Classic Novel
36
KNIGHT
“What warlock are you talking about?”
“Cyrius?”
“Who the fuck is Cyrius? Why isn’t she healing?” I stopped breathing. I stopped living the moment I saw the poison spread fast down her back, up to the back of her neck.
“Cyrius is the warlock that killed her parents.”
“I thought he’s dead.” I glared at Zarah.
“He is not dead after all. When you touched the mark on her neck, it weakened the spell that kept him locked up for years. Now, his mission is to find the last line of Katzius.”
“Who?” I blinked off my tears when I felt like there was nothing they could do. “This can’t be. There’s something we can do.”
“She’s drifting, Knight.” Even Zarah sounded devastated, and the room seemed filled with so much grief.
“No! I don’t believe that!” I screamed at them. My voice boomed and rattled the room, startling Shadow, while Zarah didn’t even flinch.
“I’m so sorry, Knight. I thought I could do something to help her.”
“Try again, Shadow. Call your father. Maybe he can help. Please? She can’t die.” My eyes glowed. My fangs itched to come out, and my wolf stirred while mourning his loss. My rage, anger, and regret came together as my weapon.
“Do something, Zarah. I’ll pay the price,” Case said as he entered the room. “I’ll trade my soul for her. Just save my granddaughter.”
“Don’t,” Nirvana said breathlessly. “I made a deal.”
“What?” we said in unison.
“Why the hell did you do that?” I couldn’t breathe. My heart was breaking.
I felt helpless and useless- I’d never felt this feeling since that incident that took away my mother’s life.
“To save you,” confirmed Zarah. “That’s what Cyrius is good for, knowing his enemies’ weakness. And Nirvana’s weakness is the people she cared about, the people she loves.”
“No!” Kailin dashed inside, crying. “I’ll trade my life. Where is that asshole? How can I meet him?”
“It’s done. It’s over.”
“No. I’d rather die than lose you, Nirvana.”
“I know you would say that.” I could barely hear her heartbeat. I could barely hear her words. She was getting paler, and the poison continued spreading to her face.
“Open your eyes, sweetheart?” I scooped her so she could lay in my arms. “I want you to see me.”
“I feel you, Knight.” She could hardly open her eyes, and her irises started to turn white, but she managed to put a smile on her paler lips. “I see you now.”
“Why did you do that, sweetheart?” I kissed her forehead. “It should have been me.”
“You wouldn’t think twice to save me, so I did you a favor.”
“No. It shouldn’t have been like that. I am your alpha. I am your mate, and we decide what’s best for us.”
“Don’t cry.”
Too late. A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I’d never felt such sorrow in my entire life, watching the only woman I promised to love drifting away from me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“Don’t go, please? I just met you. This is unfair.” I instantly felt the silence, pain, and sorrow darkening the room.
The lights flickered. The temperature dropped.
Then I couldn’t feel and hear her heartbeat.
“Nirvana?” I stared at my lifeless mate. Then I heard a howl echoing the room. I didn’t realize it came from me until my throat was hoarse.
“Alpha, I know this is not the right time, but someone here wants to talk to you.” MacKaye’s voice faded in my hearing.
“Nirvana, sweetheart?” I shook her, but she didn’t respond anymore until I heard a howl- a howl of loss and sorrow, and it came from me.
“Oh, no. My beautiful Nirvana.” Case just shook to cry as he touched and kissed her hand.
Kailin growled in pain. I felt everyone’s pain in the room, but nothing could describe how I felt right now.
My wolf mourned with me, but I was still not giving up. I was still in denial that my mate was gone, and I didn’t think I could endure such pain, such loss. I didn’t think I could live or wanted to live without Nirvana in my life.
“Oh, Goddess! How is it you’re alive?” It came from Case.
“I can help.” The word help instantly picked up my sensitive ears. It came from a deep British accent.
I lifted my gaze. Through my blurry vision, I saw an old man, as old as Case, in a classic double-breasted coat with a cane in his right hand. “I will do everything.”
“She’s still with us. Her spirit hasn’t crossed into the spirit realm.”
“Don’t do this, Knight.” Zarah stopped me firmly.
“No. I want her to live.”
“There’s always a repercussion of doing black magic and resurrecting the dead. Think about it, Knight. I know it’s painful, but you have to accept it.”
My head snapped at Zarah. “You don’t have any idea of what I feel right now. Of all people who have lived longer, you should know what losing a mate does to someone.”
“We don’t have much time,” said the stranger.
“How do I know it’s you? We buried you a long time ago. You could be Cyrius, for all I know.”
“Ask your witch.” He turned his head to Zarah and offered his hand. “Go ahead.”
Glaring, Zarah took his hand. She gasped and stilled for a moment before she let his hand go. “You’re Sophie’s great-grandfather?”
“Yes, it seems he is,” Case said. And here I thought he was dead a long time ago.”
“I didn’t die. It was another body glamoured as me.”
“Then where the hell have you been all these years? Why should I trust you to bring my grandchild back?”
“The moment Ophelia was born, I knew someone would always get interested in our family gift and suffer the family curse. Can we talk later? I want to save my great-great-granddaughter, and I have the man who helped find her. Bring him here, lad.”
The door opened. McKaye had Axell terrified the moment he saw me, with bruises all over his face.
“I will kill him.”
“Later. To bring Nirvana back, I need a soul.”
“I told you this is a bad idea.” Zarah was still against bringing Nirvana back to life, but I would take whatever repercussions if I got the chance to be with my mate again.
“Take his soul,” McKaye said unapologetically.
“A willing one.”
“Take mine. I would die for her just to bring back my mate.”
“No, son. I’m old. At least I die to save my granddaughter,” said Case.
“Mine, too. I’m the reason why she’s here. If I didn’t let her come with me, she could still be alive.”
“Very well.” Without remorse, the old man touched Case’s chest and chanted. One moment, Case was standing; the second, he was on the floor.
“No!” I stared in shock. Even with my fast speed, I couldn’t do anything to save him.
Even Zarah, a witch, and Shadow, a half-witch, could not do anything. It took us all by surprise. Then, the old man came in my direction.
I wrapped Nirvana in my arms to protect her from this evil form, but at the same time, we sacrificed one life today, and it needed to be paid off.
He placed a palm on Nirvana’s chest and then walked away from the bed.
“Oh, no!” Kailin crawled towards the lifeless Case. “Nirvana will kill us.”
“Why did you do that? Why did you all agree? This is not right.” I’d never seen Zarah so terrified until now.
“Witch, you have so much to learn. You’ve lived long enough, and I’m sure you’ve heard of me and my ability.”
“What do you mean?” McKaye asked.
“I can stop time. While you were all arguing, I stopped the time and exchanged Case and that young man’s position. My test for all of you was how much you cared and wanted to save my great-great-granddaughter. You, the mate, the close friend, and the grandfather, willingly offered your souls for her.”
“What the fuck?” McKaye’s eyes grew big to see he was already holding Case.
“What the hell?” Kailin yelped simultaneously to find her holding Axell’s lifeless body.
“I’ve heard so many stories about you. You’re known by many names, such as Gramien, Kazius, and Celekai, but in our time, you are Ambrose. A warlock gifted with Chronokinesis, who can control and manipulate time.”
“Yes,” he confirmed to Zarah.
Ambrose was Nirvana’s great-great-grandfather, but I bet my penny he was centuries old.
“What happened?” Case asked.
“Then why is she still not alive?”
“Look.”
Nirvana moved in my arms, stretching her arms out with a groan. Her eyes were wide as she met mine. “Why am I in your arms? You okay?”
“Goddess!” Kailin lost her control. In a second, she was in bed, squeezing her best friend into a hug.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
“Ouch.” She groaned, chuckling. “You, werewolf, are breaking my bones.”
“Okay, Kailin. That’s enough for now.”
Nirvana looked at me, worry filling her eyes as she touched my face. “You okay?”
“I’m more than okay.” I kissed her on her forehead and sighed in relief.
“Great.” She slipped off my lap, chuckling. “We have an audience.”
“How do you feel?” Zarah asked.
She paused for a moment. “The last thing I remember is-” She checked her shoulder. “It’s gone. The pain was like I’d never felt before. It was burning, like something eating my flesh. It was unbearable. I thought I was dying. I felt my heart like it had stopped beating. How am I-?”
“Meet your great-great-grandfather, Ambrose.”