Chapter Twenty Eight

By the time I made it back to the room, I was exhausted.
I listened in to make sure the room was empty, relieved to hear neither of my two loves. I didn't think I could face either of them just yet. What would Bastion say if he knew what Rory had asked?
Damn it. The room was so quiet.
"Lysander?" I called out, longing for my crazy god's company.
Silence.
My shoulders fell, but I finished my bedtime routine anyway, dressing in some fluffy pj pants and one of Bastion's t-shirts. After brushing my teeth and pulling up my hair, I climbed into the center of our empty bed.
Maybe I was being too hard on Rory. He was under a lot of stress, too. Maybe he really didn't mean it. Or maybe I've just been spoiled this whole time. What if it really was too good to be true?
I had become so accustomed to having both of my loves that I hadn't considered the idea that they might not both remain mine.
At this point, though, I couldn't imagine life without both of them by my side. We had been through hell together, we had two beautiful children together... We were meant to be together.
Dry sobs shook my body and I gripped onto the duvet, pulling it high above my chest in a cowering position.
My Kings. My two loves. Mine. Both of them were mine. Without them I was incomplete, and I would do anything to protect our delicate relationship.
Suddenly, a large surge in power caused the lights to flicker out. *Shit. One, two, three-* The generators managed to kick on, and I let out a relieved breath.
"Aria!" Lysander's frantic voice made me jump and scream, my heart nearly pounding from my chest in an anxious mess.
He gripped my face, straddling my lap as he pulled my gaze to his glowing one.
"Lysan-"
"We ran out of time, Aria. We need you to come with me now. The Sire has to fall before the King is fully freed."
"Hold on a second, what do you mean we ran out of time?"
"The ritual is almost complete. We have minutes before our father is released and he mustn't be released while the Sire is still alive."
"Why?" I rushed, my voice strained with adrenaline. 
"Father promised him power, Aria. If he gets this power, everything is shot to hell. My gift wouldn't do shit against the Sire if he receives that level of darkness. Please, we have to go." His eyes pleaded, but just before I could nod in agreement, the chamber door burst open to reveal my royal and my mate, eyes disturbed with rage as they eyed the man hovering over me.
He wasn't hidden. Fuck.
"You son of a-" Bas started, but before he got the chance to finish, a bright light hit me, enveloping me in a warmth that set my body aflame.
Then, all was cold. Freezing wind whipped against my cheek, my bare feet tingling with the nipping sting of snow.
I blinked open my eyes, taking in the glorious view surrounding me.
"Holy shit." I mumbled beneath my breath, hugging myself.
I was atop a building at least thirty stories tall, standing high above the surrounding Vegas landscape. Flashing neon lights flashed through the heavy snowfall, basking me in a bluish glow. The city looked empty, most residents likely huddled in the warmth of their homes, despite it being prime time in Sin City. It was beautiful and eerie all at once, sending a chill down my spine.
"Well, if it isn't the Queen. You finally decided to crawl out of your hole. Let me guess, your precious vampire god went to fetch you?" A feminine voice rang out over the howling breeze.
I recognized it immediately. My face screwed in rage as I turned to face the bitch who defiled my mate.
"Oh, I've been eager to meet you." I hissed, my eyes red and my claws extending.
There she was, in black slacks and a red peacoat, looking every bit the slut she was with her heavy make up and manicured nails. Imagining those sickening hands roaming Bastion's body set my blood boiling, and I lunged for her on instinct, only to have her dodge just out of reach, landing behind me.
"Oh? Then I take it Bastion has spoken about me? I hope it's all good things." She taunted and I turned to face her again.
"Dont you say his fucking name again, you sick bitch!" I growled, Sella begging to jump to the defense of our mate.
"Now now, Annalise, stop harassing the girl. She must feel terrible for failing to protect her King. And now, she's failed to protect her Kingdom. What a disgrace." A smooth, deep voice sang from behind me.
The Sire.
I shook my head of his words. He was trying to get to me. He wanted in my head, but I couldn't let that happen. He would fall.
I squared my shoulders, a dark and sadistic smile taking over my face, making Annalise flinch back in disgust. I didn't turn around. I didn't need to. I had a lesson to teach.
"I pity you, Red." I confessed, my voice thick in hatred as my eyes began to glow a bright green.
Hers widened in fear and disbelief, preparing for another frontal attack, but that wasn't going to fly this time. This time, she was coming to me.
Within a second, her porcelain neck nestled it's way into my clawed hand, the razor edges drawing crimson.
I lowered my gaze, leaning my head beside her thrashing form so I could whisper in her ear, "There can only ever be *one* Queen."
And with that, I drove my other set of claws into her chest, ripping her filthy heart to shreds in sickening satisfaction.
Her breath left her, and a loud cry filled the air.
"Annalise!"
Tossing her limp body to the ground, I turned to face my final opponent, her royal, kneeling in severe pain a hundred feet before me.
"Are you ready to die?" I asked arrogantly, my feet levitating me a foot off the wet snow, but before I could act, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, followed by the warm trickle of blood soaking into my t-shirt.
"It's you who will die!" He bellowed.
*He- He fucking shot me.*
My wide eyes met his angry scowl, his finger pulling the trigger six more times before I broke from my shock.
The first two missed, the third wedged a bullet deep into my forearm, while I somehow managed to stop the last half in mid air with my weakened power.
"You can't win, Queen. He's coming for you! He'll kill you all! He will rule!"
I shouted in agony at the silver burning my tissue.
I was going to faint if the bleeding didn't stop.
"You're wrong." I choked out. "He will fall. Just like you."
As I stepped forward, my legs gave out, making me collapse to my knees, equal with my enemy. It was time. I had to do it now. I raised a hand, eager to fulfil my destiny as hundreds of my cherished memories flashed before my eyes.
"For my Kingdom." I choked out, levitating the Sire into the air. He climbed that way, struggling against my invisible grapple until he reached forty feet above the highrise. "And my Kings."
Then, he fell, his body being split in two as he came down on a solid steel antenna.
The second his limp remains hit the snow, the sky flashed a deep crimson red, the wind stilling as the clouds above parted in an instant.
The Dark King has risen.
A rush of screams and terror rang out over the city when it's visitors witnessed the gloriously sinister display. Everything had changed. We could never go back.
I licked at my wounds, sealing them the best I could for now as I faced what would become of our hidden existence.
Chaos. Fear. Destruction.
Everything was falling apart, yet I couldn't help but feel hopeful. There was something right about it. Something freeing. We were one step closer to absolute peace.
A gentle warmth weaved it's way through my fingers, giving my hand a tight squeeze.
"Can I rest now?" I asked, my tired eyes lifting to Lysander's comforting features as he gazed far off into the shattered expanse.
He turned, stroking my cheek with his thumb as he placed a tender kiss on my forehead, his lips creating a new, untested whirlpool of sensations within me.
I gasped, but he didn't seem the least bit surprised, his lips curling into a pleased smile against my heated skin.
Then, he whispered, so softly that I barely managed to pick it up above the pandemonium surrounding us.
"Not yet, Aria. It's only just begun."

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Just as Lysander said, it's only just begun! Stay tuned for the next and final installment in the Opalescent Series, "Eternal Kingdom."
Thank you for your wonderful support of my story. Comment below on if your 'ship' from the last book has changed, and what it is.

XX Alley-Cat