Blood of the Skies and Shadows - Chapter Seventeen

Hello everyone! As promised though I had no idea I would think of something for him so fast, it's a chapter for Ian. It may be a little short but I have more already planned for him so enjoy this chapter for now alrighty? I have been a little upset these few days and not to mention I have been harboring a gross cold.. ew.. but being emotional helps me write - strange but true. Anyway I know I don't sound sad but I am unfortunately, because I'm getting too behind in some of my classes - yes, I am a student of some sort - and other reasons. Wish me luck, I need it! Okay enough babbling on my part, enjoy the chapter, comment or criticize and love the story my fans, ha..ha!

All my love, Caelia.
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Ian.
"Release me now and I may be kind to you in punishment later, Isabeau!" Gabe's voice bellowed against the echoing cell walls. Isabeau's annoyingly girlish giggle rang after Gabe's voice like a taunt. Isabeau had suddenly appeared with some of those things I'd seen drink Ruby's blood and demanded Gabe go with her, if not willingly then by force. I didn't hear signs of resistance but that was because she'd somehow bound Gabe. How, though, I didn't know.

"You expect to be released? By whom honestly? If you are even fortunate, he might consider not torturing you slowly to death and instead might kill you quickly. But I don't think you should have too high expectation, after all you did abandon him." She said disdainfully, her thickly sweet voice mocking Gabe. I kept quiet, pretending to not give a damn since I couldn't do anything. I lifted my head just slightly so I could see what was going on in front of my cell.

Gabe said nothing in reply but from the small crack of glaring light, I could see that he was walking himself, accompanied by the monsters. His hands folded over his chest like he was wearing a straight jacket. His face was turned away from my line of view so all I saw was his back, shadowed in the darkness surrounding the entire dungeon basement thing we were trapped in. Then he was gone, up the steps. Isabeau left last, turning to look me in the eye. With a sly, knowing smile spreading across her face she murmured quietly some more taunting words that made me all the more wanting to rip her heart from her chest, those words also constricted my own chest like iron chains.

"She is next."

Ian.
Those dreams were coming back, no nightmares is more like the right word. I thought they were gone, ever since Helios and Ruby and the rest had disappeared I really thought I wouldn't have to deal with the past again. But those nightmares had returned to haunt me and they were altered to even worse things.

Before Corrina would always use her abilities to put up a wall inside my mind to keep me from remembering or facing those nightmares, but nothing is permanent. If I thought too hard about my past or those nightmares, that would sometimes send me knocking that wall down and letting the nightmares flood through my head. Since I'd found some redemption for what I've done those nightmares have slowly vanished, I suspected another reason though. But now they were back, as if something in me was calling the past to me, no, maybe not the past, something dark and unfamiliar. Something big was going to happen though I had no idea what. I was jerked back into those nightmares without warning.

It was as if I were pulled into a stranger's body. I was in an unfamiliar dark place, one not even from the century we were in. I held the lifeless drained body of a dead human girl in my arms, my fangs out and at their throat. I shoved the body away and cringed at the sight of myself. My arms and face were covered with their blood. I could feel my eyes burning red, like they always did at the blood lust and adrenaline that coursed through me when I felt my animal side gnaw at my insides. I futilely swiped at the thick rich blood spread over my mouth and lips, my anger boiling at the thirst I had for it. I screamed at the images encroaching into my already messed up brain. I had seduced the girl at a party. She came to me willingly, at the time it provided some comfort. I was already used to forcing my prey, if it came down to it then.

When it truly came down to it she cried for me to not harm her but using abilities of the mind a vampire had, I compelled her to obey. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks that were quickly draining of blood. Her last words were "Why me?" And I didn't give a shit in the world about her, not even one ounce of guilt entered me even as I killed her in cold blood. Not until her face changed, the girl's face blurred into Lexi's. Her pale jade green eyes accusing, laced with hatred and anger. Her colorless lips moved imperceptibly that I thought I was hallucinating. I moved closer, tears now staining my face and mixing with her blood. Her words were formed from a hoarse little whisper but they pushed daggers into my chest.
"I will never forgive you."

I felt when everything seemed to dissolve into darkness, the lights faded into nothingness and Lexi's crumpled body fell away from me. I knelt in that complete blackness feeling my tears flow while the numbness and pain ate away at me and my sanity. Seeping into the darkness was laughter, some cocky bastard's laughter. It sounded familiar. But I didn't care. Somehow through everything my nightmares had merged with reality, didn't they? Lexi was gone.

"Really dickhead, how pathetic can you get? To think that I'm actually you." The voice taunted, his voice completely sarcastic and arrogant. His familiar voice. My voice. I looked up to see that it was as a matter of fact, myself. Only my mirror image was...feral. That was the only word to describe it. It wasn't that my mirror looked disgusting or like a mess. There was just something about him that was more predator and animal than vampire nor even remotely human. His eyes glowed rust red, where my human looking canine teeth should have been was fangs instead. When I turned away from my mirror self and said nothing back, I felt strong fingers clutching the collar of my shirt to toss me across the dark space, hard. I felt like I hit an invisible. I coughed, choking on some air and crawled back on to my knees. I didn't feel like fighting back, I didn't feel like doing a thing.
"She's made you weak and useless. And she's nothing but low human trash." The Other spat viciously at me. I looked up at the other me hatefully. I clenched my fists but it still wasn't enough.

"Get the hell up and fight, Ian!" Lexi's voice screamed in my head, her strong stubborn voice ringing in my ears. I smirked at my own idiocy. This was a nightmare. Strong and detailed enough to know someone was behind it. The real Lexi would edge me to my death before I could even consider drinking from her, let alone kill her. I staggered to my feet, stretching my arms, loosening my muscles from the unsurprisingly powerful throw.
"She's as much trash as you are a frickin' saint, asshole." I retorted, a grin spreading across my face from the spiteful leer I was getting from the other me. He smirked callously and stepped closer.

"Being an asshole at least gets me to the top, you on the other hand, are as weak as and useless as a loyal puppy of a little girl. From the moment you started caring about every little human you lost all power over basically everything." He chuckled darkly while I practically emanated my vexation. Wow, I was a dick.

"Why would you give a shit anyway? Why the fuck are you even doing this anyway?" I shouted exasperatedly. He sneered and struck out at me all of a sudden, shoving me down to the ground. He pulled a knife from up his sleeve and pressed it deep into the flesh of my neck.

"Oh, there are reasons for all of this. But to get out of all this..." He waved casually at the darkness around them and then pointed to himself. He grinned the familiar cocky grin that I was so used to plastering on my own face. But in my other self's case, his grin was just cruel. "...you're gonna have to kill me. And that's not happening because I'm sure you know I hate losing and I'm not cool with being dead, so instead I'm gonna kick your weak ass and kill you." And with that the Other lunged his arm forward and stabbed the poisoned knife into my chest. Crimson layers of blood bloomed from the wound as I shoved my other self off me, as hard as I could. I leaped up and staggered back. I could already feel the wound in my chest healing but it still hurt like a bitch.

"This is going to be heaps easier than I thought. It's actually disappointing." He taunted smugly. His eyes sparked with dark exuberance and arrogance and his euphoric cruel grin widened as he lunged toward me with that damn knife again.