Rephaim

“Nyx,” he breathed, dropping to his knees before her.

“Ah, Repahim. I have been waiting for you,” the goddess smiled. Rephaim’s body shuddered under the weight of the air around him. A beautiful goddess. There were many, many tales that his father had entrusted Rephaim with about the goddesses might, about what it was like to be in her presence, and mostly about how evil she was underneath her mask of deception.

None of these tales could even begin to prepare the Raven Mocker for what divine beauty stood before him.

And none of the tales would compare to what he felt in her presence: certain unease in the hollow of his stomach, but mainly an increasing wonder. “Why?” was all he could manage to gape.

“I’ve been watching you closely, son of Kalona. I believe you have quite the potential. I think you can be happy, do good. But I had to see for myself. There is something inside of you that no other creatures of the night possess. You see, you have the shell of a monster, but ever since you’ve met my beloved Stevie Rae your core shines a bright Light. Only few have the gifts to see it, however, and that is your curse.” Rephaim thought of Stevie Rae and the black bull’s price, then to Delilah and her old-soul-eyes.

“Did you know the Red One before she became the Red One?” Nyx suddenly asked in the middle of her speech. Rephaim merely shook his head, feeling a pressure building up in his lungs. He couldn’t speak, not even if he tried. “Now, Stevie Rae with her blue tattoos was a lot like the little Stevie Rae you know, but I changed that. I took away her blue tattoos and sent her off with the more foul Red Vampyres. I had to see if she was strong enough for the power I had in store for her. When she was a Red Vampyre she was worse than the buffoons that stuck you on the roof. Did you know that? But with the help of her friends, she overcame the evil and the Darkness that I had let get at her, and she formed a barrier of Light around herself and all of her loyal fledglings. She overcame, and now she is High Priestess. Do you know where I am going with this, Rephaim?”

Rephaim shook his head, shocked at the information he was hearing. The thought of Stevie Rae’s past had never occurred to him before. The thought that she was evil in the past was all but impossible to comprehend. His Stevie Rae, evil? He laughed at that nonsense.

“You have to believe me, Rephaim. Now pay close attention. You see, you and Stevie Rae are not much different. You both have to break free. That’s why you met each other. Make sense?” he gave a feeble nod. Air was getting harder for him to find in the room. It felt as if someone were holding a pillow over his face.
“I give the hardest struggles to the ones with the mightiest power. The way they overcome is how I decide if they’re worthy. It’s like a big huge test. Sound cruel? Most would think so. But in a world of liars and betrayal I have to know for sure. I learned that the hard way, from your father. But I’m getting off topic here. Rephaim, I would like to welcome you to the test.”

With those words the Raven Mocker collapsed into a big, feathery heap before the goddess, gasping for air. “Goddess!” he pleaded. “What is happening to me?”
“I fear that you are dying, Rephaim.”
He lifted himself off the dirty floor, his eyes screaming for help. I don’t want to die…
“Look around you,” she took a few steps forward, her blazing light illuminating the filthy basement. It wasn’t long before his eye rested on two bodies in the corner. From this angle, Rephaim thought Stevie Rae looked even closer to death than he’d imagined. “I will grant you one and only one wish. It can be anything you’ve ever dreamed of. Just say the words, and your wish is my command.” She smiled knowingly.

In that very instant, Rephaim didn’t care about the test. He didn’t care about life or living. He was trapped in a rut, and there were two ways out. He could save himself and watch his one and only love die, or he could save her and die himself. The answer was all too easy.

Rephaim felt a huge weight settling over him. Something must’ve torn out his lungs for he could not find his own breath. With a great sadness in his heart, he looked to his beloved Stevie Rae one last time alive, and back to Nyx. He clutched to an image of her smiling and laughing and living and held it there for a moment so he could remember it for all eternity.

“Save her,” he gagged. “Make her well again. Let her live a long and happy life. Take my life as a replacement for hers. I wish for you to save my Stevie Rae.”

Nyx smiled at him. “The test is over.” Her voice was hollow, and Rephaim felt like he was floating on a vivid, beautiful dream cloud. He closed his eyes.
Inside, everything died. The shell of the Raven Mocker died. The fact that it once was the first and favorite son of Kalona died. The Darkness shriveled up and perished from the being. However, the Light and the humanity twitched and burst. They fed off the corpses of what once was and thrived. A great change happened inside of the beast. However from the outside all you could see was a smiling goddess standing nearby, and the faint, resplendent glow that emanated from the black feathers of what once was Rephaim the Raven Mocker.
A great black bull formed from the shadows of the room and went to stand by its master, chortling.
“I have met these two before. They are both different. They both have the traces of Darkness in them. However for whatever reason I can’t shake the feeling that my brother has something to fear from the pair. Especially now, goddess.”
“Yes. We have won this battle,” she gently stroked her majestic bull, her smile widening.
“With many more to come, dearest Nyx,” it replied, snorting.
“We’ll be ready.”

Stevie Rae

Her eyes opened slowly, almost afraid to see where she was. When they finally adjusted to the darkness, she took in the room, scanning everything. Absolutely nothing look familiar except the large Raven Mocker who had snuggled up into her back. She almost smiled before she realized that Rephaim wasn’t breathing.
“OH, Goddess!” she cried, quickly sitting up. There was a slight pressure in the back of her neck, however it was faint enough for her to think she imagined it. “NO!” No was the word. No response, no breath, no pulse. Nothing.

He was dead.
Before she knew what she was doing, Stevie Rae fell into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck and bawling. She flattened out some feathers on his chest that stuck out at awkward angles. She left a trail of wet kisses across his shoulder. The High Priestess sobbed.
He was gone.
She couldn’t believe it.
Suddenly, something red-hot flashed over her body, making her immediately pull away from Rephaim’s lifeless form. The heat built up in just seconds, and Stevie Rae felt as if she was sitting beside an open furnace. She didn’t have enough time to think before an insane light erupted from her former consort’s body. She shield her eyes from the blinding light and leaned as far from him as she could.
What in the name of Sam’s heck---?

When the light calmed into a small dim and the blazing heat cooled, Stevie Rae turned to see what had become of her Rephaim. In his place was a living, breathing beauty beyond immortal. A handsome Cherokee vampyre opened his breath-taking brown eyes, and the first thing Rephaim saw was her.
“Oh goddess… oh goddess… oh, oh…” she gaped like a fish out of water. “You’re… beautiful.” Stevie Rae found herself crying again, unable to control it. He parted his lips as if to ask her something, but Stevie Rae beat him to it. She pressed her lips to his urgently, showing him. It actually took him a long time to respond, not something the young Okie had expected. She pulled away to look at him.
Stevie Rae laughed at the look in his eyes. She couldn’t help it. It was the most priceless surprised look she would ever own in her memory, and she cherished it. There was nothing like seeing your boyfriend look so surprised it hurt your cheeks because you were laughing so hard at his expression. But it only took him another moment to decide his next move. Rephaim latched his arms around her head and brought her back into him. Her heart pitter-pattered faster than a humming bird’s wings, and she was free.

“I have always wanted to do that,” he said truthfully, looking dead into her eyes. Stevie Rae’s heart swelled. If she got any happier, she was afraid her heart would explode.
“Really?” was all she could say, and he nodded.
Stevie Rae began to look his face over, but stopped herself. What if it were all just some cruel dream and she had to wake up? Instead, she reached out her hand and gently brushed the pads of her fingers over the dark skin, tracing along the blue lines of his tattoos. They were smoky wisps that faded out along his jaw line, giving him a dark, masked look. In the shadows of the basement he looked eerily handsome.
Something was weird to her, though. The tattoos continued down the back of his neck, however these weren’t soft whips but thick, vine-like and thorny lines. They reminded Stevie Rae of a rose less rosebush, and they led all the way to two great black masses in the middle of his back. Her breath caught.
“What is it?” he asked, worried.
“You- you still have your wings,” she whispered back. Rephaim just beamed at her.
“Our goddess is very generous. She knew I loved my wings so she must have allowed me to keep them. I am very grateful--- Stevie Rae? What is wrong?” he asked her, seeing the look of sadness in her eyes.
“Nothing.” Something. Something terrible. Rephaim had his wings; he could still fly away from here and never look back. He could leave her forever. Here Alone.
“Tell me what is wrong.”
“I just- I don’t want you to…” she looked down at her hands, suddenly embarrassed. “Never leave me, okay? You have to promise.”
“Stevie Rae…” Rephaim didn’t even get another word out before he was cradling her in his arms. “I would never leave you. Ever.”
The priestess looked up into his gorgeous eyes, getting lost in them for a second. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He said the words with such a pure meaning that it hurt.
“Now everyone can see what I’ve seen in you for a long time,” she murmured. “Everything will be alright.” A shimmering doubt crossed her mind for a moment, but Stevie Rae was too happy to care. She refused to let it ruin her.

Rephaim
Rephaim had never felt so purely before. He nearly shook with the new emotion. He forgot everything: Kalona, his brothers, Darkness. He even forgot there was an entire world outside waiting for them until Stevie Rae had said something. Yes. Now he would be accepted. It was all he ever wanted and more.
She was all his.
And now he even had what she needed.
Thank you, Nyx, he prayed silently to himself. Thank you. How did he come to deserve what he was given? The answer came easy: he wasn’t given anything. He had yet to earn it, and he was more than okay with that. You will not be disappointed in me. He looked back to his Stevie Rae. So beautiful in his arms.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, unconsciously checking her neck.
“Better than ever. How ‘bout you?” the question caught him off guard.
“I feel… thirsty,” Rephaim’s reply surprised even him. She smiled up at him with her child-like smile, and once again he was reminded of how young she really was. He was dazzled by her as she cut open her wrist, the scent of it fueling his thirst. Rephaim took the offering without hesitation.
The taste was unlike anything real, exploding in his mouth and smoothly trickling down his throat. It filled him and quenched what he needed like no water ever had. However, what made him happiest was when Stevie Rae let out a sweet moan. It made him proud of himself for giving her such a great pleasure. He held her closer to him, spreading his wings so they formed some sort of protective barrier between them and the outside. His entire world was in sharp focus on Stevie Rae and every aspect of her.
Rephaim’s wonderful world dissolved before him just as Delilah spoke up. “What in the fruit basket is going on down here?”