Ch. 541..550

Chapter 541 - Her Decision

The two queens looked at Claudius with eyes filled with intrigue and curiosity. Their eagerness to hear about every detail were literally flashing in both pairs of beautiful eyes.

"Tell us, Claudius. We want to know all the details on this." Queen Beatrice stated and Evie nodded her agreement enthusiastically. "Please be seated."

Claudius sat himself calmly on the nearest available chair after nodding respectfully at the queen. "Your Majesty, I'm not sure why you are asking about this matter. But if you have plans to have a mating bond be triggered on purpose, I really do not recommend it to anyone."

"Why?" Evie asked dismally. She could not suppress that overwhelming feeling of disappointment when she heard Claudius say that. Initially, upon hearing that he knew a way to trigger the mating bond, she had been so overjoyed and expectant. She even thought Claudius would willingly help them out in this as he had always been helping her out all this time.

"Because this practice is actually a forbidden spell." Claudius replied and the thrill in Evie's eyes died down. Of course… this too must have its consequence since it is forbidden. She should have known. She was trying to find a way to force a bond that was supposed to be triggered naturally on its own to spark. Of course, such a thing would be forbidden.

Disheartened, Evie nibbled the insides of her lips. But still, she lifted her chin high and looked straight at Claudius.

"I still want to know the details. Please elaborate, Claudius." She told the dark fae firmly and after a respectful nod, Claudius started.

"Most of the times, the mating bond is triggered between two individuals at first sight or during sex. There are also some instances where the mating bond is triggered during extreme situations, like those moments where one or both of the parties are under great emotional stress, or one or both are at the brink of death. These examples are the widely known triggers so far. If these situations already occurred and the mating bond still does not spark, it could only mean two things. One, it is either the trigger is a very rare and one-of-a-kind thing or two, it simply because there is just… no bond whatsoever to speak of between the two at all."

The explanation caused a deafening silence to reign for a few moments until Claudius continued speaking.

"If one tries to force the bond to be triggered and it somehow works one way or another, the price to be paid isn't all that heavy. It ranges from something mild like the temporary loss of emotions or memories to an episode of pain. The lost emotions or memories will return over time, and the pain will subside within a few days. However, if the bond does not spark even after a forced trigger, meaning that the bond actually does not exist between them, the price is much heavier. One can lose his or her emotions and memories or be in pain for hundreds of years. When I refer to the loss of emotion, I meant one will lose the ability to love and feel anything for that entire duration of time."

Claudius's clear and distinct explanation made the already heavy atmosphere even heavier. Evie did not even realize that her fists were already clenched tightly as they lay on her lap as she listened to the ancient dark fae's descriptions.

"A ritual must be done if one wishes to go through this forced triggering." Claudius broke the silence again. "But like I said before, I absolutely do not recommend anyone to go through this." His voice could be heard to be firm yet gentle at the same time. Both Queen Beatrice and Evie realised that most likely, Claudius must have witnessed a couple going through this and coming out with more negative impacts on them rather than good.

"Is…" Evie finally managed to speak up, "…is there a way to know if… if a mating bond actually exists between a couple without actually undergoing that ritual?" she asked sombrely.

But as expected, the dark fae shook his head. "Forgive me for saying this. But I haven't heard nor read anything about such a thing, Queen Evielyn. If there is a way, this forbidden ritual wouldn't have existed in the first place as no one would've gone through the ritual at all. But there are individuals who went through this a long time ago up until now. And that's how we even manage to find out all these information related to the consequences of forcing the mating bond to spark."

Evie's lips curved into a slight bitter smile. She had already expected that this would be Claudius' answer. If there was truly another way, no one would have bothered to create this forbidden ritual in the first place and no one would even be willing to go through it with the negative impacts if it ends up failing. It was pretty obvious from the explanations itself, and yet she still had to continue asking.

She felt Queen Beatrice's hand landing gently on hers and squeezed hers in a loving way. And Evie could only force a smile at her before Beatrice hugged her.

"It's okay, my dear. I strongly believe that you and Gavvy are destined for each other." Beatrice coaxed and Evie let out a small and sad sigh.

Maybe, it was time for her to stop thinking too much about this for now. It was just not the time and place for it. At least, she had found out that there was a way for their mating bond to be triggered. She wanted to go through it. This ritual. She was confident… but at the same time she was also scared that something might go wrong. However, she thought that if it turns out she truly is not Gav's mate… she would rather suffer the consequence and lose the ability to feel emotions and love in order to survive the pain. It is an unbearably painful thought to her, but she would rather choose that than worrying day to day that Gav's true mate will appear suddenly out of nowhere. That would probably slowly destroy her from inside. And if one day, that fear of hers finally comes true, she knew it would kill her utterly and completely.

That was why she wanted to go through this ritual. But not now. Not when she is still pregnant, not when there is a war looming over their heads. If their mating bond still does not get triggered after this war or after giving birth to her child, she would go through this ritual.. That was her decision.

 

Chapter 542 - Weapons

Gavrael who was nearby and had overheard everything that Claudius had explained to both his wife and his mother, immediately left as soon as he saw the pained look on Evie's face.

The moment he was inside the forbidden library, his already leaking dark magic he had barely kept hidden inside his barrier a while ago now violently burst out of control as though it was a fire that had a life of its own. He slammed his clenched fist against the wall of the pitch-black entrance of the forbidden library.

"No!" Gavrael hissed. "There must be another way around that! Gavriel is right, we'll definitely find a better way to do it!"

His blue orbs blazed, remembering how Evie's face looked like before he left as he pushed back from the wall and entered the narrow and dark hallway coated with his protective dark magic. The pained look on Evie's face was permanently and firmly etched in his mind now… he would do anything to make her feel at ease again. He would be willing to go through that ritual now. He believed that their bond will be triggered but to hell with that consequence! Why must there be a price to be paid too when it worked?! F*cking dark magic!!!

He would definitely not mind that temporary consequence, but knowing Evie, she would postpone the ritual until this problem with the war is solved. He was thinking of insisting on going ahead with it, but he was worried about her. She is currently pregnant and what if she ends up suffering the pain instead of getting just memory loss?

A frustrated groan echoed inside the library before he shook his head, took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. Remembering what Gavriel had told him earlier, that information from others might not be as accurate as what had been written in the books in this forbidden place, Gavrael slowly managed to calm down. That is right, he is going to find an answer in here. It is just too early to give up on it for now. There must be another way that Claudius knew nothing about!

…

Time passed by and Queen Beatrice had brought Evie out from the palace to sightsee around the city to distract her from her dark thoughts on the mating bond.

It was such nice move as Evie and her vampire men were now absorbed in helping her men find a weapon that was imbued with dark magic that they could use. The queen had a soft spot towards these vampires as well and she looked at them as though they were also her young ones.

Since she met up with them in Yryzia, she recalled the nostalgic feeling. It made her very happy, seeing the numbers of vampires with them now. And she wanted these men to be able to protect themselves well against magical monstrous beings.

Beatrice had felt that they were not the average vampires she was used to. They were very strong. But she still worried about them, knowing how little a damage raw power would cause to the monsters without the help of any dark magic. Therefore, she had thought of this. Where she would give these men a worthy weapon they could use in their fight with the monsters.

"I think this blade suits you best," Evie mention thoughtfully as Reed showed her two swords and asked the queen to help him choose between the two. "I feel like the dark magic on this one is stronger." She touched the sword with the greenish black blade as she said that, and Reed's smile widened.

"I believe so too, Your Majesty. Thank you. Then I'll choose this one!" the young man said excitedly.

"Your Majesty! Help me choose too!!" Levy's voice echoed loudly as he rushed towards Evie, but Zolan grabbed at Levy's collar from the back to stop his advance.

"Don't be so insolent Levy, can't you see she's looking for something for herself too? If you need help, ask us. Don't ask the queen you, dimwit. Also, people are watching. The queen might not mind, but these dark faes might think we're treating our queen like she's our equal or something." Zolan scolded him with a low voice and Levy immediately pouted though he did stop trying to run off into Evie's direction.

He did not argue anymore as he realized that the dark faes were really watching after giving a quick sweep of his eyes to their surroundings. He would never do anything to make these people think badly of their queen! No way!

"I think you should choose this," Queen Beatrice was the one who spoke up, surprising not only Levy but all the vampires.

They had felt Queen Beatrice's kindness towards them since they were in Yryzia and they felt such a strange feeling towards her. This woman was the last pure blooded vampire royalty. She would have been their queen in the northern empire since long ago if she was not here.

The vampires were a bit stunned. They were thrown a little off and did not quite know how to act before this queen who was their king's royal mother.

"I think with your physique, a longer but lighter sword would be fitted for you." Queen Beatrice continued, touching the sword that was held in Levy's right hand. "This dark magic in this sword will increase your speed and also have a potent poison meant for the monsters."

"I… I see… I understand Your… Your Majesty. I'll choose this one then. Thank… thank you, Your Majesty." Levy stammered and Beatrice smiled gracefully.

"I'm in fact amazed with your choices. It's like you guys already know what you already needed." Beatrice said as her gaze fell to the weapons in their hands.

The vampires awkwardly nodded until Evie joined the conversation, pressing her lips tight at the awkward silence of her usually talkative men. She was trying her best not to laugh out loud at their awkwardness.

"They're still a bit shy towards you, mother. They're acting a bit cute sometimes but most of the times, they can be quite a chaotic bunch." Evie whispered to Beatrice before giggling, knowing that the vampires could clearly hear her every words. Some of them flushed red and looked away.

Beatrice laughed fondly, enjoying the look on the men's faces. "Indeed, I can tell that they're a fun bunch to be with."

And they continued their weapon shopping until the day ended and the king returned. Evie and Beatrice went out to welcome their husbands with the two of them quite thrilled to talk to them about the bow.

"Where is Gav?" Evie asked at the realization that Gav was not with the king.

"Ah, he came back earlier. He must still be in –"

"I'm here, love.." Gav's voice cut off the King's words and he appeared right next to Evie.

Chapter 543 - Uncontrollably

Shocked at the endearment she heard, Evie whipped her head around and she could not help but gape at the sight of Gav's eyes. They had turned back to a silvery grey again! The only thing she could think of right now was, 'What had happened?'

Evie surreptitiously glanced over at the King and Queen, and she was surprised to see how the couple were just smiling calmly at them as if nothing unusual had happened. Evie breathed out in relief that the king and queen did not seem to be bothered that much about the switches as she had initially thought. Because she would not know how to even begin to explain the crazy situation that they were in right now.

"Gav, where did you hide yourself at for the whole time?" Evie asked him as soon as she snapped out of her shock. "I didn't know you're already here."

Gavriel bent down to her, smiling and whispered into her ear. "Miss me so very badly already? My wife? Shall I grant you a kiss and a hug right here and now?" he purred sounding as though he could not wait to do exactly what he just said. But Evie quietly snuck her hand beneath his coat and pinched him in the waist playfully.

"Behave yourself, my dear husband." She whispered back through her teeth as she smiled at him before facing the king and queen again.

Queen Beatrice was quick to start on the topic about the bow, causing both the father and son's eyes to be filled with intrigue as they listened in carefully.

The family then entered the hall where the bow was kept as Beatrice began explaining everything. When they saw the bow, King Belial immediately went forward to examine it. The bow did not react at all to the king's touch even when he used his dark magic to probe and test it out.

"As I told mother earlier, I believe that if I hold onto it for a longer period of time, I will be able to see more of those images clearly and perhaps even understand the message in them." Evie told them. She was eager to try out her theory and was just waiting for the signal of the go ahead from both King Belial and Gavriel.

Gavriel remained quiet until Belial looked at him. "What do you think, son?" he asked as he passed the bow over to Gav to take a look. "I don't seem to detect any danger from it. Why don't you have a look and see if you can sense out anything from it."

Everyone watched as Gavriel held the bow, turning it this way and that, to access the different angles as he observed this golden bow. His gaze swept over the images of the intricate dragons that were carved on it. Then his eyes returned to Evie. "Did you feel anything strange when you touched it before?"

"My head just throbbed a little." Evie answered truthfully. "But that's all. And I think that was quite normal especially if the bow is trying to send me its memories, is it not?"

Gav nodded but there was a glint of hesitance in his eyes. "I see… but maybe, you don't need to do this right now, Evie –" even as he was still speaking, Evie's reaction changed.

"Gav." Evie cut him off, her expression was sharper now even as her brows wrinkled a little. It was clear to Gavriel and his parents that she was displeased with the way he handled this matter. "I don't think it's right for us to keep delaying matters, especially at this time. This would be ever so helpful when the war comes." Her voice was sharp and her reasoning, to the point as she pointed the facts out.

"But this could also cause you harm or even some disturbance." Gavriel's voice was calm even when refuting her, but Evie's eyes twitched.

"Gav." There was now a tinge of annoyance in her voice that could even be heard by both the king and queen. They did not say anything but shared a look with each other. "I told you to stop –"

"Father, mother," Gav cut her off as he suddenly pulled her close to him and looked over at his parents before saying, "Please give us a moment."

"Oh, yes, son. I think you two should go and discuss in detail about this for now. It's also okay, if you both can't dine with us tonight. Your father and I also have some other important issues to discuss about. So we will be heading off now. We'll talk about this again once everything is settled." Beatrice smiled at him while King Belial looked at Gavriel with an understanding and encouraging gaze. The king and queen then left after giving Gavriel a final look like they were cheering him up.

Once Gav and Evie were finally alone, she pulled away from him. Her amber eyes gleaming as she faced him, the emotions in them blazing uncontrollably.

"You said you're not going to stop me from doing what I wanted anymore Gav!" Evie declared a little accusingly, as she narrowed her eyes at him. "But here you are, treating me like I'm a little damsel in distress again, who isn't fit to make any of her own decisions. You're doing it again. Opposing my decision just because you're worried. I know you're worried about me, but can't you just trust me that I know what I'm doing Gav? I'm no longer that little girl who can't even protect herself and could only rely on you to save me every single time! I 've changed Gav, I've grown. I have my powers now, and I'm far stronger than I ever was before.. So could you stop treating me like I'm still that helpless little girl?!" Evie was heaving and her eyes were sparking little bolts of lightning at Gavriel after saying all those words at one go.

Chapter 544 - It's Okay

This was the very first time she had spoken and looked at him this way.

But Gav's gaze remained gentle, looking at her with understanding as he stretched his hand out towards her. "Come here, love." He said and Evie looked away angrily, fists tightly held in a curved ball. He had to approach her and gently pull her into his arms again. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, and Evie shut her eyes and clung onto him. Her body shook a little as she inhaled and tried to gather her emotions that had got the better of her.

Gavriel rubbed her head and back in a small, circular, soothing motion as he started to whisper to her. "I'm not stopping you, Evie. I just feel that you're being too emotional right now. It's like you're rushing to do things to distract yourself from something else. And I'm afraid that you'd be overwhelmed emotionally once you start seeing those memories too."

She started to pull away, but Gav held on tightly to her and kissed her mouth when she opened them to scold him, knowing that her temper had flared at what he said again.

Evie struggled for a moment but as Gav deepened the kiss, she slowly gave in to his insistence.

"Listen, Evie…" he murmured when their lips finally parted, as he lovingly pressed his forehead against hers while caressing her satiny cheeks with his thumbs. "Your pregnancy is making you very emotional and sensitive. So as much as possible, I don't want you to be bombarded with so many things to think about all at once when your mind is already filled with disturbing thoughts. I know you've been troubled, my love. So troubled that I can't take it any longer. This issue about the mating bond that you're so worried about…" he breathed sharply, "please Evie, trust me… there is nothing for you to worry about. You –"

"Nothing to worry about?!" Evie blurted out, her voice shrill. The waves of pain and anger filling her eyes now. "How can I not worry? Huh? Gav? When any time now, your true mate might pop out of nowhere and take you away from me? I know! I know you love me. But I also know that the mating bond is very strong, an impossible thing for anyone to go against with. Once you see her, you'll fall for her and want her without a doubt, whether you like it or not! How could you tell me to stop thinking about it? I can't! I've been trying to ignore it. But I love you too much to bear even the possibility of your true mate appearing and then take you away from me any time now! More so that I am currently pregnant with your child!" Evie yelled, her tears falling from the corners of her eyes now. "I've been telling myself that I am your fated mate, that all I have to do is wait for it to spark, and that our time will definitely come in the future. But Gav…" her tears fell uncontrollably. "We spent one lifetime together before and despite all the things that had happened between us, the bond still didn't spark! And this time too… we've already been through a lot… so much… so much, Gav… and yet… can you blame me for thinking this way? Is it so hard to understand my fears that it's all because of there being no bond between us at all? I know it is a bad time for doing this. There are more important matters to deal with than this right now, I know that! But… I can't help it. I hate this. I hate that I just become like this whenever it comes to you… being fragile, emotional, sensitive, irrational… I hate it. I hate it! I'm a queen, I shouldn't be… like this…"

She then suddenly broke down sobbing and Gavriel held her so tightly in his arms, peppering to top of her head with kisses. "It's okay, love. Just because you're a queen doesn't mean you're not allowed to cry and have fears, Evie. You're like this because you're not a heartless queen. And don't forget that you're also pregnant. I've been told that some women get so emotional and sensitive during their pregnancy due to the changing hormones in their body. So please don't hate yourself, love. It's normal for you to be like this once in a while." He whispered to her lovingly as he kissed her tears away.

"And I understand you full well, Evie. If I was the one to be in your shoes, the thought that another man might suddenly appear and claim you as his mate would probably drive me so insane, I don't think I would be able to take it as well." He caught her small face in his large palms and smiled at her with all the love in the world flashing across his steely grey eyes. "That's why I am willing to do anything to solve this issue and relieve you from this mess. I wanted you to be at your best shape?mentally and physically before any trouble breaks out."

Evie met his gaze, while still sniffling, wondering what he actually meant by those words.

"I've found a way to solve this matter about the mating bond, Evie." He the added and Evie's eyes widened. But the hope that suddenly blazed in her eyes instantly died down the next second at the thought that came into her head.

"You're not talking about the forced mating bond ritual, are you?" she asked and to her shocked surprise, he shook his head.

"No, love. I'm not talking about that. There is no way I'll let you go through that ridiculous ritual. Not when there are so many negative impacts at risk."

"Then… what other way do you have?! T-tell me." her heartbeat was in her throat as she asked that, her hope-filled eyes seeking answers from those silvery grey orbs that were fixed intently on her. "What did you find out?"

Chapter 545 - Temporary

Gently, Gavriel pulled on her as he sat on the chair and made her sit on his lap. He caressed her back in slow circular motions and Evie knew that he was doing it all to help her calm down and relax. And as always, his loving touches did their wonders. Though this Gav do not wield any magic, his touches, his warmth and the way he looked at her was nothing short of magical to her.

"Listen closely, my love." He finally started when Evie's shoulders finally loosened up. "I didn't actually find an alternative way to force trigger the mating bond, but I did find another simple way to make you feel at ease…" he paused and Evie swallowed in anticipation as she waited for him to continue. "… I had found a way to prevent the bond from being triggered at all."

Evie blinked, speechless at what he had just said. Stop the bond from being triggered?!

"Apparently, dark faes can do that but just once and within a certain amount of time. They would cast a spell on themselves to prevent the mating bond from triggering and if they do that, no matter what happens, the bond will not be able to be triggered within that set period of time. The good thing is there is no minimum amount of time that is required. So it'll be up to you to decide when to dissolve the prevention spell. However, there's a maximum amount of time though, and it's two years. The spell will be dissolved after those two years have passed whether one likes it or not. And after that, the person can never cast the same spell on himself ever again." Gav explained as Evie just sat there, looking at him wordlessly.

"It's a temporary solution, yes." Gavriel continued, "but I believe this is our best option right now. Once I cast this spell on myself, whatever happens, the mating bond will never be triggered. I'm not expecting you to completely erase this matter from your mind after this. In fact, I know you will still think about it as this is not a permanent solution to the issue. But at least, you can now relax somewhat, right? Wife? I just want you to feel at ease for the time being about this. I also promise you that within this amount of time… as soon as possible… I'll surely find a way to prove to you that you're my mate and no one else is able to take that place." He smiled at her confidently, there was not even a tinge of doubt about what he had said in his moon-like pair of eyes.

He brushed her silky silvery hair and tucked them behind her ear. "I won't make you wait long, my love. As soon as this massive trouble is dealt with, I'll make sure you and I will undergo that mating ritual too. So I want you to put all your trust in me about this, Evie. You can do that, right, love?"

Evie did not say a word for quite some time but eventually, she let out a relieved sigh. Indeed, this temporary solution made her feel better at least for now. At least she would not need to fear the appearance of Gav's true mate every single minute once that spell is being cast. She could then focus herself on the matters of the war for now without that fear haunting her and hanging over her head. It was true this solution would not fully erase all her worries, but it did give her some measure of peace and relaxation. Two years… that was quite a long time for her. Two years would give them a lot of spare time to think and maybe like what Gavriel said, they would eventually find a way to solve this matter permanently.

And his promise… she knew, her heart already trusted him, almost blindly and faithfully. She was glad that her heart was like this towards him. However, her mind was still somewhat hard to fully convince.

Thankfully, this temporary solution and these two years respite really made her feel much better. She felt that she could finally breathe again. The thought that two years were pretty long, and many things could happen within that amount of time gave her more confidence and faith in his promise. Knowing that Gav would do anything and everything for her gave her more reasons to accept this compromise.

Staring back at him, Evie finally nodded. "I will. I'll trust you on this matter, Gav." She told him and his smile widened.

"I'm glad." He breathed in relief. "You're not going to stress yourself over this again, right? My queen?"

She nodded. "But wait, how are you going to cast that spell on yourself? And what about the cost of this spell? Would it not come with some form of repercussions as all forbidden spells do?" her brows creased again.

"There is nothing for you to be worried about, wife, as this is not a forbidden spell. Gavrael will be the one to cast the spell once we switch. And there's a small cost involved, but it's nothing ridiculous. It only needs the payment of a certain amount of power for it to be performed. That would be a piece of cake for Gavrael. You know that as well, right wife?"

"Are you sure there is no other negative consequences?"

"As I have mentioned earlier, this spell is not forbidden, wife. So you can be rest assured."

Evie sighed, hearing the confirmation from Gavriel that it was not a forbidden spell was enough to ease her worries again.

"How did you find out about this spell in the first place?" she then asked, her expression now much better.

"The forbidden library," he grinned widely, and Evie blinked at him. She opened her mouth then closed it before she looked around.

"You managed to enter into the forbidden library?!"

"I asked Gavrael to use his magic to find the right book."

"You're allowed to go there?"

Chapter 546 - Wish

"You're allowed to go there?" Evie was a little afraid that he had snuck into the place without permission.

"Don't worry, wife. The thing that you were afraid of did not happen." Gavriel chuckled and winked at his wife, knowing what she had thought. "Father granted me the permission to enter."

"Wait… don't tell me this is the reason why you're so confident of finding a way to…" Evie trailed off as Gav's smile turned mischievous and he nodded sagely at her.

"That is just one of the many reasons why. I never had a doubt in the first place. But I'm sure I'll find all the answers I needed in there. Even if I cannot find the exact answers… at least there will be strong clues to guide the way ahead. I just need more time to be there. Hopefully, I will be able to find out everything I need to know before the big trouble breaks out."

Evie looked at him for a long time like she wanted to say something.

Seeing her that way, Gavriel smiled at her and asked, "You want to go there too..."

She nodded. "Maybe I can help you with finding the answers there even quicker."

"Alright, we'll ask the king for permission the next time we see him then."

"Thank you." Evie leaned her head on his shoulder as they both fell quiet for a while. Somehow, she could not quite believe how everything seemed to be totally fine all of a sudden. She clearly was in a raging mess just a while ago and now here she was, sitting beside him calmly, as tranquil as a placid lake. She could not help but smile serenely.

"I'm sorry…" she then uttered, "I was mean… I… I yelled at you and even made that horrible face while your parents were still here."

"Honestly… that is the first time you have ever talked and looked at me like that, love." Gavriel blinked innocently at Evie, causing more guilt to flood her already overflowing heart.

"Did I scare you?" Her voice sounded so small, and she truly felt so sorry and ashamed.

Gavriel chuckled as he lightly stroked her head that was lowered. "You think that was enough to scare me?"

Evie's head snapped up and her eyes locked on his. "Of course not! You're always calm and –"

"It did," He cut her off. And then he laughed again when he saw her blink and her mouth opened and closed without any words coming out. "I'm not gonna lie, Evie… my mind stopped for a long while there. You threw me off big time when you yelled at me so angrily and even started crying like that. It was one of the scariest moments of my life."

"Liar." She finally blurted out and pursed her lips at him, huffing as she swung her head to the side so that she would not be looking at him.

Still chuckling like he was so happy, Gavriel shook his head. "It's the truth, wife. I just saw another wild side of yours that I've never seen before. But I'd never ever want to make you that angry again. It hurts my heart." His smile faded and he looked at her with a serious gaze. "So Evie, if something's bothering you, don't hold back and tell me, alright? I don't want you bottling up thoughts and emotions like that. I am here and I am your husband. Don't hide your troubles from me again, okay? Evie?"

Suddenly, Evie turned around and jumped at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I love you, Gav," she muttered as her face was still buried in the side of his neck. "I love you so, so much."

"I know. I love you too, Evie."

Later, Gavriel brought Evie to the dining hall to eat. The king and queen were not in attendance, so the couple dined alone together.

"I'm going to switch with Gavrael again, wife." Gavriel said as he was watching Evie finished her dinner. His head was propped against his knuckles as he looked indolently at her. "He needs to come out to cast the spell."

Evie looked at him. "When did you switch places? As soon as you returned from the Abyss?"

"No, as soon as he gave me the information he gathered in the library."

"I see…"

Gavriel rose and stood behind her, bending over and pressing his cheek against hers. "What's with that face, hmm?"

"I… I just wish that one day you both don't need to be switching like this again." she said honestly and Gavriel kissed her mouth. "This… this is not being too difficult for you, right? Gav?" she continued once their lips parted.

"Well, it was hard at first. But I'm getting used to it. It's much easier now. In fact, I somehow feel as though I got split into two and now the both of us are doing a job two persons can do. I feel as though we're more productive this way as we both can utilize our strength. But you are right, we need this switching to stop at some point and fulfil your wish and become one at last."

"My wish… does this mean… you don't wish for this? Gav?"

A short silence reigned between them for a while.

"At first I didn't. But things are different now and I'm starting to understand things clearer as time goes by. Our situation made me realized how badly we both need each other not just in this current moment but in the future as well. So yes, right now…" he smiled at her. "I'm starting to wish for that too. At first, I can't even imagine it. But… when I started to think about all the things that we could do if we merge our abilities and powers together, I actually felt a thrill I have never felt before. It's still a little strange, but the idea isn't that unacceptable anymore."

The thrill flashed in Evie's eyes as well and Gavriel could not help but chuckle helplessly at his wife's expressive face. He then kissed Evie's mouth again.

When their lips parted and Evie opened her eyes, the grey eyes were already replaced by two blazing blues now.

"Gav…" she uttered but before Gavrael could react, he spun around and saw a dark fae standing there in the threshold.

"What is it?" Gavrael asked immediately, his tone authoritative and kingly.

"Your Highness, I was sent by the King to inform the queen of the light faes on an important matter." The messenger reported with a salute.

"State it."

"Light faes... more light faes have been arriving in the Under Lands. Right now, dozens of them are nearing the Great City while the others are still detained at the portal.." He reported and Evie's eyes widened.

 

Chapter 547 - Decision

"What?!" Evie exclaimed, immediately moving away from Gav to face the dark fae. "Light faes… where are they right now? Are they still quite far from the city?" She did not waste any time in questioning the dark fae that had brought the message.

"Reporting to Your Highness, I believe that they would be reaching the gates in a few minutes. His Majesty the king and Her Majesty are already waiting to welcome them by the gates." The messenger reported, still bowing his head as he spoke.

Evie then looked at Gav again. "I have to go out and meet them as well," she told him and Gavrael only nodded his assent. He also guessed that his parents would have thought the same, that was why they had sent this messenger over to report on this matter to them both.

"Have the vampires go along with you to welcome them, Evie. I'll be staying back because I need to head back into the library to cast the spell." He explained.

Her eyes observed him, looking obviously conflicted as to whether she should stop him and ask him to wait for her before casting the spell or to just nod and let him go ahead and have it settled on his own. While Evie was still showing a complicated gaze, Gavrael smiled slightly as he stepped closer to her.

"It's alright," he stretched out his hand and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers gently. "I'll deal with this as quickly as I can and come join you. So go on ahead, Evie. I know you're itching to go." His voice was low and rumbled comfortingly that it eased the indecisiveness that Evie was feeling. She looked up at him with grateful eyes.

And without further waiting for Evie's verbal response, Gavrael took her hand in his and they both disappeared from the hall. As soon as they materialized outside the palace where the vampires were already gathered, Gavrael spoke to the men and gave them his orders.

"Escort your queen to the gates." He commanded in a serious tone and the men quickly nodded. No one said a thing the moment they saw the intense colour of his eyes.

"Gav…" Evie was still a little hesitant to let go of him now that he was about to head off and leave without her. She had a tremble in her heart and suddenly thought that maybe she should not let him carry out the spell all on his own. After all, this matter involved the both of them. He was doing this all for her sake and her insecurities on their mating bond. "How about…" she trailed off when Gavrael suddenly flashed her a smile. It seemed that he knew what she was thinking just by looking at her face.

This Gav smiling softly was just so rare that Evie could not help but pause from whatever she had wanted to say. Though the smile was quick to fade, Evie could see that he seemed to be in a better mood right now.

"We have already talked about this and decided to go for it as soon as I took over, remember? He told me that we needed to do it immediately and I agreed with his ideas too. So," he held her shoulders and squeezed it lightly before turning her away to face the rest of the men, "so go on, I will be right there the moment I'm done. I promise!"

The last two words were still ringing softly in her ears as she quickly turned around to get a last glimpse of him. However, he was already gone and had left Evie no choice but to sigh and nod at her men.

…

Gavrael then materialized back inside the forbidden library. But instead of casting the spell as he had promised Evie, what he did was to stretch out his arms and his dark magic suddenly swirled around him, thick and copious. He murmured some words under his breath and the dark smoke moved on their own almost as though they were black snakes that were crawling through the shelves, opening a few books as Gavrael had his eyes closed, absorbing the information written in them. All of this was happening very suddenly and at a rapid pace.

When he had spoken with Gavriel earlier about the prevention spell, Gavriel had refused to go along with it. He had insisted that the spell might cause even more problems. He also had said that spell was the same as forcing the bond to trigger, only that the way it worked was from the opposite end of things. And Gavriel did not want that. He told him that he had full trust in their mating bond triggering at the right time and he had no plans to either force it to happen earlier nor to hinder it for whatever amount of time.

Gavriel was also beyond confident that the mating bond will be triggered sooner rather than later. And he too, honestly believed that with all his heart, and that was why he was not very happy about the things he had found out as well. However, they needed to do something at least for now to help put Evie's mind to be at ease.

And aside from that, he had also unintentionally found out a horrific information about Evie's pregnancy while looking for information on the other matter. It has been said that in one of the books that anyone who had died once before were not supposed to ever get pregnant anymore. And the fearful thing was that it did not matter if the person was brought back to life through time reversal or not.

This news had shocked the both of them to the core. And thus, Gavriel had worked out this plan. They were going to lie to Evie and inform her that they would be carrying out that prevention spell.

It was not an easy decision to make. They both hated the idea that they needed to lie to her at all. But they both knew that there was no choice when dealing with the matter of her pregnancy and their unborn child. They needed to do something to keep her at ease. That way, they would be able to focus on this much more pressing issue they needed to solve as soon as possible.

They must find out more… no, find out everything they could about this now, right this instant! They need to find an answer on how to prevent this disaster from happening!

Chapter 548 - Two Situations

Time passed and Gavrael finally absorbed enough information from the books all at once. He immediately left the library, but it was not to catch up with Evie as he promised earlier. He instead, materialized inside their room and laid himself on the bed.

This was also done as per Gavriel's instructions. He had told Gavrael to put himself into a deep slumber and Gavrael just agreed, understanding why he had asked him to do that. They both will need all the time they need to go over the loads of information he had absorbed from the books earlier and to share them with Gavriel.

It would be more convenient as an excuse for him to fall asleep or Evie will probably keep him awake and interrogate him thoroughly about the spell once she returns. Gavrael wanted to cuddle with her again, no doubt about it. But he knew they do not have much time to waste as of now! Time is of the essence as Evie's pregnancy is progressing day after day!

Shutting his eyes, Gavrael checked on Evie's condition and location first through Samuel's eyes. He had chosen to connect through the leader this time.

When he saw Evie speaking with the light faes that had just arrived and was looking alright, Gavrael sighed out in relief. He also saw his parents together with her, so he could relax and finally uttered the spell to put himself into a deep sleep.

In the next instant, he was standing in front of Gavriel again.

Gavriel immediately stood as he approached him.

"Evie's out to meet the light faes who had just arrived. So I am back here earlier than you expected." Gavrael informed him quickly, "Father and mother are with her, and they should be returning into the palace anytime soon." He added and Gavriel nodded in relief.

He asked Gavrael to let him view the contents of the books he had absorbed with the help of his magic and Gavriel did not waste a second longer to focus himself on it, skimming through all the pages, one after another at an impossible speed.

After what felt like hours, Gavriel finally stopped. A complicated look was plastered across his normally calm expression. Both of them looked at each other, thoughts racing across their own minds.

"I think Evie was already pregnant before I came out and took over." Gavrael was the first to speak.

"I think the same, too. I believe she's already pregnant before we got separated. This should mean that your dark magic should not be the reason why she had managed to conceive... This will be the biggest difference between her and Queen Ellia." Gavriel mulled over this point. "It says here that the female should start becoming weaker even in their first week of pregnancy. However, thinking back, I remember that the complete opposite actually happened to Evie. After we got separated, she only grew stronger and stronger until now."

At that moment, Gavrael remembered something he had observed from Evie since he had switched places with Gavriel last night.

"I also had sensed that her magic is getting even stronger now compared to previously." he informed Gavriel. "No… in fact, the increase of her powers within this short amount of time could be said to be a little unbelievable. She had told me that she started to feel as though her energy is now overflowing since she had arrived in the Under Lands."

Gavriel's eyes narrowed a little as he stared at the page Gavrael was showing him through his magic.

"Is it possible that…" Gavriel started thoughtfully, "…that the opposite is happening to her? That instead of getting weaker, she's actually becoming stronger?"

Gavrael frowned, puzzled at what Gavriel had pointed out.

"Perhaps because the dark magic isn't the one responsible for her being able to conceive…" Gavriel wondered out aloud.

The idea made sense to Gavrael as well, but he could not say anything more as Gavriel continued reading again.

"Here it is! I've found it!" Gavriel exclaimed after a long while of reading silently. "It says here that it's impossible for a revived woman to conceive unless one of these two situation happens. First, if the man has surpassed the pinnacle of dark magic, meaning the man had been consumed by his darkness and second… there's something about the woman that made it possible."

"Something about the woman? You mean, something about Evie herself that had made it possible for her to conceive?" Gavrael asked, "Is this because Evie's the queen of the light faes and is also powerful in her own right?"

"Probably, but queen Ellia was once a powerful dark fae too. She's the most powerful female dark fae during that time. So that should not be the case."

"So if it is not because of how powerful she is, then what?"

"Maybe… Hmm, perhaps, it could be because Evie's source of magic isn't darkness but the light."

Gavrael was silenced. That was the most logical theory they had manged to come up with right now. "So it might be because Evie's powers have reached the pinnacle of light magic?" he wondered but Gavriel shook his head.

"No. Evie only started using light magic that day when the war broke out. That was the same day we got separated…" suddenly, Gavriel trailed off. His eyes widening a little at that thought that had just come to him. He remembered that night when he began to realize that Evie was not just a mere human as they both had thought before. That night he gave her that necklace and that time he brought her to the crystal lake. That night, they had made love while the lake magically started shining with golden lights.

There was no way he could forget that.. Though Evie might not have noticed it, it was impossible for him not to notice the abnormal lights that occurred that moment they had started making love, compared to when she was just simply soaking herself in the water. Could it be that…

 

Chapter 549 - No Going Out

After some discussion with the King and Queen of the Under Lands, Evie finally led the light faes to a place where King Belial had assigned and granted permission for them occupy while they were here.

A while ago, as soon as the light faes, who were led by Zirrus saw Evie, all of them nearly sagged to the ground with utter relief. Even though Zanya had told them over and over again that the queen was totally fine, there was no way the light faes would feel any better knowing that their queen was trapped within the dark fae realm. This was the realm of their long mortal enemy.

Though they all knew that time has changed everything now, the light faes just could not get rid of their long seated fears and trust issues related to the dark faes. Not until they saw their queen with their own two eyes safe and sound that they were finally convinced of what Zanya had told them.

They all know that their queen was their last ray of hope. She was the destined saviour of their race. Their race was once almost fully eradicated in the past… if something ever happened to their queen… the light faes could not even start to imagine what will happen to them and their land. The depths of their despair and destruction of their race would be unmitigated.

So that was why it was such a great relief to them all, seeing that not only was she safe and sound, but they all could clearly sense that her light magic had grown to be so much stronger than the last time they had seen her. It was so incredible that they could even literally feel the warm aura of her light magic brushing out from her without her even doing anything. This was their queen!!

What had happened? Had their queen been busy strengthening herself all this time while she was stuck here this dark realm? Still… that was an unreal amount of magic growth!

"I want all of you to rest for tonight," Evie addressed everyone, "tomorrow, I will need to speak to everyone again once everyone is here and accounted for."

The light faes nodded at her command. "Yes, Your Majesty." They said in unison and Evie finally left them.

"We will be escorting you back to the palace, Your Majesty," Zolan told her, "Leon and the others might still take a long while to arrive here, so you should go and rest. We'll come to inform you once the rest of them arrive."

Evie turned to face Zolan. "Alright, you guys should go and get some rest too. I want you all to be able to stay alert and take all the rest needed while everything is still alright." She glanced at Levy next and spoke pointedly. "So… refrain from running off somewhere and staying up all night, alright?"

Levy smiled awkwardly as he nodded at her like a good little boy. "Yes, my Queen. No going out tonight."

Once Evie entered the palace, Zolan, Levy and Luc left to return to their barracks. She immediately rushed to the hall leading towards the library, wondering why Gav did not come find her according to what he had promised earlier. She could not help but feel a little worried now. Though she knew that there was almost no risk in him carrying out that spell, she still could not stop that little bit of fear from sprouting in her heart.

When she met her people and found out that Zanya and the others were still by the portals, Evie had wanted to go there herself to meet them. But she hesitated because she was still waiting for Gav to come find her.

She was worried on why he was taking so long. He had told her that the casting of the spell would not take that long. So why the hold up? She could not stop wondering if the spell was taking that long to perform or there was something bad that had happened to him.

And thus, she decided to send Samuel, Leon and Reed to meet up with Zanya and the rest of them. King Belial and Queen Beatrice also agreed with her decision that there was no need for her to personally go to the portal herself.

Two ancient dark faes who were standing outside the door leading to the forbidden library, looked at Evie as she approached them hurriedly. They have an air about them that was quite identical to Claudius that helped Evie identify and sense that these two were ancients as well. They stood at the doors like the guardians to the library.

"I am here to look for my husband, Prince Gavrael." She told them and the guardians looked at each other before giving her respectful bow.

"His Highness Gavrael had already left quite a while ago, Queen Evielyn." One of them informed her respectfully, causing Evie to frown. What? He had already left? And much earlier too?

"I overheard him saying that he was feeling sleepy…" the other one added but trailed off at the look on Evie's face.

Speechless, Evie sighed and gave them a grateful smile. "Thank you, elders." she expressed her gratitude to them.

"Our pleasure, Queen." They responded in kind and Evie rushed off and headed back to their room.

Once she opened the door and saw her husband already lying on the bed and seemingly in a deep slumber, she leaned against the door and sighed again, this time in relief and laughing quietly at the same. She really wanted to punish this man now! How dare he make her worry so much while he was here taking such a nice and comfortable nap!

She walked over to him and stood next to the bed with her arms crossed over her breast, planning to act very mad at him.. However, when he did not move to wake up and just continued sleeping so peacefully, Evie found herself sitting at the edge of the bed and watching his tranquil look with a soft smile on her face.

 

Chapter 550 - This Woman...

Meanwhile, Leon and his comrades who were entrusted to welcome the stragglers were finally nearing the portal where Zanya and the other light faes were waiting at.

His heart was racing hard within his ribcage, and it was not caused by the speed of their travels. He knew it was because of her… because of Zanya. Because he was finally going to see her face to face again. It had not been all that long since he had left her in that cave, but he already felt as though it had been months or even years since he had seen her last.

He could not believe how badly he missed her until now. Did she miss him as badly too? He could not help but wonder how she would react once they finally reunite physically.

Leon remembered that time when he first came to the Under Lands looking for her. His heart was also behaving this way. But the good thing this time around was the absence of fear. He was told that they were alright, that she had just stayed behind after negotiating with the dark faes who were guarding the portal to let them enter and head to the Great City without any battle needing to occur between the two groups.

They said that the dark fae lord who was stationed at the portal had decided to let half of them to go ahead first and the other half to stay behind and wait for the King's approval before allowing all the other remaining light faes to enter into the Under Lands.

But despite receiving the reports and knowing that she was alright, his heart was still behaving like this. He felt as though his heartbeat would never go back to beating normally again unless he sees her with his own two eyes.

At last, they finally halted as they reached the camps of the dark faes who were on duty near the portal. It was a surprise to them though that there was not even a single monster that had stopped them while they were crossing the forest. Because the very first time they had passed through this forest, they were forced to fight quite a number of monsters.

"So the three of you are the ones His Majesty the king sent to escort the remaining light faes to the Great City…" a big man, as huge as Samuel stepped up and spoke to them. Leon noticed that this one was filled with so much power, that he felt even stronger than that dark fae lord named Azrael.

There was no need for this man to even introduce himself anymore as they could already tell that he is the lord that the King had mentioned, Lord Cairus. He was not here the last time when they had passed through the portal.

After Samuel spoke to him, the dark fae lord then led them inside the camp. Leon was surprised to see the light faes were already within the camp. He had thought that they did not allow them to cross the portal.

"Tell the light faes to gather now, their escorts are here." Lord Cairus ordered one of his men, and in no time at all, the light faes were all gathered before them.

Leon kept looking through the crowd of light faes. His heart beating wilder because he had yet to spot her. Where is she? Why was Zanya not here with the rest of them?

Suddenly, Leon leapt and landed right before Kariza.

"Where is Zanya?" he asked immediately, causing Kariza to blink for a while.

"Oh, she's with a female dark fae a while ago," the light fae answered.

"Female dark fae?" Leon echoed, when another female light fae spoke.

"I saw them head towards the forest. I think they went in hunting for monsters again –"

"I don't think so, they might –"

Before Kariza could finish her line, Leon was already gone from her sight. He had glanced at Reed and sent a telepathic message telling him that he would go and search for Zanya and then left before Reed could even reply with a single word. Reed could only roll his eyes and report to Samuel what Leon had done.

Leon's face was a bit dark now. Hunting for monsters? Is she serious right now? She should be resting and recuperating instead of running around and hunting for monsters! What was she even thinking?! Was she even thinking in the first place?!

Leon could not help but feel worried and nervous and his heart rate was speeding up crazily. He knew from personal experience that she is strong, but the monsters in this land are very different and she already knew that! Did the female dark fae Kariza mentioned drag her out as her companion to go hunting? He gritted his teeth as he thought that she might get hurt again.

As he entered the forest again, his purple orbs turned completely blood red as he searched the woods in haste and his senses were fully honed to pick up on her scent and sound. He spotted a woman and immediately headed to the spot. It was a female dark fae…

The woman threw a spear created by dark magic as soon Leon landed a few steps away from her. But Leon quickly dodged the projectile and immediately growled out. "I'm not an enemy," he explained. "I am here to fetch Zanya. We need to get back quickly to the Great City now. Our queen is summoning us."

"Oh…" the woman scrutinized him, and it seemed as though she already knew who he was judging from the fact that she had already dropped her weapon and relaxed her attack stance. "Zanya's still not done. She said she'll follow up in a… hey!! Where are you going?" she shouted out after Leon's disappearing back.

Leon ignored the female dark fae's shouts and continued forward. He could no longer take this. He wanted to see her. And he wanted to see her right now! And what did she mean that she is not done? She is not done hunting yet?! This woman…

All of a sudden, Leon skidded to a stop the moment he arrived at a flowing stream. His crimson red eyes quickly returned to their normal and beautiful lavender hue as he looked at the view displayed before him.

Zanya was currently half submerged in the stream's water, fully naked and without a stitch on her exquisite and lithe body. She had lifted her head and was looking at him with a raised brow, without any hint of surprise at all on her beautiful face.. "What's up my dear pervert?" that greeting was then followed by a mischievous smirk spread across her moist and tempting lips.