Possession ＆ Shadows – The Accalia Series Book 1 & 2

Brandon Pov

” How many casualties”, Samael barked out to his warriors. We had just come back to the palace grounds. There was a huge hole on one side of the palace grounds. The side where the hospital was. Where Ava was.

Harmon was rubbing my neck. She knew the amount of stress her brother was under and how much my visions drained me. My mother seemed to have recovered well enough and started talking to Rynyxon, who was enraged at the kidnapping of Ava and the disappearance of Jasmine. I could also see Harmon tensing up more than usual.

“We will get her back baby,” I told her, pulling her into an embrace as I was starting to feel a bit better. She pulled back from me, and her eyes seemed to darken. She was in warrior mode. Something was off.

“What is it?” I asked her. She looked in deep thought until I asked her again. She looked at Samael, who had just gotten off the phone with his top general. According to their conversation, there were a little over 100 casualties, and over 50 injured, which wasn’t many, compared to how big the warrior count is there, but even one was too many. I looked back and forth between her and Samael, sharing a look. Something was up.

“What is it?” I asked louder, and they looked at me.

“My castle is protected by my enchantments and charms to ward off any threat to my land,” Samael said before walking off towards Rynyxon.

“Okay. How does that explain the anger I’m feeling from you,” I asked Harmon, whose feelings were all over the place.

“It means” She seethed, ” that someone with a strong amount of power allowed access through the barrier”.

” It was an inside job” I stated as it dawned on me, and she nodded.

” And most likely someone we knew, as only very few know where we keep the information that can penetrate the barriers, and none of the witches on the ground are even strong enough, as we don’t harbor dark witches,” Harmon said. Harmon and Samael exchanged a look of mind linking. After a while, Samael became impatient.

“No, it’s not Jasmine. My wolf would have sensed her’. He snapped aloud at her.

“I don’t want to believe it either. I am only telling you of the possibility. She has demon blood, Samael. You and I both know it can make people do things they don’t want to do”, she snapped back. He let out a frustrated growl. My mind went back to the dream I had. What was it she said as she was crushing my heart?

I will choose who lives and who dies.

“Bring me the ball from the security system”. Harmon commanded the soldier that had just come back into the room to give Samael a file.

” Already ahead of you,” Samael said as he grabbed what seemed to be a silver ball out of the file. He whispered something to it and the ball opened, portraying the whole kingdom in a mist. He used his hands to rewind everything that had happened as we saw the little servants and kingdom members walking backwards. We saw the explosion from the hospital as he did until it came to a point that looked like the beginning of it all.

There was a figure cloaked in yellow robes using what would have been an invisibility charm, since there we could see a purple misty aura around them indicating they were not seen as they made their way outside using a forcefield. They passed the warriors on the ground with ease. The figure went directly to the border where we could see the force field and reached out their hand. They pulled out a black book and it seemed as if they were reading something from it as they lifted their hand and a blue blast of energy hit the force field which alerted the warriors as they ran to the blast coming from nowhere.

As they got closer, the hooded figure raised its other hand to them and they all fell backwards, knocked out or dead, from what it looked like. The forcefield suddenly came down and we saw Xavier coming through in a white t-shirt and jeans, but his shirt was stained, as he must have killed some members trying to pierce the forcefield from his side.

The hooded figure kneeled to him and pulled off its hood.

Son of a Bitch.

It was Katie.

At that moment, I felt like my wolf was clawing its way from my body as anger overtook me, as I’m sure it did everyone else in the room. We looked at this traitor. Samael looked at the traitor and before I knew it, I was slammed against the wall.

“Did you know?” he yelled, his wolf in control, ready to kill me.

“No”, I told him, looking him in the eye. He held my gaze with his aura threatening me to look away as a sign that I was lying, but I held his gaze. I would not back down because I had nothing to hide. Harmon was growling behind him, looking back and forth between me and Samael, torn between saving me and fighting Samael. I shook my head at her while holding Samaels gaze to stand down. Samael then let me go, convinced I was telling the truth.

“Find me everything you can about her. Trace her steps since she arrived. Trace her family. Bring me everything you can. NOW! ” Rynyxon commanded the warrior, who nodded then left. We watched the rest of the events play out. Katie led Xavier to the hospital wing where Xavier used his power to blow a hole in. It looks like this was an intended mission to kidnap Ava, but why? They then disappeared in the black smoke after he threw her over his shoulder.

Samael reminded the smoke player of the day Katie came here with us. We watched as he fast-forwarded and zoomed in on her once he got to the day. We watched Katie with Ava, laughing, and she touched Ava’s head. Ava dropped to her knees and screamed.

How is it none of us heard it?

Ava then passed out and Katie picked her up and put her to sleep. Fast forward to seeing me, Katie, and Ava walking together outside the palace. I try to recall what we were talking about.

Katie was talking about how much she admired Jasmine and Ava…. Ava looked happy at first but then she paused, and her face twisted in anger. She told her she hated Jasmine and didn’t trust her but wouldn’t give us a reason. It all started to make sense. None of us knew why Ava suddenly seemed to hate Jasmine and even went as far as to try to kill her. Katie spelled Ava’s mind against Jasmine.

“The blood moon is the night after tomorrow. First, we got Ava back. Then we find Jasmine”, Samael stated before heading out the room.

We spent the next two days searching and searching but found nothing. Even Rynyxon, their best tracker, was unable to locate her this time. It was as if she disappeared completely. Or someone was cloaking her.

My mother used all of her means to try to locate her. Speaking of her, I am at an impasse with her.

Flashback To the Night Before

I was in the library looking for other means of tracking. Books, or anything that would help find Ava when my mother comes in. She was dressed in a simple red button-down with jeans. Her cat eyes were fixed on mine as she took a seat in front of me. She was quiet for a moment as she took me in.

” You look rough,” She simply said. Was that a joke?

” Considering all that has happened, I would imagine so” I replied, then went back down to read the book I was in. The truth was it was half-reading, and mostly trying not to let it show all of the emotions I was feeling. The mother who rejected me. Left me to be raised by people who. I somehow knew they were not my parents, but they loved me unconditionally nonetheless, despite the accurate predictions I would have as a child.

” I’d like to think you would have any questions to ask me,” she said to me. I wouldn’t raise my eyes to meet her. I couldn’t.

“We need to be working on finding Ava, Pythia,” I told her. Somehow, I could feel that I hurt her, but I still couldn’t look up.

“You must think the worst of me,” she said, with her voice mixed with sadness and what sounded like regret.

“Just know, everything I have ever done, including giving you up, was done to keep you safe,” she said. That’s when I looked up.

“Safe?”. “Safe from what? Because of you, I grew up being picked on, called a freak from my visions as a kid. Did you know I saw my parents die before it even happened? At the age of 15, that’s nothing a teen should have to go through alone. I tried everything to change it, but it still happened. I was kidnapped off the street, and turned into a wolf unwillingly, which was a painful fucking process. These visions are a curse, if anything, and you’re the reason I have them. You fucking abandoned me” I said. my voice rising with each word. Tears in my eyes were starting to form.

“I’m sorry”, she said, with her eyes forming tears too.

” There is a lot you don’t know, but just know there was someone much worse than the threat you face right now after me. I couldn’t risk your safety, so I sent you away. While running after a few years, I was found by someone who promised to keep me safe as long as I put my visions to use, but I couldn’t come back for you. Anyone who knew I had a son would use you as leverage for my visions. I had to keep you safe at all costs. So be mad at me. Be upset with me, all you like, but if I had to do it all again, I fucking would” She said, almost yelling and standing up too to look me in the eye.

It was silent after a while as we both just stood there, heaving. She took a deep breath and turned to walk out. It was strange. That was the same thing I did too when I was too angry. I did the same and she paused at the door before turning back to me.

“There are events that are about to unfold that will make you doubt me. Don’t. Trust in what will happen, will need to happen”. She said and disappeared in smoke before I could even reply. What did she mean by that? What will happen?

Back to the Present.

I hadn’t seen her since she disappeared. I could, however, feel that something major was about to happen. Tonight, was the night of the blood moon and I couldn’t shake this feeling that those pieces were coming together that were meant to all along.

Samael Pov

I was on the phone with other allies, Alpha Kings of the Globe, explaining the situation and having them put out an alert for any demon activity. Between trying to monitor my cousin’s behaviors, locating Jasmine, and finding Ava, I was a wreck, but I was holding it together. With everything going on, I was on high alert. How could I not have seen that we had a traitor here among us? I was always able to sniff it out. Stupid

Stupid

Stupid

I mentally facepalm myself

By having her here, I not only put my family in danger, but it also cost me some of my best warriors, some of whom I have known my whole life here at the palace, whose families I attended yesterday as we had a funeral for them.

106 lives lost. Fucking 106. because I am a stupid king, unable to protect my people. Unable to spot the traitors. Unable to keep my fucking mate. Unable to protect my people.

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck” I growled, punching a wall, breaking holes in every part of the wall my fist encountered. I slid my back against the hole, punched a wall and put my head between my legs.

Tonight was the blood moon, and I felt as if I were on the losing end. I was missing my mate more than anything right now.

“Where are you, Jasmine? Where are you?” I silently sobbed.

It was as if I could hear her voice somehow as one word came into my head.

“Soon”

But I knew it was not possible it was her. She too, like Ava, was lost to me, and I couldn’t find them.

“Come to the briefing room now!” Rynyxon commanded me. I grunted at the disrespect, but I did as he said, annoyed, but then anger filled every fiber of my being as I saw what was being done on the screen. Someone sent a USB containing a recording of Ava, in what looked like a dungeon, with her legs tied around a chair, and silver chains holding her hands back. Thankfully, she is a descendant of angels, like me, so the silver will not burn her, but it looked like the same metal I’ve read about in demon lore called Lararium, meant to be the strongest metal in the demon world that also protected against spells, so I knew even with her wolf or her powers, there was no way she was escaping. He looked at the camera.

“I’m sure now you know I have your fellow witchy wolf, and my mate’s sister” he sneered.

” I also know Jasmine is not with you, as my darling Katie has graciously reported to me, but she will be there soon,” he said.

Xavier stood in front of Ava and punched her in the stomach, causing her to yell aloud. He then took out a knife and trailed it across her face while looking out at the camera and smiling. Her yells of pain made me crush the table I was gripping.

” What I want is simple. I know you’re forming some sort of plan to take me down and will probably try to use the Amethyst crystal to do so, but it won’t work. I will just be reincarnated all over again and you will have accomplished nothing. If you take so much as taking an inch of a step on my palace grounds, just know I will know, and poor little Ava here will be paying the price” he said. He then shoved the knife into Ava’s thigh, which followed a high piercing scream of pain causing Rynyxon to growl too.

“If you all do as you are told, not only will I return her to you, I will also give you someone I know you have been missing very much,” he said and picked up the camera. What he flashed the camera on made my heart drop tremendously as I looked at Rynyxon, whose eyes had a range of emotions even though I knew he had already watched this before I got there.

In the cell was Jessica. She was in battered clothing and had bruises all over her. She was fucking alive. This whole time the bastard had her. He fucking had her.

If I was angry before, it was nothing compared to what I am feeling now. It was rage. Pure and unbridled rage.

Xavier pointed the camera back to his face.

“So, you see, I have two of your most valued treasures here. Try to rescue them, or interfere in my ceremony in any way, and I will split their tiny throats faster than you can speak.” Xavier threatened before cutting off the camera.

I looked at Rynyxon, watching the gears turn in his head.

“You’re not considering this fucker are you” I demanded to know, but he was silent. He was true.

” He has Jess. I don’t know-how. I felt our bond break. I saw her spirit at that Seers cave. The seer was under Xavier’s control and must have used something to fake Jessica’s ghost, but the ghosts helped me when that seer attacked, so none of this makes any sense. Which means…..” he trailed off.

“Means what,” I asked.

” It means Jessica must have astral projection. It also means he has planned this all along. While we have been playing checkers, this fucker has been playing chess. He wanted me to find the wolf who I thought killed Jess. He wanted Jasmine to think he had killed her mother, to isolate her. Make her feel alone. He gave her demon blood. My guess is he had someone kill your mother as well. He knew how you would feel about demons afterwards. He knew it would turn him against Jasmine. He has been playing us this whole time, and like idiots, we fucking fell right into his game. Everything. Everything has been leading up until tonight. To claim his power. But he made one mistake.” Rynyxon said, standing up, with determination in his eyes.

” He doesn’t have Jasmine. Jasmine and Lunar are destined to destroy him, according to the prophecy. We don’t know where she is right now, but we do know where she will be tonight. His mistake is that my entire family will be there, and I will NOT stop until I have them back with me.” He spoke.

“We need to communicate to Jasmine somehow that he has both Ava and Jessica,” he said before looking at me.

“You. You are the descendant of the great Archangel Michael. You haven’t even begun to understand how powerful you are. You can communicate with her.”

” We’re not marked, and she is not within range of the mind link. I can’t “, I told him. He should know this.

“You can. Close your eyes. Picture her face. All this time, you have been searching for her with your head. Imagine a white light inside yourself wrapping around your heart” he commanded, and I closed my eyes. I imagined a ball of light and imagined it around my heart.

” Now focus on the light and it’s tiring too,” he said, and I did, and I felt myself sinking into my subconscious. When I opened my eyes, I was in a field of flowers. Beautiful flowers and the day were beautiful. Suddenly, out of the blue, it started to rain. Thunder clouds rolled through the sky and the wind picked up. Then the day became beautiful all over again as the sky cleared and became beautiful once more, with everything drying up, as if I wasn’t storming.

“Samael,” a sweet voice said from behind me, causing me to turn around. I know that voice from anywhere. There she was, in a long purple dress that flowed to her feet and her brown hair in curls flowing down her back. She looked as radiant as ever. I stepped towards her, but she backed away. I stopped. Not wanting to push her boundaries. She was still angry with me, but she was alive, and that’s all that mattered to me at that moment as I smiled at her.

“Beauty” I simply said, and her expression changed from one of confusion to sadness. As it did, the storm came back. When she opened her eyes, they were red. This was her subconscious, and the demon side was taking over.

“Where are you? We have been trying to find you”, I asked her, to which she shook her head.

” I can’t tell you, but you know what tonight is. Lunar and I have a destiny and I must see to it that it is fulfilled”, She tells me, taking a few steps towards me. I stood still, not wanting to spook her.

“He has Ava,” I told her, and she paused. She wasn’t expecting it.

“HOW,” She asked, her voice rising and her expression changing.

“Katie. Katie was his spy here. But that’s not all” I told her.

“What could be worse than him taking my sister?” She demanded to know.

“Your mother is beautiful. Your mother is alive, and he has her too”, I said. It took a minute before I said it took effect and then she swooned slightly. At that point, I didn’t care what she wanted. I ran up to her and scooped her into my arms, and she relaxed into my embrace. For a moment, just a moment, it felt like all was right in the world. My beauty. My mate. My love and my life. All these thoughts ran through my head, and I could feel love from hers. She missed me as much as I missed her.

She pulled back after a few moments and looked me in the eye.

” He warned you not to go,” She asked, and I nodded.

” But you will anyway,” she said, and I kept silent.

” I know you will, but you must not. He is dangerous, and only I know how to defeat him. I can’t guarantee your safety too.” She told me and I smiled. Of course, my baby had a plan.

“I want to help,” I told her, but she kissed my cheek instead.

“You want to help, stay the hell away, and let me do what I need to,” she said before shoving me down and away from her mind and back to the present.

I told everything to Rynyxon after I arrived too. He was lost in thought for a while before talking to me.

” It is up to you, King Samael. The blood moon starts in less than 10 hours. Do we wait, and let the prophecy fulfill itself, or do we go get them back and take down that demon bastard in the process” he said, though, in his eyes, I could see he had already made up his mind, regardless of my decision, and so did I.

“Gather everyone up for battle and prepare the plane. We depart at 30”, I commanded.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.