The World of Shadows - Chapter 20 (Dark Paranormal Fantasy Story) (Only 1 Chapter Left!)

CHAPTER 20

With a flash of green light, the two of them were transformed into spiders once more. They scurried quickly down the hallways. They ran across the walls rather than the floors to avoid the witches and warlocks who ran down the halls in a panic.

They reached the door and scurried underneath it. Beatrix jumped as a figure stood there. It was Oriana. With a green flash, the world shrank around them as they were transformed back to human form.

“Oh, Arthur! I was so worried!” cried Oriana. Arthur gave her a hug as Beatrix’s hands searched the contents of the suitcase. Excitement spread across her face as her hands found a scurtlekwib.

“Ready?” asked Beatrix.

“Definitely!” said Arthur.

They all stood together in a huddle and held hands. The device opened, sending waves of light into the air. The room spun and contorted. They swirled in a barrage of strobing lights until the world came to a halt. They were right outside Beatrix’s mother’s house.

“Mom!” Beatrix cried out.

The door opened, and there stood Ella. Her eyes lit up as she looked at her daughter. “Beatrix!” she exclaimed. Beatrix ran up the steps and met her mother’s open arms with a warm hug.

“We did it, Mom!” said Beatrix with excitement. “We defeated the dark creature!”

Ella held Beatrix tightly. “Your father would be so proud of you!”

Beatrix looked at Arthur, who still seemed shocked. “How…Wha…” Arthur wasn’t even sure what to ask first.

Beatrix walked up to Arthur. “I feel terrible for not telling you my plan. I needed you to believe I had…had died. It needed to be real—I couldn’t take any chances. I really am truly sorry to put you through that.”

“But how did you come back?” asked Arthur.

“I had studied the book about illusions and read a chapter on how to create one. From that moment, I decided that I would make an illusion of myself. See, we needed to know if the dark creature had the mark that his deceased wife showed me. I needed to be close to the creature to see it, and I knew if I was close to him, I would most likely die.” She looked down at the ground and continued. “I wanted to catch the creature off guard. You saw how fast the creature was—barely any of my spells got through to him. He was too quick.”

Beatrix could see the hurt that she had caused Arthur in his eyes. “After the illusion of me was killed, I knew I would have to be quick and fight hard. Watching the devastation that consumed you angered me and gave me the energy I needed to defeat the dark creature. As we learned, strong emotions can create very powerful magic…and it did.”

The air was silent for a moment, then Arthur walked up to Beatrix and gave her a big hug. “I don’t ever want to lose you again,” he said. Arthur’s feeling of confusion slowly faded away and turned into a feeling of unconditional love. He held her hands and looked into her eyes. The world seemed to fade away around him, leaving only the two of them. Arthur got down on one knee and looked up at Beatrix.

“I have loved you for years. My time without you felt like an eternity I couldn’t escape from. You are so wise, kind, and most often graceful.”

Beatrix laughed as tears sailed down her cheeks.

“We only get one forever. We spend our entire lives searching for someone to spend our forever with—and I would be honored to spend my forever with you, if you will have me.”

Beatrix looked down at Arthur through blurry eyes. Tears of happiness raced down her face.

“Beatrix Percival, will you marry me?”

Beatrix fell into Arthur’s arms in tears. “Yes!” she said with a smile larger than a crescent moon. Her heart and soul were bursting with joy.

Arthur smiled at her as he took her hand and placed the gold ring on her finger. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.

She stood up and held her hand out to Arthur to help him up. Beatrix couldn’t stop smiling. She couldn’t help it.

Ella and Oriana congratulated them, and the four of them walked into the house and discussed wedding plans. Their mothers were beside themselves with excitement. Beatrix let her mom and mother-in-law-to-be plan the wedding. Though Beatrix wanted the day to be perfect, she already knew it would be with Arthur beside her.

“I am a little sad to lose my last name,” said Beatrix. “I have had it my whole life, and when I hear it, I think of my grandma Etta, my dad, Maxwell, and of course my mother, Ella.”

“Why don’t we have your last name?” said Arthur with a warm smile. “It may not be tradition, but if it makes you happy, that is all that matters.”

She smiled and gave Arthur a big hug.

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One more Chapter coming soon!

Thanks for reading! :)

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This is the third story of the BP series. If you haven't read the first story yet, you can find it here :)

Find chapters 1 - 20 of Retribution (the second story) on my Steemit Blog.

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About The World of Shadows
"In a world full of sinister creatures and treacherous terrain, Beatrix and Arthur must find their way to the castle where the dark creature resides.

Beatrix Percival fans can expect answers to many questions, many conclusions, and explosive battles of epic proportions!

Eerie beyond belief, and passionately romantic like never before, this third book in the series won't disappoint!"

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