Chapter 43

Everything happened so quickly.

The sound of the bell woke me up from sleep, and I felt the bed move as Nick got up. I didn't know what time it was, so I closed my eyes again, but the next silence made me open them and look at the digital clock next to the bed, which showed 2 a.m.

The next moment, the sound of something breaking outside followed by Nick's angry shout. My heart felt like it leaped in my chest when the sound of shattered glass was heard again; in the darkness, I got off the bed and put on my sleeping coat.

"I will kill you if you touch her!" Nick's threat made me slow down my steps, my heart pounding hard as I opened the bedroom door. Nick stood with his back to me, his body tense, wearing only his pajama pants. But a strong killing aura emanated from his body, making the fine hairs on my body stand on end. He clenched his fists tightly, and my breath caught as I saw the shards of glass and fresh blood flowing from the palm of his hand.

"Mr. Shaw, we will only ask once." Five men stood in the living room of Nick's penthouse, surrounding him. They all wore long black coats and shirts of the same color, like characters in The Matrix. Two of the five men wore black sunglasses, while the rest looked at Nick with their black-colored eyes. I could see a pair of fangs when the man spoke. "Where is Alastair?"

Nick snorted, staring straight at the man speaking to him, but I couldn't see his expression. "I didn't kill him," he answered slowly, with a cold tone, "not yet."

"Then you must come with us for further investigation. You and..." Suddenly, he looked in my direction, "Miss Heather." My knees felt weak as the pair of black-eyed men looked at me. Nick lunged at the man, but the other three men restrained him and brought him down to the floor; the man speaking didn't even blink when Nick attacked him. He just lowered his head to look at Nick, who was trying to free himself from the other three men. "We have an offer, Mr. Shaw. If you confess everything now, Miss Heather doesn't need to come. Just you."

Confess everything? My hand still gripped the doorknob tightly. "Alastair is still alive." Unexpectedly, my voice sounded calm. I hoped my expression matched my tone. The man turned slowly towards me. "Alastair has been missing for more than three days. No one knows his whereabouts until now."

"He's still alive." I repeated. "If he's dead, I wouldn't be here right now."

The man smiled faintly, just a twitch at the corner of his mouth. "You will be a part of the clan, Miss Heather." Then his gaze lowered to my covered stomach, and Nick's angry growl made him look back at my face. "The clan will protect you."

A feeling of horror ran down my spine like ice. "What—what will you do to Nick?" I whispered.

"We have laws, blood for blood." He replied, then glanced briefly at his companion, "But of course, we need to investigate further before executing, and that means you have to come with us to provide the necessary testimony—"

"Eleanor doesn't need to come." Nick's voice rang out after giving up on fighting; he was still kneeling on the floor with three men surrounding him.

"So you admit it." The man took out a small, sharp silver knife, "But we need assurance."

"I admit it, you bastard. I killed him. So you don't need to bring Eleanor." Nick growled harshly. He stood a few meters in front of me, his body tensed as if preparing to attack. I didn't understand what they were doing. One of the men restraining him pulled his hand towards him; with horror, I watched as he slashed Nick's already injured palm with the knife. Blood dripped to the floor like raindrops. With my eyes blurred with tears, I ran towards him, but one of the men pulled me away before I could get close to Nick.

"Don't. Touch him." Nick glared at the man holding me with a murderous look, not caring about the wound on his hand at all. I gripped the man holding me so tightly that my nails tore into his skin; he released me immediately, a little surprised. "Don't touch me." I hissed with a strange voice coming out of my mouth.

"Ralph, stay away from Miss Heather." The man ordered flatly. "Mr. Shaw, we should leave now." Two people lifted Nick's arms, and they walked, half dragging him towards the door. "Eleanor can only drink blood other than mine and Alastair's." Nick suddenly said.

"I understand." The man replied, looking at me, "We will send Mr. Shaw a supply of blood once a day." Then he turned around, and they left me alone; Nick only glanced at me briefly without saying a word. I could only stand and stare at the closed door for a few moments before running to the phone, trembling, I dialed Greg's number. Tears streamed down my face. Greg didn't pick up my call until the third time.

"Nick?" Greg's hoarse voice greeted me from the other side. I couldn't hold back my sobs when I heard it.

"Eleanor?" his voice sounded clearer when he said my name.

"They—they took him. I couldn't stop them. I—" I couldn't do anything.

Greg was silent for a moment before asking, "Eleanor, what's wrong?"

"They... Alastair's clan, they took Nick."

***

My memory of the conversation with Alice came back, followed by what the man said; execution. They were going to kill Nick... A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Greg came earlier than I expected; I opened the front door without checking first. But it wasn't Greg's worried face that greeted me behind the door. A pair of brown eyes met mine with a look that made me freeze in place. Then she smiled faintly.

"Surprise, Ella."

I took a step back without realizing it, "...Elizabeth. You're still alive?"

She smiled again, this time with a sarcastic expression. "I'm glad you still remember me. And yes, unfortunately, I'm still alive. Although Nicholas wanted to kill me, he changed his mind; it seems he still has feelings for me."

I swallowed my saliva to hide the new panic that arose within me. "What do you want? I'll call Nick—"

My sentence was cut off by her small laughter, "Do you think you can deceive me? Nicholas isn't here right now. He's having fun with some people from Alastair's clan... Maybe they'll execute him tonight." I couldn't hide my panic anymore. She knows. "Anyway, he already killed one of the oldest members of that clan." She continued. I knew that at a time like this, it was better to keep my mouth shut, my gaze shifted from her, searching for an escape route, but Elizabeth noticed it before I could find one.

"This time I won't play with you, Eleanor."

I quickly closed the door and tried to lock it, although I knew it was futile. The next moment, Elizabeth managed to break it open and push me so that we both fell to the floor. My legs kicked her head before she got up, and I crawled away. But just two meters away, she grabbed one of my ankles tightly, so tight that I was sure if I were still human, my ankle would have been broken by now. Elizabeth growled in anger as I kicked her again.

I could fight back... My leg swung towards her again, this time hitting her chest. She hissed in pain and hit my leg hard. We wrestled for a few moments, but Elizabeth was on top of me, making it difficult for me to throw her off. One of my hands felt the floor around me until my fingers touched a ceramic pot. I might not have been able to lift it if I were still using human strength, but my hand easily swung the pot towards Elizabeth. The loud sound of impact and Elizabeth's startled scream made a small part of me feel satisfied; I had never felt this feeling before, feeling satisfied after hurting someone. I pushed her body away from me, and soil and gravel scattered around us along with shards of ceramic. Elizabeth lay beside me, unmoving. For a moment, a feeling of horror filled me, but as I was about to touch her to make sure, she opened her eyes. Fresh blood flowed from one side of her head, wetting part of her face, and her two black eyes looked at me with hatred, making my spine freeze. "You will die. You and Nicholas." She hissed with a hoarse voice, her two fangs clearly visible as she said 'die'. Elizabeth stuck out her tongue to lick her own blood from the corner of her lips.

I forced the corners of my mouth to smile. "Yeah, but not now." My right hand grabbed the largest shard of ceramic, but Elizabeth did the same, so before she could get up completely, I instinctively moved my leg to trip her. She fell again with a loud thud. For a split second, I considered calling the office security, but hearing her growls made my idea seem foolish. Calling security would be like baiting Elizabeth with fresh blood. No, I would do it myself.

My right hand gripped the shard and stabbed it into Elizabeth's body. Not just once. I couldn't control what I was doing; it was as if my body was moving on its own. Blood splattered on my face and nightgown. The smell of blood piercing my nose made my throat feel dry. Elizabeth had stopped moving for a few minutes now. With a little stagger, I stood up and moved away from her, my slightly trembling hand still gripping the shard tightly.

The satisfaction and thirst I felt a few seconds ago turned into horror and nausea. With a little stagger, I walked towards the wide-open door, bloodstains following my steps, sticking to the marble floor I passed. I leaned against the wall next to the palm tree pot next to the elevator and repeatedly pressed the lobby button. Silence enveloped me for a few minutes, my body still trembling violently, and I couldn't stop it. The sound of the elevator bell diverted my attention from the silence of this place. Slowly, the elevator door in front of me opened, and inside stood a man, looking at me with his ash-colored eyes.

"Alastair?" I murmured in shock. He looked at me from head to toe, covered in blood. His eyes became darker as his gaze shifted behind me. I didn't know if he was on my side or Elizabeth's, but I didn't want to take any risks, so I pulled my leg back, keeping as far away from him as possible. He stepped out of the elevator and stopped when he realized I kept walking away from him. "I won't hurt you." He paused before continuing, "Where is Elizabeth?"

I leaned my shoulder against the wall without taking my eyes off him, "You trapped Nick."

"Elizabeth trapped us, Eleanor. Where is she now?"

"They took Nick. They're going to execute him tonight; you have to help him."

"Gregory is taking care of him; I have to take Elizabeth to my clan to free Nick." He looked back at the penthouse door, "Is she still inside?"

I nodded slightly. He walked towards the door, but I pulled the sleeve of his flannel plaid shirt, "Wait..." He stopped and turned to me.

"I need..." I swallowed my saliva to moisten my dry throat. My whole body felt like it was burning. He looked at my messy face and then glanced at my stomach. "I think Elizabeth can wait a few minutes." He muttered while unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. I could almost feel the pulse in his neck throbbing; hastily, I slipped both of my hands into his dark blond hair and then sank my fangs into his neck. Alastair grunted in pain, but he didn't move away from me. He just stood there calmly, letting me suck his blood as much as I needed.

The warm blood moistened my throat like warm, soft chocolate; each gulp reduced the burning sensation in my body. I breathed in deeply. Vaguely, I heard the sound of the elevator bell ringing again; I opened my eyes slightly and saw Erik walking out of the elevator with Alice. Alice was wearing a black cocktail dress that elegantly wrapped her body, with a sash containing a katana on her shoulder, making her appearance look strange. She just glanced at us briefly and said as she walked by, "I'll take care of it." She muttered in her Russian accent before entering the Penthouse, followed by Erik behind her. I didn't care about my surroundings anymore; I closed my eyes and concentrated on every gulp of blood I sucked.

I didn't know how long I did it, but suddenly Alastair's hands gripped my shoulders tightly and pulled me away from him. "I don't mind you sucking my blood until it's gone, Eleanor, but if I die now, Nicholas won't be able to escape from my clan."

I wiped my lips with the back of my slightly trembling hand, "I—I'm sorry, I couldn't control it."

"I understand." He replied before shifting his gaze back to the penthouse door. He stood in front of me with his body tense; I didn't understand why, but the next moment, I realized the strong smell of blood coming from inside the penthouse.

"What's—?"

"Listen to me carefully, Eleanor, Erik will take care of you while Alice and I are gone. We'll pick up Nicholas and—"

"I'm coming with you." I interrupted.

"If you come, you'll only make things more complicated. Nicholas won't be able to think clearly when he sees you... like this."

Alastair glanced at me from head to toe, "You have to promise me, Eleanor, you'll take care of yourself. Stay safe and don't do anything reckless. Nicholas needs you."

"I promise." I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "Please, bring him back safely."

"I will." Alastair gave me a reassuring smile before turning to leave. As he walked towards the penthouse door, I noticed the bloodstains on his clothes and hands. It was a grim reminder of the danger Nick was facing.

I watched as Alastair disappeared into the penthouse, followed by Alice and Erik. The door closed behind them, leaving me alone in the hallway. The events of the night had been surreal, and I could hardly believe what had transpired. I leaned against the wall, feeling a mix of relief and worry.

I knew that Alastair and the others would do everything in their power to save Nick, but I couldn't shake off the fear that something might go wrong. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

Suddenly, the elevator door opened again, and this time, it was Greg who stepped out. He looked at me, his expression filled with concern. "Ella, what happened? Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The events of the night had left me speechless. Greg walked over to me and gently took my hand. "Let's get you out of here," he said softly.

I nodded, grateful for his presence. Together, we walked towards the elevator, leaving behind the chaos and uncertainty of the night. As the elevator descended, I couldn't help but think about Nick and pray that he would come back safely.

The elevator doors opened, revealing the lobby below. Greg led me outside, where the cool night air greeted us. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind.

"Are you going to be okay?" Greg asked, his voice filled with concern.

I nodded, giving him a faint smile. "I'll be fine. Thank you, Greg, for everything."

He smiled back, his eyes full of warmth. "Anytime, Ella. Anytime."

Together, we walked away from the building, leaving behind the events of the night. As we disappeared into the darkness, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held for me, for Nick, and for all of us. But for now, all I could do was hope and pray for a better tomorrow.