The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness

- KATALEYA ~

"Necromancy is one of the deadliest abilities one can possess. One that no one on this earth should ever have been given access to. It doesn't just raise the dead. It twists the very basis of reality. It callously tears at the veil between life and death. Those who practice it aren't just summoning spirits. They, like Mama said, rip the spirits from eternal rest, warping their very essence into something vile and inhumane. The dead do not return as they were, but as hollow, tormented shadows, bound by the twisted will of the necromancer." His eyes seem to darken as he speaks, making the room suddenly feel colder. His voice sounding deeper... "And with each stolen soul, a price must be paid, with blood, sanity, or worse, with your own soul. The magic itself festers like a sickness, corrupting all it touches, and dragging its wielder deeper into madness. It is said that the more one commands death, the closer one comes to becoming part of it. Until they, too, are enslaved by forces beyond the grave, cursed to roam the void, neither living nor truly dead. To practice necromancy is to gamble with one's own soul and beliefs, and it is a wager no one wins." He blinks and I shiver, the temperature of the room seeming to return to normal. "Ahren..." Del says.

He gives her a smile, one that is an attempt at the one he usually does, but one that feels... different. Feels... older.

"That was depressing, but it's the dark truth. I know my opinion doesn't matter, but I do agree with Kataleya on this one. Rules are there for a reason, and I think such magic should never be used, even if it is by the commands of our leaders. I bet Leo would agree." He stretches, yawning, before he settles back against the wall and closes his eyes. "I'm sleepy..."

"Thank you, Ahren." His words weigh heavily on the room. "Does anyone want to say anything?" I ask.

Uncle and Delsanra shake their heads.

"No, you covered that perfectly, and Ahren too," Mama says.

"I want to say something... Well, two things," Raihana says. "First of all, Del, I'm sorry. In all that was happening, I selfishly forgot the impact on you. I know you will say there's nothing to forgive, so I'm going to make it up to you." Her words end in a whisper as she hugs Delsanra tightly. "Thank you for looking out for me. But babe, you need to do that without it being an expense to yourself. I'm sorry."

I smile as I watch them talk quietly, turning away to give them a moment.

"Can I just say I'm a big fan?" Skyla says to me. "You are awesome at this queen thing."

"Not really." I blush. "But thank you."

"Words well spoken," Royce adds.

I walk over to Enrique, looking up at him shyly. It's his approval I want the most. Our eyes meet and I can see the pride in them, without him even needing to say anything. My heart skips a beat, and I wrap my arm around his waist. He hugs me tightly, and I let out a little squeak when he squeezes my booty cheek. I keep my burning face buried in his chest, hoping no one saw, but I swear I heard a snicker.

Skyla... that girl.

"Liam." I hear Raihana begin. "I guess I owe you an apo-"

"No need. It's all good," Uncle replies.

"You know it's hard for me to apologise, so just take it. I'm sorry."

I pull away from Enrique in time to witness Uncle nod as he gives her a smile, and she returns it with one of her own.

There now, I'm glad that's all sorted!

"You're good at this," Enrique says quietly, looking down at me before he bends down and kisses my lips. I blush as I melt into his kiss. The way he holds me, the way he kisses me... it's perfect. Pleasure dances through me as I get lost in him until I hear a click of a camera, shyly pulling away and look over at Skyla who winks at me.

"Sorry, I had to. Zu is missing out."

Enrique frowns as Royce kisses her shoulder. "You get used to it," he speaks.

"I don't think I will," he growls before he turns to me. "I better head out; I'll be back as soon as I am done."

"Ok," I nod, watching as he lets go of me and turns, taking a piece of fruit from the breakfast tray. But it's at that moment that I notice something. On his perfect chiselled back, where I must have accidentally scratched him lightly in the shower, is a fresh cut, one that looks as if it was just made right this second.

My stomach plummets as I stare at it. The wounds I inflict heal at different rates depending on the person... The more darkness they hold within them, the longer it takes to heal, and that scratch barely nicked the surface... meaning Azarakh still has a powerful hold on him.

He turns to look at me, concern clear on his face. "Mi Amor?"

Can he see and hear everything through his eyes?

I smile and shake my head. "I'm ok, let's deal with everything quickly," I say, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. He holds me tightly, caressing my back for a moment before he nods at the rest and heads to the door. "Make sure you rest until the scan is done," he says to me.

"I'll come with you; you're going to the beach?" Ahren asks him.

"Yes, I could do with your help," Enrique replies, making Ahren grin.

"Of course," he says as Enrique leaves the room and he follows. "I hope you weren't too hard on your men for allowing me to help. I didn't really give them a choice..." The door shuts, muting out Ahren's voice.

Mama looks at me. "What happened, Kat? You look pale."

"The darkness is within him still."

"How do you-" Mama begins.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"A scratch I made hasn't healed..." I murmur.

"As we feared." Raihana sighs.

"So, the marking didn't completely dispel it," Royce muses.

"Are we all not going to ask how that scratch was made?" Skyla adds slyly. "I mean, we all knew you two were in the shower..." 5 "Skyla!" I blush.

"Sky, don't tease her," Mama chuckles.

I shake my head, making sure not to look at any of them directly. "But no, I think marking him just gave Enrique some

strength to fight it, but it didn't help much."

"What if completing the marking..." Skyla trails off, shaking her head. "That could be risky."

I nod slowly. "It might help, or it might make things worse. We have to wait it out. For now. There's still a risk that Azarakh will try to use me."

"Sounds fair." Delsanra agrees.

"Ok, so we need to locate Hugo," I say.

"Location spells, or just tracking him might help. I'm on it," Delsanra says.

"I'll join her," Royce offers.

I nod. "I feel he is an important part of all of this."

"Yeah, definitely. Azarakh is the goal. Once he's defeated, I think the rest of the crawlers will not be an issue," Skyla says. 1 "Mm, we will need to draw him out," Uncle says.

"Yeah, I agree, but that means we need to find a way to separate them. Kat's mark is helping keep him at bay, but who knows how long for." Skyla taps her chin thoughtfully.

"I feel like the Blood Moon will play a huge part," Mama adds quietly.

We fall silent for a moment before I frown slightly. "There are no what ifs anymore. We are doing this. Can someone call Jose and Carlos?"

Uncle nods before he leaves and tells someone outside. Once they arrive, I begin my plan of action. This is a mission and there's a deadline. There is no playing anymore, we don't know everything, but that's ok. We will work with what we know and keep looking for

more answers.

"The answer to destroying him will be found. The main thing is working together and in sync. Chaos breaks out and then there's no order. Enrique may not be able to take charge, so I will. We need to work as one. Ok, this is what we're going to do..." Brushing my hair back, I pick up my medical file, flip it over and begin drawing on the back of it.

I begin filling them in as I draw a map. "We will prepare for the approaching Blood Moon; something tells me it is the night everything will happen. The pack will be bathed in light, save one spot. It will appear to be a random spot, one that won't look dangerous at all. But it will be there that we will trap Azarakh."

"Do you think he'll show again?" Carlos asks.

"I know he will surface again; he wants to take over Enrique and I have a gut feeling that he will be strongest on the Blood Moon. Jose, are the wires all covered? We will need light."

"Yes, the electrical wires are all covered. No one will be able to get to them. Security will be armed to the max and there will be escape paths for everyone, but no one will come in blind this time. Everyone will be aware of the high chance of an attack," Jose answers. "Children, elderly and any others who are vulnerable will be kept safe."

"I'll also cast some spells, so the entire place will be bathed in light created by magic," Raihana adds.

"Also, we can put up barriers to the premises for the children and other vulnerable pack members," Delsanra says.

I nod, "Sounds good. So, we try to bring him here." I circle a spot on my rough drawing. "And when he's here, this is the spot we have traps prepared. Including magic ones, and some others. If we create the perfect cage of bright light, he has to remain within it." I continue.

Everyone nods as Raihana offers to get a plan of spells into place right away. Whilst Delsanra works on finding Hugo. Mama will work with the staff and Carlos to get the pack ready. Skyla will assess the area and have traps put into place. She will be the one to lure Azarakh/Enrique to that spot. She's fast, lithe and favoured by a goddess.

So is Royce, but he will be pretending to be busy elsewhere. We want Azarakh to underestimate Skyla. As for me, it's time I did my part too...

There's a knock on the door and I look up to see Doctor Elena standing there looking surprised at the number of people in here.

"I never realised the Luna had so many visitors, please let her rest. Now we need to take you for your scan. It's vital we do this as soon as possible. The scan will take a little time, and then I'm hoping Alpha Enrique will be back by the time I'm done," she says briskly, despite the clear sign that she knows she's in the presence of powerful people. She smiles politely to those who she passes, but she is a doctor and I am her priority.

I nod. "Thank you, Doctor." I glance at the rest, and Skyla waves her hand.

"Get better soon. For now, we'll work on this plan."

"Thank you everyone. We will succeed and rid ourselves of this problem once and for all."

A murmur of agreement passes through the crowd, and I leave the room with Doctor Elena. Although I'm assuming we have a few days until the Blood Moon, there is still the chance of the next attack happening sooner. Either way, we'll be ready.

And there will be no secrets from Enrique.