Page 51 of Queen of the Wicked (Afterlife #1)

In response, the former general dipped her chin. “You have my word, Eryx. I will protect her with my life.”

“Where is he going?” Alessia asked, moving to rise from the seat. The pain was unbearable now, feeling like a chainsaw was slowly hacking away at her ribs. Her chest cavity felt close to collapsing, her lungs unable to take in a deep breath. “W-What’s happening ?”

“Alessia, I need you to listen to me.” Her mother squatted to become eye-level with her and grabbed her hands. “You are the harbinger—the one with the power to change the outcome of the realms entirely. You are the one who must be protected at all costs. This pain will pass.”

“I…I don’t understand,” she gasped. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she had no reason to cry. Why was she crying?

“The Makers provided you with disciples to help achieve this mission. People who would freely give their lives to ensure the greater good. They were hand-selected before either of you were born, ensuring a path for you to be destined for greatness.” Her eyes glistened with pride. “You are the greatest weapon we have.”

Alessia hadn’t noticed, but Brienne had dropped to a knee with a hand placed over her heart. “The harbinger,” she breathed, eyes cast to the floor. “It is an honor and a privilege.”

“Please…stop.” Alessia rose to her feet despite the waves of turmoil rocking through her.

“Stop calling me the harbinger. Stop speaking in riddles. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what the everloving fuck is happening right now!” Power surged within her, stopping at the base of her throat.

Crimson eyes remained locked on her mother, but they didn’t seem to frighten her at all.

Instead, Elyana was in awe, dropping to a knee beside her to match Brienne.

“Speak,” Alessia hissed, her voice not sounding like her own. “ Now.”

I told you to be careful, the voice inside her purred. You were only meant to take, and now your broken heart will pay the price.

“Erebos is your mate,” her mother replied, “and you are the lost heir of Heaven.”

The statement had Alessia’s knees buckling, and if she weren’t gripping onto the armrest of the chair for balance, she might have fainted.

For once, she wished for the red aura to appear.

It never did.

“King Amos sent your mom and me to Earth to protect you from harm after Haleth looked into your future and learned you were the harbinger. Following your father’s orders, Haleth cast an enchantment to hide your powers until you could handle them, knowing that the Lord of Hell would inevitably seek you out when the time came.

The Makers designed him specifically for you, knowing the combination of black and dark magic would create the most powerful immortal ever to walk the realms, capable of demolishing or rectifying the balance when the time came. That time is now.”

The Lord of Hell was made for you, Harbinger. Darkness can exist without light, but light cannot exist without darkness.

The Seeker’s words echoed through her mind, but she didn’t wish they were true.

Because accepting the truth meant that Erebos wasn’t made for her, but made for her.

A vessel to carry powers until she was old enough to take them.

A means to an end. A… disciple used to help her achieve the greater good.

“So, you’re saying the Makers only created Erebos as my mate to ensure we would find each other?” Alessia asked on a shaky exhale. “But I never agreed to be his mate.”

“That is true,” Elyana agreed. “Erebos did not wish to force the choice upon you. We spoke privately after I smelled the scent of your bond my first day in Hell.”

“Erebos knew? ” Unable to help herself, the smoke within her shot out to send a vase on the hearth shattering against the floor.

She hated that she was uncontrollable right now, but nothing could quell her hurt.

Erebos was her mate, and she couldn’t decide whether she should be furious with him for keeping this secret from her or grateful he didn’t rush her into the bond.

“Did he know his powers were meant for me this entire time, or was his distress over losing them all an act?”

Elyana shook her head. “Erebos was unaware of his role in your destiny. The full exchange of powers was not complete until you both… solidified your connection. Although you have not officially accepted the title as his mate, the rest of his powers were still exchanged, as they rightfully belong to you and not the lord. Now you are at full capacity.”

Full capacity?

How dare she talk about Erebos merely as an object? Like he was only a battery to charge her up before sending him on his way?

The smoke acted on its own accord, wrapping around her mother’s throat to force her gaze to hers. “And what happens to him now that I have one hundred percent of his powers?”

Fear entered her mother’s eyes, but her expression did nothing to change the hold Alessia’s smoke held around her throat. It was as if Elyana severely underestimated how powerful she was now, and the knowledge thrilled her.

“The lord is no longer immortal,” she replied solemnly. “His body is deteriorating, as he has been alive for many years.”

Alessia’s heart fractured in that moment, splitting right down the center and erupting into millions of tiny, excruciating shards. Every moment repeated in her head since they’d met, wondering why she never pieced it together until now.

How he allowed her to sleep in his study, even if he was furious with her, ensuring that fire was always raging when she visited.

His inability to sit idly by when she had a nightmare about him.

Their mind connection, the tether that held them together, and every emotion that had transpired since they laid eyes on each other finally settled into place, but that place was empty now as she tried to reestablish the mind link.

She could no longer brush against his mind, and that string between them floated empty in the wind, clinging to nothing but despair and sorrow.

“How long does he have left?” She was full-on sobbing, but she didn’t stop her tears this time. They were a reflection of how much she cared. Of how much she realized that, despite how quickly they rushed into things, she wanted this bond between them more than anything.

And now it was being stripped away before she had the chance to say yes.

“It varies,” Elyana replied in a strained voice. Alessia hadn’t realized how tight her smoke had gotten and instantly released it from her throat. “He could have weeks. Possibly months.”

How could the Makers be so cruel? Erebos was her mate, and she refused to believe their connection was all due to the mating bond the gods and goddesses forced upon them.

Cursed bond or not, her feelings for the lord were real.

Fuck the balance. Fuck whatever the Makers were trying to push her into.

Earth was in unrest, Heaven was turning evil, but one thing she knew for certain?

She’d obliterate all the realms entirely before Erebos, her mate, died as a means to an end.

An uneasy calm settled upon Alessia as she diverted her attention to the witch with her eyes still cast on the floor. “Do you have something to reverse it?”

Elyana’s mouth gaped open. “Reverse it? Alessia, the Makers wanted you to have these powers. You are destined ? —”

“I am not speaking to you,” Alessia snapped. “You knew all along what the Makers' plans were because of Mom’s vision. You knew I was the lost heir and never said anything until now. You knew Erebos was dying before we left this morning and chose to remain silent.”

“Aside from the gardens, we have not gotten a moment alone with each other for me to explain everything.” Elyana defended herself with wide eyes. “As for the bond, Erebos did not wish for me to tell you. He ordered the entire realm to keep the knowledge of your connection to themselves.”

Alessia scoffed at how naive she had been. Izara, Eryx, Isla, Ambroz… It explained so much; she was more angry at herself for pushing away her feelings toward the lord when it was apparent to everyone around her why she felt so drawn to him.

Again, she turned to face Brienne, deciding to table her stupidity for a later time with more pressing matters at stake. “Can you reverse it?”

“I do not know, Your Majesty,” Brienne whispered. “We would have to inspect the lord to see what mending is required.” She chewed on her lip, deep in thought. “Going against the Makers requests for destiny will be difficult, to say the least.”

Alessia quirked a brow at the new title that stirred something deep within her soul.

“Is it something you are willing to do?” She wouldn’t blame the witch for siding with the Makers.

After all, they were the ones who created the very realms they exist in, but it didn’t make sense why they were still controlling destiny from the afterlife, a realm created solely for royalty, when their time came to an end.

It was a separate realm, and she didn’t think the balance of Heaven and Hell affected their peace there, so why intervene now?

Why did they care if these realms went to shit?

“I will speak with my mother upon her return,” Brienne replied. “That is the best I can do.”

“And do you know anything of Mose’s amulet?” Alessia asked, inching towards the door. “That’s the reason why we came. We’re searching for the gems to complete it.” And now Alessia needed them more than ever.

“I have not heard of it,” the witch said. “Although I have not existed as long as my mother. Her knowledge of history is far superior to mine.” A moment later, she added, “I will inquire about that too and send a message if we can help.”

“Thank you.” Alessia opened the door to the cottage with her head held high, unwilling to succumb to the gut-wrenching agony tearing at her heart. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a discussion with my mate. ”

This was not the time to break down. This was not a moment to falter when every second she wasted was seconds spent apart from Erebos.

“Alessia, where are you going?” Elyana called after her, following her onto the porch.

The lost queen of Heaven whirled to face her, nothing but the promise of retribution reflecting in her blood-red eyes.

“I’m returning to Hell to find a cure for Erebos.

You have done nothing but cost me precious hours with the person I’m fated to be with, Mother , and I refuse to waste another second not by his side.

A realization dawned on the woman who had raised her, and if Alessia didn’t know any better, she might have guessed her expression to be disappointment. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

But Alessia had already vanished, leaving her mother to find her own way home.