The Queen's Mate

NINETEEN

|Six Months Ago. |

A brunette sat in the waiting room of the town hospital, covered in blood and anxious beyond measure as she bounced her knee whilst she waited and desperately hoped for some good news.

“Ms. Rebekah?”

Her head snapped up when she heard the nurse read out her name from the chart sheet in front of her face. Without wasting another moment, Rebekah got up, wiping her clammy hands on her jeans as she stalked up to the nurse with hopeful eyes.

Her heart raced rapidly in her chest as the sound of a car crashing rang inside her head, reminding her of what had passed, only a few moments ago.

Rebekah stopped in front of the nurse who was soon accompanied by the doctor who had just exited the emergency room.

The doctor was a tall redhead with her nose and cheeks marked by freckles which and her tired eyes suggested that she had had a long day in the operation theatre today.

However, the doctor’s tired expression and evident disinterest were not what irked Rebekah at that moment; no. It was the pitiful expression on the nurse’s face that caused her heart to c***k. She knew what she was about to hear was not going to be good news and she dreaded the words that were about to leave the lips of the mortal standing in front of her.

“I am so sorry to tell you this, Ms. Ravena, but I am afraid that we could not save your fiancé. Chris is dead.”

Rebekah felt her soul leave her body as her knees fell a week and she dropped down on the ground. Those words and the blank tone behind them were like a splash of chilled water on a crisp winter morning. The brunette felt numb.

Chris…the man she had met after a century of roaming the earth all alone, the only mortal in the world who knew of her secrets, and the man who loved her so irrevocably that he had agreed to become immortal with her…was dead.

Her fiancé was dead and she could not even comprehend the news yet.

They were on their way to New York so that Damien would do the immortality ritual and make Chris one of them. Rebekah was so close to her happiness when it all fell to the ground and shattered like a house of cards.

And she could do nothing about it.

She was a Celestial, yes. But even Celestials were not gifted with the ability to bring someone back to life. It just wasn’t possible.

She did not feel the nurse’s hands when she tried to get the brunette to stand and she did not remember calling Chris’ family to tell them the fate of their son before she stopped in her tracks and crumbled into her emotions in the middle of an isolated road.

Her tears fell on the moist concrete after the rain that had been the reason for Chris’ car to crash. Rebekah healed because she was supernatural but unlike her, he did not have that luck.

Time stood still as the brunette felt her emotions building up inside of her until a loud and shrill scream bellowed from the base of her neck, echoing and spreading all around her making the ground shake because of her anguish.

She was all alone, again.

She felt like screaming, she felt angry, she felt like setting the world on fire; most importantly, she wanted to bring Chris back.

Rebekah was about to open a portal and disappear from the world again when a bright light burned right in front of her. She raised her hand over her face to shield her eyes as she involuntarily took a few steps back.

That was when the light dimmed and in front of her stood a tall, magnificent, raven-haired man with striking golden eyes and glimmering white wings behind him.

“Hello, Rebekah.” The man greeted in a gentle voice but she could see the coyness in his eyes.

She raised her eyebrow and stepped back warily from him, “who the hell are you?” She barked.

The man chuckled, “someone who could grant you what you wish for.” He stated, folding his arms in front of him as he watched her movements with a scrutinizing gaze.

Rebekah grew weary of him as time passed. “I don’t want anything from you.” She muttered.

The stranger looked at her challengingly. “Really?” He retorted, “and were you not praying for a way to bring your lover’s soul back, a few seconds ago?” He asked making her eyes widen.

Now she was furious.

“Who the hell are you?” She growled before flashing her eyes a brilliant shade of crystal blue.

The man smirked, “I am Alexander Lightbourne.”

Her eyes widened immediately. She knew that name. She recognized who he was. He was fabled as the fallen angel in the whole supernatural world. Lilian Lightbourne’s first son.

He was someone who could truly bring Chris back.

He smiled seeing her face, “so you recognize me. Now, would you like me to bring your fiancé back to life?” He offered again.

She was tempted, to say the least. However, she wasn’t certain if she could trust him. “Why would you help me?” She asked, still staying on her guard.

“I need you to kill someone. It isn’t going to be easy.”

She stared at him unaffected. She was no stranger to destruction. She had committed far more heinous crimes in her thousands of years of existence.

“Who do I need to kill?” She questioned. She knew she would do anything to bring back Chris. She needed him more than life itself.

Alexander smirked victoriously. “Eleanor Lightbourne.” He stated. “You would find her under the name of Eleanor Sparks in this realm, though.” He added casually but Rebekah’s mind was fixated on the first name that left his name.

“Isn’t that your twin sister?” She asked. She remembered that Eleanor was the angel because of whom they had their magic and immortality. If something happened to her, their whole existence would be void. “Why would I kill the queen of the supernatural world if it means that I will eventually die too?” She questioned.

Alexander’s smirk wavered a little but he regained his composure soon, “because no such thing would happen. You only have to find a specific dagger that needs to be stabbed in her heart. Her mortal frame would crumble but her soul would be taken to the Demonworld, where she will be safe with me and our mother.” He explained. “Believe me, I would not want my sister to die, now would I?”

“Seems to me like that is exactly what you want.” She hissed. She did not trust the stranger even a bit. “What if my actions cause the whole supernatural world to disappear?”

The fallen angel rolled his eyes and stepped towards her threateningly. “Even then, I guarantee that your life, the lives of your family, and Chris’ life will be safe. I guarantee that all Ravenas and their sirelings would survive. Now, isn’t that a handsome deal? After all, what more is there to a world than our own loved ones?” He asked in a sweet, persuasive voice.

Rebekah pondered over his words, weighing her options. If she denied his demands, he would kill her because of the threat that she might spoil his charades; but if she accepted, the entire supernatural race would be in danger. However, even then, everyone she cared about would be safe. Even Chris.

That was when she knew what her decision was going to be.

She nodded and looked him in the eyes, “fine, I’ll do it. Just tell me how.”

|End of flashback. |

Liam panted heavily after endless attempts at trying to break free from the shackles. He felt disheartened at the possibility that his own sister would succeed at killing his best friend.

He could not imagine anything happening to Eleanor; she was far too important for him to let go.

When all hope was lost for him, there was a loud growl from the mare standing on guard outside and then there was nothing.

It was stark silence and he anticipated that perhaps it was someone who came to rescue him and the heiress.

When the rusted door opened again, Liam finally breathed a sigh of relief seeing his brother and Adonis standing on the other side as he involuntarily released a breath he had been holding.

“Liam!” Damien mumbled as he rushed inside and broke the shackles around Liam’s wrist before helping him stand and doing a quick scan of him for any signs of injury. “Are you alright?” He asked him in concern; even Adonis looked positively worried about the younger Ravena.

Liam nodded gratefully at them both before his expressions turned serious again. “Rebekah is the one behind all this. She and Anderson are going to kill Elle. They took her with them, some time ago.”

“f*****g hell!” Damien hissed before turning on his heel with a murderous expression fixed on his face. “We have to find her.” He muttered as the two began following him through the place until they came over a balcony and Liam’s gaze caught something that made his blood dry in his veins.

“Guys, look!” He pointed towards the ceremonial pit of fire created on the shore just outside the palace doors whilst dozens of mares were assembled around the area with Eleanor in the middle, surrounded by a ring of volcanic ash.

Damien’s eyes flamed blue seeing the state the brunette was in. His gaze fell on Rebekah and Anderson preparing for the ritual and he grunted under his breath. He wasn’t going to let any harm befall the girl he had spend so much time looking for. And he most certainly was not going to let his brother’s best friend die.

Without waiting for another moment, the men dashed to Eleanor’s rescue, startling Rebekah and Anderson just when the youngest Ravena sister had picked up the Elarma blade in her hands.

“STOP!” Liam screamed as he came to a stop just when the pit of fire flared up, blocking their path.

Rebekah sneered at her brothers, “you shouldn’t be here.” She hissed.

“You shouldn’t be killing an innocent girl for a deal you made.” Damien snapped at her blankly as he glared at her. He could feel Eleanor’s eyes looking at him but he did not dare turn his head to her; he was afraid that her state would make him lose his mind. “Not to mention that it was you who told me that if Eleanor died, the whole supernatural world would dismantle.”

Adonis and Liam’s eyes widened listening to that. Liam looked at his sister in horror whilst Adonis glared at her because she wasn’t supposed to know that piece of information. There was a reason it had been hidden from everyone in the first place.

Eleanor was too exhausted to be mad at Rebekah and the cynical smirk on Anderson’s face was too infuriating for her to comment on.

Rebekah’s gaze hardened, “I am saving us.” She replied emotionlessly.

“You’re killing us, Rebekah!” Liam screamed at her but she did not listen as she turned around and nodded to Anderson and before the three men could say anything further, they were once again surrounded by mares.

Rebekah chanted over the fire, raising the Elarma blade in the air as she prepared for the ritual whilst Damien fought off Anderson, and Liam and Adonis took over the mares.

It was a losing battle as soon the ritual was in motion and Rebekah was already making her way to Eleanor to kill her.

The moment she reached her, Eleanor tried to fight back, right before Rebekah let out a scream of frustration and jammed the dagger down Eleanor’s chest, piercing her heart in one swift motion.

Eleanor’s dying scream was what alerted the Ravena brothers and Adonis as Damien stopped in his tracks and stared at Eleanor with horror-filled eyes.

Rebekah left the Elarma blade in Eleanor’s chest and let her body fall on the ground as dark veins covered her skin and the last thing Eleanor saw before her soul left her frame was the tear streaming down Damien’s cheek as he looked at her with helpless, shattered eyes.