“I need the crystal,” Ariana said to me after she had finished setting up her altar.
Saul walked to the basket where they kept all of the supplies. He picked up the crystal, wrapped in a black velvet cloth, and held it lovingly in his hands. He unwrapped it as he joined us and placed it gently inside of the cauldron.
“And now the blood,” Ariana said, and held up her ceremonial knife.
I offered my wrist eagerly. She could take any amount of blood she needed if it meant getting Lysander back.
Ariana sliced quickly and cleanly, and held my wrist over the cauldron allowing the blood to flow into it until my wound healed over itself. Nicholas went second and again Ariana repeated the process, holding his wrist over the cauldron until it healed.
Ariana sprinkled various herbs into the cauldron, then lit a match and tossed it inside. A small explosion shook the stone, but it remained upright. Smoke began to billow out from the cauldron. It sank down into the coffin and surrounded Lysander’s body.
I watched eagerly as she took the bowl that she had previously filled with her own blood, picked it up, and poured its contents inside the open Pandora’s Box. Then Ariana began to chant. She spoke in foreign words I couldn’t understand.
Smoke from the incense surrounded us like a thick blanket, choking out all the fresh air in the room. My head began to swim from the noxious fumes.
She lit another match and started the two sage sticks on fire. Once their smoke began to rise, she waved the flames out and handed one each to Nicholas and me. “Hold these on either end of the coffin. This should help us ward off the evil.”
I did as instructed and moved to Lysander’s head while Nicholas took a spot at the foot of the coffin.
Ariana returned to her chanting.
The overhead lights flickered and went out, leaving only the candles to illuminate the room. The gentle twinkling of each flame only added to the dreamy and drug-induced feeling that was taking over.
“Come back to me, Lysander,” I mumbled to myself.
Ariana’s chanting grew louder and louder, echoing around the room. As she spoke, the air became electrified. My heart sped with anticipation. The crystal began to glow. It took on a hazy white halo. The deep red color inside lightened to an orangey-amber. Within the crystal it looked like liquid was swirling into a mini tornado.
She picked up the crystal, held it overhead and shouted, “Arise and reclaim your body.” Then smashed the crystal onto the floor.
I couldn’t stop the screech that erupted from my throat. As the crystal broke into tiny pieces, glowing tentacles sprouted up from the floor: one blood red and the other a silvery white. I didn’t know which one was which. They both stood up from the ground and swayed like snakes between the coffin and the box.
Ariana jumped back out of their reach. Her hand reached up and held fast to the goddess pendant at her neck.
I did the only thing I could think of and called out, “Here. Lysander. Come back to me.” I waved the smoking sage stick in the air like a signal.
Both glowing tentacles responded to my call and slithered toward me.
“Which one is which?” I yelled.
“I don’t know.” Ariana responded. She looked down to her book and flipped a few pages. She picked up the knife again and pricked her finger. A small bead of blood pooled to the surface. She touched Lysander’s forehead with it and then moved to the box and stuck her finger in to the bloody ash mixture there. “Return from whence your spirit came,” she commanded.
Both the blood red and the silvery white tentacles responded. They twisted around each other as if fighting over which direction to go. The red stretched out long and headed for the bloody fingerprint on Lysander’s forehead. Then the silvery-white one curled around and yanked it back.
Though I could not know for sure, I assumed that the red one was Aniketos. I whipped the smoking stick of sage at the red tentacle, and it jerked backwards.
Still struggling, the two tentacles performed a deadly dance, swerving, curling, and moving around and in between the body and the box.
Ariana franticly ripped through the book, looking for something that might help. “Alyssa, come here,” she yelled.
I set the stage stick down and edged around, carefully avoiding the two tentacles, to Ariana.
“You have the closest connection with Lysander. Take this knife, coat it in your blood, and then plunge it into his chest,” she said.
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “But that might make things worse.”
“I’m going to try to call his spirit with your blood, but I think it needs to be inside him to work.”
“You think? You
think
? What if you’re wrong?” I asked.
“We don’t have time for overreacting. Just do it!” She commanded.
I really didn’t like that plan, but I had no choice. I took the knife, closed my fist around it, and yanked sharply, slicing my palm. Blood flooded my skin. I coated the blade as I walked back around to Lysander’s head.
“I really hope this works.” I said, as I held the knife up high and plunged it into his chest.
“Blood to blood, I summon thee, Lysander. Return to your body.” Ariana chanted this over and over.
The two tentacles began to break apart. The red one pulled away and headed for Lysander while the silvery-white trailed behind.
I watched in horror as the red one touched the hilt of the knife and slowly slithered inside Lysander’s body. The silvery-white one, having nowhere else to go, shot out at Ariana. Her necklace glowed for a moment and reflected the attack, sending the silvery-white one away into the box.
Nicholas jumped into action as soon as he saw the tentacle hit the box. He lunged and closed it.
The room fell silent.
Lysander’s body remained motionless. The glow of the tentacle had gone, having sank deep into his chest. I approached cautiously. There was the faintest trace of a heartbeat. I wrapped my hand around the dagger and pulled it out. Still, Lysander made no move, no sound.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“If he’s in there, he needs blood.”
“Right.” I sliced my wrist open with the knife and held it over Lysander’s mouth. Part of me wanted him to move, to do something, but the other part of me worried that Lysander might not be there in his body.
My blood pooled into his mouth for a short while before he finally responded and swallowed. And as soon as he did, his eyes fluttered open.
“Lysander?”
I waited for his response. The rest of the people in the room closed in and watched silently.
His eyes darted around, landing on each person’s face surrounding him; then they settled on me.
“Alyssa?” he rasped.
“Yes, baby it’s me!” Tears welled in my eyes.
“I thought I’d never see your face again, my love.” His voice was a dry purr, but it was music to my ears.
“It’s you. It
is
you. Oh, Lysander.” I reached into the coffin and pulled him up into a tight hug.
“What about Aniketos?” he asked.
Nicholas held up the box. “We got him this time.”
I pulled back and saw the three humans, Fallon, Ariana, and Saul, suddenly stand at attention, their eyes locked on the box.
“Let’s get rid of that thing.” Santino said. “I’ll take it out to the wolves.”
“You three, stay here,” Drew said. He and Crystal grabbed hold of Saul and Fallon. Nicholas handed the box to Santino and took hold of Ariana.
With the box taken care of, I turned to Lysander again and hugged him close. “Thank you for coming back to me.”
“It is you all whom I should be giving thanks to. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on.”
“Most of the credit goes to Alyssa. That girl never gives up. She’s got a never-say-die spirit,” Nicholas said. “It’s annoying, really.”
I shot him a sideways glance. He always had to find a way to poke fun at me. “I can’t take all the credit. It took us all working together to make this happen,” I said. “And don’t let Mr. Tough Guy over here fool you. He was just as adamant about getting you back as I was.”
“I’m glad to have my brother back,” Nicholas said.
Lysander smiled at both of us. “You all deserve thanks.”
I gazed down into his blue-gray eyes, thankful to be able to look into them again. Already I could see the life returning to his face. His waxy skin had begun to soften and the hair was already beginning to regrow on top of his head. Lysander was looking better, but he still had a long way to go before he was back to his old self. And I planned on being right there at his side, nursing him back to health.
“You drink up now. Once we get you all better, we have some Acta Sanctorum butt to kick.”
“All in good time,” Nicholas said. “Patience. Let the old man rest.”
Lysander chuckled. “Haven’t you learned by now? Alyssa has no patience.”
We all shared a laugh.
“I’ll pretend to have some while we’re getting you healthy again.”
“Then I’ll just have to take my time healing.” He flashed me the crooked grin that had always warmed my heart.
At that moment, I couldn’t have been happier. I had my Lysander back, the Acta Sanctorum was on the run, and my friends were all together and safe. At least for now, life was good. And I planned to enjoy every second of it.
About the Author
Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.
And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
Find Katie Salidas online at:
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Other Books by Katie Salidas
Karma & Melodies
Kendra used to spend her days organizing events for Café Enigma while daydreaming about Marcus, the sexy lead singer of Normal Paradox. But all those dreams of becoming Mrs. Rock Star died, along with her mortality, the moment Hector entered her life and turned her into a vampire.
Ten torturous years later, Kendra finally escapes Hector and runs straight into Marcus. (Well, actually, he hit her with his car, but that's beside the point.) The accident leaves Marcus concussed and a few pints too low, forcing Kendra to share her blood to save him.
Sharing her blood doesn’t just heal Marcus’s wounds; it bonds him to Kendra in a magical “can’t live without you” sort of way. Now he’s professing his undying love to her, and Kendra’s not sure if he’s for real or just experiencing the side effects of their new blood bond. Either way, the two of them can’t be separated without suffering suicidal levels of depression, and the band needs to hit the road for the rest of their cross-country tour.
Kendra’s content to travel with the band and explore her new-found relationship, until whispered threats from her master, Hector, start invading her dreams. He’s tracking her down, and she can feel it. She knows the horrors he’s capable of, and if he finds out about Marcus, Hector will do everything in his power to destroy him.
If she stays, Marcus is doomed to Hector’s wrath. If she goes, the repercussions of their bond might kill Marcus. Both options will break Kendra’s heart. If they’re truly meant for each other, they’ll have to find another way....
Sample Chapter
It’s time to come home, darlin’, a voice whispered in Kendra’s mind. She woke from a sound sleep and shot up in bed. Her heart pounded in her ears as she scanned the room, looking for any signs of her old master.
Light crept in from the edges of the curtained windows. Kendra breathed a sigh of relief seeing it. It was daytime, and Hector would be sleeping just as she had been. “It’s just a dream,” she reasoned, and tried to lie back down to sleep.
But sleep wouldn’t come. Between thoughts of Hector and Marcus, her mind was abuzz with activity.
Hours passed in semi-silence. Kendra watched small particles of dust dance in the shafts of light streaming in through the edges of the curtains. Midday light was powerful, more intense; harsher and brighter. She endured the small tingling sting at her skin as she waved her hand in the stream of light.
“What are you doing?” Marcus’s voice startled her.
She turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, with his arms crossed and his head cocked to the side. His tee-shirt clung to his body like a second skin, outlining his pecs and six-pack abs.
“Just passing time.” Kendra sighed serenely, enjoying the view. She couldn’t believe, after all this time, she was here with him. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Aren’t vamps supposed to—”
“What?” she asked with a playful smirk. “Sleep in coffins?”
“Well, maybe just sleep.” Marcus laughed.
“I don’t need as much rest as you think.”
“What are you doing in the light?”
“I like to feel the warmth sometimes.” She passed her hand through the shaft of light again and giggled. “It kind of tingles.”
“So the no sunlight thing is true?”