“Take me to the portal!”I follow after Rina and she takes me all the way into the forest. “Why did you open a portal this deep in the forest?!” I demand, angry. “I – It was just – That’s where Fera asked me to set it up.”I find the situation odd but then Fera had been acting odd for quite a while. “How does the portal work? How is she supposed to return?”“Our – My family’s portals are connected by blood. The blood of the one passing through the portal is used to reopen the portal at the same spot.”“So you basically gave her the information and means to go into the elven territory and then return. Are you crazy? Why would you just open a portal for her?!”Rina looks close to tears but I’m too angry to care.As we go deeper inside the forest, I hear footsteps behind me and Dayla is running towards us, “What’s going on?”“Fera might have gone into the elven territory!” I say, urgently. “We have to stop her.”Rina is silent and I can see she’s upset.However, when we en
I blink when I enter the elven village territory.My heart skips a beat out of raw fear. I don’t want to run into Balin or anyone. If they see me here they will drag me back. But I miscalculated one very important thing. There is moonshine swimming in my system. And I find myself drawn to this place. This time since I am aware, it’s easier to fight off the effects.The portal is still closing behind me and just when I think it’s about to, Cerebus’s head pops out, his tongue lolling out.I gape at him as the rest of him follows.“No!” I whisper to him. “You’re for sure going to attract attention here, you idiot! Go back!” He stares at me, panting happily.“I know you can understand me!” I hiss at him, fiercely. “Don’t pretend otherwise.”He woofs at me, happily, and then drops something out of his mouth onto the grass. I blink before crouching down to pick up the drool covered item. After a moment, I say, “I’m not even going to ask you where you kept this in your mouth. But
I’m locked in one of the cottages, my face throbbing from where Balin hit me a couple of times. My forehead is stained in my blood from where he smashed it against the tree. And the taste of moonshine is heavy in my mouth.I know he’s coming back. When he dragged me here, I saw the elves cast disdainful looks my way. There’s no confusion in my mind as to who the real enemy is anymore. I’ve tried throwing up the moonshine but it’s difficult to do some when my hands and legs are tied. I hear footsteps as he approaches and I can’t help the cold fear that washes over me. He enters and it’s like looking at a stranger. That’s what bothers me as well. When he hit me with that arrow, I kept making excuses for him. I know that it was brainwashing but since that night at my childhood home and when he captured me now, I can’t see a trace of the man I had once thought I loved. And it’s just been a matter of weeks.Either I was extremely gullible. Or just very desperate to belong somewhere.
“Sila. Sila, please.”I’m standing in the middle of a clearing and I see a familiar face there.Damien looks the same, if not a little younger. His eyes are red and desperate, “Don’t do this, Sila. I need you.”Sila?There is another woman there. She’s bleeding. Her eyes are empty.“They took everything.”“Sila, sweetheart!” I’ve never seen Damien cry.It breaks my heart.“It broke mine too,” comes a voice from next to me and I jump in surpise.The woman next to me is the same one Damien is still talking to. Only, now I can’t hear their conversation.“You’re Sila,” I murmur. “Yes.”She is graceful and beautiful, with long dark tresses and brilliant blue eyes.“I hurt Damien that night,” she murmurs. “I still regret it.”“Damien is –”“My mate – your mate,” Sila smiles at me sadly. “I always thought I was strong. But after losing my babies, I realized I was not. I couldn’t go to him, knowing that our beloved children died because of me. I failed as a mother. I failed as
“No,” I mumble, sinking onto the floor, dismayed. “How can this be?!”I dig through the earth and desperate tears fill my eyes, “No, no, no, no!”But there are no remnants of the flower.I wipe my tears, crawling to the other side of the tree but it too has been destroyed.Hopelessness is a terrible feeling.These flowers are the only way to cure the effects of moonshine.I rest my head against the Tree of Souls, mentally drained, the last dredge of hope, finally exhausted.“I don’t want to die here,” I murmur, brokenly. “I want to go back to Damien. I don’t want to stay here.”I can feel my tears dripping down my face. “What kind of Righ am I?” I sob. “I can’t even protect myself or anyone I love. What use is this title to me?!”I can feel the desire to go back to the village and I curl my hands into the dirt. I know how much moonshine is in my system right now. Without the flower, I will become little more than a living puppet to the elves. And from what I now know, Balin’
My breath catches, “D-Damien?”He steps out of a tree which had been solid wood till a few seconds ago, “Isabel.”I throw myself into his arms without a second thought, “What took you so long?!”My heart which I had tried to hold steady till now finally caves at the sight of the one person I desperately wanted to see.His arms wrap around me, “Are you hurt?! Why did you go?! Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea how worried-”“They would have killed Fera!” I tighten my arms around him, my face buried in his chest. “I thought I might have a better chance of survival. But the portal didn’t work. And then the other one – It was like Balin knew I was coming.”Damien pushes me away, enough so that he can look at my face. His eyes are terrifyingly cold, “Do I have to chain you to myself to keep you safe?”I know he’s angry but all I can feel is relief.I don’t know what overcomes me but I grab his face in my hands and kiss him. He freezes under my touch and then he kisses me back li
Don’t worry about it,” Damien’s arm is around me. “Let’s just get you to the castle.”“You don’t understand!” I grab his wrist, forcing him to look at me. “Damien they’re preparing for something! I saw all these weapons and –”“The elves can’t enter the demon realm,” Damien tells me calmly. “Like us, they can only survive for a brief period of time. The air gets toxic for them.”I refuse to give up though. He didn’t see what I saw. The kind of weapons I saw, were almost as if the elves were getting ready to go to war.“What if they managed to enter?” I step in his path and see the annoyance on his face.“Then I’ll kill them,” he leans closer to me and his voice is filled with a terrifying darkness. “I have a score to settle with Balin as well.”I freeze at the depth of viciousness in his voice and he notices my sudden fear.Amusement fills his voice, “What? Did you forget that I am the Lord of the Demon world? You are the only one allowed to treat me the way you do, Isabel.”
Damien is calm, calmer than I anticipated.“Send in the first line of defense. You lead the second squadron. I’ll lead the first.”Seth shakes his head, “That won’t be enough. They’re armed with different weapons. Something is off.”Damien is silent and then, “You stay here.”He’s looking at me.I exchange a look with Fera who nods, “I think that’s a good idea.”“I don’t,” I say, firmly. “Isabel-”I meet Damien’s gaze, squarely, “We both know that there is a likelihood of there being a spy in the castle.”Damien’s jaw tenses, “Fine. But you stick next to me. Get her a suit of armor!”“Armor?” I gape at him. “I’m a wolf shifter. My best defense is my wolf!”Damien steps towards me till he’s in my face and growling, “Can you ever just obediently do what I tell you to?!”“If you’re looking for obedience, get a damn puppy!”How is this infuriating man supposed to be my mate?!“Maybe I should just put a collar around your neck!”My eyes narrow, “Try it. See what happens!”“
DAMIENYears pass slowly when eternity is no longer in sight.Standing on the edge of the balcony of the bedroom I’ve shared with Isabel for five hundred years, I watch the lush lands in the distance. The demon realm has never prospered like this before. I’ve never been this content before.In the distance, I hear laughter and I look over to see two of my older sons carrying their sisters in their arms while my other daughter run after them, Cerebus trailing after them.I’ve had children before. I’ve watched them pass on. I still watch over their families. But this is different. This is more precious. Isabel has given me so many children and for once, I will not have to watch them die before me. Twenty strong children, half of whom are now leading their own lives, coming back to visit us. I have never once regretted sharing my life span. Now I get to enjoy my beautiful mate for centuries to come before we move on from this world. Speaking of my mate, I hear her voice.“Junip
I clutch on to Damien’s still body as I see Balin’s body dissolve into nothing within seconds. There is hush across the battlefield as everyone stares in shock at what has just taken place.‘Justice.’The words echoes in everyone’s ears and then I see the realization hit the elves about what is coming to them. The begin to flee.But only if it was that easy.One by one, they fall, their deaths painful and horrific sights.The battle which had come to a halt because of Damien’s sacrifice has now been ended by the interference of the Gods. There is no guilt within me.There is just dark and vicious satisfaction.Let them burn. Let them feel what it is like.The whole thing is over within a couple of minutes and the silence stretches across the field.Finally, the Gods face me, ‘What do you wish from us?’My eyes flicker towards Damien and when I look up, the field is gone. Both me and Damien are in this white space that has no end.“The elves are gone,” I say with great di
My heart is filled with a broken pain that I can’t breathe past.They showed up. But they showed up too late.I’ve lost everything.Damien isn’t breathing. I pull out the spears one by one, ignoring the presence of the beings, tears falling down my face, my chest so tight with pain that I think it will burst. I can’t feel our mating bond!Oh, God! I can’t feel him anymore!The wail that rips from my throat at the realization that he’s left me all alone is a terrifying sound. The earth begins to shake as my grief grows out of control. These powers, these abilities, they’re useless to me!My heart is tearing out of my chest in my madness, the ground shaking.Let it all burn!Let them all die!‘Child.’The voice echoes in my head again and this time I look at those beings, my face ravaged with the tears of a broken woman.‘You cannot destroy these realms.’“I cannot?” I snarl, “Just who do you think you are to tell me what I can or cannot do?!”The more upset I am, th
Mara’s anticlimactic death has me reeling. But now is not the time to worry about that. I shift into my wolf form, attacking the enemy with a ruthlessness. It’s true what the witch said. My mating bond has increased my strength. I feel lighter on my feet as I wade through the elves like they’re ants. My speed is faster, although not to the level of that of Damien’s.I can feel some of my abilities leaking through but I’ve still not been able to access my abilities. I’m a little disappointed. I thought weakening the seal would have more of an impact but aside from this soft leakage of warm sensation, there is nothing else.I feel frustrated but I can’t do anything.Damien, though.Damien is stronger than I have ever seen. He’s cutting down the elves with speed, his focus sharp. His laughter is vicious and despite that, my heart flutters in my chest at how glorious he looks. I look at him and that is my mistake.You never allow yourself to get distracted on the battlefield.A
The troops are already waiting in their battle positions when we arrive.Damien brings me with him to the battlefield. He’s wearing a suit of dark armor and I feel tense, “The Rubab Stone-”“I’ll have to be more careful,” his voice is calm. “Last time I wasn’t as aware. This time I know I am not invincible.”“Damien,” my heart is twisting in my chest. “I-”He cups my cheek, his voice gentle, “I’ll be fine, little wolf. Just don’t leave your guards.”I know he would have preferred to stash me somewhere but it’s clear that he wants me close by. After so many traitors popping up after the first battle, it only makes sense.“Don’t let anybody catch you off guard,” he thrusts a sword into my hand. “Trust your instinct when you fight. They’re going to try and separate us. Let’s make sure that, that doesn’t happen.”I give him a small smile, feeling a sliver of hope on seeing his confidence.“Okay.”I get on my toes and press a sweet kiss to his mouth.We don’t get more time togethe
“What is it?” “Something has happened in the demon realm,” he says, grimly, before looking down at my hand.I shake my head, “The pain is gone.”“Good, let’s go.”“Thank you,” I give the witch a weak smile, not knowing whether to actually be grateful or blame her for the wrong that has happened in my life. But it’s always a good idea to be graceful.She waves us off and I’m in Damien’s arms as he runs out of the cave, past the trees, towards the temple.“The portal-”“Caleb will open it when I give the signal,” he’s not even out of breath as he rushes down the temple where the shrine gates are.As we move towards the town, I grab his shoulder, “Wait! What is that?!”The sky is orange.“How long were we inside?” I mutter. “Is the sun rising?”“No,” Damien says after a long moment. “It’s fire. The town has been set on fire.”“We have to help-”But Damien holds me back, “Look.”For a moment, I don’t understand what he is saying. And then I see the arrows shooting within the
“There has to be something someone can do,” I ask, forcing my voice to stay calm, despite the roiling fear inside of me.The witch’s voice is kind now, “I’m afraid not. You’re not the first who has tried to seek a way to undo the curse.”It’s hard to keep my tears at bay. The tears are not of sadness but rather of the crippling fear of the unknown future that awaits me. At this point, I am already aware of the nature of the painful deaths a majority of the Righs faced. It was just physical pain they had to go through, that would have been fine. Horrifying as it may be, one can tolerate that to an extent. But seeing your loved ones be tortured? The mental anguish is not something I will be able to take any longer. My suffering may be different from that of the previous Righs. It may not even compare. But for me, it is enough. I am reaching my breaking point. There are so many people in my life that I now care about, so many people who can be used against me. It frightens me to th
The witch studies me, “There have been numerous prophecies recorded about the Righs over time but there was one that was recorded by a Righ who was born to a Seer and a witch. You can call it a curse or a prophecy.”I instantly remember what I saw. The memory of the battlefield. The woman who was held down, screaming.My blood turns to ice as I recall that memory. It still gives me nightmares. “The downfall of the elves. From the hands of the weakest of the Righs. And right now,” the witch looks at me, “no offence, but you are the weakest Righ there is.”I’m being hit by so many curveballs that getting my feelings hurt is at the bottom of the list right now.“It’s funny that you think I’m going to bring about the downfall of the elves when I can’t even protect myself or use my abilities.”My voice is tight with barely restrained anger.“The stars have aligned and the stars have never lied before,” the witch says, easily. “The time is drawing nearer for the final battle.”I don
I feel my knees turn weak, “What?”“But you created the seal!” Damien snaps. “You should be able to break it!”“Logically, yes,” the witch says, calmly. “But this seal is special. It draws its power through sacrifice of fate. Those spells are impossible to break.”A shutter falls over Damien’s face, “What have you done?”I look between the two feeling like I’m in the dark, “What does she mean? What do you mean by a sacrifice of fate?”The witch studies me and for the first time, I see a glimmer of sympathy in her eyes for me, “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that.”I push past Damien, “I do. What do you mean a sacrifice of fate?! Whose fate?!”She looks at Damien before meeting my gaze, “The Righ is a powerful entity. You think it was easy for even somebody like me to be able to contain your powers? No. If I had used a normal spell, as strong as I might have tried to make it, it would have broken against your powers. I needed something stronger. Something that woul