He shouldn’t have woken up.

Fire was the first thing that came to Stilas’ mind. His eyelids were too heavy to open and every nerve in his body was on fire. His chest felt like a Dragon had sat on it. His muscles felt like they were trying to tear themselves off his bones. They were tight, yet they felt like mud at the same time.

He felt tender fingers stroke his hair. The touch was like magic. It chased away his pain. The weight on his eyelids vanished. He slid his eyes open and looked up at Bethany. She was smiling at him. His pain vanished. This was what he wanted. He didn’t care about conquering Earth. Dethroning the High Elf Congress no longer mattered. All that mattered was keeping her safe until the anti-projection field around Earth was broken and he could get somewhere safe.

“Morning.” Bethany beamed

“Morning.” Stilas needed to prepare for the invasion, but he didn’t want to get up, “What time is it?”

Bethany checked her watch, “Almost noon.”

Stilas stood up, “I have to go.”

The world was wobbling. He had to get away from Bethany though. He had one last job, then he could get her to safety.

“You aren’t going anywhere.” Bethany stood up and put her hand on Stilas’ shoulder, “You need to rest.”

“I can’t rest.” Stilas looked into her pure green eyes. “I have to help my friend land the troops. Then I’ll be done.” He took her hands in his. “We can leave.”

“Is that what you want?” Bethany pulled her hands away, “To run?”

“The High Elf Congress won’t let us liberate Earth. They are going to send troops. The humans are going to fight just because they can.” Stilas gently grabbed her by the arms, “I can’t risk your life by staying here.”

“I’m a soldier!” Bethany pulled away, “I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Stilas bit his lip. “My whole life I’ve been too weak to do anything. First, my father left me. I was forced to watch as pirates murdered my mother.” A tear welled in his eye, “I couldn’t do anything.”

“I’m so sorry.” Bethany brushed a tear out of her eye. “I didn’t know.”

“After my mother’s murder, I went to a very dark place. I got lost. Nothing mattered, except getting more power to make the people who hurt me pay.” Stilas looked away so she wouldn’t see the shame on his face. “I never thought I’d have a reason to stop.”

Bethany moved around so she could look Stilas in the face, “You don’t have to worry about something happening to me.” She smiled, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t understand.” Stilas balled his fist, “If something happened to you. Anything at all-” He paused. He didn’t want her to know just how dark he was. Or how dark he could go.

“Stilas.” Bethany looked into his eyes.

It was amazing how quickly the world seemed right. The universe was always so big. It had always threatened to swallow him whole, but when she touched his arm. The universe would melt away. All that mattered was the two of them. There was nothing else, no war, no factions. Just peace.

“Isn’t this sweet.” Demetrius sneered

Stilas grabbed Bethany and pulled her behind him. He bowed his head, “Master.”

“Who is this?” Demetrius pointed at Bethany

“She’s nobody.” Stilas said, “Just a human I found.”

Demetrious pulled his staff out and laid it on the couch, “Kill her.”

Stilas balled his fist. He couldn’t kill Bethany, but he couldn’t disobey Demetrious either. He turned around to look at Bethany. There was a calm terror on her face.

“You don’t have to.” Bethany whispered

Stilas looked down at his right hand. He had killed so many beings, he had lost count. The killing was something that he actually enjoyed, but he couldn’t kill her. He would rather die.

“Is there a problem?” Demetrious demanded,

“I lost my focusing rod in my last fight.” Stilas said

“You don’t need magic to kill a human. Snap her neck.” Demetrius paused as he was going through his pockets, “Who were you fighting?”

“Cascade.” Stilas hung his head, “The human Triftion melted the pen I was using as a focusing rod.”

Demetrius twisted around and grabbed Stilas by his collar. He was picked up off of his feet and slammed into the wall to his right.

“I told you not to fight Cascade or the Triftion!” Demetrius growled, “You did both!”

Stilas wanted to reach up and grab his attacker’s arm, or throw a magic attack, but he knew it wouldn’t help. Even if he hadn’t been drained, he couldn’t compete with someone on Demetrius’ level.

“I didn’t try to find them!” Stilas croaked, “They found me!”

“You wanted to be found.” Demetrius sneered, “You blew my cover!” Magic began charging in the ex-Elder’s free hand.

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“Leave him alone!” Bethany shouted. She swung the staff that had been on the couch. It connected with the back of Demetrius’ head with a solid thwack.

Demetrius dropped Stilas. He gestured behind him and knocked Bethany back. The staff clanked on the floor after it left her hands. He gestured at it and it flew to him. He glared at Bethany as she scrambled against the wall, “Why would you- ?” He looked back at Stilas, an evil grin cracking his face, “Someone’s been busy.”

“Leave her alone!” Stilas wheezed. He struggled to get his legs under him. Demetrius would kill her. If for no other reason than he liked to cause pain. His magic was still depleted. He never practiced his hand-to-hand fighting, there was no point. He was never supposed to be a field mage. He had one shot to save Bethany. He began charging what little magic he had left into the tattoo on his right hand.

Demetrius turned back to Stilas, “Don’t be stupid. You can’t beat me.”

“I can’t let you kill her.” Stilas blinked back tears, “Please.”

“Please?” Demetrius bristled, “What is she to you?”

“She’s –“ Stilas stopped. Demetrius would kill Bethany if he knew they were soul mates.

“No?” Demetrius turned back to Bethany, “How about you? Why does he care about you?”

“Please don’t talk.” Stilas tried to push his thoughts to Bethany. She was scared. More scared than he had ever seen her. It was like the wood walls of the cabin were trapping their fear. The smell was choking, and it wasn’t just her fear in the air. He was scared too. Fear was something he hadn’t felt since he had watched his mother cut down. He had trained every day to abolish his fear. He thought he couldn’t feel fear anymore, but all he had done was cut out the things that he cared about. That revelation shocked him. For the first time in over a hundred years, there was something that he was afraid of losing.

The next words he heard froze his heart.

“We’re soulmates.”

Demetrius started laughing. It was deep, cackling, and pure evil. He turned to Stilas, “You? You think that you deserve to be with your soulmate?” He shook his head, “Love makes you weak.” He leveled his staff at Bethany, “I’m doing you a favor.”

“No!” Stilas screamed. He dismissed the magic in his hand. He wouldn’t be able to sucker punch Demetrius. He had to change where the staff was being aimed. He leaped for the staff. His sweating fingers wrapped around the wooden staff. He pulled down, twisting the end of the staff up to the ceiling.

Demetrius punched Stilas in the nose. The weakened mage fell off of the staff and crumpled onto the floor.

“I’m making you stronger!” Demetrius screamed, “Attachments only make you weak!”

Stilas drug himself in between his ‘friend’ and Bethany. He pushed up to his knees and spread his arms. “You’re next shot will have to go through me.”

“Ha.” Demetrius scoffed, “You think I’d need a second shot?”

Stilas turned around. Bethany was sprawled on the floor; blood was dripping from her nose. He dropped to his hands and crawled to her side.

“No.” A tear ran down his cheek and fell on her face. “Don’t die.”

“Stilas.” Bethany whispered,

“I’m here.” Stilas pulled her head into his lap.

She touched his arm. The world melted away. It was just the two of them in the room. Time slowed down.

“I’m cold.” Bethany coughed, “Am I dying?”

“No.” Stilas lied. He racked his brain. The bolt had broken her. She was bleeding internally. Bruises were beginning to blossom across her skin. He had to do something.

“Stilas.” Bethany’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.

He leaned his ear right ear next to her lips, “I’m here.”

“I love you.”

Stilas fought back the tears, but they fell anyway. “NO!.”

Bethany’s eyes rolled back into her skull and her muscles went limp.

Stilas hugged her tight. He didn’t try to hold the tears back anymore. They streamed down his cheeks and mixed with the blood on her lips.

Anger welled inside his soul. He wasn’t going to let her die. He had told her that she wasn’t dying. Options flooded his mind. Vampires could cheat death, but they had to be turned before they died. Liches could also come back, but they had to be a mage and complete the ritual before they drew their last breath. The only way to bring someone back was to make them a zombie. Poorly made zombies would be mindless and begin decaying immediately. A perfect zombie would be able to pass as a human, but it would have to be fed a constant diet of magic to keep it from decaying. He could fix that. He was going to need a new guardian. Then they could be together for as long as he lived. He began pulling his magic. He wasn’t going to fail. He would make a perfect zombie.

“What are you doing?” Demetrius broke into Stilas’ world. He was yanked up and thrown across into the couch. He flipped it as he crashed into it, then rolled into the wall.

“I can’t let you do that.” Demetrius growled. He pointed his staff at the body. “You’ll thank me later.”

“No!” Stilas screamed. He found strength he didn’t know he had. The warm feeling that he felt when he was around Bethany powered him across the room. His fist lashed out and knocked the staff across the room. He jabbed out and punched Demetrius in the face with a right jab.

The stronger mage staggered back. Shock over the display of resolve was painted on his face.

Rage mixed with pain and resolve, “Stay. Away. From. Her.” Stilas spat

“You can’t beat me.” Demetrius hissed. He gestured at Stilas. Magic wrapped around the weaker mage’s body and tugged him out of the way.

Stilas set his feet and fought against the magic. The invisible hand had his arms pinned by his side, but he wasn’t going to abandon Bethany. He was going to bring her back.

“Love doesn’t make me weaker.” Stilas glared at Demetrius, “It makes me strong.”

Magic crackled behind him. Blue arms wrapped around his chest and pulled him out of the way.

“Love doesn’t make you strong.” Demetrius’ staff smacked back into his hand, “Strength makes you strong.”

Stilas struggled against the blue scaled human arms that held him back. He knew he couldn’t beat the dragon, but he wasn’t going to stop. He thrashed and kicked. If he could have moved one of the arms closer to his mouth he would’ve bit.

“Don’t!” Stilas begged, “Please! I’ll give you anything!” The collar of his uniform was soaked in tears.

Demetrius ignored the pleas. He touched his staff to Bethany’s forehead. Her body began to collapse in on itself. Ashes flaked off of her cheeks. Her red hair curled towards her head, then vanished. Her uniform flattened as the body inside disintegrated.

“NO!” Stilas wailed, “I could have brought her back!”

“I know.” Demetrius turned away as the uniform caught fire. He placed his hand on Stilas’ shoulder. “I’m doing this for you.”

Stilas couldn’t fight. He couldn’t speak. He just hung in the arms of the Blue Dragon. The Dragon carried him outside. The three watched the cabin catch fire. The heat dried the tears on Stilas’ face.

Demetrius fed the fire with magic. In moments the cabin was just ashes. He turned to the Dragon, “Let him go Burr.”

Stilas fell to the ground. The dragon vanished as Demetrius knelt down next to him.

“You’re going to hate me.” Demetrius said, “But that’s a good thing. Hate can feed your magic. It will make you stronger.”

“I didn’t want to be stronger.” Stilas’ voice was a cold murmur. “I wanted her.”

“You want what I need you to be.” Demetrius clapped Stilas on the back. “Brush yourself off.” He smiled, “It’s time to welcome our fleet.”