by Ariel Marie
The mounting pressure in his chest urged him forward faster, ducking and dodging bodies flying through the room. The Shadows and the valkyries handled the battle as well as a well-oiled machine. Someone watching the battle would have thought by the way they worked together that they had fought side by side for years. More help rushed through the door, immediately jumping into the fight. He turned and found Phaelyn urging the Royal Guards to get the innocent vampire subjects out of the room.
He would not be able to help them; the guards would have to get the innocents out of the room and to safety. He had to get to his mate. Something was about to go down. He could feel it all the way down to his bones.
Bella fought ferociously. “Get the queen out of here!” she hollered, directing the Royal Guards. They snatched his mother by her arms and dragged her back toward the door she’d entered at the beginning of the hearing.
The sound of glass shattering grabbed his attention. Rogue vampires crawled their way through the windows along with more wolves.
Fuck!
He picked up his speed, slashing his way through rogues, warlocks, and wolves trying to get to Bella. Time seemed to slow down at the horror that unfolded itself in front of him.
Just as the guards dragged his mother to the door, Rowena appeared out of thin air, brandishing a large steel dagger.
“Bella!!” he screamed her name as he watched her dive in front of his mother. He saw her shove his mother out of the way, even as the monstrous dagger sliced down, impaling Bella through her side. He let loose a tortured bellow as he rushed towards his mate while watching her body slowly collapse to the ground.
* * *
~Bella~
Her breaths came in short painful pants, as she lay prone on the floor. The pain became unbearable as she tried to drag in a breath. She closed her eyes for a brief moment just as the guards disappeared with the queen. She turned her head as Teague’s face appeared in front of hers.
“Bella,” he gasped, staring at her with tear-filled eyes. “What have you done?”
“Your mother,” she gasped through her pain. She needed to make sure that the queen was safe.
“Don’t speak,” he said, gathering her in his arms as he sat on the floor. A large torturous scream filled the air as Katri appeared on the other side.
“Viva has her,” Katri announced and grabbed onto Bella’s hand, tears pooling in her eyes. Bella had a harder time catching her breaths; she turned her eyes to focus on Teague.
Her beautiful vampire.
The pain traveled up her side and into her chest as she tried to drag in breaths, but she could feel herself fading. The back of her throat filled with a fluid she was sure was blood. She tried swallowing it, but instead choked slightly. She coughed a few times, feeling the slight trail of fluid spill out of the corner of her mouth. She could see Teague’s lips move as he shouted for help, tears visibly running down his face.
Anger clouded his face as he yelled at someone outside her peripheral vision. She tried to focus on him.
Her mission was complete.
She was the sacrifice and she had succeeded in saving the life of the vampire queen, his mother. She could go to the afterlife knowing that her sacrifice would aid in bettering the world, and the love of her life would still experience the love of his mother.
“Bella,” Katri cried, squeezing her hand. Bella turned to her longtime friend and squeezed back as tight as she could. No more words needed to be said between the two friends. “A death for Aphadore,” Katri whispered their training vows.
“Is an honorable death,” Bella whispered back, feeling a tear seep out of the corner of her eye.
“No!” Teague shouted, squeezing Bella. “No one is dying. Help is coming.”
“Teague,” Bella whispered. A rattle resonated deep in her chest and she felt that she was fading quick as her vision darkened.
“Bella, please don’t go,” he begged, as his beautiful ice blue eyes latched onto hers. “You can’t leave me. You are my mate. You can’t leave me.”
“Teague, I love you,” she whispered just as another coughing fit overtook her. She didn’t want to leave this life without him knowing how she truly felt about him. The pain spreading across her body took her breath away. It was like a fire started from her side where the dagger entered her body and spread throughout her body.
“Help us!” Teague screamed out again, waving his arm over towards them. “I love you too. Just hold on baby, please,” he begged, turning back to her.
A soothing feeling washed over her as she looked into his eyes. Everything in the room seemed to fade away and all she could see was his face. She struggled to raise her arm to touch his face. He grasped her hand and brought it up to his lips, gently placing a kiss on the tips of her fingers.
“Hold on,” he begged.
“I… love… you,” she whispered as she gasped her last breath.
Chapter Twenty Two
~Teague~
“Bella?” he cried out, frantically rocking her limp body. “Bella,” he repeated, shaking her even harder.
“Teague,” Katri said, tears falling down her face. “She’s gone.”
“No, she’s supposed to hold on,” he exclaimed in disbelief as his body trembled. He placed his fingers at the base of her neck, not finding a heartbeat. “Bella,” he shouted, not ashamed by his tears falling down his face.
Her body was deathly still as he gazed down at his beautiful mate. Bella’s gray eyes were still open and lifeless. It felt as if his soul was ripped from his body as the realization that she was really gone dawned on him. He looked up at Katri who sat back on her heels staring at her leader’s still body in shock. Ulrika and Saida rushed to Katri’s side, falling on their knees at the sight of Bella.
“Is… she gone?” Ulrika asked, her eyes glued to Bella. Teague continued to rock his mate as the noise in the room settled down. He glanced around finding that the fight was now over. The Shadows and the Royal Guards seemed to have everything under control.
“Where is the witch?” he asked, his voice hollow as he brushed a few strands of Bella’s loose blonde hair from her face. He gently brushed his fingers over her eyes to close them. Her face held a peaceful look to it, no more pain or suffering.
Anger filled him. He needed revenge. He would avenge his mate. If the witch were not already dead, then the witch die.
Damn the promise he had made to Bella’s mother. If the witch was not dead yet, he would hunt her down himself and kill her himself in the most torturous way possible. He felt a large presence at his back. He turned and found his brothers standing behind him with somber looks on their faces.
“Teague, I’m so sorry,” Nicu said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He gave a short nod of his head, while bringing her closer to his chest.
“If there is anything we can—”
“The witch,” he demanded again. “Where is she?”
“Viva has her over there,” Katri answered, pointing over to the other side of the room. “She will kill her now for all to watch. She waited for you.”
Teague glanced over to where Katri pointed and sure enough, the witch was handcuffed with her arms behind her, kneeling at Viva’s feet.
“She gets no trial,” Saida growled. “She is guilty of the massacres of twenty of Aphadore’s innocent and the death of our queen’s lover. She will pay for all that she has done.”
“You may kill me now,” the witch screamed. “But someone else will come along. Someone more powerful than I will come along and wipe out the vampires. Just you—”
“Will someone shut her the hell up?” Toma roared, his voice echoing throughout the room.
“Just give the signal,” Katri said, her voice growing hard.
Teague stared at the witch who continued to spew her hatred for vampires. He ached to be the one to kill the witch. He had even hoped that she had escaped so that he could have been the one to hunt her down.
But he would just have to settle f
or watching the blade of a valkyrie kill the witch as their valkyrie’s queen requested. He knew that this was the reason that Bella was here in the realm, fighting for her people, her queen, dying for her world that she so loved. She paid the ultimate sacrifice. She sacrificed love, happiness, and even her life for her beliefs.
His eyes met Viva’s and the look that met him revealed to him that she would have preferred to drag this death out. The glint in her eyes revealed that she would have enjoyed torturing the witch slowly. He glanced down at Bella one last time, leaned down, and placed a chaste kiss to her still warm forehead.
He looked back up at Viva and nodded his head. With the quick precision of a trained warrior, Viva whipped out her sword and with a perfect arch, swung her sword, impaling the witch from behind, silencing her screams. The sword appeared through the front of the witch’s chest. No words came out of her mouth as she paused her rants to stare down at the steel sword poking through her sternum before slumping to the ground.
“Finally!” Toma muttered, pacing behind Teague.
The witch’s body jerked a few times before smoke rose from her still body. Her smooth pale skin seemed to morph into a blob of pale gray flesh. Her body trembled as it withdrew into itself as the muscles contracted the body in an awkward position on the floor. Her body aged rapidly, deteriorating right before their eyes, as her immortality spell was broken. Within minutes, the once powerful witch resembled an old decrepit corpse.
* * *
“Are you going to be alright?” his mother asked as they stood on the steps of the Olaru mansion awaiting the car that would take him to the portal where the valkyries would cross back over into Aphadore with Bella’s body.
It had been almost a full twenty-four hours since Bella took her last breath. Today, the valkyries would take her home for her burial ceremony and he would go with them. The desire to see her to her final resting place burned in his chest.
Teague hadn’t slept in the last twenty-four hours; he knew he was just going through the motions. His heart was heavy as if his blood had turned to lead, making it hard to pump through his body.
He thought of how pale and still her body was as it lay on the cold steel table in the morgue. Teague had refused to let her body remain alone in the dark down there. He would see her home to the land she loved so much and was willing to die for.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, not looking at his mother.
“Teague, did you have any nourishment this morning?” Nadira asked, stepping out of the house.
He shook his head no. Blood just didn’t peak his interest. His stomach was too queasy and he knew that if he even tried to ingest anything, it would make its way right back up.
“Hey, Naddy, I’ll be okay,” he said, trying to reassure his younger sister. He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, her or him. Her small arms wrapped around his waist and he leaned into her for a full hug.
“Take your time and see your mate home,” her muffled voice said against his chest.
“Thanks, Naddy,” he said, sighing. She released him, stepping back as their brothers came out of the house together. No words were said as they each pulled him in for hugs while murmuring their condolences.
A black car with heavily tinted windows drove up the driveway stopping near the front of the house. With a slight wave to his family, he jogged down the stairs and got into the waiting vehicle.
* * *
“Welcome back to Aphadore, Prince Teague,” Queen Sira said, her face drawn tight as her eyes followed her daughter’s body as it was carried into the Honor Sanctuary.
“My Queen, I wish it were under better circumstances,” he said as he followed them into the building.
Heaviness settled where his heart should be as he looked around the room. It seemed like it was just yesterday when Bella explained to him about the rituals performed in this building. He watched as the valkyries gently laid her down on the stone slab.
Back in the human realm, Bella’s warriors had cleaned her body, removing all traces of the battle from her skin.
“I gather that you and my daughter had a connection,” the queen led on, not looking in his direction.
“Yes,” he nodded, watching as Katri brought in a white gown to place Bella in. Each valkyrie had specific jobs as they prepared her for her ceremony. “She was my mate and I was in love with her.”
“My daughter had a big heart,” she motioned for him to follow her. They stepped outside the sanctuary as the valkyries continued to get Bella dressed. His gaze roamed the perfectly manicured gardens that surrounded the sanctuary but couldn’t enjoy the view since half of his soul was now gone.
“I know. That was one of the reasons I loved her. She loved Aphadore and her people so much.”
“You may not understand our ways,” the queen said, turning to him. “But this was her destiny.”
He kept silent for fear of what burned to come out of his mouth. He disagreed with that statement. Her destiny had been to spend all of eternity with him.
Chapter Twenty Three
~Teague~
The sanctuary’s bells rang loud and clear and echoed throughout Aphadore for all to hear. Teague remained inside the sanctuary, his back against the wall as he watched an endless number of Aphadorian mourners who came to pay their respect to Bella.
According to Katri, her body was to remain in the sanctuary for three days so that mourners from near and far could come pay their respects.
Teague was left in awe at the amount of people’s lives that Bella had touched. Commoners, dignitaries, and even royalty came to pay their respect to his mate.
Today was day three and once the doors were closed, the queen would arrange for her burial in the royal family’s cemetery.
“You have been here by her side this whole time,” Saida said quietly, coming to stand next to him. “Why?” she asked, confused.
He knew that Bella had not wanted anyone to know of her breaking her maiden vows. It still rubbed him the wrong way that he couldn’t shout to the rooftops about what had been developing between them, but he would honor her wish, even after death.
“We drew close,” he said, leaving it vague. “She was an honorable warrior and I have a lot respect for her.”
She stared at him for a moment before moving on to speak with a few women who were talking quietly amongst themselves. He sighed and rubbed his hand across his face. He was sure he looked like death warmed over. He hadn’t been able to drink very much blood lately. His body wanted to rebel, but he knew he had to try to ingest some nutrients. Bella wouldn’t want him to waste away.
“Are you going to be okay?” Katri came to stand next to him. Her eyes roamed the large room and took in all of the last day mourners.
“I should be,” he replied honestly since he knew Katri knew of their relationship. She had been great the past few days and included him in all aspects of the burial ceremony.
“In a few minutes, the doors will close and the queen, some of her sisters, and the priest will come for final rights. She’ll be buried tonight,” Katri said, her eyes filled with sadness.
Within minutes, the room was cleared out and just as Katri had said, the queen and about ten of Bella’s sisters entered the hall. They all wore long black gowns. He was amazed how much they each looked alike and resembled Bella even though most of them did not have the same father.
The queen motioned for him to join the family, even though most of Bella’s sisters peered at him, curious, unsure of who he was, and why he was being included in the family’s private last moments with Bella’s body.
The ceremony flew by once the female priest entered the sanctuary. They prayed over Bella’s body in a language that Teague was unfamiliar with. Then once the prayers were concluded, they each whispered something in Bella’s ear and then kissed her on the forehead.
He thought of all the things he would say to her if he could just speak to her one last time but he knew that could never happened.
It was now his turn and he stepped up to the stone slab where she lay. Her face was pale but just as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes on her. Her hair was contained in two long braids with the tips resting on each of her shoulders. Her long white gown made her seem angelic.
“Bella,” he whispered in her ear. “Our time was short and I wished we had more time. I now know why you did what you did and I understand. Thank you,” he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. He gently rubbed the top of her silky head. “You are my mate and I shall continue to honor you as such. Rest well, my love. We shall see other again.”
* * *
Teague sat on the fence of the training grounds of the Starford keep. They had a short wait for the transport to come and take Bella’s body to the family’s burial ground. A few of the valkyries stood watch over the sanctuary until it was time to move Bella.
Aphadore’s twin moons were high in the sky. He stared off across the grounds, reminiscing of the day he watched Bella and her warriors train the recruits. A wistful smile came to his lips as he thought of the day he challenged her. The glint in her eye led him to believe that she would never turn down a challenge. He still owed her the loser’s kiss he offered.
“Teague!” a voice screamed his name. A shiver rolled down his spine as he turned to find Katri running toward him frantic. He hopped down from the fence, jogging over to meet her.
“What is it?” he asked, concerned. He had never seen Katri look this way. Even in the midst of fighting, she had been cool and collected.
“It’s Bella,” she gasped. “Her body, it’s gone!”
Without a second thought, he took off running as fast as his vampiric speed would let him, arriving at the sanctuary within seconds. He ran up the steps and through the door, finding the other valkyries in the room in a state of shock.
