The Queen's Mate

FOUR

“Elle?” Anderson called out.

“How long have you suspected this?” Eleanor asked emotionlessly.

He looked away and tried to avoid her gaze. He knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy revelation for her to handle.

“When I got to know about the accident, the police told us that Daniel had been driving and that he was drunk while doing so.”

She furrowed her brows. “But dad hasn’t driven a car since…”

“Since he was twenty and got into a massive accident. He just couldn’t drive after that.”

“He never got over his fear of driving, let alone him driving and drinking at the same time. That’s impossible.”

Anderson nodded. “Exactly my point.” He said grimly. “My guess is that someone switched their bodies to make it seem like Daniel had been driving while drunk. On top of that, the investigation team did not find this key until it appeared in the hospital and now you have it.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened at that as she turned to stare at the key with horror. “Do you think that Adonis was the one who killed them?”

“He could have but then why would he give you the key if he truly wanted it?” Anderson asked in confusion.

She shook her head before running her hand down her face. “You’re right, this makes no sense.” She whispered before she looked up at him with slight hope. “Do you have any idea what opens with this key?” She asked.

Anderson looked at her blankly, seeming to be arguing with himself about whether or not he should tell her something.

Eleanor glared at him when he did not speak for a good few minutes. “Anderson if you know something, then I suggest that you speak.” She demanded.

He took in a deep breath and sighed before gesturing for her to follow him.

With a heavy heart filled with uncertainty, she followed behind him. She did not know what she would find or how she was even going to react.

All she really knew was the fact that she had to do this. Whatever waited for her behind the metaphorical door of possibilities, she knew she had to figure it out.

She owed it to her parents; especially if it could help in solving her parents’ untimely death.

The two walked through the lounge, then the dining room as they descended the stairs and Eleanor was face to face with the door to the wine cellar as Anderson stepped in first, and then she did. She was confused as to what could possibly be hidden here since she had been into the place about endless times during her childhood and all of her teenage years when she would sneak in here with her friends to steal the good alcohol.

That was when Anderson stopped in front of a doorway at the far end of the cellar hidden behind all of the crates of champagne.

Eleanor furrowed her brows. “This is it?” She sputtered.

“It is,” Anderson replied.

“Wait, so you mean to say that this key opens the storage closet?”

“The storage closet?” Anderson ridiculed. “Is that what Mr. Sparks told you this is?” Eleanor nodded making Anderson chuckle. “What’s behind this door is far more valuable and dangerous than a utility closet, Elle.” He added before motioning for her to hand him the key.

Eleanor mentally argued with herself before shaking her head at how paranoid she was being. This was Anderson; she was certain that whatever was behind the door, Daniel must have shared it with him.

Without giving it a moment’s thought, the heiress handed Anderson the key. What she did not see was the sudden smugness that now shrouded his face as he went on ahead to put the key in the lock and twisted it open. His lips continued to mutter something under his breath, but Eleanor’s mind was too occupied to notice.

That was when the door finally opened, and the middle-aged butler pushed it in to reveal what was behind the door.

The brunette’s eyes widened when she saw a gold chest encrusted with pearls and sapphires on its surface. She knew her father had a lot of money, but she never suspected to actually have a valuable treasure hidden inside their estate.

“What is that?” She murmured.

When Anderson did not reply she turned around to look at him with furrowed brows and found him gawking at the chest in a dream-like daze.

“Anders?”

“I have looked for this for years!” He gushed confusing her further.

“But I thought you already knew about this place,” Eleanor mumbled as her mind ran on an overdrive whilst she stood there contemplating the strangeness of the situation.

Anderson did not reply as he simply stepped inside the room and opened the chest. Inside it, on two gold props, rested a dagger so magnificent that Eleanor could not even believe her own eyes for a moment.

The hilt of the dagger was glass as blue swirls danced inside it in a velvety manner. It was almost magical as if the raw energy of the universe had settled inside the hilt of that dagger.

The blade extending from the hilt was rather sharp and lean. The precision could be seen on the tip of the blade as it was sure to cut through glass or flesh without missing an inch.

“What is that?” Eleanor asked suspiciously as she stared at Anderson with narrowed eyes. Somehow, she was certain that she could not fully trust him anymore.

When Anderson turned back around, he had the cynical grin on his face that deeply irked Eleanor as she involuntarily took a step back.

She had never felt so threatened in her entire life.

That was when Anderson whispered something under his breath while grinning towards her and before she could comprehend what he said, the light overhead went out making her shriek right before the power turned back on in a second.

Eleanor’s eyes widened with horror. She had never seen anything so bizarre.

Surrounding Anderson, stood four figures made of black smoke. There was no distinct shape to them but the way their blood-red cloaks covered their bodies from head to toe showed that they had the stature of a man. Their broad shoulders and towering frames even made Anderson look small.

However, the most frightening detail to them was their bright red eyes that glowed to a murderous intensity that sent a chill down Eleanor’s spine.

Anderson smirked maniacally at the heiress as he twirled the blue hilted dagger in his hands. “You should have never trusted me, Elle.” He said smugly.

“What’s going on, Anders?” She cried out. Her heart raced wildly in her chest sweat beads appeared on her forehead. She had never seen anything like this in her life and she was questioning her grip on reality at the moment.

“There is a whole world you don’t know a thing about, Eleanor. For years I have yearned to gain control over them,” he said pointing to the four demon-like creatures. “Now I finally have it and I am afraid that your presence will only continue to hamper my cause.” He added after a few seconds of consideration.

She just stood in shock as she stared at the man who almost always seemed like a fatherly figure in her life. Apparently, she had been extremely wrong about that.

Her feet refused to move, and her hands shivered by her sides right before Anderson stepped out of the room with the demons at his tail; waiting for his commands.

“I am afraid, Elle, that for my plans to work, you need to die,” Anderson said grinning. “Just like your parents did.”

Her eyes widened as betrayal and rage flashed through her orbs. “Why…?” Her voice broke as she stared at him through bloodshot eyes.

Anderson did not reply as he simply smirked and raised his index finger. That seemed to be the instruction the demons were waiting for was they lunged towards the heiress with full force as her face turned down into a deep scowl as she swiftly moved away from the first attack.

Her quick reflexes and years of training in martial arts helped her block out every blow coming her way from all four sides. However, even then, she could not attack since the demons held no weaknesses nor mass.

Her attacks were in vain as every time she tried, she was met by a puff of smoke and then another attack from one of them.

She blocked out a blow from one of their staff when suddenly a demon slashed her stomach with his sword as the deep gash began to bleed within a few seconds.

A deep red smoke swirled around her wound as a loud shriek of pain escaped her lips right before she dropped to her knees clutching her stomach in hopes of stopping the bleeding but it was to no avail.

Sweat dripped from her eyelids as she stared at Anderson who had raised his index finger again in order to stop the demons.

“That’s enough. She won’t be able to survive that.” He muttered and Eleanor watched with horror right before the butler disappeared into thin air along with the blue-hilted dagger and the demons, leaving Eleanor to bleed dry on the floor of the wine cellar in the Sparks estate.