Chapter 38: thirty-eight

Olivia

The tears I’d been holding back finally broke free, streaming down my face. My body trembled violently as I stared at the grey ashes that were once a vampire.

Cole approached me, crouching down so his eyes were level with mine. He gently reached for my hands, but I recoiled at his touch, cradling my hands against my chest.

“Don’t touch me!” I cried out, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

His eyes softened, and he reached for my hands again. “You could never hurt me, my love,” he said, pressing my fingertips to his lips in a tender kiss.

I held my breath, waiting for another surge of blue light to course through my body, but it never came. Instead, my body began to return to normal. The glow faded, and the swirling markings on my hands and fingers vanished.

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, his thumbs gently wiping away my tears and soothing my flushed cheeks.

After a few moments of calming down, we began our journey to the portal. There were a few portals, but only the queen had the magic to open and close them.

Raven waved her hands, and the trees parted, clearing a path to the portal. Its glow seemed to intensify the closer we got.

“You’re not coming with me, are you?” Raven asked, her voice tinged with a sadness I’d never heard before.

“I can’t. My place is here, with Cole,” I told her, offering her a reassuring smile.

“Then, I won’t go either,” she declared, but I grabbed her forearm, forcing her to face me.

“No. You hate it here; you don’t belong here. You’re my best friend, and I won’t let you suffer because of me. Besides, I’m queen now, I can visit you whenever I want,” I said, blinking back tears.

She swiped at her eyes, erasing any trace of her tears, and nodded.

Cole and Kaden gave us space, trailing behind us at a respectful distance. I linked my arm through Raven’s, and we walked in silence. No more words were needed; I would be okay, and she would be home soon.

We soon came upon an archway covered in vines and leaves, adorned with small pink and yellow flowers. Raven reached out, barely touching the greenery, and it fell to the ground, the flowers fluttering down to rest on the soft grass.

The arch was a beautiful gold, shimmering and glowing, with small specks glittering in the middle of the doorway.

I felt the same sensation I’d felt earlier, the life of the enchanted woods coursing through my body. My skin began to glow again, the markings swirling back into visibility.

“All you need to do is place your hand here, and the doorway will reveal the fae realm. Once I walk through, just pull your hand away, and it’ll close after a few seconds,” Raven instructed.

I pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m going to miss you,” I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks.

“I’m going to miss you too, my queen,” she whispered back, before pulling away and stepping up to the doorway. She took a deep breath.

I moved toward the spot she’d indicated, my markings growing brighter as I neared. I placed my shaking hand against the golden archway.

The clear shimmer flickered and slowly revealed the fae realm. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

A few fae creatures were visible, but a pink blur was racing toward us.

“Take care of yourself, dryad,” Kaden finally spoke up, causing Raven to turn and smile at him.

“You too, bloodsucker,” she retorted, stepping through the doorway.

As Raven stepped through, the pink blur broke through. The first thing I recognized was her long pink hair. It wasn’t until I saw her crumpled wings that I realized who it was.

“Rayna?” Cole asked, surprise evident in his eyes.

I removed my hand from the archway, and the portal began to close. The glow of my body dimmed, and the markings swirled away.

“Cole!” She exclaimed, throwing her small arms around him.

“Is, um, is Atticus here too?” She asked once she pulled away from him.

“He’s at the castle,” he replied.

She smiled and turned to face me.

“Queen Adelina?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“No, my name is Olivia. My mother was Queen Adelina,” I corrected, shaking my head.

“Oh goodness! You look just like her, except for the eyes and you don’t have wings!” she exclaimed.

***

We began our journey back to the castle. Once Raven had left, the trees had shifted back to their original positions, making the journey longer and more difficult.

“Were you waiting by the portal?” Kaden asked her.

“I was close by, but I felt it open. I thought maybe Queen Adelina had returned or maybe Atticus had found a way to open it,” she replied, tucking her pink strands behind her ear.

“What kind of fae are you?”

“I’m a pixie,” she replied, a proud smile on her face. She was a ball of cheerfulness, her bubbly personality infectious.

“Aren’t pixies supposed to be tiny?” Kaden asked, pinching his thumb and index finger together.

“Oh, um, well, we can make ourselves small, but if your wings get damaged, then we can’t shrink anymore,” she explained, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Quit bothering her. Atticus will have your head on a platter if he finds out you’ve upset her,” Cole warned, his voice sharp.

A blush crept up her cheeks, and Kaden immediately ceased his questioning.

The sun was setting as we finally reached the castle gates. Suddenly, my world plunged into darkness as Cole’s large hands covered my eyes.

“Cole, I can’t see!” I protested.

“Me neither!” Rayna chimed in from beside me. Evidently, Kaden had decided to join in on the fun and covered her eyes as well.

“You don’t need to,” was all Cole offered in response as we were led through the gates and into the castle.

Once inside, he removed his hands, revealing a bustling scene of guests being guided around by servants and guards. They had to be vampires.

Cole pulled me close as we navigated through the crowd, stopping when we spotted Atticus in the distance.

His eyes widened when he saw us, and Rayna blushed as he made his way over to us.

He dropped to his knees in front of her, his eyes glossy as tears began to form. He reached out, his fingers barely grazing her skin, as if he was trying to determine whether she was real or just a mirage. She responded by reaching out and cupping his cheek with her hand.

“Atticus,” she whispered.

He took hold of her arms and pulled her into him, embracing her carefully so as not to harm her delicate wings.

“My flower, I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” he murmured into her pink, flowing hair.

I squeezed Cole’s hand and smiled up at him. I had said goodbye to my friend today, but I had also brought joy to Atticus and Rayna. That thought made my heart swell with happiness.

“My Lord, the lords and ladies are seated and waiting in the meeting room as requested,” a servant interrupted, cutting their reunion short.

“They’re here for the coronation, and I imagine we now have two territories open,” Atticus sighed, looking up at Cole.

“We do,” he confirmed.

Reluctantly, Atticus pulled away from Rayna and stood to his full height.

“I will return to you very soon, my flower,” he promised, smiling down at Rayna.

“Escort them to Rayna’s room,” Atticus instructed one of the vampire guards.

I released Cole’s hand and took hold of Rayna’s. We followed the guard to Rayna’s room, a space filled with paintings and dusty furniture.