Thank you for reading another chapter ❤️ How do you find Nala and Ash? I hope that you are enjoying the story so far. If you do, please let me know in your comments, reviews, gem-votes, or simply thumbs-up. I'll be extremely grateful for your support 🥰💎
"So, what would you like to know?" Ash's lips curled up slightly."Everything," I said, millions of questions already popping on the tip of my tongue.He laughed. The deep, sensual sound did strange things to my body. Then he looked at me, drawing his teeth against his bottom lip. The hints of his sharp fangs flashed, igniting an odd thrill. The bubbly sensation exploded in the lower parts of my stomach and dropped between my thighs. "Ask away," he said.For a moment, I forgot how to speak… and breathe. Then my mouth opened, but I needed another minute before my voice followed. "Tell me more about vampires and this world."He brushed a few lost strands of his hair back and leaned forward. "They say that vampires and a few other races come from the fallen angels. It happened eons ago when only one realm existed. When the fallen angels reached Earth, they lost their immortality, but they gained something in return—the ability to breed. Each of the fallen had special abilities, and so th
My conversation with Ash didn't last much longer. One of the servants entered to inform Ash about some urgent matter. He leaned over his master and said something quietly. Ash frowned in response, anger sharpening his features. A moment later, he stood up and apologized to me before striding out of the room. As soon as he did, another servant came to escort me back to my chamber. I guess the long list of questions I had would have to wait...The servant closed the door of my room behind him, and everything that Ash told me hit me with double the force. My anxieties returned. I felt trapped, and an odd, suffocating feeling started to overwhelm me. Standing in the middle of my new, spacious chamber, I became claustrophobic. I fought for breath, swallowing tiny, insufficient chunks of air. My ability to adapt could only take this much. Now I was on the verge of falling to pieces.Even though I had no friends or a bright future in the Mortal Realm, that was the world I knew. I knew how th
I yanked the door open and ran out into the corridor. I heard the light but fast pounding of someone's feet on the left side. I darted in that direction. A female servant flashed before my eyes and quickly disappeared behind the corner."Hey! Stop!" I shouted, but she ran downstairs into a dark, narrow passage. I followed her but couldn't keep up. "Please! I want to talk to you!" She didn't stop. She took turn after turn, and once I reached the end of the corridor, where it split into two, I finally lost her. "Damn it!" I looked right and left, but I could barely see anything in the space lit only by several faintly glowing lightbulbs.I returned to my room, surprising myself that I didn't get lost on the way. I grabbed the note I had previously left on the table and sat on the bed. I looked at the message closely. The letters were neat, written in curled strokes more typical of a woman's hand. That had to be this girl servant who wrote it, but what did she mean? Was she trying to tel
Hunter stepped between me and Metis, shielding me from the Prince. Metis glared at him and clicked his tongue. "Be careful, dog," he snarled, carefully correcting the lapels of his suit jacket. "You know very well that you cannot touch me. I'm the Prince. You try something I don't appreciate, you die." Hunter widened his stance, his large frame blocking Prince's view. "Try to touch her and you'll die first," he hissed. My heart began to hammer. I had already learned that Metis could easily avoid all punishment. I didn't assume that the same rule would apply to Hunter. "C-can we just… go?" I muttered, tugging the short sleeve of his tee. Hunter nodded and stepped to the side, pulling me behind him as he was about to pass Metis by. The Prince chuckled. "I didn't allow you to leave, slave!" he growled, tilting his head to the side to meet my eyes. "What do you want?" I strained through my teeth. He bared his fangs, his mouth twisting in rage. "You will name me Your Highness, bitch! B
I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to restrain every sound that might have escaped me. I stood still debating whether to keep eavesdropping on the conversation or quietly tiptoe to my chamber, pretending I was never there. "So, what are you planning to do with Metis?" Calvel changed the subject. Ash sighed. "I can't do anything… not yet." The sound of something falling and smashing against the floor came from the end of the corridor. It might have been a sloppy servant dropping a glass, but the problem was, I wasn't the only one who heard the noise… "What was that?" A heartbeat passed since Calvel asked, and the door to Ash's office slammed open, exposing me while I stood in front of it like an absolute idiot. I froze. The blood drained from my face. Ash looked me up and down, his lips curving into a smirk. "Come in, Nala," he said. "Wouldn't it be easier to listen to our conversation from inside my office?" I gulped. "I… I didn't mean to. I heard voices on my way to the cha
I took another step back away from the window. Then everything within me stilled, paralyzing me from head to toe. I saw a reddish light heading toward me when suddenly a strong arm looped around my waist and hauled me to the side. A split second later, the window smashed into pieces, and the place where I had just stood was now marked by a burning arrow dug into the wooden floor. I stared at it with my mouth open. The arrow had a massive point and a three-foot-long shaft. The whole length of it was burning. The fire slowly spilled to the floor in a crawling motion."You're OK?" In all the panic rising within me, I barely recognized Hunter's voice. Fighting against the terror, I turned around to face him. I hadn't even heard when he stormed into my room. If it weren't for him, it would have been me, not the floor, which was now burning.I nodded, my heart thundering against my chest. "Yes, thank you.""We need to get you somewhere safe," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of
I vaguely heard Hunter talking to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, his head leveling with mine, preventing me from looking at the dead body lying in the corridor. The blood pounded in my ears. I felt sick. My gaze slowly dropped to my hands. They looked normal, with no signs of wicked energy enveloping them."How?" I finally choked out, slowly raising my gaze to Hunter's."Nala," he muttered, his hand gently stroking my cheek. "I'm so sorry... I tried to get here sooner."I stared at him, ineptly trying to reboot my brain. "Is… is he dead?" I asked, half-denying the reality.Hunter nodded. "I'm not sure how, but you killed him."I swallowed the thick knot that formed in my throat. My head was spinning. My body trembled. My skin burned. "I killed…"My world turned black.***When my awareness slowly resurfaced, I heard low-speaking voices. My body was relaxed in the softness of familiar sheets, and I debated whether or not I should open my eyes."I wanted to rip Hunter to piece
Ash's thumb slid across my lips. Unknowingly, I parted them ever so slightly, welcoming his touch and wanting more. My heart pounded against my chest. My breath accelerated. I was ready for whatever would come from him. I wanted it. I craved it—I craved him.I looked into his onyx irises and saw the red flames lightening their color until there was nothing but the fire within them. His gaze slowly drifted down to my neck, my shoulders, and my cleavage, well-exposed in the silk nightgown. His fingers stilled on my jaw and lips, and the anticipation became unbearable. Did he want me as much as I wanted him? Was he hesitating? Didn't he sense my desire for him? I was quite certain that some of my reactions to him couldn't be more obvious.He moved his hand back, and I instantly missed his touch. "You…" He exhaled a ragged breath, shifting his gaze away from me. "You should get more sleep. It's still very early.""I'm not sleepy," I muttered, but he ignored me and headed toward the door.
NALA A week later Happiness. I think that was what I felt. Bliss and happiness. I woke up naked in our bed. Ash was lying behind me, his naked chest pressed against my back. One of his arms served as my pillow, while the other casually rested on my waist. I would never get tired of waking up like that. I could feel his cool breath brushing the crook of my neck, and a shiver traveled down to my lady parts. "Is my Queen getting aroused?" Ash purred into my ear, and I bit my lip to stifle a moan. "I'm not your Queen yet," I told him, pretending that his voice didn't increase the humidity between my thighs. "You have a crown on your lovely head in my eyes already," he said, kissing my neck. "I think I'm hungry." His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close and melting my body with his. His teeth grazed my skin as I shuddered in anticipation. "How does it feel?" I asked him all but breathlessly. He chuckled and nibbled on my earlobe. "How does what feel?" "Drinking blood," I said.
NALA"Wake up, angel. Please, wake up." Ash's voice slowly pulled me out of unconsciousness. I opened my eyes and saw his worried face brighten up with a smile. He held my head on his lap and stroked my hair, and the relief I felt when I saw him made my whole body shudder in sweet relief.Tears gathered in my eyes. "Ash," I murmured, my voice cracking. "You're here… This isn't a dream."He shook his head and chuckled. "Of course I'm here. I had to save you." He leaned down and kissed my forehead.As I retrieved my awareness, anxiety flooded me. "W-where is Drystan?" I stuttered, looking around.Ash pointed at the fountain, and the stone soaked in blood. "He is gone," he said, but I heard restlessness in his tone. Then I felt the ground shaking and small stones dropping from the ceiling.I swallowed and looked into Ash's eyes. "What's going on?"He stroked my hair and took a deep breath. "I need to get you out of here. Calvel should be close to the temple." Before I could say anything,
ASHWe found the temple, but it wasn't the map that brought me here; it was her. I could sense Nala from miles away as we moved through the wasteland. I ran ahead, leaving the map to Calvel and the rest while I rushed to the temple of Belial. I was the fastest, and I needed to be there as soon as I could. I had to stop this—stop Drystan and stop the apocalypse.I burst the door open, and my eyes instantly found her. Nala was lying by the stone fountain in the center of the hall. Her entire neck and most of her angelic face were covered with blood. The wounds on her neck were fresh and still bleeding. That cunt, whom I used to call my brother, fed from her. He caused her unimaginable pain…My blood turned into molten lava. Fury stormed inside me, ready to erupt. My claws were out and prepared to rip the flesh of those who harmed her. I saw tears falling down her pale cheeks, blending into the streams of her blood. "Ash," she murmured, her voice barely audible, but I could still hear he
NALA I begged Drystan to stop, but he didn't. Then I begged him to kill me, but he only chuckled through his teeth as he sucked my blood. Finally, I embraced the sweet darkness around me. Losing awareness was my bitter reward for getting through another night of torture. I drifted through nothingness until the vague sounds reached my ears. I floated toward them, toward the soft light that suddenly opened in front of me. I saw spiral stairs carved in stone. Someone ran up. I couldn't see the face. I could only hear the clanking of the heels hurriedly hitting the stone steps. I followed that person and quickly found myself in a castle tower. The one whom I followed stopped by the window and untied the strap of a black cloak. As the heavy cloth fell down, it revealed a familiar, black-haired woman—Estelle. She wore a white cotton dress covered with blood stains. Her black hair was untied and tousled, and her slender hands and face were dirtied by bloody mud. She looked at her trembling
ASHIt had been two days since I had been losing my mind. How could I make such a foolish mistake?! How could I not predict that one of our allies might have been followed?! Drystan and Baltazar killed one of the groups that wanted to side with us. They tracked them, murdered the entire pack, and forced their Alpha to give them our location before they ripped his heart out.Drystan knew that he would never defeat us in our territory, but what he had planned wasn't a surprise, full-on attack. He only wanted Nala. I didn't know why at first, but then I learned about the ancient ritual that could give the demon's spirit enough strength for him to be reborn. The strength he needed was in Nala's blood. Now, for two days, I sensed her agony and couldn't do a fucking thing about it."Did you find that old fox?" I asked Calvel as soon as he entered the meeting room.The grim look on his face couldn't mean anything good. "I found that fucker, Jarrod, in two pieces. Someone decapitated him—a cl
When I regained consciousness, my whole body rattled from the piercing cold. Drystan wasn't lying. Whatever he did when he bit me filled me with raw fire, burning my insides to ashes. Once the pain pushed me to madness, I wished for death. I thought I had died when the relief finally flooded my senses. But I was still alive, and as the scorching flames left me, the slightest breath of wind sent icy needles to prickle my skin.The shackles were still on my wrists, and the heavy chains restrained my movement. The skin around the cuffs was torn and constantly bleeding. I couldn't stand up or even lift my head. I wish I could say that I survived the previous night, but I couldn't even call it surviving. Drystan let me breathe only to finish this three-day ritual.The realization filled me with a new wave of pain… I should die. Not because it was remarkable that I was still in the world of the living, but because only my death could stop the apocalypse. Without my blood, Belial would not b
I opened my eyes and winced from the pain. Every part of my body hurt, and the fact that I was lying on the cold stone ground wearing nothing but a partially torn nightgown made the pain more vivid and overwhelming. My hands were shackled in chains so heavy that I barely mustered the strength to lift them. The chain was bolted to a large stone at the foot of some kind of sculpture. Struggling, I rose to a sitting position and focused my eyes on my dimly lit surroundings. The place where I was, resembled ruins. I could see broken columns and crushed rocks lying around a spacious, round hall with a dome-shaped ceiling.I turned around and took a close look at the sculpture next to me. It was at least seven feet tall and resembled a terrifying man-like creature with massive horns on its head. His huge arms were armed with stone-shaped claws, while his feet melted into the center of the podium. The stone where my chain was bolted was part of a ring, placed within a three-foot radius of th
I stared at the mesmerizing mark on my neck and couldn't help the grin that curled up my lips. I brushed it with my fingertips, and it seemed to faint under my touch and then reappear once I took my hand away. "Do you like it?" I heard Ash's voice coming from behind me. It didn't startle me as much as before. This time, I could feel his presence seconds before he spoke. I turned around to face him. "Your mark looks beautiful," I said. He chuckled and touched the spot on my neck. "Actually, it's not mine, but ours. It represents our union." Then he leaned down and kissed it, sending a wave of pleasure down my body. "Don't do that," I breathed. "Do what?" he teased. "This?" He traced the mark with the tip of his tongue. I moaned, fisting the collar of his half-unbuttoned shirt. Then I forced him to face me. "You are not playing fair," I told him, frowning. "This mark is… extremely sensitive." He grinned. "I know. As a matter of fact, from now on, I will know your feelings. I will
A few hours later, I was sitting in my chamber and combing my shower-damp hair in front of the mirror. Was I truly the only one able to stop Belial? But how was I supposed to do that? Should I attack the Drystan-Belial duo the way I attacked everyone in the auditorium? But the last time I used that power, it drained me, and even now, I didn't fully regain my strength. Perhaps I should concentrate the stream of power on Drystan and Belial without dispersing it, but what if that still was not enough? What then? As a descendant of an Archangel, I could only possess a mere percentage of his power. Could I truly be a match for the true fallen, even in his weak, spiritual form? I groaned in frustration, tossing my hairbrush on the table."You are worrying too much. It's overwhelming, isn't it?" Ash suddenly appeared in my mirror, and I almost screamed."Don't do that!" I frowned at him. "Make a sound at least!"He chuckled and stepped closer, taking a few strands of my hair between his fing