21. Chapter 21- Felix

Idon't know what to do. The vines have her, and there is no way to get her out of them. They have all been so still for too long. I am a fool for bringing her down here. I thought her blood would be the cure, but I was wrong. So selfishly wrong.

I've been so determined to find my sister that I put my mate in danger. If she dies because of this…I will follow her into the next realm.

The vines suddenly start moving once again. But Nyx is still unconscious. What…what if they drained her dry? FUCK!

"Nyx!" I scream, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her so that I know she is alive, but there is no reply. "NYX!" I try again—still nothing.

Slowly, she is lowered to the ground beside the bed, and the vines wither and die. She did it. She broke the curse. My beautiful, courageous mate did what no one else could.

I carefully lift her into my arms and prepare myself for the worst. But she breathes. A hiccupped laugh escapes me as tears distort my vision. She lives.

"My heart, please wake up." I gently brush the hair from her face. "I need you to wake up. I can't do this without you." Her eyes flutter, and I am stunned, silent by the way they shine. "Fuck! You scared the shit out of me." Unable to do anything else, I hug her fiercely and rock her.

"Poppa…" she rasps.

"Who?" I loosen my hold until I can look into her eyes.

"Poppa. He was there. I was transported back to when he was killed. He showed me how he made the curse and when the vines took hold of everyone who died that night's soul. The female! The vines were coming out of her stomach!" She becomes frantic, trying to get out of my arms.

"They are gone now." I try to calm her down, but it isn't working. I help her to her feet and let her see it for herself.

"The…she—"

"Is my sister." I offer. My heart breaks for the one family member who understood me. She was the reason I began trying to make a difference, fighting back against the terror our father has brought upon everyone. "This is Rose."

"I know. Your father forced her to feed from my father until he died. She didn't want to do it. But she feared that all her hard work would have been for nothing if she didn't. It was unfortunate that she got caught in the crossfire of our fathers. But Poppa said that the curse latched onto her because of her desire to keep your father's cruelty from spreading. He told her to use it."

A deep inhale of breath has us both jumping and running toward the bed.

"Rose!" I reach for her just as she sits straight up in the bed.

"Where is he?" she growls. Her red curly hair is a mess, and her eyes are just as bright as Nyx's when she woke up.

"Probably in a meeting," I answer, knowing exactly who she is talking about. She moves to get out of the bed, and I stop her. "Rose, you have been—"

"In bed long enough." She pushes past me with barely any effort, stronger than anyone I have ever met.

She doesn't care that her clothes are in tatters as she storms through the passageway and down the halls. I keep a firm hold on Nyx's hand, terrified that if I let go, I'll lose her for good. We race after Rose until she stops in front of the giant doors of the council room. With a single kick, both doors burst, revealing a crowd of shocked faces.

Nyx and I stare after her in awe of her fury and out of the way of her vengeance.

"What is the meaning of this?" Father yells.

"The Lost Princess." Whispers build around the room, and soon, they are all looking toward their king for an explanation. He told the Kingdom that she was either dead or lost on the other side of the forest. But according to Nyx, he knew exactly where she was the entire time.

"Don't play stupid, Father. It doesn't suit you," Rose seethes. "If you value your life and the life of your family, you will leave now," she says to everyone else in the room.

Every. Single. One of them leaves without question. In their haste to separate themselves from the situation, chairs hit the floors and walls with loud clangs. That is what happens when you rule with fear: zero loyalty.

Father sputters frantically, looking around for an exit. Even if he did happen to get past my sister, I wouldn't let him get far. Nyx wouldn't let him get away, either. He must recognize that because he straightens his shoulders and faces Rose head-on.

"Alright, let's finish this then."

The words are barely out of his mouth before Rose is on him, letting out a war cry that would freeze the blood in even the most seasoned warrior's veins. He tries to use his strength to bat her away, but she deflects it and plows into him. His arrogance has left him unprepared and they both fall to the ground, with Rose on top of him.

"My love!" My mother's screech comes from the hall.

Before I can even blink, Nyx has her by the hair with a dagger against her throat.

"You would think that someone as old as you would be smart enough not to carry their dagger in plane sight," Nyx laughs. "Oh, well. That just makes my job easier. Now watch as your daughter finally gets the justice she deserves," she says against mother's ear.

"Have I ever told you how incredibly sexy you are?" I ask my Mate, entirely impressed by her.

"Yes. But I am not opposed to hearing it often," she smiles. And even as my father is being bled dry by my sister and blood is running down my Mother's throat from her own dagger, I want to kiss this female until she can no longer think straight.

"I will tell you all kinds of things when I get you alone again." Her answering smile is like a breath of fresh air. A sign that she has genuinely accepted us.

My sister's scream pierces the air, and it is both terrifying and heartbreaking. I run to her and catch her right before she hits the ground while heavy sobs wrack her body.

"What about her?" Nyx asks, still holding on to my Mother.

"Slit her throat," Rose hiccups.

And without a second thought, Nyx slides the blade across the pale throat of the Queen. She gurgles and tries to stop the bleeding, but soon falls to the floor in a heap, just like her husband.

Good riddance.

"Rose. I have missed you." I breathe into my sister's hair.

"What the fuck?" Tia's rich voice fills the room, and I laugh. "Both of them?" Her question is hesitant. Almost like she fears, I will tell her that one of them is still alive.

"Both," Nyx answers for me. "Oh! And we found Rose."

"Rose!" Tia screams and runs to embrace her long-lost friend. "I have missed you so much. Where have you been? Are you alright? What happened?"

"Tia!" Rose hushes her with a laugh. "I will tell you everything. Help me get a bath first. I believe that terrible smell is coming from me." Tia helps her up, but Rose stops before taking another step. "Don't worry, baby brother; all is well now." Then she pats me on the head and walks away.

"Oh, Felix," Tia says, poking her head back around the door. "That thing you asked me to do is ready. I was on my way to get you. Have fun!" she chuckles before following my sister once again.

My sister. All this time, I thought she was lost for good. Or if I ever found her, it would death that greeted me. But she's here. And Nyx…I study the triumphant glint in her eye and for the first time in my life, I feel complete.

"Are you tired?" I ask Nyx, standing and pulling her into my arms.

"No…do you have something in mind?" Her hand slide up my chest until she tangles her fingers into the hair at my neck and uses the other to push my glasses back up my nose. I groan and debate whether I should take her to her surprise or back to our bed. But then I remember how happy the surprise would make her and how I may be rewarded for it later.

"I do. Come with me." I hold my hand out to her and my heart jumps with joy that she takes it without hesitation.

"Is it the thing Tia was just talking about?"

"It is a surprise," I chuckle.

"I don't like surprises," she grumbles in the most adorable way.

"You will like this one."

"How do you know? And why is it in the dungeon?"

"If I tell you, then that would ruin the surprise."

"Felix, your mother's dagger is in my boot. I am not opposed to using it—" I stop her talking by pushing her against the wall and devouring her mouth. She always knows how to get under my skin.

"You know what happens when you threaten me," I remind her, biting her plump lower lip. "But that won't get you any answers. If you are patient, I will reward you when we return to our room."

Her eyes take on a heavy look, and I am again fighting with the decision of where to take her. But we are so close to our goal. I adjust myself into a more comfortable position and continue leading her down the dark corridor.

To my surprise, she doesn't say another word. Even when I stop in front of the closed door, she looks up at me expectedly.

"Good Girl. Now you can have your surprise." I turn the knob and push the door open.

Her eyes widen, and a brilliant, vicious smile spreads across her face.

"Of Felix, you shouldn't have!" She places a hand on her chest and walks into the room. "Remind me to thank Tia when I get a chance."

Her steps are slow as she moves to stand over the seething form of her gagged tormentor. Dominic's eyes frantically move from her to me. I enter the room and lock the door behind me. I then take my time lighting all the torches so that I don't miss a second of this.

Nyx leaves her new victim pissing himself as she looks at all the ‘toys,' as she calls them, that Tia meticulously laid out for her. Several bundles of rope, daggers of every length, a blindfold, whips, and some things I am not entirely sure what they are used for.

I pull the only chair in the room to a corner out of the way, but still within a good view. I swallow thickly as she braids her white hair out of the way, exposing her delicate neck to me. My fangs itch to be buried deep into it while my stiff cock pounds into her beautifully wet cunt. I want her claws raking down my back again and her legs tightly wrapped around me. I want—

"Felix, your smell is distracting. If you don't control yourself, I will make you leave the room," she says without looking away from the table.

"I'll behave…for now," I promise. But damnit, she is irresistible.

My mouth goes dry as she picks up the first bundle of rope and walks toward Dominic. He screams around the gag, but it only makes her smile wider.

"If you scream now, then you won't have a voice left for when the real fun begins," she taunts. Everything, including me, disappears from her world. She zeros in on her victim, planning out her justice, ignoring all of her injuries the vines inflicted earlier. The only reason I haven't demanded them be taken care of first is because they have already stopped bleeding.

It is fascinating to watch her. Her hands carefully and efficiently move with each intricate knot she makes. How she uses the rope to restrain him but not harm him.

"Felix, I need you." I am on my feet and at her side in seconds. "Thread the four ropes through those hooks up there. Be careful not to twist them." She returns to the table, trusting that I can finish the job.

It doesn't take long to get them all how she wants them, even with Dominics squirming and carrying on. I lift him into the air and tie the ropes securely so he doesn't fall. Once done, I return to my seat and watch Nyx circle her prey.

She is silent, even though I know there is probably so much she wishes to tell him. But that isn't how she works. She will let her blades do the talking. The first dagger sings and glints when she unsheathes it.

I watch, fascinated, as she removes his clothing and slices over and over again, taking care not to hit any arteries. A couple of times, her eyes roll back, and she quietly moans when his screams get high-pitched and last longer than a few seconds. His blood dripping onto the floor fills in the few silent moments.

She says repeatedly that she doesn't dance, but my mate is mistaken. The way she moves and flows around her victim while taking him apart piece by piece is so beautiful and graceful—a dance of death and vengeance. I am so lucky to witness it firsthand. I wish I could somehow capture it and rewatch it whenever I want.

Suddenly, she stops. Her hand falls to her side, and she watches him, unmoving. And just when I open my mouth to ask what's wrong, she grabs his hair and sheers him. Chunks of blonde hair and scalp fall to the floor at her feet, disappearing into the puddle of blood.

His screams and tears mixed with blood flow down his cheeks, making my heart swell with pride as she takes hers back. She nods with satisfaction, then walks back to the table to collect another dagger.

As slowly as she can, she pushes the dagger into his body. She returns to the table and grabs two more. Repeatedly, she grabs more blades and leaves them inside Dominic. Soon, he looks like a screaming, weeping pin cushion.

"I'm ready to go," she finally says, standing before me. "But we have to put out all the torches before we go. He is to stay in the dark until he takes his very last breath."

"As you wish."

I put out all the light while she watches him realize what's happening. He weakly struggles against the ropes, still screaming around the gag when she turns her back on him for the final time. I shut the door behind us, lock it, and hand her the key to this room.

"This is the only copy." Her eyes are shiny as she slowly takes it from me. She rubs it between her fingers for a moment before looking up at me once again.

"I love you," she whispers.

My heart feels like it has exploded. Those few words are everything I have been waiting for.

"I love you too!" I claim her mouth and put every ounce of emotion I have into it. The pain of almost losing her. The fear of her hating me forever. The joy of her choosing me back, and the love I have felt for her since the moment I first laid eyes on her. She is everything I have wished for and everything I don't deserve. I will fight tooth and nail never to lose the trust and love she has so carefully placed in me.