SWNOVELS Chapter The Covenant
The original Cassandra and I had come to an uneasy agreement, I would get to continue to go to school at least for the rest of the semester, and live my life with my mother and Ray— while whenever Lucas was around and after school if there was to be a date or outing with friends, I would hand over the reigns to the original Cassandra. I didn’t like it much— because we’d agreed not to spy or surface unless called for, which to be honest Cassandra did quite often in the beginning. The world the original Cassandra had lived in was drastically different from our own and she had constant questions about everything, from clothing, texting, to slang and even how to use a microwave. I had very few questions for Cassandra besides, what did you put me in, and where the hell did you take me last night?
I would wake up often in strange clothing, in unfamiliar places, lying on the ground, and feeling like I’d just been hit by a bus, my head pounding, my stomach growling… Cassandra assured me it was helping her formulate her plan to keep me from dying but I wasn’t so sure, what did partying this hard have to do with making a plan to save my life or rid her of the curse over our family? I’d asked once, and Cassandra told me that it was about making the right friends who could help save me, or whatever. Violet and her new husband Viktor Worthington were some of those friends, apparently. Violet and Viktor’s family owned a club downtown called Pumanara— where it seemed she’d been taking me once I let her take control of my body.
“You know it’s my body right?” Was my constant refrain when I’d see a tattoo appear on my body, or a new piercing, “and I don’t even want to talk about the clothes you put me in.”
“Actually, you’re the copy, so technically it’s my body.” Was the constant reply Cassandra threw back at me.
As weeks turned into months I began to lose patience and faith that Cassandra really did have a plan, that she was just living it up until it was D-day and was going to let me die, and now that we’d reached the eve of the date that both Cassandra and Lucas picked; I was feeling more frustrated than normal— and it was irritating to admit that I still hadn’t learned why Cassandra had chosen to love this monster, enslaving generations of my family to this awful curse. The one good thing about our arrangement was that I could sleep, and not have to deal with nasty hangovers or feeling sleep deprived, like all the other peeps who partied. I was alert and ready for each new day of classes and even though I was a transfer student I was getting top marks all of professor Flimheart’s classes.
“You would all do well to learn from Ms. Pirot’s example.” He would often remark after tests or handing in of papers. If only Professor Flimheart knew the truth… he’d no doubt be appalled by me.
“I did some digging yesterday, Violet’s husband? Viktor Worthington? He is Juliette Worthington’s son.”
“Yeah, so what?”
“I knew her when I was alive. I thought you might find that interesting. I was told that she’d died..”
Interesting? Heck yes, that was interesting, way more interesting than my finals had been. “How can she be alive still if you died almost six thousand years ago?”
“Something to do with her Father— Silvaneous.”
“But how is she still alive?” Why couldn’t she just give me a straight answer? I picked up my cat and hugged her, hopefully, my mom would take good care of her after I was gone.
“She’s a vampire.”
Of course, she was. My cat squirmed and I let her down, watching her disappear as she raced out of my room toward the kitchen where I’d started leaving her food so she would be used to it after I wasn’t here...
“Still, six thousand years, and she’s still alive. Someone lied to me. And if they lied to me about Juliette? I wonder if her brother is alive too…”
“And why would you want to know that?” I hadn’t heard Cassandra take an interest in anyone outside of Violet and Viktor— and anyone who Cassandra was interested in, could hold some sort of key to her past, something that might help me understand her and this curse.
Silence.
Frustrating that I finally got a small piece of info after all these months on the last day I could live a normal human life. Who was Juliette’s brother? I wanted to grab my phone and call Violet but I knew I couldn’t call Violet up because she might bring it up in conversation later when I wasn’t around and I couldn’t take that chance, so instead I called up the one person I missed most in the world, Melanie.
“Hey Mels,” I waited for a minute, Melanie and I hadn’t spoken since August. I’d tried calling before but she hadn’t answered and now that it was November I realized just how long it had been since I’d heard her voice, and how much I missed my best friend. “Come on Mels, please talk to me.” I swung around in my wooden desk chair, just as I had done all those months ago before all this craziness happened. I’d even pulled out my sketchbook and doodled a few flowers around the edge, I hadn’t drawn since before I’d started at Acroft.
In the background, Melanie sighed. “I’m still so mad at you. You don’t even know-”
“Mel, I don’t have a lot of time, so listen very carefully.” I’d never been curt with Melanie before but even now as I looked at the time I knew I only had minutes before Cassandra resurfaced and we talked about the ceremony that was happening tonight.
“Okay, what’s up? If you were hoping to grab a coffee I’m super sorry, but that’s out of the question, working this week, but I’m home for Christmas.”
“This isn’t about coffee.”
“Then what’s up?”
“You were right.”
“Well, that’s a first.” Mel paused, and her tone became hushed as if she was putting her hand over her face to purposely muffle her voice. “So you know the secrets of Acroft?”
“Yes. Are you whispering?”
“Perhaps. I can’t really talk about things openly here…”
“Look Mels, I should have waited till you got home to go to Acroft, but there are bigger things I have to worry about that predate me even learning about the school and its secrets, and I’m sorry, but I can’t go back and undo what I’ve done.”
“What’s wrong Cass?”
My heart ached that I couldn’t tell her about how I’d always been cursed or even that I was doomed to die, but had been so blessed to have her as a friend. “I can’t tell you, but I have a question.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Do you know who Juliette Worthington is?”
“Of course, I went to school with her son, Viktor— he’s good friends with Tom.”
Ah yes, the mysterious Tom who I still hadn’t been able to meet in person even though we were in the same small class… “Great. Can you tell me who her brother is?”
“Are you serious?” I could hear her walking down what sounded like a narrow hallway, her voice echoing slightly.
“Very.”
“Excuse me, Miss Melanie, I’m afraid I must ask you to return to the servant’s quarters. This area is restricted to kitchen staff only.”
“I’m so sorry Mr. Pierre, I didn’t mean to step outside of bounds. I’ll head back now.”
“Mels? You still there?”
“Sorry Cass, I was trying to get outside, but I’m only allowed down the servant’s hallways— and they are tricky to navigate, and I just had a run in with one of my bosses and he’s slightly terrifying, but I’m still here. Look, I don’t know why you need to know. Stay out of this world Cass— it’s dangerous, and knowledge is dangerous.”
How true that was. “I need to know Mels. It’s important. I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t.”
“Oh God, you’re not messed up in vampire crap, are you? I’ll call Tom, I’m sure you can hide out at his place if you need to.”
“No, of course not. Don’t be ridiculous, I’ve tried to stay as far away from them as possible.”
“Then, why do you need to know?”
“If you don’t tell me, I have to go right now. I’ll find out some other way, but it would be easier if you just told me.”
“Fine. Lady Juliette’s brother is Marcus Steinheart. I work for him and his family on their estate.”
Wait, what? Melanie worked for a vampire family who might be over six thousand years old? “Who is he?”
“Who is he?? He’s like the king of the North American Vampire Coven. He’s bad news if you get caught in his way. I’m just lucky enough his daughter tolerates me or I wouldn’t be in a good place.”
“He has kids?”
“Yeah— two who are almost teenagers and will be starting at Acroft High next Fall and a few others that I’m not allowed around. Why?”
“I’m just writing a paper,” I lied. “Do you know how old he is?”
“No clue, and what paper? I doubt prof. Flimheart would make you write a paper on the Steinhearts, he hates them, as do most of the shapeshifters, fae, werewolves, and Nephilim, especially the Nephilim. Do me a favor and stay away from them, they are like the worst possible news. Got it?”
And the reason you didn’t tell me all this before was? “Mels, I have to go.”
“No— wait, we haven’t talked in a long time. I miss you! Can we hang out over your Christmas break? You can tell me all about this problem you’re having that you won’t actually voice. Is it a werewolf? You can tell me.”
“No, no werewolves.”
“Good, cause they are super unpredictable.”
“I miss you too.”
“Stay away from anything that goes bump in the dark, kay?”
“Bye Mels.” I hung up the phone and good thing too because just like that Cassandra surfaced. I glanced at the clock on my desk, five thirty on the dot, and the car would be here at six, I had half an hour to get ready and say goodbye to my old life.
“Good morning lovely. What did I miss?”
“Nothing.” I pushed off my chair and walked toward my full-length mirror, Cassandra loved looking at herself, and I knew if I didn’t walk over to the mirror she would never let it go.
“How boring your little life is, all this ‘nothing.’ You really should learn to live a little.”
I rolled my eyes, what did ‘live a little,’ mean to Cassandra?
“Are you ready? Tonight is the night.” Cassandra sang in a high voice. I should have never introduced her to Imagine Dragons… “for all the sinners and the saints…”
“And you’re the sinner and I’m the saint?”
“You better believe it. Now, I do believe we’re supposed to switch places?”
“If we must.” I looked around my room one last time. I wouldn’t be coming back here after tonight. Cassandra had moved much of my things that I was super sentimental about to a room that would be mine under St. Mary’s, but I’d left the majority of things here— besides I didn’t know how long I would even be alive once Lucas made me his own, impregnating me with his demon spawn.
“Stop being so sentimental! And I promised you that you would survive, remember I have a plan.”
“Yes, a plan which you still have yet to tell me.”
“Better if you don’t know. Now let me out, I have to get us ready for a wedding. Time is ticking, I think you’ve already wasted two full minutes with your moping about your future. You should be focused on the ceremony, and then the taking.”
Ah yes, ‘the taking,’ of my virginity and if he was successful, my life. I stared at my reflection, I didn’t know the girl who stared back at me, who was she?
“Cassandra!”
“Alright. Geez.” I retreated into myself while the original Cassandra climbed out and took center stage. “Patience never killed anyone you know.”
“That’s not true.” Cassandra walked us over to my wardrobe closet and pulled out a garment bag that had been wedged near the back behind a bunch of sparkly dresses Cassandra had picked up from some dress shop. “And now I finally get to wear this.” She unzipped the bag slowly and pulled out a white chiffon dress.
It was rather simple and plain for a wedding dress— but then as I had discovered, they hadn’t used to have special dresses for getting married. Indeed getting married back in the day had literally been exchanging of goods with the girl’s parents, a meal with friends and family— and off you would go to seal the deal.
“Isn’t it wonderful!” Cassandra took it off the hanger and spun around with the dress.
“Yes, it’s lovely.”
“Of course it is, I picked it up.” She stripped out of the denim jeans and blue plaid shirt I’d been wearing at my finals earlier today and pulled the dress on. The sweetheart neckline showed off just enough cleavage to make Cassandra happy and I sigh a sigh of relief, at least it wasn’t just fig leaves covering my breasts as she had originally wanted, it was a full beautiful albeit simple wedding gown. She scooped my hair into a very messy bun and tucked in white carnations throughout while humming some tune I didn’t know.
“Uh, and how are we getting past mom and Ray looking like this?”
“Good question, I mean it would have been good if I hadn’t thought about it before today. I bought them a couples massage from SPA Utopia. They won’t be back for hours— and by the time they are, we’ll be long gone. Cassandra picked up a red lipstick and pumped her lips. “Now, we’re ready!” She winked at herself in the mirror and blew a kiss.
The ringing doorbell a few moments later told me it was six o’clock. It was time. It was time, and I wasn’t ready. I wished with all my heart that I could get out of this, or that Cassandra would tell me her plan, or a part of her plan so at least I would feel more confident about my chances.
“Look, darling,” Cassandra began as she slipped on a pair of red heels under the dress, “I know you’re anxious about the taking.” She left my room and began walking towards the front door. “If it get’s too much for you at any point just completely ‘tap out,’ okay? I’ve been married three times, so none of this is new for me, and as much as I hate myself for it— I still have feelings for the wretched man. I’m sure he won’t mind, as long as you carry his child to term he won’t even bat an eye.”
It was strange for me in that moment. I felt Cassandra’s sympathy wash over me, which was an emotion I had yet to feel from her. “Thank you.” It was good to know that at some point Cassandra had, had a heart.
“Yeah, yeah— you’re welcome.” Cassandra pulled open the door, and there waiting was Mark, in a black suit. For a moment Cassandra just stood there, her eyes glued to Mark.
“Ahhhh, hello, can we get a move on? I thought you didn’t want to be late?”
Mark stared just as intently at Cassandra, which seemed so odd, what was even happening?
“You’re not the same Cassandra that I know. Who are you?”
There was a beat of complete silence.
“You’re right. I’m not her. I’m me, the original Cassandra at your service.”
“Cassssss… we’re not supposed to tell anyone you’re in my mind! It could be dangerous knowledge, isn’t that what you, yourself said?”
“But that’s not possible. The original Cassandra died in childbirth.”
“Yes, I did.” Cassandra shut the door, “shall we go?”
“But that means you’re-”
“I am.” Cassandra began to walk down the steps toward the back limo, Mark following close behind.
WHAT was going on here?
“It’s an honor to meet you.” Mark nodded and opened the limo door for Cassandra.
“Yes, I hope we shall have many conversations in the future.” Cassandra slid into the limo, followed by Mark.
“Drive,” Mark signaled the driver as we pulled away from the curb and entered traffic. “I suppose it’s some grand secret of Father’s? No, don’t answer that.”
“Cassandra, what is going on?”
“I never thought I would meet my son.”
If I could have surfaced right then I would have and asked Mark how it was possible he was six thousand years old when he looked like he was seventeen, but Cassandra held a tight rein and I couldn’t have swapped places with her even if I tried.
“You have another son, mother, my twin— Christopher.” Mark paused, “am I allowed to tell him you’re alive?”
“How about we keep this our little secret.”
Mark nodded, as the limo slowed to a stop. “Very well, mother. You have my word.”
The limo door opened and Topher was there ready to lend Cassandra a hand out of the limo. “You’re late.” He hissed.
I stared at Topher and Mark— so the original Cassandra had died giving birth to these boys— well now I knew a little bit more of her story, but what I wanted to know was why she had ever started anything up with Lucas in the first place, and who this Marcus Steinheart was.
“My apologies.” Mark muttered, “it’s my fault.”
The three of us walked through the cemetery along the rough hewn stone path, I wanted to stop and pay respects to my great grandmother, and it seemed even Cassandra did too, but Christopher hooked Cass’s arm and redirected us toward St. Mary’s Cathedral.
“Father has been waiting a very long time for you,” Mark whispered. “And I never thought I would get to meet you.”
“Stop talking pittle pattle Mark. You’re starting to sound as old as you are. Look, Dean Melrose has been asking if I would return to Acroft as the guard in the Fall, the oldest Steinheart’s start school and they’re a tad anxious about their safety. I’m taking him up on his offer. You can be the one to do Father’s bidding for a change.”
We’d finally reached the massive wooden doors to the Cathedral, I felt my heart fluttering like a little bird, and realized that Cassandra was just as nervous as I was— that my fluttering heart was not just my emotions but her’s as well.
“Fine. Why don’t you take over now? I’ll let Dean Melrose know.”
“What are we waiting for?” Cassandra’s voice came out in a squeak.
“Are you ready?” Mark offered his arm, which Cassandra took.
“Yes.”
“Toph, you want to open these doors then?”
Topher nodded and pushed in the doors, and walked into the candle lit space. I couldn’t see much of the interior of the Cathedral from where we stood, especially since the evening light in November wasn’t that great in the first place.
“Whatever happens Mama, I’m here for you.” Mark patted Cassandra’s arm and we began to walk forward, each step taking us deeper into the recesses of the ancient church, which was flooded with two things— one being candlelight and the other, Nephilim, their wings beating the air softly, causing the dust to rise and descend creating a sparkling effect in the orange glow of the room.
We moved up the aisle and toward where Lucas stood clothed in white, casting a soft glow of his own. Beside Lucas stood Topher and a man in priestly robes. The beating of the wings matched my heartbeat, telling me that I would have always ended up here, that this was my destiny— and even as my hand was put into Lucas’ I wanted to against the overwhelming urge to give up and give in.
“If you will do me the honor,” the priest began, “of joining me around the table of rites, Lord Lucas, Lady Cassandra, Mark, and Christopher, then we shall begin.”
The fluttering of the wings stopped as if they had been waiting for this moment.
“As you know, this woman has been destined for this man, Lucas Farrelli, since the beginning of time.”
There was a thrashing of wings from behind us in agreement.
“And now she is ready again for her Lord and Master. I stand here to witness this ceremony for the last time, and yet for this version of Cassandra it is the first time.”
I shivered. This better be the last time.
The priest took a white candle and lit it, handing it to Mark, “we call on the wind.” A gust of wind filled the Cathedral. “The water,” he lit another candle and handed this one to Christopher, as rain sprinkled down, in the church. “The earth,” he passed me a candle and nothing happened, I was almost glad. “And lastly fire,” he passed a candle to Lucas and for a moment the whole room was engulfed in flame and yet did not burn up. “For wind and water witness and testify that this union is true—while the earth meets the fire and becomes one with him forever in the bonds of matrimony. Until death do us part.”
“Amen.” There echoed in a deep unison as all the Nephilim agreed with the priest.
Until death do us part. Yes— and this time it would be permanent, no longer would he be able to kill any more members of my family.
“And now we light the unity candle, to signify our agreement.” The priest put a fat purple candle in the middle of the table and we all lit it together with our candles. “To finish this ceremony we give some of our life’s blood to seal it forever.” The priest pulled out a chalice and a small knife as each one of us held out our arms and some blood dripped into the chalice. “By blood we live, by blood, we have sworn, you are two— that will become one. Thank you wind, we thank you water, we dismiss you earth and put you out fire until we again need your approval in another matter.” The priest paused. “It is done.”
There were no words for how weird a wedding ceremony this was, no rings, no you may kiss the bride, no bouquet toss or rice throwing— just the sound of wings and stomping on the ground.
“Thank you.” Lucas nodded at the priest, who had packed up his things and had already started out of the Cathedral, obviously not wanting to wait around any longer than necessary— which is how I felt. “And now my dear, you are finally mine again.”
I wanted to puke. “Cassandra?” No response, but I knew she could hear me.
Lucas’ wings folded out from his back and wrapped around me. “It’s time to make you fully mine.”
“Cassandra!” Her heartbeat spiked and I couldn’t tell if she was afraid, or excited, but I realized I didn’t want to remember a bit of the rest of this night.
“I can’t wait to ravish you, my beauty.”
“Ew, gross. EW… Okay, remember you said that I could ‘tap out’ if I needed to? Well, I’m not sticking around for this. I’m tapping out.” Everything around me faded as I retreated further into myself, allowing the original Cassandra to take full control—the last thing I saw was Lucas flying us through a dark corridor and into a room with a massive green four poster bed, then everything went dark.