(Zachary)“YOUR Majesty, you are not supposed to see the bride tonight. Mages have a strict tradition that we ought to follow. It is bad for the groom and bride to meet the night before their wedding. The ancestors are watching. Please forgive us for blocking your path. We are only doing this for you and Her Highness’ blissful marriage,” Ravena explained while wiping the sweat off her forehead.All the Mages who were guarding Kate’s chamber were wearing thin clothes because of the hot temperature spreading not only in this area but in the entire castle. The Vampires and Mages who had water abilities were not enough to deal with the temperature.Mira, along with most of the servants, were outside the castle to cool themselves. Kate used her ability and unknowingly spread it because she was suffering from the cold.“I do respect your tradition, but I could hear her crying from here, Ravena. She needs me. She is having a difficult time at the moment. And she is all alone inside.”The Mag
(Kate)LAST NIGHT, before closing my eyes, I remember praying for warmth. I prayed for a better day. I prayed for peace of mind. I prayed for love to wash all of my worries and fears away so that when this big day comes, I would be prepared. I could welcome it with a big smile.My groom doesn’t deserve tears. Just smiles.After being emotional these past few days, a genuine smile was all I wanted to show him today.This morning, when I opened my eyes again and finally felt the warmth coming from the windows, from the sunlight, when I woke up without the heaviness in my chest, for the first time, I could say with full conviction that my prayers were answered.I wanted the baby to feel the same warmth that I’d been feeling, too.The past days was hard. I had a conception dream. That was when I first found out about the baby. And that was all I remembered because my memories were in shambles.But despite the hardship, I never
(Zachary)“AND NOW, I proudly present to you Queen Katerina Gregory Collins!” Augusto, the new minister, announced in the balcony of the castle.Today, as per tradition, we opened the gates of the castle for her crowning ceremony.My lovely bride, who was now wearing her cape and her golden crown, emerged in the balcony and the people, who came from different provinces, kneeled on the ground to show their respect.Today will be the day none of us would forget for it was the day I was able to put my ring on her finger and the crown on her head. Today was the day she became officially mine and this kingdom’s ruler.“Glory to Her Highness, the Queen!” they said altogether.Kate waved and gave them all her dazzling smile.I stood beside her. I carried Mira in one arm and held our queen’s hand on the other. The people cheered.Our eyes met.It felt so long since I had last seen the glimmer in her eyes. I pressed my forehead against hers.“Congratulations, your highness,” I whispered in her
A RUSH of fire flared throughout my body the second I saw my bride stepped out of the pool as if to welcome me. Her eyes were smiling along with her lips. This was the expression that I only get to see when she was with me.Tonight, it was just me and swan again inside the rose palace where we decided to have our honeymoon.The Hunters were making their move now. We cannot leave the city or the kingdom.‘It’s okay. I’m with you. Anywhere is a good place as long as I’m with you,’ I remember Kate saying when I first told her about it. ‘This way, we’ll also be close to where our daughter is. It’s still a win-win for me. Everything could wait. We have all the time in the world now, Zach.’If only that was true.Being an immortal, I never got to worry about living another day. Tomorrow still comes whether I liked it or not. I lived recklessly knowing that I would always have tomorrow.It was a little late when I learned how to appreciate every second. I would never have realized how valuab
A WAVE of anxiety started crawling back inside my system after throwing up black liquid in the sink when I woke up the next morning. I had seen Alucard throwing up the same thing when we were still in the camp. What’s the meaning of this?The coldness, I thought it was gone, but it came back and it was a lot worse today. I couldn’t move, it numbs my feet.“Swan? You’ve been in there for a while now. Are you okay?” Zachary asked and knocked on the door.“Yes, I’m okay,” I said, hoping he didn’t notice my voice trembling. “I’ll be out soon.”I looked at myself in the mirror and was horrified when I saw my eyes turning black. My veins in the neck and face protruded. I blinked twice thinking that it was only my imagination, but it was still the same.My eyes widened. My chest was thumping when I tried to step away from the sink, from the mirror, but because my feet were still numb,
“ZACH!” I screamed.I woke up and opened my eyes. I immediately turned to my left and saw Zach who also sat on the bed. His hair was still messy and his eyes were half-open as if he had just woken up because of me.“Swan, it’s still early. It’s just two in the morning. Let’s go back to bed.”“You’re alive, Zach. You’re okay. Thank God!” I whispered, relieved as I caressed his face. “This isn’t a dream, is it? You are really here beside me, safe and sound.”He put his hands over mine. “This is real. I’m real. Whatever dream you had about me, about us, that was not true. And it’s not going to happen. It was just a bad dream, swan.”I wished I could say the same.But a mage’s dream always meant something. That was the first thing I learned from them. Our dreams were either a warning or a glimpse of the future. Zachary must have been aware of that, but he was choosing to turn a blind-eye for my sake.When I remembered that my hands were the same hands who struck Zachary with a dagger, I s
(Damon)‘THE WARRIORS found two more hunters near the city. I will go investigate it myself. I will leave the Queen in your care, Damon. Lord Valencia will be here as well. Make sure to call me in case something happens.’Those were His Majesty’s last order before he departed more than an hour ago. I made a vow that I would call him, but I cannot lift my fingers. Jonathan and I ought to hurry and get moving.But we just can’t do it.The mages were weeping as they stared at Her Highness’ blank expression. She was in the room with Violet when the latter suddenly screamed. And when we got inside, the queen was already bleeding profusely.Ravena had just confirmed that Her Highness had lost the baby. She hadn’t let out a single word or a single tear since then. She just kept looking at the window. The mages were letting out the tears she could not cry. I had already anticipated it. There was no way the baby would sur
“HEY, sleepyhead. Wake up. It’s time for breakfast.”When I opened my eyes and saw Kate looking at me with an incredible smile on her face, I almost broke down. The compulsion worked. There was that familiar glow in her eyes again.She planted a kiss on my mouth. And in the most vibrant voice I had ever heard, she said, “Good morning.”I buried my face in her neck and embraced her before pressing the edge of my eyes to stop the crazy tears from falling.“Swan, I love you so much,” I whispered.I’d been lying to her and I hope she could forgive me for this.She giggled. “What’s with this confession so early in the morning?”“Nothing. I just realized that I lived my whole life thinking that there is nothing that I don’t know any more about this world. I had been so conceited.”She sounded amused when she asked, “And your point is?”