Chapter 2

2

This time, instead of asking Abbie to open a portal for me to Boston, I called Queen Thea. She and Abbie talked about it and agreed that they could do something together.

So, the next morning, after we had breakfast together with the entire family, Abbie and Thea connected through some witchy magic, and Abbie was able to open a portal right at DuMoir’s front steps, even though she had never been there before.

“Next time, I’ll be able to do it by myself,” Abbie said before hugging me and going back to the Grand Eternity Hall.

I should have known Thea wouldn’t be the only one waiting for me. Standing beside her in front of the castle’s open doors were Prince Killian and Lavinia—I first met the happy, mated couple when they rescued me from some warlocks who were intent on putting me into a magical box and syphoning my powers.

After that, we met again while helping Shane and Raika defeat the higher demon Paimon and reclaim the Nightshade pack.

They had quickly become my friends.

And several months ago, I left the Nightshade without a word.

“Ariella, welcome back to DuMoir Castle,” Thea said, giving me a warm hug.

When I turned to Lavinia, she punched my shoulder. “Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?”

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“Are you okay?” Killian asked.

I nodded as I glanced at them. They seemed so beautiful and happy together, it almost made me want to run again. Killian was a handsome vampire prince, and Lavinia was a half witch, half demon hunter, who had turned into a vampire not long ago. They had met when Lavinia accidentally released Killian from a box—the same kind the warlocks wanted to put me in.

“I will be,” I said, almost automatically.

Thea took my arm and tugged me forward. “Come on in.”

We walked into the castle and I couldn’t help but glance around in wonder, though I had been here a handful of times before. The foyer alone was as large as Levi’s entire apartment, and I gawked at the smooth floors, the fascinating chandelier, the grandiose stone staircase, and the three-story ceiling.

“Are you hungry? Do you need anything?” Thea asked, guiding me farther into the castle.

I shook my head. “I just need Zadkiel.”

“I’m afraid he’s still away,” she said. “But he sent word early this morning. He should be here in a couple of days.”

For those couple of days, what would I do?

“Don’t worry, I can train with you until he comes,” Lavinia said. “It won’t be the same, but we can start with simple spells.”

Witch magic and angel magic were like water and oil, but it was probably better than staying seated in a room, waiting for time to pass.

“Sounds like a plan,” I said.

“For now, do you want to rest?” Thea asked. “I asked your previous room to be prepared. It should be all ready for you.”

A soft smile adorned my lips. I had a room in the famous DuMoir Castle. It was heartwarming.

“I’m fine, no need to rest, but I think we should talk to Drake,” I said. Drake was the lord of DuMoir Castle, sort of the king of the vampires, and also probably the most badass supernatural I knew. He and DuMoir Castle oversaw everything that happened in the supernatural world on this side of the globe and interfered if necessary.

Of course, they didn’t know about everything that went on, but what they knew? They fixed.

Thea nodded. “He wanted to talk to you too, but suggested we gave you some time to rest first. But if you don’t want to rest …”

“I’m fine. If he’s free, we can go to him now.”

We turned toward Drake’s office on the second floor.

At the stairs, Thea glanced up and smiled. “Sweetheart, shouldn’t you be in class?”

I almost flinched when she said sweetheart, the word causing a slight pain to fill my chest.

I followed the queen’s gaze and saw little Aurora standing at the second-floor landing. That kid always took my breath away. Her parents, Drake and Thea, were beautiful and she managed to get the best features of each and mix them together, creating the most stunning person I had ever seen.

In a way, she reminded me of Snow White: white porcelain skin, puckered red lips, bright green eyes adorned by dark lashes, and luscious black hair with coils at the ends.

Sometimes, when looking at her, I forgot she was a little kid. Eight years old now, if I was not mistaken. In a few more years, she would be breaking hearts across the globe.

She would also be one of the most powerful supernaturals ever—half vampire, half witch, Aurora was destined to become the Queen of All Witches.

“I should, but I wanted to see Ariella.” Aurora turned to me, her eyes seeing into my soul. “Are you okay?”

I offered her a soft smile. “I am.”

“Are you sure?”

I reached the landing and stopped right in front of her. The top of her head hit my chest. “I think so. Why?”

She frowned. “I had a dream about you last night. You were enveloped by shadows, and you fought against it, but your light magic wasn’t working.”

“Well, I am having trouble with my magic. That’s why I’m here.”

“I know, but in my dream, the shadows pressed against you, until they were inside of you. Slowly, they filled you completely and they drained you of everything. Magic, blood, energy, life. You became ashes and were taken by the wind into the darkness.”

I stared at the girl, shocked. Was this some kind of vision? Did she have that kind of magic?

“It was just a bad dream, sweetie.” Thea put an arm around Aurora’s shoulders and looked at me. “She overheard us last night when we were talking about your magic. Her dreams … they can be quite vivid.”

“But no premonitions related to them, right?” Lavinia added quickly.

“Right.” Thea nodded. “None of her dreams have come true.”

Yet.

I shook my head. No, I wouldn’t go down that rabbit hole. I reached for Aurora and twisted one of her soft curls around my finger. “I’m okay. My magic will be okay. But I appreciate the concern.” It meant she cared, right? Such a kind, unique child.

“There you are,” a voice came from my left. A witch I had seen before, but didn’t remember her name, ran down the hallway. “I was looking all over for you.” She glanced at Thea. “I’m so sorry, my queen. I told her to keep reading the book while I gathered supplies. When I came back to her room, she was gone.”

“I wanted to see Ariella,” Aurora said.

“You should have told Sally where you were going,” Thea said. “Anyway, now you’ve seen Ariella. It’s time to go back to your studies. I’ll see you later for lunch, okay?”

Aurora nodded, hugged my waist for two seconds, then bounced away, Sally trying to keep up without running again.

I frowned as I watched both of them disappear behind a corner. “May I ask why Aurora isn’t in your school?”

Queen Thea had just opened the Silver Moon Academy not far from here.

“Well … two reasons, really. One, there are no kids her age at the school yet. We only have teenagers for now. And … she’s already a lot more powerful than all of them. Drake and I agreed it would be detrimental for her and for the other witches if she attended their classes.” She let out a sigh. “So, she has been having lessons here.”

“It makes sense,” I said in a faint voice.

Aurora wouldn’t gain anything being among older girls who would probably feel threatened by a child half their age who was more powerful than they would ever be.

But I still felt for the little girl. Being so powerful, so different, and practically isolated because of it, couldn’t be good for her.

We resumed our trek to Drake’s office.

“Welcome back, Ariella,” the lord of DuMoir Castle said when I walked in. He stood from behind his desk and it was hard not to be impressed by him—Drake was tall, strong, lean, with the face of a god, and perfect composure. He looked dashing in a black suit and burgundy tie. The silver cross brooch, the symbol of DuMoir Castle, was pinned to the suit’s lapel. “It’s good to see you well.”

“Thank you,” I said. “It’ll be better when I get a hold of my magic again.”

He nodded once. “I heard about that. Once Zad gets back, you two will work on it.”

“That’s the plan.” I let out a long breath. “But, in the meantime, I should probably tell you what’s going on, including why I’m on the run and why Elysium has a bounty on my head.”

“If you think that’s a good idea, we would love to hear it.” Drake gestured to one of the chairs across from his desk.

Thea sat down beside me, while Killian and Lavinia stood behind us, leaning on one of the bookshelves.

I told them all about it. The only parts I left out were about sleeping with Levi, but I thought everyone in this room was smart enough to deduce that.

“All right.” Drake leaned back on his chair. “So, you’re saying Elysium is about to have a civil war.”

I nodded. “That’s what I gathered. Ylena wanted the Scarlet Hex Dagger to kill Adona, but I doubt she would have everyone’s approval. A group that opposes that is certain to rise and fight them, but Ylena would be ready for that. Now that she’s gone, I believe Rhodes will continue with their plans.”

“And they still need the dagger?”

“I’m not sure. To kill Adona, yes. To imprison her and take over, maybe not?”

“Either way, Elysium is about to explode and not in a good way,” Drake said. “That’s not good. Even if the war was contained to your realm, killing Adona, creating new rules, and exploiting and abusing humans? That would create chaos in any realm.”

“I wanted to leave you all out of this,” I confessed. “But that was back when I thought their issue was with me only, specifically, and I could somehow fix it.” Yeah, because wandering Earth alone for five years was a good prognosis of that. “This situation is much bigger than I first realized, and it’ll have repercussions everywhere.”

Drake nodded. “You know we’re here for you and everyone who needs our help.”

“We should call on our friends,” Thea said. “Have a meeting with them and see who wants to join us.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my chest constricting. If only I had opened up to them earlier, maybe this mess wouldn’t be this big, this dangerous. I always knew they had my back. Then why did I resist it?

Because I was a young, stubborn, lost, and proud angel, who thought she was better than all of these supernaturals. That was why.

But I wasn’t better than anyone. Angels weren’t better than anyone. There were bad and good angels, just like there were bad and good vampires, witches, wolf shifters and even demons.

Maybe we should introduce new rules to Elysium, but it would be about inclusion, love, friendship, and acceptance.

“I think that’s a good idea,” I said, my voice showing the emotion twirling within me.

Lavinia put her hand on my shoulder, and Thea reached out, grabbing my hand in hers.

I wasn’t alone.

I never was, and never would be again.