Our mouth crashed again together.
“This is your last chance Sebastian, let fate take over and leave her be,”Raph’s voice roared, bouncing off the cave walls.
“I’m the one who is her fated mate, not the Dark King… me!” I yelled to the roof of the cave.
“Do it,” Aurora begged. “But please find me.”
“I will,” I said, pulling her close to me as our lips joined. I lifted my leg and pulled the knife from my ankle brace. Her golden eyes sparkled as she waited, but my hand wobbled, because this time seemed so much harder than the rest.
“The next life will be perfect, I promise,” I whispered, and she smiled. “You’re forever mine, and I will find you. I’ll love you forever.”
She drew in a deep breath and shuddered against me as her beautiful smile faded and her eyes closed. Aurora’s body drooped as it weighed heavy in my arms.
My shoulders shook, and I howled as I dragged the knife from her body. But I couldn’t place her on the floor yet. I wanted to hold her for a little longer. With blurred vision, I walked around the cave, not wanting to let her go. But as time disappeared with the diminishing sun, I lowered her onto the ground and laid beside her, holding her tight as I waited for the time the Gods would take their Goddess once more.
The clouds stilled, and there was nothing but silence as I held her and waited as I’d done each time before now. And I didn’t know where time went, but the tears were still rolling down my cheeks when Lakael and Kanael flew into the cave.
As Kanael dropped his feet on the floor, he stared at Aurora, and then glared at me. “What have you done?” he roared, replacing the silence with the thunder of his voice. “She wasn’t with us. She won’t know who we are in the next life.”
Lakael said nothing. He couldn’t speak as his throat bobbed and his jaw ticked. His fingers clenching in and out of tight fists, ready to pummel me to the ground. But his time to do that disappeared as the skies shone a brilliant light through the clouds. I held my hand over my eyes as the Gods got ready to reclaim their Goddess once again.
It was time for her to leave me again and I drank down my sorrow as I gently laid her on the ground, tears dropping on her face. I kissed her warm cheek before I stood back, taking one step and my place in the half circle around her. We each stepped forward together and touched Aurora as she floated. Her gilded wings spanning from her body, taking her upright as her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Kanael dropped to his knees beside me, wailing in pain as he did each time before now. But Lakael tried to reach out as her body floated just outside the cave. Unable to reach her, he cried out in pain, but there was nothing he could do because she was gone again.
My head bounced as Lakael hit me hard with his fist. “I’ll kill you first in the next life.”
He roared to the roof of the cave, but nothing was going to change, regardless of his words, and now all we could do was to wait. Wait for the signal from the Gods that she was to be reborn once more. We would then be reborn at the same time as her. There were always consequences to my actions and normally it was the wait that was excruciating, but that was part of the pain and the reason we were desperate for each life to work.
“I’m an angel. You can’t kill me,” I hissed, holding my hand over my cheek as I watched Aurora float away.
“You will pay for this, Sebastian,”Raph roared. “Things will be different in the next life, and this time the gods agree with me,”Raph hissed in my ear.
I hope they are. As long as I get another chance.
I sighed and squinted against the sunlight as the gods pulled Aurora back to them. We never knew where she went, but that was part of our punishment. Now all we could do was wait.
Wait once more for our lost goddess to be reborn.
Chapter 1
Aurora Lace (Lacey)
Seven hundred and fifty years later
Darkness.
That’s all I was seeing as I glanced out of the door and peered up to see the moon taking over the sun’s position. Daylight was making way for night time, making way for the darkness, and my heart pounded at the thought.
“I wish you were coming with us,” Dad said. The conversation was less fraught than it'd been earlier. Though his face still twisted as he waited at the open front door with the same frustrated look I’d seen a few times lately; and I was the cause.
I shrugged my shoulder. It was casual, betrayed only by the incessant tapping of my foot and the heavy thud of each drum of my heart.
Mum strode to me and gazed into the distance before she turned and kissed my cheek. “Love you,” she whispered. “You must always be careful.”
I twisted to her and squinted my eyes. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“And Lacey,” Dad said, interrupting. “Make sure you stay home if you’re feeling ill.” His annoyed gaze landing on Mum. “Come on, Elizabeth, we need to get going.”