The imposing albino vampire at her side appeared even more stern and dangerous than before. If Aeron was happy to have Vanora at his side, he didn’t show it. He walked resolutely down the aisle carved through the guests with the most somber expression upon his face.
Meanwhile, Vanora walked happily at his side, her smile wide and beatific.
Yet it wasn’t Vanora.
Alisha knew instantly that the woman at Aeron’s side was not her sister. The essence of her beloved sibling was missing from her presence. Something was terribly amiss.
“Armando,” Alisha gasped.
“I see,” he answered morosely.
“It’s the White Queen,” Alisha whispered in horror. “She’s taken over Vanora.”
The werewolf guard growled at them to be silent.
The being in Vanora’s body was clearly elated to be the center of attention. As Aeron led her around the dais to climb the stairs to their thrones, the White Queen waved at the large gathering. Vanora was strong. There was no way she’d given in to the spell or Aeron. This was something very different from Vanora willingly coming to Aeron’s side. This was possession. The White Queen wasn’t Vanora, but something apart from her. Alisha searched for any sign of her sister’s spark in the face of the woman settling upon the marble throne, but came up empty. Exchanging looks with Armando, she saw he was just as worried and scared as she was.
“This can’t be real,” Alisha murmured.
The wolf smacked the back of her head.
Alisha hissed at him, baring fangs, but didn’t attack. Returning her attention to the scene before her, she felt sick.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the throng waited for Aeron to speak. The rustling of fine fabrics and tapping of shifting feet were the only noises. Aeron sat upon his throne, dressed all in white. He resembled a statue with his distant gaze. The tight line of his mouth gave him a cruel look. Alisha realized he was unhappy. She had to take that as a good sign.
When he spoke, his voice boomed across the room like thunder. “Long ago my mother prophesied that I would become a blood god and wage war against the Seven Sisters, the women who had stolen the life of her brother. She promised that I would find the other half of my soul in the body of a beautiful young woman born of my lineage. My mother called her the White Queen. I never dreamed when I began this journey that it would last well over a millennium. In fact, I have lost track of just how long it has taken to come to this moment where I sit beside my queen.” Though his countenance was stoic, Alisha sensed sadness in his voice. It was just as disquieting as the vapid smile on her sister’s smile. “Soon, our children will be born. They will be the generals of our new army as we finish the purge of the supernaturals on this continent and begin the process of our world domination. Humans have run amok on the earth for too long. Our time is coming.”
There was hesitant applause and when Aeron remained silent, it broke it raucous cheers. The White Queen beamed and laid her hand on Aeron’s. He did not acknowledge her.
There was definitely trouble in paradise. A speck of hope was renewed inside Alisha.
The clapping and cheers died down as Leto stepped to the base of the dais. Alisha pressed her fingers even harder into her flesh to keep from shouting insults at the She-Wolf. Greg and Leto were at the top of her list of people who needed to die alongside Aeron and Lorelei.
The formidable woman with her long dark hair and cunning smile lifted her hands to quell the crowd. “A new age of gods is coming, dearest Aeron. To honor you, I wish to present you with two special gifts.” With the flick of her fingers, she summoned Pólemos.
“Let’s move,” Pólemos ordered.
The guards and werewolves pushed into the vampires, forcing them aside to allow Alisha and Armando to pass. Surrounded by her enemies, Alisha didn’t feel afraid, but angry. These were the people who had murdered her brother and her friends. These monsters had stolen away her life, her home, and her family. She wanted all of them to die. Sadly, it was most likely she and Armando who would perish in the next few minutes, but she let her enemies see the defiance in her face. She wouldn’t simper and beg before them. Lifting her eyes, she stared at the White Queen, wishing with all her heart to see Vanora gazing at her instead.
“I give you Armando, your betrayer, to kill. And Alisha, Vanora’s sister, to do as you will.” Leto lifted her chin and looked quite satisfied with herself.
Alisha wanted to punch her in the mouth.
The ancient vampire rose to his feet, his eyes glinting red. Gazing at Armando, his lips curved into a sneer. “Your death will bring me no pleasure, but I cannot allow you to live.”
Armando shrugged and bestowed upon his Master his most sardonic smirk. “I understand. She loves me more.”
With a roar of fury Aeron lunged down the stairs, but was abruptly stopped by the White Queen lashing out and grabbing his shoulder. Twisting about, Aeron gaped at his new queen with surprise.
Alisha whispered, “Vanora.”
* * *
Despite the absolute darkness enshrouding her, Vanora struggled onward. At first she’d been afraid, but then the voices of the lost filtered out of the gloom.
“You can do this,” her mother said.
“You’re a tough chick,” Sheila added.
“You’re stronger than any magic,” Roman declared.
“You aren’t alone,” Rhonda whispered.
The voices cycled over and over again, sometimes far away, sometimes painfully close. Her love for those she’d lost and their love for her gave her strength even when fear fought to steal it away.
Reaching up, Vanora strained for the next rung. She now knew they were manifesting by her sheer will. Though she was struggling against ancient magicks, she was still in the game.
“Keep going,” Carys urged.
“I’m trying,” Vanora answered.
The blackness of the void was absolute. The only way she advanced was by touch. Though the dead urged her on, it was the thought of the living that gave her additional strength. She couldn’t let down those she loved. They were depending on her to bring this nightmare to an end.
“That’s not Vanora,” Armando’s voice whispered out of the gloom.
“She’s not my sister,” Alisha agreed.
For a moment Vanora panicked, worrying that her sister and lover were already dead, but then she realized the voices were different. They were coming from above.
Armando and Alisha’s voices continued to whisper, overlapping in their worry and growing panic. The comments didn’t sound like an actual conversation, but thoughts.
“It’s the White Queen!” Alisha exclaimed. “She’s taken over Vanora.”
Vanora tilted her head back, seeking out the apparent fissure that was allowing her to hear the thoughts of Alisha and Armando. The higher she ventured, the clearer their internal observations became. They were both obviously scrutinizing the White Queen and Aeron, which meant they were in peril. Hooking an arm about a rung, Vanora stretched out one hand into the dark. Her fingers skimmed over what felt like wet silk.
“The veil,” she muttered.
Her mother always told her there was a veil between two worlds. This had to be the divider between Vanora and the White Queen. Digging her nails into the membrane, Vanora tore into it. Knowing Armando and Alisha were near gave her the extra strength she needed to rip a hole through the supernatural partition.
“Vanora, now is the time to do what you must,” Leto’s voice murmured in her ear.
Peering through the veil, Vanora could see through the White Queen’s eyes as she sat upon the throne watching Armando and Alisha, who were clearly prisoners.
“Your death will bring me no pleasure, but I cannot allow you to live,” Aeron declared.
Looking his very smug self, Armando lifted his shoulders and said, “I understand. She loves me more.”
The comment sent Aeron into a rage and he lurched down the steps.
Vanora reached through the veil
and surged back into her body instantly. She found herself holding onto Aeron’s shoulder as the White Queen beat against her mind like fluttering wings. Vanora now understood exactly what she had to do. Calling upon her magic, she dragged the White Queen spell out of her body with tendrils of glowing light. One hand on Aeron, she lifted the other toward the spell.
“No more,” she commanded.
The White Queen spell exploded into bits of lights that showered the surprised crowd.
“Vanora,” Aeron gasped, staring at her with a mixture of joy and fear.
“I’m back,” Vanora replied, and hurled him onto his throne.
Shock resulted in a few seconds ticking by with no one in the room making a move. Aeron gawked at Vanora in astonishment. Leaning toward him, Vanora stared into his beautiful eyes. Somewhere in their depths was the man she’d loved and lost. It hurt to recognize that truth and embrace, but she was done being controlled by the past.
“What are you going to do, Vanora?” Aeron finally asked. “You can’t kill me.”
Though she wanted nothing more than to escape the room alive with her sister and Armando, Vanora knew that was no longer an option, if it ever had been. The point had come for all of them to face death. Pressing her fingers to her chest, Vanora snagged the thread of life that was coiled around her heart and connected her to Arianrhod’s spell in the segment of frozen time. The fine thread glinted in the air, unseen by all but her. Lifting her eyes, she saw where it vanished through the tiniest of golden portals high above her head.
“Sit down, Vanora. Take your place. I will forgive your earlier cowardice,” Aeron continued when she didn’t answer him.
“No,” Vanora breathed. “No. It’s time for you to die.”
Aeron chuckled, clearly not afraid. “I cannot die. I am a god.”
The Fates had said his destiny was not in their hands, but hers. A spell cast long before had started this chaos and now it would end. Twisting her thread of life around her fingers, Vanora tugged downward with all her strength.
“Come,” she whispered.
The golden sphere of Arianrhod’s spell manifested above the throne. The radiance sent the vampires scrambling until they realized they weren’t burning from the fake sun. Cries of shock filled the room. Vanora wasn’t afraid of the vampires or werewolves. She would kill them all if they even took a step onto the stairs.
Pólemos started forward, but Leto struck him down with a powerful blow to his throat.
“Let them settle this!” Leto cried out. “He’s immortal. He cannot die.”
Aeron’s people were cowed by the brilliance of the spell and unsure what to do. Armando and Alisha stood side by side, staring up at her in awe.
“Do it,” Armando urged.
“You have to,” Alisha added.
“I love you both,” she replied, then returned her gaze to the orb.
The empty spots where the spell had already been undone had been the key all along. Vanora reached up to grab hold of the orb, but Aeron grabbed her hand.
“Don’t!” he cried out.
Vanora looked into his eyes and saw true, tangible fear.
“You love me. I love you. You are mine, and I am yours,” Aeron insisted. “You cannot undo that.”
“You already did that when you became the monster you are,” Vanora answered sadly. “I loved who you were, but not who you are now.”
The terror altered to rage in his eyes. Aeron seized her throat.
“No!” Alisha shouted.
Out of the corner of her eye, Vanora saw Armando haul her sister from the stairs.
“Trust her,” Armando ordered.
Aeron’s hands were crushing her neck, but Vanora knew he couldn’t kill her. They were both indestructible due to Arianrhod’s spell. Ignoring the pain, Vanora pressed one hand against his chest and shoved him off her with a burst of magic. The vampire sprawled across the base of the thrones.
Vanora raised one hand to the orb and it descended at her call. Aeron scrambled to his feet and tackled her, but he was unable to budge her. She was rooted to the ground like a statue. The tall vampire stumbled back, stunned by the impact.
“I’m more powerful than you now,” Vanora said. “And it’s time to end this.”
“Don’t do this!”
“I have to, Aeron.”
Fingers gripping the spell, Vanora wrapped her other arm around Aeron and held him against her body. Staring into his eyes, she shattered the spell with a single thought. Like a supernova it exploded, filling the throne room with light. Screams of pain mingled with the wail of the dissipating spell.
The power that had been used to construct the spell spilled into Vanora and Aeron. It burned through their veins like liquid fire and set them both ablaze in white flames. The energy of the spell consumed every bit of them, undoing what it had created. Vanora didn’t fight against the magic burning away her flesh and bones. She let it take her.
Aeron attempted to escape, but clung to him until his body started to fall away into ashes. When her human eyes were consumed, all she could see was glorious white light.
And she was happy.
* * *
“No!” Alisha screamed as her sister was consumed by the spell.
Armando prevented her from racing to where Aeron and Vanora were encapsulated by white fire. Alisha fought him, digging into the backs of his hands with her nails, kicking at his shins with her heels, but he held her until Vanora and Aeron were burnt to ashes. The brilliance of the fire dissipated the second they were both dead, leaving only a smattering of embers on the dais.
“Oh God. Oh God.” Alisha dry heaved as her legs gave away.
“No, no, no! This can’t be!” Lorelei cried out, running up to the thrones. Falling to her knees, her fingers raked through the ashes. “No!”
Covering her face with her hands, Alisha sobbed until felt a burning sensation running across her body. Lowering her hands, she saw the top layer of her flesh was starting to char.
“We were connected to him, and now we die,” Armando whispered in her ear and embraced her. “I’m sorry.”
A fresh round of screams and cries of terror echoed through the throne room. Some tried to escape their fate by rushing out of the throne room. They clogged the exits, fighting to get out. Others clung to loved ones and waited for the end.
Leto crouched before Alisha, cocked her head, and regarded her thoughtfully. “Your sister was brave. How brave are you?”
The burning was intensifying, but Alisha accepted that death was near. Maybe she would see her brother, parents and sister again. That was a comfort. “I’m ready to die.”
“But are you ready to fight?” Leto reached between her breasts and pulled out a small vial filled with red liquid. “To live. This is the blood of the Seven Sisters that Aeron stole from them.”
Armando sucked in a sharp breath, the scorched skin around his mouth cracking and oozing. “If she drinks, she’ll become the source.”
“Yes,” Leto unstopped the vial and held it to Alisha’s lips. “Take your place at my side, Alisha. Be the Queen of the Night.”
Alisha contemplated refusing as the top layers of her scorched skin continued to blacken. It was evident that greater forces had been at play. Leto had brought her here for a purpose. Alisha had been chosen to take Aeron’s place and save the vampire race. Alisha was willing to die, but was it because she didn’t want to live? Over Leto’s shoulder, she saw Dexios holding Kallos close as the vampire’s skin crisped and started to fall away. Tears were on his face as he held his beloved and waited for her to die.
Vanora was dead because beings with no compassion had wielded great power not to benefit the world, but to destroy. Her sister was gone now, but Alisha still had a chance to live. She had a chance to save others she cared about.
With a nod, Alisha chose to live.
Leto upended the vial and poured the blood of the Seven Sisters into Alisha’s mouth. The blood rushed over her lips, down her
throat, and filled her with the beauty of the night. Darkness was her comfort and the stars her light. Alisha understood in a split second the wonder of the void and the power of blood. It was so much more than Aeron or the Seven Sisters had ever realized. It was a sacred duty to be the source of the vampire race and a blessing that they’d never understood.
The pain of death left Alisha and she lifted her head to see the other vampires slowly rousing from where they’d fallen. They’d all been close to death and were shaken in the aftermath.
Rising, Alisha brushed way the ashes from her restored skin. Armando shook out his hair and gave her a sidelong look. Though his eyes were heavy with sorrow, he also looked proud. It took her a second to realize that pride was in her and Vanora. Both of them had sacrificed themselves to save the vampires.
Pólemos stood nearby, clutching his weapon and looking unsure, while his werewolves crept back into the throne room. The werewolves had apparently fled. They approached Pólemos, looking about warily at the vampires. Pólemos glanced toward Leto, then the empty throne. Without a leader, she supposed he wasn’t sure what to do next.
Dexios and Kallos came to Alisha’s side as the armed guards that had brought her into the room backed away in fear. The vampires in the room clustered in groups, whispering, unsure of what must happen next.
“Oh, good! I didn’t miss the fight,” a familiar voice said.
Whipping about, Alisha saw Greg leading the prisoners from the cell into the throne room. Hank and his pack immediately moved to Leto’s side.
“We fight for you, but only because we hate Pólemos more,” he said to her.
Leto lifted a shoulder. “Good. Then I won’t have to kill you and your pack.”
Alexander, Tracy, Carlotta, Francisco, and Angel gathered around Alisha.
“So Greg says you’re the new blood goddess or something?” Angel asked, nudging her with his elbow.
“Something,” Alisha answered, then grabbed Greg by his shirt collar. “You fucking asshole!”
“I’m on your side, vamp tits,” Greg retorted, his eyes glowing with green fire. “I’m here to help you, so lay off.”
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Third Season Page 37
