CHAPTER EIGHTEEN—She was my Queen!

Freya Rose As soon as I heard Sadie and Charlie's car pull away, I let my rage take over. I screeched into the air, instantly triggering my ascension. As my wings ripped through the skin on my shoulder blades, I threw my arms upwards and caught the dining table with my fingertips, which sent it crashing into the wall with enormous force. The plates and cups smashed into millions of pieces, sending food and ceramic shards hurtling through the air around me. I burst into my brilliant electrical flames allowing my screeching to cease, only to be replaced by the sound of my weighted breaths. I clenched my fists and then let my arms fall to my sides. I wanted nothing more than to smash up everything in sight, but I heard a quiet whimper inside my head.

“Freya? Please calm down. I know you're upset, but this isn't Sadie and Charlie's fault. You need to have this out with Mason!” Mina mumbled cautiously.

I knew she was right. Sadie and Charlie had been kind to me, the last thing I wanted to do was destroy their home. But I had no idea how to calm down. I couldn't believe he'd just left me here. What if the council kill him because I hadn't gone home with him, did he even think about that? Tears began to roll down my cheeks as horrifying thoughts rushed through my mind. I descended and let my flames fizzle out and I fell to the floor in a heap. I laid there sobbing while I replayed the last few tragic months over and over in my mind. I have lost too many people. I can't go through losing him too. Without realizing it I found myself thinking about Samael and how comforting his friendship had been.

“Sam?” I called out between sobs while resting my head on the cold hard tiles of the kitchen floor.

As I lay there with tears rolling over my nose and splattering onto the tiles, I spotted Mason's note. I reached my hand forward and slid it back along the floor, then picked it up and rolled over onto my back. I took in a deep breath in an attempt to settle my sobs. It worked a little and I was able to open up the note and hold it out in front of my face, but my tears made the words impossible to read. I roughly wiped them away so that I could read what Mason had to say for himself.

“This better be good!” Mina scoffed.

I scowled at her in my mind and with an exaggerated huff she skulked off, leaving me in peace to read the note.

Dear Freya, I know that you’re probably pissed off right now, but please forgive me.

I have a plan, I promise, but for it to work I need to face the council alone. I am truly sorry for how I left, but I knew you would never have agreed to my plan.

Please just remember that I love you more than anything in this world and there is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe.

Always on my mind. Forever in my heart.

Mason xxx Pissed off? Seriously!? Of course I'm pissed off Mason! How the hell did you think I was going to feel? Did you think that I'd wake up in the morning, see you were gone and just say ‘oh, okay see you later, love you?’ Oh please.

I could feel my rage beginning to build back up again and Mina instantly began asking me to calm down again, but I was too angry to listen to her. I dragged myself off of the tiled kitchen floor and stood up tall, making sure to push back the tears that overwhelmed my eyes. I screwed up Mason's note with one hand and threw it on top of the broken remains of the dining table. Turning to face the note, I ignited one hand and watched as the electrical flames engulfed my hand and delicately danced around as they rose into the air. I held my hand out flat and concentrated. I imagined making a fireball and within seconds the fire began to bend to my will. A fireball with mixed colors spun around just above my palm. Streaks of light blue flashed and danced throughout the ball which made it look like beautiful marble.

I held my palm up and aimed the electrical fireball at the note that sat crumpled up on top of the broken table. I pulled my hand back ready to throw the fireball at the note, wanting to set it and all of its surroundings ablaze. I wanted to watch it all burn and disintegrate into ashes. Hopefully then, the pain in my heart would stop.

“Freya? What on earth are you doing?” A man's voice startled me.

I turned to face whoever had just disturbed me and as a result, I lost my concentration on the fireball for a second and it flew right at the intruder.

“Ah, crap!!” He yelled and just about managed to dive out of the way of the fireball.

Wide-eyed and mouth open, I watched as Samael glided through the air, then rolled onto the ground to avoid my fireball. It continued on its destructive course and smashed through the kitchen window, shattering the glass. It then flew through the air and with a huge crack sound that echoed through the quiet morning street, it collided with a large tree opposite the cottage. From the corner of my eye, I could see Samael getting back onto his feet while I continued to stare at the tree. It held up surprisingly well, except there was now a huge gaping hole in the middle of it. The hole was ashen and smoldering slightly. I continued to watch as small flames began to emerge from the black hole within the tree.

Oh God, the whole tree's going to go up in flames, how is that going to be explained? I panicked to myself. Just as the thought crossed my mind a huge crack of thunder echoed through the air and a magnificent lightning bolt beautifully etched its way through the sky just above the tree. I sighed with relief. People would just think the tree got hit by lightning. I did wonder if Selene had anything to do with the perfectly timed storm, but I didn't have time to explore the idea, as Samael made his way over to me and wrapped his arms tightly around me in a surprisingly comforting embrace.

“That was close. Was that fireball meant for me?” He asked with a nervous chuckle while he squeezed me tighter. I lightly laughed and shook my head against his chest. “Are you okay, love?” He asked in the sweetest and softest voice. If I didn't know that he was a vampire Sire, I would have sworn that he was an angel. I shook my head against his chest again and tried my hardest to keep my tears inside. “Come on, let's get you comfy on the couch and I'll make us both a nice coffee. We can then have a chat. How does that sound?” He asked while turning me around and placing his arm around my shoulders to guide me towards the living room.

I didn't protest and allowed him to walk me through and sit me down on the couch. He left to go and make coffees and was soon back in the living room with me. After placing the coffees on the table, he sat down next to me on the couch. I pulled my legs up to my chest and flopped sideways towards Samael, he instantly sat back allowing me to rest my head on his chest as he laid his arm across my shoulders.

“So, do you want to talk about it?”

I sat silent for a few seconds trying to work out where to start. I inhaled deeply then sat up and turned myself around to face him. His golden-brown eyes were full of such warmth and love. Definitely not what you'd expect from a vampire, that's for sure.

“Well, when you left to lure away the hunters, Mason brought me here to keep me safe,” I began to tell Sam what happened. I waited for him to ask where here was, but he kept silent, clearly waiting for me to continue, so I did. “We had an amazing night together,” I said as my cheeks flushed when I remembered all the ways Mason made me feel on top of that mountain. Sam cleared his throat and I blushed even more when I noticed how uncomfortable I had just made him. “Sorry, um well, I woke up this morning and Mason was gone. All that was left was that note,” I rolled my eyes, as I pointed out towards the kitchen. I reached over and retrieved my coffee then sat back and took a sip.

“This note?” Sam questioned while pulling the crumpled up note out of his pocket. “May I?” He asked politely. I nodded and took a few more sips of my coffee while he read over the note. He finished reading it, then smoothed it out and placed it delicately onto the table. He picked up his coffee and turned to face me. “So why were you so angry in there?” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb towards the kitchen.

I crossed my legs and held my cup on my lap with both hands, then replied, “I was angry because he snuck out last night, not bothering to tell me that he was leaving…” I paused, then sighed. “To be honest I'm not even mad about that really, it's the fact that he is facing the council alone. What if he gets killed Sam?” I asked with worry in my eyes. “That's why I'm angry, the fact that he didn't give me a choice to be there when he faced them. If we are supposed to be together forever as soul mates, then surely we should be facing everything together. He can't just leave me behind like a weak child. I am supposed to be his equal.”

I sat back and continued to drink my coffee.

“Well, do you want my input?” Sam asked me bluntly.

“Yes, of course. I value your opinion,” I replied as I sat forwards again to listen.

“Right, well. First of all, I can totally understand why you are angry. You lost the love of your life, then your mom and your dad. Then you find love again in Mason and you're scared to death of losing him too, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, that's a perfectly normal reaction to him leaving without telling you,” he stated matter-of-factly.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

“I don't know if I'd call hurling a fireball through a window a 'perfectly normal reaction' though,” I spluttered out between giggles while doing air quotes.

Sam began laughing too, then replied, “Well, no. That part might have been a little over the top.”

We both cracked up again and a tear ran down my face. It was nice to have happy tears in my eyes for a change, they didn't seem to sting as much. It had been a while since I'd been able to relax and have a giggle. We finally stopped laughing then Sam's expression changed to a more serious look.

“Although I do understand it from Mason's point of view too. He was right to meet the council alone. I wish I had done the same with, Kali…” He paused as sadness and regret washed over his face.

“Do you mind telling me about Kali?” I asked as delicately as I could.

I knew it was a sore subject, but her name seemed to be popping up all over the place lately and it looked like I was a lot like her. So I needed to know as much as I could about her.

“Of course,” he replied with a smile, “you have every right to know about her. She is your aunt after all.”

He sighed and placed his cup on the table, then inhaled a large breath, sat back and began. He told me of how he and Kali first met. It was before her ceremony. She must have been around seventeen years old. He said she'd always been a rebel and snuck out of the house and that particular night she'd snuck out to a party. She had dressed up to look older and managed to get into the party unnoticed, well unnoticed by the humans that is. One of Sam’s vampires had noticed her and taken a liking to her. He watched her while she got drunk and partied, then when she left, he followed her. The vampire jumped her and kidnapped her, then took her back to the mansion.

“As soon as I walked into the mansion, I could smell an amazing scent, nothing like I'd ever smelled before. It was mouth-watering, just the right mix of spring air and fresh mint. It smelled like heaven to me. I followed the scent to one of the bedrooms and I could hear someone feeding on the other side of the door. So, I kicked the door open and there she was,” he paused while he reminisced. His face and eyes filled with pure happiness, and I stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt his story. “I tackled the vampire sending him flying through the air. Luckily Kali was passed out and he hadn't bled her dry yet. I placed her gently on the bed while I fought off the advances of the vampire. Sadly, he was in the middle of a feeding frenzy and there is no talking us down from that, the only way to stop him was to kill him. So, I grabbed a wooden chair and smashed it over his head, broke off one of the legs and plunged it through his chest.”

I sat back a little shocked at what he'd just said. I wondered why he’d killed one of his own for Kali. Seeing my thoughts playing over my face he quickly continued.

“Killing one of our own is forbidden, so no one must know that I told you that, okay?” He asked with pleading in his eyes.

“Of course, Sam. I swear I won't tell a soul. Your secrets safe with me,” I assured him as I took and held his hand.

“Thank you,” he said with a grateful smile. “After killing the vampire, I checked on Kali, she looked so peaceful laying on that bed. I could have watched her sleep for hours, but she suddenly woke up and began screaming at me. I think she believed I was the one that had kidnapped her and fed on her.” I continued to listen to his story with fascination. “I got closer to her and held my hands up trying to tell her that I meant no harm, but she wouldn't listen. That's when she punched me straight in the face and tried to run away. I grabbed her wrist, but she spun around and kicked me right in the balls,” he said with a grimaced look on his face.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. That sounds exactly like something I would do, and the thought amused me. Sam raised one eyebrow at me trying to show that he wasn't amused, but the slight sideways smirk he had on his face told me different. His expression then became serious again and I instantly ceased laughing and continued to listen to his story.

“Hearing the commotion my father burst into the room. He was shocked by the sight of his eldest son crouched on the floor clutching his family jewels. He scanned around and spotted a pile of dust that used to be one of his vampires, then saw a young disheveled woman holding a chair leg stake.” He paused when I gasped. I held my hand over my mouth and nodded for him to continue. “Well, being faced with that scene. My father instinctively rushed towards Kali ready to kill her. For any other human or hunter, I wouldn't have stopped him, but I knew she was different. She was special. She was my Queen.”

His words were so full of love and admiration when he spoke about Kali. I moved my hand over my heart because it melted at the way he remembered her. He smiled softly then turned around to look out of the window.

“I couldn't let my father kill her, so I sprinted towards them and took the stake from Kali. I held it in front of my chest and watched as my father tried to slow down his momentum, but he was too late and fell onto the stake. The stake pierced straight through his heart. His eyes pleaded with me to help him. To save him, but I knew if I ripped that stake out of his chest, he would kill Kali in an instant and lock me up for eternity,” he paused and ran his hands through his thick black hair. Tears welled up in my eyes as he continued his heartfelt story. “Knowing I had no other choice, I put my hand on my father’s back, stared into his eyes and told him that I was sorry, while thrusting the stake deeper into his heart. I held up his weight when his legs gave way. Slumped in my arms I watched as blood gradually began to trickle from his mouth. His eyes finally rolled into his head and then he was gone. I held him until his body turned to dust, before letting it slip between my fingers.”

Samael went silent and lowered his head into his hands. I slid my hand across his back and gently pulled him towards me. He didn't protest and instantly yanked me into a hug. I rested my head on his shoulder and whispered, “I am so sorry, Samael. That must have been the hardest thing to do.”

He hugged me tighter then tugged himself away, kissing my cheek before sitting back and clearing his throat.

“It wasn't long before we heard footsteps running down the corridor. I was knelt down on the floor, ashes all around me, still holding the stake that had just killed my father. Kali promptly snatched the stake from my hands and yanked me up off of the floor and into a choke hold. She had her arm around my neck and the stake pressed up against my back, as twelve vampires entered the room.” He paused again as I let out another gasp. I felt like I needed some popcorn or something for this story, he really didn't prepare me for such an epic tale. He went on to tell me that Kali used him as a hostage to warn the other vampires off, so that she could escape. She took the blame for killing the first vampire and Samael's father.

“We were far away from the mansion and Kali finally let me go. I knew I could have overpowered her at any point, but I let her take charge. I asked her why she took the blame and that's when she told me that she knew it was forbidden to kill another vampire and that she didn't want me getting hurt. She let me walk her home that night and told me all about her being a hunter. We kept in contact,” he turned to look at me and said with a wink, “in secret of course.” I smiled and let out a little giggle. “We dated secretly for about three months. I took over as Sire of the vampires of Canada and she was about to have her ceremony. She met up with me one night in a complete state. She told me if she went through with the ceremony, that she would begin to hate me and would probably want to hunt me. It broke her heart and the only way out that she could think of was for me to turn her into a vampire.”

I raised my eyebrows and shuffled around in my seat a little, their story sounded so much like mine and Tristan's.

“So did you turn her?” I asked impatiently.

“I couldn't. Turning someone can go horribly wrong. Sometimes you're lucky and the person keeps their personality, but most of the time they change completely and not for the better. They become bloodthirsty, manipulative, and in Kali's case, downright evil.”

We talked long into the night, about Kali, our families, Mason, Tristan and even a little about the council. We opened up a couple of bottles of wine and ordered a Chinese, obviously just for me, but Samael patched up the window while I ate, then we carried on talking until the sun came up.