Chapter seventy eight

“No,” Aliyah said, losing her balance that she took a step back. “No, I have to warn them, I have to warn Edward but how?”

“I’m sorry Mariah but Edward will have to do this on his own, he will have to protect him alone.”

“No,” Aliyah said, her eyes clouded over with tears, “no, there must be something to do, there must something that I can do, how I can help.”

“You have to have faith in your mate and you have to have faith in your son. Mariah, if Asher is raised in love, I believe that he won’t go dark and the love in him will overshadow the darkness. Aspa has hated the Night Howlers and Nightwalkers since I created them. Her reason is because the Almighty did not complain about it despite the fact that the Nightwalkers feeds on human blood. But what she doesn’t know, what she has failed to understand is that the main purpose for their existence is love and the ending purpose is still love. Love is the foundation of Nightwalkers and Night Howlers but love is not the foundation for Ghouls. The souls that she uses are pained souls, wicked souls and souls that died prematurely. You see, she is denying them the chance of coming back to life and experiencing love, rather she made them to be wondering spirits that have no destination and feeds on corpse and evil.”

“Oh God.”

“Oh God indeed. With her strength dwindled, it means that she can’t turn as many souls as she wants, she is reduced with the strength to turn only one soul a century. But with her strength, her full potential, her ghouls will dominate this earth. In fact, to make sure that happens, Aspa can kill the entire human race and turn their souls. That is why she must never have her powers back, that is why she must never sit on the throne as true demon ruler. She has tried sitting on the throne once but it didn’t work and so, it can only work if she gets the demon king to willingly give her the throne or she is able to get a hold on his heart where his fire lies.”

Aliyah nodded, wiping away her tears, “well, the good thing is that Edward will never let her have it. And I doubt if she can kill him, not when he has the fire, right?”

“Gods don’t have souls so the eternal fire can only hurt us but not kill us. However, there is a fire that can.”

Aliyah furrowed her brows, “yes, you talked about the eternal fire being the second strongest fire. What is the first?”

Selene smiled, “Dragon king’s fire.”

“Dragon?” Aliyah was shocked. “I have never heard of a dragon before. I thought they are myths?”

“And so is Werewolves and Vampires, but look, you are a werewolf,” Selene chuckled.

“So there are dragons? How come I have never seen one before or even hear about a living one or their kingdom?”

“Don’t worry Mariah, that is not of your business for now.”

“For now? Does it mean I am going to have an encounter with them or one?”

Selene sighed, “tell me, Mariah, would you rather ask questions about the dragons or would you ask why I brought you here?”

“Why did you bring me here?” Aliyah asked without a second thought, deriving a chuckle from the woman.

“Mariah, you are the reason I created your kinds, because I wanted you to experience love and have your happily ever after. It still remains the same, Mariah, I want you to enjoy love and without the worry of your people being against your mate or even some maniac wanting to ruin the world you know.”

Aliyah smiled, “but now I know of goddess Aspa, so I can’t really be without worry.”

“Once you leave this place, you won’t remember this meeting, which you already know, am I right?”

“Once I live this place?” Aliyah asked.

Selene nodded, “you deserve happiness, Mariah, and Edward, I don’t want him to live alone anymore. I know that he has Asher, but a child is not the same as a mate.”

“But…” Aliyah gulped, hope rising in her eyes, “I thought you said the doors will never open for the same soul twice?”

“Aye, but then I remembered that Hades owes me more than one favor,” she winked, “and yes, the doors won’t open for you, that is certain and besides, I don’t want you going and treating your family like enemies and they have to wait for you to overcome the ice in your heart once more,” she rolled her eyes.

Aliyah chuckled nervously, “then how do you plan to send me back?”

Selene smiled, “I enjoyed talking to you once more, Mariah, but I’m afraid you will have to sleep now.”

“Sleep?”

“Yes, I burrowed a little power from a friend. Sleep.”

“But why sleep?” Aliyah was asking but she was suddenly drowsy and she yawned and sat on the hard cloud, lying down with her eyes close.

Selene watched her with a little smile before saying, “a little surprise for an unsuspecting mate,” she chuckled as the soul disappeared from where it lay.

***

Edward stood and watched the woman dressed in white sleeping on the dais of his throne which there was another throne in red, befitting for a queen right next to it. He kept asking himself if he was doing the right thing. Won’t it be to early to lay her to rest? But then holding onto her body for three months already was bad enough. He didn’t need to be told but he knows that the new members of his court—which corresponds of demons, Nightwalkers and Night Howlers— were already seeing him in a different light. After all, he lets a corpse sleep in his room while he sat on a sofa and watch it all night.

Even he knows that he seems stupid but how can he let her go when it feels like she is with him? How can he just throw her away despite how much he has longed for her? He had wanted to give up the throne and the demons had refused, saying that they won’t have a better king but him and had offered to bring peace among the lands between all creatures. So now, under his reign of three months, Demons, Nightwalkers, Night Howlers and witches now live in peace and harmony. He even has a section of witches in court with Irene as the leader.

Everything was perfect, peaceful and in harmony, just like Aliyah had wanted. It was the kind of world he had promised her, the kind of world he had promised their son would grow in and now he has achieved it except his heart was not happy and that was because she was not here to witness it, because she was not here to see that he had fulfilled his promise of bringing peace to the land.

Everyday he feeds her body with a little of his power to preserve her but even he knew it was pointless, how long can he do that? How long can he live like that? It was already taking a toll on him, not because he was losing his powers but because he is down with a terrible headache every morning and the fact that his heart is not healing. But can he stop doing it still? Of course not.

Thinking to that, he raised his hand, channeling it on the beautiful body, ready to do what he does every night but a fair hand settled on his arm, stopping him. He glanced beside him and sighed when he saw Irene. “We have agreed, Edward.”

Edward nodded softly, “I know, but don’t you think it’s too soon?”

“Edward, it’s been three months. Living with a corpse for three months is already too much. Listen,” she stepped in front of him and cupped his cheeks—even though she had to stand on her tiptoes to do that— “the sooner you get this over with, the faster you heal. Edward, we all miss her, every single being. If it wasn’t for her sacrifice, even though you have Kaiden restrained and mother and her sisters locked up, you wouldn’t have been able to heal the infected, only she could have and she knows that.”

Edward sighed and leaned into her touch. He reached up and take her hand, squeezing softly, “I understand,” he breathed out, “I understand.”

“So, please bring her, let us lay her to rest, she has been denied that for three months now.”

“What about Asher?”

“Scarlet is with him. She has even offered to go back with him till when you are ready to look after him.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Irene, for what you have been doing these past months. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

“No, the real person to thank is Monica. Offering to nurse him along with her daughter is the greatest sacrifice any woman would have done.”

“Then remind me to always have her in my good book,” Edward said and they chuckled.

“Everything is ready,” Irene announced, stepping out of his view then, “go bring her.”

Edward nodded and walked up to the dais, he stared at Aliyah’s body, his eyes watering up with tears. “Do you think there is a chance she would…”

“Edward please, allow yourself to heal.”

He nodded once more, “yes, you are right.” And with that, he bent over and kissed her forehead before lifting her bridal style in his arms. “Lead the way.” Irene smiled and turned, leading them out of the throne room to the garden Edward had tasked the forest demons to grow for him.