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17 The Evening
Last Updated:
2025-04-26 21:45:08
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Fated In Darkness 18 A Little Heat
NatalieI jumped into Adrian’s arms, and he caught me with effortless strength, like I weighed nothing.My fingers threaded through his thick hair, pulling him closer, desperate to taste more of him.The ache inside me was blinding, a raw need that only he could ease—and he knew it. He pressed me tighter against the wall, his mouth devouring mine, his tongue claiming, coaxing, making me forget where I ended and he began.The world outside the office blurred into nothing.There was only us. Only this."Natalie," he whispered against my lips, my name falling from him like a broken prayer. There was a roughness to it—a battle raging inside him, one he was barely winning.I was already lost.His lips trailed down my jaw to my neck, then lower to the bare skin of my shoulder, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.Goosebumps broke out across my skin, every nerve ending alive and straining for more.When I felt his teeth graze my neck—just the barest, teasing scrape—I arched into him,
Last Updated : 2025-04-26Fated In Darkness 19 After the Ball
NatalieJust as I'd expected, the next day was chaos. Everywhere I went, eyes followed. Whispers floated through hallways and over lunch tables.Overnight, I had somehow become a sensation, and no one could seem to look away. Even people who used to barely tolerate me were now gawking like I was something rare on display.A few of the Phi girls, who had never spared me a second glance before, suddenly decided we should be best friends.The attention pressed down on me, heavy and strange. I couldn't figure out what had sparked it. Was it the invitation to the ball? Or was it the fact that I was with Adrian?Honestly, separating the two felt pointless. Still, it stung a little — since when did it matter so much who you showed up with?Lisa plopped down beside me on the grass, her grin wide with gossip. "Apparently, our handsome stranger is a big deal," she said, practically buzzing with excitement.I laughed, shaking my head before glancing at her. "A big shot isn't dangerous anymore,
Last Updated : 2025-04-29Fated In Darkness 20 An Unwanted Visitor
NatalieI got back to my apartment earlier than usual that day. I couldn't take it anymore — the constant staring, the whispering behind my back.Some students didn’t even bother to be subtle. They walked right up to me, their questions blunt, their curiosity practically dripping off them.How do you know him?What's he like?Can you introduce us?Is it serious? Are you two a thing?And those were the good ones.The ugly ones came with sneers and fake smiles:"Watch your back, bitch.""You have no idea what you're getting into.""You're in way over your head.""You're just a distraction. Don't get cocky.""You're punching way above your league."Then there was Michelle and her little pack of hyenas — keeping their distance, which was unusual for them.I could feel the hate in Michelle’s eyes when we crossed paths, even if she didn’t say a word.Whatever had happened at the ball had shifted things. I wasn’t sure if that should make me feel relieved or afraid.After freshening up, I was
Last Updated : 2025-04-29Fated In Darkness 21 An Unwanted Visitor 2
NatalieUncle Michael studied me for a moment, his laugh dying before it ever reached his eyes. They stayed cold, dark — almost predatory. Nothing about him found my rebellion amusing."Do you even know what world you live in, little girl?" he said, voice low and cutting. "It’s not painted with roses and prince charmings, no matter what fairytales you’ve started to believe. It’s rough. It’s brutal. And no one climbs to the top because they’re smart or hardworking. We get ahead because of what we sacrifice — the things we give up to stay ahead. Freedom, Natalie, is one of those things. It's the price we pay."He stepped closer, and I had to fight the urge to move back."You were chosen. You will be the one to marry into that family," he said, each word dropping like a stone.I narrowed my eyes at him. "What family, Uncle Mike? Who exactly am I supposed to throw myself at? Maybe I’ll go have a nice little chat with him. Let him know he’s about to marry a nightmare," I said, my voice dr
Last Updated : 2025-04-29Fated In Darkness 22 A Long Lecture
NatalieThree days had crawled by since my uncle’s visit — three long, heavy days — and somehow, the man had managed to steal whatever small scraps of joy I had left.Carson still hadn’t taken me out on that lunch date he’d asked for, and honestly, I was grateful.I didn’t know why I had said yes in the first place. Sitting with it now, the decision felt wrong. Heavy. Like I'd already made a mistake I couldn’t undo.The fact that it hadn’t happened yet... it mattered. It felt like a small mercy.Now, it was time for Myths and Legends — a class I dreaded more than anything.Professor Alester had a way of making your skin crawl, like he could see every secret you tried to hide. If the course hadn’t been mandatory, I would’ve dropped it without a second thought.Most universities made you take things like Psychology or Philosophy as freshman core classes — subjects that at least made sense. But not Cainebrielle. No, here at this so-called prestigious institution, Myths and Legends was re
Last Updated : 2025-04-29Fated In Darkness 23 The Lecture 1
NatalieProfessor Alester’s gaze swept the room, slow and heavy, almost like he was looking for something. Or someone. His dark eyes caught mine for a breathless second, and I had to force myself not to look away.I wasn’t sure if he found what he was searching for. But whatever it was, it made my blood run cold."However," Professor Alester said, his voice dropping low enough that we all leaned in without meaning to, "there was an anomaly. A moment when fate—or perhaps something greater—intervened. One bride, one sacrifice, was unlike the others. The venom did not take her. The transformation failed. But… she did not die."Gasps flickered across the room, but I couldn't even make a sound. My breath stuck in my throat, thick and heavy, as his words sank deeper into me, pressing against my chest like a hand trying to crush me from the inside."She was immune," he said, almost reverently, almost like he feared the very idea."Immune to the venom that was supposed to remake her. And yet,
Last Updated : 2025-04-29Fated In Darkness 24 The Lecture 2
NatalieA low murmur spread through the hall, but Alester silenced it with a flick of his hand. His gaze was wildfire, sweeping over us, daring anyone to speak."Lord Volodymir saw the boy for what he was—a threat. For the first time in millennia, the strigoi tasted fear. Not from humans. From something greater."The ache in my chest deepened. I knew what was coming, somehow. I felt it like a wound waiting to be torn open."To protect their old ways, Volodymir made a decision that would stain his legacy forever. He ordered the death of Alexei, his mortal wife, and their extraordinary son."The words hit like a blade to the gut. I could feel it, the collective mourning in the air, the weight of inevitable tragedy pressing down on all of us."But Volodymir underestimated the strength of a family bound by more than blood," the professor said, his voice softening just enough to sound almost human. "The boy, trained by his father, was already strong. When the assassins came, he fought them
Last Updated : 2025-04-29Fated In Darkness 25 The Lecture 3
NatalieProfessor Alester stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, that same smug, knowing smirk playing at his mouth. He watched the chaos unfold—laughter, jokes, nervous banter—as if he were pulling the strings, letting us dance.Then he raised a hand.The room fell into a strained, twitching silence."Very well," he said, his voice slicing through the leftover chatter like a blade. "If it’s so unbelievable, I challenge you: How would you explain a myth like this being true? Hypothetically, of course."He paused, his dark eyes glittering—not with curiosity, but something sharper. Hungrier."If you can’t imagine it," he said, "perhaps you lack the curiosity to consider the possibility."Silence stretched out, thick and sticky. No one moved. No one wanted to be the fool who answered.Except... me.Before I even knew what I was doing, my hand was in the air. Tentative but steady.A ripple went through the room like a rock dropped into water. Heads whipped toward me. Whispers bu
Last Updated : 2025-04-29
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Fated In Darkness 30 A Cold Way Out
Adrian"Please," Graham rasped, still clutching my leg. "If she fails the transformation, she'll die. And even if she lives, I'll be powerless. I have no sons. She’s all I have left. Either way, my bloodline ends."His voice cracked under the strain. His grief clung to the air, thick and suffocating. He wasn’t wrong — but it didn’t change anything.I had seen this before — heads of families, desperate and broken, coming to me with bleeding hearts and empty hands, begging for a different fate.But my answer was always the same."No," I said quietly, my voice like stone. "I’m sorry, Graham. I can't help you."He sagged against me, the last bit of hope draining from him."If I take you into my clan," I continued, "I would be breaking the treaty. The very foundation of the peace we all cling to. When my bloodline broke from the strigoi, it was a war that could have ended us all. We reached an impasse. An agreement was forged: I would not take or turn what belonged to Volodym
Fated In Darkness 29 At The Door
AdrianMilo stood there, my father’s old assistant, holding a carton of wine bottles at his feet.The realization hit me. I had completely forgotten I had instructed him to stock the lake house.But even as relief started to creep in, something else made me pause. Milo was uneasy. Too uneasy for something as simple as a delivery."Master," he said, bowing his head in deference, recognizing not just my power, but who I was — his Sire, his Lord.I stepped back slightly, a grim understanding settling over me.I was not like the others. Not strigoi. Not dhampyr.I was something more. Stronger. Older. A bloodline born pure, untwisted — built from power the strigoi could only envy.I could survive on human food. I could walk freely under the sun. I had forged a new race — my own clan — stronger than anything the old world could birth.But strength came with its burdens.My body was almost invincible. My mind sharper than most. My instincts nearly flawless.And yet, my heart — th
Fated In Darkness 28 A Long Wait ( Adrian’s Point of View)
AdrianNatalie was perfect — a beauty crafted for me alone, even if she didn’t know it yet.Her body knew. Her soul knew.But her mind was still catching up, still caged by the fragile logic of human life.When I felt the string tighten in my chest — that sharp pull of fear — I knew it wasn’t mine. It was hers.The one I had waited centuries for. The one I had been told would never come.Being a vampire with a soul had its curses. I had sired a few, built a new bloodline stronger than the old ways, but nothing filled the hollow ache inside me. Nothing dulled the loneliness that shadowed me through endless lifetimes — through wars, through plagues, through the rise and fall of civilizations.I had lost friends, lovers, allies. I had buried them all. And yet I remained.Always waiting. Always incomplete.Unlike the strigoi before me, I could not simply choose a mate and bind her to me by force or tradition. Fate had to choose for me. And until Natalie, it never had.I had begun t
Fated In Darkness 27 Not Here For Food
NatalieI watched Adrian for a while, unsure how my next words would land. My throat felt tight, my heart louder than it needed to be. But I said it anyway. "Actually… I’m not hungry."My voice came out softer than I intended — hesitant, uncertain.He paused, slowly setting down the utensils and turning off the stove. Then he looked at me, amused. "So," he said, peeling off the apron, "what do you have in mind?"I opened my mouth, then closed it. Words failed me. I wasn’t the type to take the lead — not like this. And I knew, somehow, he already understood that."You don’t strike me as shy," he said, stepping closer.And then he was between my legs.I was still perched on the counter, his presence suddenly too close and not close enough. I had nothing on underneath his shirt, and when I looked at his face, saw the quiet heat in his eyes, I felt the blush rush up my neck and into my cheeks.He smiled at the sight of it. "I like it when you blush, Little Fox," he whispered
Fated In Darkness 26 The Date
NatalieAdrian was waiting in a sleek black sports car parked just outside my apartment building. He looked… casual. A white T-shirt and jeans, nothing layered, nothing sharp — a world apart from the calculated elegance he usually wore.It was the most relaxed I’d ever seen him, and somehow, that made him even more dangerously attractive.As I stepped out, I noticed how people on campus were watching him — some with wide-eyed disbelief, others with open hunger, like they were hoping he'd glance their way, hoping for a crack in his armor. He was important, and everyone knew it.Then his eyes found mine. And he smiled.That smile — it wasn’t for just anyone. I was starting to think he reserved it. And I was one of the few who got it."Hey," I said, the word small, soft.He frowned in mock disappointment. "Is that all you have to say?"Before I could answer, he reached for me and pulled me in — kissing me full on the mouth, like there was no one else in the world watching. No hesitat
Fated In Darkness 25 The Lecture 3
NatalieProfessor Alester stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, that same smug, knowing smirk playing at his mouth. He watched the chaos unfold—laughter, jokes, nervous banter—as if he were pulling the strings, letting us dance.Then he raised a hand.The room fell into a strained, twitching silence."Very well," he said, his voice slicing through the leftover chatter like a blade. "If it’s so unbelievable, I challenge you: How would you explain a myth like this being true? Hypothetically, of course."He paused, his dark eyes glittering—not with curiosity, but something sharper. Hungrier."If you can’t imagine it," he said, "perhaps you lack the curiosity to consider the possibility."Silence stretched out, thick and sticky. No one moved. No one wanted to be the fool who answered.Except... me.Before I even knew what I was doing, my hand was in the air. Tentative but steady.A ripple went through the room like a rock dropped into water. Heads whipped toward me. Whispers bu
Fated In Darkness 24 The Lecture 2
NatalieA low murmur spread through the hall, but Alester silenced it with a flick of his hand. His gaze was wildfire, sweeping over us, daring anyone to speak."Lord Volodymir saw the boy for what he was—a threat. For the first time in millennia, the strigoi tasted fear. Not from humans. From something greater."The ache in my chest deepened. I knew what was coming, somehow. I felt it like a wound waiting to be torn open."To protect their old ways, Volodymir made a decision that would stain his legacy forever. He ordered the death of Alexei, his mortal wife, and their extraordinary son."The words hit like a blade to the gut. I could feel it, the collective mourning in the air, the weight of inevitable tragedy pressing down on all of us."But Volodymir underestimated the strength of a family bound by more than blood," the professor said, his voice softening just enough to sound almost human. "The boy, trained by his father, was already strong. When the assassins came, he fought them
Fated In Darkness 23 The Lecture 1
NatalieProfessor Alester’s gaze swept the room, slow and heavy, almost like he was looking for something. Or someone. His dark eyes caught mine for a breathless second, and I had to force myself not to look away.I wasn’t sure if he found what he was searching for. But whatever it was, it made my blood run cold."However," Professor Alester said, his voice dropping low enough that we all leaned in without meaning to, "there was an anomaly. A moment when fate—or perhaps something greater—intervened. One bride, one sacrifice, was unlike the others. The venom did not take her. The transformation failed. But… she did not die."Gasps flickered across the room, but I couldn't even make a sound. My breath stuck in my throat, thick and heavy, as his words sank deeper into me, pressing against my chest like a hand trying to crush me from the inside."She was immune," he said, almost reverently, almost like he feared the very idea."Immune to the venom that was supposed to remake her. And yet,
Fated In Darkness 22 A Long Lecture
NatalieThree days had crawled by since my uncle’s visit — three long, heavy days — and somehow, the man had managed to steal whatever small scraps of joy I had left.Carson still hadn’t taken me out on that lunch date he’d asked for, and honestly, I was grateful.I didn’t know why I had said yes in the first place. Sitting with it now, the decision felt wrong. Heavy. Like I'd already made a mistake I couldn’t undo.The fact that it hadn’t happened yet... it mattered. It felt like a small mercy.Now, it was time for Myths and Legends — a class I dreaded more than anything.Professor Alester had a way of making your skin crawl, like he could see every secret you tried to hide. If the course hadn’t been mandatory, I would’ve dropped it without a second thought.Most universities made you take things like Psychology or Philosophy as freshman core classes — subjects that at least made sense. But not Cainebrielle. No, here at this so-called prestigious institution, Myths and Legends was re
