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"I could've seen this coming right from the start

You should beware, beware, beware

Of a woman with a broken heart."

-Beware by Big Sean.

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"Look who's finally awake," I said, sarcastically, as the girl's eyes fluttered open to meet mine. Fear immediately shot through them, but it didn't take long for her to return to her calm state.

"Welcome to the loving dungeons of the Crystalline Castle, Destiny," I gestured to the plain walls of the small room we were in, "your sister is thrilled to have you here."

She turned her head to the side to find a smirking Katrina present.

I had never felt more proud of my men than I was in this situation, with both of the culprit witches tied up. One of them might be the reason Alexis was fighting death, that thought alone was enough to make my blood boil.

Destiny started thrashing in the seat, trying to pry the ropes off her. Her body wasn't the only thing moving, her mouth started to shoot questions at me too, "Why am I here, Dami-- I mean, your majesty?"

"You know the answer damn well, Destiny. I'm sorry we had to meet this way after... What, ten years? But you brought this upon yourself because of your evil tricks," I said, all the while glaring at her, "That prophecy was never meant to come true, was it? You tricked me into believing Alexis was a threat to me, just so I would--"

"You think I wanted to do any of that? I never wanted to tell you only half of the prophecy, she made me do it!" Destiny pointed an accused figure at Katrina.

"What's the other half of the prophecy?"

Secrets were being kept from me, and my fingers iched to dig them out. Hell it felt like everybody was plotting against me. I didn't know who to believe and who to not believe. Why did I feel like these sisters were just trying to confuse me?

"Never mind that, I don't wanna know. It'll probably be another lie anyway. You know what? I've come to a solution to this problem. Since it looks like you both are going to be pointing fingers at each other for eternity, I might as well kill you both. I want to be able to sleep peacefully tonight, knowing that the one who tried to kill Alexis is six feet under, dead."

Adjusting the knife in my hand, I walked closer to Destiny.

"Katrina is only doing this to get me out of her way!" that left me confused, once again.

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes at her, tired of the sisters' bullshit.

"She wants you to kill me because she's in love with my mate."

What?

It was now Katrina's turn to defend herself, "That's not true Damien! Wait... It is, but he's my mate, for God's sake! She's accusing me of her dirty deeds so that she can have him. She's the one who wants to throw me out of her way."

I let out a chuckle," oh, this is great. I didn't know two sisters being in love with the same guy drama was involved in this as well. Just when I thought I've had enough of your lies, you pull this stunt on me. Katrina, if he's your mate, then I'm sorry for your loss."

I turned toward Destiny, "and if he's yours, then I'm sorry for your loss. There, you guys received that pity glance you were aiming for. But now, without further delay, let me just finish you both off."

Maybe I wasn't doing the right thing. This was definitely not what I was taught to do when I learned the duties of a fair King. But at the moment, I didn't care. I just wanted to get this over with because my eyes were longing to see that human girl.

Just when I raised the knife up to Destiny's fragile neck, I heard a voice that I never expected to hear again.

"Hello, brother."

My breath got caught in my throat as I slowly turned around to find my little brother, my childhood best friend, standing before me. But he wasn't so little any more, his height same as mine. He looked nothing like the time he was thrown out of this place, he looked... Better, grown. The only thing that didn't change about him were his ocean blue eyes, I could almost see all those good childhood memories we shared together playing through them. Just as they were flashing across mine.

"Valentino?" I whispered, shocked.

"My king, I'm very sorry. We couldn't stop--"

I quickly told the guard it's fine because it's only my brother. He bowed and left, feeling much relieved.

My gaze fell upon Valentino again as he blinked once and just like that, the warmth in his eyes were gone, replaced with the icy cold death stare I was so used to seeing. It was the stare I received from him the moment he walked out of the castle doors. At the time, I knew it meant a promise, a promise of revenge. But over the years, I realized I was stressing over nothing. My little brother would never hurt me, he broke up with his girlfriend of three years for me, for God's sake!

Just because she told him I didn't belong in this castle, that I was an outsider who was receiving way too much attention. The attention that should only be Val's.

I couldn't hold back the smile that stretched onto my lips, "it's good to s--"

"Is it, Damien? Are you really glad to see me? I can feel the hatred radiating off you--"

"That's not towards you! That hatred is towards of these witches who tried to kill my mate." I tried to explain.

Oh and did I mention what Val's royal gift was? Being able to feel what other's were feeling. I know it's really not that great but when you want to tell if someone likes you or not, it's an advantage you have.

"What if I tell you it wasn't any of them? It was me who tried to kill Alexis, and I would have succeeded if you didn't show up and cushion her fall."

All the brotherly feelings towards him disappeared in an instant, while my hands reached forward to grasp the collar of his shirt.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"Are you fucking deaf?! It seems to me that all these responsibilities of being a king has aged you. This isn't for everyone, afterall you weren't even born into this, you weren't born to rule! I've always been the rightful heir to the throne."

"Are you serious? Is that what this is about?! Your stupid ass was envious of me so you decided to take revenge by killing my mate?"

I slammed him against the wall as he let out a wince, "Envious. Good word choice, Damien. Guess what, it was your birthday party that made my plan possible. Envious, envy... Ring a bell?"

I let his words slowly sink into me, they invaded my mind and suddenly, it all clicked.

The night of my birthday. The seven deadly sins themed party... Envy being one of the sins. Every station had its own games, its own uniqueness. There were booths set up in the envy station, all you had to do was whisper the name of the person you envy the most and let magic take over. The specialty of that station was shape-shifting. You were able to walk around, look and act like that person for the rest of the night, but vampires would know who you truly are by your scent. That's the thing, Alexis isn't a vampire, she thought it was really me.

"Why did you want Alexis to believe that I was the one who killed her?" this was something I did not get.

"It's simple. If by any chance she survives the stabbing or the fall, the pain of her mate killing her would definitely end her life. And I'm sure it already did."

Fuck. No words could explain how much my hands wanted to strangle him to death.

I know Valentino was watching realization draw on me, but I didn't pay attention to him as I asked the sisters, "is this the mate you were talking about?"

"Yes," Valentino spoke up, "but it really shouldn't matter to you which one of them is my actual mate."

I tightened my hold on him, "of course it does! You couldn't have accomplished this on your own, you had to have help from a witch. Which one of them is your mate, you sorry excuse of a brother?!"

"I'm not your brother," he took a hold of my shirt's collar as well, "You know what Damien? Leave my mate out of this. You have me, the main cause. I'm tired of playing games with you. It's time I get back what is mine and only mine."

He pushed me back a little, which made me want to punch him square in the jaw, but his next words stopped me.

"I, Valentino Knight, challenge you, Damien Knight, to a duel. The winner gets to rule over the Vampire world while the loser is to never show his face around here again."

Never did I ever think the brother I used to play fight with, would be challenging me to an actual deadly duel. But if I backed out now, I would be seen upon as a coward. I can't let him win this.

"What happened? Not man enough to actually fight for what you want, Damien?" he raised his eyebrow, amused.

"I will have your head before dusk tomorrow, you asshole. Prepare all you want at the training grounds until then, but we both know who's-- "

I was cut off by a haunting scream. A scream that I knew oh so well. It could only belong to one person.

Alexis.

**

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The view in front of me left me speechless.

I watched as Alexis continued to scream and thrash around on the bed, as if trying to get away from someone. The nurses were holding her down as the doctor was filling up a syringe. Emma was trying to get Alexis to open her eyes.

I didn't waste a second more and closed the distance between me and my mate. The nurses moved aside once they saw me, I quickly took their position and hugged Alexis' shaking body to me.

She immediately relaxed under my touch as I continued to whisper soothing words into her ear. She sniffed a little, which made me wonder if she was crying. The image made me want to hug her closer, as if that'll protect her from all the cruelty this world has brought to her, including me.

How can I protect her from me, too?

After making sure she wasn't shaking anymore, I slowly started to lower her head back onto the pillows. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty forehead. What caused her to act this way?

"Alexis?" I softly called out to her, afraid that she might start screaming again. She didn't answer, but I saw her eyes move under her eyelids.

She heard me.

Just at any moment now, she would leap into my arms and then I'll tell her that she's my mate, my other half. Then all those thoughts of hers about leaving me will disappear from her mind, and I'll make sure that she lets me in her heart. I messed up big time, and I was more than willing to make up for it.

I would spend the rest of eternity gifting her back all those small fractions of life I took away from her, each with a more precious way.

It seemed as though all my prayers were answered when she slowly opened her eyes. She looked like a baby, opening its beautiful eyes to look at the world for the first time. The movement stole my breath away.

Gasps filled the air and I heard the doctor moving around to get something.

Alexis' eyes scanned the room, the people around her, until her gaze fell upon me.

Suddenly, all sense of calmness left her body as she started screaming once again, "You!"

She pried herself off the bed in such a sudden force that she ended up falling onto the floor, where she continued to scoot away from me. Her eyes filled with shock and fear, she continued to scream things like, "Get away from me, you murderer! You tried to kill me, he tried to kill me! Please somebody help me, get him away from me!"

All I could do was stand up in shock while the doctor, Emma and the two nurses tried to calm her down, "Miss, please. You shouldn't be moving around too much, please calm down."

The lady doctor glanced at me, "I think it's best if you leave this room, your majesty."

I managed a nod and simply walked out of my bedroom, every step I took away from her hurting more than the last.

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Couple hours later

Trying to make as less noise as possible, I pressed my ear to the closed doors of my room. Alexis' calm and even breathing told me she was asleep. Exactly what I was hoping for.

Without wasting a second more, I pushed open the door as quietly as possible. The nurse quickly looked up from her sitting position. She was about to say something but I pressed my finger to my lips, telling her to be quiet.

"You can go get a snack or something, I'll look after her." I said, while she nodded and left the room without a single word.

Closing the doors behind me, I locked them.

My steps were hesitant as I walked closer to my bed, where the angel was peacefully sleeping. I had no words to express how grateful I was that she was out of danger now, she will be back to her normal self in no time, as the doctor had notified me.

Everything was almost perfect, almost.

There was still the fact that she believed I was the one who tried to kill her. I had to clarify the situation to her as soon as she gets better. Her body and mind were still weak, which made her vulnerable to such shocking news. I had to take this slow, it was better for her that way.

A strand of hair was covering her face, and my fingers automatically reached forward to push it back.

Which was a big mistake.

Those round, big blue eyes of hers opened and stared back at me, innocently. When the fear started to show in them, I was reminded of the time I first met her. That seven year old girl's eyes held the same fear.

It felt like reality suddenly kicked in.

We were back to square one.

I nearly got scared myself when Alexis let out a small scream. She got up faster than my mind could register and literally flew away from me. Well, she tried.

She stood up on her shaking legs, walking backwards until her back was against the wall.

"You, again! Please don't kill me... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I will never try to l--"

"Alexis!" My voice was louder than I expected, which made her flinch and even more scared.

Great going, you asshole.

I got off the bed and walked towards her, with my palms facing towards her to show I wasn't carrying any weapons on me.

Which I probably won't even need if I was trying to kill someone, but that's besides the point.

"Look I'm not trying to kill you, Alexis. That wasn't me you saw on the terrace, I would never hurt you. You're my ma--"

She screamed again, pressing her body to the wall, "stay away! Don't come any closer. Help! Somebody, Emma! P--"

There are times when I'm not very proud of my short temper, and this was one of those times.

Before she could continue to bite my ears off, I placed my hand over her mouth, "shh. Dammit, woman. For someone who hasn't spoken in days, you sure as hell have a strong throat."

She kept trying to get away from me, shaking her head and mumbling against my hand.

I sighed,"I'll let you go but you have to promise you won't scream."

She slowly nodded and I let go, but instantly regretted it.

"Why did you try to kill me?"

This time, her voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes were holding back tears as betrayal flashed across her eyes.

Was it because of me? Did she believed I betrayed her?

But isn't that a good thing? You could only feel betrayed by the people you trust and care about, so did that mean...

Her broken state brought me out of my thoughts. Hell I would rather have her scream at me all day, just not this.

I knew she was terrified, but I still took the risk of cupping her face with my hands. I was much grateful when all she did was flinch a little, but didn't push me away.

God, I missed her so much.

"Alexis... That wasn't me. It was--"

"I saw you with my own eyes," a tear fell from her eye, "you invited me to the terrace, gave me that hope I've been seeking for my entire life. You made me dream my freedom only to snatch it away in the most twisted, fucked up way possible. You stabbed me."

When she let out a sob, I tried to speak up, but no words were leaving my mouth. Her words were like a slap to my face, they left me speechless. But they weren't true, all I was planning to do that day was set her free from me, back to the human world.

"Was that your plan all along? I can't believe I was naive and stupid enough to believe you when you said you're setting me free. That was your definition of setting me free. Once and for all, like you said."

I couldn't take it anymore, "that wasn't me! It was--"

She suddenly pushed me away, cutting me off once again.

"Stop, you're making it worse! How many more lies, your majesty? You know what I don't understand? I don't understand why does the pain of you trying to kill me hurts more than the actual stabbing! My body may have survived but the thought of you betraying me is slowly and painfully eating my soul. Why?! Why does this invisible wound on my chest hurt more than the-- ow."

Alexis' hand quickly grabbed her head as if she was feeling lightweight.

"Baby-" I placed my hand over hers, and then tried to pick her up to carry her back to bed, but she refused to get close to me.

"You need to calm down," I shushed her, "It's --"

"Don't touch me," the fire in her eyes were back again, "Who knows when you might strike again."

I took a hold of her shoulders, bringing her body dangerously close to mine, her face only centimeters away from mine.

"I would never try to hurt you because I fucking lo-"

No.

I can't let this happen again, I can't let my anger get the best of me.

"Are you just going to give up on me this easily? What happened to the Alexis who always saw the good in people, who always believed in me?"

"You killed her. Didn't you say yourself that this world is anything but a fairytale. That day when I almost got raped, you told me this place is filled with monsters hiding under a friendly mask. You just turned out to be one of them."

Ouch.

"You're right. I am a monster, was and maybe I'll always be one. It was stupid of me to think I could give you that fairytale you've always dreamed of...

"

Why didn't I think of this before? It was wrong of me to keep her here with me, caged once again, just because she's my mate. I was being selfish again.

"What are you saying?" she asked, confused.

I wasn't even making sense anymore, not even to myself.

"You deserve better, someone who wouldn't think twice about placing all the happiness in this world at your feet. Someone who's capable of lo-" I turned away because I would never want to leave if I kept looking at her, "I'm truly sorry, for everything. I know the damage I've caused is beyond repair, but I hope some day you can find a way to forgive me."

Sometimes I really hated my sharp senses. As I walked away from her, I didn't want to listen to her hammering heartbeat. It only reminded me that it'll never beat for me.

As a drop of her tear fell onto the floor, I realized that I didn't just make her cry a river, but an ocean for me.

I hope that someday, somebody can shower her with so much love that'll match the depth of that ocean.

But why did the thought fucking hurt?