Alexander Pov“I hope you had a nice time with your sister,” I asked, staring at Laura, who sat in one of the guest rooms.Just as I had instructed Madonna not to take her back to the cages, she needed to be fed well and cleaned well, so that in the coming days she would still look presentable to the buyer. “Yes, I did,” she responded as a tear escaped her eyes. “So why then do you still cry ?,” I asked as I moved closer to her. “I do not want to be sold anymore, I just want to be with my sister,” Laura said as she knelt down beside me. “What's all of this, you do not dictate if you are being sold or not. " I decided that, and nothing or no one counters my word. " There's nothing you can do about it, Laura, you can't change a thing, like I said, but you are here to fetch me some handsome money”, I responded as I stared at her.“I beg you, she is scared, she doesn't want me to leave,” she said as she pleaded for mercy.“I think I made the mistake of making you see her the other nig
Lucian's PovTravis and I had sat down in the sitting room as we talked about the fact that Bruno's brother had started searching for him.He only knew that his brother imported goods from other countries, but they didn't know who exactly he worked for. He had noticed that his brother hadn't been picking up his calls for days, and he decided to search for him.Travis explained that his brother had sat at the building where Bruno used to work to look for him and search around to see if anyone knew the whereabouts of Bruno.He wasn't aware of everything that had happened that night, but he knew that something bad had happened to Bruno.I couldn't hide my sounds as I stared at Travis. I didn't know if it was right to just go ahead and inform him that Bruno was dead, but I didn't know if that was the best thing to do. I didn't know how his brother was going to receive the news, but it wouldn't be nice to watch him all day coming to the building to search for Bruno, even though we knew tha
Naomi's Pov Lucian had gotten a call from Bruno's brother the next day, and he had accepted that they would give Bruno a befitting funeral, which Lucian had started making arrangements for. He had told his brother to inform their families and friends, including the people that Bruno had worked for. Lucian made sure that he had chosen one of the best cemeteries in the country, and had made sure he was able to buy a building solely dedicated to Bruno for being a hero and saving his life. As Lucian did this, it seemed like he felt a form of unease wash away, and he was able to breathe again. Before this time, he had always felt a pang of guilt and anything he slept. He had always seen Bruno in the dark pleading to him for help, but there was absolutely nothing that Lucian couldn't save him any longer. At times, Lucian told me that there were cases where he had forgotten that Bruno was dead. To fulfill his promise, Lucian made sure that he did everything possible to give Bruno a b
Naomi PovLucian and I walked over to where Bruno's brother and sister were as we greeted them really well. Lucian had assured his brother that he was going to do well to make sure that Bruno's younger sister never lacked anything. We spoke to them for a while before heading back to the building where some prayers were being said for Bruno.As we stepped out of the cemetery, Lucian and I walked in silence, the weight of the funeral still lingering. The sky, once gray, now gradually brightened, symbolizing hope amidst sorrow.We approached the community center, where a gathering had been organized to comfort those grieving. The room buzzed with murmured conversations, the air thick with empathy. I felt overwhelmed, yet drawn to the warmth of shared support.Lucian and I found seats near the back, observing the crowd. Faces I'd never seen before mingled with familiar ones, all united in their grief. I closed my eyes, seeking solace in prayer."Dear God," I began, my voice barely above
Lucian's PovI lost control of myself again as I started to feed on Naomi's blood. It really tasted so sweet. It had been a while since I had tasted Naomi's blood. Even if I tried to control myself, I still found myself drinking from her. Was this even going to stop? The vampire rabid was really causing me more harm, but I thought I had healed up already.I didn't know what jerked me back. All of a sudden, I lobbied back as I let my fangs in. I stared at Naomi's eyes as she pleaded for help. Immediately this happened, I got back to my senses as I began to stare at Naomi.“I am sorry Naomi, I'm really sorry Naomi. You should forgive me. " This will never repeat itself” I said as I buried my face in embarrassment.Naomi didn't say any word for the moment as I began to see some tears escape her eyes.“You still haven't healed from this,” she said as she pointed at me. I myself wasn't sure about this. I had thought this had gone away with the poison I had struggled to fight with a few d
Naomi PovI could not take my mind away from the whole thing that had happened between Lucian and I, it was going to be another problem between both of us which made it impossible for love to rule.I was scared that this might hurt if it continued that way, and it might be a reason for separating us.I sat on a chair close to the mirror as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I then touched the exact place where Lucian had bitten me on my neck.It still hurts me so badly, just like his fangs were still there. This time I got annoyed. I don't know why Lucian had really proved stubborn this time.Asking Deluna about the whole situation might just help us instead of going through pain and shame. I stood up quickly and walked to the wardrobe to change into something better.I needed to see Deluna, and it really must be quick. I was ready to take any step to uncover the solution to this problem.I took a bag close to me and headed downstairs, without talking to Emma or Lucian's boys.
Alexander's PovMadonna had made some arrangements with the guy she had told me about in the neighborhood. I had given him a specific location to meet up for some conversation. I drove my car to one of the local restaurants to meet up with him. We had some conversation and afterward, I gave him a picture of Naomi telling him that I needed her urgently, If there was anything, I gave him two days to get her. We had spent almost four days since the buyer had agreed to the deal. I had also promised to give him a good amount of money if he was able to get her for me in the next two days.As soon as I left the restaurant, I headed back to the car, and that was when I noticed that I had a series of calls that I missed.When I stared at the screen, it was Aaron the buyer that had called severely. Well, he obviously didn't know that I knew about him now since I ran a background check on him.I didn't want to be quick to return the call, so I got into the car as I waited patiently for him t
Lucian's PovI got back into the car and drove back to the house. My mind was flooded with a lot of thoughts. This was a part of me that I couldn't understand, and I couldn't say why all of this had turned out the way.Was it that Bruno had just died for nothing? What was the essence of the ritual if it was going to end that way? What was the issue with going to see Deluna?Lilith had just told me that she could heal me, but had advised me to see a witch called Deluna, “Why was everyone pointing at Deluna like a savior?” I thought. Now at this point, it dawned on me that I needed to see her, probably she might have a cure for all of this that I was going through.But I couldn't understand if she was as powerful as everyone claimed she was. I just didn't know why. I didn't want to meet up with her. I didn't feel safe going to her. I don't know why, but when I think about her, I sense danger.It would have been preferable if Lilith had been able to treat me of this my dark side, becau
Lucian's PovYears had elapsed since Deluna’s fall, and despite the wounds of war, the world had begun healing. What once had been a country full of tyranny and fright lived with hope in its heart. Vampires, living under Deluna’s tyranny, were free at long, long last. And I, with Naomi, had sworn ourselves to seeing freedom stretch to each and every soul yet living in shackles. We fought together, forging alliances, destroying whatever of Deluna’s corrupt empire lay in its path, and providing refuge and protection to souls that lived for too long in misery and agony. And yet, even with all that we accomplished, the greatest transformation hadn’t been in the world at all—it had been in me. Naomi tamed my rougher corners, taught me in virtue of love, in hope, and most of all, in the fact that redemption existed. And I, seeing her sit out on our balcony, in sunlight and in gold, bathing in sunlight, I saw that my greatest purpose no longer lay in commanding a people, but in protectin
Naomi’s PovThe battlefield hung in a dead, matted quiet. Once, with a reek of death and sorcery, but now with a mere whisper of wind, it breathed. The sky, which was shrouded in Deluna’s shadow, seemed lighter.I turned and looked around us, and saw the faces of my companions who fought with us. Some I recognized, scarred in battle, with looks of both loss and relief etched onto them. Others… Others were not with me.Travis.Alexander.Bane.They'd gone, some dead, and gone, whose fate I could not say. But one reality I could not deny is that those who fought with Deluna, who fought to maintain Deluna’s tyranny, died with her.Some of them, perhaps, still lay in shadows, but if ever again… They'd have to answer to us.I breathed out, a slow, deep one.Lucian, noting my hesitation, stroked my hair behind my ear, out of my face. His fingers were rough but kind, a reminder of battles won, of wars won, and of love won in choosing him."We did it," he whispered, eyes bloodshot and intent
Lucian's PovThe seconds ticked in slow motion as I saw Naomi’s delicate form move towards me. The whole scenario seemed dreamlike, a nightmare I couldn’t awaken from. And then, in a matter of a split second, her form collapsed onto the ground. Everything else melted, my eyes refocusing onto Naomi's dying form at my feet. My heart thudded savagely in my chest, a thudding beat drowning out everything else. "No… Naomi…" I faltered, dropping onto my knees at her side, my shaking hands extending out towards her. “No, no, no. This can't happen.” I touched her face, and her face was dispiritedly cool to my fingertips. Something deep and suffocating took over, its talons closing in my heart. Her eyes shut, her mouth a little apart, but no sign of life moved in them. My voice died in my mouth, taken over with horror. "How far are you willing to go, Deluna?"A faint echo of laughter sounded over my head, Deluna’s mocking laughter, sharp and cutting and rough-edged, like broken glass. How
Naomi’s PovThe battlefield lay covered in shadow, thick with smoke, burning wood, blood, and residues of lingering magic. Under my feet, the earth shuddered minutely, unsure whether this war had actually reached its conclusion. Deluna was a distance of a few feet, her black cloak fluttering a little in the evening breeze, her eyes squinted in observation of me. She yet seemed powerful, untouched by events transpired about her. But I could detect it now, the tiniest tremble of doubt in her eyes. She was starting to understand. Understand that she wasn't as unscathed as she long convinced herself to believe. I breathed in, slow and deliberate, then moved to speak. "What request?" Deluna questioned me, with a taint of distrust in her voice. I jerked my head, raising my chin a notch. "What way would you like to breathe your last?" Her mouth twisted in a cold sneer, but I could detect tension in her shoulder. "You can't do that," she taunted me. I took a pace in her direction. "I
Lucian’s PovI'd long been convinced wickedness took a face and one I'd seen in both monsters and in men, too. But tonight, with dusk consumed and sunset gone, I saw an atrocity that challenged my definitions of wickedness and forced me to redefine them. I'd seen evil I could hardly have dreamed in my most fevered imagination.The sky wasn't at its radiant best, but one contrast alone remained: one silver glow of the moon painted everything with an eerie, dark radiance, and I could almost feel its vigor. I kept moving onward, a burning fury in my heart burning brighter with each pace I took. "Your face, moon," I whispered in a snarl of anger, "tonight, your face bore witness to my friend’s murder." Travis’s dying memories looped in my head forever: laughter, soft comforts, and a shocked cry of betrayal that took him from me. I hadn't seen him coming.Travis, a man who firmly insisted wicked souls bore a glimmer of virtue, lay dead, robbed of life at our hands through a wickedness I co
Deluna’s PovDid I just kill Travis? The question echoed in my mind as I stood in the middle of the battle, blood on the floor. The taste of blood and regret was in my mouth, and I could barely breathe. The silence after the fight was louder than all the noise before.I staggered back, my limbs trembling as I tried to steady myself against a shattered column. Every heartbeat throbbed in my ears, a cruel metronome marking the passing of a moment I could never undo. The pain consumed me deeply; it was as though the very essence of my soul was being torn apart. I felt as if I might die from the weight of my own remorse.For a long while, I recalled our fight. Travis, even in his final moments, had pressed me with questions that now haunted my every thought. His eyes, full of anguish and bitter disappointment, burned into me as though searing my skin. I could still hear his voice in the clamor of my memories: "Why did you do all this, Deluna?" he had demanded, his tone a mixture of sorr
Naomi's PovMy pleas were swallowed by the chaos around us. Amidst the din of battle and the cries of wounded men, I could only hear my own heart breaking. I remembered Travis’s promise from earlier, a promise made with a laugh and a spark of defiant joy. I remembered how he had vowed to come back victorious. And now, that promise lay shattered like glass on cold stone.Lucian looked into my eyes, and for a moment, the anger in his gaze shifted to sadness. "Naomi," he said softly, "we can't bring him back, but we can make sure his sacrifice wasn't wasted." His words felt like both a blessing and a burden. A reminder that this war's cost was counted in blood and lost love.The thought of Deluna, the traitorous witch who caused Travis’s death made me burn with a need for revenge. "Where is she, Lucian?" I demanded, voice trembling with a mix of anger and despair. "I must face her. I must know why she did this. I want her to answer for Travis’s death!"Lucian’s eyes darkened further, and
Naomi’s Pov"Wake me up, someone, please wake me up!"My voice echoed through the pain, like I was calling out to a bad dream. I blinked at the bright light, tasting blood and sweat in my mouth. Everything around me was a blur of red and shadow. I could barely remember the morning, only broken memories of the night before the screams, the clash of steel, and the grief still twisting in my chest."Travis...?" I whispered, my voice breaking. My mind spun with disbelief. Travis Scott, my dearest friend, the one who had always been there to watch my back, to make me laugh even in our darkest moments, was gone. Gone, as if snatched away by some cruel fate. And all because of this cursed war and the betrayal that has splintered our lives. I pressed trembling fingers to my lips, tasting the bitter tang of my own tears. "How… how can this be?" My heart pounded painfully against my rib cage, each beat a reminder of the promise he had made earlier that day. I remembered the way his eyes had sp
Lucian’s PovDeluna’s voice echoed through the hall like a death knell. With her dark eyes burning, and her words laced with venom, she had suddenly declared war in the grand dining hall. “Kill them all, bring Naomi to me!” she roared, her command reverberating off the bloodstained walls. My heart thundered as I took in the chaos. The hall transformed into a nightmarish tableau: broken bodies strewn across the flagstones, heads severed, and crimson pools of blood pooling around fallen soldiers.“Has she forgotten who she’s dealing with?” I spat internally, anger coiling inside. I was not merely a man. I was a rabid vampire warrior fueled by vengeance and duty. I could not let Deluna’s treachery stand.I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the din. “Deluna, face me!” I demanded, halting her advance with my challenge. For a brief, electrifying moment, her eyes widened in astonishment, as if she had not expected me to stand so defiant. It was then that I realized how much our fates