Chapter Four – Jade POV

I gazed out the window. Marco was a traitor. I knew what happened should there be a traitor, but I refused to accept it.

Orion approached me. “Mother, you know the rules, and you know they apply to anyone.”

I nodded, closing my eyes. “I know.” My words were quiet, almost a whisper.

He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”

I nodded again as tears filled my eyes. I watched as he pulled out a knife, lightly touching the blade with his fingertips. “Very quick.”

I sighed. “Just go.”

He walked away with a grin, and I put my hands over my face, crying softly.

Why am I letting him do this? Why am I okay with this? God, I’m not okay with it. No, NO! I can’t let this happen. I’ll fix it. I’ll surround him in darkness again. Please, don’t kill him. P-please.

I ran up the stairs to the bedroom where Orion and Marco were now struggling.

“Orion!” I called. “Stop! No! Don’t do this!”

“It’s too late, mother!” He shouted. “I already got him! Too bad it wasn’t immediately fatal.

I jumped on Orion’s back, pulling him to the ground and away from Marco. The knife clattered to the ground, and I kicked it aside.

“I won’t let you hurt him!” I growled, pinning Orion to the ground. “Now leave. Go work on our plan.”

“This was our plan!” He struggled.

“No..it was yours. And I’m stopping it.”

“Alright! Fine! Let me up, bitch!”

I let him up and slapped him across the cheek. “How fucking dare you. How dare you!” I screamed, causing a look of shock to form on his face. “Get out! Now!”

Without a word, he did as I asked, attempting to grab his knife until I stepped in his hand. He roared in pain and ran out.

I turned to Marco. “Mi rey.” I looked at his injury. “Oh God. Lie down.”

He laid, closing his eyes weakly. I placed my hand on his abdomen, on the stab wound as I conjured a healing spell. I ran my fingertips across it, crying softly.

“I’m so sorry, Marco,” I whispered, resting my head on his chest and lying with him. “Everything is falling apart. I just want this to end.” I gazed at him. “But, I have to do this. I can’t risk him hurting you again.”

I kissed him, parting his lips as my poisoned tongue slipped between them to infect his. It was a darkness spell. Yes, it would darken him again, but it would also replenish his strength and cure his growing headache.

As he started to come to, he wrapped his arm around me, rolling so I was on my back and he was at my side. We knew where this would lead, lust gripping us tightly. He drove me crazy with each kiss, each touch, each stroke of his fingertips, slowly undressing me as I undressed him.

“Mi Reina,” he whispered softly, pulling away, “I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to betray you. My lightness shows through and takes over. Reclaims me. I can’t help it. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean anything I said. Please, fo-“

I stopped him with another kiss. “No talking,” I whispered against his lips. “Just kiss me.”

And so, he did, filling me with an intense, passionate lust for him that made my body ache with desire. Our fingertips wandered all over each other until our sense of need and desire was so strong, we let it take over. Just like always.

We were crazed this time, even more so than usual. He held onto me tightly, as if he was afraid to let me go.

I suppose he was, though, wasn’t he?

As we reached our inevitable climaxes, I grinned.

“I want more of you.”

He gave me an exasperated look, but started laughing. “Jeez! Hold on!” He continued laughing breathlessly.

I laughed as well and pushed him onto his back. “I mean more intimately. Like we used to be.”

He gazed at me, shocked. “Never thought I’d hear you say that.”

I smiled and rested my head on his chest. “I guess I’ve done some thinking. I know you’ve apologized, but you were right. I’m not the same woman you fell in love with. I want to be her.”

He didn’t say a word, simply stroked my hair. It was a sweet moment between us that I was happy to have. I felt connected to him in ways I hadn’t felt in awhile.

Our moment was ruined by someone barging into the room.

“Again, guys??” Declan shouted. “There’s chaos going on here, and you two are-“

“Shut it, Declan.” Marco furrowed his brow. “I’ll be right there. And, next time, if you don’t want to get an eyeful of ass, fucking knock!”

I giggled as he stormed off and slammed the door. Marco smiled and got up.

“Chaos?” I asked, wrapping my arms around him, moving my hand up to twirl a strand of his hair. “I like chaos.”

“Then let’s get dressed and see what’s going on.” He grinned and got up, quickly getting dressed and walking out.

His grin quickly faded when he saw what was happening. Orion was on a crazed rampage, angrily screaming at anyone and everyone, his eyes glowing crimson.

“Oh shit!” Marco exclaimed, rushing down the stairs to him. I followed close behind. He ran behind Orion, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind him.

“Marco!” He screamed. “You did this! You’re the reason I’m like this!”

“No!” Marco growled in return. “You’re a spoiled, overgrown child. That’s why you’re like this.”

This time, I didn’t intervene. I stood quietly, arms folded in front of me, waiting for a sign that he needed help or protection.

Morgyn quickly emerged, casting a sleeping spell on Orion. Marco let him down to the floor gently and flashed Morgyn a grin.

“Impressive.” Marco started clapping. “That’s a black magic spell.”

“Don’t start, Marco,” Morgyn grumbled. “I did what I felt was necessary.”

We watched as he stormed away, an amused smirk on Marco’s face.

Damien and Declan approached us.

“Lock him up,” Marco instructed, gesturing to Orion. “I’d like to speak with him when he wakes up, but I want to be protected.”

They glared at him, but followed his directions. He gave a small, sassy wave as they turned their backs, making me giggle. They turned to look at us, but saw nothing.

“What got into him anyway?” He asked. I suppose it was a rhetorical question, given that I wouldn’t know the answer.

Kyler came up behind us. “He wants you dead, but Mom stepped in and saved you. This sent him into a tailspin.”

Marco’s demeanor shifted, clearly putting on an act to mislead Kyler into thinking he was still free from darkness. “I see. Thank you.”

Kyler nodded with a smile. “Be careful around him. Please. He won’t stop.”

Marco sighed. “I know. But I’ll make sure I stay safe.”

We parted ways, and Marco pulled me aside.

“I need to appear good to Kyler and Ethan,” he explained. “However, I have a plan.”

I tilted my head, curious.

He continued, “Orion can’t be trusted, Jade. You heard Kyler, he wants to kill me. He needs to remain locked up for safety.” He glanced around. “As for the realm, I’m going to construct a temporary portal. I’ll put it somewhere only select people can access. When we execute our plan to destroy this place, we can escape and not go down with it.”

I nodded with a smile. “When will we begin?”

“When the portal is complete,” he replied. “If we are left alone, I could get it done within 24 hours.”

I continued smiling. “That’s your way of saying I’m in charge?”

He grinned and caressed my cheek. “Of course, mi reina.”

We parted ways, and I instructed Damien and Declan of our plan. They were on board with it. For once, they actually praised Marco for his efforts.

“Yeah, about that,” I narrowed my eyes, turning to Declan. “Perhaps you could either make your praise a regular thing or shut your mouth? You’re not helping anyone when you’re going out of your way to be a jackass.”

Declan stared in disbelief at me. “Y-yeah, of course. I’m sorry.”

Before I could say anything else, he walked away. I grinned as I watched them leave. I realized I needed to talk to my son. I made my way down to the cells and open the door.

“Orion,” I spoke softly. “Can we talk?”

He nodded solemnly.

“What has gotten into you?”

He didn’t say a word. He looked down at his hands, slowly wringing them together.

“Orion?” I asked, concerned.

“We agreed he was a traitor and needed to die,” he said. “You backed out. I went crazy. Now I’m here. What else do you need to know?”

“I need to know why you hate him so much.”

“Didn’t I just tell you?” He growled. “He is a traitor. You just love him too much to see it.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I feel bad for my actions and would like to make it up to him. I know I’m not really showing it right now.”

I smiled brightly. “Of course! I’m sure he would love that.”

He also smiled, genuinely. “Good. I look forward to it.”

I left, feeling happy that Orion was so ready to make amends. I went up to check on Marco. As I stepped in, he was using magic, creating a small doorway which he could make into the portal.

“I’m impressed!” I exclaimed, watching him.

He smiled. “Why thank you, mi reina. At this rate, I’ll be done before midnight.” He looked back at me. “How are things?”

“Orion feels bad and wants to make amends.”

He looked back at the makeshift portal. “No he doesn’t.”

“He told me.”

He sighed and approached me. “Fine.” He smiled. “I’ll give it a shot.” I could tell he didn’t believe me, but he was going to try. Just for me, right?

He left the room and I sat down, stretching my arms. I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of dread. I assumed it was due to how I had spoken to Declan. He hated being challenged. I knew he was plotting something. I knew I had to watch my back.

I stood up and looked at the portal with a smile. Though, if we kept Declan away from this room, perhaps our problems would be solved?

A little voice crept into my mind.

‘That’s murder,’ it said. ‘What has happened to you, Jade? You’re really just letting this darkness control you?’

I furrowed my brow and shook my head, shaking that voice from my mind. Of course I was letting it. I didn’t have a ch- I mean, it was what I was meant to do. All of this time, my whole life, and the entire time I was a spellcaster led up to this moment. I had always been meant for darkness. So was Marco. This was destiny. Fate. Who we always were.

Right?

I didn’t have too much longer to ponder when someone was pounding at the door.

“Mom!!” I heard. It was Kyler, and he was frantic. “Mom! Come quick!”

I rushed to the door, meeting my distraught son as I opened it. Without a word, he grabbed my arm, teleporting us to the dueling grounds. I immediately saw what he was scared about. Marco was on the ground, not moving. Orion stood nearby, gazing at me apologetically, but it wasn’t genuine. I saw a faint grin on his lips.

I dropped to my knees beside Marco, shooing away curious onlookers.

“Marco. Marco!” I cried. I shot a glare at Orion. “What did you do?!”

He stepped closer.

“No!” I screamed. “Don’t you dare come closer!”

“Oh, mother,” he pouted. “It was an accident! He wanted to make amends. He let me out. We hugged, and I challenged him to a friendly duel. I suppose my power was too strong for him. I certainly didn’t mean to kill him, mama.”

“He’s…” I looked back at Marco. “Dead?”

“Mother, I…”

“He’s dead?” I cried, jumping up and lunging at Orion. I tackled him to the ground. As Kyler tried to pull me, I shrugged him off. “Get away!” I turned my attention to Orion. “You killed him? You’re a goddamn monster! I knew we couldn’t trust you!” I tried to calm myself. “All of this time, this was your plan! You have never liked Marco! You wanted him dead!”

“Careful, mom,” he grinned. “You’re sounding like a traitor now. Look what happened to the last one.”

“Don’t you dare speak of him that way!” I roared. “And if you ever try to kill me, you know I will kill you without hesitation!”

“J-Jade?” I heard. Caleb stood beside me. He gently put his hand on my back.

“Father!” Orion cried, forcing tears to fall down his cheeks. “Do you h-hear her? She wants to kill me! Save me, please!”

Caleb shot him a glare, then looked at me again. “Jade, please. Let’s chat.”

“But, fath-“

“Stop,” Caleb warned calmly. “I’ll handle this.”

I broke down, crying harder than I had since Morgyn had died. “He’s…dead, Caleb. Orion killed him.”

“It was an accident!” Orion cried. “Dad! You have to believe me!”

“I said quiet!” Caleb growled. “I don’t want to hear another word from you. We all know this wasn’t an accident, Orion. I’ll deal with you later.” He held out his hand. “Jade.”

I stood up and he pulled me into a hug. I cried into his shoulder for a long time. As Orion started to stand up, Kyler grabbed him, teleporting them away. I assumed he would be locking Orion back in his cell.

I looked down at Marco’s motionless body, clinging to Caleb as he hugged me. Morgyn walked up behind him and took my hand, giving me a sad, apologetic look.

“He’s gone, Morgyn,” I sobbed, gazing at him with red eyes.

“You can revive him.”

“No,” I shook my head. “One of us must die to save the realm. And, he’s in darkness. If I revived him, there would be consequences.”

“We created that anecdote, Jade.”

“But I can’t cast it.”

He leaned in. “I can.”

“It will throw everything off balance. He can’t be revived. I’ve lost him.” I clenched my fists. “And Orion will pay for this!”

“Shhh.” Caleb tightened his grip on me. I closed my eyes, letting more tears fall. Something within me was stirring. Caleb and Morgyn we’re the enemy, but I found comfort in them.

Kyler teleported back, kneeling beside his father and putting his head down. I let go of Caleb and went over to him.

“There has to be a way,” he said quietly.

I rested my head on his shoulder. “I’ll find one if you don’t.”

He pulled me into a hug. Caleb and Morgyn walked away quietly, and Morgyn gave the order to get back to work. One by one, the onlookers left us.

Kyler glanced around when everyone had left. “You don’t seem so dark right now,” he said quietly.

He was right. I didn’t feel it either. I felt sort of like…myself. “he didn’t die in vain,” I sighed, stroking Marco’s hair. “But I will fully embrace darkness if it means he’s back with us.”

Kyler cast a spell and Marco’s body illuminated in red. “This will preserve him until we can find answers. We’ll lie him in a coffin, away from everyone. Tell everyone he died. But behind the scenes, we will find something.”

“And if we don’t?”

“Then we have each other, and Ethan.” He hugged me tighter.

I nodded. “Always.”

That night was rough. As soon as I stepped into the bedroom, I became enraged. I saw the portal and immediately destroyed it, screaming and crying until it was merely a pile of wooden rubble on the floor. I knelt beside it and sobbed.

“We were never like this, Marco, were we?” I cried softly. “This was Orion’s doing. Orion’s plan. You asked me why we were doing this. I don’t have an answer. All I know is I don’t want this anymore. I want you. I want us. Please…” I cried harder. “Come back to me?”

I swear I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me, and there was nothing.

But a voice. “I’m with you.”

I shook my head. “No you aren’t. You’re in my imagination.”

I felt like he was next to me. “I’m here. And you’re doing the right thing. Help Kyler. He’s searching for answers. I won’t be gone long, mi reina. I promise.”

And with a gentle breeze, the voice left me. So did the presence I felt.

Just my imagination.

Chapter Five (click here)