“What?” Alicia’s lips parted. Shock and disbelief filling her eyes as she stared at Zeke wordlessly for some time, letting what he had said sink into her mind.
“After I was forced to imprison my own brother in the dungeon, the former prophetess came to me.” Zeke started explaining even before Alicia could ask him to. “The prophetess told me there would be a woman who will be stronger than the witch-turned-vampire I just killed. But this woman in the prophecy will not turn out to be an enemy. The prophetess said the prophesied one is the one who will truly unite the vampires and witches as one nation. She said this woman would become the most powerful female vampire. That prophetess also told me that I would be the one who would give that kind of power to that woman…” Zeke trailed off and paused for a few moments as he held her gaze. “She said this woman would be the one who will take my place in this world.” His tone was low as he stared meaningfully at her.
Alicia could only stare back at him somewhat blankly. That last line had struck her right in the chest a million times. She could hear her heart shattering within her.
“I had forgotten all about these.” Zeke continued. “I was in the dungeon, watching my brother behind the bars when that prophetess told me all these things. I wasn’t paying much attention to it at that time. I just didn’t care. And that’s probably why that conversation never occurred to me until… until that night I decided to make you mine. That night I turned you, that memory came to me for the first time. I immediately realized then that the prophesied one the prophetess was talking about was no other than you, Alicia.” He explained as slowly and gently as he could to Alicia, seeing that she was still in shock at all the information. He could understand that it was all too sudden and overwhelming for her to accept everything right off the bat.
Silence followed Ezekiel’s explanation. Alicia fought hard to keep her tears from falling. Of all the many things he told her, the one line stayed echoing within her mind was – ‘… this woman would be the one who will take my place in this world’ – shattering her heart into pieces again and again. A pain unlike anything she had ever felt stabbed her, leaving her breathless and not able to respond at all.
“Come here,” he uttered softly as he pulled at her hand. When she rose from the chair, Zeke lifted her in his arms. He seated her on the table and kissed her forehead ever so gently, causing Alicia to squeeze her eyes tightly closed. She could tell he had instantly felt her pain no matter how she tried to hide it.
Wrapping her arms around him, Alicia let her tears finally fall quietly as she pulled him against her, hugging him as tight as she could. She wanted to hug him so tight and never let him go. Ever.
He did not stop trying to soothe her with his calming touches and burning kisses.
For an immeasurable amount of time, the two of them just stayed like that. Tangled tightly, just feeling each other’s warmth, hearing each’s others breath and heartbeats, and feeling each other’s pain.
“Does… does everyone know about this as well? Is that why they are treating me like that?” she finally managed to speak and broke the silence. Her voice was hoarse and weak.
Zeke pulled away and looked down at the woman curled up in his arms. A muscle in his jaw ticked at the sight of her wet eyes. He gently reached out and wiped the remnant of tears on her face. “They only know that you’re the vampire deity mentioned in the prophecy.”
“Vampire… deity?” She gave him an incredulous stare.
“The previous prophetess called you that because you will be the only vampire who is able to wield magic. So she even made that certain prophecy public. And that’s why everyone knew that one day, you will appear. For the vampires, you are considered one of the supreme beings, Alicia. So don’t be too shocked if they start worshipping you.” He could only crack a lopsided smile as her mouth dropped open slightly when he mentioned that.
“Did they know I… used to be a witch?” She asked in a small voice.
“No, they still do not know about this. None of them know you used to be a witch queen just as none of them knows their prince is actually a half-demon. They will also never find out. Vampires are creatures who only believes what they see. Rumors don’t mean a thing to them, you know that, right?”
With those reassuring words, they were silent again, just holding each other’s gaze.
“Ezekiel…” she called out his name and Zeke responded with a husky ‘hmm’.
“Kiss me.” came her whisper and without wasting a moment, Zeke captured her mouth. Alicia kissed him back as wildly as she could. She should be happy tonight because she was about to marry this man tomorrow, the man she loves with her whole being. She wanted to forget all the things that he had just revealed to her. That she was destined to replace him. She especially wanted to forget that part, even if was even for a moment.
When their lips parted, they were both breathless. But Alicia’s eyes gleamed with unshed tears again.
“Shh… Alicia. Don’t cry anymore…” his husky voice cracked a little as he pressed a kiss on her eyes.
“I’m sorry –”
He kissed her mouth again. This time, he did not pull away until she was dazed. But nothing could seem to ease the pain in her chest anymore.
“Listen, Alicia…” he uttered as he pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m not going to marry you just to leave you forever. Trust in me, Alicia…”
Alicia caught her breath at his words, her eyes widening with hope. Even if it was as tiny as a mustard seed, she would hold onto this little bit of hope until the end.
___
Hello hellbounders, i would like to announce that Hellbound Heart is now open for voting. HH is my entry for this year’s spirity contest so i would like you guys to cast your votes on it from now on. If any of you want to support through gifting, please gift on HH instead. I am hoping for your support again guys! HH’s update will start to be daily starting july 1st. As for HWY, the final chapter will be published this 24th of July. There will be an ending event so look forward to it.
