Everyone screamed as they saw Hatice plunge into the lake. Her hands reached out into the air as she tried to keep her face above water. She shouted for help and said something about not being able to swim.Vero just watched as a guy jumped in to rescue her. Everyone’s attention shifted to Hatice and the guy. The guy carried her out of the lake, and Hatice gave him a tongue kiss as a thank you.She acted like that and she hoped Lev would pay attention to her?Vero took advantage of the situation to slip away. Limping, she walked away from Hatice and all the drama.Her leg hurt, it seemed sprained, and she looked a mess. She should have gone back to the dorm to change clothes, but she was already more than halfway there. And the distance to the dorm was now further than the distance to Lev’s house.Vero stopped for a moment to catch her breath and alleviate the pain in her leg. Her whole body was still trembling. She couldn’t believe what she had just done, but she felt a sense of sati
Lev took her down the hallway. Two servants followed them, and Vero hid her face, feeling embarrassed that everyone had to see her being carried by Lev.“Lev, put me down,” she whispered, occasionally glancing at the servants trailing behind Lev. Even though they walked with their heads bowed, Vero still felt uncomfortable.“We’re almost there,” Lev said nonchalantly.“I can still walk.”“Yeah, sure. Don’t complain to me if your legs are broken tomorrow.”“That’s too much—”“We’re here.”The two servants following Lev rushed forward to open the door. Lev carried Vero inside, and Vero was stunned by the sight in front of her.“This is your room?” Vero asked, tilting her head to see the black ceiling, partially slanted and made of glass. From there, Vero could see the enchanting, starry night sky.Almost everything in the room had a black hue. From the king-size bed, wallpaper, and slender pillars on the balcony, to the carpet spread beneath a matching set of sofas.“Yes,” Lev breathed.
Faintly, the sound of a piano and violin could be heard. The spotlight shifted to a bluish-gray shade, and the singer's hands moved rhythmically, captivating the guests with her bewitching voice.And by bewitching, it meant that her voice truly rendered them unconscious.Initially, the guests acted strangely when the first verse was sung. Those who had raised their hands and joined in singing suddenly fell silent and sat upright in their chairs. Afterward, one by one, they dropped their heads onto the table.“What happened?” Vero whispered to Lev, who had returned to sit beside her.“Vero, I want you to listen to me and do exactly as I said.”The music grew louder, and the singer’s voice became more powerful. She continued singing cheerfully as if nothing was happening before her.Or perhaps the spotlight had blinded her eyes, preventing her from seeing what was happening to the guests?Vero gripped Lev’s hand. Her palm was as cold as ice, and her stomach felt twisted by an invisible
Lev clenched his fist. His jaw tightened. “Just one sip,” he said.Henry smiled from ear to ear. “Why is it, brother? Are you afraid that she’s running out of blood? Can’t you control yourself?”Henry walked to the edge of the stage, turning his back to all the party guests. He turned his back on the vampires, who were enjoying their feast, and the singer, who continued to serenade with her melodious voice. “I know you’re better than them at self-control. Because you are a Deammone. We are the Deammones, Lev. We’re not lowlife vampires like them.”In one wide step, Henry narrowed the distance between himself and Lev. In his movement, he grabbed Verona’s hair, pulling her to sit while tilting her head, exposing her neck to Lev. “Drink her blood.”Seeing Henry treat Verona roughly, Lev bared his fangs. “Get your hand out of her.”The threat didn’t scare Henry, but that didn’t mean Lev couldn’t harm him if he wanted to.“As you wish,” Henry muttered as he released his grip on Verona’s ha
His confession shocked Vero.“You knew, and you didn’t stop him?” Her voice caught. She couldn’t believe it.Lev shook his head slowly, then sighed. “I don’t know the details of Henry’s plan, but I know he was planning something.”“But still—” Her hand, which was initially on Lev’s shoulder, slid down to his arm, and she pulled away, turning her face from him. “Why did you do that?”The horrific image of the blood-filled party was still vivid in her mind. Like a broken tape that kept replaying behind her closed eyes, and no matter how hard Vero tried, she couldn’t shake it off. The more she closed her eyes, the more real it became.“There’s no other way,” Lev said. “I couldn’t let you be in danger.”“And you put them all in danger just to save me?” Vero smiled bitterly. In the past, she would have been happy about this. Sacrifices made for her. She used to think it was something admirable. Something that made her special. Like in movies and novels.But now she couldn’t feel the joy of
Today Duradel is busier than usual. Groups of parents and families have come to pick up their children, taking them away temporarily from this beautiful small town.If only they knew the horrors that shroud Duradel and the real threats lurking over their children, Vero was sure none of those parents would bring their child back here.For those whose families didn’t come to pick them up, the university provided buses that would take them to the nearest city. From there, the students could take public transportation to their respective cities.Vero is one of the few students waiting in line to board the bus.Her heart is pounding hard because of many things.This is the first time she left Duradel after being trapped in this place for several months. She’s not sure of her destination. Although she has often gone to The Queen’s Secret Palace, this time she doesn’t know what awaits her there. One thing was clear: she didn’t come to that place to enjoy its music and booze.The line moves s
The guard led Vero through a door next to the entrance. They entered a dimly lit hallway. The walls muffled the sound of music and the noise from the club. Hidden red neon lights in the ceiling gaps enhanced the mysterious atmosphere.A staircase led downward into seemingly endless darkness. Vero swallowed nervously. Beads of sweat, signs of anxiety, moistened her forehead and back.Her hand groped in the darkness, searching for the staircase railing to prevent herself from falling. From the railing, she realized that the staircase was curved, taking her deeper underground. With each step she took, doubt grew in her heart.Her conscience whispered, urging her to escape right then and there. She felt uneasy, questioning whether her decision to come here was the right one.When Vero looked back and contemplated turning around, the guard who had escorted her abruptly stopped, causing Vero to bump into his back.“Ouch!” she exclaimed, rubbing the side of her face that felt sore.“Verona W
Two red-haired people stood with joyful faces. They locked eyes with Vero, who hoped for something to happen right then and there. Perhaps a spark of longing or the overwhelming feeling of meeting a long-lost family member.But... nothing.She only smiled, just like them, without any emotions in her heart.The woman, with curly hair, ran towards her and hugged her tightly. “Oh! My baby, Vivian!”Vero frowned upon hearing the woman call her by another name. Then the man followed suit and, before embracing her, chuckled softly and said, “Your mother gave you the name Vivian before leaving you at the orphanage. But, of course, the nuns who took care of you didn’t know your real name.”Both of them hugged Vero so tightly that it felt suffocating. Not to mention her father’s statement that they intentionally left her at the orphanage, as if it were a joyful event.This was not the heartwarming reunion she had imagined.As her parents released their embrace, a tear welled up in the corner o
He was proposing.“Lev...” She was at a loss for words.The water enveloped them like a cold blanket, but all Vero could feel was the warmth in her chest. Her heart swelled with happiness as she gazed into his eyes, half-thinking that it was just another one of his prank routines.But no. The laughter that had formed on his lips earlier now shifted to seriousness. His gaze locked onto hers.“So... yes or yes?” he said softly.Her mouth cracked open. She was about to laugh, but when she saw the beautiful lips of his, she leaned closer and crushed her lips against his.Dim stars emerged as the sun slowly set. Vero’s body trembled from the cold air and the water that pierced her skin. But she didn’t want this kiss to end. She was reluctant to let go of his embrace.“You’re cold,” Lev whispered against her lips. “Let’s go up.”Vero protested as Lev ended their kiss and led her to the edge of the lake. He lifted her onto land first before climbing up.“That was a su—such an unusual proposa
Her heart spread doubt throughout her body as Lev’s fangs slowly pierced and tore through her skin. Vero wrapped her hands around his waist, her fingers digging into his back, suppressing the pain and fear.Not fear for herself, but for him.In the next moment, she could smell and feel the blood saturating her shoulder and neck. Her eyes tightly shut, forgetting even to breathe as her mind was consumed by something else.What if the drug failed? What if her blood became more toxic and killed Lev right now? What if—“Verona.”Her eyes snapped open. Lev was staring at her, no longer sucking her blood. Red stained his lips and chin, and her mouth cracked open, but no sound came out. Only a tremor remained.Slowly, Vero withdrew her hand from his back, moving it to his cheek as her worried eyes explored his face.“How?” she asked.“I—” Lev licked his lips. “I’m not sure. Can I taste it again? Just to make sure.”“Okay.”Vero wanted to embrace him, but he grabbed her hand and held onto it.
The last thing she remembered was how sadness had drained the color from Lev’s face, leaving him as pale as a winter morning in Duradel.Consciousness slowly faded away from her, and Vero knew this was the end of her life. Celsi had unintentionally, with sincere intention, plunged her into death.Or so she thought.“Verona.”She heard Lev’s voice in the distance, calling her name with hope, even a hint of force, and faintly, she felt something caressing her face.“Verona, you know I can’t go on a day without you. How dare you close your eyes and not react to my calling?”Sometimes she forgets how arrogant Lev is.Verona opened her eyes as she formed a weak smile on her lips. “What a crafty vampire you are,” she muttered under her breath.She looked into his widened eyes, catching a sliver of shock and relief in his irises. He was about to bend down and sweep her into a hug when someone shouted from the other side of the room.“Lev, what did I tell you before? No touching until I exami
Lev said he will be coming to her room tonight. So, when someone knocked on her door, Vero immediately open it with a grin split on her mouth.“Hi, Le—“ She stepped back, surprised to see Celsi standing behind the door instead of Lev.It was not that she was scared of her or anything. It was just because her appearance that made her looked like a little creepy ghost.“Celsi?” Vero crouched down so she could have a better vision of Celsi’s face. “What are you doing here? You wanna play, sweetie?”Celsi returned her smile. “Can I come inside? I want to play tea party with you.” Then she stepped aside so Vero could see the little trolley that she brought with a bunch of dolls inside.Vero stood and opened the door wide to let Celsi in. “Sure!”Celsi paused in the doorway and examined Vero’s room. “How can you live in this cramped space? It’s even smaller than my closet.”Vero’s temple twitched at hearing those words, but she could only laugh. “Not everyone has the privilege of having a p
If you knew you had forever, what would you do?For some people, they would go to various places, accumulate wealth, have fun...But there’s only one thing Vero wants if she has forever: to spend as much time as possible with Lev.“Are you sure?”Daire observed the small tube containing a black liquid that Vero handed to him. He held it up to the light and gently shook its contents. The liquid resembled black mercury, with fine particles emitting light.Vero sat in front of him, with Lev standing behind her. His hand stretched across the back of the sofa, as if protecting her from something. Although Vero couldn’t see his face now, she could sense the unease radiating from him.Although Lev didn’t immediately agree with Vero’s idea about the potion and her desire to become a vampire, he eventually relented.And here they were now, in one of the Deammone pavilions that served as a temporary residence for the Thancred family.Daire held the bottle and carefully placed it in his jacket p
Lev felt guilty for venting his frustration about The Elders to Verona. They had just met after being apart for two weeks, and he cursed himself for wasting their first meeting in so long.He acted that way for a reason. Something he couldn’t tell her because it wasn’t his nature to express his feelings to anyone.Perhaps he should start practicing that now, so their relationship could go smoothly. Besides, he had planned something for his long-term future, and Verona was a part of it.After placing a bouquet in the middle of the forest, where Henry’s body was found, Lev headed towards Dormitory B. There were no residents here for the time being, so he could come and go freely at night to visit Verona.Upon reaching her room’s door, Lev knocked and waited. No response. He knocked again. Silence followed.Lev reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He dialed Verona’s number, and the call connected on the third ring.“Where are you?” he asked, his tone slightly annoyed and impat
“What did you say?”Vero, who was previously on the phone lying down, immediately sat up in bed. Her heart pounded as she heard her father’s words. “Say it again. Does the bottle contain a liquid that can neutralize my blood?”“Yes, darling.”“But where did Elijah get it from?”Her father cleared his throat. “He stole it from Etana’s storage room after hearing about her plan to sacrifice you to the vampires. Etana had conducted some experiments to create a drug that would make human blood toxic to vampires. However, she ended up finding a substance that could neutralize the toxins in her blood.”Vero was stunned. “Why did Elijah give it to me?”“He thought that if you drank it, your blood would return to normal, and the vampires wouldn’t recognize you as a vampire hunter.” She could hear the buzz of a hairdryer in the background. It seemed like her mother had finished showering. “But looks like you don’t need it anymore. Because—well—your lover, and others... already know about you.”
Since the Thancred Residence is still under construction after it was destroyed, the meeting of The Elders was moved to Castellar’s place. And there was nothing about Castellar that Vero likes, from the house, the servants, and Castellar himself.Raphael informed Vero about some important things regarding The Elders because he thought that Vero would have a lot to do with them in the future. Well, that couldn’t be denied. Especially after all the vampires in Duradel found out that she was Lev’s lover.Vero and Lev walked side by side, following Daire Thancred as they entered Cristoval Castellar’s residence. He was the only Elder who didn’t have a family. No wife and children, and it seemed that he greatly enjoyed his solitude.Although his house wasn’t as big as Deammone’s or Thancred’s, everything here looked more expensive and luxurious. From the furniture to the decorations on the walls. There was no doubt that Cristoval was a cunning vampire who enjoyed collecting luxurious items.
The rain was pouring nonstop in the past week.Every drop of water is evidence that nature was working hard to help Duradel recover from the devastating fire three months ago.Many houses were burned to ashes, and several residents lost their lives. The once lush and green forests surrounding the city now turned into a bleak expanse of black charcoal that was distressing to behold.It was there that Lev and Raphael discovered the bodies of Henry and Etana after the fire had consumed them both for several hours.Once again, Lev had to lose a family member to the fire. And because of Etana.Raphael had told everything, the story of Henry and Etana, to Lev and Verona. Besides Raphael, no one else knew the true story between the two of them, and he swore to keep that secret until his dying day.All of that answered the big question in Vero’s mind about why Henry decided to take Etana with him to his death. Perhaps it was because Henry knew that Etana would never stop due to the pain she h