Chapter 15 - Rot
Nesrin
The air was thick with fog as we were dropped into the dark realm. I cursed as I vowed to pay Weylyn back for these inconvenient landings through the Everlasting portals. Surely there had to be a way to not end up on our backs every time we were transported this way. I groaned as I sat up. Apollo was up before me, reaching out his hand to help me up with an amused smirk on his lips.
And eery silence surrounding us along with rotting foliage. The trees were bare and brittle. The sky was grey, and the magic that greeted us was heavy. It stuck to you like sweat and made your hair stand on end. Everything in me was screaming at me to turn back. To run away and find safety, but I couldn't. We couldn't.
A crow's caw in the distance made me jump. I felt Apollo's fingers tighten around my mine. I looke
Chapter 16 - CaptiveApolloI didn't protest when the guard grabbed me. My mind was only concerned with keeping Nesrin safe and away from all these bastards. I forced myself not to look at the bush that she was hiding in.The creature who captured me was destined to be cruel. Not because he was a guard in one of the darkest places we knew to exist but because of what he was.It didn't take a genius to know he was a vampire. Besides the obvious porcelain skin and undeniable allure, he seemed to have. His red eyes and how swift he moved would have been a dead giveaway for anyone.I just hoped I was enough of a distraction to prevent him from smelling Nesrin's blood or hearing her heartbeat. Because the only thing we couldn't protect ourselves against with this concealment potion was Va
Chapter 17 - PreyNesrinI watched as they tied Apollo up. I watched as he was forced to run behind the beast I now knew to be a Nightrider. I waited long enough for them to move up the path before defending further down onto the forest and trying to track them down the path.I forced the air beneath my feet to move me fast as possible as I moved forward. It was harder to use my magic here. Dark magic ruled this realm, and using my regular magic was more straining as the energy of this place seemed to suffocate it."We should shift," Ahmes suggested again. But doing so was too risky. I couldn't conceal our presence if we shifted. And now the concealment potion was almost conflated out of my system soon. I wouldn't even be able to hide my magic either.
Chapter 18 - SourceNesrinI pushed my magic into my palms, blasting air directly into the Commanders chest. He flew off of me with a cry as he slammed into a tree. The tree broke in half at the impact. I wanted to admire how far I had managed to throw the Vampire but didn't have time as I rushed to my feet.I turned and ran once again, forcing my limbs to move as fast as possible. Suddenly a hand gripped my braid, and I was flung backwards through the air. I screamed in fear as I flailed through the air like a ragdoll. A shadowed figure floated above me, and in the next second, their hand was on my chest, and I was plummeting faster towards the ground. I forced my magic around me, the air forming a shield between me and the ground as I tried to soften the blow.
Chapter 19 - Caged Apollo The cages smelt like piss and shit. Whatever beasts and beings they had captured during the trek through the South weresnarling and groaning as we passed. Claws, partially shifter arms, and bloodied hands reached for us through the gaps of the bars. Viggo continued to push me through the stench and past the cages that somehow managed to contain those monsters. The smell faded slightly as we moved further down the line. The beings encased in these cages were quieter and curled into themselves. Most had their backs turned to the bars. They had more human-like features, and we're most likely shifters and other beings that were banished here. "Don't stare at any of the others if you wish to wake in the morning," Viggo instructed as we stopped in front of the last cage
Chapter 20 - Royal BloodNesrinSleep had finally caught up with me before early morning. The Commander hadn't slept in his tent, but that didn't make me feel any safer. I fought off the heaviness of my eyes until they finally claimed me. When I woke, I was covered in thick furs. My cloak and pack were resting against a chair by the burning fire.My stomach turned at the thought of how easy it would have been for him to kill me. How easy it would have been for the Commander to drain me dry, and I wouldn't have realized or had enough energy to fight him off.But he hadn't done that. Instead, he had kept to his word. and I wasn't sure what to do with the information. Was he an ally, or was he just trying to buy my trust so he could take what he wanted?
Chapter 21 - RunApolloWe were escorted from the throne room, from hell. Actually, I was pretty sure the King of the underworld had more dignity than this male ever did.It took everything in me not to lung at him just for the way he eyed Nesrin up. Like she was a fucking snack he couldn't wait to devour. I was sure if I still had my wolf, I would have snapped, unable to hold him back. But, even without him, I still had this primal need to protect Nesrin. I noticed it before all of this, but I kept pushing it down. I might have even considered choosing her as my mate if things were different.But who was I kidding? If things were different, I would have never lost my wolf, and I would have joined the royal guards and probably never had a chance to meet he
Chapter 22 - SurvivalNesrinThe world around us was utter chaos. I was frozen in place. My mind was blank. All the training we had done over the last year vanished in this moment of pure and utter panic.I braced myself for the impact of fangs ripping into my flesh. But instead, I was pushed out of the Vampire King's grasp. My eyes locked on Apollo; I couldn't move, couldn't think."Nesrin, run," Apollo shouted. His voice snapped me out of whatever spell my fear seemed to be casing over me. The enraged growl of the Vampire king shook the ground.I looked at the King and then Apollo. His eyes pleaded for me to flee, to get out of this mess and survive this hell we had now found ourselves
Chapter 23 - BeastsNesrinThree days. We had been stuck in this forest for three days. Heading in some random direction. Without my compass and not knowing where the portal had to spit us out, we were blind.Without any actual food and water, we were weak. I shifted when I could, but it was also a huge risk. Ahmes made our scent all that easier to track. The dark magic clung to us like a second layer of skin and made it even harder to use our own magic to help us.We were reduced to reserving our magic and had to hunt for our food without it.My feet were raw from walking barefoot, and the dress I had fled in was hardly enough to keep me warm as we walked through the rugged terrain. So far, the only saving grace was that we hadn't encountered any creatures
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