The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (47 page)

He tipped the corner of his mouth in a semblance of a smile.

She sobbed and pressed quivering lips to the dimple on his chin.

Me too, Princess ...
he had wanted to say, but he could only think the words, before he closed his eyes and slid into the black, bottomless chasm of death.

Battle of the Descendants (Part IV)

       Prince William sprung from his motorcycle as it skidded to a halt on the pavement, landing on his feet in the middle of the smoke-hazed battleground. The mile-long carnage blocking the road had delayed their arrival longer than expected at the heart of the scene.

They were no more than twenty minutes behind Colonel Gunter, and yet, the disaster those few precious minutes had caused was evident in the massacre before him. Dismembered bo
dies' combusted everywhere, the stench of burning flesh soaring in the cold winter night. The asphalt motorway was covered in blood, glistening like a winding serpent in the moonlight. Not far behind him, he could hear his cousins arriving together with General Bradford's men.

The Prince stood in his distinctive combat suit, u
narmed, slowly sweeping his glowing silver eyes at the Duke's men, who were in the process of eliminating remains.

They immediately recognized him.

He waited for them to raise a challenge.

No one dared make a move.

He took a few steps forward.

The few battle-worn survivors quietly parted, fear, and exhaustion u
nmistakable in their faces.

A man bathed in blood pushed to the front and staggered before him. “Your Highness.” He paused, panting. “My name is Major Greer. The Princess—, John Drake took her.”

Prince William was instantly filled with a sense of dread. “Where—, and how long ago?”

Major Greer heaved a labored breath. “I'm not ce
rtain, Your Highness, but one of my Lieutenants spotted them heading east. Colonel Gunter gave pursuit.”

The Prince regarded the Major, who was covered with injury from his for
ehead to his legs. “Where is this Lieutenant? I wish to speak with him.”

Major Reynolds shook his head and scrubbed a bloody hand over his face. “He had fallen, Your Hig
hness. All my men had.”

Prince William clenched his jaw to contain his rage. John Drake had cleverly orchestrated the abduction when neither he nor the Colonel was at Elizabeth's side.

Guilt inundated him.
Where was he when she needed him most?
He'd let his temper occupy his reasoning, allowed jealousy and pride to deafen and blind him. If Elizabeth had come to grievous harm because he'd arrived too late, he could never forgive himself.

“David! Philippe!” he called over his shoulder. “A
rrest the Duke's men! Sophia, stay here with Silvia and assist General Bradford. I'm going after John Drake.”

At the far end of the battlefield, Elizabeth wept as she stared at Chad's lifeless body in her arms. Even in death, he looked like a beautiful angel. Her gaze slid downwards to the massive injury on his chest. Though John had withdrawn his sword from his body, his heart had been badly ravaged. She couldn't see any signs of recovery.

“Come back to me—, please, Chad, come back to me,” she cried, hoping that some kind of miracle would r
estore him. 

“Enough!” John Drake picked her up by the hair and pulled her to her feet. “Burn him!” he ordered his r
emaining men.

“No!” Elizabeth kicked and scratched him.

“You bitch!” He punched her on the face.

Her lip burst. The taste of her own blood settled on her tongue. Her gums prickled. The tips of her fingers tingled. She felt her heartbeat quic
ken. Her body tensed, infused with a sudden surge of strength. Something primal awakened deep within her, possessing her mind, filling her thoughts with raw hostility she’d never known before.

She growled, chest heaving, eyes burning. Her ps
yche struggled in vain with the aggressive entity struggling to overcome her will. As if the devil himself had seized control of her body and brains, she spun towards John and sank her pointed canines into the band of muscle between his neck and shoulder.

He cursed, abruptly wrenching her off him with a howl.

Elizabeth staggered backwards, but recovered her balance. She swiveled and ran.

John went after her and caught the skirt of her dress. Her body bucked, but she fought against the strain. The hem of her dress ripped. She stumbled fo
rward, but regained her footing. She veered off the road and tore through the dark woods.

The overgrowth of weeds swallowed her into the sinister depths of the forest. Her shredded dress whipped in ribbons against the wind, flailing all around her. She kicked off her low-heeled shoes to gain momentum. Sharp rocks and branches pricked her soles. Dried leaves crunched beneath the pounding of her bare feet. Not far b
ehind, she could hear John's heavy footsteps closing the gap between them.

A deep rumble resonated overhead. A gust of wind swayed the trees.

She sprinted as fast as she could, ignoring the low-lying branches that scraped her face, arms, and legs.

Thunder rolled in the clouds. Suddenly, she found herself in a small clearing.

She paused, chest rising and falling, rising and falling. Rapid breaths puffed from her mouth and swirled in a white steam.

She looked over her shoulder and listened. Not
hing—, but eerie silence. Not even a single critter made a sound.

Then all of a sudden, heat lightning bisected the starless sky.

She caught a movement from the corner of her eye. Her heart slammed heavily in her ribcage. She swung her head from side to side, searching for the enemy.

Another flash of lightning zigzagged up above. Startled, she jerked her gaze upwards.

And saw the dark figure of a man leaping in mid-air, casting a shadow over her.

She screamed and broke into a run. He landed on his feet before her, pr
eventing her escape. She gasped and slipped on the grass. The scent of lavender filled her lungs.

She looked up. His dark hair lif
ted in the breeze and flailed about his face, and his metallic eyes glowed brightly in the dark.

“It is I, my love,” he said, in that deep baritone voice with a fami
liar English accent.

She cried out, consumed with joy and relief, as he swept her in his arms and clasped her in a tight e
mbrace.

The Will of The Omni

       Prince William murmured words of comfort in her ear as he stroked her tangled hair. She was shivering from head to toe, not from the cold, but from extreme anxiety and fear. He gritted his teeth in rage at her battered, disheveled state. The front of her dress was torn down to her navel and she was covered in bruises. Her mouth was swollen and bleeding. She sobbed uncontrollably, clinging to him, hiding her face in his chest.

“Hush, love.” He kissed her hair. “I'm here now. Don't—” He stiffened and jerked his head up, just as John Drake exploded out of the trees. 

Their eyes met.

“Hide behind the bushes.” He whispered to Eliz
abeth. “I'll take care of this.”

She frantically shook her head and he saw the terror in her eyes.

“Go!” He gave her a slight push towards the thick shrubs.

John Drake backed into the shelter of the dense woods behind him.

“I wouldn't do that, if I were you.” Prince William moved slowly towards him. “You know you can't escape me.”

John brandished his sword warily, retreating with cautious backward steps without taking his eyes off him.

“Tell me.” The Prince flexed his hands. “Do you always pick on women?”

John's gaze darted to the sharp claws that gradually lengthened from the tips of the Prince’s fingers. He withdrew further and pointed his wea
pon at him.

“You won't be needing that.” Prince William began to circle him.

John Drake knew the exact reason why. The Prince had come unarmed for he did not need weapons to show how dangerous he was. He'd heard rumors of his powers and cruelty in combat. He had never learned of anyone surviving an encounter with him.

John darted his eyes to their surroundings. He'd been so intent on tracking Elizabeth that he'd neglected to take any of his men. He tightened his grip on his sword.

The Prince narrowed glowing colorless eyes at him. “I am disappointed in you, John,” he drawled, as he continued to circle him. “You had such a promising position in the hierarchy and you threw it all away. Was it ambition, greed for wealth and power that drove you, —or was it personal vendetta?”

John refrained from replying and kept his eyes on the Prince.

A deafening crack followed by a bolt of lightning branched into flashing tentacles of electrical current in the black sky.

John blinked.

The Prince had vanished.

He swung to his left and to his right.

“Did you think it was that easy?” he heard his voice, right behind him.

John whipped around, his heart pounding.

“You cannot change the course of destiny and the law of nature.” The Prince held his hand palm up, catching the first drop of rain.

“The law is unjust!” John e
xclaimed, angrily. “It is partial to you, Europeans, alone! All the other breeds must submit to your authority!”

The Prince regarded him with bla
zing metallic eyes. “Did you not understand the Will of the Omni? It is precisely our supremacy that preserves the peace and balance in our natural world. Can you imagine if we were all created equal? We would be murdering each other, humans included, to gain dominance.”

A peal of thunder followed by lightning, exploded overhead. Rain fell in torrents. The Prince evap
orated into thin air.

John wiped his brow with the back of his hand and swiveled his sword from side to side.

Only the pelting of the rain and the howling of the wind in the trees could be heard. Leaves rustled behind him.

He turned to find the Prince standing against the backdrop of lightning, watching him. Although u
narmed, his figure emanated an unspoken threat. The flash of light from the skies illuminated his black silhouette in intermittent bursts, and his eyes glowed brightly in the dark.

“You have offended me by doing grievous harm to my beloved.” The Prince pointed a forefinger upwards and a bolt of lightning zigzagged from above, and then plunged downwards to connect with the tip of his finger. “Is this what you covet? This gift, this power—, the Pe
rfect Genetic Code?” He flicked his hand and the jagged streak of light flashed upwards, returning to its celestial path.

“Did you think that by taking the Pure Ones, you could raise your own clan of pure bloods and my father, the Great Omni, would favor you with the Gift of D
ominion? Have you forgotten the parable of the Pure One and her Twin Flame?” The Prince raised his palm and blew on it, and suddenly, the pouring rain ceased, replaced by a cloud of tiny white petals descending all around them.

“For you to be worthy, you must have a beautiful spirit and a faithful heart.” A petal drifted onto the Prince's palm and it slowly bloomed into a white rose. “Don't you see that in order to fulfill the Divine Prov
idence, one must learn the virtue of Unconditional Love? Only then, will the Great Omni entrust his lamb to you, the embodiment of which includes humans and the rest of his creation, for safekeeping.”

His last words echoed around John in the gusty wind and once again, the petals turned into droplets of water. John gripped his sword more firmly and swept his eyes on his surroundings.

Not a trace of the Prince could be seen.

“Your sword bears the blood of an
Archdeimon
, the Alpha Commander of the Omni's Army, and loyal protector to the Pure One and her descendants,” the Prince's voice wafted in a cold breeze by his ear.

John swung his sword, only to slice upon empty space.

A shadow revealed itself in a streak of lightning and he saw the Prince perched upon a thick branch, looking down at him.

“You have been bestowed with the gifts of mind, beauty, and prowess, and yet you used your abilities to dishonor the Great Omni.”

“I can do as I please!” John raised his sword and trained it at him. “I can question the tyranny of the Highest Royal Coven of Europe as I see fit. The Omni has given us free will.”

“Indeed. Yet you have chosen to take the wrong path and disobey the wisdom of His Providence.”

“His Providence is unfair!”

“It is not your place to doubt the Divine Providence of the Omni! The Omni is all-wise, all-powerful. Ever
ything is planned according to His purpose. He does not infringe your will with his sovereignty; rather, he grants you the liberty to find it in your heart to choose to follow Him.”