Chapter 13 – Final Sacrifice
Cerberus
I watched as the life drained from her eyes, her breathing stilled, and her hand fell from my palm into the blood-stained snow.
I cradled her in my arms, feeling a piece of myself shatter once I knew she was gone.
Viora was staring at Allegra silently as tears streamed down her face.
“There has to be something I can do,” I cried into the crook of her neck for the last time.
“She is gone…” Viora whispered almost inaudibly.
First, I lost Celia; now it was Allegra. It seemed like every time I got close to someone, they were ripped away from me.
Maybe Allegra’s father was right; I was a curse, a stain on the world, that never should have existed.
Death followed me wherever I went.
It was my fault she was gone…
In the silence, I hadn’t noticed the sun had fallen completely; the stars were the only thing visible in the sky.
From beside me, I heard shuffling in the snow.
Viora stood and walked in the direction towards the cave, “Follow me, bring Allegra.”
I didn’t know what she meant; maybe she wanted to bury her, to say our final goodbyes.
I reluctantly scooped Allegra into my arms, and her head fell backwards, bobbing as I walked with her.
Viora walked past the cave towards a small cliff that overlooked the Kingdom.
She stood, back towards me, staring at the scene below.
“This is where it all started. This is where I turned Allegra to stone over a thousand years ago,” her voice was numb and broken.
“Place her here,” she walked towards me, pointing at a spot on the ground.
“Why?” I questioned hesitantly.
“Trust me,” she spoke softly, her teary eyes never leaving Allegra’s form.
I did as she asked, laying her on the ground.
“There is a spell I can try; I am not sure if it will work.
“The soil is embedded with powerful energy, energy that is imprinted with memories from long ago. I marked this area when I cast the spell that entrapped Allegra. It was a powerful spell, a mighty sacrifice, and it was made right here.
“If I want to bring her back, this would be the best place to do it.”
“Bring her back?” I stood, looking at Viora with uncertainty.
“I have the ability to unite a type of untouched magic, one that will go against the will of nature. It is dangerous and might not work, but I have to try for Allegra,” a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Step back,” she sniffled.
I did as she said and watched as she recited a spell I could not understand.
Purple energy swirled around Viora and eventually towards Allegra, where she, too, was shrouded by swirling clouds of purple mist.
I could feel the energy in the air. I had never known Viora was so powerful.
I watched, entranced, as the Archangel blade slowly moved off its own accord, lifting from Allegra’s chest.
I expected to see blood seeping through her open wound, but instead, her skin knitted back together in the exact spot she had been pierced.
As Viora finished the spell, she fell to the floor on her knees; at the same time, Allegra inhaled a deep breath of air and sat up so quickly that my heart jumped from my chest.
I raced to her side, her sapphire blue eyes back to their original hue.
I held her close as she looked around, utterly perplexed as to what had happened.
“What… I’m supposed to be dead!” she shuffled, checking the wound that once graced her chest.
“You’re alive,” I held her close, my heart filled with an elation I couldn’t describe.
But that soon changed…
Allegra
I was dead.
I know I was.
How was I alive?
Then I remembered all my mother had taught me.
All the kinds of magic that a Seer could practice, including the ones you should never ever touch, no matter what.
I looked at my mother, kneeling beside me, knowing exactly what she had done.
“What did you do…” I murmured.
She lifted a hand to my cheek and rubbed her thumb in soothing circles, “What had to be done.”
Now, I was the one crying.
My mother, who I had finally gotten back, had cast a spell that cost her something far too significant…
Her life.
“What’s going on?” Cerberus asked, his voice a mixture of joy and bewilderment.
“The spell my mother cast, it was spirit magic,” I choked, unable to finish my sentence.
“I bought Allegra back to life, but I have relinquished mine in return. It’s the will of nature; a life for a life.”
“There has to be something we can do?” Cerberus asked despairingly.
“I’m sorry, there isn’t…”
“Why?” I asked.
“I only stayed alive for this long to find a way to rid you of the curse. Now I have. It is my time to leave this plain; I have been alive far too long. Longer than any immortal should be; I have lived a hundred lives too many.” She smiled sweetly as I leapt into her arms, holding onto her for as long as possible.
“How long?” Cerberus broke the silence.
I pulled back, “A week at most.”
“I want more time,” I sobbed.
“I know, I do too. But now you finally get to live your life. Live it to the fullest and enjoy every second of it,” my mother looked content and satisfied.
“I love you,” I hugged my mother again.
“I love you too,” she answered, brushing her fingers through my hair.
I have one more week with my mother just after getting her back.
There is nothing I can do to change what has been activated, but there is one thing I can do…
Make sure her final week is brimming with all the love, joy, and serenity she deserves.
3 months later
“Oh, Cerberus, Right there,” I moaned as his tongue travelled between my folds and over my clit as another orgasm thrummed through me. His fingers rolled over my erect nipples, and another two fingers thrust into my pussy.
As I came down from my high, I was thrown onto my stomach and watched as Cerberus’ eyes flashed an obsidian black.
He had two sides of him when we were having sex. Sometimes, he let his Angel take control; there was nothing but love and passion, slow and tortuous sex, which made me thrive with desire and satisfied torture.
Yet when his Demon came out to play…
He had a rough and playful side, which I liked a little too much.
He lifted my hips and entwined his fist in my tangled hair as he thrust into me from behind.
I screamed out in pleasure as he pounded into me. The pressure from my head as he pulled only made me whine with a craving I couldn’t quite explain.
His hand came down on my ass, making me squeal in delight, and then I felt his fingers dance on my clit, causing another orgasm to sneak up on me.
I clenched around his cock, unable to move as his hold on my hair became tighter, and I screamed his name as I came on his cock for the seventh time this morning. As I felt my orgasm reach its peak, he gently pinched my clit, longing out my orgasm and making my mind fog over with nothing but pleasure.
I felt his beating thrusts quicken as his cock expanded and his seed filled me.
When he pulled out, I was a sweaty, panting mess.
Cerberus collapsed beside me, smirking with a satisfied smile. I watched as the gold of his eyes shone through and mixed with his dark orbs.
Most mornings, I had a spellbinding wake-up call. I couldn’t complain, not when every morning I awoke to his tongue between my legs or his lips playing with my nipples.
“I love you,” I breathlessly reiterated for the fourth time this morning.
“I love you too,” he replied, kissing my forehead as he held me close.
“We should really get up,” I spoke into his chest, regretting the words the second I said them.
“Yeah, we should,” he chuckled.
I had my arm snaked over his waist, and my chest rested on his peck.
I peered down at the delicate blue marks on my upper arm.
I thought the mark would have gone, but apparently, that was my Seer mark. Usually, it was small and barely noticeable, but mine covered more than half of my arm.
I think it has something to do with the curse and how much power it gave me.
Calcus has been helping me harness and control my powers, and he has, by no means, going easy on me.
Cerberus turned to his side, facing me. His finger traced over the freshly healed mark on my neck. The mark he had given me.
It sent shudders down my spine and electric sparks towards my pussy, enticing me for another round.
Only a King had the power to mark another; Cerberus was not King yet, but he was still next in line to the throne, and the royal blood running through his veins was evident enough.
He claimed me, and because it was almost impossible for a royal Demon to produce an heir, especially when both were from a different species, this mark meant I could.
A perk of having royal blood, I suppose.
He hadn’t marked me at first. Cerberus was worried that I couldn’t withstand carrying his child because his power was too strong for a mere mortal’s body to bear. But I was no mere mortal. I was the daughter of Viora Levine. The most mighty Seer to have ever lived.
The thought of my mother didn’t instantly make my body wrack with sobs anymore. Instead, I smiled at the memories I cherished with her.
The last week we shared was exactly what she wanted it to be.
She was able to leave the world peacefully, and after knowing how long she had lived, I understood her peace with leaving the world.
There was one last thing she gave to me before me passed.
Her home.
I left it a few weeks before I could even think about going to her home, but once I had gained the courage and strength to do so, Cerberus came with me, as always.
There was a spell that Viora had used to keep her alive for so long; she bound her life to an object. So I did the same.
I bound my life to the Archangel blade, the one thing that could never be destroyed.
I will always be able to remove the bind whenever I please, but only when I feel the time is right.
“I should get ready. Calcus will make me train until dawn if I’m late again,” I said, reluctantly removing myself from Cerberus’s embrace.
Cerberus joined me in the shower. I was so tempted to let him take me again, but the thought of having to undergo more training gave me enough resolve to keep my hands to myself.
Once we were dressed, we headed towards the training room. I had never known it existed when I first arrived, but it was the most considerable and sturdiest room in the palace.
“You’re right on time,” Calcus smirked as I walked into the room, “You ready?”.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I smiled uncertainly, knowing just how gruelling his exercises could be.
After what seemed like hours, it was finally over.
I retreated towards the dining room, where I always wandered after training. Since Cerberus had taken back control of his two sides, Damien decided it was time he started teaching him the role of King.
It was just as tiring as my training, if not more, but after I had gained control over my powers, I would ask Grace to teach me so I could help Cerberus when it was his time to take over the throne.
“How was it?” Grace asked as I joined them at the extensive table.
This was one of the highlights of my day; after training, we would all sit around the table. Demons and Angels didn’t need to eat as much as me, but I appreciated that they always made an effort to dine at least once a day with me.
Damien seemed a lot less intimidating than when I first met him. I immediately recognised his soft spot for Grace and saw him in a completely different light than when he was acting as King.
Grace has been a mother figure to me since Cerberus found me. My mother can never be replaced, but Grace is the next best thing.
“I am starting to see a real difference,” I chirped.
“I remember when Calcus trained me all those years ago. He was just as brutal and serious then as he is now, if not more,” Grace smiled.
All of a sudden, my stomach churned with the desire to expel the freshly cooked food from my system.
I ran towards the nearest plant pot and hurled my entire dinner.
Cerberus was at my side in a flash, his hand soothingly rubbing gentle circles on my lower back.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.
“Mmh hmm,” I nodded.
I heard Grace’s loud heels clink towards us, my head still buried in a plant pot. She knelt, looked into my eyes, and then down at my stomach.
Cerberus helped me to my feet as a broad smile spread over Grace’s face.
“It’s happened!” she squealed and jumped ecstatically on the spot.
I stared at Cerberus with wide and concerned eyes for his mother.
Damien came to Grace’s side, “What’s going on, Songbird?” he directed to Grace.
Cerberus shrugged.
Grace stopped bouncing and looked at her son, bewildered.
“How am I the only one who knows what’s going on?” she replied, disbelieving.
“I’m going to be a grandmother!” she squealed again.
My eyes widened, and Cerberus’ face slowly spread into a wide smile. He got down on one knee, his face directly in line with my stomach and placed the most delicate kiss where our little miracle was growing.
“How did you know?” I asked Grace as Cerberus stood to his full height and held my waist possessively to his side.
“A mother’s intuition,” she stated proudly.
“I didn’t think it would happen so soon,” I stated to feel butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“It didn’t take long after I marked Grace for Cerberus to come along,” Damien added.
I felt another deep hurl from inside me, one that sent me flying head-first into the plant pot again and expelling whatever was left in my stomach.
I had Cerberus beside me, rubbing my back in gentle circles and holding my hair from my face.
I had a feeling that after my little miracle was born, I wouldn’t want to go through with this again.
Cerberus whisked me away to our room after my final hurling session.
He ran me a warm bath with my favourite concoction. After I was in, he undressed and sat behind me, bringing me close to his chest.
I rested against him, hands gently splayed over my stomach.
“Boy or girl?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“I will be happy with either,” he answered softly, landing a soft peck against my head.
“I hope she’s a girl,” I replied, “Besides, my mother told me that the firstborn children in my family were all girls”.
He held me tighter, more possessive, but not in a bad way, more so in a secure and loving way.
The path we took to get here was long, winding and wavy.
But now, I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Well… maybe for my father to have never cursed me to begin with, but then I might never have met Cerberus.
Things happen for a reason; that’s what my mother used to say, and I think she was right.
Cerberus is whole again; he mourned Celia and stopped blaming himself for her unfortunate death.
My prince was whole; he no longer feared his Demonic side.
And me…
Well, I was finally free from my curse. I got to spend an unforgettable week with my mother before she passed, and I had found the love of my life.
However, there is one thing that keeps playing on my mind…
“I wonder what our child will possess?”
“What do you mean?” Cerberus asked.
“Would she be half Angel, half Demon like her father, or would she be a Seer like me?” I asked.
“Or maybe they will be both…” he finished.
Now, that would be something you don’t see every day.
Maybe our child will be one or both.
Maybe they will hold power unlike any other, something never to be seen before, just like Cerberus.
Whatever they are…
Whoever they are…
We will love them like no other.
There will not be a child more loved in this world than them.
My sweet pea.
My miracle.
My daughter.
The End