I went into the cathedral close to dawn. I smelled of death, fire and earth. Nicholai was waiting by the doors, smiling as if he was a cunning fox. "Where is your lover now Nyma?"
I remained silent and went to my room. I changed out of my nightdress and slipped on my dress for the day. Then I brushed the death, fire and earth out of my hair, and left my room. I breezed past Nicholai and out to the new day. I tore the black cross down and threw it, along with the dead drunk men, into the forest. I glanced at the open doors of the cathedral, Alyanna was standing there, watching me, sadly she hung her head. She can look as sad as she wants, I was not phased by her. I looked away and walked around town, gathering things to put a plan in motion. I went to a candle shop and bought one black and one red candle, then I walked by the local church and picked up a white rock, the rest of the objects I needed were in the cathedral. Over three days I gathered the other objects: hair from my brush, hair from Nicholai's brush and an ornate ritual dagger I had scavenged from some cultist I had drained months before. I needed to perform a love spell if my plan was going to work, otherwise Nicholai would have his guard up. With a love spell in place Nicholai would be focused only on his affections.
I waited for the full moon to rise before I started the spell, when it would be the strongest. I drew a heart surrounded by circles and lines extending from the center on my wooden floor with the white rock, I placed the black candle on the right of the drawing and the red one on the left. I lit the wick of each candle, sliced my palm open and dripped my blood in the center where the lines met and dropped my hair into the black candle, then Nicholai's in the red. Since my candle was black, it allowed me to remain unaffected. I closed my eyes and allowed my energy to flow. While I was waiting for the spell to work I changed into Nicholai's favorite things. I slid into a red and black gown that was fitted in the arms and low on my bust, it flowed to the floor and accentuated my grace as I walked. I painted my lips red and clasped the necklace that Nicholai gave me when we were children around my neck. I let my hair flow down my back, I was smiling devilishly, my eyes were uninviting and sinister, that was just the way I wanted to be. "Where is Nyma?" I heard Nicholai ask outside of my door. I blew out the candles and hid the ritual before I opened the door to him.
"Good evening, Nicholai." I smiled and extended my hand to him.
He looked me over, there was nothing in his eyes but hunger, that widened my smile, I was going to savor the remainder of his short time on this plane of existence. He took my hand, his eye caught the necklace and he smiled. "Nyma, would you come with me?"
I shut my door and glanced at a fuming Netta. "Of course I will, Nicholai." I kissed at Netta as Nicholai lead me away from her and laughed when her face reddened. She would be next.
Nicholai opened his mahogany door to a room bathed in darkness, aside from a few lavender candles, their calming fragrance filled the room and spilled out into the dimly lit hall. "Ladies first." He gestured into the room. I walked inside and sat like a lady on his bed, one leg crossed over the other. My energy started to flow slowly from the center of my chest and down my arms. I held it in, no need to rush things, I wanted to enjoy this as long as possible. I curled my lips upward into a sensual smile as I watched Nicholai shut the door.
Nicholai wasted no time, he jumped on top of me and knocked me back onto the bed, he kissed me with as much passion as he could muster. He reached for the bow on my dress and began to untie it when Netta burst into the room. Nicholai growled at her. "NO INTERRUPTIONS!"
Netta held up two candles one black, one red and an ornate ritual knife. "Looks like someone was putting a spell on you." Her furious eyes looked sharply at me and she smiled. "Isn't that right Nyma?"
Nicholai looked at me then back at Netta. "GET OUT!" He screamed at her. She looked wounded and shut the door, leaving me alone with Nicholai. I let my energy out then, slowly so it would be harder to notice. I could tell something clicked in Nicholai's head, he knew why I wanted to put a spell on him, and when he looked at me I could see fire in his eyes. "You really thought you could put a love spell on me and kill me? That easily?!"
I smirked at him. "I was hoping, but nothing is ever that easy, is it?"
He tore my dress then yanked a fistful of my hair back. "I'll do away with you Nyma, like I did with your precious Damien."
My heart was pounding. "You bastard, I knew you were behind it!" My energy flowed faster and he began to sweat. He looked at me with daggers in his eyes and an angry scowl.
"I AM MORE OF A MAN THAN HE WAS!"
"NO! You could never be close to the man that he was!" My energy wrapped around him. "Goodbye Nicholai." His body went limp and I pushed him off of me. Even in death his face was full of hate. I tore his mother's necklace from me and threw it on him. "I won't be needing that anymore." I walked out of his room with a heart full of blood lust. I walked through the cathedral and tipped over every lit candle, and there were hundreds of them. This place was going to burn as he was burned.
Netta struck me in the face as I came into the front room. I growled at her through a ferocious smile. "Your turn." I let Nicholai's energy fill me and make me stronger. I grabbed Netta by the neck and lifted her off of the ground. I slammed her against the wall to my right and tightened my grip on her neck, slowly tightened more, and more, and more. I reached out to her energy with mine and pulled it in until her eyes were bloodstained and her kicking ceased. I giggled, full of new energy and excitement. I continued knocking candles over, until I came to Alyanna.
"Nyma, please stop." She took my hand cautiously. "Please have mercy." Fire roared behind us. Why should I stop now?
I squeezed her hand until I heard cracks, Alyanna flinched. "No Alyanna, mercy is for those that are too weak to finish what they start." I bent her hand back until she was on her knees and her wrist was shattered. She began to weep. "And I am not weak."
"Please stop!" She wailed.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Begging does no good." I put a hand on either side of her face, for an instant I saw something flash in her eyes, regret maybe. I twisted her head until I heard a snap. I let go and her lifeless body fell to the floor. I tipped the remaining candles over and walked out into the brisk night.
I stood next to Damien's grave. "Tonight, my rose, those responsible for your death are all gone." I looked at the forest. No, not all of them. I was still alive and I was more responsible for his death than anyone else, I was the one that brought him to his doom. I walked into the forest, maybe a wild beast would do me in, or maybe I'd succumb to hunger. How I died meant so little to me, as long as I died there was no reason to care. As long as I payed for what I had done to Damien.