Blue Moon~ Blackwater Series 3

Chapter Sixteen

Kaliska

   Hearing the whispers, Kaliska cringed from the pain. Her hearing was strong, catching even the steps of a spider crawling near. There was no way to open her eyes. All she saw was memories. Hearing the arrows spray into the room, taking men and women out. Kaliska shivered uncontrollably. Wanting to wake from the nightmares, Kaliska pleaded with her eyelids to rise up.

   As a consequence, Kaliska's eyes burned as if gasoline been poured in them and lit on fire. Her hands went to her eyes, sanity evaporating. Without realizing her own actions, Kaliska tried ripping out her own eyes, hoping the pain would vanish.

   "No, Kaliska," a voice snarled in command. It was her mate. Hands pinned down to her sides in an effort to hold her in place.

   There was no ending the pain. Kaliska wanted to drown her eyes underwater until it ended. The thought of drowning made her recollect biting into the darklighter and gagging for air. She couldn't suck air in fast enough, as if her windpipe was narrowed down to the size of a infant. She could hear her lung collapse from overworking her body to breathe.

   Voices were in the background. This was her nightmare come true. Though her eyes felt as if being burned by wild flames, Kaliska could see a shadow of her past appear. Simeon's lifeless body laying down in the back of the diner. Tears flooded his eyes as he begged for his life. The human life she took. He blamed her in this nightmare. Kaliska heart was beating faster than even a werewolf on a chase. Somewhere in her conscious, Kaliska knew she needed to calm down.

   Canines pierced into her flesh. By scent alone she knew it was Zara. She was trying to link their minds to reach her. Kaliska's thoughts were too disoriented to find. Kaliska's mind spin as she feared she would stay here trapped.

*

Paulina

   It was not like Paulina to lose her control. Seeing Kaliska in such conditions, she felt like she was letting Lucian down. Paulina always saw Kaliska as independent and free to make her own choices. The last thing she wanted was to smother Kaliska with her inputs and hide her away. Kaliska had been forced into hiding much too long.

   It was embittering feeling so helpless. She'd been too benign to her enemies lately, not acting as a vampire with the right to slay her enemies. Paulina wasn't much for fighting, but she was strategic.

   Being a new sire, Paulina needed to step up and teach him what it meant to be a true vampire who could be respected and feared. Not the sort of fear that stopped others from speaking their mind. It was important to be fair. But the kind of fear that made others think carefully on how they treated another. She'd learned a lot from Lucian and lacked using it.

   Stepping outside for fresh air, Paulina thought of solutions. From what Maia spoke of that night, Cynthia was not the enemy. Paulina read much on Fae and knew their abilities. It been a full day and at this new night, Kaliska was not getting any better. She weakened with each breath. Paulina suspected, if not for her werewolf half, Kaliska would be dead now. She sneered, wanting to kill every last one of those darklighters.

   "Sire." His eyes hesitated to meet hers as she stood facing up to the moon. "I want to help." As young as he was, Simeon was strong. Paulina had refused permission for him to visit his family. They'd declared him missing as a runaway. She wanted him to gain control and if he wanted in the future to see them, he could. As for telling them the truth, Paulina was not sure of giving him that chance. Not yet. Eventually they would notice him never aging. Or that he could never come out in the daylight.

   Paulina looked to her progeny. He'd had his crush on Kaliska and was best friends to her brother. Of course he'd want to help. "I have trained you  to have control and use your abilities. But as of now, I will have Latham teach you how to protect yourself and the ones you love. That is how you can help."