Chapter 30 "Under attack"

Always been you by chris gray that is tonights song

  ENJOY 

"Wasn't I clear enough, Lilith?"

His voice cuts through the air like a blade. Sharp. Controlled. But barely.

Alex's eyes burn into me, the veins along his neck taut, pulsing. His entire body is coiled, barely restrained fury radiating off him like heat.

"Alex, relax. I didn't even go far, I ju—"

"You disobeyed me."He takes a slow, deliberate step forward.

"The one fucking thing I told you not to do, and you couldn't even do that."

His voice is quiet now—dangerously quiet. And that's worse than yelling. That means he's holding it in. Barely.

I feel my throat tighten.He's not wrong. But what the hell was I supposed to do?

"I'm sorry, okay?" I snap. "But let's not pretend you're innocent either. You said you'd stay by my side—and then you vanished. Left me alone in a place I didn't know, surrounded by people who looked at me like I didn't belong. You expect me to just sit there, smiling like a fucking doll?"

My words cut, but he doesn't flinch. That scares me more.

"Thank the stars Louise found me," I add, bitterly. "I looked like a fucking fool."

"Darling," Louise begins gently, his tone like honey on a bruise, "maybe we should all take a breath—"

Alex's head turns slowly toward him.

"And who the fuck are you?"

Cold. Deadly.

"Louise Sillinoire Valtore," he replies without hesitation, his posture like he's lounging at a royal tea party and not staring down a predator.

Alex's eyes scan him from head to toe—like sizing up prey. Then, flatly:

"I see."His jaw tenses. "we'll be going now."

"What? Why?" I blink, heart dropping.I was finally enjoying myself. Finally feeling normal again.

"Because I said so, Lilith. So—"

BOOM.

The floor quakes beneath us.

A blast so loud it rattles the chandeliers.

A second later—a scream.A woman's scream. High, cracking, guttural.

"What the—"

Before I can finish, Alex grabs me and throws me behind him. His arms wrap around me like steel. I feel the panic in his body—but it's buried under ice.

"What are you—"

"Shut. Up."

His voice is sharp enough to flay skin.

A soldier stumbles into the room, blood pouring from his chest, staining his silver and black uniform.

"Sir—under attack! North and East wings—it's everywhere—"

"No shit," Alex growls.His grip tightens.

Screams echo from the ballroom. Tables overturned. Glass shattering. Magic exploding in blasts of silver and red.

The smell hits me next—burning flesh. Blood. Ash.

"Don't say a word. Don't move. Stay by me, Lilith, or I swear to every god above, I will drag your corpse home myself."

I nod, breath caught in my throat.

We run through the smoke and chaos—past crumpled bodies, glowing embers, soldiers being ripped open by magic blades. My shoes slide in blood. Warm. Sticky. Fresh.

And then—I feel it.

A pulse. Deep in my spine. Familiar.

No… no, no, no...

Celestial energy.

Fuck. This was a Celestial attack.

Alex yanks me into a chamber and slams the door shut behind us. He lifts his hand, speaks something low in a language I don't understand, and the door seals itself in gold-black glyphs.

"Alex—what the hell is going on—"

"How the fuck did they know we'd be here?"He's pacing. Hands in his hair.

"That energy—Alex. That's Celestial. Why would they do this?"I'm shaking. My legs barely hold me.

"Because that's what they do."His voice is hollow. Cold. Like stone over a grave.

"They kill."

I stare at him.He doesn't blink.

"That's not true. We don't just kill."I take a step forward. My voice rises."There's a misunderstanding. I can fix it—if I talk to them, they'll listen. I'm royal, they'll know who I am!"

I move toward the door, but he's there in a second—blocking me.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

His eyes are wild. Not red, not yet—but the green in them is glowing, unnatural, furious.

"They'll recognize me. They won't hurt me. I'm Celestial too, Alex."

"And that's exactly why they'll fucking gut you alive."His voice breaks, just for a second. It's not just anger—it's fear. Panic.

"I can help them."

"They'll kill you."

"I have to try. I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"You will do exactly that!" he roars.

Before I can even flinch, he whispers something under his breath—and I feel it.

Cold metal—around my wrists.

The cuffs materialize out of thin air and slam me back against the table, locking me down.

"What the fuck?! Are you serious?! Let me go, Alex!"I thrash violently, yanking at the cuffs.

"I'll be back," he says.He's already at the door.

"Alex, don't you fucking dare leave me like this—"

"Stay alive, Lilith."

He doesn't even turn back.

And then he's gone.

Just like that.

Gone.

I scream into the silence, yanking at the cuffs until my wrists burn.

"You motherfucker—!"

I'm alone.

Furious.

Terrified.

And something deep inside me feels like it's shattering.

I yank at the cuffs until my skin is raw, wrists slick with sweat.

"Think, Lilith. Come on. You've read a hundred nullification spells."But my brain is useless. Adrenaline's too loud. Fear is too heavy.

"Et irritam."The cuffs flicker—faintly. Almost like they're laughing at me.

"Et facit…"Nothing.

"Fuck!"I scream, frustration clawing up my throat.

The door creaks.

I freeze.

Not Alex. Not a soldier.

"Took me long enough."

That voice—thank the stars.

"Louise?"

He rushes in, cloak fluttering behind him, and kneels in front of me like he's done this a hundred times.

"Where is alex, Louise?" 

"You seriously still worried about that bastard?" he mutters, waving his hand in a single smooth motion. The cuffs clatter to the ground like they never existed.

"Where is he?"

I'm already standing. Already running toward the door.

"Lilith, what are you doing?! We need to get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving without him."

"He tied you to a table like a lunatic!"

I pause. I shouldn't care. I shouldn't.

But my body's already in motion.My heart is already screaming.

"I don't care. I have to know he's okay."

Louise groans. "You're going to be the death of me."Then he grabs my wrist. "Fine. Let's find the idiot."

We take off, sprinting through smoke-filled halls, following the trail of destruction. Magic residue still hums in the air, casting violet glows across crumbling walls.

And then we find it.

The ballroom.

But this isn't the same place I left.

It's a slaughterhouse.

Bodies everywhere.Blood pooled so thick it reflects the shattered chandelier like a mirror.Limbs twisted. Faces frozen mid-scream.

And the worst part?

They're Celestials. My people.

I fall to my knees.

"No… no, no, no… this—this can't be real—"

"Petal."Louise's voice is gentle. Almost… mourning.

"We—we're not murderers. We don't do this. We're peacekeepers—"

"Look around you, Lilith."His eyes are soft. But cold."Your people didn't come here to talk. They came to kill, they arent as angelic as they say they are"

I can't breathe. My hands tremble.

The air smells like iron and magic and death.

I want to vomit.

"Come on. We need to keep moving. It's not safe here."

He grabs my hand again and pulls me through what's left of the hallway.

Then—A sound.

A groan. Long. Pained. Drenched in blood.

We both freeze.

Louise nods once. Silent agreement.

We creep toward the source.

And then I see him.

Alex.

But not the Alex I know.

Not the brooding, arrogant king.Not the man who traps me in arguments and glances and unbearable tension.

No.

This Alex is on his knees. Covered in blood from head to toe.His back heaves with every breath. His hands—his hands—are soaked. Red to the wrists.

He's crouched over a body, hands buried in the open chest cavity of a Celestial soldier.My soldier.

He's pulling out the man's heart.Like it's nothing. Like it's routine.

I can't even scream.

Around him—at least ten other Celestial bodies. Slashed open. Some burned. Others… I can't even look.

"Oh my god."

My knees buckle again.

"He's protecting his kind," Louise whispers in my ear, voice tight.

I stare at the blood-slick floor. My heart is splitting open.

These were my people.And Alex butchered them like animals.

But they attacked first, didn't they?

Or did they?

Everything I believed—it's crumbling.

"Let me go," I whisper.

"Petal, you can't go out there. He's not… himself right now."

"Let me the fuck go, Louise."

He hesitates.

I free myself from his arms

I step forward—but then I see it.

A shadow. Moving behind Alex.

"ALEX!"

He turns just in time.

Too late.

The Celestial soldier lunges—Blade plunging deep into Alex's back.

I scream.

Alex doesn't fall.

He just… turns. Slowly. With blood spilling from his mouth.

And he smiles.

That terrifying red-eyed smile.

Then he grabs the blade—still inside him—and yanks it free.

Without blinking, he shoves it into the attacker's skull. The soldier drops like dead weight.

I run.

I don't care anymore.

"You lying bastard"

"you said you'd be okay!"

His eyes flicker. Red… fading to green.

Blood pours down his back. His chest. His hands.

"Stay… away," he gasps, stumbling.

"Not happening."

Louise rushes over, throwing Alex's arm over his shoulders.

"alright i got you man" Louise says helping out

I grab the other side, trying to keep him upright.

"He's bleeding too much."

I rip a long strip from my already ruined dress and press it hard to the wound.

His blood coats my fingers. Sticky. Warm. Real.

His eyes meet mine—glassy. Weak.

"Told you, princess… takes more than a sword to kill me."

"You're a fucking liar, Alex Winslow."

But I can't stop crying.

Louise mutters something under his breath.

"Gods, this was a vintage suite," he says, inspecting the ruined silk.

We both glare at him.

"What?"He shrugs."I'm grieving."

We half-drag, half-carry Alex down the blood-slick corridor until Cerberus guards finally find us. They take him, carefully but quickly.

And as his body leaves mine, something inside me burns.

His absence feels like a wound.

I don't know what the fuck that means.

But I hate it.

Now I'm standing in the hallway. Alone.

My hands are still red—his blood.It's dried in places, sticky in others. The silk of my dress clings to my skin, stiff with gore. My wrists burn from the earlier cuffs, but I don't feel the pain.

Not really.

All I feel is the hollow weight in my chest.A cold, aching void that won't stop spreading.

Why the fuck do I care this much?

He tied me down. Lied to me. Kept me prisoner.He just butchered my people.

And still...

I can't stop shaking.

I press my hands to my stomach, trying to force the nausea down. The scent of iron still clings to my nose, and no matter how many times I blink, I still see his hands—ripping, tearing. Covered in blood.

My soldiers' blood.

My throat tightens.

Fuck, I hate this.

I hate him.I hate me.

A choked sound slips from my throat. A sob, maybe. I don't even know anymore.

I slide down the cold wall and bury my face in my trembling hands

I don't know how long I sit there—slumped against the wall, hands stained in Alex's blood, chest heaving in silence.

Eventually, Louise finds me.

He doesn't speak.

He just sits next to me, back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him 

He glances at my hands. At my face. Says nothing.

It's the silence that helps. The fact that he doesn't ask questions. That he doesn't try to fix it.

After a while, he sighs.

"They took him to the infirmary."

I nod, my throat still raw.

"They won't let anyone in." i say

My jaw clenches. I push myself up on shaky legs and start walking.

Fuck it

I need to see him. I have to see him.

But when we reach the infirmary doors, two stone-faced guards stand like statues—immovable.

"Let me in."

They don't respond.

"He's hurt. You will let me see him."

Still nothing.

I'm two seconds away from losing it again when—

"WHERE. IS. THAT. BOY?!"

The corridor practically quakes.

Louise and I turn just in time to see a figure charging toward us like a storm in heels and silk.

"No. Fucking. Way." Louise whispers.

"ADELE?!"

She shoves past stunned soldiers like they're nothing but furniture.

"MOVE, you disrespectful child, or I swear I will end your military career before it even starts!" she shrieks at the nearest guard.

"Lady Adele," I choke, completely stunned.

She sees us—eyes glassy, lips trembling—and suddenly I'm engulfed in the softest, most suffocating hug I've ever felt.

"Oh my God, you're alive."Her voice breaks.

I feel her shaking. Or maybe that's me.

She clutches me tighter, then pulls Louise into the embrace whether he wants it or not.

"I thought you were all dead!" she sobs. "I heard there was blood everywhere, and I knew something terrible happened—"

Louise pats her awkwardly. "We're fine, Adele. Mostly."

She wipes her tears with one hand, keeping the other firmly wrapped around me.

"Now. Where is that reckless, insufferable boy?"

"They won't let us see him," I say, voice flat.

She turns like a missile locking on a target.

"Oh, they won't, will they?"

Ms. Adele storms up to the guards and plants herself like a general before battle.

"I am here to see the young king. You will move, or I will personally call down the wrath of the royal high court, and trust me—I am not in the mood for bureaucracy today."

"Ma'am, we've been instructed not to allow—"

"I instructed his birth into power, you little bootlicker. Now MOVE."

Right on cue, the infirmary doors swing open.

Two guards exit—and behind them…

Alex.

Walking.

Like he didn't just bleed all over the ballroom.

His hair is a mess. His clothes are soaked through with dried blood. His skin is pale. But he's alive.

Barely.

Ms. Adele gasps and throws herself at him.

"OH, MY BOY—!"

She hugs him like she might lose him again if she lets go.

Alex groans, but doesn't fight her. Doesn't even roll his eyes.

And for a second… he smiles.

That tiny curve of his lips breaks something in me all over again.

"You reckless, arrogant little demon," Adele sniffles, smacking him lightly on the head. "You scared me half to death."

"Im very sorry if i worried you, Adele," he says softly, rubbing the spot she hit.

That smile is still there.

And god, he looks...

Beautiful.

Even like this. Bloodstained. Weak. Exhausted.

My heart stutters like an idiot in my chest.

He turns, eyes locking with mine.

And that smile fades.Replaced by something heavier.

He sees me. Covered in his blood. Shaken. Pale.

And for the first time since the chaos began…

He looks like he wants to say something.

But he doesn't.

My cheecks burn

Louise leans close and whispers with a smirk, "Worked up that fast, petal?"

"Shut up."

He laughs.

I feel Alex's gaze on me still—burning into my skin. I don't dare look back.We're still in the infirmary hall when two figures step into view.

A man and a woman—elegant, formal, and bowing so deeply it looks painful.

"Young king," the man says, voice trembling slightly. "We are deeply sorry for tonight's… events."

I glance at Louise for context.

He leans in with a whisper."George and Leonelly. Second-line cousins of the late king."

Ah. Royals.

Alex doesn't flinch. His tone shifts back to that cold, clipped neutrality its always been in" No need for apologies,n no one knew they would attack, Tonight"

Short. Sharp. But underneath it… concern.

"As an act of gratitude," Leonelly says, still bowed, "please stay here tonight. It's unsafe to travel, and you're too far from the royal castle."

Ms. Adele steps in, her voice instantly warmer."Come now, sweetheart. You shouldn't be bowing that much in your condition"

Wait—

Condition?

I look again.

Leonelly is pregnant. Heavily. How did I not notice that before?

"Adele's right," Alex says, and something in his voice softens. "There's no need for such formalities, Leonelly."

I blink.

Did Alex Winslow just… tell a noble not to bow?

If my mother were here, she would've ordered her beheaded on the spot.

But here he is—bruised, bleeding, calm—and telling them to rest.

My chest aches again. Because it's not a performance. It's genuine.

"Thank you, young king," George says.

"How about something to eat then?" Leonelly suggests. "It's been a long night."

"I was starving," Louise announces dramatically, as if he hadn't nearly passed out ten minutes ago.

Leonelly whips around and points at him."You."

Louise's smile freezes just as her heel lands on his foot.

"Ow—Aunt?!"

"Your parents have been looking for you all night! You Scumbag!"

I turn to him, eyes wide."Aunt?!"

"As you heard, petal," Louise smirks. "My family tree is… overgrown."

Leonelly softens, brushing imaginary dust from her gown.

Then her eyes land on me.

And her whole expression melts.

"Oh my gods. Who is this lovely creature?"

She crosses the space between us with grace that shouldn't be possible for someone that pregnant.

"You're stunning, dear. What's your name?"

I blink. "Uh… Lilith, ma'am. Pleasure to meet you."

"No need for titles with me, sweetheart."She clasps both my hands. " Now arent you just one of a kind darling."

I force a smile, nerves spiking.

Louise chimes in smoothly, "Petal really is one of a kind, isn't she?"

A cough.

Loud. Sharp. Intentional.

Everyone turns.

Alex is staring at Louise.

And it's not just a glare. It's a lethal look.

If Louise were made of glass, he'd be shards by now.

Louise raises both hands in surrender, voice extra chipper.

Leonelly chuckles under her breath, picking up on it instantly."Oh, I see."

I look between all of them, confused—and horribly aware of the heat rising in my face.

"Alright then!" she announces cheerfully. "Let's all get something to eat, shall we?"

"We should, darling," George says, offering her his arm.

She accepts it with a dramatic sigh."George, as if I can't walk on my own…"

The rest of us laugh as they lead the way toward what I assume is the dining hall.

The castle's north side looks untouched—so eerily calm it's hard to believe the east wing was painted with blood just an hour ago.

And then—he's beside me.

Alex.

Close enough that our arms brush. Close enough that I can feel the heat rolling off him like a second skin.

Don't react. Don't let him see it.

I keep walking, pretending to be unbothered.

But from the corner of my eye—

That smirk.

He knows.

Smug, infuriating, possessive little monster.

I clench my jaw. Keep walking.

But inside, my skin is burning.