I COULD FEEL MY BLOOD POUND WITH ADRENALINE as I whisked through the throngs of bodies fighting against each other.
The soldiers were confused. The loyal ones contemplating who among their own army were the traitors while the unfaithful ones plunging their daggers into their own comrades chests. People were dying because of not knowing who to attack.
To add to it, the hunters were lethal, cutting through people with their weapons like crumbling ants under their feet.
It was a mess.
I could see the rulers themselves being confused whether to trust the ones close to them or not.
Eleanor was in her huge white lycan form leading my army as I'd asked her to. Marilla was gathered around with her merfolks singing some sought of song that made the people trying to attack her, attack themselves instead. Their faces were so serene as if they enjoyed every bit of stabbing themselves to death. It might be some sort of siren song enchantment. I've heard how delirious one becomes when they listen to it.
Amidst the chaos, my gaze searches for Valerian only to find him a few yards away crowded by his own army trying to stab him.
For a fraction of a second, I see his eyes dull with sadness at the betrayal but soon those green irises flash to misty white. The ones hounding him fall to their knees, clutching their ears as they howl in pain.
I make them believe their worst nightmares were coming true.
I could remember his words that day from the library. It felt so long ago. To think it was barely a month back.
As Valerian compulses the men to keep them at a safe distance, I see a hunter stealthily make his way from behind.
My eyes narrow into slits as Pretty's own fury at someone trying to hurt our mate pulsates through my veins.
In a quick stride, I lurch forward and block the hunter's attack with my sword just before he can plunge his dagger into Val's backside. My claws jut out as I dig my other hand into the hunter's chest through all the blood and bones, squeezing the morsel inside. The hunters wide eyes snap to mine.
But all I do is give him a blank look, "Backstabbers are never the brave ones." And then I pull out his heart.
I turn around just in time as a warm hand grips my arm. The soldiers he'd been compulsing earlier lay dead on his feet as his frenzied eyes meet mine, "Kate, go back to your side. Get out of here."
"No." I say stubbornly pulling my arm out of his hold as I swing my sword to stab an approaching soldier, "I can fight."
Valerian pulls me to his side once he's done twisting the neck of another guard. Turning me so that I'm facing him,
"I know, love. Trust me, I know more than anyone how capable you are to end them. But your condition is not the best to fight. Please?" He holds my face tenderly, while his other hand grabs my bloodied ones.
My eyes soften as he wipes the blood on my hands over his shirt and brings it up to his lips, "Don't taint these hands yet. I need you to keep them and yourself safe. Just do this for me?" He kisses my fingers.
He doesn't need to say who, I get it. But he also has to know I can't let him fight this all by himself. I won't.
"Val, don't make me do this. I can't leave you alone here to fight them off." I retort equally gently.
"But-"
"Valerian!" My eyes widen as I try to push him out of the path from a hunter who was moving towards us in a terribly fast motion.
But what horrified me was the dagger in his hands. The dagger I'd held many times myself.
Due to us getting distracted by our little talk earlier, we're too stunned to counter attack in time. My eyes snap golden in protectiveness as I try with all my might to push him away but my mate doesn't as much as budge shielding me with his body instead of getting aside.
They won't hurt me! He's here to kill you!
I wanted to yell at him to move away. In my desperation and fear of him getting hurt, I thrash against him to let me go.
"Kate. . ." His voice is a whisper as he gazes down at me, his eyes begging me to not do anything that would endanger my life.
My heart lurches to my throat when the hunter grows nearer. I feel myself hyperventilating. No, no, no.
Just when I think the dagger is about to plunge in towards Valerian, a blue shield stops the hunter's attack.
The hunter's confusion mirrors mine as I stare at the tranlucent shield protecting Val and me in a bubble. Where did this come from?
As I stare and stare with a confuzzled mind, my ears pick up at a distant voice mumbling,
"Motus."
And before I can comprehend what is happening, the hunter in front of me screams as his whole body lits up on fire. Wild blue flames engulfing his skin.
The soldiers near the hunter step back in terror. Behind me, I feel Valerian let out a sigh of relief as he pulls me to him and inhales my scent.
"We're safe, baby. We'll be fine. She's here." He says making me turn to him in confusion.
He gestures me with his eyes to a place a few feet away from us and that's when I notice the lone figure standing there. Those sparkling blue-green eyes connects with mine and she passes me a wink.
"We meet again, Kaitlyn!" Mellisa waves at me energetically as the area around her flares up in harsh blue fire.
Not a single flame seems to affect her but the people around her....Oh, how horribly it was burning them.
"Lisa! You can't do this!" A voice pops behind Mellisa's petite figure although she was anything but petite.
What in the world is she? Those flames...those high radiating aura....it's unlike anything I've seen or felt my entire life. Even Keith is no match to what Mellisa is....
"You're pregnant! You can't go war zoning here!" The voice—which I realize belongs to a really handsome man with grey eyes and dark hark—says as he wraps his arms around Mellisa's torso trying to pull her away from the crowd of hunters hounding her.
She's pregnant? Well, I think the little, almost non-noticable bump confirms it.
Mellisa rolls her eyes when she notices what the man is upto. In one quick movement, she turns around, grabs his face and kisses him senseless in the middle of a flaming battle field.
Despite the tension in the air, my lips pulls into an amused smile when she steps back from the man. He blinks his grey eyes in a daze but Mellisa simply grins up at him.
"Now relax, my mate. I'll be fine. Nothing will happen to me and the baby. This is a playground game for me. These pests killed a lot of my people." She points towards the hunters burning up in an inferno of fire, "As the ultimate queen, it's my duty to end them before they harm more of us. Valerian and Marilla need me too. I'll be fine, okay? I love you, Ryan. Now let me do my work." She drops a kiss to his cheek and steps back.
So, he's the mate.
Ryan's faces contorts into pure worry, the same I've seen on Valerian few minutes ago, as she traps him in a shield similar to the one me and Valerian are trapped in.
Moving to the center of the field, she raises her arms in front of her as the entire ground of the field illuminates in a glowing blue light.
I realize with anew shock how the flames don't touch any of the loyal guards. It's like her magic knows who's the evil one and who's not, which alone has me staring in awe.
"Just wow." I mumble and feel Valerian let out a gentle chuckle, clutching me close.
"That's Mellisa Castellejo for you. She's our ultimate queen. The hidden figure who rules over the entire supernatural race yet no one is aware of." His face nuzzles into my hair.
"How did she remain a secret with that power? Won't people know about her after the war?" My eyes are still transfixed on the ultimate queen as slowly by slowly she eradicates almost all the traitors and hunters with her flames alone.
"We royals help keep her identity a secret. It's better people don't know about her and come hunting her down to kill her. As for the people knowing after the war, she'll wipe away all of their memories. I'll help do it too."
"Oh. . ." My voice draws.
Something is so mesmerizing about her powers. There's this pull as if one would willingly want to go to death if it's served by her. Like sirens. . .
"Is she a siren?" I ask, absent-mindedly leaning back into Valerian's comfort as if we weren't in the middle of a war.
But with Mellisa's shield, no one seemed to be able to reach us. Might as well brisk in the glory of the protection.
"She's a mix-breed. Siren, vampire, lycan, witch. She's a mixture of them all. There's a long history about how she is the way she is but now is not the time to discuss some historical specie genes, Kate."
I'm about to protest to him to tell me more but he simply turns me around in his arms and holds my face, "Do you know how terrified I was thinking the hunter would stab you instead of me?"
All the chaos in the background blurs as my attention averts to my mate's broken eyes, "Val...."
"I can't loose you, Kate. I won't be able to live with it." His forehead rests against mine as those green eyes peer at me.
"Then how do you expect me to do the same?" I ask the question I'd been dying to ask, my voice unintentionally coming out as a snap.
He'd gone saying long words on how I should save the babies and let him go. About how I should save them by killing him. As if my life would be alright without him. How could he expect me to live on a life without him in it when he couldn't do the same?!
"Kate, we don't have any other-"
"Ah!" I clench my eyes shut as an excruciating pain shoots through my abdomen making me clutch onto Valerian's tunic to keep myself from falling.
Valerian's arms wrap around me as his fearful eyes seep into mine, "Kate, what's happenin-"
"No." My eyes blur as a shudder rocks through my body. I bite my lips at the increasing pain and shake away the tears from falling as my eyes frantically search for the cause of this familiar pain.
There, flying in the sky, I see Keith Kingston in his huge raven form. He might look like an ordinary crow with a huge sized physique but those eyes. Those bone-chilling eyes could never be mistaken.
'Do as you're told or I'll do what I promised to.' His warning from before the war flashes into my head making me shake my head at him.
No, this is not happening. He can't do this. Not now when we were winning.
Valerian's eyes follow my gaze and I see his own sight hardening at the figure looming over our head. Mellisa seems to notice Keith too but she keeps glancing at me and Valerian.
"I just warned her to not touch him." Valerian retorts to my obliviousness.
"You didn't even say a word-"
"I just have to think the words. She can hear our thoughts, remember? She won't do anything to Keith as long as he has the babies mind in his control."
Then I feel him holding my face, "I won't let any harm fall on the babies and you, Kate. Do what he asked of you, love."
My eyes widen in shock at his words as I inch back from him despite the excruciating pain in my midriff, "No, I won't."
"Kate, do it. He's hurting you." He begs, his voice cracking as he takes into the way I've shivering out of the pain.
I feel the familiar taste of metallic blood rising up my throat but I keep shaking my head and inching back from Valerian. I won't dare go near him. I won't ever hurt him.
When my back hits against the translucent blue shield, I feel a dizziness take over me all of a sudden. Somewhere, someone howls in agony and the next thing I know, Valerian is in front of me, holding me up from sliding down the ground.
"K-Kate. . ." His eyes flicker from my ashen face to lower and lower and I see him go pale.
Through the blurry haze, I gaze down myself to see droplets of blood falling on the muddy patch of land. My blood.
"No...." The cries I'd held back so long erupts out as my arms wrap around my stomach protectively.
That's when Valerian snaps my face up to meet his, "There heartbeat is not gone. They aren't. . .not yet." And then he's staring down at me with a raw conviction, "Give me the oak dagger."
My head buzzes as I realize why he is asking it. I shake my head vehemently, my voice betraying me due to the increasing pain.
Valerian's eyes grow teary as he notices my state, "Please." His voice comes out as a half-sob, half-plea as he begs me to hand him the dagger.
"I..." I can't give you because I know what you'll do.
I'm not able to utter any words but I know with all my might what would happen if I gave him the dagger.
Valerian seems to understand my reluctance as a lone tear slides down his cheek, "Please, Kate. You'll die like this. They'll die too." His whimper makes my heart clench.
The dagger which is at my waist-belt burns against my skin as he holds onto me at the increasing tremor of my body.
I don't know how he finds it the next moment, maybe it's because of how I try to hide it from his view, but he sees the dagger and pulls it out in one single sweep. His shaky hands make me hold the oak dagger.
"Do it, Kate." He says wiping away the tears on my face.
"No." I whimper barely finding my voice.
"I love you, you know." His emerald eyes connect with mine, "They say, there's a difference between to love someone and falling in love with someone. And I think I experienced both of them. Even when you wanted to kill me, even when you hated me, even when everything in me told me to stay away from you, even when you held this very same dagger again and again to my heart, I always loved you. With every inch of my being. But I think. . ."
His forhead rested against mine, "I think when you walked into my life, into the castle, determined to kill me one last time and I truly came to know you. About how you bite on your bottom lip when you're nervous or how your face lights up when you're smiling or how you never back out to anyone or show everyone their place when they try to mess with you or how you're always honest no matter how hurtful the truth might be, I knew I was falling in love with you. I knew I was whipped by the time I came into terms with the whole river of feelings I had burried deep deep in the depths of my heart. That moment, I don't know when or how it happened, but I was certain that no matter what happens, I'd die to keep you safe."
His fingers clasped over mine clutching the dagger as he bought it to his chest right above where his heart laid.
"I love you. And I love our babies too. Thank you for giving them to me. Even if I dont get to spend the rest of my life with them, tell them that their father loves them more than the entire universe and he'd look over them grow even if he's not here. Tell them that their mother and them were my greatest treasure."
Then in one quick movement, his grip tightened over the oak in my hands and while those green eyes stared deep at me with the whole love in the world, he plunged the dagger into his heart.
This chapter was messy. Phew.
What do you think will happen now?👀 Surely Valerian shouldn't die now, should he?
Your views on Mellisa? And Ryan?