The Crown's Obsession

The fire continued to blaze as it wrapped itself around the broken mansion, breaking it further as time passed by. Rosamund stood in front of the mansion, watching the place which she had hoped no one would find and let her family live in peace. She couldn't believe this was happening and she was consumed with shock.

Her parted lips trembled, but not a word came out of her mouth, and her eyes looked livid.

"Stop it!" Rosamund pleaded with the man who had suddenly appeared next to them. "Please!" her knees gave away and she fell on the ground, pressing her forehead on the cold snow. "Please don't make my family walk in the path of misery. Those mistakes were committed by me. My husband and my daughter had no part in it. Your ange-"

"Be happy that I am not breaking anything in you, and only taking away things that you cherish. Killing you would be meaningless as it would be over within a second and you won't be able to know the pain that you put Constance through," said Vladimir, his eyes bright as he looked at the flames. He could torture Rosamund just like he had done it to her parents and her brother, but this woman had done far worse than what they had done. "For a woman who wanted to rule Devon and was ambitious, I believe this is only fitting that you continue to see your downfall from here."

Sophie had fallen on her knees, sobbing as she saw the smoke move up in the air.

"Don't think about killing yourself, because if you try it, I will make sure to bring you back to where you started. I hope from this point, you enjoy your time and life that you deserve," said Vladimir, and he started to walk away from the two vampiresses. Rosamund looked back and forth before she tried to follow the man to beg him for forgiveness, but Vladimir had disappeared in thin air after taking six steps.

Far away from where the flames had started to extinguish, Madeline blew air into the fireplace to increase the heat in the room. Holding a hollow rod in her hand, she continued to fan the fire at the logs of wood that slowly continued to catch fire.

Madeline let go of the rod, and she then stood up before making her way to the bed where Calhoun sat at the edge. He stretched his hand for her to take, and Madeline placed her hand in his.

"How are you doing today?" Calhoun inquired, tugging Madeline closer to him so that she would come to settle between the space of his legs. "I know you are hurting," he had a disapproving look on his face.

"I didn't want you to worry," said Madeline. Her hand slipped away from his hold, and she placed her hands on his shoulders before it circled around his neck, and played with the ends of his hair.

"I will worry even more when you don't tell me, and I find it out through your emotions," stated Calhoun. His hand reached for her waist, rubbing it soothingly. "You are too important to me. If something were to happen to you, I will crumble, Madeline," he said, looking into her brown eyes.

Madeline shook her head, "Nothing will happen to me. How could anything happen when you are with me."

Calhoun stared into her eyes while he listened to the way her little heart beat continuously yet calmly. The heart that once was scared about the big bad wolf had found its comfort in the wolf's den.

"Since when have you been feeling the pain?" questioned Calhoun and Madeline pressed her lips.

"Before I got back my wings at night. I thought it was just the usual reflex of my body, but even without the presence of the wings on my back, I feel the ache in my chest as if the strings of my heart are being pulled every time I breathe," came Madeline's truthful reply.

Hearing this, Calhoun's eyebrows furrowed in worry, and this was exactly why Madeline had not brought up about it with him. It wasn't her intention to hide it, but all she had wanted to do was to let this day pass before she would tell him anything about it. It was only hours since they had fought with the demons and the fallen angels; they deserved some time of peace.

"I am okay now," she murmured and Calhoun pulled her closer to him, holding her waist.

"We need to ask the physician to take a look at you. I would feel unsettled until I find what is hurting you. The angels don't go through pain like this, and I wished they did. That way they would get off our backs," there was an unimpressed look on Calhoun's face.

"Paschar and Michael said they would let me be," said Madeline but Calhoun shook his head.

"Those are words only to extend the time to allow them to be ready to take you away from here. The angels and demons have been at war for so many years, they are both stubborn and they won't back down that easily," stated Calhoun. "It would be only wise to stay on guard."

Madeline nodded her head. "Beth woke up two hours ago."

"How is she?" asked Calhoun in an uninterested tone of voice.

"Lost right now. She barely spoke to me, and she has been crying. I thought maybe it would be only right to send her where my parents are. This way, the demons would not follow her thinking she's still here in the castle, and she will be safe there," said Madeline thoughtfully. Though Beth was not completely cured, she was still able to hide her werewolf traces, and for now, that was more than enough, better than a werewolf going rampant in the towns and villages.

"I will have Hammond prepare the carriage so that he can take Miss Elizabeth to where your parents are right now."

If they had sent Beth with her parents, instead of staying behind in the castle, she wouldn't have been bit by the werewolf nor would Raphael be dead. There was nothing but the possibility of if's which couldn't come true as the moment had passed.

Leaning forward, Madeline let her chin rest on Calhoun's shoulder, and he hugged her. "I am sorry about Raphael," she whispered.

Since the time they had reached the castle after placing Raphael in the coffin, neither of them had found time to speak about the card reader. Raphael was a good man, someone everyone could count upon. She only hoped that the demon was in peace, but knowing what type of place Hell was, she wondered if anyone ever found peace after entering Hell.

"There are times when a person's death feels surreal and hard to believe that the person is truly gone. Sometimes we hope that miraculously the person will return to us," said Calhoun, and Madeline who had earlier placed her head on his shoulder lifted it and sat on his lap, staring at the passive look that Calhoun's handsome face adorned.