Elita“ I am delighted. ” The breeze sways my hair, and with it comes back a voice from my memory. “ They chose me to make you regret your choice, and I will love every moment of it. ”What did I say to Akuji back then? Oh right.“ Where is Levian? ”“ Call Levian here. ”“ Levian will believe me. ”But Levian was gone. It was a testament that he didn’t believe me like I thought. He thought I killed them, making it impossible for Levian to achieve what he always wanted.As I near the gates of the Wolveshire Citadel, my throat clogs, and my gaze flickers towards my hand. I flex my fingers. Lana’s fingers, I tell myself. She was so lucky. She has no scar on her body, no injury that remains unhealed. Yet, she took her life like an ungrateful bitch. And I? Even after Akuji chopped my fingers and waited for the injuries to heal so he could move to another part of me, I yearned to live. I ran, even when blood dripped from my hands and I couldn’t grasp anything. I was so desperate to s
Dustin“ Your Highness, we are being— ”“ Followed. ” I tell Ronac, who is trying to tell me about the little problem on our tail. “ Don’t worry about it. Go inspect that part of the wall and come back to tell me if they are here yet. ”Lana is like a leech. She refuses to stop attaching herself to my side since she saw me at the selection ceremony.I should have known she would follow me all the way to the South to do…What exactly?I press my lips in a thin line. For the first time in my life, I have no idea what someone wants or is planning. I can’t read her face like I do with others. I can’t even wrap my head around any possible reasons to explain why she is acting like this.She has become more of a mystery than I like. Even Ciena can’t figure her out. But this is not what’s annoying me. The real problem is that the Moon Goddess has stopped visiting me like an uninvited guest in my life after Lana came my way.I know that Selene knows everything, and I need to ask her, but she
ELITAI groan, shifting to my back. I thought a royal horse would be brave, but this one is like a scaredy cat. Did he have to throw me down in front of everyone? I want to whine. My back hurts. I won’t be surprised if Lana’s fragile bones are all broken now.“ Lady Lana? ” I hear a familiar voice and sit up.My eyes land on Dustin, who is watching me, his face unreadable. Then, I look at the man who recognizes me.Akuji. Bile rises to my throat. He tilts his head to the side, a malicious glint flashing across his eyes as he meets my gaze.“ Take care of her. ” Akuji says to his vampires.I jump to my feet, ignoring the pain that shoots through my tailbone and reaches my toes. Acting on his command, two vampires break off the group and rush my way.I narrow my eyes, my heartbeat escalating. I can’t see them moving when I am inside this weak body, and Lana’s eyesight is as good as shit!What now? If I can’t see them, how am I supposed to do what I came here to do? I gasp as one of
ELITA“ How do you— ” He doesn’t get to finish.Dustin grabs his hair with the other hand and pulls. But Akuji is not as easy as others. He grips Dustin’s arm and twists. A sick crack sounds in the air, sending shivers down my spine.“ Dustin! ” I scream, beginning to run towards them.“ Stay there. ” Dustin hisses, shaking his arm, his eyes fixed on Akuji’s face.My feet halt, but fear grips my heart, squeezing it tightly. Akuji tilts his head and smirks as if he knows why Dustin is not killing him like the rest of the vampires.“ You know I am important. ” His smirk widens, his eyes glinting with smugness. “ Go back and tell Levian to stay down like he promised, or else your territory is not far from the North. Come after us, and we will come after you. ” Dustin drops him on the ground with a thud and steps back. “ Threatening won’t get you anywhere, Your Highness. ” Akuji snickers, slowly rising to his height. “ You are weak. So you stay down. ”My heartbeat thrums in my head. I
DustinThe stony doors open with a creaky noise. My jaw locks, and my eyes meet the smug face of my sister’s mate.He smirks, his gaze lowering to the bleeding girl I am carrying in my arms. I feel like throwing her down and leaving her here. She is so annoying.But I can’t really do anything to her because for some unknown reason—still, her life is connected to Elita’s life and I care about keeping my mate alive for now. Elita must serve her purpose. She can only die after that.Aleister’s grey eyes glint with mischief. “ What an unpleasant surprise. When the warriors informed me about someone’s arrival to this door, and for this person to have a similar name to the King of the North, I couldn’t believe it. Why would you come all the way here? ” “ I need a— ” The corners of my eyes twitch as I struggle to get the word out.The Kingdom of North and South have always been enemies. Now, my sister is the mate of the King of the South but it’s still not easy to acknowledge him as
ElitaSomeone clicks their tongue, mocking the condition I am in. I sigh and open my eyes, only to see the vast darkness surrounding me.It’s so cold here. If I was alive, I would have died just trying to endure the drop in temperature.“ What do you want now, Lana? ” I ask, shifting to my side, to rest the side of my face on my arm.Lana’s familiar face is peeking back at me. She is still wearing a white dress, and it makes her blonde hair appear so shiny and golden.She snorts, folding her arms across her chest sassily. “ You are one big failure. Instead of protecting Dustin or letting him do what he thought was best, you lost your control and decided to get revenge. ”“ Revenge? ” I roll my eyes and drop on my back again. “ Akuji would have been a problem in the future. I just got rid of him. It was not for revenge. ”The satisfaction I felt after getting rid of that smug-faced jerk is starting to disappear.What do I feel now? I wonder.I lift my hands and stare at my pale fingers
ElitaNothing comes out of the dramatics. I always knew that.But never understood it until this moment.“ I told you…you are not dying. ” Dustin says, his eyes drilling holes in the side of my head.I eye the bowl of soup in the tray placed on my lap and pretend that it’s the most important thing in the world. What else can be important right now, anyway?Without saying anything, I grab the spoon in my trembling hand, scoop the soup, and shove it in my mouth.“ So, Elita Folke, its’ time. Why don’t you start talking? ” He leans back in the chair he is sitting on, right beside my bed, to make me feel how close he is.I choke on the soup, coughing wildly. The spoon slips from my fingers and drops into the bowl.My heart is about to explode. It’s better this way. It should explode, and I should die. “ Are you dying again? ” Dustin blinks, his face still blank.I stop coughing. Apparently, this choking act doesn’t work on him. “ What are you— ” I swallow, daring to steal a glance his w
ElitaNot again. I scream inside my head as the ‘thing’ swims closer to me.Instinctively, my limbs start moving in the water and I swim towards the surface. The wounds in my side and thigh open again and blood starts flowing in the water.But I can’t stop to care. I need to get out before that ‘thing’—whatever it is—gets to me.The moment my head emerges from the lake, I gasp for air. The energy in my limbs drops, leaving my legs and arms heavy.That’s when I notice it—A light graze of something sharp on my ankle. I shriek, shaking my legs wildly to move away, but those sharp claws dig into my flesh and pull me down.“ Dustin.” I yell, my eyes lifting to the window.But he is not there now.The water around me turns colder at the sudden thought in my head.He left me in here.Whatever is holding my leg, pulls and I am forced under water again.I shake my head, the heel of my left foot colliding with a face. A low shriek sounds in the water, surprising me.The hold on my