Shadow Cursed

Chapter 31: Death Wish

*** Anna's point of view ***

"That stupid girl!" I turned away from the crystal ball. "Why did she jump!" My half sister took the jump and killed herself, now I had to go bring her back to life again and go get her myself. The first time was hard enough to convince them to do the dark deed.

In the middle of my rage fit I didn't notice someone enter the room until they cleared their throat, "Excuse me Anna. I have someone here you might want to see."

Glaring annoyed at the messenger I growled, "Fine bring them in." They disappeared in a hurry to come back with a tall familiar figure, he walked into the room with his hands bound behind his back.

"Anna," His voice was cold as his eyes were. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Suddenly pleased by my guest, I walked over to him, "I haven't seen you in so long dad. How have you been?" I went in for a hug but he pushed me away.

He spat in my face, "Cut the act, I know you want Celeste dead. Its no surprise."

Playing dumb, "Not dead, it's quite the opposite. I need her alive. The gift is useless if she is dead." I curled my hand in a fist and released it, "But she's giving me a hard time with that task. She keeps trying to kill herself instead."

"She will refuse to work with you," Alric stood there firm and confident. "I know her, and even I can't tame her."

I kept grinning, "How would you know? She knows you killed her mother. Why do you think she's so scared of you and kept her distance ever since she rescued you in your apartment."

Something insinde him broke, but he hid it, typical behavior. "I was going to explain when the time was right."

"When was that time then," I tiptoed around him playfully using his daughter's death against him, "When then? when it was too late and she is dying? Becauase last time I saw her, she was pushed off a cliff and died when she hit the ground."

He stopped talking, I could see in his eyes I finally broke him. All his walls protecting him from the past were torn apart and he was vulnerable. Things were going my way for once.

Continuing my victory speech, "I have my ways, don't worry." A smiled played out on my lips, "As for you, I have other plans in store."

"You may be in my daughters body, but you aren't my daughter." He growled. "Anna used to be loving and caring, now she's heartless and power hungry."

Still messing around with my childish father, "I'm afraid she still is here, just grown up. And I didn't run in fear when the Shadowlands attacked and you fled to the human world after you lost your precious wife Ethe-"

He cut me off mid sentence, "Don't say her name, you don't deserve to after what you did to her!" He was shouting and angry. "I will never forgive you!"

"Yelling at and blaming me gets you nowhere. And by the way, welcome home dad." I grinned while ordering the servants, "Now take him to the guest room and make sure he's comfortable. I wouldn't want our guest rotting away in the dungeon now would I?" They took him away when he was struggling against their grip shouting and cursing at them, sweet music to my ears.

I walked back over the the crystal ball on the stand. "My dear Celeste, now you know your true form. This will be a fun game." I rubbed my hands together joyfully. Telling the ball, "Show me Celeste, the Great Daughter of the Celestial Realm." The ball zoomed in and the fog cleared revealing her lying on a makeshift bed and sleeping. The chances of her surviving were slim it had occurred to me, but if made it, that would of be less work for me. I dismissed the crystal ball as I walked over to my tower balcony and opened the door, I went outside to admire the sunset.

The setting sun was a blood red in the Shadow Realm. I could see the edge of the forest where she escaped me once, but never again. I would bring her to him myself and prove my worth and loyalty to him to the end. I wished to have a ruling postion next to my lord when he finally took on the gift and gained control of all the realms including Earth. But to have a chance at any of those postions, you would need to be on the top of his list, and that was a struggle when your prey kept escaping your traps you laid and you were on the bottom of that list. I wouldn't let her escape this time, she wouldn't even see it coming.

I closed the balcony doors behind me as I entered my tower again and went down the spiral stairs to visit someone important about making a fool proof plan.