Chapter 1
Elizabeth
It’s not easy being a half-breed, especially when your parents are one of the many myths of the world.
As I walked back from the graveyard with my guitar on my back, I noticed that the sky is dark. My eyes stared at the dark clouds. I forgot that it was going to rain. Looks like the earth is sad. Just then, a small flash of white darted in front of my face. Startled, I got a hold of myself.
My eyes look left and right. I know that I should be afraid, like normal people, but I’m not like normal people.
“Trixie?” I called. “Trixie, Krine, come out.”
A few moments pass by before a couple of children revealed themselves from the bushes. The girl, Trixie, was small and no more than eight years old, and the boy, Krine, was also the same age. Now, I know what you are thinking? Why are these two kids not white like normal ghosts. Well, here’s the truth, that’s not how it is. When a person dies, they remain the same. The same hair color, eye color, and skin color. The only difference is they are transparent, and invisible to everyone else except for reapers and me.
Reapers are the nicer way of saying death. They go around and collect souls to help them move on into the afterlife. Of course, there are some that decide to stay in the human world, but they all have to move on eventually. My father is a reaper, and one day, he met my mother, a muse. That’s right! I’m the child of a muse and a reaper. It’s rare, but it happens.
“Um, Liz?” Trixie asked, bringing me back to reality.
“Yes?” I answered, crouching to her height.
“Um, I wanted to, um, tell you that,” she squeaked.
Even the dead can be adorable.
“Something scary passed by!” Krine blurted out.
“Something scary?” I asked.
Trixie nodded her head.
“Can you tell me more?”
“It had red eyes and sharp teeth and these really long claws!” Krine explained. “It was whispering a lot of weird things, too.”
“Yeah, i-it was…” Trixie murmured.
A being with red eyes, sharp teeth, and long claws? Sound like a wolf, but not any normal wolf. After taking the kids back to their graves, I headed home. One the way, I thought about what Trixie and Krine said.
If I’m right, a ghoul must be in the area. I thought I took care of them already.
I sighed. Looks like it’s going to be a long night. However, I found it strange that I didn’t sense anything. Ghouls are spirits that turned evil, but usually not by choice. They would have to be holding a major grudge in order to be infected and turned into a ghoul. In any case, this is something I’ll have to think about. If a ghoul has possessed a wolf, then it can only mean trouble.
I turned the hot water of my shower on. I had to get ready for the party tonight. The Alpha King was holding a huge celebration in his palace. It was to honor those who have passed on. There would be music, food, music, people, music. I love music!
The reason is simple, I love it because of my mother. A muse is a creature of music. They are able to touch the hearts of everyone who hears their songs. Sirens are the exact opposite, depending on who you meet. In any case, I’ll be immersing myself in both the music and food departments when I get there.
After about an hour in the shower, I stepped out. Drying my body and hair, moisturized my skin, apply makeup, and do my long blonde hair. I decided to curl it and put it in a cute little bun. I left one strand of hair in my face at the side.
“I look cute,” I gloated, looking at myself in the mirror.
My makeup highlighted my other features. A touch of pink blush to bring out my cheeks, but not too much. Just enough so my freckles show. My eyeshadow matched the dress. It was gold with white sparkles. I also added some lip gloss too, which was also pink. Once my make-up and hair were done, it was time to put on the dress. I carefully slipped into it. I zipped up the back with ease, and when I was done, I looked in the mirror. I almost cried. I looked like mom.
I held back my tears and continued to get ready. I wore lace black heels since black goes with everything. My earrings were dangling silver music notes that shined in the light. I looked pretty good. Now, the final piece of jewelry was my choker. The gray mirror hung in the center of the silky material. Father always told me to wear this; to never take it off. I understood why but felt like there was another reason behind it.
My thoughts were broken when a voice called my name.
“Elizabeth.”
Looks like dad is here to take me to the party. He likes to talk to me in my mind sometimes.
“I’m coming,” I responded.
I did a quick hair and make-up check before grabbing my bag and heading downstairs. When I walked out the front door, I saw my dad standing next to a red Ferrari. I raised a brow at him.
“I didn’t know death liked red.”
He frowned. “I wear more than black and grey, child.”
I laughed. Even though mom was asleep, dad always did his best to make sure he was enough. The catch was, he didn’t need to be a mom, too. He was already enough for me.
I made sure the door was locked before jumping in the passenger seat of dad’s car. He sat next to me in the driver’s seat and started it up. I never understood why I couldn’t have a car. Apparently, I would die quicker, which is why I walk or run everywhere.
“Remind me again why I can’t get a car?” I queried.
“Do you want all the reasons or just one?” my father asked, eyes still fixated on the road.
“One is fine,” I answered, crossing my arms.
“Alright. It’s because I’m your father and I say you cannot,” he smirked.
“Dad, that was two reasons.”
“Not in my book.”
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes I wondered why my mother married him.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the palace. Dad parked on the lawn since practically all the parking spots were taken. We got out of the car and entered the palace. The walls were lined with tapestries and paintings depicting the history of werewolves and the royal family. The marble tile was so clean that I could see me through it. The chandeliers were like crystal tears. Even though this was only a hallway, I had to say that I was impressed with how beautiful it was. I couldn’t wait to see the ballroom.
As my father and I walked down the hallway, we saw many people. Most were werewolves, while the others were nymphs, humans, and even vampires. Yes, vampires and werewolves don’t get along, but they made a treaty to always have peace between their species on the Day of the Dead. They both agreed that their loved ones should be honored, and I had to admit, I did not expect them to agree on anything. But…I’m glad. At least, some souls will rest in peace.
And speaking of souls…As I entered, my eyes darted around the huge ballroom. It was a large two-story room with a balcony overlooking the ground floor. The balcony had two thrones on it, and from where I was standing, which was by the door, I could see a lot of spirits. I’m pretty sure I was looking at the former Alpha King and Luna Queen. It’s not surprising since this was their home, but I thought they would have crossed over by now.
“Hey dad,” I mind-linked. We had separated the moment we walked in through the doors. My dad had his own thing to take care of, while I wanted to listen to the band.
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, but you might want to check the upper balcony.”
“Why?”
“The former King and Queen have graced us with their presence.”
“Oh…they’re still here,” he whined. “They should have crossed over by now, but I guess it hasn’t happened yet, so…”
“What hasn’t happened?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink.
“They made a ‘Last Wishes’ request.”
“Wow, I know you guys don’t just hand those out. A ‘Last Wish’ request is a big deal. So, what did they want to stay for?”
“They wanted to see their son get mated or, at the very least, find his mate.”
“Who’s the poor sap that approved that?”
“I was,” my dad cleared his throat.
I almost spat out my drink. “You’re such a softie.”
My dad cut off our link, but I could tell that he was embarrassed. He began to talk to some of the other reapers that were in the ballroom. They were mostly there to survey the crowd and watch over the spirits that wanted to attend the party too. Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that only reapers can see other reapers. My dad is visible to all because he is in his human form. I can see reapers as well for obvious reasons.
I stood next to the band enjoying the song they played. It was getting good until they decided to stop. It was abrupt like they had to stop for a reason. I saw everyone looking toward the balcony. There, I saw him, the Alpha King. I had to admit, he was handsome, but there was also something else. I smelled pine and fire. It was like a fireplace with pine wood. I liked the smell of fireplaces because they were calming, but why was I smelling it here? In a ballroom full of people? My eyes glanced around to see if there was a fire somewhere when I spotted something. Something very alarming.
