Nikolai
The only voice ringing in my ears was Avalyn’s cries and sobs. They were barely audible but my ears bled at the sound. My heart broke. My soul felt like it was being ripped apart.
Xillian smirked, thankful pulling away from Ava. Anger burned in my chest as I saw Ava’s blood dripping out of his mouth.
“Finally.” He gripped her from the back of her neck and pulled her upright, making her look at me. “Look at him. Kneeling before me like the little bitch he is.” He hissed in her ear and then glared at me. “They kept saying that Adrik was the King and that you are ‘the offspring’. Liars. The whole lot of them.” A sardonic laugh escaped him. “Look at this-‘the saviour of the world’ kneeling at my feet.”
My eyes were on Ava. She had her tear-filled eyes on me. Xillian had his hold on her as he went on and on about some bullshit I couldn’t bother to pay attention to. I needed to find a way to get her out of his grasp.
But Ava was under his control. I had figured out that it was because of the unusual looking collar. And the ring in his middle finger he hadn’t stopped fiddling with. I needed to get a hold of the ring.
“… now it is time for you to die.” That caught my attention. “How poetic will it be to die at the hands of your own soulmate?” His mouth twisted into an ugly grin. “Avalyn, use your powers and rip his heart out of his chest.”
Ava’s eyes widened. She began sobbing, mouthing ‘no’ over and over again.
There were times Ava’s magic worked on me. And there were times it didn’t. But Xillian didn’t know that. I wanted to take advantage of that.
And then I remembered that Javier was in the room as well. Behind me somewhere. But he was too injured to do anything. And as far as I remembered, he had collapsed on he floor. Goddess knows why he even came in here. He can’t fight in this condition.
‘Distract him.’ I mind-linked Javier, hoping and praying he was conscious and could do something.
Ava’s trembling hands rose to use her magic on me. Thousands of emotions flashed in her eyes, the most prominent of them was heartbreak and self-loathing. For allowing herself to even try to hurt me.
It’s not your fault, Love.
The next moment, the floor we were standing on began rocking. Things started falling, crashing on the ground. The marble of the floor began sinking in and uprooting itself from the floor.
The foundation of the palace was shaking. Somehow, I knew it was Javier’s doing.
“What the fuck is this?” Xillian snarled as he looked around.
The second he took his gaze away from me, I took my chance.
Hot, red rage was all I had been feeling sine I had stepped on the main Island of Ovzdusia. And it had felt too much to hold in. Now, I decided to let go of my ironclad control. The angry fire consumed my whole body once again. The energy that had been building inside of me for so long demanded to let out. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
I lifted my palms up in the direction of Xillian and just… let go.
All the energy, the angry fire I had been controlling all this time burst out of my of my hands and shot him straight in the chest. A scream loud enough to drown all the other noise-of the people fighting outside, the sound of the rough, gigantic waves obliterating everything in it’s way as it came closer and closer towards us, the sound of the destruction that the earthquake was causing-escaped from deep within his belly.
I watched with heavy breaths and deep satisfaction as he was burning to his death.
“Help!” His eyes were wide as he screamed for help. The silver in his eyes reflected the angry red fire he was helplessly burning in. Avalyn still somehow in his hold. But she was immune to fire.
She watched me with relief in her eyes as I walked to them, easily pulled Avalyn out of his hold and then pulled out the green ring from his finger and wore it.
I saw him open and close his fists, most probably to exercise his power over the oxygen that gave life to fire. But for some reason, it didn’t work. Good for me.
His burning hand caught mine and he collapsed to his needs but his blood red eyes were fixated on me. Pleading. “P-please.” And then I intensified the fire, with a cruel smirk, drawing another ear-shattering painful roar out of him before he finally burned to his death.
I drew Avalyn in my arms and my soul finally breathed again.
She was still mute and she was shivering in my arms. “You can do as you wish. But first, hug me, Love.” I needed to feel her arms around me. I needed to hold her just as much she needed to be held. My need to protect her was just as strong as her need for me to be her saviour.
Her arms came around me and her cries intensified. The sounds of them filling my ears painfully.
The ring was definitely something that controlled her. And when we were finally one again, I realised the extent of her injuries. She was weak. Too weak to make it back home without significant help.
“I love you.” A tremulous smile slid on both out faces. As long as we were together, we could win against anything.
“Nikolai,” There was urgency in Mikhial’s voice. “We need to leave. The island is drowning.” I heard him say. My eyes snapped to my brother.
A shuddering breath left his body. He nodded. The war outside was won.
I nodded. The earthquake had stopped but I could hear the sound of the waves hitting the coast with a vigour. The tsunami was here. We had very little time till the water would reach here. It was time to go home.
The moment I released Ava, her knees buckled and she was about to collapse. My hands instinctively shot out to catch her. And that’s when I realised that her injuries were much graver than I had realised. I hadn’t been able to feel her since a while now but it was becoming more evident with every passing second. She had lost a lot of blood. Too much to survive. Her heart rate was slowing down. Her eyes were growing hazy by the second. The sound of blood flowing through her veins was slow too.
No. No. No. No.
She can’t die. She just can’t.
“Avalyn,” I cried. “Stay alive. Please.” Her eyes opened slightly, forcefully. I knew it was the collar’s doing. Thank Goddess. I’ll take what I can get.
“Nikolai.” Javier called and I turned my head to see him look at us with tears in his eyes. “Bring her here, son.” He was lying on the floor, barely conscious. But his eyes were resolute. He is an old, knowledgable vampire. He must know what to do.
I didn’t fear for his life for a second. He’s immortal. He’ll live.
I picked up Ava and ran to him, crouching by his side.
Javier hissed as he tried to sit up. Mikhail was by his side, helping him up. Javier rested against the door and looked at his daughter with tears in his eyes.
He put his hand to his mouth and bit his wrist deep enough to bleed. And then he put it against her mouth. “Drink, baby.”
Ava heaved at the taste of blood and pulled away.
“She’s a werewolf, Javier.” Vampire blood doesn’t help us much. It does but not nearly as much as it helps humans. Our own recovery is faster. But Ava is far past that point. She’ll die before her body will be able to heal her.
Javier shook his head. “She’s not. She’s a Faye. Their body works differently. Tell her to drink, Nikolai.” He looked like he knew what he was talking about. Of course he did. Because of Valerie.