THE OTHER PART OF THE CHAPTER THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN UP AGES AGO. I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT.
DO ENJOY.
NOT EDITED
Chapter 41 - ....and then some
"Aria! Aria! Open your eyes sweetheart. Come on." That voice...that beautiful voice. It was calling me. I wanted to go to it. But why? Why can't I go where this beautiful voice is? "Aria you have to breathe. Breathe Aria!" Breathe, that's what I needed to do. But how do I do that? "Aria! Take air into your lungs sweetheart. Come on, you can do it." I had no idea what this beautiful voice was saying, but I wanted to listen to it forever.
"What did you do to her?" Why does the beautiful voice sound so angry? I don't want the voice to be angry. "I told you not to move! I'll deal with you later." I wasn't sure if this was a dream of if I was really dead, but it was this voice that was keeping me afloat. "Aria you have to breathe. Just open those beautiful eyes for me please."
The most magical feeling started to engulf me. A kind of sweet feeling poured into my body. I wanted to enjoy this feeling forever. And then, it all disappeared and the pain of someone forcing air into my lungs took over. My eyes popped open as I tried to contain the massive amounts of air that was being pushed into my body. I gasped twice and suddenly I could breathe again.
"Oh my God!" I got to my feet. "Where is he? I'm going to wring his neck myself."
"Calm down."
Zane held me back and sparks flew through my body.
"What was that?"
"Yeah, you're going to be a little sensitive from now on. But we'll deal with that later. We're still at war remember?"
How could I forget?
He turned to Nate who I just now realized wasn't moving at all, even though he was breathing. I still could not believe he tried to kill me.
"You're going to tell me everything you know."
"We don't have time for this Aria. Your grandmother is about to kill your sister's husband. I think that's more important. This one isn't going anywhere." He held his hand out to me expectantly. I wasn't sure what he wanted from me, but with a leap of faith I placed my hand in his. One minute we were facing Nate, the next we were at Alyssa's side.
"You need to go inside your majesty. It isn't safe for you out here."
"What? I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving my mates."
"Go inside Alyssa. I'll take it from here."
I couldn't do much but stand by Zane's side while he took charge of the situation. He waved his hand and the dark clouds in the sky started to disappear. It was brighter now and I could see just how bad things really where. Alexis had managed to knock Liah unconscious and was now taking on the remaining witches by herself.
"Enough!"
Zane's voice echoed across the land. Every witch seemed to recognize his power and paused. Even Sofia who was torturing Dimitri to no end paused at the sound of Zane's voice. She flung his body to the ground effortlessly, and he laid there completely unmoving. I wasn't even sure he was still breathing. For Alyssa's sake I hope he was. She cried out in pain and tried to get to his side, but Zane stopped her. How he managed to do that was a puzzle to me. As far as I knew, Adrian was the only one capable of using powers on her.
"How did you do that?"
"I suggest if any of you want to live you'll leave this place and never return."
No one budged. Sofia cackled from where she stood.
"They won't leave here until their task is complete," she said.
"So be it. Then you will all die here."
The sky started changing again. The clouds shifted and the sky darkened once again. The roar of thunder even affected my ears and I jumped. Then there was very bright flash of light and everything was quiet again. The sky cleared once more and when I looked ahead all the witches were on the ground. I wasn't sure if they were alive.
"Are they..."
"Dead," he finished for me. How did he do that? Just who was this man? I've never seen or felt power like that before. Even Sofia seemed shocked by his simple yet dangerous move.
"You. I've had just about enough of your meddling."
In the blink of an eye we were standing face to face with Sofia. Tingles were still shooting up my arms and I realized our hands were still linked. I pulled my hand away quickly, a little embarrassed about the way I was clinging.
"I won't leave here until I have what I came for." Her eyes strayed to me and an evil smile graced her face. "Don't look at her. You might lose an eye." The way Zane said that sounded more like a promise. "Fine. Since you killed all my witches, I have to kill you and everyone here myself. Let's see how powerful you really are."
The shock that was etched on her face when nothing happened was almost comical. "The only one dying here today is you."
His arm shot out and gripped her neck. She struggled against his hold.
"It will be less painful if you stop fighting against it." Her eyes almost seemed like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "Now, what shall we do with you?"
The snake tattoo that was on his arm started moving. When its eyes popped open and stared at me I jumped back.
"You don't have to be afraid of him."
The snake slithered its way down his arm.
"What do you want to do to her?" He pulled me closer, never taking his eyes off Sofia.
"I...well...uh, what do you mean?"
"I don't have all day Aria." The snake wrapped its body snugly around her neck, preventing her from moving and cutting off a little of her air supply. "I can see your thoughts. Now tell me what you want to do to her and it shall be done."
Was it wrong that I found Zane super sexy right now?
I cleared away my lustful thoughts and focused on the enemy in front of me. Anger took over and my features changed.
"I want her to suffer, suffer like how she's made my family suffer all this time."
"How?"
"I want her to feel pain."
"How do you want her to feel pain?"
"I want to break every bone in her body, repair them and then break them all over again. Over and over and over."
He held out his hand again.
"Do it."
The sound of her arm snapping gave me great satisfaction. I smiled. She slowly started rising in the air. "Whoa," Alexis said. "Are you doing that?" I broke the other arm while the next one began healing slowly. She didn't have enough air in her lungs to scream from the pain.
"I want to hear her screaming. I want her to beg for her life. I want her to look me in the eyes when I take it from her."
The snake loosened from around her neck and slithered its way back up Zane's arm. I broke another bone. I think it was the hip bone this time. She screamed. Over and over it went. I continuously broke bones and fixed them just to break them again. She started sweating because of the pain.
"That's enough of that. This is a torture session after all. You dear grandmother shall be tortured until I'm satisfied you've had enough."
I imagined that the organs inside her body were burning. This would make her rot on the inside. To my surprise, that very thing happened. The stench of burning flesh was overwhelming. Even I couldn't endure it for long. But her screams and the vile way in which she cursed me and my family's name was worth enduring the smell of rotting flesh.
Thoughts moved through my mind a mile a minute. So many things I wanted to do to her, and with Zane's help I was going to do them all. I wasn't stupid enough to believe I was that powerful.
"You know I hear it's really painful to burst a blood vessel in your brain. What do you think Alexis? Should we find out just how painful it is?"
"I think you should pop two just to be on the safe side, sis."
I smiled. I was going to enjoy this. I wanted the actual pain of it popping to haunt her even after she leaves this world. And she will be leaving this world.
Pop!
There goes a blood vessel. Her screaming grew louder.
Pop!
There goes another one. Again she screamed.
I kept popping the same vessels over and over until she started leaking blood from her eyes.
"Hmm, that can't be good. Maybe I should just get rid of your eyes." She whimpered when I mentioned taking her eyes, but started screaming again when I combine all my previous torture methods making them all happen at the same time. "Ouch. That's got to hurt."
An hour had already past and we were well into the morning. I wanted her demise to be epic. I wanted a crowd.
It was as if Zane knew exactly what I was thinking, because not long after I thought it, everyone started rushing from inside the palace.
"I lowered the shield and lifted the protection spell," he answered before I could even ask the question.
Alyssa was also free and kneeling beside both her mates.
"I want her eyes and then her heart."
Everyone stood around dumbfounded watching the show. The snake once again separated from Zane's arm and slithered its way up the Sae's body. People around us gaped. It stared at her intently, before extending its tongue and ripping one eyeball from its socket in one swift move. The screams that left her were music to my ears. This was justice. I was getting justice for all the horrible things she's put us through. There wasn't an ounce of remorse for her.
The scent of rotting flesh flared up once again. I'd almost forgotten she was rotting from the inside out. It was so strong that most of the guardians had to cover their noses. Zane lowered her to the ground and she fell to her knees. She was a sight to behold. My how the mighty have fallen? Her red hair was plaster to her face from perspiring so hard.
I gripped her chin and forced her head up. She looked at me with her one good eye. "I'm going to enjoy this." I pulled my hand from Zane's. I was going to do this final act on my own.
Using my powers and all the mental strength I had, I slowly started peeling the flesh away from her bones around her heart area. No doubt it was painful, but I didn't care one bit. The more flesh I ripped away, the more screams we had to endure, until it was right there in front of me. The organ I was looking for; her heart.
I bent my body from the waist up so that I could look her in the one eye she had left. And so that
she could look into the face of her end. "Rest in peace, grandmother." I plunged my entire arm into her chest and ripped her heart from her body. I might not be as powerful as Zane, but I knew I had enough power to rip her heart out. She slunk to the dusty ground with a look of shock on her face. The gasps that went up all around me were filled with surprise and wonder.
I flung the non-beating heart beside her dead body.
The Sae, was no more.
YAY THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD!
Just some thoughts on this chapter...
First I loved how Zane was supportive of Aria. He didn't take total control of the situation and allowed her to shine. Glad Sofia is gone. Loved how Aria tortured her. I know Aria fans have been waiting for her to be more active. She kinda went soft & Alyssa took the spotlight in this book.
THERE WILL BE 1 MORE CHAPTER & THEN THE EPILOGUE I THINK & THIS BOOK WILL BE OVER.
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE & COMMENT!!!!!!