“You go. I’ll stay.”
His eyes didn’t meet hers as he continued staring down but she could tell from his tone that his gaze had turned hard, all traces of vulnerability erased. He was trying to shut his emotions off.
“You cannot stay here. The fire will kill you.”
‘How do I make him get up? Henry wouldn’t be able to help us either. He must be busy searching for Antonio and Aria.’
“Then let it.”
His rapidly switching emotions were scaring her. His emotionally instability was increasing by the second.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Get up.”
Even while saying those words she knew deep down there was no point reasoning with him now. He was a prideful creature. His decision was absolute.
The air around them had become filled with the smell of charcoal and petroleum. There was a faint sound of crackling indicating that the fire was not too far away from the room they were occupying.
“Prince Felix de Cyrus King, stand up this instant and come out with us now.”
She had been busy thinking of a way to convince Felix as she heard Ares’ booming voice echoing through the throne room. He had used his authority as a king to order Felix.
Her eyes turned to saucers as she watched Felix’ body started shaking uncontrollably. The veins on his temples and neck had become prominent under the beads of sweat forming on his paper-like skin. His chest was heaving up and down as the notch at the end of his neck became deeper with every breath he inhaled.
‘He’s resisting the command.’
Ares had stood up by now and was staring down at both of them with an impassive expression.
“Let it go, prince. Come with us.”
In contrast to his cold appearance, the tone he used with Felix had been very gentle.
“No…l-let m-me stay w-with f-fath…”
‘Does he want to atone for his actions by staying with his father till the end, even if it kills him?’
“You have us Felix. You have us as your family. Yo-”
“NO!”
She was cut off mid-sentence by Felix’ roaring voice.
“I do not h-have you. I don’t!”
His eyes were glowing by the end of this sentence, but not the usual crimson shade vampires were notorious to have. They were glimmering with a tinge of teal, making his silver gaze appear frostier than it already looked.
“What’s happening to him?”
With an alarmed gaze, she hurriedly turned to look at Ares who had a little frown etched on his forehead.
“A witch’s awakening.”
“What?”
“He was trying to suppress his vampire side to overrule the command given to him. He tried lending power from his witch-part to continue maintaining that suppression which resulted in him being able to break the seal on his powers.”
Felix’s body had stopped quivering by now.
“I-I don’t understand. Wasn’t he already using his powers?”
“I thought the same, but I guess he had only learned a few spells to impress and aid Cyrus. He hadn’t been able to break through the seal before.”
He was a centuries old hybrid, unable to become as powerful as other vampires, also incapable of using his witch counter-part’s powers. He was neither a strong vampire nor a recognizable witch.
‘He had been living as… nothing.’
The thought made her heart hurt.
‘How hard it must’ve been to pretend in front of the whole world, pretending to be something that he wasn’t.’
She could now understand why in the medieval times, Ruth had been outraged for what happened to Felix. The pretence forced on him had almost cost him his life.
Comprehending all this, she thought herself to be partially responsible for his condition too.
His mother died helping her save Ares. His father died by his hands in another quest of helping her and Ares.
‘And his beloved, his last chance at happiness, I stole that away from him too.’
It hurt, hurt her beyond words, knowing how her love could heal his wounds yet she was unable to provide him with that.
“Felix… please.”
Voracious waves of fire were rapidly invading the insides of Dracula’s castle. Her vision was getting blurred by the smoke pouring in on her from all directions. Carpets, drapes, furniture, chandeliers, everything in that room was getting devoured by flames right before her eyes.
She knew if they remained in there for a few more minutes, they would get swallowed in this burning hell too.
Tentatively placing a hand on his hand, the same bloodied hand that was still holding Cyrus’s heart, she started rubbing his knuckles with the pad of her thumb. Ares hadn’t interrupted their interaction but she could feel him becoming uneasy standing behind both of their crouched figures. He, too, was aware of the danger they were putting their lives into by staying in there.
“Fel-”
She paused midsentence as her pupils became dilated while everything around her slowed down, making her hyper-aware of her surroundings —the crackling of fire as it made the drapes twist and turn in agony, the sharp intake of breath coming from the vampire king standing behind her, the fluttering of Felix’s lashes as he finally ripped his gaze away from his father’s heart to look up at the ceiling.
Something was falling down.
Before she could think of running in a safe direction with Felix, she found a large hand grabbing her waist, while another large hand went for Felix’ shoulder, trying to pull them both away from their place.
The scent she smelled from her savior was all too familiar. Ares.
He had been successful in grabbing them in time but someone had pushed him and Faith from the side, tossing them both to a corner. As both of them fell towards the corridor she had entered through, she looked back immediately to see Felix sitting at the same place. The only change in his position now was his blood-laced hand that was now raised towards the ceiling.
Following the path made by his hand’s gesture, a little gasp escaped out of her lips as she saw him holding down a burning painting in air, with only the motion of his hand.
He hadn’t allowed Ares to save him. Instead he held the burning painting in place himself while moving Faith and Ares out of its away simultaneously.
‘Do witches have the ability of telekinesis?’
“Felix.”
It was Ares who had called out to the second prince this time.
“Ah!”
A loud scream escaped out of the back of her throat as she ducked down, watching the burning painting getting swung in their direction, but the impact never happened.
She had knelt down on the floor subconsciously while shielding her head with her arms. As nothing happened in the next few seconds, she lifted her head up gingerly only to find Ares standing in front of her.
He had his back turned towards her. She stood up slowly, moving to the front in order to get a better view of what had happened.
What she witnessed next made her throat swell up. Felix had thrown the burning artwork in their direction, partially blocking the entrance through the corridor into the throne-room.
The painting was big, and she could barely see Felix’s face from above it.
“Don’t do this, Felix.”
The heat and smoke was hindering her vision yet she was able to notice that his eyes were set on her, giving her more courage to continue persuading him.
“Felix. Let me in, please.”
She wanted to get closer but the animal inside of her wasn’t allowing her to. It was deeply scared of accidentally making contact with the fire.
“Please. Come with us. Come with me.”
Felix had tried overriding her vampire part and she hoped to do that as well. She didn’t care if she burnt herself in the process. She knew she couldn’t bring herself to leave him behind.
“Come, Faith. It's getting dangerous.”
It was Ares.
“No! I won’t leave him.”
Trying her best to suppress the animal raging inside of her, she put both of her hands on the scorching canvas trying to make a way inside, but she remained unable to touch it. It was like an invisible wall was blocking her way.
“Silly princess.”
Through the haze of her teary vision, she watched a small smile touching the corners of Felix’s rosy lips.
“I’m honored to see your passion regarding our short-lived companionship.”
He was back to talking to her in his usual, well composed way. The awakening seemed to have settled his emotions down.
“Come out. Please.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled a bit as his smile grew just a tiny bit upon hearing her words.
“Ironic, how you refused to step out on our first meeting and now you’re the one asking me to come outside.”
A look of defeat had settled into his eyes. He seemed to have accepted his loss.
“Please.”
She was crying hard by now. Trying to extend her hand to him, in an offering position, she kept uttering ‘please’ over and over again. Her hearing could scarcely sense tapping of multiple feet coming in their direction. There were voices, Henry’s voice being the loudest amongst the lot.
“Faith, we need to go. Now!”
She felt Ares putting an arm around her waist, urging her to step back from the painting but she couldn’t focus on anything in that moment. Her eyes wouldn’t budge from the silver haired prince looking her way.
The smile on his lips didn’t falter one bit as a single tear slid down his cheek. The tear, it wasn’t crimson colored. It was transparent resembling a human’s tear, indicating that he had successfully suppressed his vampire side.
“Time to go home, princess.”
These were his last words to her. Just as he finished saying this, multiple chairs, drapes, and all sorts of things in the throne started blocking the path, covering it completely until only a small hole remained in that passage through which she could see teal eyes staring her way.
“Faith!”
She knew someone was calling her name but her ears were ringing unable to comprehend anything. She was too zoned out to answer anything.
BAM!
That last cavity got filled too, cutting Felix off completely from their side.
She felt someone lifting her off of her feet, guiding her out of that burning building. The fire didn’t touch her or any other people with her out of their away. It looked as if it were parting to make way for them.
‘Felix…’
She knew it was his doing. He couldn’t die in peace knowing he had failed to protect her.
But she had. She had failed to protect him and she had to live with this burden for the rest of her life now.
As they stepped outside, she saw the vampire elder that had saved her life, Athan, looking visibly confused as he awkwardly cradled her little Aria in his arms.
‘She’s alright.’
Felix had fulfilled his promise in protecting her family.
As they reached Athan, the Ares her gently placed her down on a big rock, shouting orders at someone before moving forward to grab her little baby out of Athan’s hands.
Now that she saw them together, she had no doubt in believing that Aria was a miniature version of Ares. The thought made her lips stretch in a small smile until the image of a certain prince feeding Aria popped inside her head.
‘Felix…’
She felt a tingling sensation on her cheeks as she felt Ares kissing her cheeks repeatedly, in love, gratitude and forgiveness.
“I’m sorry, Faith. Forgive me.”
While holding their daughter in his big arms, he kept peppering kisses all over her face, making her close her eyes in content.
She was finally home.
‘But Felix isn’t.’
The overwhelming pain was making it impossible for her to stay focused, but even if she had managed to do so, she'd have still failed to notice those pair of teal eyes staring at her from the roof of Dracula’s burning castle.
Yes, the teal eyes in the end staring at Faith are Felix's. He left the throne room and climbed the roof to ensure that Faith had left the castle safely.
Also, did anyone notice how it all started with emerald eyes (of Ares) staring at her though the painting as she enters the castle in the starting chapters and then teal eyes (Felix) watching her leave the very same castle as the book approaches its end.