The Prince's Gift

Chapter 59.

Ehren's POV

I held Ana's lifeless body in my arms, pulling her as close into my chest as I could while I let the reality wash over me.

She was gone.

Zane had tried to turn her, but it hadn't worked. Her vision had been right all along, no matter how badly we tried to change it.

"I'm sorry Ana." I whispered into her long silky hair. "I wish I could've saved you from all of this pain."

I breathed her in, memorizing her scent before pulling away and gently placing her back on to the stone floor. I folded her slender arms across her body, letting her hands overlap across her flat stomach containing the tiny life she and Zane had created.

I had to admit that part of me wished it was going to be mine, but the second I took the vial of blood she'd given me, I knew it couldn't be. I was even more thankful to hear that it was Zane's and not Maddox's. I couldn't imagine what he'd have done to her had it belonged to him instead.

I shuddered at the thought, feeling a presence behind me before standing. I turned to see Ana's parents looking down at her with raw grief across their faces. I took a step closer to them, squeezing each of their shoulders gently as I looked back at them with that same sorrow.

"We just got her back." Aurelia said, her voice cracking as Thaddeus pulled her into him. He shushed her before kissing the top of her head tenderly.

"I know Lia. But she knew her destiny lead her here for a reason. We couldn't keep her from that." His rough voice said as he choked back his own pain.

I stepped off the platform to let them have a moment with her, Fallon and Kora both watching me with pained expressions. In one way or another, Ana had touched each and every one of our lives, changing them completely before leaving us forever.

Fallon's hand came down softly on my back as he leaned in to speak only to me. "I'm sorry man. I know you loved her...and I think she loved you too."

My jaw clenched tightly as I fought back the pain, looking back at him with a short nod before leaving the room. I couldn't stand in there anymore. The ache in my chest was too much to handle. I made my way down the winding hallway, walking in no particular direction until I ended up down in the garden courtyard just outside. I walked over to a stone bench placed just below a full leafy tree and finally slumped down onto it, letting the weight of the day finally settle in my mind.

Maddox wasn't going to let this go. He may have lost today, but with the heir now in his daughter's womb, it was only a matter of time before he returned. But maybe, thanks to Ana's sacrifice, we'd have a fighting chance. With the powers Zane now held, we stood with a better shot to win than we'd had before.

I heard a loud agonizing scream coming from my right in the direction of the battle field, as if someone was being pulled apart at the seams. The scream sounded like pure heartbreak. I slowly stood to my feet, following the pain-filled cry until I came to stand below the blood red moon, looking down at Zane as he sat slumped over on his knees with his hands twisted into his hair. 

His entire body shook with agony and as he heard me come up behind him, his head slowly turned until he saw me staring down at him. The anguish in his eyes mirrored my own with even more intensity than I could have imagined. He was in pure agony. I could see the misery coursing through him, and my chest twisted painfully as I looked back at him. This man looked broken, seemingly unable to put the pieces of himself back together. I walked closer to stand beside him, looking out across the battle field strewn with bodies bathed in a soft red glow.

"I'm sorry all of this happened Zane. This was your home, and I know you're hurting. Losing...I know what you're going through is hard. Just know we're all here for you when you're ready to start putting it back together. Maddox won't get away with this." Venom singed each word as the thought of Maddox entered my thoughts once again.

I heard Zane let out a tight huff before standing to his feet and brushing himself off. He straightened and I saw the broken man temporarily mending what he could for now.

"No he will not." He said shortly. Zane breathed in deeply, his eyes closing as he collected himself before opening them once again, staring straight ahead. "I need to thank you Ehren." He said lowly.

"Me? For what?" I said in surprise.

"For taking care of...her when I couldn't. For helping her. And for loving her." He turned to face me and his blue gaze pierced into mine with complete genuine emotion, meaning every word. "You brought joy and a little bit of peace to her when I couldn't even come close."

I nodded slowly, absorbing his words. I had given her every ounce of love I could. While I knew her heart would never be wholly mine, I knew she'd given me what she could.

We both heard a male's voice yelling from within the castle and whipped around, searching for the source but we couldn't see it.  Someone was calling for us. For Zane actually. Suddenly, Fallon appeared in the doorway of the courtyard, screaming out hurriedly for Zane and motioning him over. His expression was shocked and his eyes looked back at us wildly as we quickly ran to meet him at the entrance.

"What is it Fallon?" Zane asked him quickly, but Fallon just stared back at him with his jaw slightly agape, searching for the words to speak. "What's wrong?" He said, more firmly this time.

"You need to come back inside. Now." His voice was tight and his expression looked strange.

I'd never seen him this way in the short time I'd known him. Goofy, relaxed,  or angry were the few emotions I'd seen cross over his face. But this one, this one I couldn't decipher. Something had happened. Something big.

We quickly made our way through the long hall, winding our way back in the direction of the throne room. With every step, I felt my stomach knot tighter. What could have happened? What had been so important that we missed in such a short frame of time?

I chanced a glance at Zane, but he was giving nothing away. He was hard and cold on the outside as we took each step closer and closer to those large wooden doors. Just as we came to the entrance of the throne room, I saw him straighten and a muscle in his jaw ticked before nodding to Fallon and walking through the doors. Fallon gave me a quick nod and entered in front of us, leading us back into the room that would haunt us for centuries to come. Many of the remaining survivors had been cleared from the room, leaving only a handful of our own vampires remaining along with the Talentati and our own group.

Just as we came around the corner, we both froze. Something was different in here. The air felt different, the energy had changed. It was as if it was slowly charging up, becoming static around us as we entered. Zane's head whipped around to stare at Fallon who simply nodded back.

"Do you feel that?" Fallon asked quietly.

Zane nodded and then was instantly standing below the throne platform, staring up at Ana's body as it laid motionless above him. He took each step slowly, as if he was afraid that if he moved too fast that he'd ignite the entire room. He finally crouched down over her, placing his hand over hers as he brushed his fingers through her hair.

What in the hell was happening? Was this more of the transition of her powers? Or was something more going on here?

I inched closer, noticing that Kora, Thaddeus and Aurelia were watching the platform intently, as if they were afraid to look away. Suddenly, the energy seemed to ignite all around us, pulling into a central point in front of the thrones before exploding out in a surging blast so strong that each of us were knocked off of our feet completely.

I struggled to pull myself back to a seated position, shaking the confusion and shock off before I sensed it. My eyes snapped up to where Ana's body was lying. Zane has been completely blown away from her and had tumbled down the steps, landing hard on the stone floor below. He was fighting the same dazed struggle I was as he pushed himself back up off of the floor to look up at Ana.

"Is she..." He started before his words suddenly stopped short.

His spine went rigid and his shoulders straightened as he sat motionless looking up at where Ana lay. My chest tightened as I felt that tinge of hope simmering g from within me. Maybe it was possible. Just maybe.

Was she turning after all?