Chapter 15
POV: Seraphina Vale
I stormed down the dimly lit corridor, my blood still boiling from the encounter with Lilith. That woman was an absolute asshole. Why hadn't Lucien killed her yet? The way she had declared "Lucien is mine" made my blood burn with an anger I couldn't explain. If he truly belonged to her, then she should just take him and leave me out of it.
What was wrong with me?
"How dare she speak to me in that manner," I muttered under my breath, fists clenched at my sides.
I watched her sway her hips confidently as she walked away, the sound of her heels echoing sharply against the stone floor. "What a trash," I whispered bitterly.
Why do you care what Lilith says? My inner voice taunted.
"I don't care. Just shut up," I snapped back at my own mind.
I turned and continued walking through the palace corridors like a trapped bird desperate for air, hoping the movement would clear the storm raging inside my head. The air carried the faint scent of smoke and aged stone, and distant dragon screeches drifted in from outside.
Then I bumped hard into someone's chest.
"Oh god, why am I so clumsy? What is wrong with—" I began, looking up sharply. I hoped it wasn't Lilith again, because I was ready to unleash every harsh word I had.
Instead, familiar silver hair and warm brown eyes met my gaze.
"Riven," I breathed, my eyes lighting up with a spark of excitement for the briefest moment.
But reality crashed down quickly. We had broken up, and the nightmare at the ball still haunted me.
"How are you, Seraphina?" Riven asked gently, his voice soft yet guarded.
"I'm fine," I replied, lowering my face like someone carrying the weight of the world.
He opened his mouth, hesitation clear in his expression. "I apologize for what my brother did to you. He is vicious… and dangerously obsessed with what he considers his belongings."
I lifted my head, searching his eyes. "I don't need your apology. If you truly feel remorse, then help me. Take me out of here. Help me escape."
Riven's face tightened with conflict. "I can't do that, Seraphina. Lucien will kill me, and I can't risk losing his help."
"What help?" I asked, confusion mixing with desperation.
"Lucien is helping me find my mother. She is still alive," Riven replied quietly.
Hope flared in my chest. "Lucien doesn't need to know. You can help me without getting caught. My father will reward you. He will help you find your mother and bring you safely back to our kingdom. I will tell him you saved me."
"Seraphina, you sound desperate," Riven said, shaking his head. "Why don't you try knowing Lucien first?"
I reached out and grabbed his hands tightly, my fingers trembling. "Please…"
"Let go of my hands, Seraphina," he said urgently, pulling away. "Lucien will kill us both if he sees us like this."
"But you know angels and demons can't be together," I pleaded, my voice cracking with emotion.
"Yes, Sera, I know. But it won't hurt if you give it a try. Take me for example. I am the first half-angel, half-demon," Riven said calmly.
"You were born before the curse was placed," I countered.
"Your story is different, Riven. But I still wonder how you don't possess as much power as Lucien," I added, searching for any weakness I could use.
"Because I am not fully royal blood," Riven replied with a sigh. "That is why I think my mother must have been a commoner."
"You are not going to help me?" I asked again, my voice barely above a whisper.
"No, Seraphina. No," he said firmly.
My heart shattered. The last thread of hope I had been clinging to snapped painfully inside my chest.
"But I chose you, Riven. You don't belong here," I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes.
"I belong here, Seraphina. This is my home now. This place chose me," Riven said softly, his brown eyes filled with quiet resolve.
"What about me? Didn't I choose you?" I asked, my voice breaking as tears slipped down my cheeks.
Riven walked past me without another word. Desperate, I grabbed his arm again. "Don't walk out on me again!"
He gently but firmly removed my hand and continued down the corridor, his footsteps echoing until they faded away.
I stood frozen, hope draining from my body like blood from an open wound. No one was coming to save me from this cage, this living hell. Tears streamed freely down my face as I turned and made my way back to my room.
The moment I closed the heavy door behind me, I collapsed onto the bed. The soft sheets offered no comfort. I lay there staring at the ceiling, drowning in waves of suffering and pain that refused to let go.
POV: Aldric Fenmore
I lay on the large bed, my gaze fixed through the open window. Outside, Lyra moved gracefully among the garden beds, carefully plucking plants and placing them into her woven basket. The afternoon light cast a gentle glow on her dark hair.
"Celeste…" The name whispered through my mind again, soft yet persistent.
Who is Celeste? Why does the name sound so familiar, as if I have known her for a very long time? I thought, a strange ache forming in my chest.
Lyra soon entered the room, carrying the basket. She set it down on the floor with a soft thud and turned to me with that warm smile that always seemed to trap my soul. Her onyx eyes sparkled with quiet affection.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lyra asked, walking toward the bed with light steps.
She climbed onto the mattress and lay beside me, her body warm against mine.
"Your face and eyes always keep me captivated, Lyra," I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
"That's my man," she replied softly, a small smile playing on her lips.
I took a deep breath, the question burning inside me. "Lyra… who is Celeste?"
Her hand paused on my face. "I don't know. Where did you get that from?" she asked, her voice gentle as she continued caressing my cheek.
"I have been hearing the name for days now," I confessed, frowning slightly.
"Hmm, maybe it is just a hallucination," Lyra said lightly.
I exhaled slowly, hoping the strange torment would finally end. "Sleep now, Aldric. Sleep now," she whispered.
A sudden, heavy drowsiness fell over me like a thick blanket. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and I drifted off into unconsciousness.
When Lyra was certain he was asleep, she stood up quietly and slipped into her private room. She opened a hidden drawer and pulled out a dark notebook covered with a skull emblem. The pages were filled with ancient scriptures and eerie black magic writings.
"Resurrecting Aldric was the most dangerous thing I have ever done," she whispered to herself. "It shook the protection of the realms, and such a spell requires extremely dark magic."
She stared at the book, conflicted. "Should I bring his memories back… or let him stay like this?"
Her grandmother's spirit suddenly materialized beside her, faint and glowing.
"Why should you bring his memory back?" the spirit asked sternly. "You felt the pain. You almost died resurrecting him, and you do not want to go against the master's orders. Aldric should remain like this for now."
The spirit vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Lyra closed her eyes, her heart heavy with guilt as she remembered how she had reached this dangerous point. With a sigh, she closed the book and returned it to the drawer.
"What are you doing?" a deep voice spoke suddenly from behind her.
"Aldric!" Lyra gasped, turning around in shock. Her face went pale.
"What are you hiding from me?" I demanded, my tone sharp with growing anger. "And why are you keeping my memories away from me?"
"It is nothing," Lyra said quickly, her voice trembling.
"Move out of my way, Lyra," I shouted, frustration rising fast.
This lady cannot be Lyra. She lied to me, I thought inwardly, suspicion burning in my chest.
Lyra remained frozen in place.
"Aldric, relax. It is nothing," she pleaded.
"Lyra!" I shouted, the sudden roar making her flinch violently.