Chapter 7
608 Words
The scream wasn't mine anymore.
It echoed through the alley with a power that shook windows three blocks away.
The pavement split beneath my feet.
Streetlights burst one after another, showering sparks into the rain.
Somewhere in the distance, wolves howled.
Not one.
Hundreds.
Kael reached me first.
"Aria!"
The sound of my name broke through the darkness for a heartbeat.
I blinked.
His golden eyes were filled with panic.
Not fear of me.
Fear for me.
Then the other presence surged forward again.
They're coming.
The voice rolled through my mind like distant thunder.
The throne cannot remain empty any longer.
"No..." I whispered.
Kael cupped my face between his hands.
"Stay with me."
Warmth spread through my skin where he touched me.
The crushing pressure inside my head eased.
"Look at me," he said.
I did.
For one fragile moment, the voices faded.
I was Aria again.
"I don't know what's happening," I admitted, tears mixing with the rain. "I'm trying... I swear I'm trying."
"I know."
His answer came without hesitation.
"I won't let you lose yourself."
Something inside me stirred at those words.
Not the Queen.
Me.
Before I could answer, a deafening crack split the sky.
Black lightning tore across the clouds.
Lucien looked up first.
His expression hardened.
"We're too late."
Ronan's usual grin vanished.
"Already?"
Asher spread his white wings, shielding us instinctively.
"They felt her."
"Who?" I demanded.
Lucien's crimson eyes met mine.
"Everyone."
A deep horn echoed across the city.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The sound carried something ancient with it.
Every supernatural creature within miles would hear it.
And understand its meaning.
Kael cursed under his breath.
"The Courts are awake."
"The vampire houses," Lucien said quietly.
"The wolf packs," Kael added.
"The Fallen Host," Asher finished.
Ronan gave a humorless laugh.
"And every demon lord crawling out of the Abyss."
My stomach tightened.
"They're coming for me."
"No," Lucien corrected gently.
"They're coming because of you."
A cold wind swept through the alley.
The shadows at the far end thickened until they became almost solid.
Dozens of figures stepped into view.
Some had glowing eyes.
Some carried silver blades.
Others wore elegant black coats that hid weapons beneath them.
None of them looked human.
One woman walked to the front of the group.
She wore dark armor etched with silver runes, and a scar crossed one side of her face.
She stopped twenty yards away and lowered herself to one knee.
Every warrior behind her did the same.
She bowed her head.
"We greet the Queen of Midnight."
The alley fell silent.
I stared at the kneeling strangers.
"I... I don't even know who you are."
The woman slowly raised her head.
"Our names no longer matter."
Her voice was steady, almost reverent.
"We have waited for your return for a thousand years."
Before I could respond, another voice cut through the night.
"Stand up."
It wasn't mine.
It came from behind the kneeling warriors.
A tall figure emerged from the darkness wearing a long obsidian coat. A silver mask concealed the upper half of his face, but his piercing blue eyes locked onto me with unmistakable hatred.
Unlike everyone else, he did not kneel.
Kael moved instinctively in front of me.
Lucien stepped to my left.
Ronan to my right.
Asher unfolded his wings wider, creating a shield around us.
The masked stranger smiled.
"So..." he said, his voice carrying across the rain.
"The Queen lives after all."
His smile widened into something cruel.
"This time..."
He drew a black blade that seemed to drink in the light around it.
"...I'll make sure you stay dead."
- Writer
