13. Cherise

Chapter thirteen

Cherise

Early Morning Christmas Day

I hold my blade high, ready to strike at a moment’s notice if Will’s bold enough to try anything. “What have you done to Nik?” I snarl, never once taking my eyes off of the bad man before me—my tormentor at not only the Silent Night Asylum, but from my childhood.

With the blade in his hand, Will gestures toward Nik, holding his hand outstretched with a wide, toothy grin. “Oh, that sigil on the floor? It traps demons. Renders them powerless while inside the circle.”

“I didn’t know you were expecting guests from Hell, Ashcroft. If I had, I would have brought a gift,” Nik interjects, his tone dripping with arrogance.

Will runs a hand through his wavy, shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair, his blue eyes locking onto Nik. “Don’t you realize you’ve brought us the greatest gift this Christmas?” he says with a low, rasping laugh, angling the blade toward me before turning it back to Nik. “Not only did you return my psychotic niece to me, you unknowingly gave us something far greater—you.”

I stumble back slightly at his confession, and a shaky gasp passes my lips. “You’re my uncle?”

“You’re an Ashcroft?” Nik yells out behind me at the same time.

I half-shrug and scoff. “Clearly, I had no idea, Nik. You saw that memory just like I did—the one where they were planning to sacrifice me. I guess this just confirms it.”

“It would seem so. What was your niece’s first name, Willy Boy? Would you be a dear and remind her, she’s been dying to claim it.” I tsk at Nik’s blatant lie; he’s way more adamant about learning my true name than I am.

Will steps closer, and I instinctively take a step back. He tilts his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “Oh, my poor niece is still struggling with her memories? I suppose I must have hit her a little too hard over the years—especially on the night she was meant to die. I heard you were left a bloody mess on the cold, hard floor before your miraculous escape. A true fucking miracle that was, indeed.”

I raise an eyebrow. That little piece of information feels like the final piece of the puzzle, resonating in every fiber of my being. The scar on my abdomen tingles, and I trace my fingers over it, feeling its presence through the fabric of my dress.

“Those two idiots Branson and Scryer left you alone for five minutes as you bled out from fatal wounds, and when they came back for your corpse—all that remained was a pool of blood staining the tile. Tell me, niece, how does one on the brink of death get up and walk away?” Will sneers, his voice low and murderous.

I nervously bite my bottom lip, trying to recall that night. But like so many of my erased memories, they’re buried deep beneath my scars, just out of reach. I shouldn’t have listened to my small friend. “I… I don’t know,” I whisper. “What did I do to all of you? Why do you and Daddy want me dead?”

With a shout, Will takes two steps forward. His eyes are wild, shimmering with a chilling intensity like a stormy sea that’s ready to devour and drown its unsuspecting victim.

I am a victim of Will Ashcroft no longer.

“You and your cunt of a mother were supposed to be long dead, ten years in the fucking making. You, just like the rest of my brother’s children that had a few too many screws loose, were to be sacrificed to the Devil. It was your duty to protect this family. You are an abomination in the eyes of God!” he screams with enough force that his face turns red, spittle flying from his mouth. “You ruined our sacrifice that night, and your father couldn’t bear to look upon your failures any longer. So, instead, he shipped you both away to that asylum where I could enact my everlasting revenge upon you until you started fighting back. You were no longer any fun to play with, and you didn’t shed those pretty tears for me that I used to love. So, your father gave me the okay to end you. I sent those two goons after you, and they fucked up royally.” He laughs maniacally, flicking his tongue over his yellow-stained canines. “I knew you would be coming for me; it was painfully obvious after we found the way you mutilated Jack Scryer. All we had to do was follow your trail of bodies to find you, and when we found what was following you… well. It made you so much more interesting, little niece.”

I can’t breathe. My heart pounds loudly in my ears, rendering me unable to speak. My outstretched hand that holds my new blade trembles slightly, and I exhale a shaking breath. “Are you saying my mother is alive? Whose body did I find that day? And what the hell does Nik have to do with anything?” I shriek.

Will paces back and forth, his eyes trained steadily on my trembling hand. “I told you that you’re a lunatic. When your father found you in your bedroom after you ruined the Rite, you were sobbing over the dead housemaid—referring to her as your mother. It was always so fun to play on your delusions—you’re so easy to manipulate.” He stops pacing, darting a glance at Nik with a feral grin. “As for The Saint, you’ve brought us the very thing we feared most. We knew he’d follow you here; his sick obsession with you led him right into our clutches. So, not only do we finally get to end your miserable existence—we now have a demon to do our bidding. The world will not only cower in fear of The Saint, but the Ashcrofts. We will control everything with his help. And he will have no choice but to obey. For delivering what we truly seek, I will make your death quick.”

Nik growls behind me, a chilling sound that seems to rise from the depths of Hell, reverberating inside this tiny room. “I will never obey you. And Cherise is going to fucking rip you apart. The Ashcroft’s power over Lockwood will all come tumbling down by my little reaper’s hands.”

Will snorts a laugh. “It’s hilarious that’s the name you chose to call yourself.” His eyes darken a shade, burning right through me. “The binding ritual is already in process, Nik. Once I deal with this little nuisance, we’ll have some real fun with you and your little army of devil imps.”

An uncontrolled giggle bubbles up from my chest, starting softly and rising in pitch. Hearing him threaten Nik makes my blood boil. Everything about this family reeks of pure evil. I cock my head and bring my blade to my mouth, licking the length of the metal with a high-pitched, almost musical, laugh. Will gives me an incredulous look, shaking his head. Without saying another word, I lunge for him.

Adrenaline ignites the fury coursing through my veins. The pain I’ve endured on my journey for revenge surges into a powerful crescendo of determination. I cannot fail. With every swing of my blade in his direction, he accurately dodges while stepping back. I continue my advance on him, and the only thing on my mind is sinking my blade deep into his disgusting flesh. I will show him what crazy really looks like, and then I will burn this entire fucking estate to the ground. The only Ashcroft that will be leaving this house tonight is me.

For my mother. For all the lives sacrificed in the name of “duty.” For Nik. For me… I will have my revenge. The horrific legacy of the Ashcroft name will wither and perish at my hands and the edge of my candy cane blade.

Will slashes his blade through the air with lethal precision. I drop low, narrowly avoiding the sharp whistle of the knife as it slices just above me. Seizing the moment, I spring up, driving my foot hard into his groin. Will buckles over with a pained grunt. With a guttural shout, I slam him against the wall and drive the blade into his chest. My body jerks at the force of the strike, but I ignore the sharp sting radiating from my abdomen. Leaning in close, my sneer deepens as I whisper through gritted teeth, “I’ll see you in Hell, asshole.”

Will’s lips warp into a wicked smile. “I plan on it. If you think killing me will save your cunt of a mother or your precious demon, you are gravely mistaken, little niece. The beginning of the end has just begun.”

I yank the knife from his chest, and Will hisses through clenched teeth. Warm blood seeps over my hand, still pressed against him. His hand twists, and the burning in my abdomen flares, scorching through me like wildfire. But I press on. I won’t stop—not until I see the light fade from his eyes. “Good thing you won’t be alive to see it,” I sneer.

Blinding white light blurs the edges of my vision, and I blink frantically, trying to clear it. With a throaty scream, I stab him again and again, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Fuck him. Fuck them all. I drive the blade into each eye, and blood sprays across my face. His lips part, blood gurgling from his throat, but I don’t stop. My knife keeps plunging—relentless, until there’s nothing left but silence.

With one last scream, I drag the blade across his throat, watching his tainted essence spill down his chest, soaking his clothes. My breaths come in ragged heaves, and I stand there, staring at his lifeless body marred with stab wounds.

“Cherise?” I hear Nik croak out. “You did it, little reaper. I knew you could.”

I stumble back, and Will’s body crumples to the floor in a bloody heap. As the adrenaline begins to fade, the pain in my stomach rips me apart. I turn to face Nik, his beautiful smile beaming with pride, slowly fading as his eyes land on the source of my pain.

“No, no, no! Cherise, baby, look at me.” I flick my eyes to him, and dizziness wracks through me—my balance fumbles. “You need to get me out of this sigil. You have to break it. I can heal you; just focus on me, okay?” His voice is desperate and fearful, and a slight tremble echoes in his words.

I nod my head and drop to my knees. Pain sears my skin, and my insides feel like they’re churning. My stomach feels bloated and raw. I stare down with raspy breathing and reach out to grab the handle of Will’s blade that’s nestled deep into my abdomen, directly on my scar. I yank on the blade, ripping it free from my body as blood shoots out along with it. The taste of blood coats my tongue, and the more I stare at the blood racing out of the wound, the more lightheaded I become.

“I need your name—your first name. Please! Fuck!” Nik’s frantically trying to escape the sigil that binds him within the circle’s border, his full demon form on display, his muscles straining his clothes with each heavy breath he takes. “You can’t die! Not without giving me your name, baby. Stay with me. Take the knife and stab the circle; that’s all you gotta do.”

My face drains of color as I collapse to the floor, my hand reaching out toward him. My demon. My savior. My everything. A desperate ache pulses through me—I long to touch him one last time, to feel his lips against mine. He was supposed to be mine forever, but my revenge came at a price. “Thank you for staying with me, Nik. I’m sorry… I don’t remember my name,” I whisper, as blinding white floods my vision, the edges bleeding crimson.

Nik’s shouts of rage and terror fade, swallowed by the rising tide of white noise. Sinister whispers, dripping with wicked intent, invade my mind. Among them, one voice cuts through the chaos, clear and commanding. “You’re ready.”

Niklaus

Lucifer fucking damn it. Not like this. She is fucking MINE. Lucifer, you cannot claim her yet! I need her soul, I need her name, I need her to fucking live. I’ve never in all of my existence felt this deep-rooted fear consuming every ounce of my mind as I watch Cherise lie there, blood pooling around her on the floor, her eyes rolling in the back of her head. Her breathing is slow and uneven. Soon, she will take her last breath, and there’s nothing I can do to stop that from happening.

I drop to my knees, defeated and hopeless while I’m stuck in this fucking binding circle. “Please, hold on. Stay with me. Come back to me!” I scream at her. I clench my fists so tight that my claws dig into the palms of my hands. The pain searing my flesh keeps me focused.

I try desperately to reach Grimble in my mind, but every link has been severed, blocked by this damned sigil. Frustration gnaws at me—if I could just summon my hellions, they could free me. But how? My thoughts race, searching for any crack in this magical prison.

The thoughts spiraling in my head are interrupted by the sound of slow, sharp claps outside the bedroom door. I twist my body, my heart bleeding from the loss of Cherise in my direct line of sight, and see a tall, slender man standing in the doorway, who closely resembles Will Ashcroft.

He flashes a toothy grin in my direction as he claps mockingly. “Ah, you must be The Saint. Pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh. I see you’ve taken a liking to my daughter, a pity it had to end this way for both of you.” He glances over at his daughter who’s dying on the floor. “She really was my favorite girl.”

The simmering rage upon seeing this man standing there nonchalantly, not fucking helping my little reaper, turns the simmer to a rolling boil. “If she’s your favorite, then fucking help her! She’s dying, and she doesn’t understand how you all could do this to her! I will do anything; just let me free, and I swear I’ll take her off your hands for good. I will honor your sacrifices, and continue to leave your family alone. Just… give her to me.” I will absolutely rip his heart out and feed it to him if he sets me free, and I know it’s a long shot—but for her, I will do whatever it takes.

The man chuckles. “You think Lionel Ashcroft is a fool, demon?” He scoffs and walks over to his daughter.

This is Lionel? The leader of this whole damn cult is her father?

Lionel kneels and strokes his offensive fingers through Cherise’s hair. Her eyes are twitching in the back of her head, her irises are no longer visible, and all you can see is bone white in its place. “You have no right to touch her,” I growl, low and distorted.

Lionel clicks his tongue. “I thought sacrificing her all those years ago would serve our family a greater purpose. Her mind is an abomination, you see. It would have been better for her to spend the rest of her time with the dark lord in Hell instead of plaguing the earth with her tainted thoughts and delusions. But after she escaped, a vision came to me, one of me wielding great power. Her blood is the key,” he whispers almost to himself, stroking her soft, candy-cane colored hair.

“The key to what?” I snarl.

He plucks Cherise’s knife from the floor, the one that I gifted to her, with her candy cane accent. He shifts the blade in his hand and studies it. Without returning his gaze to mine, he continues with an eerie lilt to his tone. “Our bloodline holds great power, its purity throughout generations has made it so. Her blood will aid in the binding ritual, one that ties you to me. You will obey me, beast.”

I shout from the pits of Hell, loud enough for Lucifer himself and even the Heavens to hear me. “Don’t you dare touch her, you sick fuck!”

He presses the blade against her throat, and her eyes snap open. Her icy blue gaze locks onto mine, a mix of terror and something deeper shimmering in her eyes. “Sable,” she breathes.

Her name. “Sable Ashcroft, I mark your soul to be in my possession for eternity!” I shout in a panic just as Lionel slits her throat.