A Price

"I won't ever forget you and maybe that is the only forever the two of us together were ever meant to have"                 - S. L. Gray

Narissa's POV

"There's no point chasing her dear, just wait for her to return" Lucian tried convincing me
"No, if I can intercept her before she even finds the mutt then I can bring her home, wash her head out of all this mating and bonding shit" I said simply, packing everything I'd need for my journey.

He sighed
"But you will come back?" He asked
"Of course I will" I promised
I loved Lucian. Sure we had our... arguments
But he was just intense. Sometimes that was a good thing. A really good thing.

But right now my focus was on Raven
She needed dragging home and getting some sense knocked into her
If Sin was too ungrateful for my care then I'd have to focus it all on my girl
"I'll be back in a few days, maybe even less" I said
He nodded
"And we'll find a way to keep you with me. Properly" he said determined, ghosting his hand across my cheek.

But I felt nothing. Being a ghostly form was the worst.
"Mm, soon my love" I said

Raven's POV

Purgatory was a damn long way from hell
The journey was long and tedious and I'd only been travelling for an hour or so.
I needed a cart. Walking will take forever
So I tried to flag down one of the carts passing down the long stretch of road ahead.

Eventually. One stopped.
And a woman opened the door, another sat at the front of the cart, holding the horses
"Where you off to sugar?" The one at the front asked, holding the horses at the reins
Her flowing dress, slick blonde hair and mass amounts of jewels and crystals around her neck told me she was a witch.

They both were
"Purgatory" I said simply
"Ah well we're heading that way aren't we Mo?" The blonde woman said happily
The other woman looked me up and down, her hair was pulled back into an expensive looking hairpiece, feathers dangling from her dark strands.

"Sure, hop on... demon" she said blankly
"Raven" I clarified, she nodded
"Mona. That's Ravana" she introduced, nodding to the blonde, who simply smiled before nudging the horses along again, setting us off.

I sat down inside the cart, dimmed light, tapestry's and crystals all around me.
"So, where you from?" Mona asked
"Hell" I said simply
She rolled her eyes subtly
"Mhm, which part?" She asked.

"Uh... the castle" I said
"The castle? What are you then? A lady? A baroness? You're too done up to be a maid" she inquired
"Castle. That's it" I said simply
She shrugged
"Okay okay, little frosty aren't you?" She commented.

"Cautious" I corrected
"Well, different question then, what are you going to purgatory for?" She asked
"I could ask the same thing" I replied
She shrugged
"We're going for some souls, there's always the lonely few that never make it out. They're... beneficial towards our work" she explained.

"Your work?" I asked
"Yes. But as I understand it, this is the part where you answer the question" she said, titling her head slightly
I gritted my teeth slightly.

"I'm looking for someone" I said
"Ah, that's all purgatory is nowadays, people searching for loved ones" she commented
"He's not a loved one" I said simply, I didn't want them thinking that. Micah was... Micah isn't a loved one to me.

I'm not sure what he is to me to be honest with myself.
"Okay, not a loved one. Got it" she said.

•

The gates of purgatory were... ghastly
Dark.
And as the horse and cart finally neared, we stopped.
"This is where you get off koráki" Mona said.

'Little crow'

"You don't go in?" I asked
"We wait, souls are forever vanishing from the abandonment they suffer in death, we wait... and then we help them reach peace" Ravana explained as she climbed into the cart, her blonde hair flailing behind her as she searched for something.

"Right. Okay then" I said, getting up to leave
"Good luck" Ravana said excitedly
I got out, walking up to the gates
Only to be met with a woman.

Really? Another obstacle to get through?
Can't I just walk in, get him and leave?
"Can I help you?" She asked softly
"I need to get in" I said bluntly
She smiled
"Clearly, what is the purpose for your visit? We don't normally let people in" she said amused.

"Normally" I echoed
"Yes. You're the princess of hell are you not?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.
"I am not a princess. How do you know me anyway?" I asked skeptically
"I am the gate keeper, I know everyone" She said softly.

"Right, well I'm... I'm looking for someone" I offered. I didn't want to tell her my business
"The wolf?" She asked
"How do you-"
"Gatekeeper" She said simply
"I know. Everyone" She clarified.

"And everything clearly" I said back
"It is my job to know every soul that passes through my parts. I can let you in. It is in the fates that you enter my realm" she said

"In the fates? What did they tell you?" I asked
"They tell me what is needed for the world to keep on moving. I am allowed to let you enter. It is leaving that will cost you a price Princess" she said.
Why is everything so fucking sceptical?

"What kind of price?" I asked. I had nothing on me.
"Something of value. Something rare and treasured to you" she said, turning around towards the gate
"I don't have anything to my name" I said.

She glanced over her shoulder
"You have more than you think Princess" she alluded, throwing her arms out and opening the grand gates before us
The screeching of souls and the winds of purgatory greeting me.

"I wish you great fortune on your journey Raven" she said
I looked at her
"I never told you my name" I said
She tapped the side of her head
"Gate keeper" she reminded

I rolled my eyes
"Whatever. What price must I pay to leave then?" I asked, taking a step forwards
"That will come later young one" she said simply, out stretching her arm for me to walk inside.

"Why not now?" I asked curiously
She tapped the side of her head again. I gave up
I didn't need to be weighed down by her cryptic riddles. I walked ahead, coming into a scenery of trees and fields, littered with flowers and lakes.

It looked like a paradise, but with a dull undertone of death lingering in the air
Huts set up all over the place
Lost souls wondering the moors before me
I set off determined, Micah was here somewhere.

And someone had to have seen him. Or knew where I could find him.

Micah's POV

Levi had been running around for hours, passing creatures I had never seen before
Only ever heard of in tales
Passing other ghosts and souls wandering through the woods I had found.

Now Levi had settled us under a tree, right by the lake where all the mermaids and nymphs congregated.
I wanted Raven. All we could think about was her.
But we had to stop, we were too tired from all the running and pacing and thinking.

And the pain tearing through my heart was unbearable.

I feel so constricted. I don't know where I am. And I don't know how to find her.
Find her
We can't. I don't know where to go
We need mate!

Raven's POV

Hours of wandering around had led me to this door
The door of some nymphs people had seen carrying a man back to their house
They liked it apparently, nursing the new souls.

I think it's just plain weird. But if they had my-... if they had Micah, then I needed to speak to them.

A woman opened the door, her fiery red skin greeting me as white eyes bore into mine
She looked me up and down
"A demon" she said in fascination
It was rare for a demon to end up in purgatory, very rare.

They would only appear for business or in the rare cases that a demon was... good.

The mere thought sent shivers down my spine.
"I need to come in" I said bluntly, I didn't have the energy to play their little games
Fairies and nymphs loved games, they were all the same
Mischievous.

"Of course" she said kindly, a wide smile on her face as she opened the door wider
I stepped in, and three other women were sat on the wooden floor, crowded round a young man who was unconscious.

"He came from earth, a human" the green skinned fairy spoke up in excitement
But where was Micah?

"Who is she?" The blue one asked, standing up
"A demon" the red one said eagerly
"A demon? What is a demon doing round these parts?" She asked, crossing her arms
"Looking for someone" I said simply, looking around the room, there was a door to my right.

"And who might this someone be?" The purple one asked, cradling the mans head into her lap
"A wolf"
"Wolves? Why... we've had no wolf come through here have we girls?" The red one asked, looking around.

They all shook their heads
"No, afraid not"

I glanced back to the door
Before making a move to open it
"What are you doing?" The blue one said, rushing across the room towards me
But I had already swung it back, and there... in the room before me lay bodies

Bodies of the souls that passed through purgatory. They were... nursing them?

"We like to aid the weak" the red one offered, shutting the door and pushing me back into the room they were in
"Did you... aid a wolf?" I asked annoyed
They were liars. It was in their blood to lie.

"No, otherwise we would have said" the green one said, clearly exhausted with the conversation
Fairies had an odd attitude
They loved to play. But they hated boredom.

And clearly... I was boring them.

"Most of those bodies. They're human" I said matter of factly. Red nodded
"Humans are... better targets" she answered
"Targets? Thought they were weak souls in need of your aid?" I asked accusingly.

"Yes. But every now and then. A human soul can be good for the complexion" the purple girl spoke up, white eyes staring into with a fiery glint, I sighed
I was done with their foolish shit
"Okay. You girls like games right?" I asked, raising my arm.

"Then let's play a game" I said, firing a ball of fire towards the red one, my entire body breaking out into my demon form
They all screamed, clambering up from the ground and running to huddle together

"You cannot use demon powers in this realm. It is not possible" the green one screamed at me, as the red girl lay on the floor, burnt. Coughing and choking on the smoke rising from her simmering hair.

"Not unless you're... a royal" they all stared at me shocked.
I internally sighed
Can I just kill them already?
We need to find Micah

Find mate.

The voice. That voice.
My... wolf.

Narissa's POV

"She's already in there?" I asked annoyed, Lucian levitated above me in a cloud of smoke through our connection.
He was sat on his throne, looking rather concerned.

"Afraid so my dear, she got picked up by some witches, got there quicker than we expected" Lucian informed me
"Well what am I supposed to do now? I'll have to go in after her!" I huffed.

Purgatory was a shit heap
Full of blubbering souls, ravenous feeders and the 'peace and tranquillity' gatekeeper always floating around.

"Do whatever you need to, I'll clear the fee" Lucian said confidently
"I can't ask that of you" I said
She was my daughter. My mess to clear up.
"You can, I rule hell dear, I own nearly all the treasures that exist, one of those will surely gain you entrance" he said.

"Okay" I said
"Thankyou my love" I said gratefully, before the smoke cloud disappeared and I was left peering at the long road ahead of me
I'm coming Raven.

And I'll drag you home if I have to.

Vote and Comment
Thoughts???

•