[Diana’s POV]‘Even when I am not around you, I’ll always… always… always… be with you.’Zephyr’s words reverberated in my head as Kiera dashed past the moss-covered trees, rocky terrains, down a rocky slope.Were those words supposed to reassure me? What did they even mean? Did he mean to say that even when he wasn’t physically around me, he would be with me in my memories, in my longings, in my tears and my love?Because if he meant that, I didn’t know what I’d do. I had already done all of that for Mask and no way in the hell was I going to repeat it with him. But it hurt. Hurt in every part of my body. Those words poured into my chest like boiling darkness. A clenching wrath.I had never had second thoughts about Zephyr. I saw, heard, and felt his love deeper than the blood flowing in my veins. But right now, I wasn’t sure what to feel anymore. I was numb, and it hurt, hurt so fucking bad I couldn’t breathe.‘Calm down, Diana. Please. Zephyr isn’t Mask. Maybe he didn’t mean his
[Zephyr’s POV]I lost my consciousness to ‘I want to be the mother of your children’ reverberating in every inch of my body and gained my consciousness to Diana’s voice, but the words were for someone else, something else.“If the rainforest is going to flood, you should come with us, Arran. Please,” Diana was dressed in her wet clothes. No need to dry anything. Everyone was wet anyway.Arran impassively peered at Diana through the rain slithering down his face.“Mind your own business,” Arran said.“We need to leave. The water level is rising. The bank near the river is already underwater,” Reese said, and I noticed we were on the highest slope near the bank of the river. Our campsite was deep under the violent water hurling in the heavy downpour. “We already have a liability.” Reese looked down at me.I was lying on the ground, surrounded by the others.“Look, the liability is awake…” Reese said obnoxiously.“Zeph!” Diana squatted near me. “Zeph! Are you ok?” She looked at my wound a
[Diana’s POV] Two weeks had passed in the real world since we entered the dreamcatcher. The first to escape through the dreamcatcher was Janus, who exited in a week. Followed by Miya, Zared and Darren, who exited the dreamcatcher two days ago. Followed by our group. The rest were still inside the dreamcatcher. Carol hadn’t stopped whimpering from the moment we exited the dreamcatcher. I stroked it, sitting on the chair in the hospital’s corridor. According to Archer, ever since we left for the race, Carol had been waiting for us to get out of the dreamcatcher in the library. Vera, Miya and Zared tried to feed it, but it refused to eat. I tried to feed it some flower flames, but it flew to the window of this corridor after Zephyr. Carol had learnt to fly already and the heart feather Miya talked about had budded over its chest. In a few days, we’d know its gender. “Princess. You should go back and freshen up. I am here with Zephyr,” Archer said. I shook my head. It was all my
[Diana’s POV]How do I always end up walking right into his trap?Trap? Coincidence? Plan? Fate?I knew no more.I just wished when I leave this room I do not find him in the empty hallways. The guards, too, were positioned only at the farthest ends of the hallway in order to make the area around Celadine’s room peaceful.I sat on a chair beside Celadine, not knowing what to say. What could I say to a person who was dying? What could I say to her when I left her brother dying in the rainforest?More than anything, I had accumulated regrets in the dreamcatcher race.Celadine was unable to talk. Mind-link was the only way she could communicate with her close ones. She wasn’t even strong enough to create a new mind-link with me.Luna Nesta was called by Celadine’s doctors. So it was her, me, and her personal maid in the room.Celadine glanced at her maid. Her maid fetched out a palm-sized brown leather diary and gave it to me. Placing Carol on my lap, I accepted the diary and looked at C
[Diana’s POV]A train of thoughts crossed my mind.If I attack him first and make a run, maybe I can reach somewhere safe.What if the rogues are hiding in the shadows of the forest surrounding this place?I looked around to find the clearest and nearest exit from that place. “That look on your face. The way you are poised to attack. The way your heart’s beating. Is it because I brought you to an isolated place or is it because I brought you to ‘this’ place?”“You remember?” I asked, not allowing my words to tremble.“This place reminds me… that I am forgetting something. Something as important as the turning point in my life. Something related to you. I feel the presence of memories everywhere in this place, but I can’t see them. But right now, I can see them in your eyes and I want you to tell me… what happened in this place, Diana?” His voice was low and hoarse, as if he didn’t want the trees nearby to listen to our conversation.“How dare you forget…” I mumbled.“What?”“How dare
[Diana’s POV]In almost invisible movements Archer had pulled Zephyr behind himself, standing between Zephyr and Alpha Vidar’s sword.Snap!Alpha Vidar’s sword stopped in the air, inches away from Archer’s neck.I heard footsteps from behind me.Alpha Vidar glanced over my shoulder as Kazeal walked beside me, peering at Archer. Kazeal had stopped Alpha’s sword…Thud!I looked towards them and Archer had slammed Zephyr against the wall.“How dare you draw a sword at the alpha? You insolent brat!” Archer said through his clenched teeth in a suppressed voice.Zephyr looked over Archer’s shoulders at Alpha Vidar, his eyes still brimming with the bitterest hatred.Archer punched Zephyr across his face with an impact that made Zephyr stumble a few steps before he balanced his footing.I clapped my hands on my mouth with a gasp.“Who do you think you are? A measly man like you who doesn’t even know his place…” Archer punched Zephyr in his gut.Blood spurted out from Zephyr’s mouth as he clen
[Zephyr’s POV] (Four days later.) “This has gone too far. You will have to make a choice now. What do you want? You can either have your revenge and the throne or Diana. At this point, you can’t have both, Zeph. Remind you… thousands of lives depend on the decision you make. Including mine and uncle’s.” Janus said. I peered blankly at the blank ceiling. “Will you fucking say something? Man! This is frustrating. Four days and I haven’t heard a word from your mouth.” “Let him take his time. It’s his call,” Archer said, leaning against the wall with his hands crossed. Although I didn’t look, I could feel Vera’s gaze on me. If it wasn’t for Vera’s healer's powers, I would have taken weeks to regain my consciousness. For the last four nights, they have gathered around me, talked about me, they spoke as if they understood me, but they didn’t. I always knew Diana, and I weren’t meant to be. I was only trying to drag the time with her as long as I couldn’t drag it anymore. I fucked up
[Diana’s POV]The loud cathedral bells rang right before I sneaked back into the room. Its solacing melody reached far and wide within and outside the Pretis palace.Those bells rang only when a royal died. My heart picked up an anxious beat.I knew, deep down, in the churns of my stomach for whom those bells were ringing.Celadine was gone.We weren’t friends. She wasn’t even someone close to me. Yet, I don’t know why I felt like my heart mourned in my chest. I connected to her much faster than I had connected to anyone else. Death connected us and now it was tearing me apart.Carol jumped on the railing of the balcony of my room that I had jumped on. I and Carol looked towards the hospital.“She is in a better place, right?” Carol tilted its head and chirped in affirmation, flapping its wings. “You went to meet Zephyr, right? How’s he doing?”Carol dropped its head with a disappointed chirp from its throat. I tensed my brows.Archer kept his words. I thought when his anger reduce