Chapter 34 - Kolgrim
Balthazar POV
I felt like the whole world suddenly halted—the words I never expected to hear coming out of Imelda's mouth made me freeze. I wanted to pinch myself to confirm this wasn’t a dream. I felt like the only thing holding me in this new reality was her hand in mine. Gravity only worked because of our pull to one another. I feared that once she let go, this moment would shatter, and I would be sitting out here alone once again.
This woman in front of me, with her beautiful waves of onyx hair and emerald eyes that could cast anyone into a trance. She was the only person who could destroy me, could kill me. Because a world without her in it was a world I never wanted to experience again, it set a whole new emotion through me. Fear, who would have thought I would ever get to feel this aga
Chapter 35 - DesperateThe last few days felt like months as worry ate away at me. I didn’t sleep often, but I woke up covered in sweat andgasping for air when I did manage to pass out. Other twisted nightmares would come into play each time I passed back out. Ones where Balthazar was dead, and I was too late to help him. Others where, Jade never came, and the giants found us instead. One nightmare would morph into the next. It would go from him to me being alone cornered by Luecrottas beast. I was being eaten alive while my screams went unheard. They swirled around each other, going back and forth.The newest nightmare was all about entering the gates of the Empress's home. Only to have Ryuu awaiting us with an army of deranged dragons. The Empress was laughing at the carnage that was about to take place.I don’t understand why the nightmares kept occurr
Chapter 36 - AwakeBalthazar's POVI woke up yelling in agony. My heartfelt like it had ripped out of my chest. My stomach turned at the radiating pain. I rolled over, tossing up bile. A scoff drew my attention to the corner of the room. I looked over to see Jade sitting on a chair. Her eyes focused on the wood she was wildling in her hand. Her tail flicking like a cat playing with its prey. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Slowly sitting up as my body throbbed, screaming in protest.“What’s so funny?” I asked, my voice rough. My magic was fully restored, but I pushed it too far. The bond didn’t help the situation either. The distance between us was eating away at me, screaming for us to be together.The wood and knife vanished into a cloud of black smoke as she leaned f
Chapter 37 - Dragon Spirit Imelda’s POV “How did you get here?” I asked, my voice mixed with both relief and fear. “I go where you go. Nothing could stop me from reaching you.” He turned his gaze to Ryuu. “Not even you, you pathetic excuse for a female.” He sneered. I stared in disbelief. If there were ever a time not to insult someone, it would be now. But Balthazar never played by the rules. He was a king. After all, he made them. Ryuu scoffed. “Oh Balt, I love when you talk dirty to me.” She said, her tone salty. I cringed at the mention of his nickname. I had to remember that she did once mean something to him. Before she hated him, she had loved him.
Chapter 38 - PricesEmpress Sorin stared at us all. I swore I could see the stars twinkle in her golden eyes now and then. Then, aswift smile graced her lips as she took a sip of her tea. She placed her dainty teacup, littered with purple and blue flowers. The rim dipped in gold. No one else made a move to drink their tea. It was almost humorous picturing any of the men holding such tiny cups in their big hands.“This is awkward. Should we speak first?” Oren mused. I bit the inside of my cheek, clearing my throat.“You said you would like to discuss the future-“ Sorin held up her finger, cutting me off. I glanced over to see the corner of Balthazar’s lip tipping up slightly.I gave him a subtle glare as I turned my attention back to the Empress of d
Chapter 39 - ChoicesThe pathwas exactly how it looked, dark and cold. It was as if I was caught in another realm entirely. The trees were dead, the sound of crows echoed throughout the dead forest. A thin layer of fog coated the ground, and the air smelt stale. Not even a twinkling star shined above my head. My footsteps crunching against the gravel and dirt echoing in beat with my heart. I swallowed hard as I pushed back the nerves that kept prickling at my skin.I held my head high as I kept moving forward, subconsciously counting my footsteps as I went. A harsh, cold wind blew my hair around. It was then I realized I was still only in a light tunic and pants. I fought the shiver that tried to take hold of me. No matter what I was going to face, I would face it all to ensure a future for all wo
Chapter 40 - InnocenceThe forest around us was full of life, just like I remembered. The trees all holding golden flowers that smelt of citrus. The sky was the brightest blue. All the colours in my home were vibrant. Something I slowly forgot while I was away. The sound of birds chirping filled the air giving everything a calming element."Why do you hurt people?" The little girl asked, pulling my attention back to her."That's a bold question for someone your age," I said, avoiding the answer."I'm more mature than I look. I have to be. My family is preparing me to be a leader, and leaders ask bold questions and make hard decisions. At least that's what I've been told." I frowned a little at the statement. Why would a child no more than nine be forced to
Chapter 41 - GoodbyesImelda's POV"I don't want you anymore," Balthazar shouted at me."You're no use to me like this. You can't even give me a child. Let alone how pathetic you look trying to rule the underworld. You don't belong here, by my side." He continued to belittle me—each word slicing deeper. I knelt in front of him. My head hung low. I was too ashamed to look up at him. My eyes were swollen from crying. My throat was dry and sore."You had one job, and you couldn't even do that right. I knew you were weak, but I didn't think you were this weak." Oren hissed. I shook my head."I'm sorry." My voice was a mere whisper."I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
Chapter 42 - GodricI hugged Balor goodbye as I left his room. He refused to see me off. He was too upset with what I had given up. I made him swear never to utter a word of it to our family. I would tell them when I was ready, he reluctantly agreed. He said he also had to build up the nerve to tell our parents that he was leaving Gardania and heading back to the packhouse in the human realm."Still refused to come to dinner?" Nesrin asked as I shut the door behind me."Of course he did. But he will get over it. Did you know he was talking about going to live with Aunt Cass and Uncle Ty?" She nodded."Yeah, he mentioned it to me a while back, but mother and father shut him down. Saying he would make a great blacksmith. That he didn't need to worry about it
Epilogue Three weeks later Damon The pressure of the crown was building as Alora and I settled into our new roles. My father was no longer here to keep the council at bay with their demands. But despite it all, I had found that I enjoyed this new life I had been given. The new responsibilities allowed me even more control over the Kingdom than the Captain of the guards ever could. All be it; I did miss the battle prep and daily training. But I still found holes in my busy schedule to take Alora out to the training fields at least once a week. I knew that eventually, our routine would become steady, and we would have more time to relax, but new rulers came with change and to have change, you needed to vote on old and new laws to pass. Alora and I had already made some big changes, like incorporating technology from the human realm into our daily lives to allow us easier communication with other realms. But there were still a lot of issues with the old ways of running our Kingdom
Chapter 49 - To Love and Cherish ErikPeace was something that was talked about constantly. During wars, it was what we fought for. While ruling a Kingdom, it was what we strived to maintain. But I had never truly known peace until now. The thought of finally being ridden of this pain inside of me, knowing that soon I would be with my love once again, was freeing. The final night with my family started out slow, but it eventually picked up and ran right into the night. There was laughter and tears exchanged around the table as we shared stories of my past and everyone got a chance to say goodbye, getting the closer they needed.And as everyone turned in for the night, I found myself alone again; unable to sleep, I found myself outside. I stayed up looking out at the stars waiting for the sun to rise. I closed my eyes, letting the warm breeze brush across my skin, engraving it into my mind. "So you really are going to spend your last moments alive, sitting in a field of flowers like
Chapter 48 - GoodbyesErikI watched as the sun set beyond the forest, the oranges and pinks of the sky blending together as the sun bid it farewell. It had been a long time since I had nothing to do, no responsibilities with the crown or of the guards. I thought it might help me move on from the hell that the last year had been without Athena, but now I realize that was a stupid notion. It was lonely, and the weight of losing my mate weighed heavier on my heart now than it did while I still ruled.I kept as busy as a retired King could, helping Damon when he needed to seek council or helping Apollo if he needed a hand with training recruits, but I knew that they both didn't really need my help. They just didn't want me to feel left out. Apollo was a natural at his role, and so was Damon. Despite what Damon said when he first discovered he would be the next in line to inherit the throne. He took to it as a bird took to the sky. He was a born leader and shined when he was in control o
Chapter 47 - Home Alora It had been a month since I had been crowned Queen of Gardenia, the days seeming to slip away as the kingdom welcomed the summer solstice and our ruling.I was busy learning my new role, Damon's father and Grandfather helping ease us both into the important roles we both now held. However, it was easier having Helga by my side. I was happy to have her as my royal advisor, and Rachel had said she was a natural already. I knew she would be, though; she always loved to take control and never gave up the opportunity to tell someone off. It was also working in my favour because Lord folic was so busy fighting with her that he always missed out on voting for new laws or changes to existing rulings. Damon loved it, and it made the council meetings less gruelling. It was absurd how many times we had to have a council meeting. At least once a day, and most of the things brought up were trivial problems. By the end of the day, I was just happy to get some alone time
Chapter 46 - The CrownDamon It felt like an eternity had passed as I waited in the royal chambers with my father. It felt even longer when we exchanged goodbyes at the throne room, and I waited at the dais while he sat on his throne. Melody stood in front of my father, a smile stretched across her face, glowing brightly. The room was full of people, some from the council, others from royal families, friends, family, and people from our Kingdom. All watching and waiting for the ceremony to begin.I was in a black royal jacket that was made with silver threading, and our family crest stitched into my left breast pocket. The wolves were placed proudly amongst the roses and the sword that separated them as they howled at the moon. My silver crown was placed on my head, but that would be changed once mine and Alora's vows were complete and only after the mothers accepted us as the new King and Queen to signal the dawn of a new era. Drake stood to the right of me, his mate, my mother's
Chapter 45 - Long Live The Queen Damon "Again," I commanded as Alora worked to keep the wings she had summoned to remain on her back. She had learned quickly how to handle the phoenix flames since she had already worked with the fire element. But now came the hard part, only half shifting. I did it all the time, especially in battle, morphing my nails into claws and elongating my canines. But nothing about that was easy; it came with time and practice, but Alora wanted to have it mastered. With the coronation and our mate ceremony happening tomorrow, she wanted to be better at it. Not only to prove to the council and our people that she was a worthy Queen but also to herself. I didn't want to be the one to tell her to slow down, not after she had spent so much of her life ruled under someone else thumb. But I had warned her of the risks of exhaustion and told her that when I saw fit, we would end the training for the evening.Alora begrudgingly accepted my condition, and I kept tr
Chapter 44 - Worship AloraI flipped through the pages of the phoenix book the jinx family had kept for generations. There was so much to process, like what abilities I now possessed because of what I was. It made my head hurt; there was so much to learn, so much to figure out. I was now different than normal fae; I was now a shifter. But, unlike most shifting fae, my order didn't communicate with me. Instead, it was a part of me; we were one and the same. I would still live an immortal life, only having one enemy that could stop me from ever being reborn, permanently ending my life. A Basilisk. A venous snake shifter that, like me, was rare, most believed them to be extinct. But now that I existed, one would be born, if not already—the universe now having to find balance in all forms. It was mindblowing the things I had already read about. For example, I could enchant items with my flames, similar to everlasting fire. But unlike everlasting fire, I couldn't break wards or spells w
Chapter 43 - WarningDamonI sat at the dais, my legs hanging over the edge as I waited for Cedric to arrive with the artifacts Alora and I asked for. Balor was right when he said the Jinx family would bargain for their priceless information. The smug look on their faces was wiped away and replaced with wide gaping mouths as they stared at the amulet in shock.Diana had muttered a curse under her breath. One I was sure she wanted me to hear because she said it so close to me. But I bit my tongue as I handed over the amulet, not wanting to risk them being stingy with their end of the deal.Alora was waiting in the Library, looking over whatever other books Audra had found for her. Now that Alora had her dream magic again, she was more determined than ever to find out what else she was capable of doing. I couldn't help but admire her for her devotion and eagerness. I was still reeling in from the mind-blowing realization that not only was Alora a rare Pheonix shifter, but she was also
Chapter 42 - Full CircleAloraIt's funny how even after you have overcome your deepest fears that they can still creep up on you. That was how it felt right now, anyways, as we arrived at the Dream realm. It was a ghost town, everyone seeming to either vanish with my mother's magic or flee as soon as they were freed from their promise to her. The streets were quiet, the ports empty, and the palace looked haunted. The golden paint was already losing its shine and fading with the faded magic. The windows were dark and unwelcoming as we approached the not-so-gilded gate. It was now that I felt the fear of my mother creep up on me. The well of my fears bubbled in the pit of my stomach. For decades I walked through these gates and made my way to my mother's throne room to report my findings and give her the things she requested I steal. The motions all felt so familiar, but with Damon by my side, they also felt different. I knew he could sense my hesitation as we approached the giant w