by King Ellie
Tears spilled out of my eyes as I inhaled and exhaled. There was only one thing I had to do, and I knew I risked killing him just as much as killing me. I didn’t ask for anything of anybody but Asar.
You fucking watch my kids… do you hear me you bastard? You love them just as hard as Xáne and I would love them.
He was confused.
What does that even mean?
He asked but I ignored his inquiry as I hugged a distraught Xáne and set us both on fire. I concentrated on the fire deep within me. The flame that was conjured from our tether, the bond that we always had, the one that would never let us separate no matter what or where we were. The bond that had both of our abilities acting a fool when we first met. I needed that tether that comforted us when no one wanted us to be together. The one that was screaming to us now, to fight, to keep going and to never give up.
I thought of our wedding day, the one that where he showed me just how much he loved and treasured me. It was in this grand-hall that I took those steps towards him with Asar giving me away. When I was walking down that aisle, I swore to myself that I would love this man till death and even in death, I would love him even harder because both life and death were eternal for us. When he removed the veil from my face, the way he looked at me spoke on so many levels. His love shined through his eyes, the words he spoke to me and the ones I gave him were us. Nothing and no one could take that from us.
“Though the fire may seem like it is burning you, it will never consume you…” I said to him with a smile on my face.
And his words… I would never forget. He had a smirk on his face as though he knew I would never stop loving him.
“Death will come for you, take over your everything, and even consume you, but one thing death won’t do is ever put out your fire because baby, your fire burns for me and only me.”
Chapter 16
Xánur
To say that I expected all of this would be to lie, but I should’ve known that all our enemies would be closer than we thought. I blacked out when I saw Jaya’s fist connect with Cin’s face. She was always my first priority and would always be my weakness. If she was hurt, then I was hurt, and no one could tell me differently. I should’ve paid much more attention to my surroundings and that Vali’s men were in disguise. One alarming thing was when Vali came over to give me the crown, he had a look in his eyes that I could not decipher. It was not like him at all, and it threw me off but when my son intercepted the placing of the crown on my head, I knew it.
Whatever was on the crown spread like wildfire because everything broke out into a fight. Every royal there that had been there since I could last remember began fighting. We were having our very own war in that ballroom, and none of us cared about who was going to stay alive or not. All we thought about was killing. I moved my son’s arm from Vali as I charged Vali blindly not caring about what was being said or going on. We should’ve checked what the hell was on that crown and it should’ve been questioned as to how long it had been on there but the air… the scent in the air that spread like wildfire was war and we as Nephilims, fallen angels, hybrids, and all other supes ingested that proving to ourselves how deadly we could become.
I shifted throwing Vali off. As he took a couple steps back, I launched at him not thinking twice as I reached for his lower abdomen with my teeth. I hadn’t killed anyone as the were-vamp mix that I was. The blood thirst that flowed through my body made my entire body shudder as I ripped through him as though he were a rag, but then, something made me let go. I took a step back and eyed Vali; his body was torn, shredded even in half, yet he was still breathing. Even with his guts literally spilling, the look in his eyes bothered me. I knew that expression. It was of a broken-hearted man and a hopeless man at that. What was I missing?
There I was, with blood spilling out of my mouth and Vali staring at me as though he were trying to tell me something. I didn’t want to, but I took that moment to enter his mind and I had never seen anything like it. There was nothing there but darkness surrounding it. At a far, far corner there was a huge golden cage with a naked man staring at me, yet he looked like he wasn’t all there. He just stood there and as I got closer and closer in his subconscious, the man became visible in the face… It was Vali himself. I was in shock as I stood there watching him as he watched me, the caged man gripped the bars of the cage shaking it like a madman.
“Get me out of here!” He shouted, “I need to get out! My girl, my mate, she needs me! I have to go to her!”
“Your mate?” I shouldn’t have been in his mind this long, but it was as though I had to stay and find something out.
His eyes landed on mine, bugged-eyed he answered me, “Yes, Sirina… Where is she? I searched for her. I truly did and then I was stuck in here. Someone took over my body!”
I took a step back, the revelation of it all wretched me out of his mind as he screamed like a madman again.
“Don’t leave me here! Save her!”
****
When I came too, Victor stood in front of me, and now, I saw where Cin got her eyes from but before I could attack, he blew some weird substance in my eyes. I yelped first as though someone took over my mind and then I opened my mouth to scream out, but nothing came out. The substance took over my vocal chords, the feeling was excruciating. The only thing that had burned me this way was Cin’s flames, but that never drove my body into a spasm. I shifted back to my vampire self then as I took the scene in, the chaos had turned bloody. There was blood everywhere, was I the only one left alive? I looked around. I saw my father, death himself just staring back at me yet his eyes were lifeless. It didn’t make any sense because that was impossible, no one could kill death or could they? I whimpered as I took a step towards him but then I tripped over another body, it was my uncle’s and he was just as gone as my father.
I shut my eyes, crawling on my knees as I searched for Cin, my son as well but I couldn’t see them at first. I saw Asar as he laid his body over Hina’s, he died protecting her yet they both didn’t survive. At this, my tears began to escape blurring my vision and then I heard him speak,
“at last, we meet,” I turned to face the voice and I saw Victor. He was smiling and I stood teleporting in front of him. I growled but he didn’t even flinch. “You failed her. Just like Magni and Vali both failed Sirina. Isn’t it funny that two powerful men were in love with Sirina yet couldn’t save her from me? Me, a mere human being?”
Victor threw his head back laughing as if this was the funniest thing ever. I wiped my tears from my eyes.
“Give me her body right now.” I tried to shift but nothing worked.
“Bow to me first, and then, I will give her to you. You’d do anything for her wouldn’t you? Won’t you give her a proper burial? One you never gave your daughter?”
Each word was like a nail to my heart. Everything I have ever lived for was for her and my family. Nothing mattered to me if I couldn’t have her or my son and as for my daughter, I was so sorry to her that I didn’t hesitate as I got on my knees. The thud that they made to that floor was the loudest thing I had ever heard.
Cin’s body appeared before mine with a knife to her heart and her eyes… oh those beautiful eyes that I adored and loved to look at. I needed her to look at me just one time. To smile at me and tell me how much she loves me. She was my joy, my strength, my everything. I couldn’t hold it in as I cried. In this moment, I could’ve laughed at myself for saying I had become someone who doesn’t stop crying but this wasn’t funny at all or was it a dream… I was all alone, and I lost all the people who mattered to me. I was surrounded and drenched in the blood of everyone I knew and loved. I reached out caressing Cin’s cold cheek turning her head towards me,
“Cin… my poor love, Lucinda, how could you just off and die on me? How could you leave me like this HUH!” I shouldn’t have shouted at her but what was it that she promised me? That she would never leave even in death but she’s dead, yet her spirit is gone from me.
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“Any last words?” Victor taunted me.
I could’ve gotten up and killed him but what would that have done for me? Instead I laid Cin’s body down to the ground and stood. I grabbed his head and bit him without thinking, this time releasing venom instead of sucking his blood. I let him go and he stumbled back grabbing his neck as though he didn’t expect that from me.
“The venom of death will always accompany you wherever you go and when you finally die, you will be sent to my favorite chamber in my father’s house… the room of death.”
I kneeled back to Cin’s body as I said my vows to her once more hoping that she knew that I would forever love her even if she was gone from me.
“Death will come for you, take over your everything and even consume you but one thing death won’t do is ever put out your fire because baby, your fire burns for me and only me.”
As I finished saying those words, I felt her flames erupting from inside of me and as I threw my head back fire released from my mouth. The fire engulfed every part of me and her wrapping itself around us as though it were a cocoon yet this time nothing burned but my mind then everything became pitch black… Was this a dream or had I just felt Cin’s lips on me as though she were happy to see me?
****
Lucinda
I was exhausted. This was all too much for me and trying to break whatever my father did to Xáne drained me much more than I thought it would. When I came to, we were back in our room. I didn’t have any idea how we got back but I figured we were brought back. I looked around, searching for Xáne to make sure he was okay, but he wasn’t in the room. Without thinking about much or just letting the moment sink in to feel my tether, I leaped off the bed almost busting my ass as I made my way out of the room.
I ran through the hallway, running down the stairs not even taking in who was around. I ran passed the living room straight to the kitchen but that voice that I was searching for,
“Why is your heart beating like that?” I never wanted to cry more than now hearing his voice.
I turned to face him as he stood behind me.
“Xánur…” I didn’t even think twice as I jumped on him and he pulled me up.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist as though I would never let go of him again. I didn’t even think twice as I moved my head back a bit kissing his entire face as I ran my fingers through his hair. Tears fell but I didn’t care because Xáne was okay, I was okay… we were okay. Just then I heard laughter causing me to stop what I was doing. I looked to my right and my heart felt like it grew three times more; my daughter stood there giggling at what I was doing to her father. She was real. I gasped as I looked at her, she was so beautiful. The first thing I noticed were her hazel-gray eyes, they were mine through and through. Her hair was dark like mine but everything else was her father. The resemblance was uncanny; from the way her face lit up when she giggled to the facial features.
“She’s beautiful,” I whispered.
Xáne held me closer as he also whispered, “Isn’t she? Her name is Phoenix,” Xáne informed me.
I let go of Xáne, as he put me down, I couldn’t stop staring at her. I thought she was gone from us yet here she was. My palm went to my chest, I didn’t know what else to do as I stood there. I felt Xáne’s palm on the small of my back lightly pushing me towards her, “Go on… Don’t be shy, say hi.”
Had this was something else, I’d roll my eyes at Xáne but that light shove was needed. I walked on trembling legs as I got closer to her. Her eyes lit up showing me the violet flame she had in her eyes and then the color changed to blue like how mine were now… I dropped to my knees when I got right in front of her. My hand felt so heavy as I lifted it up and caressed my daughter’s cheek. The feeling I had inside of me changed forever and I knew it was the feeling of being complete. I had never felt so damn full in my life, but this was something I would never take advantage of. My father took so much from me, from us but here we were. We showed out not just for ourselves but for my mom, Hina’s mom and all those supes who were experimented on.
It was hard being out there and seeing hurt humans that were dying from the virus but as I let everything slow down, I realized one thing… that my own sister, a woman who never had the chance to be free or loved, loved me enough to not only take care of me but to take care of my son. In her taking care of my son, he took care of this little beautiful girl who couldn’t be seen by anyone other than her twin. If Phoenix hadn’t shared that with me as she matched my flame, I would’ve never known. I just met her, and I loved her wholeheartedly, I would never turn my back on her, ever again.
I’m so sorry
I said to her telepathically and when I felt the familiar hum, I didn’t think as I hugged her tightly.
It’s okay. You are everything I’ve ever imagined too, mama.
I never thought I could ever ugly cry, but this made me do that as I heard her little voice in my head calling me a title I felt like I never deserved. I would do everything in my power to make sure I never fail her or her brother because they made sure to stay alive long enough for me to meet them. They are more than I could ever ask for.
Chapter 17
Xánur
*Thwap* I knew that I smacked the shit out of Vali, and I didn’t care. I needed him to finally come to. It had been weeks of him healing and I knew how painful it was for him to heal putting his entire body back together. The shock of the slap had him opening his eyes and had I not felt bad for him, I would’ve laughed. His eyes roamed around as he tried to figure out where he was.
“You’re in the palace, my palace.” He was very confused. “Not the one you stayed in but my original palace that no one could have but me.”
Vali blinked. It was weird looking at him, his hair was longer this time, the auburn color turning much more copper than before, wavy as ever. His eyes shined bright green and the freckles were all over his face. He was different and I didn’t know why.
“You’re different,” I said to him as he sat up from the bed that he was in.
“Different?” He questioned. “I don’t feel different, I feel insane… trapped. I can still feel the cage around my mind as we speak. How did you?” Then, as if he went out of focus, the question I wanted to avoid answering was the only one that had me speechless for a moment, “Where is Sirina? Was that her that I saw?”
He ran his fingers through his wavy hair that grew really fast. It was now down his chest when it barely reached the nape of his neck before. I observed him for a moment, then I sighed as I made my way across the bedroom towards a black Victorian looking chair. Who the hell decorated this room? Everything in here had a dark Victorian theme and it was as though I saw it for the first time. I shook my head knowing that I was avoiding Vali’s question. The growling in his voice made me turn to face him, he was shifting and now, it clicked. All those times I had seen Vali, not once had he shifted, nor had I felt how powerful he was. It had been so long since he’d even fought a war that I forget about everything, I was so focused on Cin that none of it mattered.
“I am your uncle, answer my question!” He commanded and if I hadn’t known him, I would’ve taken his tone as a threat.
“Uhh… ” I put my index finger up, “well, you’re Asar’s uncle but sure, we’re family. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to answer your question. I’m starting to think that zombie Vali was better than this.”
He growled again, this time his fangs appearing and his eyes going completely white as I heard the rumblings of thunder and then lighting strike right after.
“Don’t test me, where is she?” He was still sitting on the bed, which was the indication that he wasn’t going to attack me just yet.
I avoided his eyes as I focused on a horrible painting of the night sky.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” I asked him.
“I crossed over to the other side… I had to save Sirina. I knew she was in trouble and the only way was to give mys
elf up for her but that man, he did something to her. She was in love.”
The pain he felt radiated throughout the room. This was possible because Vali wasn’t a Nephilim, he was a damn god. Son of Odin and a giantess. I didn’t say anything letting him know that whenever he was ready to continue, then he would. After a moment or two, he continued,
“How is it, that my mate? My own mate was able to love someone more than she loved me. At first, I thought it wasn’t real but then I felt it through our tether, she loved him Xánur. She loved that bastard wholeheartedly, much more than she did me, but I was a love-sick god, I would’ve moved Valhalla to her if she ever wanted to see it. Me?” he chuckled like a madman. “I gave myself up for her. Even now, I want to know of her safety.”
I sighed not wanting to break his heart even more, but I had to, if he wanted to know the truth. I was only away from Cin for three years, and I was ready to kill any and everything,
“She passed Vali. It’s been over twenty-seven years now, she had a daughter with Victor, Hina. The one you saw,” then everything became so clear. I faced him, “And now I know why you looked at her like you loved her.”
“She…She,” he took a breath and out shutting his eyes in the process. The moment his eyes landed on mine, I knew what was going to happen.
Father… tell Uncle Magni, his brother is going to need him. He just learned of what has happened to his mate.
As I finished telepathically telling my father, Vali unleashed a warrior’s cry. One that lit up the skies causing a thunderstorm and I just sat there, knowing how painful this was.
****
Lucinda
To say that I felt what Hina and my children felt was an understatement. It was hard to even know how they survived everything, and it hurt me as each sentence was revealed by each of them. I stared at Hina, she was beautiful, but I knew she was just as scarred mentally and physically. Sometimes as she told me everything, she’d pause and Exra would place his little hand over hers then she’d take a deep breathe just like now. I watched as Exra observed her making sure she was mimicking his breathing pattern and unlike earlier when he sat back letting her talk, this time he took over.
