented bits looked eerily identical in the moonlit patches.
I watched my twin cousins fight a pair of ruthless vampires. Their long red hair whipped behind them with each abrupt turn. My aunt called upon air and sliced through each vampire she passed as she slowly reached her daughters.
Staring once again into his eyes, the world melted around me. My breathing became heavy, and my sputtering heart made it hard to focus. I would not fail my coven. I would not leave them unprotected.
The pain subsided, and in a last desperate attempt to survive, I begged, “Save me,” knowing that there was only one way he knew how. My grip on life was weakening, and in my most desperate of times, I saw my reprieve in his eyes. As life slipped through my grasp, I panicked. I would give anything to survive my birth rite, to protect my coven—even if the only thing I could offer was my mortality.
I whimpered and scratched at his body as his fangs lengthened into two bloodthirsty points.
His blue irises took on an eerie glow as he allowed the demon within him to surface. With a slight whimper, I turned my head, exposing my untouched neck.
I glanced at the world around me. The remaining members of my coven fought to control their magic against the vampires. Against what I was to become. Yet, the vampire holding me looked different than the murderous eyes around us. The animals surrounding us were just that: animals. Their dirty hair and blood-stained bodies contained the souls of fiends.
I gasped as my neck was pierced, my nails digging into his arms, marking him in the same way he had marked me the night before. After mere moments of pain, I was wrapped in a blanket of pure bliss. I slid my hand up his strong, muscular arms, tangling my fingers in his thick brown hair. Briefly, I forgot the world around us. I forgot the war. I forgot my hatred. I forgot death.
There was only him.
There was only me.
There was only blood.
Almost as soon as it began, he pulled away, ignoring my unconvincing protests as I tried to pull him back to me. In one swift motion, he bit into his skin and placed his dripping wrist to my lips. Unable to control myself, I grabbed onto him and drank as though it were the only source of water in the midst of a desert.
My eyes became heavy, my body weak. I fell limp in his arms. I held on to sound, to his scent. With each breath, my heart pounded in my head, and I lost all emotion. I didn’t care what happened to me, to my coven, to my savior. I just wanted the darkness, the need that was nestled in the pit of my stomach.
He pushed through the coven’s protective wall, carried me upstairs, and gently rested me on my bed. Brushing the hair away from my eyes, he said, “You’ll need to feed when you awaken. Don’t wait. The hunger will consume you if you give it the chance.”
I reached for him, brushing my fingers against his cool cheek. His hand grabbed mine, and pain flashed behind those icy blue eyes. As I opened my mouth to thank him, words were just out of reach, but darkness was there to consume me.
You need to wake up, Avah.
My mother’s voice echoed in my mind. She stood before me, slowly backing away. The light followed her exit. I thrashed and pleaded for an escape, fearing the inevitable darkness she’d leave behind. The air was hazy, thick. I fought to breathe, to stay awake.
Mother? I said, unable to hide the fear in my voice. My word echoed. I felt trapped in my own skin. Though I saw nothing, I knew time stood still. I could feel it. The darkness of eternity.
I ran toward her, grabbing onto the flowing, sheer-white gown. My fingers fell numb, unable to grip as the fabric slipped through.
Please don’t leave me, I said.
The shadows moved closer, circling me. I whipped around, lashing back and forth. Her silhouette slowly began to fade. It was consuming her, just as I knew it would come for me, too. I backed away, but with each step, it moved closer.
My lungs filled with the misty air, and I fell to my knees, hacking. I was drowning, drowning without water. The darkness, the air, the haze, it consumed me, stealing away my breath, forcing me to my knees, to beg for life.
Avah, she said, and I looked up, my chest heaving. Wake up. She spoke, yet her lips never moved. I reached out to her, but my limb fell numb, hitting the ground in a thump. I slumped over, unable to hold my own weight. My breath came in short bursts. I was dying. I looked to her as I accepted my fate. She gave me one final glance before smiling and fading into darkness. And I was left alone in The Beyond.
“You need to leave.” My aunt’s voice squeaked under her threatening tone. Darkness still surrounded me, but the familiar scent of my home crept its way in. I inhaled deeply. Sage.
“She’ll awaken soon,” another voice said. It was the vampire. The one I’d fought in the clearing, the one who’d tried to save me after the ritual. Inside, I fought to awaken, to stand, to scream, to do anything, something. But I couldn’t. I was trapped inside my body, an unyielding shell that refused to give way.
“And when she does, we’ll send her on her way. You’re all not welcome here,” Everly replied. My heart seemed to sink into the pit of my stomach.
My eyes shot open; my back arched as my muscles spasmed, and I let out an uncontrollable screech that nearly shook the house to its foundation. My muscles tensed, and I flopped off the bed and onto the floor like a fish in search of water. My chest cringed. I felt different. Lighter.
The door was flung open, and a blue-eyed vampire stared back at me. He slowly walked into the room as I crawled into a predator stance. Time seemed to slow as he approached. Digging my nails into the floor boards, I growled as blood trickled around my fingertips. He took another step toward me, his scent following. He smelled of musk and blood.
Several figures crowded around the vampire. I felt a drip of drool dribble down my chin as the scent from my bloody fingertips reached my nose. The air was thick and heavy; the scent lingered around me, causing my stomach to grumble. Eyes widened around me.
“You should leave,” the blue-eyed vampire said.
Fangs exposed, I lunged at my attacker. I crushed the vampire’s neck with a slight squeeze of my hand, tossing his limp body aside, and reached for the next closest thing: a witch. I knew it was wrong. I knew I didn’t want to hurt her. But I couldn’t stop. My hunger was in control the moment I willingly relinquished my mortality.
“Stop!” she yelled as I was thrown backward. I flew across the room and slammed into the far wall; framed pictures shattered on the floor beside me.
I jumped to my feet and was met by another witch. Her stretched-out arm was all that separated the distance between us. She drew her index and middle fingers out as a warrior would draw a sword upon his enemies. I smiled and inhaled deeply, licking my lips. She smelled of herbs. She smelled clean. She smelled like food.