Asher
A group of guards were huddled around a table of men playing cards and as I approached closer, I saw them playing poker. The faces of five men were straight and held absolutely no emotion, which came easily with the role of a guard. Nobody noticed that I stood behind and watched them.
Caleb snuck up beside me not too long after and observed the game with his arms crossed.
"Any special requests before I grab everyone's attention?" He whispered beside me. I thought for a second then shook my head.
"You're just planning on layouts and the agenda for the next week, am I correct?" I asked. He nodded to my question then cleared his throat loud enough so everyone turned their heads our way. The game stopped immediately and the men sitting stood to our attention.
"Despite the fact that there have been no sightings of Shadows recently, I still want you all to be focused and on your hyper senses for anything peculiar. I just want to make sure that everyone coming in and out of this castle gets accounted for and I don't want anyone getting hurt." He paused then turned his head to a man who held his hand up.
"Should we be patrolling outside the castle walls?" He asked. I wasn't quite sure of that question, but Caleb was the captain and as captain, it was his decision to make.
"You must let someone else know before going out, and always make sure that you travel in a group. You'd especially want to have the highest focus out in the woods since there are so many places for darkness to hide. Are there anymore questions?" The crowd was shaking their heads until another hand shot up.
"What if one of us gets possessed and we don't know it?" Someone else asked. He sighed at the question and looked over to me for assistance. This was obviously a sensitive subject for him since he and his wife had been affected by it, so I stepped forward from my spot.
"You will know something is wrong immediately, even without the red eyes and the smell. Just keep a good lookout for the behavior of others and if they're acting unusual, then try to get help." I announced and stood for anything more, but the fear in the group was evident and I didn't blame them. I was scared myself and I was scared for this family.
I knew that deep down my son was still possessed and that scared me, of course, but I tried not to show anything to be strong for this kingdom. I wanted to assure them all that there was nothing to fear and that we would always be stronger than them in the end.
Caleb patted my shoulder and walked over to the poker table to lay out some blueprints of the castle that he held onto the entire time. He began assigning the patrolling stations as well as the schedules for guards.
Cameron and Derek stood on the opposite side of the table and Aidan stood not too far away from them. My brother caught my eye then gave a wave. I waved back with a small smile and listened to Caleb give orders.
I stepped forward behind the captain and was about to suggest an option when sharp pain shot in my back between the shoulder blades.
I fell back a step and rubbed the tension in my shoulders. I dismissed it as stress, but that pain traveled down the length of my spine causing chills to grow in every part of my body. I blanked on everything I meant to tell Caleb, so I stepped back and past the crowd that gathered and walked out the room.
A headache surged and grew more powerful. I had no idea what was happening to me as I clutched onto my temples and leaned against the wall for support. My vision blurred and black blotches appeared everywhere I tried to look. I shut my eyes tight and wished for it to all go away. I hoped that nothing was wrong with my health, but I continued to stay hunched against the wall since nothing was getting better.
Assuming that Aidan knew something was wrong with me, he hurried to my side and asked if I was okay. My eyes were still shut and I gripped onto my knees for support.
"No, I don't know why everything hurts all a sudden." I shook my head and opened my eyes to face the identical set of chocolate eyes of mine. He held a lot of concern and held my arm for support.
"Here, come sit down." He guided my aching body to a nearby retreat where a pair of couches rested. I sat down and rubbed my temples from the blinding pain. I relaxed against the pillows and let out a long sigh.
"I'll go fetch a cup of blood for you." Aidan exclaimed and sprinted away before I could say anything. I knew I needed blood. It was probably because I had an exhausting day and ran out of energy.
He came back in a split second and handed it to me. "Thank you." I whispered and rested my head against the pillows again.
I had barely relaxed when a small voice shouted from down the hallway. I lifted my head immediately and looked for the source of the voice but found nothing. Soon enough she ran around the corner and continued to shout something.
Aidan and I stood immediately and walked a few long strides closer to her little running body.
"Mommy is hurt! Mommy is hurt! You have to come help!" She shouted over and over again like a tape recorder. "Mommy is hurt! Grandma can't hold on much longer. Daddy, you have to come help!" Her screams proceeded to echo throughout and I scooped her into my arms as soon as we came together.
"What happened to mommy, Alexandria?" I demanded of her. She was crying and her body shook violently.
"This lady came into grandma's room and she had red eyes, and she hurt mommy." She struggled to say aloud. Her eyes were puffy and red, so I handed her into Aidan's arms.
"Look after her and make sure nothing happens to her. Get Caleb while you're at it too. Tell him to meet me right away." I gave instructions to Aidan and ran immediately to her mother's room. I ran as fast as my legs could take me and I made it to the door in no time.
The door was jammed and slammed my shoulder into it a couple of time before barging thought the room. It was a complete mess. Drawers and dressers of clothing laid everywhere along with a couple broken lamps laying on the floor.
I took in the image of Violet's mother utilizing witchcraft on the Shadow that disguised as a maid. She fought against the magic and threatened to destroy everything in its path. Violet's mother held her in a position, floating above the marble tiles, where she helplessly clawed in mid air.
Her mother couldn't communicate but her eyes met mine and she nodded to Violet behind her.
I ran to her aid immediately and kneeled down to her fallen form. She cracked her eyes open the slightest and groaned when I situated her so her head rested on my lap and I stabilized her neck. She winced at the slightest touch but managed to smile softly when she saw me.
"Oh, darling. Everything will be okay. You're going to be okay and all will be well soon enough." I whispered into her ears and kissed the tears off her cheeks. "You will heal very quickly and hurt no more. I am so sorry that I didn't show up earlier." I spoke with my bottom lip trembling. She's hurting and there's nothing I could do about it. I'm only feeling a small pinch compared to her pain.
I ran my fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. I made her aware that I was going nowhere. I continued whispering soothing words into her ears and kissed her everywhere on the face.
Caleb came very shortly after and took in the scene before him. He caught on quickly and gestured for a couple more guards to come into the room and help him handle the situation of the Shadow. Meanwhile, Violet's mother held steady power the entire time. The Shadow was left unmoved from her place in the air.
I glanced back down at my wife and glided a thumb over her cheek.
"How are you feeling now, my love?" I urged. I was very stressed and concerned about her current state but the aching in my back was slowly dissipating, which meant that her pain must be deteriorating slowly as well. I fed her as much of my energy as I could to help with the healing process since I worried about her more than I worried about myself.
"I'm feeling much better now that you've been here with me." She whispered with a coarse voice. I smiled gently to reassure her that everything was getting taken care of.
Caleb walked up to us with his eyes full of concern and planted on Violet. She looked back at him.
"How are you now, Violet?" He asked. She replied with a smile and nod. "That's good. We just had your mom transport the Shadow to a place where we could now deal with her safely. You don't need to worry about anything and just make sure that Asher stay by your side, alright?" He stated then waited for my response. I nodded to his suggestion and was about to ask for further information but he walked way with a couple other guards and out the room.
I sighed and rested my forehead against hers. I breathed in her scent to calm my nerves. I let out a deep breath then released all my energy into her body so she could absorb and heal. I synced our heartbeats and I listened to her calming pulse beating loudly against my ears.
"Everything is okay. We will make it through this and I will make my sister pay for everything that she has done to my family. She will not make it out of this without regretting what she has done to mess with me." I growled and threatened to draw my fangs down for bloodshed but the angel before me just stared with a smile.
"I know you will do well for the greater good. End this war, once and for all."
A/N:
Helloooooooo!!! Well here's another update! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and have been enjoying this novel!!
Please keep in mind that I didn't have time to edit and reread whatever I wrote so there may be many errors and I apologize for that!!
Stay awesome and keep being lovely bookworms! Until then, take care and be happy!!
~Jade xoxo