Eternal Kingdom

The abandoned lobby was a terrifying sight, broken glass and spray paint littering the once glamorous destination, making it look more like a decrepit Halloween attraction than a resort. What was I doing here? Did Lysander send me here?

Certainly not.

But that would mean that I sent myself here. I didn't know I possessed teleportation, and judging by the look on Lysander's face before I came here, neither did he.

*Lysander.*

*Bastion.* *Rory.*

Shit, I didn't even know how to get back. What the hell was I supposed to do?

I could ask Lysander for help, but I was afraid. I didn't know if he would even still want anything to do with me after all of the hell I put him through. It was my fault he was in the middle of this in the first place. I couldn't let him deny me. I refused to listen.

I shivered, the stale, cool air kissing my exposed skin. Why the hell was it so cold in here? I glanced down, a tremble flowing through me when I recognized the tattered remains of my dress. I looked terrible. I attempted to salvage enough material to preserve my modesty, but what was even the point?

I was stuck in Vegas, in an abandoned building, without any of the men I loved beside me.

This was what I deserved.

Honestly, if I were selfless, I would reject my bonds with both my royal and my mate so that they could be free to live without me, but I wasn't the hero type. No, I was quickly becoming the villain in my story. I was disloyal, untrustworthy, unfaithful, and a fucking coward for running when it all came to the light. But I didn't know how else to be.

I was desperate to get away, to run from my problems.

How could I possibly be a Queen when I couldn't even keep my own household together?

I couldn't protect my mate, my royal, or my children. I was scum. Absolute scum.

If I had any tears left to cry, or if I deserved to, I would have. But I didn't. I stayed kneeling on the ground, staring at the pillar that I first met Rory at.

"Do you remember, Rory?" I spoke aloud, laughing humorlessly. "Love at first sight." But it was fake. All of it was fabricated by a tempting man with a little too much power. A man who would later draw me away from the very man he chose for me, offering me love I had no business receiving.

Ironic.

My children, my mate, my royal, my god; all of them had taken a backseat to my own selfish desires. I was no Queen.

I glanced down at the vibrant seal between my breasts. What a cruel joke.

I lifted my hand, trailing a claw up the ornate image, blood beading down my torso. I didn't react to the pain. I already felt numb, so what was a little cut?

The subtle clicking of shoes on the marble drew my attention, and I glanced up to see a young man approaching me. Both of his arms were covered in fantastical designs, his shoulder length black hair brushing the top of his plain white t-shirt. He had a devilish smirk hidden behind his stubble, and was approaching me slowly, menacingly.

My survival instincts kicked in when I noticed the black and gray clouds of dark energy surrounding him, and I fell back on my ass, scurrying across the dried blood and leaves that were covering the floor.

"Aria Wilson." He spoke in a smooth, British accent, and I knew immediately that this human worked for Lorec. But how did he even find me?

I had to tell Lysander.

But before I could formulate my next thought, hands grappled me from behind, and a black beaded necklace was fastened to throat.

What the hell?

I fought the binds, trying to channel my strength into my movements, but I felt so damn weak.

"*Lysander*!" I yelled in my head, hoping it had somehow got through, but he didn't come. Damn it, I needed him. The man was less than ten feet away from me now, and I was shaking like a leaf. "Lysander!" I shouted aloud this time, but the man only chuckled, pulling his tongue between his teeth.

"Sorry, my darling. He can't hear you."

"What do you want from me?" I tried sounding strong, but it came out in a pathetic plea. I didn't have the energy to fight. The man's face lit up with amusement and he squatted before me, twirling a silver and gold plated ring on his left hand.

"Do you have any idea how long it took us to finally catch you alone? Of course, I surely didn't expect you to be here of all places. It seems the Prince has given you more of his power than we originally thought." His thin lips turned down in a frown, but he kept talking. "Regardless, Mr. Bennet will be most pleased at your arrival to the Palace."

My eyes grew wide. No! It was one thing for me to come along on my own two feet, but they were making me a prisoner. I was going to be dragged there.

"Let me go!" I shrieked, thrashing violently, catching glass with my flailing legs, making them bleed.

"Koimao." The man whispered, a puff of black smoke pouring from his lips and burning like embers against my skin. It was my first real experience with dark magic, and I was helpless against it.

My lids grew heavy, and I could no longer keep them open. As darkness consumed me, I heard a muffled voice cry out my name. Lysander.

*I'm sorry that I couldn't be the Queen you wanted*.

•

"Love?"

I groaned, rolling onto my side. The cushy material beneath me seduced me to slumber once again, but the voice was insistent.

"Aria."

I flopped back to my other side, scrunching my nose in discomfort at the way my muscles ached beneath the satin sheets. It felt like I hadn't moved a muscle in at least a week, and the smooth and alluring voice wasn't helping me want to get up. I was exhausted.

"Go away." I mumbled, throwing an arm over my face in defiance.

He chuckled, the deep reverberations stirring my heart and making my mind finally kick into gear.

Rory!

I darted up, nearly colliding with his head as he leaned over me, but he pulled back in time, blinking quickly in surprise.

"Aria? Are you okay?"

"Rory! Oh my goddess, Rory!" I cried, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him closer to me. He melted against my touch, hugging me back and burying his face in my shoulder. "Is it really you?" I asked, unwilling to believe that he had come back to me.

Come back to me?

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.org is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away!

Rory was gone. But he came back to me. Where was I?

"Drink, love. It will help with the soreness." He urged, pulling away so that he could bring a flute of blood to my lips. I resisted the alluring scent, looking into his loving eyes skeptically. "Rory, where am I? Where's Bastion? The babies? What the hell happened?" My voice was gradually climbing in panic, but he remained calm.

"Shh... You're okay now. The twins are here, they are just napping in the nursery. You agreed to come with me, remember?"

A sharp pain shot through my temple. *What do I remember?*

*I remember Rory coming to get me. The note. I remember feeling afraid and ashamed. I remember the man at ARIA. The man with the tattoos, the one with the dark energy.*

My eyes narrowed into a glare, and my hand shot to the glass, backhanding it out of his fingers. He jumped as the crystal shattered on the floor, splattering blood across the smooth marble. "Don't you fucking lie to me." I snarled, attempting to pull away from him. His face grew sad as he caught my wrist, dragging me back across the bed.

"Aria, why do you have to fight?" He mumbled sorrowfully. I kicked against him, struggling with all my might and even attempting to hit him with my free hand, but he caught that wrist, too. Why was I so weak? What was happening to me?

"Rory! Let me go!" I screeched, willing my claws to extend, but they wouldn't.

"Dev!" He shouted at the door, dragging me off the bed and locking my arms around my body, pressing my back to his front. Within seconds, the same man who had taken me stepped through the door, but his tattoos were covered with a black button up.

"No!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, making Rory wince.

"Love, it's okay. He isn't going to hurt you. Please, I don't want to force you down there. Stop yelling."

Down there? Down where?! Panic rose in my throat and I felt like I would choke on the thick air. My breaths came out in short gasps and I could already feel myself passing out.

"Please, Dev." He said, trying to hide the distress in his voice, but I knew it was killing him to do this to me. Dev stepped towards us, producing a syringe from a small black case in his back pocket.

Fuck, he was going to drug me!

"This will be safer for her than any magic I'd cast, especially if she's about to undergo a major ritual." He assured my royal, who was tightening his hold on me and stepping back.

He must've trusted this man, because Dev's words seemed to calm him, causing him not only to freeze, but to pry my left arm into an exposed position to be pierced.

"Rory, please. Please, don't. Rory, I love you. I'm sorry." My words were tumbling out between sobs and choked air, begging for mercy. Was he angry at me? Was this because of Lysander? Or because I didn't want to go with him?

I felt warm tears dripping into my hair, followed by his lips pressing against the top of my head.

"I know, love. It's okay. This is just to help you relax a little. I swear, I won't hurt you. You're safe."

At his last word, the needle pierced my skin, pushing the burning liquid that filled the syringe deep into my veins. I felt my throat tighten, along with the rest of my muscles, as they seized in complaint against the foreign invader. I grunted, my legs giving out beneath me, but Rory just scooped me into his arms.

After another second of the near-painful tension, it all left my body in a rush, leaving behind a heap of slow breaths and half-drawn eyes. I could barely even think straight, much less move.

Rory eyed me in concern, his eyes flitting back to his friend who was storing the used needle. "What was that?"

"Dilaudid."

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.org is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "Isn't that a pain medication?" Dev grunted his confirmation, zipping the case closed.

"It's a strong opioid, but does a pretty damn good job at partial sedation, without changing the mental state too much." He nodded to my unmoving form, placing the case into his back pocket and offering me a grin. "Doesn't look like she'll be doing much shouting. She won't be able to do much at all."

I could feel my inhibitions fading away with each passing second, but despite my lack of energy, I was wide awake. It was like being drunk, without the stomach ache and spinning room.

My eyes searched Rory's face, unconcerned with the fact that he had begun carrying me out of the room. Nothing mattered more to me at that moment than watching my royal. He caught me staring, a slight frown forming on his lips.

"Are you okay?" He asked warily. I smiled, a lazy and drunken smile, lifting my floppy hand to stroke his neck.

"Why did you leave?" The words tumbled from my mouth so messily that I was amazed he even heard me.

"Because I love you." He stated calmly, never faltering in his step, despite his eyes remaining focused on me. I snorted, pressing my lips to his collar. He tensed.

"Bullshit. You... You left 'cause you were scared." His jaw clenched, making me giggle. "You're a coward like me."

His eyes darted straight ahead, and I could tell my words were affecting him.

"I am a coward, Aria. But sometimes we do crazy things for the one's we care about most."

I considered his words, the best I could in my fragile state of mind.

"We could've been happy, though. We could've been a family. Three of us. No, five."

He shook his head, making me furrow my brow.

"We couldn't, love." "Why not?"

"Because it wasn't meant to be. You can only have one." His last words got caught in his throat. "And I can't lose you." I didn't understand what he was trying to tell me with my brain so foggy and scattered, so I moved on, forming my words carefully.

"Sorry. Lysander. I did a lot of bad things with him." Rory jolted to a halt, his red eyes flaring at me. I watched them with fascination. They were oddly beautiful, hints of pink and crimson scattered across the iris.

"Like what?" He asked through a clenched jaw. I knew I should've stopped talking, but I couldn't find my filter. I had willingly surrendered to the sensations of the heavy narcotic in my system. None of my actions had consequences, anymore. "Hm... I tasted him. He tasted me. He used a toy." I whispered, as if I were telling secrets. His eyes widened before screwing shut. I could feel his deep inhales and exhales against my body. "Do you forgive me?" I finally asked, suddenly desperate for his love. My fingers skirted inside his shirt, tracing over where his seal was. He shivered at my caress, tightening his grip on me as not to drop me.

"Yes, Aria. I've had a lot of time to think about it. I forgave you a long time ago." His beautiful blue eyes met mine once again, but there was a hint of shame. "Now, I need you to forgive me."

"For what?"

Without another word, he stepped up to a massive wooden door, covered top to bottom with intricate carvings, much like the markings on Dev's arms.

"We are ready for the ritual, Mr. Bennet." A woman wearing a black cloak spoke, gesturing for us to enter further into the darkened room. He nodded back at her, stepping forward with grace until we reached a candlelit section. Fear gripped me, regardless of the sedation, and I clung tightly to my royal.

"Rory? What's going on? What is this?" He offered me a small smile, prying me from his body to set me on a wooden table. With a nod of his head, several hands sprung forth, pulling me flat against the glazed grains and strapping my ankles and wrists into biting leather straps. "Please." I choked out as one final plea.

Silent saltwater fell from his gorgeous blues and he leaned forward to press his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Aria.