Chapter 123 Greenstone

Avalyn

My eyes fluttered open and I failed to recognise the room I was in. When I couldn't move my neck freely, I realised that I had a collar with a weird looking green stone hanging off it around my neck.

My eyes slid shut.

Where am I ?

Is this a nightmare? I haven't had one in a very long time. Almost since we killed Emilio.

The last thing I remember was helping that old lady carry those groceries to her home and then it was all... blank.

I clutched my head. Nikolai.

I need to go to Nik. I need to see him.

This can't be real. I'll wake up now.

The doors opened and my eyes snapped up.

Thick arms that had black tattoos on them. My eyes slid up and I recognised the villainous face with silver eyes. Some woman might think he is handsome with those sharp eyes, shapely eyebrows, straight nose and thin but firm lips. But I had seen the ugliness that lurked beneath.

Why am I seeing him?

"Your mate, Nikolai is dead." He announced.

My heart stopped and a smirk formed on his face.

What is he talking about?

"Don't you remember? I kidnapped you." His smirk widened into a dark smile. "And then I told Nikolai to come here. I made a hurricane in he ocean that destroyed his little boat and sucked him in. He died by drowning in the ocean."

It can't be true.

He can't die. Can he?

I would have felt it.

But I haven't felt him through the bond in a long time now. It was very much possible that I didn't feel him now.

Is this really real?

I pinched my self. It's real.

Oh Goddess. Oh Nikolai.

"No." My throat clogged up and my eyes blurred with tears. I can't loose Nik, I just can't. But what if I did? My heart spasmed and my lungs burned. Tears started flowing down my cheeks and uncontrollable sobs wracked through my body. My tongue felt thick, I couldn't speak.

My heart ached.

I pressed my hand against my heart, wanting to ease the pain a little.

It didn't help.

"Stop crying." He ordered and I suddenly just... stopped crying. Just like that. Easily.

My eyes widened.

His smile widened. "It works." He looked at the ring on his middle finger. It had the same green stone the collar on my neck did. Did that mean... could he really control me like that?

No...

He wouldn't...

No one could be this cruel...

I shifted back in the bed but my back his the pillows.

"Nikolai is not dead." I tried to say firmly but my voice shook, betraying me. "He will come save me and then kill you. It will be best if you release me, I'll make sure you stay alive."

A harsh laugh left his lips that sent a chill down my spine. "I like the fire, sweetheart. But I'm going to like extinguishing it more."

I bit my lip.

"Those lips would look so much better wrapped around my cock." He rubbed himself over his leather pants and my mouth twisted into a scowl.

"Never!" I hissed.

"We'll see." He replied.

There was a knock on the door before it opened. The man whispered something in Xillian's ears that made his lips split into a dark smile.

"Crawl to me." He ordered and my eyes widened. Against my wishes, my body lowered itself on the cold floor and I fell on my fours.

My eyes lowered in mortification. What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Hasn't Nikolai taught me better? Hadn't I learned to do better now?

I don't want to kneel at any man's feet except Nik. And even that was by my choice. No one else's. Not even Nik himself's.

Please be alive, Mi Amor.

I crawled across the room and kneeled next to his feet, tears continuously slipping down my cheeks.

"We have a guest. Follow me." He ordered again and started walking outside. Again, against my will, I followed.

I tried hard to stop myself and use my powers. But nothing helped. I hadn't felt this... humiliated... this degraded in my entire life.

What will Nik say?

He helped me stand on my legs. Literally. He taught me to be independent. He taught me how to be strong. He made me realise my powers and taught me how to use them. He has been the source of light in my life. And I have glowed into the Queen I am under his guidance.

What will he say when he sees me like this?

He will be ashamed of me.

I bit my lip to stop myself from sobbing out loud.

Will he even take me back?

What if Xillian touches me? What if he fucks me?

Will Nik not like me anymore?

Our mate bond isn't as strong anymore either. What if he doesn't like me?

What if he thinks I'm impure now?

What if he doesn't want me?

What if he really is dead?

Why do I always have to helpless when I really need to be strong?

Oh goodness. I need my saviour. I need my saviour to save me again.

He walked out into a large open area where I saw a lots of people. I saw multiple rows of seats after seats on the sides as I crawled down the aisle. It looked like the entire kingdom of Ovzdusia was here.

My skin crawled as I felt lingering gazes of dozens of people. I felt... disgusted. I was disgusted of my own self.

He climbed the stairs of a podium and I followed up behind him. He stopped in front of his throne and so did I.

Everyone could see me now. Weak. Kneeling. Helpless.

I closed my eyes.

I know the drill. I know how to deal with this. I needed to shut my senses. I needed to stop seeing anyone, hearing anyone and feeling anyone.

Xillian started saying something, addressing his Kingdom. I tuned him out.

I just need to... let go.

It will be over soon.

It will be over.

Nik will come save me.

I just need to be strong until he gets here.

I love him with all my heart. I hope he still does too.

Please. Just come save me. Just love me.

I felt a throbbing pain on my cheek and sent me flying back and I sprawled on the floor, a cry tore through my throat.

I clutched my cheek where Xillian had just slapped me.

"How many times do I have to tell you to open your eyes?" He snarled.

The only thought that ran in my mind was that this time, my body hadn't betrayed me and listened to him. In fact, I didn't even hear him.

"Stand up." He snapped.

A scowl formed on my face when I did. I hadn't wanted to.

"It's time to finish the prophesy, faye. Use your powers and make me the King of Jivan!" He ordered. "I will rule this world!"

An old memory flashed in front of my eyes.

"Would me being a faye be so bad?" I asked in a small voice.

"No." Nikolai said quickly as he spun around to look me in the eye. "It's just— even implying that you are one, will put you in mortal danger." He said evasively.

"There was a prophesy about six hundred years ago which implied faeries will help rule the world. All the power hungry werewolves and vampires captured faeries, forcing them to turn them into the king or a queen." Rhazien said softly. "Most of them escaped to a different dimension we know nothing about, but still, many were slaughtered, the ones who survived are either underground or under protection of vampire kingdom or a werewolf pack. But I doubt they are even alive It is... dangerous to be a faye."

And then Leikos and Darius wanted my heart to become immortal.

I hadn't paid much mind to it after. Nobody had harassed me. I loved our people and all of them loved me back. But they're my pack members, not power hungry cruel people. They liked me for me, not because I'm a faye.

I knew nothing about the prophesy. But whatever he wanted me to do, I didn't want to. If I can help it, he's going to be the king of nothing!

I felt another mind numbing sting against my cheek. A sharp cry tore through my mouth and I collapsed on the floor because of Xillian's blow.

I heard a hiss and my eyes snapped in front of me to see Papa.

I gasped.

Four people were holding him. They had silver chains tied around his wrists and a thick one around his waist.

"Papa.." My voice cracked.

"Release her or else I will drown your entire fucking kingdom." Papa snarled.

Xillian let out a cruel smirk. "I'd love to see you try. Water is made out of air. H2O. Hydrogen and oxygen. I'll simply break the bond and turn it into air again."

Oh Goddess.

"Do whatever you want with me." He glared at Xillian. "Just let her go." His tone turned pleading.

"No!" I croaked, my throat clogging up.

I kept looking at Papa. His hair were dishevelled and so were his clothes. His eyes had a wild look in them. He kept his eyes locked to Xillian's.

I silently pleaded him to look at me.

But he didn't.

Maybe he was disgusted with me too. I was. I couldn't believe how weak I was being. I wasn't a firefly, I was...I was a damsel in distress. Not the powerful Queen I and everyone else thought me to be.

When I needed my powers the most, I couldn't use them. I used them well when I was angry and always ended up hurting the ones I love. But I'm useless when it comes to saving them.

My eyes lowered.

I'm useless.

"Fine." Xillian replied. "If you survive a hundred silver coated lashes, you can leave with her."

No...

I cried loudly. "No!"

Papa won't survive it.

I sobbed.

I have seen what just silver tipped lashes can do. And this was silver coated... that too a hundred of them.

No...

"Please, no." I sobbed. "Please leave!"

Papa's eyes finally met mine. I could see his sadness. I could see the regret. The regret of not being able to save me ten years ago...

"Okay." Papa said, his voice strong and his head held high like a true King.

"Please don't." I begged.

"Shut up." Xillian ordered and my lips sealed shut.

A man came and ripped Pap's shirt off.

I cried but no voice came out of my mouth. I tired to scream, to stop them but still... no words escaped my mouth.

He then handed Xillian a whip that was entirely silver except the handle that was black.

I tried to use my powers, to get up, to somehow stop him but my body protested and I stayed kneeling on the elevated floor.

Xillian moved and my heart squeezed.

I closed my eyes. I can't see it. I just can't.

I heard the swoosh of the whip in the air and then the sound of the whip meeting skin. Again and again.

The smell of his skin burning, the sound of it sizzling made me want to hurl.

I started crying, supporting myself up with my hands.

What had I gotten myself into?

What had I gotten Papa into?

Why do I always have to spoil everything?

The continuous sounds of lash meeting skin hit my ears along with painful grunts of Papa that turned into heart wrenching screams.

I felt my heart shatter. I keep on hurting the people I love. Even though it's unintentional, the people I love keep getting hurt.

I don't deserve to love anyone. I don't deserve to have such a nice family. I don't deserve to have such a nice home, such a nice pack.

I certainly don't deserve to be the Queen. No Queen would let her own Papa be hurt like this.

I watched as Xillian destroyed Papa's body with the silver whips. Without doing anything, without speaking anything, I watched Papa's blood spray around the ground.

He screamed and grunted and cried in pain.

And everyone laughed and cheered. They rejoiced the fall of the true King of Water.

Xillian laughed. His face was splattered with blood. His body was coated with blood. But he only laughed.

I tried to scream but again, hoping that after hearing me object, Papa would tell them to stop and leave, I couldn't let out a single sound. I tried to focus on my powers. But I felt powerless. I tried to tune everything out and somehow not follow Xillian's order like I did before, but Papa's screams tore my heart.

They broke it.

They broke me.

Piece by piece.

Lash by lash.

The worst thing for a daughter in the entire world was watching her father cry. Especially because of her.

"I lost the count." Xillian stopped. "Was it sixty? Or was it fifty?"

"Seventy eight." Papa croaked.

"I'm pretty sure it was forty eight." Xillian grinned.

Papa grunted and spat out a mixture of blood and saliva on the floor.

I sobbed silently.

That's all I was good for—crying.

"Be a fucking man follow through your word." Papa grunted, his body all bloody and battered. Tatters of his skin were hanging, exposing his flesh and bones.

No one cared.

Xillian dropped the whip. "You're right. I should be a man." He nodded.

A chill went down my spine because of the way he said it.

I saw his fist clench. "Avalyn. Stand up."

"No." Papa's voice broke, his eyes struggling to stay open. His skin was quickly losing it's colour too.

I stood up, my tears not stopping.

"Undress yourself."

No.

But of course, my body didn't listen to me. How much ever I resisted, an external force pushed me to do it.

My hands took off my white dress.

Every single man and woman and child cheered and laughed.

My eyes slid shut.

Please. I don't want to do it.

No. Please no.

But I couldn't speak.

Because he had ordered me not to.

And my treacherous body heeded to his command. All because of this collar.

Suddenly there was a commotion and a proud, angry blond wolf with a hundred shades of fiery orange and red came running in.

The colour of his fur was different for some reason. But it was him. I knew it's him with every bone of my body.

Nikolai.

A breath of relief left me. He's alive.

But my hands didn't stop. They slid behind my back and unclasped my bra.

I forced my hands to stop.

But they didn't.

The bra straps slid down my arms and I cried silently as I stood there, unable to cover myself up.

Nikolai growled loudly, so loud that I felt the power in every cell of my body.

The throne shook. The podium shook. The ground everyone stood on shook.

Everyone fell silent. Deathly silent. No one even dared to move.

Next, I removed my panties.

Nik ran towards me.

Xillian raised his hand and my throat constricted and I felt all the air pulled out of my body. My heart squeezed and my lungs burned. I collapsed on the ground, taking in large gasps of air but still feeling breathless.

"One more step and she's dead." Xillian snarled. "Stand back. Shift."

Nik stopped. He shifted to his skin and took a step back. He glanced at Papa before he looked at Xillian again. "Let them go."

"I gave Javier a way out. He could either leave alone or take a hundred silver coated lashes and leave with his daughter. Guess what he chose? I now have Javier, the King of Water kneeling in front of me." Xillian laughed and then so did his people.

"He didn't complete his hundred lashes. And he's already half dead." He kicked Papa in the middle of his chest and Papa fell down on his back, coughing blood.

As useless as ever, I stood and watched.

"I won't give you an out." He hissed. "The both of you insulted me in front of everyone. I will do the same. I want the King of Mozog and Fire at my feet. Kneel." Xillian hissed.

Nikolai let out a growl and one by one, I saw thousands men in armour run towards us in background.

"Leave no Ovzdusian alive," Nikolai growled out his command and in the next second, I saw one warrior behead a woman.

Who were they?

And them chaos erupted. People were running. They were fighting. The entire army was brutal in killing anyone who came their way. Man, woman and child. All upon Nik's orders. And then suddenly dust started floating in the air and I lost the view of Nikolai.

I knew it was Xillian's doing.

"Not a single sound out of your mouth, bitch." Xillian hissed, picked my up and threw me over his shoulder before he began running. I couldn't do anything but lay limp and mute. All I could do was cry silently. Somehow hoping that Nik will find me once again.

Xillian took me into the palace through a maze of hallways before we landed in the throne room.

He tossed me on the floor and looked at me with pissed off eyes. His scary gaze sent a shiver down my spine.

"Make me the fucking King of Jivan! Right fucking now!" He thundered.

I didn't know what to do. How to do it.

"Your mate is killing my people! This is the least you could do!" He scowled.

My mouth remained shut despite me having many vile insults to throw. Those 'people' weren't people. They were monsters! What kind of people laugh and cheer and rejoice as their king debases and tortures and tries to rape a woman? What kind of people are those? What kind of mentality did they have? What kind of people enjoyed it? What kind of people encouraged it?

"Make me the King!" He grabbed my hair and pulled me to my feet as he snarled in my face.

I spat in his face.

It was the least I could do.

It earned me another slap that made my head crash on the marble floor. I touched my head and felt blood. My head spun. It hurt.

Totally worth it.

And then suddenly his nostrils flared and he took a deep breath. Red colour pooled in his eyes and I knew his vampire side was more present now. He grabbed my neck and pulled me up, my face in line with his and my feet in the air. My fear grew.

Nikolai. Where are you?

"Your blood. It's golden." He whispered in wonder. "It smells... divine." And then something clicked in his eyes. Like he knew the answer. The answer to become the King.

His fangs extended and he opened his mouth with a snarl and bit into my shoulder. An ear piercing scream ripped out of my throat when he started sucking my blood like his life was dependent on it. Even the collar couldn't stop me from doing that.

It hurt. Oh Goddess did it hurt. I felt like my body was on fire. The irony. I can't burn but him drinking my blood made me feel like I was burning. I tried so hard to move and push him away, to use my powers... to do something... but I couldn't.

Because of the fucking collar.

And the pain in my head from where I had taken a hit, and from where he had bitten into my flesh was blinding.

I felt the blood drain out of my body. I could feel myself grown weaker by the second. I kept my eyes trained on the door. Hoping and praying for Nikolai to come and save me.

"Xillian..." Papa was swaying as he entered.

My eyes widened when I saw him. What was he doing here? He shouldn't be here! Xillian will kill him!

"Y-you want to be k-king of Jivan...you'll be the king of not-nothing. N-Not even your own isl-island." He swayed before taking support again the door. The entrance of Papa didn't deter Xillian from sucking my blood.

He looked at me. "Y-you'll live."

And then Papa raised his hands and shut his eyes.

After a solid minute, the floor we were standing on began rocking. Everything started falling down and crashing. It was almost like an...an earthquake. But Papa can't control land, only water.

Then it clicked. He was moving the water around land submerged— the base of the island—  which in turn shook the entire island of Ovzdusia. And then the sound of waves crashing against the shore became prominent. Like a tsunami had hit the shores. The sound was so loud that it drowned the grunts and screams of the people fighting outside.

Papa was trying to drown the island.

Without detaching himself from me, Xillian extended his hand towards Papa. Opened his hand and then closed it into his fist. Papa grabbed his throat and began gasping for air. Xillian was sucked all the air out of his body...

No.

A growl hit my ears and I knew Nikolai had found me. He was coming. He would save us both.

This caused Xillian to suck more voraciously. The pain increased. It was unbearable. I could feel my nerves on fire. Tears streamed down my face as I tried and failed to save myself from his clutches.

Nikolai finally entered the room and my hopes flared.

He looked at me, his eyes angry as he took the situation in. His hair first turned blond, then orange and them red before they rose up straight in the air, flames erupting out of them. Nikolai growled loudly, angrily. He was more angry than I had ever seen him, the flames on top of his head growing in size. Nikolai wasn't just mad, he was furious. More than I had ever seen him.

That was when Xillian finally pull out his fangs out of my body.

"One move and I kill her." Xillian snarled and I saw Nik freeze.

"Avalyn use your powers." Nikolai growled. "Exchange places with me."

I wept, unable to do anything.

"She can't." Xillian shook his head. "She is my slave now."

"Avalyn." Master growled with so much authority that something deep within me shifted. "Use your magic. Exchange places."

And then I could suddenly move. I felt my powers swirl within me but Xillian's hold on my throat, just above the collar tightened before I could move. "Stop!"

Again, I felt my powers fade away.

Xillian dragged me towards his throne and pushed me over the armrest so my cheek was resting on the seat and I could see Nikolai. My body went limp. I had lost a lot of blood and I was still bleeding from the wound on my head. I could feel the life drain out of my body. I was tired. Oh so tired. But I can't die. I can't leave Nikolai alone. I'm not going to be a useless bystander. I'll fight till my last breath.

"I'll become the King later. Right now, I want to you submit to me. I want to see the King of Soare Luna, Mozog and Poziarne kneel in front of me."

He started unzipping his pants and I cried and tried to protest and thrash under his hold but I couldn't. I had neither the ability nor the energy to do so.

Nikolai's eyes flickered to me before he focus his angry gaze on Xillian again.

His entire body was heaving with pent up energy. His feet were on fire, his fists were on fire. His hair...oh Goddess his fiery hair...those flames were his own personal crown.

I could feel the strength flowing through his veins, I could feel the hum of his blood grow louder and stronger. Every cell in my body wanted to submit to him, bow down to him. But I was being held down so I couldn't.

And then suddenly, I saw Xillian's hand extend and he opened his palm in Nikolai's direction before closing it in a fist. And then, in the next second, all his fire extinguished.

"No oxygen, no fire." Xillian's cruel words followed.

Nik looked helpless. Xillian could kill me with a flick of his wrist.

I felt his tip at my entrance and my eyes squeezed shut. He could enter me with a single thrust of his hips.

No. No no no no no. Please no. Please.

My entire body wrecked with uncontrollable sobs, I couldn't take it anymore. Not again. Never again. I didn't want this.

"Stop." Nikolai growled, his voice cracking.

And then he sunk to his knees.