CHAPTER 20

Analise's POV

Exhausted from the meeting, I walked back to my room. My entire body was stiff from sitting for hours in the room, listening to new problems and making new strategies. I twisted the door knob and entered the room. As I closed the door behind me, I froze.

Something was wrong.

I caught the a strange scent lingering in the air but I could not decipher exactly whose it was. A light breeze went across my face, pushing my hair away from my face and I turned my attention to the open window. I never left my windows open at this hour of night. I clearly remember closing it earlier. I advanced towards the window, the scent getting fainter with every step.

Peaking out of the window, I strained my eyes, looking at the surroundings but found nothing suspicious. I was about to close the window when I caught sight of the two guards on the ground below my window. I let out a relieved sigh as I picked up their breaths with my hearing.

I closed the window and moved to the middle of my room, alert. I focused all my senses to my surrounding as I searched for anyone's presence. Finally, I caught another smell- a pungent one- and I scrunched my nose. The scent led me to peak under my bed where there was a black box.

Confused, I got it out from underneath the bed. The pungent smell was stronger mixed a hint of a coppery odour rising with it. I immediately knew it was blood. I felt nervous as I inspected the box. There was nothing on the sides and bottom.

With firm hands, I removed the lid from the box. I forced down the bile rising almost immediately at the sight in front of me. I threw the lid to the side, my face scrunched in disgust. The sides of the box were painted red with blood and a heart was in the middle. The smell was enough to tell me that the heart had been sitting in this box for days now.

I was about to dismiss it as a simple prank from Rayan to get back at me for what happened last week at the fight when I saw a small paper sticking out from under the heart. I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I pulled the paper out using my finger tips. I placed the box on the floor as I opened the folded paper. It was a letter.

Welcome back to your family Princess. After so many years, you finally returned. All those years ago, you managed to escape when I attacked your palace but not this time. This time, I will win. Nobody will be able to save you. Not your family. Not your allies. Nobody. Better be careful because I have eyes everywhere and you would not even know it when I am near you. Get ready to die Princess.

As I read the last part, a shiver passed through me as realisation dawned on me. This was from the vampires and I was their target. Not the werewolf kingdom.

"This cannot be happening right now." I said to myself before I read the letter once again, my hands trembling.

'Lizzie calm down' Crescent said, worried.

"Crescent, that night, everything that happened was because they wanted me. They died because of me." Tears brimmed my eyes as my mind went back to that dark and horror filled night. "The attack. They wanted me and many innocents died because of that."

'Lizzie you could not do anything. It was not your fault.'

"How?" My mind clouded with different thoughts. "That night I was the cause of the attack. It is all repeating Crescent. We are currently at war with the vampires because they want me. People will die again Crescent, thousands of innocents. And it will all be because of me."

'Analise, it never was and will never be' She said sternly.

"It is Crescent. The attack. The war. The deaths. All of it." Tears fell from my eyes as I fell to my knees. "I don't want to live through the same horrors again Crescent. I don't want people to die because of me. The guilt from that night still eats me and I don't want more of it." I sobbed. "I cannot."

'Lizzie you need to handle this calmly.' She said. 'Don't let their words get to you. You are getting worked up.'

"I can't control it." I fisted my hands as I tried to keep my emotions in check. The feeling was overwhelming.

'Focus on my voice.' Her voice was firm yet soothing. 'Control your emotions. You can do it. Deep breaths.'

I did as she said, taking in deep breaths despite the pressure I felt of my chest. But then, I saw the letter on the floor, the words taunting me as a sob escaped me.

My mind went back to that night as the memories took over all my senses to the point I could no longer hear Crescent's voice. Before I could get my mind clear, the memory that has tainted my mind for all these years played in front of me.

I could not bring myself to watch it as I shut my eyes and blocked my ears with my hands. "Stop." My voice came out weak and desperate. Despite my eyes being closed, I could see everything clearly. Every detail.

The blood.

The dead bodies.

The destroyed room.

The fight.

The horror in their eyes.

I could not block out the noise as their screams haunted me. The noise was irritating as a loud beep sound rung in my ears. I let out a pained groan as I tried to get myself under control. The ringing got sharper and I placed my hands on the floor front of me as I supported myself. I felt my body shake as I fisted my hands. A layer of sweat formed over my body as it mixed with tears that were falling freely down my face. My whole body heat up and I felt like someone was pounding a hammer on my head. My chest contracted, making it difficult to breath. Every breath I took felt like several needles poking my skin, tearing it and leaving it burning.

'Analise.' Crescent's panicked voice played in my head.

"Crescent." I said between breaths. "Make it stop." My voice trembled. My vision got blurry and my senses heightened. I could hear many -too much- noises from the guards downstairs to the muffled voices in the hallways.

I wanted to scream but nothing came out. My heart pounded faster than it ever did before. I felt my eyes starting to change colour as the lights in my room flickered. I was losing control of my magic. Sounds of things shaking reached my ears followed by crashing. Through blurry eyes, I looked at my room and a gasp left my mouth.

The few vases in my room were shattered too pieces on the floor and books were sprawled over the place. The lights stopped flickering but the glass kept on my nightstand crashed as it fell on the floor. "No." My voice cracked as I closed my eyes.

Among the chaos I did not realise someone had entered my room until I felt their arms wrap around my shaking form and sparks went off all over my skin. "Hey." His voice was calming and soothing.

He cannot be here.

"Leave me." I said weakly as I tried getting his hands off me. I was loosing control and I would end up hurting him. He did not budge as his grip tightened.

"Look at me." I felt one of his hands slip under my chin as he tilted my face so that I would face him. Through my blurry vision I met his blue eyes. The deep blue was calming as they looked right in my eyes but filled with worry. They resembled the calm ocean in the night. "It's fine. I got you." Despite the calmness, I tried pushing him away as I looked away.

"You should not be here." My hands shook as I pushed him away.

Before I could even make him move a little bit, his hand was under my chin again as we locked eyes. "Focus on me." He said, ignoring my attempts of pushing him away. He wiped the tears away from my face.

'Just listen to him Analise. You are hurting yourself' Crescent warned me.

"Take in a deep breath." He instructed and I followed, inhaling. His voice drained out our surrounding and the letter was forgotten. Even if his voice was calm, it demanded all my attention and I found myself holding on to his voice like it was the only breath of air before I got pulled back under the ocean of horrors. "Breath out." He made me repeat the process a few more times until I stopped shaking. My breathing slowed and I felt the energy draining from my body. My hands fell to my side as the weakness spread throughout my body faster than wildfire. "You are doing great." He encouraged me as he pulled me on his lap.

One of his hand rested at the back of my head he held me close to him while the other held one of my hands, drawing patterns at the back. "Try to match your breathing with mine." I followed the slow rise and fall of his chest while the regular beating of his heart calmed my own. None of us spoke as we stayed in the position for a little longer.

I felt lightheaded and weak from all the emotionally draining events. Not being able to handle myself anymore, I let myself go as I leaned on him and submitted to the darkness.