It was still very dark outside when we reached the gates of the Mikhailovsky castle. The clock on the dashboard of the limousine said it was two in the morning and minus four degrees Celsius. Snow piled neatly on the side of the road that led to the main castle building and on the trees that surrounded the garden.This place is very large, even the entrance takes five minutes by car. If I'm not mistaken it's almost as big as Buckingham Palace in England. Mikhailovsky Castle has several small buildings, one of which is open as a museum and one very large main building.Silence enveloped until finally the limousine stopped on one side of the main building. Not a single person, human or Volder, was in the vicinity of the main building. I only saw a Volder guarding the outer gate, after that this place is like a haunted building with no residents.We got out of the limousine, one of them went ahead, followed by three Volders to my right and left while the rest behind me. The prisoner guar
Vlad stopped behind my back so I couldn't see the response on his face, "Do you know where Dostov is?" He speaks softly."And I think I can get him back. Isn't that what you want, Vlad? A successor to your clan?" I asked before turning to face him. Before I could look at him, my body was slammed into the thick carpet beneath me, Vlad pressed my chest just above my heart with one of his hands. The air in my lungs was blown out of my mouth by the sudden push .Vlad curled up on top of me, a sadistic grin on his face. Terror rushed into my mind as I saw his two long fangs aim at my face."Where is Dostov?" His voice turned deeper and deeper and the little blue veins stretched across his face. This is the true form of the Vlad I knew seventy years ago ... He's a monster.'Where?" he repeated along with the pressure of his hands that began to hurt my ribs ."San Francisco." I answered with difficulty because the pressure of his hand on my chest made it hard to breathe."Is he still trying
When I got to the cottage, the pungent smell of blood made my legs feel shaky. But when I smelled the air around the cottage for the second time I realized that the smell of blood wasn't just Lana's. I opened my cottage door and ran to every room looking for Lana, but all I found was the body of the cottage owner in one of the guest rooms.'Lana!" I called , even though I knew it was in vain. Momentary frustration makes me want to scream but my eyes fixate on the cottage Lana rents across from mine. Without wasting any more time I ran against time because every second that passed was precious for Lana. The more I delay giving her my blood, the more painful the transition will be.The first room I looked for was her room. My steps stopped when my eyes fixed on Lana lying in the middle of her bed. A thick blanket covered her body up to her chin, she looked like she was asleep if it wasn't for her very pale face."No ... Lana ... " My fingers trembled as I pulled the blanket, I thought I
(1 month later)"Greg, stop it ... "I couldn't hold back the laughter that came out of my mouth ."Greg! ""What is it?" Ella's head popped out from behind our bedroom door. "Oh my god Lana ... are you married to an 11 year old?"My laugh faded into a frown at Ella's words. "I'm just trying to help!"She took the hairdryer from my hand and started to tidy up Lana's hair which was so big ... my work.Still with a sullen face I stood by Lana's side until Ella pushed me away because apparently standing near Lana was interfering with her work."Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" asked Ella irritably. "Nick is getting ready, why don't you join him?""I just need to change my clothes, after all the event is still one hour away." I replied with the same annoyance.Lately Ella always looks annoyed when she sees me, Lana says she's a little jealous because now wherever Lana goes I always follow her, there's almost no time for Ella and Lana alone.Geez, who actually married Lana? Me or Ella?
Today we were supposed to use the meeting room on the eighth floor but the other divisions were using it too so we moved to the second floor.The nice weather outside makes me want to take Lana out to lunch, but Lana can't really digest plain food yet. She still relies on eighty percent of my blood.At first I was worried because some cases of Leech's transition required Volder's blood to change her, but Lana has survived this long on my blood alone.Like Ella's case, which ended up needing Alice's and Alastair's blood at the same time. I don't want to imagine Lana sucking Carleon's blood and her ugly face smiling smugly at me because Lana needs it.The next case, the murder of a young executive in the district..."I half didn't listen to the explanation of the staff who recapitulated all the major cases that had just been handled this month.Across this building, three SUVs stopped side by side and then several people in black shirts got out of it.Looks like someone important is visi
"The children?" I replied after turning to face him.'Elliot and Rosie." he explained with an innocent expression."Careful, Dostov. Nick will kill you if he hears about it."Dostov raised a hand and pointed at himself. "But I'm Elliot and Rosie's legal guardian ... You could say they're my kids too, right?"For a few seconds I just stared at him with a confused look. "Legal guardian?" I repeated, hoping I hadn't heard wrong. "Does Nick know?"Dostov nodded once . "I asked for it myself , and Nicholas said yes. Didn't he?"Nick must be crazy ... I thought, still in disbelief."How are Elliot and Rosie? Too bad Nick won't let me see them at all."His question made me furrow my brows suspiciously. "Why are you so interested in Nick's kids?"This time Dostov smiled mysteriously. "Because I'm their guardian?""Dostov ... " I whispered threateningly, "I swear, if you dare to touch my nephew I will come myself and smother your face in a pillow while you sleep."I can't threaten to kill him
There are about 600 methods to torture humans.Starting from direct punches, breaking one by one the twenty-eight knuckles, electrocuting, inserting needles that are not too sharp under the nails. And 596 other methods. The methods are still further divided into subsections, from the pain of bullying the pain of being very, very painful.From leaving permanent scars to death, death of course is slow and painful. Pain is a way to get the information we want from and the human resistance to pain is quite low. Very low.There are some people who give up after just the first hit, or the first broken rib, or even a bluff. Humans tend to imagine pain times more than it actually is, even when they feel the pain, and that's why their pain mentality is so low.How do I know all this? Well, because this is 56th time I've been kidnapped. Twelve of nearly killed me, thirty of them left scars all over my body, and they drove me to the operating table.This has all been going on for the past tenn ye
"Where are the others?" I asked in a slightly hoarse voice, the woman in front of me was wearing a black t-shirt, pants and boots. A gun tucked into her belt along with two knives. She wore a black leather sash that resembled a belt over her shoulders, peeking over her shoulder.Her face and appearance look so … mismatched. With a face like hers, she is suited to wearing dresses and high heels, makeup and diamonds, like other normal women in this city.But it wasn't the weapon or her odd appearance that caught my attention the most, it was her pale bluish-gray eyes that stunned me the most, for a few seconds.She wasn't even looking at me at all. I've seen eyes as clear as the woman in front of me, my eyes drifting to her bleeding arm and then back to her face."The others are outside?" I asked again after she did not answer my first question. She returned her clean knife to the cover. Then tilts her head towards the door without even looking at me and walks out.For the first time a
My body shivered with desire at the sound of Nick's sharp voice. He grabbed my hair and pulled me back onto the bed, facing him again.His blue eyes gleamed with lust, but I'm sure my own eyes looked just as desperate.One of his hands gripped my shirt. "I'm sorry if I ruin your clothes, Eleanor," he murmured, his voice strained. I wanted to laugh, my husband was still apologizing in a situation like this. The ticklish feeling disappeared quickly as he pulled off my shirt, scattering it around me.He undressed me until I was left in just my bra and panties. His satisfied gaze on my body only fueled the fire within me. The air in the room felt thin. No matter how hard my lungs worked, I couldn't breathe normally.He lowered his face and kissed me passionately, while one hand slipped around to my back to unhook my bra. In an instant, my bra was thrown to the corner of the room, and his warm, large hands cupped my breasts.The sensation of his touch sent waves of pleasure throughout my b
I'm not sure how much time has passed. After our last conversation, Dostov said he would check on Lana and the others downstairs because he was afraid the blood cleansing process wasn't finished, so he asked me to wait in his apartment.Our previous conversation kept repeating in my head. But no matter how frustrated and worried I am now, in the end, Dostov's words are the ones that prevail in my mind. I can't change the future, even if I were to know it. All I can do is hope and pray that what Dostov saw won't happen in the future.Suddenly, the door to Dostov's apartment opens again. But it's Nick's face that appears behind it. I stand up to greet him, but both of us freeze upon realizing something. His previously warm gaze turns cold instantly. "Eleanor... Why do I smell Alastair's blood on you?" he asks as he takes a step closer to me.Damn, I forgot about Alastair's blood."Nick, I didn't realize the blood I drank was Alastair's," I explain, stepping back to distance myself from
They stared at each other for a few minutes, silently."Whose blood is it?" I asked, hoping to hear his answer.He grimaced again. "Nicholas will be later. But right now, there's nothing more effective than Volder Ella's blood."I couldn't help but feel familiar with that scent, my body already recognizing it without Dostov confirming it. Nicholas will definitely be furious later. "Ugh, Dostov," I grumbled, closing my eyes in frustration."Don't worry, he won't be mad at you. Plus, by tonight, Alastair's scent on you will fade away... with Nicholas." He sighed and shifted his gaze to the bookshelf in the room.I glared at him and sighed. His intention was good, to free me from the torment of blood lust as soon as possible, but I was still annoyed because he didn't warn me earlier. "Are you better now? Do you want blood again?" I replied curtly."Not blood again, just another blood. Not Alastair's blood," he mumbled, still looking slightly guilty with his college kid face. The frustrat
Carleon's anger and terror were evident as he whispered in disbelief, "No, Dostov, you promised me!" He tried to stand up, but Nick pushed him back down with his foot, causing him to fall by Dostov's feet again. "Carleon, consider this as you redeeming yourself for your sins all this time," Dostov said calmly. "Isn't now the right time to make amends for everything?" He whispered softly, looking down at the side of his foot. "Vlad will retaliate against you!" Carleon shouted in anger. Dostov stared at him expressionlessly. "Haven't you realized yet? Vlad has abandoned you. He knows about your plan to form your own clan. Isn't that why you were looking for the newborn Valkyrie? To gather power and break free from Vlad?" "No..." Carleon shook his head. "Dostov... You've set me up." His voice sounded shocked and trembling. Nick, who had been observing Carleon, now looked up in surprise at Dostov. "Nicholas, you should take him away. Gregory and Lana must be waiting," Dostov continue
I didn't have time to see what happened next because Volder pulled me and slammed me onto the carpet, causing my back to hit the floor hard. I quickly rolled to the side to avoid his black hands and long nails that were about to slash me.I stood up and approached the baby doll with one hand while Volder, the man in front of me, hissed angrily. He lunged at me, aiming for the baby doll I was holding, but once again I managed to dodge him. I couldn't see where I was going because all my focus was on Volder in front of me, but the sounds around me were chaotic."Don't you dare touch me," I hissed angrily, showing my own fangs. Volder smirked mockingly and lunged towards me. I tried to dodge him again, but one of his hands managed to grab my long hair and yank it forcefully, pulling my body towards him. I tried to fight back with one hand, but he yanked my hair down again and slammed his knee into my head with great force.He threw me to the floor again and reached for the bundle I was h
Chapter 132 It felt like a wave of icy water washed over my body as I heard Carleon's last question. Carleon. Nick and I looked at Dostov simultaneously, who still appeared calm. Dostov was the one who spread those rumors? I thought with horror, but Alice had said that Dostov wasn't the one responsible. On the other hand, Nick just observed both of them, even though he usually easily succumbed to anger when it involved our children. "This is the second time I'm warning you, Carleon. I'm not in the mood for small talk. If you can't respect my request, you should leave my territory quickly." Then Dostov turned to us, though he quickly winked one eye at me. The tension in my shoulders eased. Dostov walked back to his seat and sat down. "Ah, forgive me once again. I just wanted to see the reactions of the new members of your clan who are present here. Consider it as me helping you test their loyalty to you," Carleon continued. So his previous question was a provocation for us... "If
I could hear the pounding of my own heart. We walked side by side. Alice separated herself from us, as she was planning to enter after Dostov finished speaking. I had heard stories about Carleon from Greg and Lana, who had met him directly. As Vlad's right-hand man, he was incredibly loyal and always carried out his duties perfectly. According to Nick's stories, Vlad never intervened directly or displayed his powers openly because everything was done by Carleon and his subordinates. I had to remind myself repeatedly that we were safe and under the protection of the Dostov clan. We entered the ballroom of the headquarters accompanied by around eight members of other clans. However, Carleon's entourage had not yet appeared; it seemed they were still in the elevator as this headquarters was located on the top three floors of this hotel building. Dostov sat in his chair casually, wearing a yellow hoodie that contrasted with the black robe we were wearing. We stood around his chair sile
The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived. As planned, we all gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at ten in the morning. Dostov would receive Carleon in the same ballroom as our honorary clan acceptance ceremony yesterday.If Carleon does indeed come today, then some clan members designated by Dostov will also be present as witnesses, although we are also sure that Carleon will not come here alone.While I am nervous, there is someone much more nervous than me at the moment. Lana's face has been pale since we met this morning, and Greg hasn't let go of her embrace. I'm sure Greg's feelings right now aren't doing well either, but he hides his worries very well behind a calm and normal expression on his face.We have to separate to discuss what we need to do later. Greg, Lana, and Luke are waiting in one of the rooms directly connected to the ballroom. Meanwhile, me, Nick, Dostov, and Alice are talking in another room that is more private.Other clan members are waiting in
Chapter 129Dostov informed us to evacuate Elliot and Rosie from Manhattan as soon as possible, so today we planned to leave for San Francisco.Sebastian and Ludmila Moran... I don't remember them very well because we only met once, that too when I was still human. The only thing I remember from that night is Greg's confession that he was the one who bit me six months ago.But as far as I remember, the husband and wife seemed friendly and accepting of me back then, and most importantly, Nick trusted them.We had to hire a private jet because... of course, because of Elliot. He couldn't stop saying "yum yum" to every human he met. Even Nick noticed Elliot's strange behavior at the Waldorf Astoria hotel last night. We were also afraid that Elliot would show his little fangs to everyone if we took a regular plane.Almost a year and a half has passed since I moved to Manhattan, but San Francisco still looks the same. Strangely, I don't miss this place at all, even though I lived in this c