Curse of the Asuune

by Jr Steven Sterup

  “I told you so!” Kathrine was nearly jumping for joy.

  “So this was helpful?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, thank you so much,” Sarah replied.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t get it to you sooner, we really tried to find you.” Alex looked upset.

  “No, no, don’t be sorry. This letter would have made much less sense a few days ago,” Sarah stated. “God got it to me at just the right time. You did exactly as he wanted.”

  “Good.” Alex looked relieved.

  “We need to be going, is there anything we can do for you. As a thank you for all you have done for us?” Sarah owed this man and his grandfather, she intended to pay up.

  “Actually, can I get a picture of the two of you?” Alex asked meekly.

  “Of course,” Kathrine chimed in. She owed this man and his grandfather as well. This was the least they could do.

  “But I must warn you. Telling anyone else that we are ‘angel people’ could put you in serious danger. We need to keep this between us.” Sarah’s tone was serious now. A human walking around talking about ‘angel people’ would either get called crazy or worse be taken seriously. This would attract the attention of vampires and fallen angels.

  “Oh yes, Grandpa Frank always said this secret stays in our family.” Alex pointed the camera at them and took a picture. “You never know, next time you visit me, or maybe my grandkids. You might see a new painting.” Alex smiled. “I’m no Grandpa Frank, but I could get better.”

  “Good luck to you Alex. And remember, this stays in the family.” Sarah said as she waved goodbye.

  Sarah and Kathrine were soon in the car heading to return the car from where Kathrine had stolen it. Before too long Kathrine had to speak. She couldn’t hold back any longer.

  “So I’m stuck then right?” Kathrine asked disdainfully.

  “Yep, and I’m very sorry.” Sarah kept looking at the road, this was hard for Kathrine and she knew it.

  “What do I do now?” Kathrine sounded desperate.

  “You have faith. God gave you a partner, he’s not dead, he’s not evil. He’s not even married,” Sarah smirked at Kathrine.

  “I guess you have a point but I still can’t be with him.” Kathrine’s brief smile faded to sadness again.

  “God will put you together when the time is right. Until then you will learn and you will train. On the day that God decides it’s time for you to help Paul, you will be ready.” Sarah sounded very sure of this.

  “I suppose you’re right. I just need to keep myself busy and focus on getting stronger until then,” Kathrine sighed.

  “You know what helped me a lot. I kept a journal, more like a story of my life kinda thing. Maybe that might help. You can go back and read it later, remember how much you wanted to be with him. Go over the stupid things you did so that you don’t do them again.” Sarah smiled hoping it might cheer Kathrine up.

  “Do you still have them?” Kathrine asked.

  “Yes, they are locked up somewhere in Europe at the moment, but I still have them,” Sarah replied.

  “I’d like to read them some time if you don’t mind.” Kathrine sounded a little less depressed now. It wasn’t like it would be forever. Azazel was picking up speed. One way or the other she would have to help Paul stop him, of this she was certain.

  “Sure,” Sarah responded.

  “I think I will start a story about my life. It would be a good way to pass the time.” Kathrine trailed off and stared out the window.

  The remainder of the trip to Oregon was spent in silence. Sarah was thinking about Mark and Kathrine about Paul. The main difference was that while Sarah was happy, Kathrine was trying to figure out a way to help Paul defeat Azazel. She probably couldn’t kill him and maybe she shouldn’t. God would give her the answer when it was time. She just needed to study and work hard, when she was ready God would let her know.

  When they got home Sarah and Kathrine said goodnight and Kathrine returned to her new house. It was funny how it already felt like her home. She was comfortable here. When she was here she felt like everything would be ok. Kathrine knew the road ahead was going to be long and rough. To be with Paul, she needed to learn how to take care of herself. She had fought vampires twice and each time she had come away near death. What good was she to Paul if he had to spend most of his time protecting her?

  Chapter 23

  Hailey Raine traveled down the dirt road half a mile behind the plain white delivery truck she had been following for hours. The older brown sedan she had stolen was nearly out of gas but that was the least of her worries. Not only did she now believe the delivery driver had spotted her but her symptoms were getting worse. Her once beautiful light olive skin was now covered in sweat and taking on a greyish tint as her affliction progressed. The smells in the car didn’t help matters either.

  Apparently the man she had stolen this car from was addicted to fast food or just a disgusting person. There were hamburger wrappers and half empty fry containers scattered around the floor and seats. Also the soda cups were apparently growing mold because she was sure it was mold she was smelling on top of the rotting food. As disgusting as the smell was to her sensitive nose it did not mask the order of the man himself. She could smell the human everywhere and he smelled delicious.

  The tingling sensation started in her calves and she knew she needed to slow down. It might mean she would lose the delivery van but she couldn’t risk hitting a pile of gravel and flipping the car. The accident itself would not kill her but if she didn’t reach Ceralin and this new mysterious woman Kathrine she would die.

  The tingling progressed into full on cramping in both calves then proceeded up her legs to her thighs. This was going to be a big one. The cramps continued up to her abdomen then into her shoulders. She held on tightly to the steering wheel as the pain reached her neck. Hailey clenched her teeth and involuntarily looked at the roof off the car. The scream through her closed mouth echoed through the sedan. Then as quickly as it began it stopped.

  “It’s not so bad yet. You can do this, Hailey,” she encouraged herself. “Shit!” Hailey exclaimed as she realized she had indeed lost the delivery van.

  She smirked a little as she realized the delivery van was still leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

  “Hailey Raine,” she laughed.

  She wondered how many people had actually believed that was her name. Such an American name didn’t suite her looks in the slightest and the obvious play on words was hardly a real name. She had been in a hurry and it had been raining when someone asked her name, so out it came, Hailey Raine. Despite this she liked her new name better than many of the more normal sounding names she had claimed over the years. Hailey was short with long dark brown hair. She liked the way it curled softly and naturally, this meant she almost never needed a stylist. She thought that it should be obvious to anyone that she was from Egypt. Perhaps it was her arrogance or the pride she had for the country of her birth that made her feel this way. Despite this no one had ever questioned Hailey Raine. Perhaps they thought her parents raised her in America so they gave her an American name? Little did they know that Castriana, Daughter of Abaddon was born a street beggar in Egypt, 242 B.C. Her mother died at an early age and Castriana was bought as a slave for a traveling merchant before she was ten years old.

  The merchant wasn’t a kind man but as she grew older she realized that the occasional beatings for not following directions was nothing compared to what some of the other slave girls had to endure. The man never touched her sexually and she still had all her fingers and toes. She considered herself lucky when she was old enough to realize what kind of man she could have ended up with. In fact, if it wasn’t for this merchant she would have never met her brother and become like a god to the people that worshipped her. This also meant that if she had not met this merchant she would not be a vampire. Fate was a double edged sword, the very kindness that she was shown in a master ultimately led her to becoming a monster.


  Hailey snapped herself out of her dreaming just in time to swerve the car back onto the road. She despised what she had become. She knew of only two vampires who had ever given up blood and lived, Ceralin and Paul. She had gone to Paul first because, truthfully, he was easier to find. She feared Paul, everyone feared Paul, vampire and Asuune alike, but she had no choice. She was surprised when Paul actually treated her with kindness and compassion. He realized she was trying to quit blood before she even spoke a word, it was almost like he knew she was coming. He told her that his situation kept him from helping her but that Ceralin would help. She only needed to convince his Kathrine that she was worthy of saving. She pondered this for a second, ‘he had actually used the words ‘My Kathrine’? She wasn’t quite sure how to take that. Did it mean his friend, his servant? Did Paul actually find his one? That would be the icing on the cake to her miserable existence. The most feared man in the Asuune world found his one before she did.

  The tingling in Hailey’s legs started again. She thanked God that it did. She had apparently shut her eyes while she was thinking. It was getting harder to stay awake and very difficult to concentrate on the road. When the convulsions stopped Hailey sped up. She needed to get closer to the delivery van, if she lost it, she would be dead. Hailey swerved quickly as she saw a man in a trench coat standing by the side of the road. She couldn’t see his face because of the hood he wore but she had nearly hit him.

  “What kind of idiot wears a coat in this weather? Why was he standing in the middle of nowhere?” Hailey thought to herself then quickly forgot the man, she needed to catch that truck.

  Giving up blood was very much like giving up a highly addictive narcotic. The withdrawals were horrible but the worst part was that your body would eventually shut down and even an Asuune could die if their body refused to live. Ceralin and Paul had managed to survive it somehow but it probably wasn’t a simple fix since Paul had sent her to Ceralin instead of just telling her how to do it. Hailey cursed herself again. She had been given every opportunity, every free pass in life and what did she do with it? She had thrown it all away in the pursuit of blood.

  Hailey’s arms began to shake, she could smell the man in the car. She needed blood, her body needed it. Why was she chasing this truck? Ceralin wouldn’t help her. Ceralin hated her and for good reason. Why was she doing this? The faint smell of the man’s blood was hypnotic in its insistence. She could turn around now and go back to that small town she had passed an hour ago. There were humans there.

  The convulsions started again. This time Hailey nearly broke the steering wheel off as she saw the delivery truck fifteen feet in front of her. She had been daydreaming again and the truck had pulled into a gas station at a small town. She had instinctively swerved to follow it not realizing that he was at a dead stop. Her legs were frozen and refused to hit the brakes so she hit the van at nearly forty miles an hour.

  Chapter 24

  Kathrine sat at the counter reading her magazine. It had been two weeks since she had escaped the vampires that were with Paul. Sarah and Agnus had trained her as often as possible but Kathrine still felt like it wasn’t enough. Sure she could best Agnus and Sarah but they were predictable. Only after several lessons was Kathrine able to beat them. Vampires would not be so easy.

  Since Kathrine had so much training to do she was given the boring job of manning the register at the one gas station for the town. Kathrine had asked why a town that didn’t allow cars even had a gas station but Sarah just smiled at her and said ‘We get deliveries here all the time. Trucks need gas.’ Kathrine reluctantly accepted her assignment but still thought she could be doing more than just manning an empty station.

  This job gave Kathrine an abundance of time to read and an overabundance of time to be annoyed by her constant thoughts of Paul. It wasn’t that Kathrine disliked thinking of Paul. He was an absolutely gorgeous man. The problem was the more she thought of him the more she wanted to be near him and she knew she wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t physically strong enough or fast enough to help Paul defeat his father. By going to Paul now she would only put her true love in more danger.

  Sitting alone with nothing to do was giving her way too much time to think about Paul. She felt like she was going mad. Why had Sarah given her such a boring job? There was nothing here to keep her mind off Paul. Now, not only was she intellectually frustrated she was also sexually frustrated. She swore to herself that if she didn’t get some kind of release soon she would be forced to have sex with the next guy she met.

  Kathrine laughed at this notion, she knew damn well that she had lost interest in any man but Paul. As much as it might help her frustrations she doubted she could actually have sex with anyone else now. She also doubted that she was attractive enough to get a man. She’d had sex with a few men while in college but it was generally unsatisfying and the men never called her back. Kathrine had come to believe that she was an ‘anywhere in a storm’ type of girl. The one guys would hit on when all the pretty girls were taken.

  Then Kathrine’s mind went back to the questions that really bothered her. Did Paul even feel the same way? She wasn’t that good looking. Maybe Paul had taken one look at her and said ‘Nope, not gonna fall for that one’. That would be just her luck. She found her one and he didn’t want her back. He hadn’t made any advances while she could barely keep from kissing the gorgeous man. He had shown no real interest in her at all. She had last seen him over two weeks ago and he had not even put in enough effort to send her a secret message or anything. Maybe she was fooling herself. Why would a man like Paul want her?

  “Here comes a truck,” Kathrine said to herself. She needed to quit thinking this way. It wasn’t productive. She needed to train and get better to stop the fallen angels from destroying humanity, Paul or no Paul.

  Kathrine opened the door and begrudgingly walked out to the pump as the driver got out. She pushed her brunette hair out of her eyes as the wind caught it, how she wished she’d been born with blonde hair like her mother. Blondes just looked prettier in her opinion. Her grey eyes looked curiously at the truck, trying to figure out which driver it was. Why did she have to be born with grey eyes? They were so uninteresting. Sarah’s eyes were the most beautiful shade of green and they contrasted her lovely red hair perfectly. Hell, she would even rather be a redhead than this boring brunette with grey eyes. No wonder Paul hadn’t made any effort to contact her, she even looked boring.

  “Hi Kathrine,” the older man said as he walked by. “Got anything good for snacks?”

  “Yeah, shipment came in yesterday. You get first pick, George,” Kathrine responded in her usual kind tone. She liked George, he was in his mid-seventies, she guessed, but as chipper as a kid. “Oh, and…”

  Before Kathrine could even comprehend what was happening, a brown sedan hit the delivery truck full force. The impact sent Kathrine flying backward, sliding across the cement. After a moment Kathrine forced herself to stand. The impact hadn’t really hurt her, she was much tougher than when she was just a Nephilim. A few bumps and bruises were not enough to keep Kathrine down for long.

  “Is she alive?” Kathrine asked, more to herself than George. George was apparently just as stunned that Kathrine wasn’t hurt as he was surprised that a car had come out of nowhere and pulverized his van.

  “Yeah, she’s getting out,” George finally managed to respond.

  “Must be one of us, no human could walk away from a crash like that,” Kathrine said, this time talking to George. George wasn’t Asuune, he was just a simple human, but he was aware of what an Asuune was and that Kathrine was one.

  The car wasn’t in such bad shape but the driver had smashed her head through the window and there was very little blood. A human would have been bleeding everywhere and unable to open the car door.

  “I need to find Kathrine,” Hailey said as she started convulsing the moment she was clear of the car. She grabbed Kathrine’s shirt and nearly tore it off as she fell to t
he ground.

  Kathrine bent down and lifted Hailey’s head.

  “My name is Kathrine,” she said kindly.

  “I’m Hailey. Are you Paul’s Kathrine?” Hailey asked wearily.

  Paul’s Kathrine?! The phrase sparked happiness and resentment all at once. Who was he to claim her? She hadn’t spoken more than a few minutes to the man. She, of course, had wanted to do much more than speak but how did he even know that? Paul, however, was aware of her and he somehow knew her name, this made Kathrine happy. It also made her stomach do flips and she was immediately angry with her body for betraying her so quickly. She wanted to be angry with him, it would make the longing to be with him easier.

  “Yes,” Kathrine replied.

  “Please…” Hailey was cut off.

  Kathrine heard her first. Sarah was sprinting across the grass to the gas station. Her sprinting got faster as she saw the woman lying beside Kathrine. Then Kathrine heard a sword being unsheathed and when she turned Sarah was charging at the woman.

  “LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE! DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER CASTRIANA!” Sarah was livid.

  Kathrine was stunned. She had never seen Sarah so angry and she was scary. Her fangs were out and she almost looked evil. She hated the woman in front of Kathrine. Not hate, that word wasn’t strong enough for how Sarah was reacting. She loathed this woman. And had Sarah just referred to her as daughter?

  Agnus chased after Sarah trying to calm her but there was no way Agnus was going to keep up or even stand a chance of stopping her. Kathrine wasn’t sure what to do, this woman, however evil, had a message from Paul. Kathrine stepped between Sarah and the woman just as Sarah reached her.

  “Move Kathrine! She’s evil!” Sarah tried to sidestep but Kathrine wouldn’t let her pass.

  “Stop Sarah!” Kathrine tried to reason with her but she just wouldn’t listen. Kathrine got angry, no one was going to kill this woman until she found out what she had to do with Paul. “Mom stop!” Sarah stood there staring at Kathrine. She had no words for what was going through her mind. “She has a message from Paul!”