Vampire Mates

23 - The Strange Happenings

Vampire Mates
23: The Strange Happenings

I opened my eyes to a strange yet somehow oddly familiar place. I was lying on a field of green, lush grass, in the middle of a pond of red, blue and yellow wild flowers.

I sat up, my head throbbing slightly as if I had just had a mild concussion, and saw a familiar face.

Cranelia.

She looked much younger than the last few times I’ve seen her, her face carefree, stress-free. She must’ve been in her teenage years. She was plucking a blood red flower from the soil, playing with it with her index finger, twirling it around in her hand.

“Cranelia!” I tried calling out, but I couldn’t even hear my own voice in my ears. She didn’t turn around, and I knew I was in a dream. I sighed and examined my surroundings.

It was a bright and sunny day, and Cranelia was in a white summer dress as she hummed to a lullaby and played with the flower she had picked up. Her golden hair was plaited in a pretty fishtail that cascaded down on her shoulder. The sun beat down on her hair, creating a halo.

It all looked so peaceful; all-too peaceful. Who knew it was a form of foreshadowing what was to happen next?

Then it happened, without warning, a rumble crackling through the sky, and a shot of electricity blazed down, just 20 feet away from Cranelia and me. The young girl screamed in sudden shock and terror and backed away from the source. A thunder boomed and echoed through the plain.

Rain poured down, but it only targeted an area: a small circle with the radius of 10 meters, perhaps. The rain trickled down in a perfect circle.

Then, what happened next was even more shocking. A man descended, in a cloak, his face unseen. He looked so scary, like the Grim Reaper. He was equipped with nothing but a simple glass of black liquid and a closed palm.

“Choose your path, Princess Elexandrya. Or, would you prefer Cranelia, now?” His voice was deep, so deep that it wasn’t humanely possible to emit such a sound.

Then again, I’d bet on my life he wasn’t a human.

“N-no! Get away from me!” Cranelia gasped as she cowered away quickly from the monster. He cackled, a horrible sound that would give a child nightmares for the next 10 years.

Suddenly, behind Cranelia, a bright line shone down from the sky. The light was so bright, that he overcame the darkness, and the man yelled in anguish. He shied himself from the blazing light as he hissed.

“Elexandrya Cranelia Spirit,” a soothing feminine voice said. The voice was the exact opposite of that of the monster’s. Her voice was sweet and loving, and like a melody that you can’t seem to not love. I peeked over Cranelia’s shoulder and saw a beautiful angel, donned in white garments, a halo glittering around her head, her feet a foot above the ground.

“For once, I agree with him,” The angel said as she fluttered towards Cranelia. Cranelia closed her eyes as she bathed and basked herself in the angel’s warm light. “You need to choose your path, like all the other Xlinx had in the past. Good or bad, Cranelia. You have the choice to choose.”

“Remember how your brother Demetrius Arch Spirit had left you alone, not even bothering to look for you when you left the palace for your mates?” The monster said, getting the attention of Cranelia. “You could seek revenge. With these new powers, you can do anything.”

“Anything,” Cranelia echoed. I wanted to scream at her to go to the angel. The monster screamed nothing but trouble.

“Anything,” The monster confirmed, “You could even kill that angel, if you wanted. This necklace,” He opened his palm and produced a black necklace, with a black rose pendant. “It gives you powers you never thought you had in yourself! You can even compel the strongest of the vampires. This blood… this blood would signify your loyalty to us.”