Thirty

DAVID

Witches were not true immortals so they followed the cycle of life. There was a time to be born, a period of growth, and the climactic finale, death. I was very content with the life I was given. I had chosen to make the most out of it. I did not mind that the first man I loved would have to see me die. It did not bother me but my free-spirited nature disturbed Candice greatly. She could not comprehend why I would want to lose everything just before I had it. So my elder sister was inclined to make sure I made no reckless decision like outgrow her and her way of going about it was murdering my boyfriend and feeding me his heart against my will.

“What was his name again?” Candice asked, breaking the silence.

“Kayden.” I humored her.

“Kayden,” Candice repeated, enjoying the involuntary response my body gave hearing her utter his name. “He was such a white knight and you liked him very much. Honestly, I did not want to kill him but…”

“But you did it anyway.” I retorted sharply. “ Because it is what you do Candice. You just do not know when to stop. Even when you killed him, I did not have a problem with it but you chose to drag me into your mess. You let me feed on his flesh. It has been twenty-eight years Candice and I still have nightmares.”

Candice brushed a generous portion of her hair behind her right ear and sent me a frown, like what I said had truly hurt her. “You know he was going to turn you, right?”

“He wouldn't. Unlike you Candice, Kade actually cared about me without a bigger game in the picture. He would not have turned me without my consent.”

“He was a vampire, do I need to remind you how fierce and possessive they can become of the things and the people they cherish, did you for a second believe that Kade would sit and watch you rot away when with a snap of his finger, he could make you stay by his side till the end of time?”

I hated to admit it, but for a second, I considered what she said. Kayden had been very persistent about turning me but the topic died off the second I rejected his offer. I let the purpose I was in this girl’s head in the first place slip away. I allowed Candice to get into my head.

“Well, he is dead now, and frankly, I do not give a fuck what might have transpired if Kade was still around but he isn't. You made sure of that but what I am sure of is, Kade stayed dead after you ripped his heart out and made a stew with it. Why are you here Candice?”

“I came back to you brother. Shouldn't you be grateful?”

I laughed at her wits. It was borderline frustrating but she was damn good at it. It took everything in me not to jump on the table and seize her throat. It was just so difficult to believe that this was my sister-the person who was supposed to protect me.

“Then you are not going to like what comes next, Candice.”

“And just what might be?” Candice inquired, taking a sip of the stew in front of her.

“I am not grateful Candice. Everyone was so freaking happy when Alpha Jason ripped your throat and let you die for your sins.” Candice's irises flared a deadly rouge. Her breath came in slow and calculated. Yes, my words hit the right spots and I reveled in it. “Did you think anyone missed you, Candice? Even Sofiane got a mate deserving of him when you died.” I smirked as she slowly slipped down the abyss of rage. Her silence gave me a go-ahead. “Wow, I almost feel pity for you.”

A wry smile curved Candice’s lips. “You mean the same mate Sofiane wasted because she could not fill the void I left. You claim that I hold no importance to you but here you are with a predator rune embedded in your palms, looking for answers and quite frankly missing that your big sis is not here to protect you from the big bad wolves of the world anymore. It is you I almost feel pity for brother, you are nothing without me by your side.”

I shuddered. Candice had gotten to me again. This time, it was so bad that I had let my guard down and let her discover the rune which meant she already had an idea about a relic being around. I dropped my hand to knee level and looked my sister straight in the eye. “I am here to exorcise you from this body.”

Candice’s eyes fell on the table, directly on a very large kitchen knife in the middle of the table. I watched the knife dance in the air, the sharp edge brandished in my direction. “Well,” She said, “That is going to be a problem.” and then the knife darted in my direction with the speed akin to a bullet. I immediately picked up an empty ceramic and put it to my face, using it as a makeshift shield. The knife hit the ceramic ware and shattered it into a thousand pieces. Without a second to waste, I ran for my sister muttering the incantations of banishment. Candice was muttering a spell of her own. It was the offensive kind but I reached her before she could finish her spell. I slapped my palm on her head upon concluding the spell and expected that her soul be ripped apart from the girl. It was almost too easy but it turned out I had counted my chickens before they hatched. A force threw me across the room the moment I touched Candice’s forehead. I hit the wall and my back cracked on impact. As I struggled to stand to my feet, Candice spoke.

“Wow, I underestimated you. You were not kidding about the exorcism.”

“I cannot let you continue to mess with people’s lives. Sofiane deserves his happily ever after and this innocent girl does not deserve to be your puppet for revenge. Just let everyone be!”

“Sofiane chose to kill his second chance mate, I had nothing to do with that and if I wasn’t present when this girl chose suicide, we would not even be having this conversation.” Candice remained seated as she spoke. “I also do have to warn you brother, you have no idea what you are messing with anymore. You do not want to push my buttons. I am stronger and far more dangerous than what you knew. So you will go back to the plane of the living and tell whoever knows about me that I have been exorcised if you mean your frivolous fight for peace.”

“I will not lie,” I swore.

I heard footsteps approach me. Her hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me towards her. Something wrenched in my stomach and pain exploded in my body. The burn in my palm began to tingle once again. This time, it was on fire because of the energy that poured out of Candice. Somehow, I pushed past the pain, gulping down for air as I realized what it meant. I tried to speak but no matter how hard I tried, words would not leave my mouth.

“The truth is noble brother but prepare yourself for war and bloodshed the second you refuse to do as I tell you. Surely, You would not want the blood of everyone on your hands right?”

My vision blurred, I pushed away from Candice and slumped to the floor. If I did not leave, I was going to die. As life slowly left me, I began my chant to sever my soul connection. Towards the end of the spell, something seemed to give in my body and I stilled. The last thing I remembered before the world went black was Candice telling me she loved me.