CHAPTER ONE OH SIX

I was going to lose my royal.

But I didn't, because life was cruel. Life figured that justice would be too merciful for me.

Life wanted to break me.

Because at the second the final strike was to be delivered, destiny was changed by a moment's hesitation. Bastion's fangs stopped just above Rory's face, dripping blood and drool down onto him in his final display of power and grace, but his warning wasn't heeded.

Seeing his mercy as weakness, Rory turned his face to the side.

"Dev!" He shouted, and at his word, a ball of dark energy was hurled into my mate, killing him instantly.

No.

I collapsed, clutching at the tearing sensation in my chest. The loss. The sorrow. The emptiness. It was suffocating me, drowning me in the torturous suffering.

No, no, no, no, no. It wasn't supposed to end this way! It wasn't supposed to be him!

Sella's howl vibrated the ground around us, making even the cowardly mage drop to his knees, but before his hands even got to covering his ears, a broken remain of the tree was flung into his chest and he crumpled into a lifeless heap on the ground.

Lysander was here, but it didn't matter anymore. He was too late. My mate was dead.

My royal was crawling towards me, blood pouring from his wounds at an alarming rate, making him look like a mangled mess of flesh and bone instead of the King I once held dear.

"Aria." He called, his voice laced with regret and pleading, but I had no love to give.

With a shattered heart, I lifted my eyes, meeting his through the distortion of my tears. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel the pain he caused me. With emerald orbs aglow, I looked him dead in the eye.

"I hate you, Rory."

He froze, his arm dropping to the ground as my rage built. Saltwater stained his ivory cheeks, washing away the crimson my mate left behind.

My hand shot back to my neck, and I gripped onto the enchanted beads, scattering them across the lawn as I tore the necklace from my throat, an endless supply of power bubbling from within my chest. Images, countless images, spurring me on, forming the hatred deep within my soul.

"I hate you, Rory Bennet!" I shrieked, ascending above the grass, uprooting grass as the sheer energy swirled violently around my hovering form.

Rory collapsed at the breaking of our bond, releasing a broken wail as the pain tore through him, but his suffering only made me smile. This was what he deserved. No, he deserved worse than this.

Lysander's voice filled my mind, attempting to be heard over the constant flashbacks and pain.

"Aria! Please, we have to run!" My eyes glanced up to where he was watching, drenched in blood and sweat with my lifeless mate hanging from his shoulder. I suppressed my suffering long enough to bolt in the direction of the field beside the grounds, the safe haven that Bastion had tried to bring me to. It took less than 3 seconds to reach it with haste, and within the blink of an eye, we were teleported away, away from my hell and away from the broken man I left behind.

I collapsed onto a cold glass floor, expelling every bit of food and acid that was in my stomach until I couldn't retch anymore. I couldn't get the image of Bastion's mangled body draped over Lysander's shoulder out of my mind.

And that's when it all really sunk in.

I let out sob after sob, my body trembling uncontrollably as I hugged myself.

My mate.

My King.

I didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't get to tell him how sorry I was for hurting him. I didn't get to say thank you for all he'd done for me.

And it was too late.

He was gone.

Forever.

Leaving behind his Queen and his two children.

"Aria!" The frantic sound of a woman's voice startled me, and I opened my tired eyes. "Make him stop! Tell him to stop!"

I stared at the white haired girl in confusion, but she didn't relent. Her small hands gripped my arm, pulling me across the floor in an attempt to get me to my feet. What was she shouting about? Didn't she see that I was mourning?

I managed to support myself using my right leg, but she dropped me when we reached another glass wall. She was banging on it, begging for someone to listen to her.

"San! Stop, you're going to kill yourself! Coree, please, you have to liquefy the glass so I can stop him!"

Coree. The kindest man I'd ever meet... Shit, these were the firsts! So this must've been Sicily, which meant that 'San' was...

"Fuck, what is he doing?!" I pressed my hands against the glass, my eyes wide as I witnessed Lysander kneeling above Bastion's glowing body.

I felt a delicate hand rest on my shoulder, and a woman's soft voice spoke to me.

"He's giving him his life-force, Queen. He's trying to resurrect your mate."

What?

"But he doesn't have enough left after saving Aria! He's going to kill himself over something that might not even work!" Sicily screeched, glittering tears kissing her cheeks.

"It's his choice!" The other woman boomed, but Sicily just resumed beating on the glass.

Lysander's heart was slowing, and he couldn't hide it anymore. I knew that the pixie was right. He would die if he continued. But if there was even a chance it could bring back Bastion, wouldn't it be worth it?

I could see him again. His children would grow up with their father.

But what if it didn't work?

I would have lost every man I had ever loved in my life, all in the span of an hour. Could I survive that heartache? What would become of the Kingdom? Of the peace that Bastion gave himself for?

And even if it did work, how could I live knowing that I allowed Lysander to die? It wasn't like Bastion's death where I had no other option. I could have stopped it, but I didn't. Would that make me responsible for his life, the life of a 'god'?

What would become of his people if he were to die? His death would wreak havoc on vampires everywhere, all in exchange for my comfort, for my love.

I couldn't do this.

I couldn't let him throw his life away for my sake. He had to live.

I lifted my fists, joining Sicily in her assault on the glass, hearing Coree and Genedier gasp in surprise.

"Lysander, stop! Please, stop!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, seeing him flinch from the other side.

"It's okay, sweetheart." His sweet voice spoke in my head.

I channeled my shouting into a prayer in response.

"No, please! I don't want you to die!"

"But, Aria, your mate-"

"He's already dead! Please, I'm begging you, I can't lose you, too! I need you, Lysander!" A sob broke through my lips, and I offered my last plea aloud. "I need you."

At that moment, the glass melted in front of me, and I rushed through the opening, limping as fast as I could before colliding with Lysander's weakened body. He fell to the floor, his face pale and his heart barely beating. I climbed his torso and buried my face in his chest, trembling and clasping his shirt in my clenched fists.

"Stupid man. Stupid, stupid..." I choked out, pressing against his warmth.

Another sob rang out, but this time, it was him. I felt his heavy arms come to rest around my shoulders, pulling me in tighter.

"I'm so sorry, Aria. I didn't know he would spare Rory. I should've come with him in the first place. I should've been there sooner. I'm s-sorry, I-"

I felt the heat of his tears against my forehead as he pressed a trembling kiss to my temple, trying his damndest to give me peace, but there was nothing left to be done.

"Coree, please remove the King." My ears picked up, and I turned my head when I saw the furry creature lifting my mate's corpse over his shoulder.

I couldn't handle another mental image of his dead remains. I wanted to remember him smiling, with his dimples and eyes alight with joy, because that's who he was.

"He was a man unlike anyone I'd ever met. A man who endured great trials and suffering, but never ceased to serve his mate and his Kingdom. A man who selflessly laid aside his own needs and desires just to see me smile, and a man who loved his children with his whole heart, regardless of whether they were spawn or pup."

I took a small break to breathe, wiping at the tears that were cascading down my face.

"I remember that there was a time when Bastion thought that the gods had made the wrong choice by making him King. He said that he had made too many mistakes, that he couldn't lead like he should, that he wasn't enough... But he was wrong. Because he was the best damn King, the best damn mate, and the best damn father in this world. And as I stand before you, in memory of the man Bastion was, I can honestly say that I will always love him."

I stepped forward on trembling legs, approaching the closed mahogany coffin where the picture of him holding me, laughing with his nose buried in my hair, was placed.

"Thank you, Bas. Bas..." I sniffled, squinting the tears from my eyes. "I'm ready, baby. I'm ready to be the Queen you saw me as from the beginning."