Death & Fire

by King Ellie

  I wanted to announce my arrival, but the conversation took precedence over my presence. When I heard about what my father did to my mother and her best friend, my heart broke into pieces. It brought back memories to when I grew up in the supes orphanage hating my mother and father with everything in me, yet the only one that I should’ve given all of my hate for was him. That man was not my father nor was he human. How could he take advantage of a woman’s love for him and force her best friend to have to endure such shit? My head was spinning with all of this information that was received. I stumbled as I heard Xáne making the declaration that was in my head the moment it came out of his mouth.

  “Yes, I have a son, and he’s out there somewhere. Where? I don’t know but as soon as I find him, whoever has hurt will die by my bare hands, and I won’t have to shift to do it. I want their blood on my hands, father.”

  I agreed with him without uttering it out loud. Today, I swore that the man who put his seed into my mother only to kill her and her best friend at the end, I would rip his heart out of his chest and make sure he saw who did it. Then, it felt like a ton of bricks hit me when a missing piece of my memory hit me hard. I couldn’t call out any of their names, but I linked Xáne to my memory as I watched it unfold.

  I went shopping downtown while Xáne and Asar were training. I had ditched practice because I wanted to look good for him. The feeling of something going wrong was buried deep in my guts, but I ignored it blaming it on being nervous. I was always nervous when it came to Xáne, even though, we’d been married for a couple of months now. I found a dress, paid for it, and made my way out of the store. Then, someone bumped into me so hard that I stumbled back. When I looked up, the man reminded me of a young Denzel Washington from his chocolate skin to the blinding smile. I tilted my head, there was something about him that I couldn’t shake, “Do I know you?” I asked him.

  He lightly chuckled causing all sorts of warning bells to go off in my head. He reached his hand out, and I took it standing as I waited for an answer.

  “No, my little one, you don’t know me, but you will.”

  There was a tone that he carried with him and I didn’t like it. I pulled my hand out of his feeling like a part of me was drained. Just as I opened my eyes to speak, he lifted his palm to his mouth and blew some weird contents on my face. I coughed trying to swat it away.

  “What the fuck! Move!” I pushed him out of my way and began walking away, but it was like his voice carried with me, in my head slowly morphing into a woman’s voice. One that I found peaceful and soothing.

  Find your parents and leave Xáne, he can’t help you… They are alive and looking for you as well.

  I screamed so loud as if someone stole and ripped every part of me. I felt Xáne’s arms around me as I dropped to the floor. He was here. He took everything from me.

  Chapter 13

  Xánur

  Days. That’s how long it took me to learn how to track my own damn son. The stress was eating away at my mind, and on top of that, feeling the anxiety that Cin was going through didn’t help. In the back of my head, I knew I should’ve taken a day off, but I couldn’t right now. There were too much, too many factors that were trying my patience, and if I didn’t figure it all out, I was going to flip on someone.

  I inhaled and exhaled as I heard Asar’s footsteps behind me. I told him that I didn’t want to stop for a moment, but he convinced father that I needed a break. Father was never pushy nor was he the type to tell you to quit unless you wanted to do it yourself. I removed the last piece of clothing I had on then I stood tall cracking my neck. It was Asar’s idea not to go flying but instead to go running in the woods behind my place. I shut my eyes letting the transformation take place, this wasn’t as painful as the first time it happened now it felt natural as I shifted. My paws hit the dirt, the sensations were different than when I was just a vampire. This was more as though I could hear not only the heartbeats of all who lived here but their blood, it called out to me. It smelled delicious, but it became intoxicating when both Asar and I began racing except my mind drifted towards the scents.

  I didn’t think, I couldn’t think as I ran pushing down feeling the ground beneath me and the power that surged through my entire body freed my mind. In this moment, I wasn’t thinking about anything, my mind was blank so blank that it became scary until I couldn’t see what was in front of me because it was all a blur. I could still feel the dirt beneath me but now it was like my essence ran faster than me and entered a house. I had never been there before but everything about it looked familiar. Had I been here before? I stood there, shorter than I regularly felt but I was in a small blue bedroom. I eyed the bed, it was too small for me now, but I was afraid to tell her. Who was her? Then I surveyed the room, it was all in shambles, I didn’t mean to shift but it suddenly happened overnight.

  She was gone to work, and I promised her that I would be good. She didn’t need to worry about me because I knew how to stay hidden yet somehow I knew that this was going to cause her to spiral just like she did when my fangs grew. She was terrified because she claimed I was too young for it. I knew I was young but how old was I? Wait…

  My essence froze as it realized that it wasn’t me nor was it a memory. Something had just transpired. I pulled my essence from the body that it had just entered, and then, I was in shock as I finally came face to face with whose body I had just inhabited.

  Who are you?

  He asked me yet nothing could come to mind. He was speaking to my essence while he was in human form. Those eyes were my eyes and so was the dirty blonde hair. He kept it longer than I did when I was his age. He had his mother’s nose. I knew he was mine from the moment my gaze fell upon him. Yes, he was young according to humans, but he was my son, a Helson so he was double his human age. While to humans, he was three, as a supe, he was six.

  I’m your father.

  He stood there watching me with eyes so damn pale blue and filled with such sadness, hopelessness and he was tired, my son was tired.

  If you are my father, then you will come and get me. We’ve searched everywhere for you…

  Just as I was about to ask him where he was, a voice called to him,

  “Exra! I’m home!” The moment we lost eye contact, I was thrusted hard back into my body.

  I came back into my own body not sure how we made it to the house, but I couldn’t breathe as I shifted back. When I came to, it hurt me so fucking much to see my son and lose him again. I stayed on my knees not able to see anything at all. I knew I was having an anxiety attack, but I couldn’t control anything.

  “No!” I yelled out. “No! No! No!”

  “Xánur!” I heard Asar calling my name out, alarmed yet none of that could snap me back.

  I cried out, hard as if someone had taken my very soul from me. I tried to stay strong when I first saw our daughter’s limp body in Cin’s arms in her vision but this… No! not this. When I was ripped away from my son, I saw the image of my daughter as she protected my son in the womb. She knew that something was wrong, and she repositioned herself in front of him shielding him from whatever was going to come to pass.

  I yelled louder, rougher until my voice was hoarse. I felt the tears as they fell from my eyes and nothing, no one could make me stray away from avenging my deceased daughter. She didn’t deserve this. None of us deserved this. Whoever separated us didn’t need to be afraid of my father’s wrath because I would make sure that it rained blood and sulfur on this very earth because no one touched my family. NO ONE!

  ****

  Lucinda

  I watched over Xáne as he was out on the bed. He slept on his stomach with his hair all over the place, he was finally at peace. Well, not really but putting him in the induced sleep was his father’s doing. Xáne was having an anxiety attack to rival all anxiety attacks. He had set fire to the woods with just his emotions and when I got out there, he didn’t even recognize me through the fog that took over his mind. He kept crying out ca
lling our daughter and our son, he saw something, but we couldn’t calm him down long enough to tell us.

  I reached out running my hand through his hair. I smiled when he did. He knew who I was even in his sleep, yet in that moment not too long ago, he didn’t know me. He didn’t see any of us, and it worried me. He worried me. I gazed at the tattoos on his back that he had elaborated on over the past couple of days; A big angel with his wings open in the middle of his back, a prayer inside the clouds from his shoulder blades and covering his neck, and on his lower back was a sad baby angel. I didn’t ask him what it meant, but I knew it had something to do with what has happened to us. I watched him as he breathed in and out. I loved this man too much to let him lose it before we ended our enemies. I found out a long time ago that I wasn’t the type of female that would sit back and let her enemies continue on living. Nope, I was the type to let them know that their time was running out and as soon as I spotted them, everything that they knew and loved would disintegrate within my reach. Why? Because they touched my husband and my kids. No one caused my husband this much pain and lived to see tomorrow.

  I sighed knowing that he wasn’t going to be getting up right now but as soon as I stood, he groaned.

  “Stay,” his voice was so damn hoarse. It didn’t even sound like him anymore.

  I slid into bed with him getting under the duvet. His arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me into him. I shook my head this man was still able to know his surroundings even though the sleep that he was in was supposed to be deeper than the average one. I mean, his father was death, for all we know. If he was human, he would be dead right now.

  ****

  Xáne didn’t wake up a couple of hours later, yet he didn’t let go of me. He held on tight as though if he let me go, he’d never wake up again. I heard heavy footsteps entering the room. I glanced towards the door, and it was Xáne’s father. He looked like he hadn’t slept in years.

  “He still won’t let you go?”

  I shook my head, “Nope. Guess, this whole forever term is even when he’s in this state. Do you know what put him in that condition?”

  “Come,” His father stretched his hand out to me when he got closer. “Let’s talk in the other room.”

  As I made the attempt to get up, Xáne growled and pulled me closer to him almost crushing me.

  “Mine,” he growled. I faced him, yet he was still asleep. Why the hell was he so strong?

  I rolled my eyes, “I guess we’re going to have to talk in here then?”

  Xáne’s father chuckled, “We’ll wait until he’s up. I know when I’m not wanted somewhere. He may be in deep sleep, but I know my son well, and right now, he only wants you with him. Entitled, little bastard.”

  I lightly laughed. “Did you raise him alone?” I asked him before he walked out.

  Xáne’s father gazed at his son adoringly nodding his head.

  “Yeah, I did. Raising a son without a mother is difficult. As you can see, his mother was nowhere to be found, but it wasn’t because she didn’t want to be. It’s that she couldn’t. When I had him, my last born, all his siblings had died. Having a child with a human at that time was extremely detrimental to both the lives of the babies and the mother. Xáne was the only one to survive. His mother didn’t. I made sure to love him for the both of us because that woman, I loved the fuck out of her, but she is no more, of course, and now, this old bastard just sucks souls out of people’s bodies,” he shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.

  This was something I didn’t know about Xáne and it saddened me. “I’m so sorry,” I didn’t know what else to say.

  He smiled at me, “Oh, dear girl, don’t stress yourself with feeling sorry for me. Had Xáne not met you first, I would’ve ravished you and had you addicted to me before you could learn of my true nature.” He winked at me as he walked out.

  I knew I looked stupid as ever as Xáne’s father walked out of the room while my eyes were probably as wide as saucers, and my jaw was wide open out of shock. Holy hell! If I didn’t know before, I know now. Xáne got all his charm from his father; the sexy, dangerous, daring, and dark charm of his.

  As I laid back on the bed, Xáne’s words flowed from his mind over to mine.

  No one could ever beat a Helson, not even in revenge.

  I shivered as a cold chill ran through my body. I smiled wickedly at nothing as I answered him.

  No baby, no one can.

  Chapter 14

  Xánur

  I was in a deep sleep state, and I knew it, yet I couldn’t wake up until my father’s touch wore off on me. I wanted to tell Cin that our child was so beautiful, tall, and he looked like the spitting image of me. I couldn’t get the awe of being a father and seeing my son for the first time out of my head. My essence traveled beyond my body leaving my surrounds. Even though my arm was still around Cin, everything else soared making its way back to the same room, my son’s room.

  This time, Exra was ready for me. It was as though he felt me coming. He was sitting down on the floor as he had a sketchpad and a pencil. I watched him for a moment admiring the fact that I had an offspring of my own. Before meeting Cin, I had never thought about children, but now, I couldn’t see us without kids.

  “You made it,” he said to me as he gazed up at me.

  Again, the fact that I had a son shook me to my core. I kneeled not wanting to tower over him. I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face. He was the reason for this joy, and he felt it too.

  “You knew I’d come?” I asked, curious to see how strong he was.

  “Yes, I did. The link that I’ve always felt became stronger from the moment you first stepped into my room. You’re much more than I expected,” he admitted.

  “Me too, Exra. Me too. You speak so eloquently, and you look so much older than your age. I’ve missed so much.” I was going to spiral if I didn’t get a hold of myself. I shut my eyes needing a moment.

  Just then, as if he knew what was going to happen. I felt his touch. Exra hugged me, and it broke my world into pieces. I didn’t know what I did to deserve this, but I wrapped my arms around him hugging him.

  “Thank you. Thank you for being alive and not hating me or your mom. We didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

  “My mom? She’s alive?” He didn’t leave my arms. Instead, he laid his head on my shoulder.

  This didn’t feel like a first meeting. If anything, it felt like we’ve been in each other’s lives for so long. I nodded, “She is, and she’s desperate to meet you. That’s why I’m here. I need to know where you are.”

  He moved out of the hug, and he stared at me for a moment.

  “If I tell you where I am… will you take Hina away from me? I have to protect her. She doesn’t know, but he’s found us, and we have to leave this place soon.”

  My breath hitched, “Who is he and where is this place?”

  “He is my grandfather, and Auntie Hina said that this orphanage would keep us safe. She said my mother, if she was alive, she’d know where this was. He knows that I’m alive now, and he’s going to kill her for hiding me.”

  “She hid you?” My mind was going a mile a minute. “Okay, okay… how do you know where he is?”

  I knew I was asking a lot from my kid, but he was stronger than I was when I was a kid. I could feel it.

  “She did, and I know because I can feel him no matter where I am. I am a part of him. Not like you and my mother but because he is still blood I can feel him when he is getting closer. He’s on this side of the world. The supes side.”

  The news shocked me, and before I could find out more… I was pulled out of his room.

  ****

  I could’ve murdered whoever pulled me out, but when I realized it was my father, I calmed down, or so I thought, until I was out of my bed and yelling at my father like I had lost my mind.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? I was talking to my son. Why would you pull me out like that?”

  Father cocke
d his eyebrow, “Come again?”

  “Are you deaf, old man? I said I was talking to my son, and you had no right pulling me out like that. Had you just entered my mind, you would’ve seen it!” My father swung and had I been paying attention, I would’ve ducked, but it was too late.

  My jaw cracked. He broke my fucking jaw, and I saw red. I growled not even taking it in that I shifted morphing into a cross between the vampire and the wolf. My father hadn’t had the chance to see me shift into a werewolf. I didn’t think as I attacked him. He was fast but not fast enough due to the extra boost I had from being both. I heard Asar and Uncle Magni yelling for me to stop, but nothing could stop me from attacking. Father’s eyes shifted, and he transformed into what others called the grim reaper, but he was more than that. He was scarier than that too, yet I didn’t relent. He didn’t look like I did. He was all black from head to toe. There wasn’t any part of him that you could see as a different supe. He was just black, and the moment that roar came out of his mouth, lava spilled from his mouth landing on my floor causing it to melt.

  “You want to fight me, you ungrateful fucking shit. You think you can take me because of who you are now? I’m your father. I will always one-up you. Magni hold him down. He doesn’t notice what the fuck he just did.”

  I didn’t give a damn nor flinch at his threats. I heard Uncle’s thunder as it crackled in the air. When I was younger, that used to scare me shitless but not anymore. Right now, it made me mad that he wanted to step in. Had I not been so mad, I would’ve understood, but I was way past that point. I was hit by something in my rib. I flinched, but it didn’t knock me down. I knew that feeling from anywhere. It was my Uncle’s hammer passed down from his father, the Norse god, Thor.