Bella stood under the hot water, her whole body trembling from head to toe. She didn’t know if she shook from fear or sheer adrenaline, but she felt happy to have a few moments to herself to process what she’d just done.
She’d been to Hell and killed a demon.
The pain and horror of what she’d been through in medieval times still railed within her, and she couldn’t believe how insane Ulric had been. Once she’d had the flashback and realized what he had been capable of, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d tortured other women before her. He had been a prince, after all, and she had to assume that just like today, those of higher wealth didn’t play by the same rules as those with less.
She shut her eyes as a knock on the bathroom door sounded.
“You okay, Bella?”
She took a deep breath. Was she okay? She had Jayden to herself now, and they could live their lives without the threat of Ulric. Right now, she just needed to get past the previous few hours. “Yes. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Grinning, she shook her head. Jayden had suggested that he come in and soap her up, but then he must have sensed she required some space.
In killing Ulric, it had been important for him to see her, to know that she would be the one dealing his death-blow. It probably would have been smarter for her to just stab him in the back and push him off the rock, but after she’d relived what he’d done to her, she’d wanted her own revenge.
She’d been to Hell, and she’d killed a demon.
But actually, she’d done much more than that. She’d avenged her own death, and Jayden’s.
Turning off the water, she realized she’d probably have nightmares for a while. One didn’t go through an experience like that and come out the other end without a few issues to work through.
She quickly dried off and ran a comb through her hair, then slipped on some clothes. Her knight was hungry, and she figured she better get him something to eat before he went out and hunted down a rabbit or squirrel.
She smiled at herself in the mirror. Yes, her knight had returned, and everything in her life finally seemed right.
That night, Jayden woke when he heard Bella gasp. He turned over to find her sitting up in bed, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at him.
He rubbed his face. This sleeping stuff felt really nice, but would definitely take some getting used to again. “What’s wrong?”
“I … I woke up afraid that everything had been a dream, and almost wishing it had been.”
Sitting up next to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, surprised by how badly she shook. “It’s been quite a week.”
“I’ve been to Hell, Jayden. I killed a demon.”
He nodded. “Yes, you have. You did.”
After spending so many centuries as an Angel of Death, he’d accepted the existence of the supernatural world and all its entities. For a human to experience all of them at once had to be disconcerting—not to mention she’d been reunited with her lover from a past life, a man she hadn’t remembered a few days ago. His brains felt a little scrambled trying to take it all in, so he couldn’t even imagine how crazy it must all seem to her.
Pulling her back down to the mattress, he laid her head on the crook of his shoulder and pulled her arm until it wrapped around his waist. He sighed, feeling completely content.
“Jayden, tell me what happened after I died.”
He wished they could move on into the future, but he also realized that sometimes, the past needed to be put to rest before that could be possible.
“I killed Ulric, right there in your bedchamber.”
“Why? You knew you’d be sentenced to death if you did. Or was it a crime of passion?”
“No. Don’t get me wrong—I was furious. But Ulric made me realize that he would place the blame for your killing on my shoulders. I came to understand that my death was imminent. I could either be accused of murdering you, or Ulric. I chose to admit our affair, to confess my forbidden love for the princess, and have the truth come out.”
“So everyone thought you’d killed him to avenge me?”
“Yes, but because I’d killed a royal, I still needed to be pay for my actions.”
“How … how did they make you pay?”
“They beheaded me in the castle courtyard.”
She gasped, and he heard the horror in her voice as her body tensed. “Oh my God.”
He grinned. Life had changed so much in some parts of the world. Most cultures today thought of beheadings as archaic and primitive, and he supposed they were. However, back then, it was a swift way to mete out justice.
Bella finally relaxed against him, and after a while, he heard her breathing even out. He stared at the moonlit ceiling, his memories of the time returning.
Jayden and Agnes quickly rode back to Castle Porthaethwidge where he met with Prince Alistair upon his arrival. He broke the news of Arabella’s death, which Agnes corroborated. He also admitted his love for her, their affair, and his crime of killing Prince Ulric.
The prince showed anger at his daughter’s death, and praised Jayden for killing her murderer. However, peace was important to Alistair, and when Ulric’s father, King Bayton requested Jayden’s head to avoid war, he relented, and Jayden was taken back to Praegan.
While imprisoned in the dungeon prior to his execution, Jayden heard through the castle guards that both sides had agreed that war would be averted. As he waited for his death, he knew no one would come to save him, but he did not mind. Without Arabella in the world, he found no reason to live.
The day of his execution, King Bayton had opened the gates to the courtyard so his people could attend the death of the man who’d killed his son.
As he was brought from the dungeon, the sunlight blinded him and warmed his face. He closed his eyes and tipped his head up to meet the heat.
Glancing around, he saw the expectant faces of the royal family and their subjects, all waiting to witness the death of the man who had killed their beloved prince.
He felt no remorse for what he’d done, and when the king asked him if he regretted his actions, he shook his head.
“No. I rid this world of a demented monster, one who took the love of my life from me. May his soul rot in Hell for all eternity.”
That had garnered quite a few gasps from the crowd, but he didn’t care that he spoke of royalty with such vitriol. He told the truth, and in the end, that was all that mattered.
The guards kicked him to his knees, then pushed his head down onto the wooden block. He closed his eyes, ready to die.
“Jayden.”
He looked up to see a woman dressed in black standing beside him, her large, black wings flapping at her back. Her long, blonde hair hung in soft waves to her midriff, her kind, heart-shaped face a very pretty sight.
“It’s time.”
The blow came suddenly. He felt excruciating pain for an instant, but then all went black. Thankfully, he’d been given to an experienced headsman, one who had the foresight to sharpen his blade. He’d heard of executions where it took many blows before the guilty died.
As he stepped into the white light and traveled upward, he realized he would indeed be going to Heaven. Based on his actions, he’d had his doubts, but it would seem God had understood the reason behind the sin he’d committed.
He held Bella tighter and closed his eyes. They’d been given a second chance to experience their love for each other, and he didn’t plan to waste a moment of the time they had left looking back on the past. He wanted to concentrate on his future with Bella, and he wondered what it would look like. Would they have children? Would they stay in Saint’s Grove? What would he do for work?
Yes, there were many things to discuss with his beloved, and he looked forward to finally living the life they were meant to have.