Winter's War

by G. Bailey

  “Freddy!” Dabriel shouts, and I turn to see where he is looking. Freddy and a silver wolf are surrounded by at least ten demons, the wolf is injured, and Freddy is protecting him.

  “No!” I shout when the demons block my view of Freddy, and I run over to them. I burn all the demons in my path, and see Dabriel flying ahead towards Freddy. Winter could never live with herself if she lost Freddy, none of us could. The little shit is family to us, and he needs to live, so I can kill him myself for being out here fighting.

  “Duck,” I shout at Freddy when I get through the demons and see Freddy is fighting with one. Freddy does as I ask, and I lift both my hands, calling air and lifting all the demons around me into the air. Dabriel flies around and kills each one before landing next to Freddy.

  “I’m fine,” Freddy says, holding his arm that is bleeding.

  “What the fuck are you doing out here?” I shout at him, picking up the sword he had dropped and giving it to him.

  “Mich needed me,” he nods towards the injured wolf.

  “Get inside,” I say, and he nods. I go to take him and Mich back when the dragon roars loudly, and I look up just in time to feel two more large things pass through the ward that is connected to my magic. Even now, the crystal is trying to fight for us. I watch the skies and two more dragons appear in the distance. The dragons roar at each other, and the tornadoes are making it difficult to see them, but the fire they shoot is killing everyone on the ground.

  “They will destroy everything in this fight,” I shout at Dabriel and hear a scream behind me. I turn around to see Lucifer holding his chest, a sword in the middle of his chest and he falls the ground. The demon behind him pulls the sword out of Lucifer’s chest, and I shoot my fire at him, burning the demon to pieces as we all run over.

  “Lucifer,” Dabriel says as he pulls Lucifer’s shirt up and tries to heal him.

  “Tell Josh–” Lucifer says but doesn’t finish his sentence as he coughs on blood and his head drops to the side. Dabriel just stares down at him, his hands still on his chest.

  “Dabriel . . . he is gone,” I say, shaking his shoulder and needing him to get out of his shock. Dabriel stands up and nods, lifting his sword and standing in front of Freddy and Mich’s wolf.

  “Get everyone inside the castle, now,” I shout and use my powers to send the message to all the witches.

  I wrap an arm around Freddy and Mich, and Dabriel puts his hand on my shoulder before I move us all inside the castle. The castle shakes as we get inside, and I run back to the door with Dabriel at my side. The dragons’ roars are loud enough to shake the castle, let alone their fight. I only hope Winter’s dragon is strong enough to kill the others and take the demons with him.

  “We fight together, brother, and save as many as we can,” Dabriel says.

  “Together,” I say, and we run out into the battle as our people run inside.

  23

  Wyatt

  I swing one of my swords down over the head of the final demon in front of me as the castle shakes. I turn to see Jaxson has killed his demons but destroyed the castle as he has been using his power. The castle shakes, and all of us go flying into the side of the corridor, the remaining demons that are running towards us flying through one of the doors in the room. A loud scream makes me stand up as quick as I can.

  “Winter,” I shout when I hear her scream again, and this time it sounds more desperate than before. I run into the throne room with Jaxson following to see Winter on the ground, holding the crown in her hands as the demon king tries to pull it off her. I know if he gets that crown off her, he will control her, but I won’t let that happen again.

  “I will cut your hands off, little princess,” the demon king warns, and I run over to him as he turns to see me.

  “Ah the vampire comes to save little Winter,” he laughs, letting go of the crown, and Winter falls to the ground. I look her over quickly, seeing the blood on her head and the cut that is healing but, otherwise, she looks okay. She is alive, at least.

  “I’ve come for my queen and my crown,” I nod my head towards the crown he is wearing that belongs to me. That crown has always been worn by the king of the vampires and, despite hating my father and the royal family I was born into, the crown is mine.

  “You vampires are always fun to kill.” He laughs. I chuck one of my swords over to him, and he catches it.

  “Fair fight,” I say, and he nods with a smirk. Jaxson runs into the room and over to Winter, and I see him from the corner of my eye, but I don’t take my eyes off the demon king as he looks over at Winter.

  “Wolfy has come to die, too? I have to say; your ancestor was the best one to kill. So easy,” he says, and Jaxson’s growl fills the room as well as another shake of the castle which almost makes me fall over. I hold my ground like the demon king does as he turns his evil, red eyes on me.

  “I’m a demon, I don’t play fair, so don’t expect it, boy,” he shrugs, looking every bit like my father as he does.

  “Good thing I don’t either,” I say and use my vampire speed to rush at him, catching him off guard a little and cutting his side. He swings around, and I block with my own sword as he throws hit after hit, and I block him. He shocks me by using a red wave of his power, but my sword blocks it, cutting through the wave. His eyes widen as he takes in my fray touched sword, one that Freddy had his friend make for me. I manage to get him back across the room towards the portal with the fifth hit. He knows it by the evil smirk he gives me as our swords clash, and he throws wave after wave of red power between the hits. I look over to see Jaxson holding Winter as she screams for him to let her go and to help me. Her blue eyes meet mine, filled with worry, but I look away before I can feel any guilt for not spending more time with her. For not telling her what I planned today. I focus back on the demon king, his red eyes bright with power as he hits my sword again with a big bang and I twist, so my back is towards the portal. The coldness of the portal hits my back as I’m pushed against it with every hit of our swords. I hit him once more, but this time jump off the ground, catapulting over him and slam my legs into his back He looks on in shock as I send him flying against the ground in front of the portal, and his sword falls into the portal. I run after him and pick him up, pushing him into the blue portal with both my hands. I pull the crown off his head quickly with one hand, as he struggles to hold onto my other hand that is pushing him further into the portal. I edge my feet closer, knowing he could easily pull me in with him at this point.

  “If I’m going, then so are you,” he says as he struggles against me, and I push once more and let go, as I feel a sharp pain through my heart. The demon king laughs as he disappears into the portal, and I look down at the silver dagger in my heart.

  “No, it can’t be that,” Dabriel says, standing up from the chair he is sitting on in the meeting room. Atti and Jaxson look at me in shock, not expecting me to tell them this when I asked to speak to them all before the war tomorrow. I called this meeting because Winter has to survive, nothing else matters to me, and I know they feel the same way. I never expected to fall for her, to love her more than myself.

  “Listen to the prophecy: the words. I know it’s me. I saved her, I brought her back to life. I’m her saviour,” I tell Jaxson. I don’t need to convince them what I already know.

  “It’s bullshit and doesn’t mean anything. I’m not losing you because of some old prophecy, not after everything we have been through,” Atti snaps out.

  “The blue-sided human will choose a side.

  When four princes are born on the same day, they will rule true.

  Her saviour will die when the choice is made.

  If she chooses wrong, she will fall.

  If she chooses right, then she will rule.

  Only her mates can stop her from the destruction of all.

  If the fates allow, no one need fall.

  For only the true kings hold her fate, and they will be her mates.” I repeat the prophecy to them a
ll, and they silently watch me.

  “Every part of the prophecy has already come true. We were born on the same day, she chose right and rules all races. We as her mates stopped her from destroying everything with the demon king . . .,” I say and clear my throat. “To close the portal, someone of her blood must die. I can feed on her and have her blood. I’m her saviour, and I will die for her.” I finish my sentence, and Jaxson punches the wall next to him. Atti looks up at the ceiling, and Dabriel looks down at the ground. There aren’t many words that can be said, nothing will change what has to happen. It will be me or her, and I’m going to make sure it’s me. I just hope she knows the strength of my love for her, it’s everything to me.

  “Did you always know?” Atti asks me quietly, a look of shock on his face as he meets my gaze. His voice sounds like he has given up all hope, and he finally understands how I’ve been feeling for a long time.

  “No. Not at first. I realised when she came back to life, and I had saved her,” I tell him. I remember when I walked into the bedroom and saw her awake on my bed. I remember kissing her as I realised that I saved her and what that meant. Every part of me wanted to run away until she woke up, and then I knew, I knew I’d never leave her. If it meant death, then that was the price I’d willingly pay for my time with her. I never had true happiness, not with anyone, until her.

  “That’s a long time to know,” Jaxson practically growls and starts pacing the room.

  “The prophecy still says, ‘If the fates allow, no one need fall,’” Dabriel says. I know that part of the prophecy, but I doubt fate can save me now.

  “Tomorrow, you need to get Winter out of the way,” I tell Jaxson, who stops pacing and rubs his face with his hands.

  “She will hate me for not stopping you. She will hate us all for knowing. We have to tell her,” Jaxson says.

  “If you tell her, she will never let me in the castle. She would die to save us all.”

  “I think that’s been her plan all along,” Atti says quietly.

  “I want her alive, but this is too much, what you’re asking for,” Dabriel says, shaking his head.

  “Let’s put this simply, if any of you could die to save her, would you?” I ask them, and they don’t say anything, which is the answer I needed.

  “She will be alive, that’s all that matters to me. Let me do this,” I say. Jaxson’s simple nod is all I need as an answer from him.

  “Fine,” Atti responds.

  “The fates will stop this, no one is cruel enough to do this,” Dabriel says, but I know from how he looks at me that he won’t say anything. Winter is everything to us all, and we won’t risk her life.

  “NO!” Winter screams behind me, but I watch as my blood mixed with Winter’s drops onto the portal, and it cracks. The portal slowly disappears as I fall to my knees, nothing else matters now. I saved her.

  24

  Winter

  “Let me go, Jaxson,” I struggle against him as he holds me close, and I watch Wyatt push the demon king into the portal. The demon king says something to him, just as he falls into the portal and is too far inside to get out. He did it. I need to put my blood on the portal now and close it, ending this all. I have to die, or it can be opened again. All these thoughts rush through my mind as I continue to struggle in Jaxson’s arms, and then I see the dagger. The demon king slides a dagger straight into Wyatt’s chest and then falls into the portal. The portal cracks and closes when it hits me. Wyatt is my saviour and he fed on me, he has my blood. His death will close the portal.

  “NO!” I shout, and Jaxson lets me go as the portal disappears completely, and Wyatt falls to his knees. I run over the broken stone all over the floor and avoid the bits that are still falling as the castle shakes, and I catch him just as he falls back, laying his head on my lap.

  “Don’t do this, please, God, no!” I scream, holding my hand over the dagger and pulling it out. I look at the blood-covered dagger, seeing it’s the one Nathaniel made me. The dagger I tried to use on the demon king and he used to hurt Wyatt instead. I drop the dagger in shock. I place my hand on his chest and look over to Jaxson who kneels on the other side of Wyatt.

  “DO SOMETHING!” I shout at him with tears running down my face, “Please,” I beg, and he shakes his head as he bows his head.

  “Nothing I can do, lass. I would save my brother if I could,” he says, and I shake my head.

  “Winter,” Wyatt groans my name, his word mixed with pain as I look down at him.

  “You cannot die . . . I love you so much. We have years left together, and children. I want my life with you,” I say, my voice catching as I start crying harder.

  “Dad!” I hear Freddy scream behind me, and I turn my head to see him running over with Dabriel and Atti following. They fall to their knees around Wyatt as I gently push a piece of his hair off his forehead with shaky hands.

  “Heal him,” I beg Dabriel, and he puts his hands on Wyatt’s chest. Dabriel glows brightly for a few minutes before he takes his hands away and shakes his head.

  “No, no, no, no,” I mumble and hold Wyatt as close as I can.

  “Thank you for being in my life, for saving Freddy, and for letting me love you. I would die over and over for you, Winter,” he says as black lines crawl up his neck and cover his face. His dark eyes close, and I can’t control the half sob and scream that escapes my lips.

  “DEMTRA! ELISSA! MOTHER!” I scream their names again and again into the silent room as pain fills my body, and I close my eyes, resting my head on Wyatt’s cold one. I can feel the emptiness of his loss, and the pain is overwhelming in my chest as waves of pain crash through me. They can’t let it end like this, not like this. I don’t want to live without him, not when he died for me. My mate. My saviour. My love.

  “Come to me, help me now. I need you, I need my family to help me now and will never call you again,” I whisper, and that’s when I feel it. A coldness and stillness to the room that makes me look up. The castle has stopped shaking, and the room is still as snow falls through the hole in the ceiling onto us. Jaxson’s wide eyes meet mine as I look around, and he nods behind me. I look behind me to see three, white, ghost-like figures, which gradually come into view as Elissa, Demtra, and my mother. All three of them have the white dresses on from my dreams, and it’s Demtra that moves close to me.

  “Do you know another name for a Goddess?” Demtra asks me, her voice is gentle and kind as my heart begins to fill with hope.

  “No,” I whisper as the others move away, so Demtra can kneel where Jaxson once was. They all look at her in shock before bowing their heads, even Freddy does as he shifts into a wolf, losing whatever control he had over his emotions.

  “Fates,” she says.

  “If the fates allow, no one need fall,” Atti whispers the line of the prophecy for all of us to hear and Freddy’s wolf howls into the night. The howl is full of hope, much like what is filling my chest as I watch my family. I don’t take my eyes off Demtra as my mother and Elissa move to her side. They both place a hand on her shoulders.

  “The vampires have the mark of a phoenix for a reason, sweet Winter. Phoenix’s are reborn,” Demtra says and places both her hands on Wyatt’s stomach. The black lines slowly disappear before he takes a deep breath, and his dark eyes open, locking onto mine.

  “Wyatt . . . Wyatt, oh my God,” I sob out in between tears as he sits up and pulls me into his arms. I look over Wyatt’s shoulder to see all three of them standing close together and watching us.

  “It’s our time to rest and your time to rule, this is your fate, Queen Winter,” Elissa says gently before she and Demtra disappear into the snow that fills the room. I lock eyes with my mother, and I know this is the last time I’m going to see her.

  “Thank you, and I love you, Mum,” I say in a whisper, but her whole face lights up.

  “We are so proud of you, our Winter,” my mother whispers as she disappears too, and my breath catches in my throat. I feel my other mates kneel
next to us. None of us move for a long time.

  “We won,” Atti finally says into the silence of the snow-filled destroyed room.

  Yes, we did.

  “Is the castle safe?” I ask as Freddy’s wolf comes and places his head on Wyatt’s lap. Wyatt strokes his head as Freddy whines.

  “Yes, your dragon turned up, and the fray created some tornados . . . .”

  “Tornadoes and dragons . . . is anyone else alive?”

  “Yes, we saved a lot of people, and the demons are dead. Harris is leading some fighters to check the rest, and the angels are now healing everyone. We won,” Dabriel answers for me. I don’t respond as Wyatt gently tilts my face to his, and brushes his lips against mine. I feel nothing but relief and happiness through my bond from all of them.

  “It’s over,” I whisper, and everyone hears my words.

  Epilogue

  Winter

  “Where was I?” I ask as I finish feeding the baby in my arms her bottle of milk. I place the bottle on the bench next to me and carry on my story.

  “We won the battle against the bad king of demons, and the big dragon that lives in the mountains now, killed the other bad dragons and demons here. There were many brave people lost in the war, but they will never be forgotten. Now, we live in peace, with cute little babies everywhere like you,” I tell Ella, as I rock her in my arms, and she looks up at me. Not that she understands a single word I’m saying, as she is two months old. I glance up at my home, the Goddess’ castle and see how it looks far better since the war. The dragons destroyed a lot of it, so we had to build again, but it didn’t matter to us. The only thing that mattered was the fact that most of the supernaturals got inside the castle and to the underground dungeons before the massive, dragon fight. I wish I could say thank you to my dragon that won. He lives in one of the mountains around the castle, and we see him fly over the castle at times. He is like our protector now. The castle has been made more modern while we did the fixes it needed. There is a lot we had to deal with, like the humans who now hunt our kind or anything that seems supernatural since the war. The governments have an order to kill any supernaturals they find, but our witches send out messages to any stray supernaturals, to come here and we will keep them safe. I hate that our people can’t be safe everywhere anymore, but it’s not something I can change. We have the witches’ city back, after a long time of building new wards around it and safely removing the humans who found the island.