Her red blood falling like petals and cascading over the stones.
“No!!” Alek felt as if his soul was ripped from his body as he stared at his beloved’s head in the hands of the demon.
“This is what they are meant to be. Toys for us to break.” Zaharis declared, as he held out the woman’s head to his brother. “This is all I want from them. Otherwise, give me the key to reenter and return to our land, so that I may fight those who cast me here.” He carelessly tossed the head aside, “You are either with me, or against me.”
Eris looked at the head for a long second.
“Remember brother you are the one who demanded I choose,” Eris finally said.
Zaharis’ eyes flared with pain at his words, and without another word he turned and disappeared.
Alek lay on the ground, his back slowly healing. The multitude of promises he had made to his beloved and his people amounted to nothing in a single second of terror.
In an instant death proved himself the true ruler of the night.
“You’re alive.” The Glowing entity stared down at him.
Hissing, Alek moved to stand ignoring the feeling of his bones and muscles restructuring to heal.
“Die!” he roared as he reached for Eris’ throat, hands trembling. “Die like she did!” His demand held fury but was broken-hearted. He’d been able to do nothing. Nothing!
A gentle hand landed atop his arm steadying him, his arm trembled as his strength proved little against this mysterious being. while tears blocked his vision.
“You are angry.” The voice started with little to no emotion. “She has shown me this before.”
Alek was swept up in grief, he could barely hear the words this thing was saying. He wanted it to die, but he lacked strength to fight it.
“You wish to kill me? I am not offended by this desire.”
Grasping Alek’s hands, he removed and lowered them.
“My brother broke the law and has become a fallen. I followed him hoping he would see the error of his ways…” he trailed off with a sigh and shook his head. “He has forced me to make a choice that I did not wish to make.”
Alek’s knees finally gave out as the speed of his healing increased. The world around him was going dark, only thebright light of the fire and sounds of crackling flames fading into the distance.
“I am sure your hatred for me, and my brother will not dim over time. Good, that hatred is good. We were sent with a warning to not mate with the females of earth. The Surrem blood is volatile. But just like you I have someone I too love. If my brother stays on this destructive path, he will attempt to destroy this plane.”
Barely able to hear, Alek’s head lolled back.
“Hear this Vampire, the key that glows with the true kiss of magic is your answer. The time will soon come that your knowledge will protect what may be precious to you.”
Alek’s eyes landed on the head of his Queen, and as his eyes closed the head appeared to become Lanias’ instead.
“No.”
The setting changed, Lanias lay dead on the cement ground in a black gown, covered in blood. Her eyes were empty as she reached for him.
And once again he couldn’t move, he was trapped by a cage of light.
“No. Lanias don’t go.”
Waking with a violent shudder,Alek gasped out, “Gloria.”
Abruptly, he reached to his right and found only cold sheets. The emptiness reminded him he was alone.
He forced himself to inhale through his nose and out his mouth. His heart was pounding hard, not because it needed to, but because, like everything else, it followed the dictates of his mind.
Covering his eyes, he slowly let the empty noise fill his mind up. First with his heartbeat then his breathing. Slowly followed by muffled voices and then the noise of the city. When he opened his eyes, he wasn’t in a firepit of Hell, he was in his room. He looked toward the window to see the damned finished Council building standing front and center. The phoenix atop spreading its wings before it lit on fire with a flare.
