by Anna Santos
My vision blurred, and my breath got trapped in my lungs. “I wish I could save Philippe.”
“Philippe needs to save himself. He has done a lot of harm to others. He needs to redeem himself. Don't be naïve to think that just because you love him, your love will save him, and his sins will be forgiven. He needs to regret and change.”
“He has changed,” I stated, leveling my voice as my feelings rose inside of me. “You always think the worst of him.”
“I have good reasons to,” Cedric muttered.
“Let's just get this over with,” I grumbled with narrowed eyes. “You want to go look for Jo, and I want to get back to Philippe.”
Cedric's lips twisted into a weird grimace. “Put your hand under mine,” he instructed as he lowered his hands and placed them under the jewel.
“Does it burn?”
“No, it's a magical light, not electricity or a beam of energy.”
I nodded and placed my hands under his, following the movement of his hands when he slightly raised them to remove the bright oval gem from its nest.
“Now place your hands on the gem. It's necessary for the two of us to remove the stone from its nest and prevent the defensive spell from killing us.”
“What?” I held my breath. “Why are you just telling me this now?”
“I didn't want you to be more nervous. It's pointless. We are both angels, and our souls are bonded. The gem won't attack us, and the protection spell only reacts to evil intentions.”
I puckered my lips and tried to level my breathing. I was nervous and didn't want my clumsiness to be the cause of the jewel dropping on the floor and shattering into pieces, trapping us all here forever.
“Relax, move your hands to circle on the gem and let its energy travel through your body until...” He shut up when he noticed my wings flaring on my back and my hair dancing with the energy that swirled around me like a warm breeze. It felt nice and familiar. It brought me peace and joy. A faint whisper resonated inside my mind, calling my real name, the name that I had long forgotten: Seraphina.
I replied back, “Mother...”
“Aria,” Cedric called, bringing me back to reality when his thumbs touched mine, and my eyes opened to see his worried face. “Are you alright?”
“I'm fine!” I mumbled, gulping and feeling the world around me fading away. “Can you hear it, too?”
“The voice of the guardian? Yes, I can. But you must concentrate. We are here to break our bond, and we need to hurry. The longer we touch the stone, the more memories come to us from our past lives. We don't want that.”
“Why not?”
“There are things that are meant to be left alone.”
I nodded in agreement, even if the voice kept telling me to close my eyes and listen to what it had to say.
“Repeat after me,” Cedric commanded. “I call on the angels from the worlds above to break this bond with your powers.”
I repeated his words perfectly.
Cedric continued, “I call on God to allow us to complete this ritual.” He paused, so I could repeat the same. “Angels from the Above, servants of God, move in us and break the hold this bond has on our souls.”
I repeated again, my voice trembling but my mind focused on saying everything correctly, so we could get back to our lives.
Cedric lifted the gem higher before resuming the spell. “Let it be removed for good and set our souls free to bond with others.”
Again, I said the same words while our eyes were emerged and focused on the meaning of what we were saying.
“Angels from the Above, allow your power to manifest through this sacred gem, surround our bodies and souls to remove the connection between our souls.”
I stopped mid-sentence, forgetting the rest, and Cedric repeated the words again with me.
“God, allow us to break our bond and have a second chance to find true love.”
I gulped. “God, allow us to...”
Cedric joined me, “break our bond and have a second chance to find true love.” He paused and looked at our hands, feeling the light shine brighter. “God, send your power into our hands and break us free from this binding.”
The light shone brighter once I finished my sentence.
“And now?” I asked.
“One last sentence and we are free,” Cedric mumbled. “Concentrate and say, I call on your powers and wisdom to allow our souls to be free.” Cedric paused and listened to me add, “and our hearts clean of any grudge or offenses between us.”
Once I finished saying the spell, the breeze that surrounded me grew stronger. Sparkles of fire ignited from my fingers and circled the glowing orb. Cedric's fingers gripped the globe tighter when his ice began to manifest, threatening to freeze the orb. I felt something pushing against my chest, and then something came out. My arms tingled, and I knew, even with my eyes closed, that the runes that connected me to Cedric were being erased from my arms and our souls were no longer linked.
“Seraphina, you need to remember,” a voice whispered, taking over my thoughts.
“Aria, place the gem carefully in its nest and remove your hands, so the beam can open the portal once again,” Cedric requested.
I opened my eyes. “It wants to tell us something.”
“Never trust the heart of a fallen. They will want to trick you,” Cedric said, enigmatically. “Once we stop touching it, the voice will go away.”
“Is it over? Are we no longer bonded?”
Cedric guided me to place the gem in the nest. “Once the runes disappeared from our arms, the bond was removed.”
“Do you feel different? I don't feel any change,” I said, staring at him and being unable to see past our faces. Everything was shining brightly around us as if we were inside of a cloud of fog that prevented the outside world from crossing over. Everything was silenced and, when I tried to feel my body, it was then I felt that the wings were still on my back.
“We are still Archangels,” Cedric whispered, removing his hands from under the gem and putting them over mine, so I would remove them carefully. I felt sad when I had to move my hands as if I was losing a part of me. The beam of light pointed back at the ceiling and restored the portal.
My vision was blurry, and everything was foggy around me. However, I heard the sound of clapping hands, and I was unsure who was clapping and why. I squeezed my eyes tight to diminish the sharp pain in the back of my head, and everything stopped turning. When I opened my eyes, though, I lost my breath, and my body froze in panic. Before me, there was a specter with Philippe wrapped in a rope by his side. The creepy figure had his face covered with the hood of a tunic, but deep inside my heart, I knew it was Kayden, and he was there for dark purposes. Worse, he had taken Philippe prisoner, and there was a dagger in his skeletal hand.
Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN
ARIA
The tension was almost palpable. Cedric and I were immobile, gazing at Kayden who had a dagger against Philippe's throat.
“How did you get here?” Cedric questioned. “Guards!”
“No!” I shouted. “He will kill Philippe.” I pulled on Cedric’s arm.
Kayden smirked. “Don't bother, Your Highness. The guards are temporarily indisposed. Margaret took care of them.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“And how did you escape your cell?” Cedric demanded.
“It's a long story, and I'm afraid we don't have a lot of time.”
Kayden turned his neck, facing Camille and Jacob. “Please don't do anything foolish,” he said with a sigh. “Our Vampire King here might lose his life, and then Aria won't be happy about it. Will she?”
I had narrowed my eyes.
“I couldn't care less about him,” Cedric growled, spreading his wings and threatening to attack Kayden.
The specter waved his hand and the statues, and the furniture glided against the walls. “Aria, you better control Cedric, or I'll have to kill the love of your life.”
; Putting myself in front of the prince, I spread my arms to block him.
“Move aside, Aria,” he warned with menacing silver eyes.
“Besides, Cedric,” Kayden said with a playful voice, “I have someone you are looking for and a special someone who wants to have a talk with you. You shouldn't be so eager to put the life of our future queen on the line.”
Cedric's rage dissipated into confusion. “What?” His wings recoiled back. “Where is she?”
As if on cue, a female gargoyle landed on the balcony with Jo bound with a magical rope that prevented her from moving. The gargoyle dropped Jo's body on the floor. She shrieked in pain.
I was confused about what was going on, but the look of terror on Cedric’s face was real.
“What do you want?” Cedric asked, stepping forward and shoving me aside.
Turning around, I saw Kayden's finger moving right and left with a no sign.
“Now that I have your attention. May I talk?” Kayden asked dramatically.
“Release them!” I ordered him.
“All in good time. First, I want you to listen to my demands.”
“What do you want?” Cedric asked.
“How far are you willing to go to save the love of your life?” the specter asked. “Because the only way they'll survive is if you do exactly like you are told.”
I balled my hands. My eyes were stuck on Philippe's face. He had his hands were secured with the rope around him, but his mouth wasn’t gagged.
Why doesn’t he speak?
Despite his silence, my mate’s eyes seemed to want to tell me something.
Enraged, I snapped, “What do you want?”
“I want you, Aria. You and the sacred orb. I want you to pick it up and use it to open a gate to Hell.”
“What?” I was shocked.
“You are out of your mind,” Cedric protested.
“You can't,” Camille pitched in.
“If you don't do that, Philippe and Jo will die. What’s it going to be?”
The question echoed inside the luxurious room, and I looked back at the orb and then at Cedric.
“If you open a portal to Hell, monsters, demons, all sort of dangerous beings will be set free and invade this realm. You can't!” Jacob said out loud.
“It won't be forever,” Kayden said nonchalantly. “I just need her to bring my master back. She can close it afterward, and you can go hunt them down.”
“Kayden,” the gargoyle girl hissed.
“Oh, yes. My followers also need their soul-mates back.”
I looked from Kayden to the gargoyle.
The specter said, “It's easy. You open the portal. We let our lovers get out. Then you close it, and I don't need to kill Philippe or Jo.”
“Who are you and why are you betraying your family?” the prince addressed the gargoyle.
Kayden released a creepy laughter. “Don’t you recognize her?”
“She was the one who tried to hurt me when I was kidnapped,” I informed Cedric.
“Yes.” Kayden nodded. “She's also Cedric's younger sister.”
My heart stopped as I looked at the prince.
“She can't be. Lilly is dead,” Cedric declared.
“You wished that I was dead, but I escaped,” the gargoyle said. “Maurice and our parents weren't so lucky, though.”
Cedric clenched his jaw. “What nonsense are you saying?”
“I'm accusing you, brother, of killing our parents and Maurice. You were against the peace treaty. You didn't want me to marry the King of Vampires,” she shouted with anger in her eyes.
“Are you insane?” Cedric barked.
I frowned at him. “Cedric?”
Cedric looked at me and held his hand against his chest. “You can't possibly believe what she’s accusing me of. I have no idea of who she really is, and I didn't do what she's saying. I loved my parents. I loved my sister. There was no reason to do such a monstrous act.”
“Liar!” the girl screamed, using the sword she had in her hand to cut Jo's arm.
Jo screamed and whimpered in pain.
“Don't you dare to hurt her!” Cedric shouted. His hands glowed with ice.
“I'll cut your bitch's throat if you threaten me again with your powers,” the gargoyle said, making another cut on Jo's arm.
“Stop!” Cedric begged as the ice disappeared. “Don't hurt her.”
“That's better.” She smirked. “Now tell your Red Angel to open the portal, so I can get Maurice back!” she screamed, sending shivers down my back. To prove her point, she held the blade to Jo's throat as she pulled her head back.
I clenched my jaw, and my body stiffed.
“Aria, don't even think about moving,” the specter hissed, staring at Camille and Jacob who were also a threat. “If you try anything stupid, he will die.” Kayden sliced Philippe's throat, and blood poured down to his collar. He closed his eyes but didn't move or speak.
I waved my hands for him to halt. “Okay, stop! Please, stop. I'll do anything you want just don't hurt him.”
“Clever girl. It's nice to see that at least one of you is taking me seriously.”
Cedric balled his hands. “You planned this, Philippe! You and that specter planned this all along. You aren't going to kill Philippe! You are both in this together!”
“Enough is enough, Cedric,” Kayden said while shaking his head. “You always think the worst of Philippe. If you need to know, he's not the bad guy here. I am! So, don't try to trick Aria into hating him. Besides, do you believe Josephine isn't in real danger? Have you no heart? No remorse?”
I glanced at Cedric and surveyed the whole room. Everything seemed like a big and scary nightmare, and I had no idea how to stop it.
“Open the gate, Aria. Philippe will be unharmed. Jo will be released, and you can be happy like one big, happy family.”
My heart clenched, my throat became dry, and I eagerly looked at Philippe's eyes to understand what I should do. I wanted to save him, but I had to do a bad thing for that to happen. Plus, I wasn’t even sure that I could open portals or that Kayden would stay true to his word.
Philippe shook his head. The specter squeezed his shoulder, and he whimpered in pain.
Tears prickled my eyes. I didn’t want Philippe dead.
“He'll live if you open the portal, Aria,” Kayden reiterated his promise as he gripped Philippe’s neck harder. “But if you don't do what I want, I’ll kill him. Then, he’ll be lost in Hell because you haven't restored your bond. When you ascend, you will be alone forever. Can you live with the remorse? Can you live without him?”
“Just do it,” Cedric urged me. “We will deal with the consequences later.”
“Cedric, you can't!” Jacob protested. “There are dangerous creatures that will cross over.”
I gazed at Cedric and then at Camille who was protected behind her mate's body while holding him by his arms. She had her shield around them. At least, they were safe. I just had to worry about Jo and Philippe.
Cedric uttered to the specter, “If I have your word that you won't hurt Jo then Aria will do it. But I want you to control your gargoyle. She's clearly not in charge of her emotions.”
Kayden loosened the dagger on Philippe's throat and placed the weapon behind Philippe’s back. “You have to go inside and bring Maurice. If you do that, Lilly won't do anything to your lover, Cedric.”
Cedric narrowed his eyes. “You want me to go in?”
“We need angels to protect us and use their ability to track down our lovers faster,” Kayden explained. “You can take blondie and the big scary angel there to help you. They are making me nervous.”
“They are not a threat,” Cedric assured.
My eyes were on Philippe and Kayden’s arm. He held a dagger against my mate’s back. I was sure that it was placed against his heart and ready to move if I did something foolish. Cedric was negotiating with the specter. Jo’s life was important to him.
“I hope not, or they wi
ll ascend a lot faster than they should,” Kayden threatened.
“If you do something to our friends, I'll take you all with me to Hell and leave you there!” I threatened back.
“There she is! The fire in her eyes and the courage in her voice. Now use that to open a portal for us,” Kayden said, apparently undaunted by my words.
“She will not. You will not,” Philippe shouted.
“I must,” I told him as tears rushed to my eyes. “To save you.”
“His master will…”
“Shut up!” Kayden ordered as he moved his arm and the blade must have hurt Philippe because he gasped in pain.
I screamed, “Stop hurting him!”
“You will not put our world at risk. You have no idea of what’s on the other side or who they want to bring here,” Philippe reasoned as he stared at me.
I looked at the specter. “If you promise me that nothing bad will happen to Philippe, I’ll do everything I can to open the gate.”
“I don’t wish to kill him. Once you help me, you can be together again.”
“I’ll do it. We’ll deal with the consequences later.”
“I’ll help,” Cedric agreed.
Philippe tried to move forward. “Aria, you can’t…”
“Be still,” Kayden grumbled.
“She will not open the gate,” Philippe muttered.
Gasping, I watched in horror as he pushed his body against the dagger that pierced through him as if he was butter. Philippe’s heart stopped, and whatever magic that allowed the existence of vampires ceased to be. Philippe’s chocolate eyes glazed over and his body crumbled on the marble floor.
“No! No!” I yelled after losing my voice.
The dagger fell from Kayden’s hand as he stepped back and looked at the lifeless body. His shoes were covered with Philippe’s blood.
I saw red.
“He’s gone, and it’s all your fault,” I shouted. My voice echoed with the power of a thunder. “He’s gone!”
My body burst into fire, and I opened my arms wide as I aimed all of my anger at Kayden. “I will destroy you.”
I unleashed my power in that room and didn’t care about the consequences.