Eternal Kingdom
Chapter Thirty Nine

Waist length raven-black hair was tied neatly between the two wings, and though the creature had just come from outside, there was not a droplet of water covering him. Even though I had never seen him with his 8ft tall wings, I knew that it was Lorec. After a brief second of awe, his words finally set in.

Out of time?

"Wait!" I shouted, but when I did, he only chuckled. The sound was sinister, evil, and sent chills down my spine.

"Why should I, darling? This man means nothing to you anymore, remember?" Shit! He stepped towards Rory, and for reasons I couldn't fathom, I lunged into action.

In one swift move, I appeared behind my crumpled royal, taking him in my arms and teleporting him to the loft bed for protection.

I didn't want him to die. What he did was horrible, unforgivable, but he was just confused. And I'd be damned if I let this asshole take any more of my family away.

This was about more than protecting my Kingdom, this was about protecting what remained of my Kings as well.

Rory's eyes went wide when he took in the change of scenery, landing on me with equal parts confusion and love.

"Aria?" He choked out, but I shushed him, wordlessly ripping through my wrist so my blood could pour down his parched throat. At first he turned his head, spilling crimson on the sheets, but at the sound of large wings picking up air, I turned his head and held his mouth open. He didn't give me a choice when he kidnapped me, and I wouldn't give him one now. He was going to live. He would know his son.

"Well, isn't that sweet? A Queen and her King." Lorec taunted, his slow clap ringing out as he raised himself.

I heard Rory's skull fusing together. He lost so much blood.

He had switched from actively fighting me, to latching onto my arm, sucking down my healing liquid as quick as he physically could. How long had it been since he had blood? Judging by his frailty and how he consumed me, it had been months.

But it would do no good to feed him if Lorec was just going to fly over here and kill us both. I undid the holster once again, drawing my last means of defense, but he only laughed.

"You think that can hurt me, little girl?" He challenged, a frightening crack of lightning lighting up the room.

His eyes glossed over, a sinister smile tugging on his lips as he prepared to pounce. Come on, Rory, heal faster! But as soon as I saw Lorec go for the kill, a glowing figure dressed in black appeared between us.

Lysander.

He delivered a powerful kick straight to his father's chest, sending him flying back into the kitchen below. A bright beam of light shot from his hands, and binds appeared around Lorec's ankles and wrists, but they were futile. He broke through them in an instant, giving Lysander only a second to look over at me as I cradled and fed Rory. I met his hurt and confused look with one of reassurance.

With a pop and a lick, Rory detached and sealed me. He still looked malnourished, but at least the color was back in his face. Damn, I needed to get him out of here, but that would use too much power. I already teleported to get him in the loft. Two more and I would be at my limit.

"Rory, I want you to stay right here, okay?" I spoke urgently, flinching when I hurt the splintering of wood below. If I didn't help him, Lysander would be killed. I was certain that Lorec could overpower him, especially after the power exchange. Rory furrowed his brows, taking my hand in his.

"I'll do anything you ask of me, love. I'll never disobey you again."

I offered him a soft smile, squeezing his familiar hand and kissing his forehead. I didn't forgive him all the way, but I did love him.

I would protect him.

I stood from the bed, rushing to the bannister where the two were going at each other. A black viscose liquid was trailing from Lorec's foot, and it took me a moment to realize that it was his blood. Lysander had injured him, but it was obvious that he was running on low. His movements were slowed, and he was focusing his energy on defense over offense.

It was at that moment that a familiar smell caught my attention. That bastard!

Cory slipped through the entryway door, already shifted and eyeing Lysander like lunch. Before I could even process my actions, I lifted the pistol in my hand, firing six rounds into the large brown wolf. The shots made my temple throb. Guns and vampires didn't mix well.

But the desired effect was still achieved. Cory howled in pain at the silver piercing his thick fur, collapsing to the ground in a heap as he reverted back to his human form. Unfortunately, the noise was enough to draw Ly's attention as well, giving Lorec the perfect opportunity to strike.

He sprang forward, scraping his talons down his back, leaving behind the smell of burnt flesh. Lysander cried out, falling to his knees with his hands reaching for the still scorching wounds on his back as if he could stifle the invisible flames. Fuck!

Using haste, I leapt from the balcony, unsheathing my claws and returning the favor, sending feathers flying as they tore open his right wing. Lorec let out a screech, throwing himself back and through the window, but I followed him closely. He shot to the sky, heading towards the top of the ARIA. I couldn't let him get away.

I raced to appear before him, making him skid to a halt in the gravel.

His once glorious features were contorted into something ugly and ravenous, his eyes glowing orange to match the fires spread across the city.

"This is my empire!" He spat wildly. "You are beneath me!" He kicked off the ground, attempting to connect with my chest, but I dodged left, delivering a blow of my own on the back of his wounded leg. His growl vibrated the air around me, and he fixed his stance.

"You're wrong, Lorec! The world was never meant to be a hierarchy with you on top! Nobody will ever bow to you again!" At my words, his teeth gritted, and a whirlwind of painful rain began to crash against my body. It hurt like a bitch, and I knew that if I didn't stop him, he would rip me apart.

It was now or never.

I squared my shoulders, closing my eyes as I channeled the last of my borrowed power.

Image after image consumed me, and before I knew it, I was reliving it all. Every moment of joy and sorrow, love and hatred; it played in a flurry of images before my eyes. My first night in Vegas, meeting Rory, the Eclipse, my Kings earning their seals... I could feel the energy flowing through me like a wildfire. James death, my twins revival, our coronation, Bastion taken... it wouldn't end, and my body lifted on it's own accord, my seal radiating a light so brightly that it shown through my armour. My babies born, Rory's betrayal, falling in love with Lysander... Something was changing within me, morphing me into a whole new type of creature. I could feel it, the invincibility, the strength. It was as if I was receiving approval from a higher being, a being that was neither seen nor heard. Bastion's death... Bastion's death.

In an instant, my power flared with the rage of the injustice, throwing the King back against the brick entryway of the door as if he weighed nothing. I glanced down, feeling my eyes burning with the need to avenge my mate. In a blink, my feet connected with the rooftop with such force that it shook beneath me.

All I could see was the outline of my target. I was delivering punishment, but it went beyond what I felt for the man. The force within me was urging me on, telling me that this man needed to meet his end. That's when I felt it.

The moon, it was watching us.

No, there was something, someone, watching us closely, supplying me with my strength. I had recieved their blessing. I was their reckoner.

"I should have never created you." I opened my mouth, but the voice wasn't mine. The echo of it alone had him trembling, as he scurried back, his crazed rage replaced with terror. "And now, I will conclude your reign, and begin the eternal kingdom." With that, I lifted my hand, screwing my eyes shut as a flash of blinding light poured from it.

But the light didn't hurt me. It was healing, drowning out the world as a blanket of peace fell on me. I could've sworn I had fallen asleep with how comfortable I was. It was as if I were suspended in the clouds, with not a care in the world. I felt no pain, no sorrow, no want.

I was lacking nothing.

"Aria, baby." My eyes shot open at the familiar voice, and that's when I realized that I was no longer on the rooftop at all. No, I was in what I could only describe as a room entirely made of light. And there he was.

Bastion.

His hazel eyes were twinkling, and his smile widened as they met mine.

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I wasted no time launching myself into his arms. I didn't care if this was only a dream. Seeing my mate filled me with such joy that I could do nothing else but hold him. His chuckle tickled my chest, and I latched on even tighter, tears falling onto his white shirt.

"Bas-" I choked out, but he shushed me with a kiss to my neck.

"It's okay, sweet girl. You don't need to say anything. Let me just hold you." He cooed, but another hand on the top of my head made me jump. I glanced up, blinking away my confusion as I saw James smiling down at me. He was here. How? But before I got to ask, my breath was knocked out of me.

A man stood behind him, watching me with adoring green eyes. I don't know how I knew, but I knew it was him.

"Dad?" His gentle smile grew, showing off rows of pearly teeth. James laughed, stepping back and placing an encouraging hand on my father's shoulder, pushing him towards me.

"Go on, Jasp. Meet your little girl." He let out a short laugh as he took me in with watering eyes.

"Not so little, anymore." His voice was deep and rich, stirring a happiness inside of me that had been hidden away, reserved just for him.

"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." I sobbed, leaping into his waiting arms. He smelled of pinecones and spice, a smell that I could never forget. He buried his face in my hair, his fingers digging into my back as he held me. "It's not a dream, little one. And you can't stay, I'm afraid. You have a job to do, still." My heart tightened at James' words.

"What? No-" I looked between the three of them, the three men who gave their lives for me. "You can't make me leave!" I whined. Bastion stepped forward, encasing my hand in his large calloused one.

"Baby, what about your King? And our children? The kingdom? They all need you." My King? But he was my King! Though, his eyes told me that he wasn't referring to himself. "I will always love you, too. Believe me, I will. But you need to let us

go. We are right where we belong." He gestured to the space behind himself. "We are happy. We are proud of you. We miss you. But we left that world for a reason, and we want to see it fall into place. Queen Aria..." He mused, lifting a hand to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. "And King Lysander."

"Aria?" Lysander? Oh heavens, it was Lysander! He was calling to me, but I couldn't see him. I had to go to him.

I couldn't explain why, but it didn't strike me odd that Bastion referred to Lysander as my King. It felt... natural. It felt right.

"Go ahead, baby. Go to him." He encouraged, placing one more chaste kiss on my forehead. The others followed suit, each one stepping away to allow the others their goodbyes. I didn't want to say goodbye, yet. I had so many questions. Who was that higher being? Where was I? Was there a heaven after all? But I knew they were right. It was my time to go.

A portal of light appeared in the corner of the room, and I knew I needed to follow it back to my King.

With one last look at my three heroes, I smiled wide, disappearing into the shimmer with a blown kiss.

I had a Kingdom to build, and it was all thanks to them.