Book 5⌇43. Last Sand of the Hour Glass

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Chapter 43 ∣  Last Sand of the Hourglass

-Maverick

I gasped, my eyes flying open as even the dully lit crimson orbs caused me to squint, my pull back into my body taking almost everything out of me. The pain erupted in my chest, my hands pressing against the center of it as the silver dagger had been forced out of my heart, the shock had my senses running everywhere as I attempted to regain my bearings. The sound of the dagger clattering to the ground as I shot up from the table, my eyes immediately snapping to Rook.

He appeared taken aback, his eyes questioning me.

"Send me back!" I breathed out, the short time that I had been gone here was well over a month in Hell and my body felt like it hadn't used its lungs in that same amount of time. I breathed in the air, catching my breath as Rook just stared at me with his citrine amber eyes.

"Maverick," Rook stated, his eyes glancing down to the ancient book that lay open at the head of the table, placing his hand on the left page and shaking his head, "I can't. I told you this before you left. You had one chance."

The anger rose within me, my eyes glaring at him and growling, "They're going to kill her! Send me back NOW!" When he just shifted his eyes away from me, I lashed out, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him toward me until we were just mere inches apart.

Rook's eyes shifted to a black rose, growling back at me as he brought both his hands up, wrapping them around my wrist and forcing me to let go of him. "I. Can't. What part of those two words do you NOT understand?"

I let the anger slip away the moment I heard someone coughing on the other side of the table, turning my attention away from Rook.

"Lucette!" I cringed, watching her struggling to stay on her knees, her palms against the marble floor as she coughed up blood. "Lucette?" I asked carefully, sliding down from the table and kneeling in front of her, lifting her chin with my right hand to gaze into her eyes. Blood trailed down from her nose and I could see the trace amounts coming from her ears beneath her long white hair.

"Th-That's some power..." she coughed again as I couldn't believe what had happened to her. Rook was right...If I didn't come back in time, the blood magic would forcefully leave her body and it appeared to have wreaked havoc on her own as it had been transferred back to me.

When I didn't say anything, she just smiled and laughed lightly, "Oh stop staring at me like I'm going to die." She smacked away my hand holding her chin, standing slowly to her feet. Rook had moved around the table, his arm out as she used him for support.

"I-I'm so sorry brother," Lucette's sad eyes held all the emotions I was feeling.

I tried to block everything out, the hurt, loss, pain, and hate, turning into something I haven't been in a very long time. But that all changed the moment I looked into Eris' beautiful emerald eyes, rooting me back to her as I knew she felt the connection I had been feeling from her all this time. It was more intense this time, the warmth that I drew from her skin and the electrical charge that was not in relation to her demonic nature...it radiated through my body and in the one moment I thought I had completely lost her...I completely found her.

"Eris..." my words trailed off, standing from my knees and letting the pain rip through me, knowing I had failed her. I couldn't protect her...I couldn't save her; all this power and I couldn't use it as my time was up. If I had paid closer attention and just gone after her, sprinting across the bridge that loomed over the fiery lava...maybe I could have brought her back.

Rook held Lucette tightly, his eyes watching me as he sincerely said, "I'm sorry man...I-If-" Rook glanced at Lucette and then closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before saying, "If you want to stay the night...you can."

I didn't want to put him or his coven in jeopardy of harboring a rogue vampire. That wasn't fair, he had gone above and beyond what I thought he would to in order to help me attempt to bring Eris back. It wasn't his fault the way things ended; it was mine.

"No," I stated, Lucette's eyes brimming with tears, her body shaking with either sadness or anger, I couldn't quite tell.

That sadness and anger, they dissolved into a single emotion.

Love.

Rook let her go, Lucette throwing her arms around me as she crashed into my chest. I took a step back as I caught her, wrapping my arms tightly around her mid-back. Yes, she had been a bratty sister, but weren't all siblings when they were younger? I missed her so much...she is my family and it hurt, even more, knowing I couldn't do anything more for Eris.

"Please..." she begged as I felt a sob wrack through her body.

"You know I can't," I sighed, letting my arms fall from behind her back and touch her arms, pulling her away from me, "I'm not welcome...anywhere."

"B-Bu-But...if you just...if you talked to father?" Lucette's tears continued to fall down her cheeks, afraid for me and knowing we'd probably not see each other again for a long time...if that.

I shook my head and firmly stated, "He's made it clear, I'm a monster that cannot be accepted by anyone. He will never allow it...ever."

"Eris..." Lucette stated simply.

"My one exception, the one person who he couldn't turn against me," I felt the pain ebb at my heart, "Is gone."

"Well..." Rook's voice lingered, closing his eyes again and stating, "It appears you're going to have to stay...the sun's up."

Great...

I sighed, nodding as Lucette's eyes brightened, knowing she had just one more day with me.

"You really should get some rest and recover," Rook cautioned me, moving toward the head of the table and taking the open book from the surface. Closing the covers until the pages shut, he placed it down on his desk, the orbs of crimson light flickering when he walked toward the heavy door, "Your body may be strong, but you technically haven't been asleep and your body is technically rebooting from being 'dead'."

Lucette hugged me tightly once more before moving toward Rook, "I look horrible, don't I?" She asked, smearing the blood from her nose on the back of her hand and sighing with irritation.

"Not at all," Rook smirked, "Besides, I know how I can clean you up."

Oh, fuck this...

I snatched my shirt and trench coat up from the marble floor, slipping it over my head and pulling it down. I threw the coat over me, letting it settle before I glanced at the two. Rolling my eyes, Lucette just laughed, watching as I passed them both, waiting in the long hallway. Rook was doing something to the door, I was placing bets it was his way of making sure no one else could get in.

As I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed in front of my chest, my eyes caught the brief movement from a door mid-way down the hallway. Glancing sideways, I noticed a vampire that appeared to be somewhat young, her long brown hair hiding half of her face as she poked it out behind the door that stood ajar. When my eyes met her light blue ones, they widened and she quickly darted back behind the door, shutting it quickly before the monster could come after her.

Surprised? No, this was the type of response I was used to receiving when vampires came across me, only right now, I held immunity while the sun shone in the sky.

Rook and Lucette moved through the open door, closing it behind him, I saw something dark flicker from the palm of his hand, a deep glow pulsating for a moment. Once it had disappeared, I arched an eyebrow but didn't question. I knew there were those that resided within his own coven that knew little about what he could do and those that did, were probably his commander and if he held an assassin, them.

Moving past me, Rook motioned to a door further down the hallway, past the door where the curious brown-haired vampire had been lingering. Most of his coven had retired, only a few members walking amongst the silent halls.

Lucette kept up behind me, and I could feel her eyes watching me, wondering what I was thinking. I was blocking her out on purpose, knowing she would just ask question after question about what had happened. I wasn't ready to admit out loud that I had failed someone else. This would have made the second individual who put their trust in me, and I hadn't come through for them...the first a flickering memory of my childhood and adolescence.

"Here," Rook nodded to the door he had halted in front of, taking hold of the brass handle and opening the door inward, revealing a rather large room with a king-size bed, a mahogany cabinet, lighting throughout, and a door leading to what I could only assume was a bathroom. My boots echoed off the ebony marble, the flecks of crimson reflecting off the low lighting of the few fixtures that had come to life with the flick of a switch. "Just try to relax, okay?" Rook's concern was evident, worried I might do something I'd regret.

I hadn't let the anger consume me...not yet anyway. I either couldn't or wouldn't believe Eris was lost to me, forever...

"Goodnight brother!" Lucette chimed, turning from the door and walking down to the end of the hallway.

Rook watched as she skipped away, turning back to me and raising his eyebrows, "Well...if you need anything, let me know. I'm sure you'll just connect with Lucette, but please...if there is anything else, I can do, I'll find a way...just give me some time."

"I know you will, you've always been the one to fix our problems," I genuinely smiled, knowing that my friend really would sacrifice to help me. I couldn't imagine his thoughts if something like this had happened to Lucette, so he knew the pain I was feeling as I've never had feelings like the ones I possessed for Eris.

"Goodnight," he smiled, pulling the door handle, the door shutting quietly behind him. I stepped toward the door and turned the lock, knowing if someone did want to come for me, a simple lock wouldn't stop them. Trust...yea the only two people I could really trust were Lucette and Rook, the rest of his coven, saw me as a threat, afraid I would kill them in their sleep like I had done countless times when I was younger.

"Don't let it control you..." I spoke to myself, refusing to give in to my anger and letting my blood magic take control, unleashing the darker side of me. For so long, I had reigned in my urges to spill blood for no reason, but it hadn't worked...Eris was that motivation.

I removed my trench coat once again, tossing it onto the sea-green cushion of a chair that had been hidden behind the door, my shirt following immediately after while I kicked my combat boots off, heading to the door that led off to the bathroom. As my hand wrapped around the metal of the handle, I heard something...like a soft groan.

I let go of the handle and turned around, my eyes scanning the room to see a form now laying on top of the covers on the bed. I furrowed my brows, but before I saw her, I felt that spark ignite in my heart, yearning for her, drawing me closer.

She laid on her left side, her arms crossed over each other as her long dark hair covered her face. The red dress still clutched her curves, her bare feet pulling up as she unconsciously curled up further into a ball.

I walked around the side of the bed, staring in disbelief as I sat on the bed sideways, brushing the hair away from her face and whispering, "Eris?"

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To Seduce a Succubus by K. A. Young.

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