🐺💣🔪 #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT 🔪💣🐺
🎴Happen 63
🍂🍂🍂 SEMI – FINAL 🍂🍂🍂
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
Theme: And The Heavens Are plea-sed
Sub Theme: Ascension
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I was only about ten feet from Rebekah, so I could hear everything she said, and the sound of her rattling breaths escaping her weakened b©dy. I felt like I was intruding, but my b©dy was much weaker than normal and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get up.
My eyes found Cain’s figure, slouched against the tunnel wall across from me, my b©dy mere feet away from his. I found the close distance to be repulsive. His head lolled to the side, the vampire’s skin even paler than normal. The hilt of a knife protruded from his che-st and one of the monster’s hands was loosely clasped around it as if he’d been trying to re-move the weapon. I would’ve thought he was dead, but Rebekah’s state told me otherwise. The bastard was incredibly ha-rd to kill. I felt my fangs sharpen slightly as I stared at the bloodsu-cker, loathing coursing throu-gh me. I could feel my Wolf’s hatred echoing my own.
Rebekah’s weak voice cut off my vindictive train of thought.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you,” she murmured quietly.
Gabriel was crouched next to her, a confusing jumble of emotions. He still felt a tenuous connection to his mother, but he had been so long without her that he wasn’t even sure how to feel. His grief was obvious, but it was different than the grief a normal wolf would feel when losing a parent. He had never really known her.
“I wouldn’t have let you,” Gabriel replied gruffly after a pause. I noticed that Raziel had stood up and walked a few feet away, staring out into the starry night sky.
“Exactly.” There was a pause as Rebekah took a shaky breath. “None of your pack knew. Just Raziel.”
Gabriel was silent, but I could feel the sadness and resignation. He knew what he had to do, or what he was supposed to do; I wasn’t sure if my Mate could bring himself to finish the job. Despite my loathing for Cain, I knew I wouldn’t have the strength to do it if it were up to me.
“I was the worst possible mother,” Rebekah said sadly, tone heavy with disgust that I knew was directed at herself. “I-“
“Don’t. You did what you had to do,” Gabriel cut her off shortly. I felt his confusion throu-gh our mind-link. He wanted to forgive her, but years of his father’s abuse made it ha-rd .
Now I felt even more like an intruder. I peeked at them out of the corner of my eye, not wanting to be caught full-on staring. Rebekah tilted her head up, her now-dull brown eyes meeting her son’s. “And now it’s your turn. Do what you must.”
Gabriel tensed and looked away, his jaw working. Raziel’s form had gone rigid from where he stood just outside the tunnel.
“You have to,” Rebekah urged. “You can’t let him live.” She sighed heavily. “You know that.”
“You’re that willing to die?” There was evident pain laced in Gabriel’s voice. “Just after you woke up?”
“At least I can finally do something for you.”
Gabriel growled with frustration, but I knew he was just putting off the inevitable. I bit myl-ip, willing the tears to stay away. Gabriel didn’t nee-d my grief coupled with his.
“Cain is like poison to this world. He nee-ded to be st©pped.”
“We could’ve found another way-“ Gabriel argued.
“You would have died following your plan. Skylar, too.” Rebekah’s voice seemed slightly stronger. I wondered if this meant Cain was recovering from his injuries. I idly wondered how they’d managed to bring him down in the first place.
Gabriel remained silent, knowing she was right. Rebekah sighed softly, raising one delicate hand and resting it on Gabriel’s face. I felt Gabriel’s internal reaction to the foreign contact, but he did not pu-ll away. Some distant p@rt of him relished the unfamiliar t©uçh. His Wolf, however, did not like being t©uçhed from someone other than his Mate. Not even his own mother.
“He will recover soon…Raziel’s blood was not enough to finish him.” Rebekah glanced at Cain, dislike briefly glimmering in her eyes. “He’s so much stronger than the normal vampire…you will have to do it. I don’t think anyone else can.” Her hand fell away from Gabriel’s face and rested in her l@p.
Just then, my ears pricked as I heard a faint commotion from outside, the sound of mas-sive wolves in the distance. They were still pretty far from our location but my keen hearing could pick up such sound from half a mile away. I scented the air, determining the group to be a mixture of our two packs. Raziel stood stiffly, like a s£ntry, while Gabriel turned to face the area outside the tunnel. Throu-gh our connection I s-en-sed that he was contacting the others, telling them to wait a moment before approaching us. As the noise of mas-sive paws trampling the earth slowed, Rebekah’s eyes found mine.
“Take care of him, Skylar,” she whispered, voice laden with affection. There was a warmth in her brown eyes despite the haze of pain, and I felt my own filling with tears. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to him.”
As I could do was nod, my vision blurring. I knew Rebekah would not want my pity, but I couldn’t help the stab of empathy I felt for her. She had just reunited with her family, and now she was leaving them.
“Gabriel, you have to finish him now,” she whispered.
Gabriel stared at her, some sort of mental un-derstanding pas-sing between them. I felt a wave of grief crash over my Mate that he tried to hold at bay, along with a bur-st of longing. He had never known what it was like to have an affectionate parent, not the way I had.
“I don’t want everyone to see this. Thank you for telling them to wait,” she continued. “But now you have to hurry. His strength is returning.” Gabriel took a de-ep breath, squaring his shoulders.
“You couldn’t have made me prouder,” Rebekah said, so quietly that I scarcely caught it, and I got the impression that I wasn’t meant to hear it. Gabriel swallowed ha-rd . His dark eyes held mine for a moment, and for once he was ma-king no attempt to hide the pain away from me.
I tried to maintain eye contract, to smooth my expression into one of encouragement. I knew he detected my grief over his mother’s fate but I didn’t want to make things worse for him.
Gabriel turned back to his mother, fixing his eyes on her. They were no doubt having a mental conversation. Their eyes remained locked as Gabriel rose to his full height and took a de-ep breath. Then, to my surprise, he began to Shift, fur erupting from his skin and his b©dy contorting as he transitioned into Wolf form. The sound of his bones cracking and molding into wolf shape resonated in the cavern. When he stood on four legs, he turned to face Cain, a low growl erupting from his throat. The beast’s eyes were focused on the vampire, who I realized was beginning to stir.
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
I was momentarily confused before my Wolf responded to my question before I could even ask it: He has to behead him. It’s the only way to make sure.
The thought made my stomach lurch but I knew she was right. Tearing Cain’s head off would be no easy feat; it wasn’t like killing a normal vampire. Every ounce of the bloodsu-cker’s makeup was stronger than any other vampire. I didn’t think any wolf besides Gabriel would have the brute strength necessary to finish the job.
l!pcurling into a fearsome snarl, Gabriel took a few steps forward until his mas-sive form was in the center of the tunnel, between Cain and I. The tunnel was wi-der here since it was near the exit, but there was still scarcely any room and I could have reached out and t©uçhed Gabriel had I wanted to; his thick tail was inches from my face.
Another growl to-re from Gabriel’s throat, his sharp claws digging into the ground as his shoulders hunched. He didn’t want to do it. There were so many more things that he wanted to say to Rebekah, but Cain was gro-an ing and shifting position. If the vampire pu-ll-ed the dagger out of his che-st there was no telling what would happen.
My peripheral vision caught Raziel, crouched next to Rebekah and whispering something to her that I couldn’t hear over Gabriel’s angry growls that were riddled with grief and regret.
Cain gro-an ed again.
A few heartbeats pas-sed, the tension building until I thought I couldn’t endure it any longer. Gabriel’s growls reverberated around the tunnel, and Rebekah was looking away, outside towards the night sky while Raziel clutched her hand. Gabriel’s mas-sive head turned and he surveyed her one last time, heart ha-rd ening with resolve.
Then, in a blur of motion, he lunged.
I couldn’t help it. I looked away.
Perhaps it was cowardly, refusing to observe the vanquishing of my greatest enemy, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t watch Cain or Rebekah die. I couldn’t watch the brutal killing that would take Gabriel’s mother from this world forever. I looked to the side, back into the darkness of the tunnel, and squee-zed my eyes shut.
Gabriel let out a short breath of exertion, which was followed a loud snapping sound. Cain’s cry of agony was cut off by a disgusting squelching noise that muffled Gabriel’s fearsome growl. The stench of blood slowly permeated the air. The blood was tainted, sickening, and I tasted bile in my throat. I dug my nails into the skin of my palms, pushing the gruesome images out of my head.
Something dropped to the ground and rolled, and I did not have to look to know that Cain had successfully been beheaded. I heard the vampire’s b©dy slide down the wall and flop onto the dirt. Some p@rt of me felt a bur-st of triumph, knowing that he was gone forever, but this feeling was short-lived.
Inevitably, I turned to face Rebekah. Gabriel’s mother had stilled completely. Her head was turned away from me so I could not see her face, but I didn’t have to in order to know she was dead. Her b©dy was just an empty shell now.
Which is why I was left in complete shock when her b©dy began to glow.
It was subtle at first, a glimmer un-derneath her pale skin, but as three pair of eyes focused on her still form, the light grew brighter. My breath caught in my throat. The ethereal glowing increa-sed in brightness and I blinked ra-pidly to adjust.
*
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
*
“What’s-“ Gabriel began, having abruptly Shifted back to human form, but Raziel cut him off with a j£rk of his hand. The Angel’s expression was one of complete captivation, mouth open in awe of what he was beholding. I got the impression he knew what was going on.
Rebekah glowed brighter and brighter, yet her b©dy remained still. The light emanating from un-derneath her skin was a whitish-gold, and I almost thought I was dreaming. I could think of no logical explanation for what was happening.
Once again, the glow increa-sed until it was practically blinding. I was f0rç£d to close my eyes against the overwhelming light streaming from her b©dy and obscuring her from our view. It was as if Rebekah were concealed behind a giant orb of brilliance. I could still see it imprinted against the blackness of my closed eyelids.
I half-opened one eye, determined to figure out what was happening. The glow was pulsating like it had a heartbeat. I felt the vibr@tions against my skin as the pulse radiated outwards…one, twice, three times.
The radiance increa-sed further and I was f0rç£d to turn away for fear of my sight being burned away. Somehow, despite the overwhelming situation, I was not afraid. I instinctively knew that the brightness was good. I felt the heat of Rebekah’s glow against my skin and the pulsing increa-sed in frequency.
Once, twice, three times, four times….I lost count of the number of pulses as they grew closer together, but the glow was growing h0tter and h0tter the fas-ter the pulses c@m£.
Just when I thought that the pulsing, glowing heartbeats were reaching a peak, everything abruptly st©pped. The light vanished, throwing us into darkness again that seemed more absolute than before.
I tentatively opened my eyes, blinking ra-pidly. Bright sp©ts hung in my vision and it took me several seconds to adjust. The world almost seemed…emptier now that the orb of brilliance was gone. Rebekah remained in the same position as before, yet something was undoubtedly different. Gabriel was standing stock-still, absolutely transfixed. Raziel had a look of wonder etched on his features.
“I don’t believe it,” The Angel breathed, breaking the shocked silence. “She Ascended.”
“….what?” Gabriel asked. I was equally befuddled.
“When Angels are punished by being s£nt to Earth, they can redeem themselves. It usually takes centuries, but when Heaven deems that they’ve made up for their wrongdoing, they Ascend. They return to Heaven.”
“You’re saying Rebekah…”
“Her soul just Ascended, returned to Heaven. I’ve never witnessed an Ascension before, and she’s not even a pure Angel.” Raziel’s eyes were alight with relief. My br@in was trying to wra-p around the subject of souls, and Heaven, without much success.
“Why would Heaven accept her if she’s half werewolf?” Gabriel asked cautiously, as confused as I was.
“She gave her life for a noble cause, and destroyed a being of pure evil. Heaven must have decided she earned her place, even though she’s only a half-blood.”
“So is she a full Angel now?” I cut in, curiosity getting the better of me. I wasn’t sure whether I should be grieving her death or rejoicing her “Ascension”.
“She must be. I’d never expected this….I was denied my chance to Ascend once I committed a sin on Earth and lost my wings. I thought Rebekah would be resigned to the same Fate, coupled with the fact that she’s not a pure Angel. But it seems like killing the oldest vampire is a worthy enough feat to be let in.”
Gabriel shook his head. “She’s still gone,” he said bitterly, and I echoed his s£ntiment.
“But she’s in the best place she can possibly be. It’s an honor. It’s better than I ever could have expected,” Raziel breathed. Leaning forward, he gently pushed some hair away from Rebekah’s pale face. I saw a look of sadness fli-cker across the Angel’s features but he quic-kly subdued it.
I knew I should be happy, since Raziel obviously thought it was the best thing that could have happened. But seeing Rebekah’s empty, glas-sy brown eyes was still de-eply unsettling. Even knowing her soul was in a better place could not ease the grief of losing her here. Gabriel’s thoughts were as confused and jumbled as my own. He stared at his mother’s lifeless b©dy, jaw clenched and hands curled ti-ghtly into fists. Raziel suddenly spoke up.
“She will want a funeral as a werewolf.”
Without another word, the Angel moved forward and lifted his daughter into his arms before Gabriel could move a muscle. Again, I saw the sadness cross his expression, and I knew he was still mourning her death despite her Ascension into heaven. He was putting on a very br@ve face, probably for Gabriel’s benefit.
I f0rç£d down my sadness and tried to struggle into a standing position. Gabriel c@m£ over to support me, wra-pping a muscular arm around my torso and lifting me to my feet. His t©uçh made goosebu-mps arise on my skin, and I felt like I was home again. I glanced up at him, examining the grim set to his perfect features. His countenance was rigid as he tried to adjust to the fact that his mother was gone almost as soon as she got here. My Mate’s eyes met mine and he didn’t nee-d any words to convey all of the emotions he was feeling.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, choked up with emotion and trying to hold the tears off. He shook his head slowly, then leaned forward,l-ips pressing a feather-light k!ssto my forehead. I felt my entire b©dy heat up and I pu-ll-ed Gabriel into a ti-ght hvg. It felt like forever ago that a hvg would have been a monumental step forward in our relationsh!p. Now, it was a necessity.
Gabriel crushed me against his che-st and I felt his heartbeat, strong and steady. “It’s what she wanted,” he finally whispered. I had no reply to that.
Gabriel began to lead me out of the tunnel, me leaning heavily on him for support. Raziel was outside holding Rebekah’s still form. He looked very drawn, but I knew there was no chance he was letting go of his daughter. Despite the Angel’s exhaustion, he clutched her ti-ghtly to his che-st. He had known her better than Gabriel had, so I supposed it was only right.
I averted my gaze yet again, feeling my throat constrict.
“Skylar…” Gabriel started once we were outside. He turned me to face him, large hands gripping my elbows to hold me in place. I stared up at him expectantly, memorizing every detail of his face as I drank him in. “I never should have left you.” His guilt resounded throu-gh our bond.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” I replied softly. “But I un-derstand why you did.” I was too tired even to be angry at this point…I was sure that would come later.
“I couldn’t have you trying to st©p me.” He spoke almost ironically.
“Well I tried anyways,” I replied. Gabriel’s eyes inadvertently glanced towards his mother.
He re-leased a heavy breath. “I’ll make it up to you. I know it must have been ha-rd …I ba-rely got throu-gh it.” I blinked, surprised he was admitting to his own weakness.
“It isn’t plea-sant waking up after your first night with your Mate, only to find he has abandoned you right after Marking you.” I couldn’t help a bit of res£ntment from leaking into my voice, leftover from that terrible morning.
“It had nothing to do with you, Skylar, you know that,” Gabriel replied heatedly, his normally impene-trable dark eyes burning into mine with fervor. I got the impression he’d been wanting to say this for a while. “ You were perfect,” he added mentally.
Gabriel’s eyes traveled down my b©dy leisurely and then back up to my face and I could feel the affection radiating throu-gh our bond.
I blu-shed and couldn’t reply. Standing next to a n-ked Gabriel while I myself was unclothed, referring back to the night where we completed the Mating Ritual, s£nt my thoughts very much astray. It just didn’t feel appropriate for this moment but my animal instincts couldn’t help it.
This whole situation felt surreal, having this conversation and knowing Cain wasn’t lur-k-ing right around the corner anymore. A sudden thought occurred to me and my eyes trailed down to Gabriel’s n£¢k. How could I not have noticed the significance of his red Mark before? It was still there, prominently displa-yed on his skin. Sure, it could just be taking a while to fade, but it was still encouraging.
“We don’t have to worry anymore, do we?” I asked timidly after a moment of silence. I heard commotion in the distance and realized Gabriel had called to the others. I felt a bur-st of anxiety to make sure everyone was okay. I knew my parents were fine, because I still felt the dormant mental link to them, but I prayed Maria and Will were safe, too….
Gabriel glanced at Raziel, who stood as still as a statue, cradling his daughter. At least he knew her Fate was a good one…but that couldn’t make it much easier. Gabriel’s gaze then traveled to the tunnel where, just beyond the fringe of darkness, Cain’s corpse lay. I did not follow his gaze to see the bloodsu-cker’s mutilated b©dy. I did not nee-d to double-check to know he was dead…I could feel it in the open air, in the complete abs£nce of evil. His coven must be gone, too. We had done the world a great favor.
Well, more specifically, Rebekah had done the world a great favor. Cain and his minions were gone….forever.
Echoing my s£ntiments, Gabriel nodded his head once, firmly.
“It’s over.”
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#Tobecontinued…..