Chapter 1: Scarlet - Dead?
Darkness. Was I dead? It was not possible to still be alive. The surrender of my body meant it belonged to another. My birth mother, Deanna. For centuries we struggled for control. She wanted to consume me but I wanted to stay in the light. Back and forth we fought for dominance. She would have won if it wasn't for the Alpha, Kyleon. The man I fell in love with. The same one, I gave up my life for.
My eyelids fluttered open.
The dim squeaking light swinging in the ceiling of the room caught my attention. Sparking silver bars surrounded me, separating me from the rest of the small room. I was in a cell. No, it was a magical cage. The room held no windows and one wooden door.
Where was I?
I tried to move but my body was numb. Heavy. The cold ground was comforting. That was for sure.
My eyes wandered over my naked body. Should I be nude? Ghost always had on clothes. This could be the registration area for the afterlife. Being nude would help the enforcers to check up on the souls passing through this plane. But, I was dead. How would I be able to bring anything with me? Then again, the clerk could provide clothes and that was the reason why ghosts had them.
Made much more sense.
I tried to move again. This time a little tingling zapped through my body. It felt less and less heavy and more like limbs.
If I was at the crossroads in the afterlife, it was best to get a move on things. Due to my recent activities in the land of the living, my soul was doomed. My life entailed killing innocent people and damaging relationships. The shuttle to hell had a cozy seat with my name on it.
A slight movement from the cell adjoining to mine pricked my interest. Someone was here with me. This changed things. It made them better. At least, I had someone to travel with. Others should be here too. Or maybe this room would be filled with ghosts not before long.
The person was still knocked out. I couldn't make out anything other than shimmering gold hair. It would be nice if the person was a woman. It would make communication easier. Though I preferred my kind, other species would be okay too.
I continued to flex my muscles until they became loose and moving became free. My eyes assessed the cage. Magical cages hindered any supernatural creature from using its power. To find one here was understandable. There were a lot of powerful beasts out there. Some died during battles. Those were the worst. Not to mention those who experienced unexpected deaths. They would be enraged at the realization of being at the crossroads of the afterlife. The magic around the cage would keep them from taking out their rage here. It would keep them in line.
The edges of my lips tilted at the excellent minds of the Gods.
A groan from the neighboring cell got me to my feet. If this person was not ready for death, they may become scared upon consciousness.
I wobbled closer to the bars.
Once the person realized he or she wasn't alone, their faith would be easier to accept. It would give the enforcers of the crossroads less work in containing them.
I paused at the partition bars, separating the two cells. I hoped this person wouldn't be embarrassed or shy at our nudity. Then again, this person shouldn't be too blunt either. I couldn't handle a pervert. Not now. Not after a shitty life. Death should be calmer. It was my resting time.
"Fuck!" The person scrubbed a hand over his face.
The deep voice washed over my body.
Damn, a male! Even in death, bad luck seemed to find me.
I stretched, trying to get a glimpse of him in the darkened room. The bars held enough magic to harm the strongest of beasts. It wouldn't be healthy to touch them.
The man rolled on his back with his eyes closed.
The muscles in my forehead tightened.
This man moved without effort while I had struggled to do the same thing. The magical barrier of the cage entangled itself with the atmosphere in the room, making it difficult to move around. Once our limbs got used to it, movement became easier. But it seemed the magic didn't affect him at all.
Oh, those bastards! If his side didn't have as much magic like mine, I was going to hurt someone before my ride to hell came.
My train of thought stopped when the man sat up. I squinted my eyes to make out his appearance.
Golden hair fell in his face. Strong, lean fingers combed in back, revealing the most mesmerizing orbs ever. Well, at least, second most. Nothing could top Kyleon's silver ones. Anyway, this guy had gold and lavender rings rotating in his iris. They shone like stars in the dark sky. Still, his full identity was hidden by the darkness.
I half hated the darn bulb in the ceiling.
Couldn't they have installed a good sturdy one? This was the afterlife, for crying out loud. Better yet, a lot of magical creatures passed through here. They could have used their magic for light. I was sure one or two would have helped with such a trivial situation. The facility should be at top-notch. Unless their aim was to scare the poor folks who died.
Those bastards!
Ugh! It shouldn't even matter. I shouldn't even care how my neighbor looked. He was a male. His voice alone explained he was trouble. I had experienced a lot of trouble in my time in the land of the living. My afterlife experience should be different. Trouble was a thing of the past.
My eyes widened when the male stood. He towered over me. It was not hard to tell he was six feet something. The same height as Kyleon. This guy's muscular physique became prominent even in the dark. He paid me no attention but stepped to the front of the cell.
"Hey?" he called out to the closed wooden door at the other end of the room. "Is anyone there? I demand to speak with Lucifer."
His words echoed around the room with no response. This was strange. Someone should have been here to guide our souls to the correct destination. However, the place was empty. Something had to be wrong.
The man reached out to grab the bars but I called out to him. "You shouldn't touch that. Its radiation is too powerful for your soul. It will knock you out."
Yellow and lavender eyes flashed to me. I involuntarily took a step back. It was a possibility he, too, could not make out my appearance in the dim room. I didn't even take that into consideration.
Unbelievable! One would think this was my first interaction with a male.
I shook off the foreign feeling. "Touching the bars might damage your soul. A damaged soul can not move on."
The unshaded corner of his mouth tilted. "Is that so?"
I swallowed at the dangerous way he teased me.
There was no telling what community he belonged to. It couldn't be the magical community or else he would have sensed or know about the spell in the atmosphere.
"Yes," I choked out.
He glanced at the bulb in the ceiling. "Your voice sounds familiar. Do I know you?"
The question took me aback. His voice was new to me. I would remember anyone with such eyes. And that hair. Nope, we didn't know each other.
I shook my head. "You must be mistaking me for someone else. We don't—"
Within a blink of an eye, the man was in front of me. How he got from where he was to here was a mystery. He couldn't have been that fast. The barrier was up. He grabbed on the bars on the partition and pressed his forehead to the space in-between the bars.
My breath hitched and my heart stopped.
It couldn't be! Kyleon? No, it couldn't be. Kyleon had silver hair, not gold.
The man pushed away from the barrier with an evil laugh. "Scarlet fucking Jones. This must be my lucky day. How nice of Lucifer to hand you over on a platter."
I gapped.
My feet moved backward. One step. Two.
"I can't tell you how many times I've daydreamed of killing you," he cracked the tension in his neck. For some reason, it sounded louder than it should. "You're already dead, so this is going to be fun. I wonder how you'll sound screaming from pain."
He grabbed on the bar, ripping a scream from my throat. I, Scarlet Jones, one of the most powerful siphoner-vampire in the world, was scared of this… this… Kyleon look-a-like.
How could he even hold the bars? They should have drained him. Sweat beaded my forehead at the sound of bones cracking. A deep growl sent my courage into hiding. The yellow and lavender in his eyes rotated faster. An additional silver ring joined the other two colors.
"Who… who… are you?" My lips trembled.
"Your worst nightmare," he barked.
Fingers transformed into claws. Furs, oh, God, there were furs. It ran up his body and hands. Those teeth. He was a… a…
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone