Chapter 6

Willow's POV

This all feels like some type of nightmare, like a nightmare where my sleep demon refuses to let me wake up no matter how many times I try to pinch myself away or go to sleep, hoping that I'll wake up back in my home again. 

As a girl, I would have never thought that I would have my first kiss stolen by a vampire. A freakin' vampire. AND have it happen on our wedding day! Only a week ago I was finishing up my last book to a trilogy about a relationship between an immortal and mortal, now it's become a dreadful reality. 

Now, I sit here on a bench over-looking a wide flowing river that's colour is so blue it's nearly black. All I want to do is step into it- heavy wedding dress and all- and let the current take me to my death. 

Currently, there is a celebration going on inside the building that I'm only a few feet away from right now. I had went in for a short while, trying to blend in and please Maddox and his family. It all became too much, though, when they decided to prick my finger with a rose so that Maddox could have his "first" taste of me. So I panicked and explained that I could no longer wait for the washroom. 

Angrily kicking off my glass heels onto the grass, I throw myself back into the bench and I hit my head hard with a loud thud. But I don't care, the pain I'm experiencing already, washes it all away. 

"Someone kill me. PLEASE!" I yell out over my desperate sobs. I can feel my mascara stinging my eyes as the tears roll down my face like a bunch of rivers.

Never in my entire life have I been suicidal or ever had such bad thoughts cross my mind. Now I know how my brother felt all those years...

"What are you doing?"

I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear my name called from the darkness behind. But it only takes me a moment to realize that it's in fact Maddox who is here with me.

Or so I thought...

Pressing my palms into my face, I let out a loud groan. "Leave me be, Maddox. I've already had enough for today, I- I," I choke on my tears, the thought of being drinken from again swirling in my mind relentlessly. "I can't handle anym-"

I let out a shrill cry as I feel my sharp claws wrap around my upper arm and swiftly pull me up from the bench. Another hand wraps around the bottom of my wedding dress and I can feel the cold wind against my now bare legs as it is ripped away. 

The hand tosses the dress away from us, landing with a terrifying grip around my neck in an instant.

I'm then turned towards them, being revealed with a tall-figured man dressed in a black suit with rips in tears in it. His skin is red, with even deeper, blood-like colour seeping out of holes in his face; it looks like he was recently attacked. 

He smiles, lifting me higher into the air until my feet don't touch the ground. A red aurora surronds us, lifting him into the air too. 

Attempting to suck in a much needed breath, I gag instead, the words of, "Le.. Urg-Le me g-" comes out instead. He grins in response at my weak attempt to try and stop him.

The red magic begins radiating out of him, traveling up his arm until it reaches my neck. When it does, my entire body is engulfed into it and I can't feel a thing. Even my breathing stops all together, and I'm only left with a hazy view of this monster. 

With his sly, kniving smile, he tells me, "isn't it such a pity they wasted the throne on a girl like you?" he gestures towards my weak, dangling body, "too bad Maddox won't ever be able to see his poor, useless wife ever again, now isn't it?"

Just as I think what are my last few blinks of the terrible world around me, I am dropped hard to the ground and all my feeling comes crawling back bit by bit. It even hit's me when I can feel a splitting pain erupt in my spine. 

Inhaling a sharp breath, I scream out in pure and utter pain, "UUGGHH!" My whole body is pulsating with pain and all I wish I could do in this moment is make it all vanish with a stab to my heart or a bullet to the head. 

Why hadn't that man just put me out of my misery once and for all? 

"Well well well... Look who finally decided to show up to his wife's execution. You're late, you know."

I turn my head, letting the agonizing pain get the best of me in the moment. There, a few feet away from me stands Maddox, Samual, Emrik, and group of shielded and sworded guards at their attention, while the other three stand there, ready to rain hell down on to this monster.

Maddox takes a step forward, bringing his hands into a serene wave in front of the man, letting a purple haze out of them. The haze travels around him, trapping the man inside; in only seconds he's powerless and in another, he's begging for Maddox to stop. 

The whole being strangled thing really had done a toll on me, but seeing Maddox -who I presumed was a vampire from the whole burning in the sun, fangs, and having the speed of light- is doing something most wouldn't normally do.

What the hell is going on?

"Who's execution were you say now, Raven?" Maddox pushes on, letting his magic tie around 'Raven's' limps and pull them until there are crackles and pops from his bones and blood begins to gush out. "I understand that you had hoped to steal Her from me," he looks to me, worry suddenly appearing on his face at the sight of me, "But we are all are aware you wouldn't dare kill her when you know damn well she's mine and belongs to me... Hell, even using the spells you had on her were quite bold of her; she's human, you know, she wouldn't have survived the trip back to your kingdom in such a state."

Raven shakes his head furiously. "SHE WOULD HAVE. YOU ARE MAD, MADDOX. IF ANYONE HERE WOULD KILL HER, IT'D BE YOU! I'M SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T DRINK HER CLEAN THE FIRST DAY YOU TOOK HER!" 

The purple haze around Raven has grown mad, both his arms only moments away from being pried off of him with a quick wave of a hand- even a breath. Maddox's eyes are glowing red with pure anger now too, only indicating his anger is whats feeding the torture upon Raven.

Raven smiles, forgetting about the pain. "How could you waste such sweet blood for someone who will only live with you for a small part in your life?"

Words are what causes the ripping apart of Raven; Raven's last words are what cause his own death.

Maddox's magic becomes over powered to the point of where Raven explodes in mid air, not even a trace of blood dropping as it happens, or a piece of bone in sight. His remains are just a pile of red, burning dust upon the ground. 

A swish of wind blows against my side as I lay there on the ground, hoping maybe that this pain is too much for my body and I will be set free. That never happens, though, because next thing I know, Maddox is hovering over top of me with his hand behind my head. 

"Willow," he calls out, lifting me from the ground and halfway into his arms as my numb legs still lay on the ground. He swipes his thumb over my cheek, "Can you hear me, Willow?" his voice goes gentle at my name, not a trace of venom or hate in it. 

I nod then try to push away from him, but my attempt fails and I'm left groaning in pain again. 

I can't even imagine how horrible I look right now. I'm here laying half naked with bruises all around my neck, and tears continuosly rolling down my cheeks, while this vampire king who- as much as I may hate him- is ten out of ten hot, trying care for me this one time. 

His strong arms wrap around me and I'm suddenly off the ground again, but this time I can breathe freely. "I want guards surrounding the castle tonight," Maddox announces to which Samual hurriedly nods at. "Check the perimeter to see if any of Raven's holigans decided they wanted to show up late, alright?"

"Would you like me to have a group of guards taking shift during rests, Brother?" Samual calls out as Maddox turns on his heel and begins to stride into the castle with me. 

He turns again, shaking his head. "If anyone decides they must have my wife, they will have to go through me to get her."

This seems to frighten Sam a slight bit with his quick nod and, "of course, Brother," in return before we both vanish into a cloud of purple and I feel myself lose conciousness all over again.