Belladonna took in a deep breath as she toyed with the ring on her finger. Her gaze was fixed on the Blood Moon that stood rigid in the night sky. She could feel an odd sense of responsibility on her shoulders, as she slipped the twig - the prepared weapon, into her long, white chiffon dress. The gown that was planned for the grand wedding was more elaborate than this. Far more, she couldn't wait to wear it. That would be taking place in a week though. Tonight, however, was for the wedding ritual.Tonight was to break curses and find out hidden secrets.Tonight was for killing.She turned away from the window and went to the mirror, her face had been moderately dolled up. Something about that reminded her of how her mother had dressed her for the Choosing Ritual. She was probably dead now. Good. Belladonna traced a finger across a line of the henna Eli had taken his time to tattoo on her head again. He was certainly already down there, waiting for her. She should get going too.
Eli turned swiftly to the door of the hall, someone had slipped in at that moment but that person wasn't the one he was waiting for. It was a redhead. Forget this! He was done waiting, he would go and get her now. If Kestra hadn't gone on and on about how seeing her before the ritual wasn't going to destroy things, he would have gone to get her way before now. He did send guards to her though, and Sebastian had said she was fine, but just a little nervous. He was starting to feel that something was wrong other than just nerves, but he had been having that feeling for a while that he couldn't really trust it now. Being paranoid had been his major trait ever since those nightmares started troubling him. He had even ensured the castle was well-guarded for tonight. It was as if he was prepared to fight against an invasion while also attacking an enemy.What enemy? He couldn't know. Before coming down here for the Wedding Ritual, he had checked the dragon to confirm that it was still
Eli and Belladonna stood at opposite sides of the pillar-like altar between them. There were two golden goblets on it, filled with red liquid. Kestra was standing before them, chanting something for them to say after her. Eli kept his eyes trained on his Donna and as the moment passed by, he was starting to feel that something wasn't right. At all. Belladonna stared back at the mortal King in front of her, sensing his growing suspicion, knowing that before the chanting was over, he would question her.Everything that happened next was in a blur. In a second, Belladonna swiped out the twig to strike it against the ring. Kestra's ears perked with the sudden movement, a blast of magic erupting from her and throwing everyone a good distance away from her and her sacrifice.Eli's back hit the floor, deja vu and pain rushing through him, as he raced his way to the podium.Too late.A force repealed him. Red walls, that reached the ceiling, with red lines moving through them, blocked hi
Belladonna was sweating profusely, her eyes shut tight while she curled and uncurled on the bed. She wasn't sleeping, she wasn't awake either. Someone was cooing comforting words to her, but she could barely hear it. The images that raced through her mind made her struggle with sanity. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palm so she could hold onto physical pain, and focus on it rather than this mental turmoil. Her breathing was laboured, she could see the woman again in her mind, her silver hair and her overflowing white dress. The voices in her head became too loud, voices screaming for her to grant them freedom she never intended to steal from them in the first place. A warm hand pressed gently over her head and relief washed over her. The voices slowly became quiet, and the hotness in her veins cooled down. The minute she woke up, she bolted from the bed and staggered to the mirror. Her hands went over her neck, tracing a line where there should be a bleeding g
Belladonna had thought he had referred to the people as his because he had taken the throne during those three days she had been out. But to think that he was the King before, and Eli had been the one to take the throne from him was something she didn't expect.Eli was one to follow protocol and if he had gone against it, then there must have been a reason. A good one at that. She couldn't believe the story Alaris had told the people, he did say there were some added tweaks to it. Frustrated, Belladonna ran her hand over her head. The surface of her scalp was no longer as smooth as it used to be, the sharp end of the hair pinching her palm.There was no way she would believe anything Alaris was saying without talking to Eli first, it was obvious he had an ulterior motive for saving her. Alaris was very smart, she had to be smarter. "I want to see Eli." She folded her arms across her, determined eyes meeting his. It still felt strange to be able to see him, not just that, it felt st
Eli looked better than she had seen him on the night of their Wedding Ritual. It was probably good for one's health not to be under the weight of so many spells. The black lines on his hands were gone and her eyes watered when she remembered how much he wanted to touch something and not cause its death...how much he wanted to touch her.The heavy chains that attached his hands to the floor would make that impossible. "How are you? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" He bombarded her with questions.Wasn't he even bothered about the fact that she had kept secrets from him? That she was part of the reason this was happening to him?She had expected to meet him a little defensive and angry, not totally just worried about her. "I am fine. You don't look too well." She said with a strained smile. "Tick-tock," Alaris said behind them. If she could have come here without him, she would have, but she realized that his presence somehow kept the voices away and stabilized this magic in her ve
The rituals had made Alaris' dragon grow faster than he did, and that had made him more violent than he should be, because he was too young to be able to control his beast, too young to control his beastly desires for blood and death. Instead, his beast controlled him. Made him wild. Then his parents got tired of how useless Eli was, and they were driven by the pollution of dark magic to get Alaris' power for themselves, and whatever it was that had been given to Eli. The night they planned to sacrifice both of them was the first time Alaris shifted into his dragon and he killed them both, sending the castle down into a pile of ash, while ripping out the hearts of Eli's parents as a gift to him. In shock and fear, Eli had pushed him off the cliff, and for years he bore the guilt of having killed him. Then he met Kestra. He lived low with Kestra. He didn't even know that the witch had been so obsessed with him, that she had cast on him a curse and made herself the cure. Eli risk
Eli's eyes met hers and she could practically see the screws turning in his head, whether he should speak or not, and realizing it would be worse if he decided to stay quiet."You were broken and I thought it would be easy to mold you into what I needed."His words shattered her heart, like glass against a rocky surface. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, her gaze fixed on him. "And the first time you told me you loved me, did you?""I love you."That wasn't an answer."Did you love me the first time you told me that you did?"It was just so important for her to know. Had he been using that pity-seeking strategy on her in the beginning?"No, not at that moment."Another shatter. The broken pieces into smaller broken pieces. How broken could someone be? She would know. "I see.""I love you, Donna."The chains rattled, as Eli fought to move closer. They pulled him back, restraining him and he cursed beneath his breath. "I did not even know when it happened but I di