Page 37 of Monsters in My Bed
I expect Seriq to snap back, but he’s in a state of shock. “I-I didn’t mean to. She said she could heal me—she did—but I didn’t know it was at the expense of her life!”
Xhoshad and Nerazi join in, lamenting how they failed our mate, but the truth is we all did. Every one of us let Alexis down by not telling her the truth of the prophecy in the hopes of protecting her. From what Xhoshad told me, she fought and killed The Fallacious on her own, a true queen.
Since he was dead, everyone assumed the prophecy had been fulfilled, but we were wrong. It foretold long ago of a golden maiden of light who would sacrifice her life to save those she loved against our greatest enemy. It’s only now that I realize the damned thing wasn’t referring to the False King.
Our greatest enemy is death.
Beside us, Roxy and Rastorj watch over all the babies, mourning the loss of our mate, too. I marvel how everyone is here together, overcoming all the odds. When the volcano erupted, it shifted the boulders enough for Mark, Rastorj, my brother, and me to move them. We found Roxy collapsed at the ledge of the drained sinqol pools, with no sign of her egg nor Alexis.
We rushed out of the mountain range, not a moment too soon. Below us, our world erupted in fire, burning anything in its path. We decided not to return to The Palasseum, but to Alexis’ trium’s house. Viz and I saw it in our mate’s memories, hazy but still locatable.
Inside, it smelled like her, as well as Nerazi, Seriq, and Xhoshad. Rastorj settled Roxy in one room, ordering her to rest even though she was completely healed by the sinqol. Like us, she was restless, wanting to know where Alexis and her baby went. Whereas not hours before, she was disgusted by the thought of her unborn child, now she missed it.
Rastorj and I explained how we can ensure that a baby is born of more positive emotions without mutating it, but also how this child will benothinglike The Fallacious. Roxy has too much love inside of her to let happen. Once she realized we were right, she wanted her egg. The only healthy distraction she has—any of us have—are the twins. Asha and Elic give us something to focus on when our minds race with worst case scenarios.
The only one not swayed by the infant’s presence is Mark. Back and forth, he paces, stopping only occasionally to check on Roxy and his babies. His concern for our mate outweighs everything else. I know he blames himself for the fact that she’s gone, but there’s literally nothing we can do. When Alexis went into the sinqol portal, it closed in itself, breaking the last link between this realm and hers.
We spend an eternity like this—stuck in limbo without a clue of what to do. Our inertia is broken when Asha and Elic suddenly zoom into the common room in their shadow forms, Roxy chasing after them. Before anyone can guess what they’re up to, they fly out of the house into the dark dangers of Vasuriad.
Scrambling to keep up, we all shift into smoke, except for Roxy, who is carried by her mate. We race after the twins, who maintain a good distance ahead with their speed, while Mark curses. I would laugh at how harried he looks if I didn’t feel the exact same way. The only consolation is that the babies are leading us away from the fiery destruction of the volcano eruption.
Instead, they’re southwest toward The Malevolands. Neither my brother nor I have ever been there, but we know of it from Zuriv’s memories. A vast wasteland that leads to a place called The Bowels. Underneath this entire area, the Tavoli mountains connect with The Bowels, heating the blackness to nearly unbearable temperatures. I also know it’s where Rastorj was exiled, and where he and Roxy formed a life together, but why would the twins be taking us there?
Imagine our surprise when the babies take us to exactly where we all wished to be—with Alexis. She’s surrounded by her trium, another baby, and a dead Zuriv. It’s not until we land that her lifeless status becomes apparent. Beside her, Seriq appears physically sick, rocking back and forth, holding Alexis’ limp hand.
Nerazi and Xho are just as shell-shocked, and all I can do is stare at the horror painted before me. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of—a dead Zuriv—and my worst nightmare. Asha and Elic shift back into their Vasura forms, toddling over to the other baby.
While they can’t walk in their human forms just yet, their monstrous side is stronger and more advanced. They touch their heads together, as if talking. Roxy is beside herself, finally meeting her baby, but the rest of us are bereft. The prophecy foretold that the light must die, but I thought all of us were smart enough to outwit our fates. I’m so like urine at the world right now, I can’t see straight.
If Alexis isn’t alive, neither am I.
VIZRUK
My brother’s thoughts pervade my own, overwhelming me. The humans have stages of grief, and clearly, he’s stuck on anger. Me, on the other hand, I might be lingering with denial because I just can’t believe Alexis is really gone. Not my beautiful mate who healed my twin and me, who fought to keep us at her side and made us into a family.
No. Anything but her being gone.
I would gladly give my life in exchange, but that’s not how this works. There’s no sinqol left inside of her to barter with. It returned to the soil, to Vasuriad, where it rightfully belongs after it healed Seriq. Our mate released it over him, relinquishing her control over the glowing liquid.
Suddenly, I’m furious, jumping straight to the anger stage of grief. Sinqol is sentient, old and wise. Why the fuck would it leave our mate to die?! Osz picks up on my thoughts, his fury doubling. Soon, we’re pacing much like Mark did back at the house. Dust billows around us from how quickly we’re walking. When Roxy starts to cough, we finally pause.
“Sorry,” Osz apologizes.
“It’s ok. Ummmm, what’s wrong with Torjin?” We all turn to look at her son, whose hands are glowing.
Vizruk reaches out to lift him in the air. “He has sinqol inside of him—from Zuriv!”
Roxy shudders at the mention of the Vasura, but the rest of Alexis’ trium perks up.
“He can heal Alexis!” Seriq crows, finally coming out of his stupor, but Roxy yanks Torjin from my brother’s arms.
“No. I miss Alexis more than anything, too, but look what happened when she healed you. Clearly, you have to give a life to revive another.”
“What about us?”
My twin calls out to me on our mental link, and I turn to him in confusion.“What do you mean?”
“We’re one life split into two… maybe we can give our mate some of our life.”
