My alarm going off on my phone wakes me from the peaceful sleep I was in. Ugh, I hate mornings, but today is a special day. Today I leave the coven’s realm on my own. Today I start my adventure, and with that exciting thought, I hop out of bed as excitement burns in my veins.
I quickly get dressed in black skinny jeans, a dark purple peasant-style top, and my black combat boots. I have on my necklace that my Mom gave me. I’m in love with all my wonderful and thoughtful gifts from my family. My grandparents give me my own grimoire to start filling with my own spells, potions, and notes. I’ve packed it along with everything else.
I happily bounce to the kitchen, where my parents are preparing breakfast for the four of us. “Morning!” I greet my parents in a cheerful tone as I head to the coffee maker to pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Morning, Little Nightmare.” My parents greet me in unison.
“Ugh, how are you three so cheerful in the morning?” Kai grumbles, walking into the kitchen.
“Did someone party too hard last night?” I jest as I pour my cup of coffee.
“Now, now you two. Sit down and enjoy our family breakfast together. We don’t know when we will be all together again, and your Mom and I have some news to share.” Dad states as he waves a spatula at us.
Kai grumbles something under his breath as he comes over to pour his own cup of coffee while I add sugar and cream to mine. I’m like Mom. I like my coffee to not taste like coffee. Of course, Kai drinks his coffee black like Dad.
We all sit at our table in the kitchen. Damn, Mom went all out. She made french toast with fresh whipped cream, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, ham, hash browns, and there’s fresh fruit. I dig in, loading my plate with Mom's delicious food since I don’t know when I’ll be back to indulge in her cooking.
Mom has always been a great cook. She taught me some, and we sometimes cook and bake together. I guess I’m just not into it yet. I feel like I’ll be more into it when I have my own family. Besides, it’s hard to cook when I’m training all the time with Dad to reap souls. Mom has me training in my wolf form as well. Not to mention learning to control my magic. Somehow, cooking and music have always been pushed to the back burner, but now I plan to combine my love of music with my duty to serve the coven.
“So, what’s this news you need to share?” Kai asks, shoveling a piece of bacon down his throat. I roll my eyes at his overly boyish behavior.
“Well, I’m not sure how to tell you kids this, but I’m pregnant,” Mom blurts out.
“I knew it! I knew you were glowing, and you only have that special glow when you are pregnant,” I reply with a smug smile.
“Seriously? I’m not changing diapers.” Kai adds.
“If I can change diapers, you can too.” Dad counters.
“Yeah, but you don’t change the dirty ones.” Kai counters back, and Dad glares at him.
“Congratulations, Mom. It will be interesting to have a super baby sibling.” I add to have some encouragement to the conversation since my Dad and brother are acting like typical men.
“Thank you. This doesn’t change your leaving. You can still leave, and if you want to come back for the baby to be born, you can, but I understand if you don’t want to or if you get busy.” Mom smiles.
“Of course, I’m coming back for the baby’s birth. I wouldn't miss it. What do we have, about four or five months?” I inquire.
“Something like that.”
“I’m still not changing poop diapers,” Kai grumbles.
“Oh, stop being a baby. They can’t be that bad,” I tell him.
“Easy for you to say you will just go back to the human realm after the baby is born. You will get to skip the poop diapers.” Kai counters.
“Enough, Kai. We can worry about diaper duty when the time comes. Now, let's enjoy our breakfast, and then it’s time for me to take you to get your marking, Ever.” Dad shuts down Kai’s whine fest.
How could I have forgotten the marking? I can’t wait to have my mark of the coven on my back like the rest of the official members. It’s a crow sitting on top of a skull with shadows swirling around it. It’s totally badass, and I’ve been dreaming about the Moment I get mine.
After a fun breakfast with my family, Dad and I head out to do my marking. Excitement bubbles under the surface as we walk to the ceremony room. However, we stop a few feet after we leave our apartment.
“Why are we stopping?” I inquire, confused.
“Because, Little Nightmare, you are a part of my bloodline, and we get our marking from Death. Are you ready to go to Death’s realm and finally meet him?”
My mouth drops slightly as I nod my head. I knew that I would go to Death’s realm one day and officially meet him. Death doesn’t like leaving his realm. So, while I know all about him, I’ve never met him. I figured I would meet him one day, but I never thought it would be today.
Shadows come around us as they teleport us to Death’s realm. The shadows disappear, and I look around. The room is all black stone, lit by fire on the walls in torches. Death sits on a throne made of bones. He wears a black cloak with jagged edges on the sleeves. His silver eyes peer out. Dad’s eyes are a much darker grey which are the same eyes Kai and I have. Shadows dance around the walls. There is a howler pup sitting at his feet.
“Ah, I see you have brought me, my granddaughter.” Death's calm and eerie voice echoes around the room.
“Yes, I’ve brought her for her marking,” Dad replies.
“That’s right; you turned eighteen. Going off to the human realm?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Oh, please, no formalities. You are my granddaughter. You may call me Grandpa. I’m glad you are going off to the human realm. I think you will have a self-discovery journey. Perhaps even meet your soulmate.” Death pauses as if he’s said too much. “I have a gift for you, Everly. I will gift your own howler pup to help guard you when you are away from the coven. You can disguise him to look like a regular dog. It’s good to have protection. You are far too valuable, my dear.”
The howler pup at his side gets up and happily walks over to me. His slick black fur is shiny, and his fiery red eyes stare up at me. I bend down to pet him. He feels greasy, but a good greasy. His rough and jagged tongue licks my hand, and I giggle.
“I’m going to call you Cas. Thank you, Grandpa.” I say with a wide smile.
“Seriously, I wanted a howeler pup, and you gave my grumpy ass Cerberus instead,” Dad complains.
“Oh, hush, son. Don’t you know grandparents spoil their grandkids and not their kids?” Death counters. Dad rolls his eyes with a sigh. It’s odd seeing my composed father act like an angsty teenager.
“Well, Ever, are you ready for the marking? It will hurt, but only briefly.” Dad informs me.
“I’m ready,” I state confidently as I stand up from petting Cas.
Death stands from his throne and walks over to me. He places his hand on my shoulder. I can’t see his face, but somehow I have a feeling I don’t want to. So I stare deeply into his glowing silver orbs. Death begins to chant in his own language. It's a language that I have studied and yet barely know.
My back begins to burn as I feel the marking begin to form. Dad grabs my hand and lets me squeeze his hand tightly as the burning intensifies as Death continues his chant. The minute Death stops chanting, the burning stops, and the mark is set in place.
“Now you are officially a member of The Coven of the Crow and Shadows.” Dad beams a proud smile at me.
“Yes, she is. Now, time for you to go off to the human realm. Try not to get into too much trouble, and keep an eye out for your soulmate. He’s unique like you.” Death winks at me.
Okay, I don’t know how to take that cryptic message, but Dad has always said Death enjoys being cryptic. I never understood what he meant till now. We say goodbye to Death, and then Dad teleports us home.
I show off Cas to my Mom and brother. Kai whines about wanting a cool pet, and Dad tells him he will have to wait till he turns eighteen. Dad also has no sympathy for Kai because apparently, he always wanted a pet but was never allowed one. Once again, it’s odd seeing my Dad act like an angsty teen. Mom just shakes her head at him and Kai as she makes a joke about her being Dad’s Pet. It’s his nickname for her. Both Kai and I groan at their affection towards one another as they kiss. We are used to their public displays of affection towards one another, but we still like to give them a hard time when we can because isn’t that what kids are supposed to do?.
Before heading off to the human realm, I say my goodbyes to my family. I’m excited and nervous, but I’m ready for this. I’ve been waiting and plotting for way too long to take this journey.
After saying goodbye to my family, I grab my stuff and Cas and use the shadows to teleport me to the human realm. I find one of the coven cars parked in a parking lot. I load my stuff and Cas into the back of the convertible Mustang. I pop on some music as the convertible top retracts. I take off like a bat out of hell to the music academy as I enjoy the wind in my hair and the taste of freedom.
The drive to the music academy will take a few hours. So, I enjoy the open road before I hit the city where the school is located. Cas is enjoying the wind and has his tongue sticking out. I’m enjoying the drive. It’s the first time I’ve driven on my own. Dad usually lets me drive when we go on missions together, but it’s nice to enjoy the ride by myself. My thoughts wander to what exactly Death meant about me meeting my soul mate and that he was unique like me. I’m assuming it means he’s a type of hybrid. I honestly wasn’t expecting to meet my soulmate any time soon. I know it will happen, but I’m not sure I’m ready for it to happen right away. Although, I have no idea when exactly on my journey I will meet my soulmate. It could be at the academy, or it could be after it. I’m only planning on being at the music academy for a few months. I’m there to figure out what’s going on and if it’s being haunted by a spirit. Yes, I’m also there for the music and to explore my hobby. If I’m ho
Everly Shaodws is an interesting girl. She’s a lycan, but I sense there is more to her than meets the eye. She’s incredibly beautiful with her unique hair color and swirling grey eyes. She’s about a head and a half shorter than me. Everly has clearly captured my brother's attention, and how could she not with her beauty. Levi has a thing for supernatural girls. His current conquest and current star is Mina. She’s a witch, and I don’t trust her. I mainly don’t trust her because she is obsessed with Levi and how he can skyrocket her to fame. She’s using him, and I have no doubt he is using her. I wouldn't be surprised if they are working together to capture the spirits that come here for peace, only to be imprisoned. I have no proof, of course, but I’m working on gathering it. My father, Erik Octavian, told spirits to come here to listen to the music back when this place was still an opera house. He knew the music would soothe their weary souls. My father was special. He spent his li
I’ve been at the music academy for about a month now. I’m enjoying myself. I’ve made two friends. Zela, who is a jin, and Avia, who is a harpy. They are in a relationship and totally fun to be around. Harpies are a type of shifter, so Avia stays in her human form since her harpy form scares the humans. I’ve noticed the humans at the academy are skittish. They buy into every horror and ghost story. They believe the opera house is haunted and are easily freaked out. I can always sense sulfur, and I’ve found some traces of ectoplasm. There is at least one spirit that constantly roams the opera house, and I assume it’s what the students have labeled the Phantom. I haven’t been able to spot the damn spirit, but others have. It’s almost as if the spirit is avoiding me, which I’m not sure is possible. In all my training with Dad, not once did we come across a spirit that could avoid us on purpose. Dad never even mentioned that being possible and he spent years meticulously training me.In b
I’m sitting in my office going over the academy's finances and paying the bills. I hate doing the grunt work, but I don’t trust anyone else with this. Especially don’t trust my brother. He’s a freak of nature who should have never been born. His filthy father stole my mother’s innocence. He seduced her and impregnated her with a freak show. No matter, soon I will have the problem rectified. “How fucking dare you give my part to that lycan bitch!” Mina storms into my office, screaming at me like a fucking banshee. “Calm down, Mina. I have my reasons. One, I didn’t want you doing a song with my brother. Two, I think the lycan and my brother have a thing for each other, and if they do, then pushing them together might work to my advantage. I’ve waited years to find my brother's fucking weakness, and now I might have just found it in the pretty little lycan girl. Besides, there is something more than meets the eye with Everly.” “Are you attracted to her?”“Mina, you know you are the on
Over the last few weeks, I’ve tracked the spirit to the opera house basement. It took me some time to track the spirit and then find the damn basement entrance. You would think it would be easy to find, but it was kept secret, and I had to search the entire fucking opera house with shadows to find the damn entrance. It wasn’t easy either because the opera house is always active. Tonight, I plan to teleport to the basement entrance and finally reap the spirit. I want it gone by the time my family comes to visit for the performance. I want to tie off this rogue mission with a pretty little bow. I don’t want my parents to find out I went on a rogue mission, so it’s better to end it before they get here in a few weeks. However, I can’t do anything about it right now. Right now, I have rehearsal with Sebastian. Levi added a second song. We will start the concert with ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and end it with ‘The Point of No Return’. I won’t lie. It’s been fun and intense rehearsing wi
When my alarms went off to alert me that someone had entered my den, I never expected it to be Everly. I thought a couple of drunk kids got in again. I was in the middle of rearranging shit in Mr. Granger’s classroom to fuck with him. I was having fun, so I was annoyed when I had to come back here. What surprised me even more, was that Everly had a war scythe and tried to reap my soul. I knew she was hiding something. She’s hiding the fact that she belongs to the Coven of the Crow and Shadows. The same coven who took my father away from me. Now that I didn’t see coming. However, the pure look of shock on her face when she realized I was a hybrid was priceless. “Nothing to say, Little Reaper?” I taunt, letting go of her hand with her war scythe. “You’re a hybrid.” She states with shock. “I could say the same thing about you. Pure lycan, my ass. You’re also a witch and work for Death’s coven.” I reply, and her eyes widen even more. “Given the fact that your last name is Shadows mean
It’s been exactly one week since Sebastian and I discovered each other’s secrets. It’s also exactly a week till the concert. My mind is racing with a thousand different thoughts. I can’t believe Sebastian is my soulmate. Stella informed me that she was keeping it from me because she couldn’t determine if he was a hybrid or not. Even though she wasn’t wrong about him being our soulmate, she wanted the proof that he was a hybrid first. She also wanted me to discover it on my own. Well, I did discover it on my own and then foolishly told Sebastian. I don’t know what I was hoping to gain by telling him, but he’s not even acknowledged me since that night. Everything between us is all about the concert and figuring out precisely what Levi is up to. Other than the occasional kisses, it’s like I never even told him that we are soulmates. I love when he kisses me, and I’m always disappointed when he doesn’t take things further. I can sense his hesitation, driving both Stella and me insane. I
I’m heading to the human realm to meet with Ever. It’s been a few months since we’ve seen her, and I know we are looking forward to seeing her next week. However, when she texted me asking me to come have lunch with her, I knew something was going on even if she said everything was fine. I know her. She would only contact me if something was wrong or she ran into a problem. Most parents might be insulted that their child calls upon them when they need something, but I don’t care. Ari and I raised our kids to be independent, so I know when they need us, they truly need us. I love my kids, and I’m glad they are strong and independent people, but I’m also glad they still need us. It’s nice to know that they still need us even when they are grown. Kai isn’t technically grown up as he’s only sixteen, but our kids had to grow up faster than most. It was the same for Ari and me. It’s a bit different for Ari as she grew up faster due to her parents' neglect. For Ever, Kai, and I, we all had