When you love your mate to her existence, you’re doomed. And when Basilea was fading away, I knew I was going to lose her and myself.
I didn’t want her gone. I needed her, she was my life. How was I to function without her now? How was I to live without her, after knowing how good it was with her in it?
*****
This was not hell, this was worse than hell. This was another heaven’s way of torturing me after casting me down to hell. My head was not functioning, it hurts too fucking much. My heart felt like it was ripped apart, shredded to pieces until reality meant nothing anymore.
Basilea was the only focus, everything else was unimportant background noise. I didn’t care, I just want her to wake up. I didn’t want her to die.
Wake the fuck up… please…
I could hear the commotion behind me. They were fighting whoever it was who harmed her. And I know my men will take care of the threats. They will deal with them and the rogue elven would all be dead, Bharat and Magnus and the rest of my men will make sure of it.
They all left me to hold Basilea’s lifeless body in my arms. I saw them, and my brain wanted revenge, but my heart wants nothing more than to be with Basilea. Somehow I know I was going to lose her. I have minutes with her, not an unforeseeable future, we spoke hours earlier.
I was cursed, I knew I shouldn’t have dared to think of her as my mate. Her life was slipping away as her blood was seeping through my hands. Yes, I was foolishly trying to patch her gaping wound with my hand. Her wings, her beautiful velvety wings that she just got have been savagely butchered from her body.
I didn’t even notice when my tears fell until I saw the drop of black water staining her perfectly flawless cheeks.
“Don’t cry,” she smiled weakly and I couldn’t help but press a kiss on her lips. If I was going to lose her, I will kiss her one last time and she will feel me, she will feel how much I love her. I will send her off with all my love for her.
It didn’t take long before I felt her slipping away from me. I was wrapping her in my arms, kissing her lips, and telling her how much I love her. Repeatedly. I kept her in my arms, not caring for Gerold who was to my front trying to save her.
“She’s gone,” I whispered and from the corner of my eyes I saw him nod and back away. There was a look on Gerold’s face, an understanding, then shocked. I didn’t understand it at first but when I saw her body glow it took all my will not to let her go.
“She’s not,” Gerold whispered beside me, his voice was too astounding to explain further saying something about my tears and our mate bond.
Her glow made me let go of her body, she was brimming with an unknown heat making me reluctantly let her go. I didn’t want to, but the heat was at a stage where it burns my forearms. I gently lay her down on the floor, while her body still glowed like she was going to burn to dust, just like her wings did moments earlier.
Magnus was at my side, his hand was to my shoulder trying to give me support. He didn’t say anything when my vision got blurry, and I hated myself because all I wanted was to see her clearly and imprint her image one last time in my head forever.
I cursed the heavens above. All I wanted was to hold her in peace for a moment longer, and even that was taken away from me. But as I let out a frustrated scream her body rose from the ground, elevated higher and higher. Her limbs dangled as her body lay still. Her eyes were closed and she looked too damned beautiful.
“What’s happening?” I asked Gerold who was instantly busy scattering his magic dust circling her. “Is this how succubus royalty dies? I have never heard of this before.”
“Ascension, she’s risen, I’ve never witnessed this before in my whole existence. Though I’ve read about it. Your bond, tears, her will to survive, her pain somehow… she’s like a phoenix, lore from ancient times,” Gerold explained as I was having a hard time processing his words.
“W-what are you doing now?” I asked, steadying myself, trying to find my bearing as I watched Basilea glow in a blinding light. I wanted to see what was happening but at some stage, it was too bright for my eyes.
“I’m giving her strength, or tried to at least. I’m also protecting her from the evil that might interrupt the process. Again, I’m trying to, I’ve never done this before,” he explained quickly then ignored me to start chanting words that sounded far more ancient than I’d ever heard.
Moments passed, it felt too damn long. But then I saw her when the blinding light was starting to fade. Her body lined vertically, her eyes were still closed and her face looked more angelic than ever before, though she was a demon. Her arms spread open and from her back, her wings slowly appeared as if they magically grow, majestically enlarged and spread gracefully framing her body.
When her feet finally touched the ground, I was ready to greet her. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she opened her eyes and look straight at me. She looked serene and calm, while I was barely holding myself to grab her and have her back in my arms.
“Give her a moment, king Armand, she will go to you.” Gerold lowered himself as if he was thankful that she had let him witness whatever it was that made her rise from her death.
When she did come to me, my restraint was gone. I couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath when she stepped into my embrace. I have no words for her, my brain was unable to structure my thoughts into words. So I kept on holding her in my embrace and she didn’t let me go. She stayed. She stayed for as long as I hold her against my chest. I kept on hugging her until I was satisfied and that I was not going to lose her and I finally stepped back and took a good look at her.
“Gerold,” my demon queen addressed the were-witch in front of me. “I know I died but what happened? How?” She asked while our hands were still entwined and I could feel her heart beating faster from anticipation.
“King Armand, Queen Basilea, I will need to reconfirm my findings. But from the old scriptures that I’ve read, you were willed to live from your mate bond with king Armand. And if I’m not mistaken his angel tears. I believe King Armand in his state of grief had given you half of his heart and made your bond so much stronger than before.” Gerold explained, his facial expression was serious.
“Half of his heart?”
“Yes, an angel can save his mate from a dire situation. To do so he will give their mate half of his heart and share their special bond forever. Gravely this enhanced bond will make both of you in such a fragile state since you both share one heart. Meaning when one of you dies, the other will follow within moments.”
I’ve read about it too, but I never knew anyone who had actually done it before. I thought it was something that someone had put it in our scriptures. A myth, a romantic dream. I was not prepared to find out that it was true.
Basilea was silent while I genuinely thought that it was the right time for me to relax. It has been a very rough day. And I was tired, but so so glad that she was alive.
“I love you, my queen.”