d..、，.. #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT d..、，..
Happen 53
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
Theme: Rebekah!
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The Angel opened the door after a brief knock, surprise etched on his chiseled
features as his electric blue eyes met mine. The shock quickly morphed into a
grimace as he realized what exactly my presence entailed. As always, I was briefly distracted by the sheer beauty of Raziel’s face, and I had to shake myself out of it. I faintly wondered if all Angels were so perfect-looking, and I concluded that it
must’ve just been an innate trait of those with holy blood.
“Somehow, I knew you’d find your way here,” Raziel said, tone laced with
resignation. I noticed his shocking eyes flicker to my neck, where Gabriel’s Mark was visible next to the straps of my tank top. “Come in.”
I thanked him, feeling a burst of nervousness that I quickly quelled. Being in an
Angel’s presence was daunting, but I had to remember why I was here. Raziel’s
shoulders were slightly hunched as he led me into the kitchen. I was absolutely
positive that he did not want to see me, especially all by myself, but I had to make sure he knew that I had no choice.
“Gabriel told me he Marked you,” The Angel muttered absentmindedly,
rummaging around for a bit before putting some water on to boil to make tea. I leaned against the countertop, watching him. “I tried to tell him that once he did, you’d stop at nothing to find him when he left. He clearly did not have enough faith in your stubborn streak.”
“Why did he leave?” I decided to cut right to the point. “I know you contacted him last night, and afterwards he . . .” I trailed off, feeling another pang of loneliness. “What did you tell him?”
Raziel sighed, remaining silent, staring at the kettle on the stove for a moment
before he snapped out of it and turned to face me. “I don’t think it would be wise to repeat it to you, Skylar.”
“Why not?” I demanded, trying my best not to sound petulant.
“Somethings you are better off not knowing. Gabriel will take care of it.” “How do you know?” I pressed.
“He’s the only one that can, and I found some information that indicates he has an advantage.”
“What advantage is that?”
“You’revery persistent,” Raziel observed, dryness creeping into histone.
“It always irritates Gabriel, too,” I said quietly, forcing the sadness away. “But you have to understand why I need to know what you told him. I can’t sleep, I can
barely eat thinking about what could be happening to him. We Mated . . . and the next morning he was just gone. He left me without a word, even with this new
bond between us. I can’t just let him go off without knowing what he’s getting himself into. And my Wolf . . . she’s so distraught . . .”
“I know.”
I felt my frustration rise to the surface. “You’re not a Mated werewolf, how could you know?” I demanded sharply, quickly snapping my mouth shut after I spoke. I hadn’t meant to be rude,but the stress was getting tome. Raziel didn’t look angry, though; to my surprise, he just looked incredibly . . . sad?
“I know better than most the power of a werewolf Mating bond,” he spoke so quietly I scarcely heard him.
“W-what do you mean?” I stammered, momentarily caught off guard by histone and expression.
Raziel’s lips twisted sardonically. “It’s stronger than any connection I’ve ever
come across, and considerably more powerful than what humans are capable of. A Mating bond can even interfere with Angelic power.”
I blinked at him, intrigued despite the fact that we were drifting off topic. Perhaps my mind just wanted to seize on something less painful to think about. “Interfere with an Angel’s power? How?”
Raziel studied me keenly for a moment, his penetrating orbs making me fidget. He took a few steps forward until he stood on the other side of the counter. I felt my
eyes drawn upwards until I was staring into his blue gaze. Something about Raziel was mesmerizing, hypnotic; his perfect looks urged me to approach him, to reach up and touch his face, but I held back. My fingers twitched at my sides and I
clenched my hands into fists, bewildered. Raziel approached further until our faces were a foot apart. As I stared at the Angel, Gabriel’s face suddenly flickered into
my mind’s eye, his dark and tousled hair, his deep eyes. I felt a powerful surge of longing for my wayward Mate.
Stop this! My Wolf snarled, and instantly the spell was broken. I staggered a few steps backwards, staring up at Raziel accusingly. It was like he had cast an
enchantment on me, and only my Wolf had broken it.
Raziel chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Now you know what I mean. Any human or unmated werewolf could never have broken through the allure of my
physical charms. It’s one of the Angels’ most potent abilities, and one of my only
skills that hasn’t completely faded. It serves to entrance any living, conscious
being, but after living on Earth for a while, I learned the hard way that it will never work on a Mated werewolf. When you looked at me, you saw Gabriel, didn’t
you?”
I nodded and still felt a bit angry that Raziel had tried to manipulate me like that, but I was curious. “How did you learn that the hard way?”
The sardonic expression was back on the Angel’s face. “Meeting Gabriel’s grandmother taught me all about it.”
My eyes widened. I had never heard anything about Raziel’s former love, the
werewolf that had birthed Rebekah. Nobody seemed to mention her. I opened my mouth to question further after Raziel’s cryptic remark, only to see that he had
turned his back and was returning to the teakettle. I couldn’t see his expression, but judging by his posture he did not want to discuss it further.
“So yes, I do understand why you are here and why you want to go after your Mate. Still, I’m not sure that sharing information with you is the best option.”
“Why, because it’ll put mein danger?”
“Yes. Gabriel would not want that.”
I huffed in frustration, drumming my fingers on the counter. I was silent for a
couple of minutes as I tried to think of something, anything that would reason with Raziel. I didn’t want to anger him, but my Wolf and I refused to concede until we gleaned atleast one bit of useful information. After another moment Raziel placed the steaming cup of tea in front of me. I thanked him politely but was still
brainstorming. Slowly, a different tactic came tome.
“What if it was Gabriel’s grandmother?”
The Angel’s gaze sharpened and found mine. I could tell he did not like the direction this was going.
“If she ran off and didn’t tell you, and somebody you knew had information about where she was and what she was doing, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to obtain it?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
I gestured impatiently. “So you understand how I’m feeling, being kept in the dark!”
He said nothing.
“I understand Gabriel wants to keep me safe. I don’t blame him. But it’s my
decision, too. There are two wolves in this relationship, not one. Don’t I get a
choice about whether to place myself in danger or not? I’m a Luna now. I can’t let everyone make the decisions forme.”
Raziel closed his eyes and sighed. “Robbing you of your choices would be wrong. It is, however, in your best interest-”
“I should get to decide what is in my best interest. I’m not a child.”
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
The Angel’s jaw clenched as he pondered, and I knew I’d made a good point as
soon as a shadow of resignation crossed his features. “If I tell you, you can’t do
anything rash. There are somethings you won’t like hearing, but if you insist . . .” “I do.”
“Very well. We will goto the living room; I think it’s a good idea for you to sit down.”
I did as he asked, clasping the mug of tea tightly in my hand. It was warm and
soothing against my skin. I felt sweaty and dusty from my day-long trek, and knew I’d need to clean myself up before going anywhere else. Feeling guilty about
possibly dirtying his furniture, I tentatively sat on the couch while Raziel leaned against the wall nearby.
“I’m only going to tell you the basics. The first thing I learned is what I told Gabriel in the coffee shop.”
I nodded for him to continue.(Join Group)
https://t.me/joinchat/DWEODhyq3JqOh3-w3uNTyg
Raziel looked reluctant but he resumed speaking. “This piece of information
presented both good and bad aspects. Basically, when Cain uses Gabriel’s blood for the Ritual, the book says that Rituals of that nature will tie the drinker’s life
force to the provider . . . put more simply, Cain’s life will depend on Gabriel. The Ritual won’t kill Gabriel, but afterwards . . . if Gabriel dies, Cain dies.”
I was sure my eyes were as round as saucers and my mouth hung open. Out of everything, I was not expecting that.
“This gives Gabriel an advantage, as you can imagine. Cain will not harm Gabriel. Ever. Killing Gabriel would be Cain killing himself, too. During the Ritual, Cain will also link himself to his coven so that all of them can possess the sun-walking ability. However, if Gabriel dies, it will affect Cain AND anyone linked to him . . . which happens to be an entire coven.”
I was attempting to put the pieces together. If Gabriel knew Cain couldn’thurt him
. . .
“This should assure that Cain leaves your pack alone after the Ritual. He won’t want to risk angering Gabriel.” His expression became grim. “Because if Gabriel feels that Cain is going to continue to be a threat he will sacrifice himself.”
My heart stopped as I processed this. “He . . . what?”
“Gabrieliswilling to give his own life if necessary, thereby killing Cain and entire coven,to keep you all safe.”
“No! He can’t!” I replied breathlessly. I felt like my heart was being squeezed in a vice grip, and my Wolf was whining pitifully at even the thought of our Mate
being gone. Completely gone from our lives forever.
“That’s a last resort, Skylar,” Raziel said quietly, sensing my turmoil. “Gabriel has a plan that will come before that.”
“What’s his plan?”
“Well, before I tell you, you need to know the other information I found. This is a bit more complicated.”
Raziel stood up from the wall and began to slowly pace across the middle of the
room. “You see, there’s two ways to conduct the Ritual, and the effect on Cain will differ depending which method is used. Gabriel can either give his blood willingly, through a self-inflicted wound, or Cain can take it forcefully from him.”
“Gabriel would never willingly do that,” I responded, perplexed.
“Originally, no. You see, during the Ritual, Cain will be . . . incapacitated and
weak. His entire clan, too. The holy blood running through the system of a demon will not be pleasant. The book indicates that it’ll take hours for Cain to recover,
and in the meanwhile, he will be in extreme pain. It seems ideal for Gabriel to
strike then, since Cain will be weak and Gabriel can kill him much more easily. As I explained before, Cain’s coven is linked to him during the Ritual. If Cain dies,
they all die.”
I felt my breath catch in my throat. “What if he can’t?” I whispered weakly. “You have so little faith in your Mate?”
I shook my head hastily. “It isn’t that. I just don’t like him being in danger,” I replied shakily, trying to fight tears from rising.
“In the worst possible scenario, Gabriel will not be able to kill Cain, but Cain
won’t kill your Mate, either. Your pack will be safe from the vampires since they are tied to Gabriel.”
I wanted to lunge at Cain and rip his throat out. I wanted to kill him for using me as a scientific experiment, for forcing Gabriel to sacrifice his blood to allow those demons to walkin the sun where they didn’t belong. Gabriel was all by himself,
probably being held captive, and those disgusting creatures would now be able to terrorize everyone they . . .
Wait.
“But . . . the vampires will leave us alone, but what about the other werewolf packs?”
“That is not your concern. You have to worry about your own pack,” The Angel replied calmly.
“There are few enough werewolves as it is. If Gabriel can’t kill Cain, the vampires will go wipe all of them out except us. They’ll continue to kill humans, too, and
more of them.”
“There is no perfect solution to this problem.”
I gritted my teeth angrily. “How can you say that? How is it okay to let others be killed just because they aren’t part of our pack?”
“There’s nothing you can do, Skylar,” Raziel replied, more intently.
“There has to be something! We can’t let our own kind be slaughtered without warning!”
“There is NOTHING you can do!” Raziel said, and this time the anger was clearly discernible in his voice. “I have learned everything I can about this Ritual, and this is the best plan we can come up with.”
“No . . . no . . .” Horror was washing over me as I pictured hundreds of
werewolves being hunted down and brutally killed by Cain and his coven. Cain
was too strong for any of them. He was ruthless and power-hungry, and would not stop. My pack may not associate with others but I still felt a fierce loyalty to my
own kind. “There has to be something . . . someone . . .” I glanced around the room frantically, seeking out anything of help. My search was futile, though. Nobody
knew anything else about this Ritual. Nobody had gotten close enough to Cain to- My breath caught in my throat. There was one person that knew, and she was lying immobile in a mausoleum. She was stuck in a coma, her Wolf unable to emerge,
leaving her in a half-alive state. Raziel had said he tried everything to wake her and nothing had worked. In that moment, I felt a wave of inspiration strike me. Call it instinct or some sort of sixth-sense, but I would not ignore my intuition. I stood up hastily, causing Raziel to glance at mein surprise.
“Rebekah,” I breathed. Raziel’s expression transitioned into one of alarm. “Skylar, what are you-“
But I was ignoring him, rushing through the house to get to the back door. I heard Raziel getup and make to follow me. “You can’tjust-“
“I’m following my instincts,” I replied shortly, throwing the door open. My Wolf was urging me on. Raziel made to stop me but he did not have the speed of a
werewolf and I darted past him, heading towards the woods and picking up pace as I went. It was close to sunset but I still had time. The woods fast approached as I
ran in a blur of motion. Dimly, I heard Raziel’s frustrated cry and knew he would follow but he was a few minutes behind. Every fiber of my being told me that what I was about to do was at least worth a try.
*
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
*
I dashed through the forest, weaving around the reaching tendrils of branches and narrowly avoiding the large rocks that dotted the forest path. Moving this quickly, it took next to no time for the mausoleum to be in sight. Memories swarmed
through my mind as I recalled the last time I was here but I brushed them off.
Placing my hands on handle of the door to the tomb, I yanked it open with every
ounce of werewolf might. With a grinding sound the opening was exposed, my
eyes immediately falling upon the sleeping figure within. I hurried inside, ignoring the clammy darkness that pressed in around me.
I was caught off-guard by Rebekah’s beauty once again. Because she was sleeping in the coffin without a lid, I could see every inch of her pale skin, her regal
features. Gabriel’smother’s lovely hair was a dark contrast against her pale skin as
it fanned out in curled tendrils behind her head. Rebekah looked incredibly
peaceful, as if she’d already passed into the afterlife but my sensitive ears picked up on her slow breathing.
I hurried forward, knowing my minutes were taking away. This close I felt nervousness prick at my insides. My stomach clenched as I observed her
slumbering form. I felt like I was violating this room somehow, barging in without notice and without obtaining Raziel’s permission. Desperate times called for
desperate measures.
I really had no clue what I was supposed to do. How did I know Raziel hadn’t tried
to wake her up using a Pack Doctor before? Furthermore, I had never even used my Affinity! It seemed more than likely that I would fail miserably in my
endeavor.
I had to try, though. It couldn’t just be coincidence that I had an Affinity and
happened to be Rebekah’s son’s Mate. Fate must have orchestrated this, it must have meant forme to come here.
My Wolf was still urging me on, instructing metoreach out and take Rebekah’s
hand. I complied, reaching over the side of the coffin and wrapping my fingers
around her long, slender ones. Her hand was cool, but as soon as my skin made
contact with hers I felt a jolt of electricity shoot up my arm. Something came alive beneath my skin, a burning sensation that made the hairs on my arm stand on end. I breathed out heavily, unused to the sensation. It was as if part of me was coming alive, and I relished the feel of some strange power rushing through my veins.
Instinctively, I closed my eyes. Behind the blackness of my closed eyelids, I could place all of my focus on our joined hands. Rebekah’s fingers were still limp and
lifeless but the heated connection between us was like a living, breathing thing. I felt energy sparking around me and I clenched her hand tighter in mine.
What do I do? I whispered to my Wolf.
Call to her. See if she can hear you.
Any other time it would have seemed strange, but my Wolf’swords resounded in my mind and I knew that’s what I had to do. Tentatively, I reached out a mental
probe, trying to find Rebekah’s consciousness. She was there, I could feel her, my mind brushing up against hers. It was only because of my Affinity that I could
sense her mental presence at all, and I momentarily felt a flicker of surprise. The edge of her mind was like a stonewall, though, and I couldn’tbreakthrough and mind-link with her like I could my own pack. That was to be expected, though, as she wasn’t my direct family or a pack member. I decided to try to speak to her
anyways.
Rebekah. Are you there? Can you hearme?
There was no answer. I could feel her body’s profound stillness, yet my Affinity was still hovering at the surface, begging me to help her.
Rebekah. I know your Wolf is there somewhere. If she can hearme, tell her to follow my voice. I can help her.
No movement.
I reached out my other hand, stretching my fingers until I felt them brush against the smooth skin of her face. I cupped her cheek and tried again, speaking louder and trying to force my mind up against the barrier protecting hers.
Rebekah, wake up. You and your Wolf have to wake up, just follow my voice.
It was strange, what I had no clue what else to say. For a split second, I thought I heard Rebekah’s heart rhythm increase before it returned to normal.
The energy was still rushing around underneath my skin, and an idea came tome. I concentrated on the feeling of power I had, taking a moment to wrap my mind
around my new abilities, before I imagined the current of energy flowing from my body into Rebekah’s. I thought about the sensation of the power draining from me into the places our skin connected, before sinking into her skin. For a moment,
nothing new happened, but then I felt a noticeable decrease in the heat rushing
through my body and the draining sensation became real. I sensed the energy
ebbing away from me and I knew it had to be going into Rebekah. Gathering all of my mental strength, I tried again, my Wolf’s voice joining mine.
Rebekah, wake up. Gabriel needs you.
In an instant, I felt a wave of fatigue crash over me as the energy was drawn from my body at an alarming rate. Sweat began to bead on my forehead and my head
was spinning with a rush of dizziness. I tried to keep our hands clasped, but I was growing weaker and weaker and my knees were beginning to shake. Every last bit of energy was being drained from my system.
Stop! My Wolf cried, just when I thought I was going to pass out. With a herculean effort I wrenched my hands away from Rebekah and opened my eyes. Staggering backwards, I fell against the nearest wall, panting. My whole body was trembling.
You only have limited energy. You overdid it, my Wolf chastised, her voice sounding weaker than normal. I took a shaky breath and eyed Rebekah. Was I imagining the color in her cheeks . . . ?
“Skylar.” Raziel’s voice cut into my thoughts and I spunto face him. The Angel
did not look happy,and his piercing blue eyes were blazing. It was intimidating, to say the least, but I was too tired to move. I wondered how long he’dbeen standing there.
“I was . . . trying . . . to help,” I panted quietly. I saw concern flicker in his orbs as he observed my feeble posture. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so devoid of strength.
“I told you, nothing can get through to her. Her Wolf is too deep in a coma.”
I closed my eyes as waves of disappointment crashed over me. I had really thought I was supposed to do this, that it would workout somehow. “I’m sorry, I should’ve listened to you,” I replied quietly. My regret left a bitter taste in my mouth and I
felt the hopelessness of the situation strike me once again.
Raziel shook his head. “I understand. It’s . . .” He trailed off, eyes flicking back to Rebekah’s prone form. I was confused for a few heartbeats before I heard it: her
breathing was normal again. Her heart rate, too. Slowly, I turned my head, noticing Raziel’s incredulous look from the corner of my eye. As my eyes fell upon the
beauty’s still face, I took a few steps forward. I stared intently at her closed
eyelids, her cheeks, which were much pinker than they had been. Raziel and I were holding our breath, waiting for something. I felt my hands clasping the side of the coffin as I hoped and prayed that Fate was on our side. That’s when it happened.
Rebekah’s eyes opened.
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#Tobecontinued…
_ _-Agboola-_ _