Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Cordelia’s and Hayden’s bodies lay unmoving on the marble floor.
Looking around, I took deep breaths, my chest rising and falling like a feather in a breeze. It was almost too easy to breathe. The air around us was charged with light magic, and the scent of summer blossoms filled my senses.
The dark magic was disappearing with Cordelia’s death. I sensed a shift in energy around me. While the faces of everyone around me, even the dark fairy warriors, showed nothing but relief, my heart ached with mixed emotions.
Cordelia was still family—the only one that I had left on my biological mother's side. I would never forget my aunt’s sacrifice.
I rubbed my chest. Beneath my blood, I had no wound, not even a scratch.
My gaze fell over the faces of my friends and allies, the Uprising Guardians and dark fairies—but I guessed there were no rebel fairies and dark fairies anymore. They were fairies about to start a new era in the restoring realm.
I extended my hands to Torin. With a smile, he handed me both fairy swords, the Queen’s and the King’s. This man knew me too well.
Everyone else looked at me with raised eyebrows and amusement in their eyes.
I gripped the swords in each hand and strode to Seraphina. Standing before her, I smiled. “You will be the next fairy Queen until you establish a system for choosing the royals in the realm,” I said, handing her the sword.
She took it, but her hands trembled.
“And make sure you build a Queen’s throne.”
She nodded, her eyes bright with moisture.
I walked forward and stood in front of Niall. “You’ll have to fill the role of the fairy King for now, Niall,” I said, handing him the other sword. “You’re already very familiar with things in the castle and will be a great addition to Seraphina’s strong sense of justice.”
He took the sword and knelt, bowing slightly. He stood and nodded at me.
Torin had been standing quietly on my right side. As I moved, he moved.
Adrian came to my other side and nudged me. “I thought you would be the fairy Queen, too.”
My smile broadened. “This is not the realm where I plan to build my family, Adrian.”
Torin’s body tensed, and anxiety radiated off him, but to everyone else, I was sure Torin looked fierce and serious.
“I’m going to be the Eternal Queen.”
Torin moved as fast as lightning, his arms snaking around my waist and lifting me bridal style. He carried me a few steps forward until we reached the King’s throne, where Hayden had left The Book of Thoradis.
Picking up the book, I opened it, flipping through the pages in search of the immortality spell.
"Anna," Torin said in a low voice. "You know what that means. The sacrifices you would have to make…"
As an immortal, I would witness my friends’ and family’s deaths. The weight of loss would forever burden my heart.
"Every moment without you is a sacrifice, Torin," I said. "I've made my choice. I want to be with you. Forever. I was given another chance in life, and I’m not going to waste it."
"Are you certain?" he asked, his voice heavy with a thousand unspoken fears.
"More than anything," I said, brushing my fingers against the ancient leather cover of the book that held the key to our future. "I love you. And if this is the only way for us to be together, then it's a choice I'm willing to make."
Torin studied me for a long moment, the intensity of his gaze sending waves of delicious sensations down to my core.
“Don’t give me that look, little witch wolf,” Torin said in a low voice, crooking an eyebrow.
This man. My cheeks flushed as many pairs of eyes traveled to me.
As I stood before the ancient book, the realization of who I was supposed to become finally hit me. It wasn’t like time stopped and my life flashed before my eyes type of moment.
It was a quiet moment as I stared at the worn leather cover. I was the werewolf Queen and a witch—a protector of the magic books and the balance in the supernatural world, which included the human, fairy, and dream realms.
I took a deep breath, glancing at Torin. His smile was like the sun breaking through the dark, enchanted clouds outside. He nodded toward the book, urging me to continue.
Brushing my finger over the old yellow pages, I opened my mouth to read the words written there long ago by the Gods.
As I whispered the ancient words, the pages whispered back. With trembling hands, I traced the symbols drawn on the pages, feeling a surge of energy coursing through my veins.
The throne chamber seemed to dim, and the lights flickered. Suddenly, a burst of light erupted from the book, engulfing me in its radiant glow. The pulsing power I’d always felt when I was near a witch book returned, surging through my body as if newfound energy infused every cell.
The world around me faded into a blur, and my essence intertwined with immortality. My heart pounded as the light dissipated, leaving the chamber bathed in a serene glow.
Eternity had become my new reality.
This had been my path all along, even if I couldn’t see it. I had to die to become eternal.
A deep sense of responsibility and purpose, and the knowledge that immortality came with the duty to safeguard the supernatural world, washed over me.
I was now a guardian, a beacon of stability, of the supernatural and human world.