EVANGELINE.
âEvangeline. You must not let him strike your- Luna began.
âDonât!â Evelyn sounds panicked.
âShe needs to know!â Luna shouts.
I push Zerachiel away with immense force, backing up a little while trying to drown out Lunaâs and
Evelynâs voices in my head. I canât focus if theyâ re arguing.
Zerachiel growls as he raises the dagger, lunging at me once again.
âZedkiel, if you can hear me⦠fight this!â I shout breathlessly, fending Zerachiel off.
Heâs strong, and I know what I need to bring myself to do.
I spare a quick glance around; wolves and vampires are clashing in all directions. Thereâs a darkness growing around them, I can sense it, and I can smell the b***d, feeling pack links breaking away.
Our warriors are dying.. unnecessarily.
Our people are suffering once again.
Stop Zerachiel! What do you get from this?!â I shout, my eyes blazing.
This is your doing Evangeline, look around! Wolves and vampires are both dying because of your selfishness.â Zerachiel taunts, his eyes blazing with hatred.
âMy selfishness?â I raise an eyebrow as I spin around, kicking him in the stomach.
He staggers back. âI was thinking youâd choose to be by my side, What of the bond? It clearly never meant enough to you.â
âIt did, but I will never side with a monster!â I snarl as Lunaâs voice breaks through my mind, making me falter.
âBe careful Evangeline! Please-â
âDonât alarm her in the midst of battle.â Evelyn growls.
âShe must know! You are carrying our pup, be careful Evangeline!â Lunaâs urgency and her revelation make my eyes widen.
I freeze. For a moment lâm shell-shocked.
Time seems to slow as Zerachiel continues to spout hateful words, but I canât comprehend then anymore as I realise what this means.
Iâm..carrying a pup, a baby, my baby..
I canât die. the fact that Iâm ready to die defeating him is no longer a solution..
For our pup, I must live on..
Donât worry, you wonât die, your pup is protected by the gods. Itâs why you didnât even know you were pregnant. Focus on the match.â Evelyn growls.
The voice of reason and strength right now.
âYou care only for yourself!â Luna growls.
Her emotions are full of anguish as she worries for the pup. How did I not know, but they did?
âBecause you needed to focus on the battle ahead.â
Evelyn says. âAnd no, I do not care only for myself.â Sheâs right. No matter how powerful the negativity and rage that is seeping through the bond from Zerachiel is, I canât let it deter me.
âLetâs end this Zerachiel, once and for allâ¦â I say, now turning to him with renewed determination. Your time to go has come⦠I will not let you commit any more sins.â I say quietly as I raise my sword. My eyes blaze as I run at him.
I raise my sword, using my powers to force him to remain rooted to the spot.
No.â He breathes as time moves slowly.
Iâm almost there when he suddenly reaches out and yanks someone in front of him. I try to stop, but itâs too late and my sword slides through them.
B***d splashes across my face, filling my nose and mouth.
I gasp as I look down, and it takes me a second to recognise the woman.
My heart thumps as I stare down at the woman, who coughs.
âIPs alright⦠settle this⦠without destroying one.. another..â she whispers as her life begins to fade.
Several shouts from around us pierce the air and I look up sharply at Zerachiel.
âHow could you. â I whisper, my voice shaking.
But he doesnât care, a menacing grin is plastered across his face as he steps back, letting the womanâs body fall to the floor without any remorse.
âNow, now, whatever will Zedkiel think when he finds out you killed his precious mother he only recently found.â He chuckles and all I can do is stare down at the body in utter horror.
Noâ¦
This canât be happening.
But it is.. Iâm frozen in place as I stare down at the dead body of none other than Zeina Aton.
I killed herâ¦
My eyes blaze, as Ziahraâs cry of despair knocks me out of my reverie.
âHow dare you use her as a shield?â I snarl.
âShe will revive!â Someone panicked, but I know she wonât.. After all, my sword was holding divine power.
You shall pay.âI snarl, as I stare at him. Thereâs nothing more to think about.
You can never destroy me! I am a part of you!â
I have to destroy him as fast as I can and right the wrongs of the past.
Now is the time.
A raging power surges within me, and I jump up, using a tree behind me as leverage before I spin in the sky, raising my sword, and calling to the Tree of Bonds.
I feel my blade change weight and shape within my grasp as I ready myself to kill him. The intense power of the weapon in my hand making the very air around me ripple.
Iâm inches away from Zerachiel, as Godric, Ragnar and Kash grab him, forcing him in place. I see the tension in Kashâs and Ragnarâs eyes. Their hopes rely on me.
Keeping full faith that Iâm doing the right thing. You are.â Luna whispers sadly, her strength blending with mine.
At the last moment, I see Zerachielâs eyes return to normal, glimmering green-gold.
Zedkiel.
My heart thumps, but I know I canât doubt myself; I aim to kill Zerachiel, not Zedkiel, regardless of if he is in chargeâ¦
âEvangelineâ¦â He murmurs softly.
Thatâs Zedkiel..
He wants to say more, but he doesnât, almost as if scared he will make me hesitate.
Our eyes meet but there is no judgement or hatred in his eyes⦠Simply acceptance and my heart breaks into a thousand pieces as I drive the sword created from the wood of Tree of Bonds itself, through him.
Agony tears through me as I feel his pain through the bond, my eyes sting with tears of guilt, pain and sadness, my hand slips from the handle of my sword, as the other men are blasted back by the sheer force that is radiating off us in raging waves and my feet hit the ground.
I canât breathe⦠my mind is empty. I canât feel or sense either Evelyn nor Luna⦠but my heart is full with a thousand emotions that are ripping through me like a terrifying storm.
I donât know if this is how itâs supposed to be..the pain is too muchâ¦.
I look up at Zedkiel wanting to tell him what Luna had told me⦠tell him we are having a pup, tell him that I love him, but.. when I open my mouth to speak, only b***d comes out.
Iâm proud of you, Little Mouse, you did the right thing.â Zedkielâs voice comes through the link as he catches my elbows, pulling me close as he forces the blade through his chest.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I feel the bond between us shattering. The wound may or may not kill him, but the excruciating pain within my chest surely will kill me..
I canât speakâ¦
His arms wrap around me despite the fact that I can hear his heartbeat fading away.
Even with his last breaths, he is trying to comfort me.
I got you little Mouse.â
No⦠what have I done?
He holds me as we both fall to our knees. The silence of the aftermath of that intense blast fills the night.
The war is over⦠isnât it?
The evil is gone⦠isnât it?
My eyes look into those beautiful ones of my mate, blurred by my own tears.
Did I do the right thing?
Did I carry this out correctly?
Doubts that are too late to confirm.
I love you Zedkiel.. I loveâ¦you..
I canât breathe⦠darkness is swallowing me up and I let it.
Through the pain and as I feel myself being pulled into the darkness, a single question niggles at my mind..
Did I succeed?