Chapter Fourteen (Noah)
I felt a sliver of ice shoot through me as Luka slumped to his knees, covering his mouth and staring at the snow.
I didn't know what to say. All I knew was watching him sit there and let it sink in was killing him. I could see the pain etched into his face as he struggled to find words, but just kept opening and closing his mouth before covering it again. I did the only thing I could do and walked over, falling to my knees in front of him, putting my arms around him tightly.
"No, Luka. You didn't kill me." I whispered gently, squeezing him tightly against my chest. Luka still didn't seem to comprehend it as he stared at the snow over my shoulder, his whole body shaking.
"I killed you," He managed, "And I have no excuse for that... I just stood there and watched. I just--"
"Genghis Khan killed me," I corrected, stroking my hand up and down his back to calm him down as I felt his heart hammering against my chest, "Not you, Ruruka. You were hurt. And don't think I didn't see you crying before I died. I know you didn't want to watch."
"But I could've done something," Luka stuttered, pulling away from me, his hands on my chest as he stared at me, his eyes red-rimmed, but the tears not falling, "I can't die anymore. I'm a lich. We live for eternity. I should have--"
"Luka. Ruruka, stop," I ordered, taking Luka's hands in my face as his eyes flashed in momentary alarm before he grimaced, "You couldn't have done anything. But there's a reason the past is the past. This was almost a thousand years ago, maybe more. You've become a powerful sorcerer, just like you said you would. I've been reincarnated." Luka studied my face, grimacing as he reached out, timidly touching my hands before quickly backing away from me, scrambling through the snow and onto his feet.
"I can't do this." He managed, but he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, which only made me frown.
"Ruruka--"
"Please stop calling me that!"
"No," I barked, making Luka blink and whirl around to stare at me, "You are my Ruruka. That is what I have and always will call you. No one else can call you Ruruka. Whoever possessed me, I will find them and I will kill them. They used your name. They used my body. Whoever possessed me saw what belonged to me and only me, then destroyed it in front of me while I was helpless to do nothing. That will not happen again. I swear to you, Ruruka, I will find the person who did this to us and I will kill them. When I do, we can start over again. We can be together for the rest of eternity."
Luka stared at me for the longest time, then cringed and looked away. He didn't say anything and he didn't need to. I came forward, brushing past him as I headed back to the house. His crunching footsteps followed close behind me as we approached the towering plantation house.
I paused at the bottom of the steps and so did Luka, who glanced at me for a split second, then looked away.
"I promise." I repeated, making him look up at me. I took his face in my hands and pulled him towards me, my lips melting against his. Luka's eyes widened for a moment and I felt his hands on my chest, but I also saw the struggle in the depths of his blue-green eyes. He didn't know whether to kiss me back or not and that was fine by me. He had always been a little hesitant.
I reached up, cupping his warm cheeks in my hands, parting my lips against his and letting my tongue sink into his mouth. I tasted every corner of his mouth, savoring it as I had no idea when the next time we would kiss. Wet slurping sounds mingled with Luka's panting hot breathes and my growls of lust as I backed Luka up into the banister of the stairs.
He leaned against it, one of his legs sliding up against my leg as his tongue slid against my teeth before he nipped at my lip a little. I smirked and pulled at his lip in return before capturing his tongue, sucking on it and making him moan.
I finally pulled back to look down at Luka's face as he panted, peering up at me past pretty golden hair. His expression was unreadable, but I had a feeling there wasn't anything negative there and I almost heaved a sigh of relief.
I withdrew for a moment, but Luka put his hands over mine, squeezing his eyes shut. His breath came out in warm clouds, curling up against my face before he peered up at me.
"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet and almost mangled. I felt like the weight of world had been lifted from my shoulders as Luka cupped his hands over mine, sucking in a shuddering breath. I leaned in, kissing him on the forehead before kissing the tip of his nose, smiling warmly.
"It's okay, Ruruka... I forgive you and I can only hope you'll forgive me when I drop the body of our enemy at your feet, like I did all those times we sailed across the continent, destroying our enemies like wild fire." I whispered.
"I can't tell if that's romantic or barbaric." Luka managed with a weak laugh. I laughed in relief and put my arms around him tightly, holding him against me tightly. I cradled his head in my hand, my fingers sliding through his soft hair. My whole body ached for him and I could tell he felt the same, but we had more important things to attend to and one of them still stood between us.
Once we found out who had ruined our lives, the gap between us would close.
For eternity.
And I would have Luka all to my self again.
I led Luka up the steps when I noticed him favoring his injured leg before we came inside, closing the door and relishing at the cozy warmth inside. I helped Luka up the stairs and to his bedroom again where he sat in wait for his dinner as I went downstairs to fetch it.
I watched Trisha fix up dinner for everyone else, sweating and breathing hard as she worked to accomedate everyone. Part of me thought she deserved it for tossing so much onto Luka, but another part of me knew Luka had insisted and made me wonder if he even knew they were punishing her. As soon as she left, I came forward with a tray, placing it on the table as I fetched a bowl and silverware.
It was when I reached into the pot of steaming stew that a strange sensation hit me.
My eyes flickered as everything seemed to blur before me. I dropped the ladle into the pot and stepped back, my hand opening on the bowl so it fell to the wooden floor and shattered into a thousand delicate China fragments. My world tilted to the side, causing me to stumble and fall to the floor on my knees. I gripped the table side, blinking several times as everything focused.
Something about the sensation was familiar. My eyes widened as I struggled to my feet, trying to get to the dining room to ask for Gavin and Remi, but my legs wouldn't move.
What the hell's going on?! No!
My body trembled as I tried to force myself to move, but nothing would work on its own. My body sat there on its knees, hands gripping the table, shaking.
Panic started to rise in my chest as I tried to will myself to move, but it was futile. Nothing was working and the only thing I could do was sit inside and watch as my eyes blinked on their own a few times, clearing the blurriness before my body rose to its feet. I writhed, trying to get my body to do something, anything. Even a finger twitch!
But it wouldn't move and hysteria began to rise in my chest as my head cocked back and forth, cracking my neck before rolling my shoulders around, giving a heavy, wistful sigh. My head tilted back to look up at the ceiling, my lips quirking up in the corner.
"You were so close," My mouth spoke with a short laugh, "I would have thought you'd stay dead after what happened with how cruelly you lived your life. Maybe even turn into a filthy Shadow, but you reincarnated... Not only that, but you found Luka again. Good job, I commend you on being persistent, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough."
I couldn't even tell who had possessed me. My voice came out of my mouth, not the other person's.
Who are you?! Why do you want to kill Luka so badly?!
I got no response as I watched the kitchen door fly open, Gavin stepping in to stare at the busted bowl on the floor before looking up to frown at me.
"What are you doing in here?" He asked curiously, closing the door slowly behind him. My lips smiled apologetically as I knelt down to start picking up the tiny shattered remains.
"Sorry," My mouth apologized with false sincerity, "I was getting dinner for Luka. The bowl just slipped out of my hands... Also, did you find out who possessed me back then? Any ideas at all?" Gavin frowned, folding his arms over his chest, leaning on the table. The faintest thought in the back of my head purred with interest at the way Gavin looked so laidback and attractive.
Ugh! No! He's a vampire!
"Not yet. Remi's got a couple ideas, but we're not sure yet. What about your progress with Luka? Anything there?" He asked me, reaching up to press a finger against one of his fangs. My body rose to its feet with the collected pieces of glass as I brushed past Gavin to the waste basket.
"A bit," My mouth admitted, a weak smile crossing my lips, "I told him that someone had done something to me then and now he's upset because he feels guilty for letting me die." Gavin sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Of course he does. Because nothing can ever be simple," He responded dryly, then pushed off the table and glanced at me, "Keep working on him, Noah. In the mean time, give Remi and I a chance to keep digging. We'll find something eventually. You need to try and remember, think of all the people that would want to hurt you and Luka." With that, Gavin was walking away while I writhed and screamed inside a body that was no longer my own.
My lips quirked into a smirk before my body went to work, making Luka his meal. I watched closely as my hands moved quickly to put together Luka's dinner. I couldn't trust this person at any time. They could poison him and Luka would never know because he thought it was me.
Oh God...
No.
If this person tried to kill Luka, they would fail. Luka was a lich. They couldn't die. They were just souls attached to spiffed up corpses. And once that happened, Luka would think I was lying and attack me, just like he did all those years ago.
Exactly. A voice from nowhere echoed around me. I writhed, clawing at the inside of my body to escape, making my eyes wince.
Let me out! Stop doing this! If you get me killed, I'll only come back over and over again until Luka accepts me!
"And each time, you will fail. Luka won't trust you anymore after this." My lips promised sweetly, picking up the perfect silver tray with the meal on it. I screamed in frustration, but that was all I could manage as my legs moved on their own, carrying us up to Luka's room. I pushed the door open and peered inside to see Luka asleep, rolled onto his side with his cheek against his pillow.
My body walked over to the nightstand, placing the meal down before standing over Luka. I could feel my soul pulsating as my body leaned over, my hand stretching out to stroke Luka's cheek. Soft and pink with color, his lips slightly parted and golden blonde hair brushed over his forehead and eyes.
"It's been so long," My voice murmured, making me grimace, "He was supposed to have died..." I writhed, trying to take control, but once again, I failed. I watched Luka's eyes flicker open sleepily, glancing up at me before he yawned.
"What're you doing?" He asked, slowly sitting up as my body backed away. A smile curved my lips as my hands picked the tray back up, holding it out to him.
"I've brought your dinner. You shouldn't sleep in that. You'll catch a cold. Maybe you should take a hot bath." My voice offered. Luka nodded slowly, accepting the tray and placing it on his lap as he began to pick at the soup.
"I hope you know," He began calmly, taking a sip of soup, "That once Gavin and Kasper leave, I have to go with them. It's my duty to serve them for all eternity." Normally, I would've nodded, then offered to come with, but whoever had taken over my body wasn't as pleased.
I felt the heat of the anger boil my soul, making me gasp inside, wiggling uncomfortably. It spread throughout my body, making my blood bubble and heart rate pick up. Whoever it was, didn't like the idea that Luka planned to leave. However, my lips smiled anyway.
"Of course... But, you can't go back alone," My voice pointed out gently, making Luka frown and look up, "Let me come with you." Luka blushed and looked away before shaking his head.
"I can't do that. I can't--"
"I thought we went over this," My voice murmured, my body kneeling down beside the bed so I was looking up at Luka, who stared at me, "We're mates, Luka. We've always been mates. It'll take me a while to make it up to you and I don't care. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you... Please, Ruruka." Luka stared at me, then held his breath as my body leaned in.
My body still felt like it was on fire and on the inside, my soul was writhing.
No! Luka's mine!
Even so, it didn't change the kiss this person planted on Luka's lips. I did feel a little flicker of hope, though, as I watched Luka's eyes glow with something unfamiliar. He looked away, dipping his spoon into his bowl, bringing it to his lips daintily.
"Maybe." Was his response. A sigh of relief escaped past my lips, but an agonized scream ripped through my soul as my hand reached out, stroking Luka's hair. He bit his lip for a moment, then continued eating as my body sat there and the person controlling me spoke to Luka about my whole life since I had come to Moonstone.
It was someone who knew from the very beginning. Someone who had been watching me this entire time. But who? I didn't know any of these people until I moved here. I was sure I'd recognize a face or name.
I didn't have time to screw around. I had to think.
Think, Noah! Think!
Who would want to hurt Luka? Who obviously disliked me enough to use me as a puppet? Several names came to mind, but I had to throw them aside.
Luka's parents were out of the equation. They were dead and Luka had watched them die. He'd know if there was a chance that they had escaped.
Kira was also out. How could she hurt Luka after taking care of him this whole time?
What about the servant boy that was framed with Luka that day I sentenced him? No, he was too scared for his life. Scared enough to flee the night we imprisoned Luka.
My soul was pulsing as I tried to think hard, watching as my body rose to its feet when Luka turned in for the night. My lips brushed his forehead as he settled down to sleep. He gave me a strange look before rolling over away from me, curling up under his blankets. My lips curled into a wicked smirk before vanishing instantly. My body turned and left Luka to his sleep, retreating to my own room.
Someone who knew where my room was instantly.
Someone who knew the house.
I screamed in frustration as the door closed behind my body. A laugh escaped past my lips.
"Calm down, Naosia. Or should I say, Noah. You're going to give me a headache... And don't worry, I gave him a goodbye kiss for you and I'll do the same tomorrow morning when I invite Luka out for a stroll. But we won't make it that far. I'll turn and kiss him and plunge a knife into his chest. As soon as he realizes that you lied to him, you will cease to exist in this life." My voice recited to me boldly, making my soul quiver.
Stop! Please, stop this! Luka's done nothing to you!
"Oh, punishing Luka is just the downside to this," My voice assured me, my body walking over to the bathroom and taking my clothes off, "My main goal is to get you out of his life. You foul little cockroach. I had only intended to use you... And Luka. And damn him for ruining everything." I frowned as my body stood in front of the full length mirror, completely naked.
My voice hummed pleasantly, my hands trailing along my chest and resting on my strong hip bones, before a little laugh escaped my lips.
"Mmm, but the Fates have wonderful taste. Giving you to Luka. I can see why he'd desperate to have sex with you. Such a nice, muscular body. So manly. Far manlier than the body you had before this. I suppose that's the perk of being a werewolf." My voice mused. My soul swirled, confused as I tried to think of anyone who would say that, but nothing came to mind.
What... did you mean when you said Luka ruined everything?
"Ha," My voice laughed and my hand clapped onto my ass, making me scowl, as my hand rubbed slow circles, "Of course you'd wanna know. You, Luka's vampire prick, and your mangy mutt friend are all trying to figure out who I am. If you paid enough attention, you'd already know."
I don't understand! If you're going to kill me, why not just tell me?! I won't remember if I'm reincarnated again anyway, and that's if the Goddess does it!
"Oh, you're no fun," My voice complained childishly, my hands trailing up to my pecs where my fingers pinched playfully at my nipples, making my soul burn in irritation, "I've worked very hard so as not to let Luka know who I am. If he found out, he'd simply be devastated to know that the woman who raised him had killed him once and plans to do it again."
My soul became icy cold and still inside my body as my voice laughed, my head tilting back and my hands dropping to my hips.
No.
Not her...
Goddess, please not her...
Kira.