by K. H. Kate
Lana let out a chuckle. "Excuse me? You and Zedkiel? What?"
I didn't want to but what choice did I had but to tell the truth. "She is telling the truth. Zed told me before. But he couldn't feel any connection, Prophesy, so I am a little concerned about your hand in this. What to say that your demon King didn't make this happen?"
For the first time, Prophesy looked at me as if I insulted her. "Fate works in many ways but matching a beloved? That's in no one's hands. And even if he did, I don't want any beloved to be tied for the rest of my life."
"Then where is he?" I croaked out.
"I told you, Darkness." She hovered over me with a smile on her face. "He made a deal and left the Deshayes girl with Demos. Demos promised to let me go in return but I'm a piece to the end of the beginning. Demos will never let me go. Your friend is a fool."
I was never this utterly confused by her statement. There were certain annoying traits about Zed but he wasn't a betrayer. He wouldn't do that to us, to me. A chuckle left from my lips but I was sure that the harsh sound was only the result of my disbelief. This had to be a joke. Was she playing cruel games with me now?
"Zed wouldn't do that. You are lying."
"Oh, but where is your friend then?" Anywhere but here...
"Alexei?" Lana called me out, a desperate plea in her gaze. "What if she's telling the-"
"No!" I refused to believe it. I would like to know where he was too just to make these people believe that he couldn't do that.
It was Zedkiel we were talking about.
"When I showed you the future, what did you see?" Ivy suddenly asked, making me whip around to see her. She was completely calm where I was falling apart. How could they so easily turn their back on my master?
"I saw someone's betrayal, blood, a lot of blood and darkness. I thought I was the reason for her demise. So I kept myself away from her." Even when I said those words, my eyes were on the floor, not on those fools.
"But it was someone else, wasn't it?" Ivy asked with defeat. No. Why couldn't anyone listen to me?
"But that doesn't mean it’s Zedkiel."
"Your loyalty makes me wonder if your friend would do the same for you." Just as Prophesy said that my body lurched forward in anger but due to the hex stopping me, I only managed to glare at her.
"He has already done more than that!"
Before I could say more that would remove Zed from this stupid accusation, the door was ripped open with force. A demon? "Times up! Prophesy, your highness is asking for your presence."
She nodded, starting to walk out when the demon grabbed her arms tightly. "These people didn't sway your beliefs, did they?"
In a second, she spat on his face with mirth. "I don't sway, so, would you please remove your hands from my arm?"
The demon backed off, watching as she finally left the room. Then his gaze was on us with a dirty grin. "Now you are all coming with me."
"Make me." I gritted out.
"We are bound. How the fuck do you think we'll get up!?" Zach yelled out. Good, he's finally awake.
The demon cursed under his breath but helped us all to stand up. Where were we going to go? I had no idea. How to get out of these hexed ropes? Still no idea. Before I could ponder over more, the demon dropped something on our palm. As soon as he did, the rope fell apart.
"What the hell is that?" Mikhail asked, scratching his hand where it touched. My own started to burn as soon as the demon dropped the vile substance. Oh hell, the pain almost led my shadows to screech out of my body.
Even more of a reason to kill this bastard.
"Herbs. Now, move!" The demon instructed urgently, ignoring Lana's rambling behind him. He began walking out of the basement, and with no choice in our hands, we followed him.
"Are we seriously just going to listen to him?" Zach spoke lowly so that only we could hear it. Lana let out a scoff beside him.
"I just got two rings on my finger and these idiots can't be the reason we all die young. My plan still stands. It's not too late to try cannibalism."
We had to do something.
And soon.
I couldn't leave her in here, not at the hand of the Demon King who could kill her or worse torture her for eternity.
Suddenly my gaze went to the broken mirrors in the hallway. Oh, this was going to be good. I couldn't harm the demon with my shadows but I could hit him with weapons. My whole focus went on that thing. If I somehow got close enough...I reached down and picked up a sharp glass. Just a little closer now and I'd be within reach. One more step...
"Where are we even going?"
Shit!
I looked at Zach in shock. He couldn't pick another time to ask!? The demon whipped around angrily. "Just shut-" The door near him flew open and he got slammed against the wall, cutting off his words.
Suddenly the demon screamed like he was being ripped apart. In front of our eyes, he turned to ashes. He was dead. Fast and quick. But I couldn't keep my eyes away from the person who saved us. It had to be a nightmare. It had to be...
No way it was true.
"Hello, I guess we have something important to discuss." She smiled at all of us before her eyes finally met mine, the shock in them even shattering mine.
It's Rosaline.
My dead mother.
"Don't you have any questions?" She asked the rest of us when we were still looking at her like we saw a ghost. I knew the rest of them didn't know who she really was. And for me, I could tell that she was not a demon.
Then what was she?
"Oh, where're my manners. I'm Rosaline DeLuca. Jonathan called for help and here I am." She spoke, making Ivy look at me with that look.
She knew it was my mother.
Dead, dead mother...
"Dear old father is alive somewhere as well then? Hmm?" I snarled, breaking the silence.
She didn't get to do this.
Playing with demons so easily where we mourned her every day.
"You know her?" Lana asked with confusion on her face.
I gritted my teeth in anger. "Of course I know her. Who would forget their DEAD mother?"
Everyone except Ivy gaped at the woman. They looked at her and then me, trying to see the familiar features. Hell, it was probably the first reason why my father didn't want anything to do with me. I reminded him of her. She had the same features I had when I was alive. The only difference between us was my dark eyes which I got after the awakening.
"I know you are angry but we don't have time. We all have to get to the exit door of the Limbo right now." Rosaline spoke, gesturing to her right. Zach was the first one who opened the door she came from and more darkness followed. At least this time, there were no hellhounds around. My neck still hurt from where one of them bit me.
Nasty creatures.
After walking for a while, she turned to me. "Alexei, I know you hate me but know that I always looked after you."
"Really? By living a comfortable demonic life where I was left behind by your husband and killed by a lunatic?" Bitterness filled my soul but along with that came the guilt that I had to ask again. "What happened anyway?"
"Careful!" She warned Lana who stumbled upon a staircase.
"The Seekers were closing the gates of Hell making half of them get stuck in the earth forever. The Demon King was one of them. He was pestering me to make him a Limbo but I always refused. When I died giving birth to you, I thought this is it. But I found myself in Demos's father's house. He saved me." She paused, suddenly starting to chant something. I could feel my powers rushing in.
"Careful. This place is full of demons and hellhounds. Eating them won't help you." She stared at Lana especially. So she heard her crazy plan. "As I was saying, he saved me but he had a deal. If I make him a Limbo and a safe place to transport between Hell and earth, he won't make me a demon. It's not like the Limbo I made for Sage. Unlike him, the demon king could walk into earth anytime he wanted. His request was, I can live like a witch but not on earth. So I ma
de him this limbo and I made myself another one to permanently stay there. After the King died, between all of his children, Demos was the one who took over the throne. He was a fine King until Condessa's fall."
"Condessa?" Lana raised her eyebrow in question.
My mother shook her head, laughing. "Yes, his half-sister. There were rumors that Condessa was going to be the reason the witches would fall so she stole Death's scythe to make a deal with him. Death didn't agree. He told the Coven everything about Condessa but his scythe. He also told them that she would reconnect all Hell if she was still alive. The Coven of course didn't want that and took her down. That's why Demos needed the three pieces. Allegra, Emeline, and Prophesy. Only those three can bring Condessa back."
It was nauseous to think someone could go that far for someone. But I did that, didn't I? So how could I hate that King? Cursing, I shook that thought away. No, I was better than that man. Suddenly Rosaline stopped, making us all stop too.
"What is it?"
She wrinkled her nose, staring at the huge stone there. "I can smell those creatures. After we cross this hall, we will be attacked. But before that, we need them to know. Everyone would fight this war, my child. Heaven and Hell will have to come together today. There's no way this is ending otherwise."
So be it.
"What do we have to do then?"
"You have demon blood in you. Hell chose you as his Seeker. Only you can call for them." She guided Mikhail to touch the stone and the moment he did, we could heard millions of cries from all corners of the earth, Hell and Heaven. It was almost unbearable just how much noise they could make. The ground shook at the promise of war when I noticed the hellhounds running toward us. If possible, their eyes got darker at the promise of flesh. I took a deep breath and let the anger run through me like a fire. It was what I needed right now-the anger, the violence, the cruel darkness. I could feel my shadows lurking, begging to be out.
It was time to become who I really was.
I smirked, letting the chaos run its course.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
"Leave her, Demos."
Jonathan stated rather calmly where my heartbeats could be heard from miles. I was barely able to stand there and watch as these two conversed. My father. Jonathan was my infamous father.
How did I never recognize him?
"Demos." Jonathan warned again when Demos's face hardened. I couldn't exactly see what was going through his head but I was sure that he was up to no good.
"Oh Jonathan, I've gotten her exactly where I wanted her."
"Let go of me." I hissed, feeling the hard edge of the dagger as Demos dragged it down to my chin. Jonathan's gaze faltered only for a second before he jerked forward.
"You let them go, Demos or I'll make sure Condessa never wakes up."
Allegra bit out a curse from the floor. Shit, Allegra! I almost forgot about the second woman. I desperately wanted to help her but Demos's hold was too tighter.
"Condessa will wake up!" Demos's voice took a dangerous turn. "In a minute, Prophesy will be here and then there's nothing stopping us from what we want. This is what you wanted too, didn't you? You made a deal with my father."
What?
"You made a deal with his father? A demon?" I asked Jonathan who looked away, avoiding my scrutiny filled gaze. It's Demos who seemed to be excited to deliver the truth.
"Oh, love...you didn't know? Your father here made a deal to make you my future Queen to save his image." His smile widened, hearing the little gasp that left from my lips. "The witches weren't happy with what Keisha did and when not a month later Jonathan returned in a human body, he made quite an uproar. He thought he had everything planned all along."
"I did what I had to do to protect them, Demos!" Jonathan clenched his fists when he noticed the mirth in Demos's gaze. "You were nothing but a child when I met you. You can never understand what being a father means, what I have done to make sure my daughters are safe from their psychotic mother."
"Y-You did what!?" I asked in bewilderment.
"I admit, I myself was counting on Condessa to watch the witches burn. My wife did the unthinkable, the witches turned their backs on me, what choice did I have? I had to make that deal for you and your sister's safety. You do realize your mother gave birth to you centuries ago and yet here you are, living in the 21st century."
No...
"Please, don't tell me..."
"I was always paranoid that one day she'll finally come back to finish you two. So I brought you two together as a newborn in Hell. I made the original deal with Demos's father to let you two stay frozen in time, only to let you go to earth when Keisha was dead or banished. But as the former King died, Demos changed the deal saying you have to be his Queen. Otherwise, he would throw you two out of Hell or worse, turn one of you into a demon. I didn't have a choice but to tell him about the three pieces. I thought if he knew at least then he'd reconsider my offer. He didn't."
"I'm so sorry, Emeline." His eyes were pleading with me but I couldn't find my voice. "Back in 1995, I actually met Zedkiel and he told me that Keisha finally perished. A few months before that, I woke up to a new body who lost his wife and his son in an accident. The memories of my host body were still fresh and it's like I was running in two different directions. I wanted to raise you both at the same time, I didn't know how to deal with such a loss. I thought giving you two up was the best decision for all of us. I know now how wrong I was."
He looked like he wanted to say more but I heard a couple of footsteps. No sooner, I was face to face with a stoic Prophesy.
"You called for me, your highness?"
Demos gave Prophesy an unimpressed look. "Why are you so late?"
Prophesy titled her head to look behind her who turned out to be Fallon. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word respect."
Demos let out a scoff but unfortunately, he was too busy to call for punishment. Instead, he gestured at Fallon with a look I was familiar with. Before I could warn anyone of them, Demos was giving out orders.
"Seize Jonathan. We are going down now."
Jonathan's lips opened to probably scream or to curse but I was already being dragged to the pit of Hell with Allegra behind me. I tried to beg Prophesy with my eyes, to finally see through the fog Demos left for her but just like every other time anything I did, went unnoticed by the deity.
Too soon we were stopping near a cavelike place. The only difference was, the whole wall of the cave was built in glass. I watched Demos stare at the girl sleeping inside with a look I had only seen a few times on his face. He cared for her and that also meant he'd do anything to wake her up. This was it. The end of my world was just a few feet away and I was still powerless.
"Come on. Do your job." Demos urged me with a grin.
"I don't know the spell to break her out. And even if I knew, I wouldn't!"
Prophesy gripped my wrist in a warning. My gaze went to the woman who started raising both of our hands to the cave wall. I was still confused until Demos barked out another order.
"Release Allegra. These three needs to be together."
Someone must have followed us because, in a minute, Allegra was forced to touch the wall too. At first, nothing happened as I expected. There was no pain or anything like that. But nothing prepared me to feel every molecule of my body be pulled toward the cave. There was a brief moment where I could see my body fighting to let the souls out but the glass won't let me do that. I tried to think of myself in the manor next, hoping that would trigger something except it didn't. The pull was so strong that the glass broke with a clink and rain over us instead.
"Ahh!"
I didn't know who the voice belonged to but I sure smelt the funky smell of blood until that was what I could see. It was everywhere. From the wall to the broken glasses. Even the sky wasn't that blood red until now.
"It's against nature." Allegra choked out due to a piece of glass stuck in her throat. Another scream left from her lips when she
pulled it out. "It's started in the North...they are leaving."
I didn't understand her up until I saw Demos talking to Condessa. "Are you well? Do I have to call for anyone?"
"I-I am alive." The girl whimpered, shock clearly radiating on her face. "How am I alive?"
If she was alive...the witches were dying and as a Volkios, Allegra could feel them.
No. We couldn't end like this.
Where was Prophesy?
"You are not quite alive yet but you will be." Demos promised before his gaze met mine. I knew I had to run but my strength was nowhere close to his. Allegra tried to help but a kick to her stomach was enough to make her heave. He easily hauled me toward the girl until we were face to face.
"Condessa, meet Emeline, the future Queen of Hell." His voice was soft but the underlying threat was clear as day as he suddenly gripped my chin, almost making me whimper. "Also, she is going to give you her blood so that you two can be linked. I can't risk her running again."
No. What Demos was asking was worse than him taking my life. A lifelong link like that was only going to kill any chance of my escape.
"No! I won't do it." I spat out.
His grip tightened to a degree that I was afraid if he would snap my neck altogether. "I don't remember asking, love."
He uncurled his fist, showing off his claws. Before I could protest, he started to draw blood from my wrist. Dammit. I had to run or I'd forever be stuck in here again. Then I heard it. At first, it was just a whisper but it got louder.
Screams.
So many screams.
My ears started to bleed at the ferocity of it just as I hoped his did too cause at the exact same moment, I saw his face changed to someone who was afraid. The commotion behind me was hard to ignore when even Condessa's eyes widened. Following her gaze, I looked up and almost instantly my breath hitched.
Instead of the usual red sky, there were hints of golden now.
"What's happening?" Allegra cried out.
God, why didn't the screaming stop?