The hallways seemed so much longer as they made their way to the library. Sidia wanted to sprint, but she had to maintain some sense of decorum. It wasn't just for hiding what was about to happen, however. She also didn't want to seem too eager and potentially change Marcus' mind about the whole affair. Everything still felt so fragile, as if one wrong breath could shatter the moment and remind them of the reality of their situation.Finally, the doors for the library came into view and they slipped inside. No one else was there, and Sidia was relieved. "If you'll follow me, I know of some tomes near the back of the library that may interest you." Marcus was guarded, and she followed his instructions.They moved back through the shelves, farther back into the cavernous library than Sidia had had a chance to explore yet. Despite the circumstances, she couldn't help but stare in awe at the sheer volume of knowledge and information stored here. They went deeper, farther away from the
He was so cold, but why did she feel so wonderfully warm? Marcus melded his lips with hers, and Sidia moaned. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his long, dark, and unbelievably soft waves of hair. His tongue explored her mouth, and he tasted like cool peppermint. Sidia squirmed in his vice grip, her desire overwhelming. Suddenly, she was pressed against a bookshelf, but the wood digging in her back didn't matter. All that mattered was Marcus running his hands over her body, squeezing her hips as he pushed into her. Marcus didn't need to breathe, but she was almost dizzy. She didn't want to stop kissing him, didn't want to stop tasting him. It was better than anything she could have imagined, and she didn't know how she was going to stop.Marcus seemed just as out of control. He stopped kissing her mouth and moved to her neck, his teeth scraping across her flesh. Sidia moaned again, panting and gasping as his tongue slid across her throat. He grinded again
Marcus led her to the sunken pit of cushions and blankets in the middle of the room. He adjusted a few pillows and gently summoned Sidia to lay down on her back. Once she was comfortable, he hovered above her, his eyes roving and inspecting every inch of her. He was drinking her in, memorizing her features."I couldn't watch you every moment of your life, but I always assumed you had some dalliance or another." Marcus caressed her cheek as he spoke to her. "It's hard to believe no one ever made any advances with you.""I wouldn't know if they had," Sidia replied wistfully. "I just never paid attention to that sort of thing.""Yes, you spent your nights romanticizing the poets of old. You fell asleep reading Shakespeare and Milton. They were the men who held your heart." Marcus gently lifted the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. He hooked one arm around her waist and delicately removed her clothing, exposing her breasts and bare torso. Sidia sighed as he showered her with kisses, mo
As soon as Sidia heard those words, she understood. She tried to help as best as possible, cleaning up and pulling her clothes back on. "Where is he now?" she asked, voice strained with panic."Still at the front, but he's calling your name." Marcus brushed her hair down and straightened her clothes. "That should be fine. He can't know about this.""If you feel that way, then how are you able to work around your oath?" Sidia asked bluntly."Betrayal isn't the same as anger. He would be angry with me, but he wouldn't feel betrayed by me. That's the difference," Marcus answered quickly. "Walk through the wall and pick up the book you left on the shelf. Don't respond or in any way acknowledge him until you hear his voice very close to you. Pretend that you were so absorbed in your reading that you didn't know he was searching for you. He's still by the door. Hurry!"Sidia rushed through the wall, cool air washing over her skin as she reached for the book on different sword fighting
Severus waited patiently while Sidia quickly bathed and changed clothes. She didn't have another linen shirt and leggings, so she settled for a casual dress and tied her hair back. Even though she was not trying to look nice, simply clean and serious, Severus showered her with compliments. They didn't seem insincere, but at this point, Sidia wasn't entirely confident that she could determine how genuine Severus could be. At every opportunity she had to find out more about him and figure a way out of this mess, he had managed to distract her, or something else had disrupted her progress. Disgruntled and eager to learn as much as possible, Sidia walked with purpose, striving for her pace to encourage Severus to walk faster. He didn't seem to take the hint, however. He strolled along, chattering away about the previous battles he won on his long conquest through Europe. He had wanted to expand the Roman Empire to all corners of the land, and now that he knew how much the world had grown
The silence was deafening. The generals stared at Sidia with open amazement and concern. Sidia could hear her own heart pounding away as she waited for Severus to respond. The flash of anger was just that, a momentary flash, but it was the most terrifying look she had ever seen in his eyes. He smoothed it over with one of his dazzling smiles, and Sidia realized just how well he could mask his emotions. The transition from rage and malice to amused and pleased was startling. It made Sidia realize that if he could so easily cover his true feelings and reactions, he was a dangerously good liar. "Yet another example of why you are the one destined to rule with me. You do not fear me, and you question me. Faith is necessary, but blind faith is detrimental. Thank you for that reminder." Severus bowed slightly as he paused. Before he continued, he stepped closer to the map, his face hidden by the thick waves of blonde hair falling over his shoulders."Truthfully, the most important compone
Sidia froze where she stood, desperately trying to hide the anguish blossoming in her chest. She didn't want to seem affected by this information. It wouldn't make sense for her to be so upset about this, and she couldn't raise any suspicion. Instead, she decided to redirect the conversation and give them a believable reason for her altered mood."If he did such a thing, then why have you left me alone with him? It was just the two of us earlier for training," Sidia asked, trying to discreetly wipe away the tears brimming in her eyes."Sidia, I'm so sorry." In the blink of an eye, Severus was right in front of her, his arms gently caressing her shoulders. "I would never willingly put you in danger. As I just said, Marcus has learned his lesson, and I have ensured that he will never betray me again.""How do you know that for certain?" Sidia pouted her lips a little as she asked this, hoping that it would make her look innocent. Of course, she saw this as an opportunity to make Sever
"Just to reiterate what His Grace said, there is no way Lord Marcus would commit such a crime now!" Gaius hastily added as he saw Sidia's reaction. "He has grown so much, and he would never betray his brother again.""It's all right!" Sidia fought hard to hide her emotions again, shoving down the anger and disappointment. "I'm just surprised Severus could ever trust him again after such an incident.""As His Grace said, there is no way Lord Marcus could ever disobey him. Lord Marcus repented, and he has come quite a long way. Please remember this all happened centuries ago. He is not the same man." The words tumbled out of Gaius's mouth. He seemed desperate to reassure Sidia about Marcus's character. "I understand. It just helps me learn more about what happened. If anything, it speaks to how gracious and forgiving Severus can be." Sidia smiled at them, trying her best to appear unbothered. "Yes, His Grace never wants to give up on his family or his coven," Gaius smiled. "I hope
CESARE'S POV, 150 YEARS LATERThe ocean waves crashed against Cesare, flooding his mouth with tangy salt water. He didn't mind the taste so much. He loved swimming through the vast depths far from the coast. He had spent most of the day underwater. The ocean water filling his lungs was a strange sensation that he would never quite get used to, but the wonder of exploring the seas made up for it. So many whales, sharks, jellyfish, and strange creatures dazzled him. There was never a dull day in the ocean.He let the tide wash him ashore, the sun almost completely set behind the peak of the mountains. Cesare coughed hard, expelling the last of the ocean from his lungs before stretching and looking around the coast. It was exceedingly difficult to find quiet and empty places along the shore. So many people had left the cities of Italy for the peace and beauty of the coastal towns. Monterosso had done fairly well over the decades. Without the protection of the vampire coven, there had
The next few days sped past Sidia. There was so much to do. After destroying the throne, the coven gathered the remains of Julia and Severus and held a ceremony for them. Marcus grieved his mother, and even though he was overwhelmed with love and happiness for his freedom, he had lost something so precious. Sidia spent many moments holding him while he sobbed, so utterly saddened by his loss. He would be okay, and he would pull through. Sidia knew he just needed time.As the coven found its new rhythm and settled into a new way of life, Sidia was finally able to speak with Helena openly and freely. Helena explained that Severus obtained her Oath because she didn't want him to hurt the true love of her life, Francesco. She pledged her loyalty and became a vampire to save their village and make sure Francesco had a good life. Now that she was free of her oath, Helena wanted to find out if Francesco was still alive and if he had lived the life she wanted for him. Sidia also met with th
The cracking sound was the wooden stake piercing Severus' skin. Sidia watched in a mix of relief and horror as fissures formed in his skin, little lines breaking apart. Severus let out one final scream as he literally fell apart, disintegrating.The room fell silent once more, everyone staring at the two piles of dust on the throne room floor. Helena dropped the stake and sank to her knees, sobbing."After all these years," she cried. "I'm finally free of him.""We're all free," Catarina left Julia's corpse to sit beside Helena, wrapping her arms around her. The two women held each other and softly wept.Sidia looked up at Marcus, trying her best to wipe the tears from his face, but the blood only streaked. "I'm so sorry I kissed him. I was just trying to get out of the chains. I wanted to do something, anything to stop him," Sidia heard the breaking of her voice, felt her own tears. All the stress and adrenaline left her body, and she was weak and exhausted."Hush, my love," Ma
SIDIA'S POVSeveral things happened at once. Marcus screamed at Severus, causing Severus to lose his rage for a moment and stare in disbelief at his brother."How?" Severus screeched.The entire throne room erupted in cries, the shock wearing off as they realized Marcus was free and they fully processed Julia's death. Catarina pushed through to the front, stopping just in front of the square of sunlight, crying out in grief as she stared at the dust that was once Julia.Sidia wanted to run to Marcus, throw herself in between the brothers even though it would mean death. She didn't want any harm to come to Marcus. They glared at each other, the column of sunlight between them. Sidia could see where this was going, and she didn't want Marcus to end up the same as his mother.However, the entire throne room was shaking with anger and grief. To Sidia's surprise, they didn't rush to Severus or try to take down Marcus. Instead, all of them were shaking, their eyes widening and bodies re
Sidia didn't feel much surprise at the revelation before her, Julia's secret wish to thwart her son's efforts to rule the world. Mothers were generally protective of their sons, suspicious of the women they married, but her murderous intentions had been rather exaggerated. If she just didn't like Sidia, she surely wouldn't have tried multiple times to kill her. "How dare you?" Severus growled. "All the centuries I trusted your judgement. You could have been helping me! But you've been stopping me this entire time?"Sidia finally looked at Marcus again, knowing he would be too preoccupied with what was happening to show any reaction to Sidia's behavior.She was right. Marcus' eyes were incredibly wide. Based on the twitching of his muscles, the way his neck tremored, he was trying to fight against the magical bonds of his oath. Severus had ordered him not to move though. He didn't have a loophole for that. He was stuck, and he was trying to save his mother.What can I do? Sidia tho
Severus grinned, but he did look surprised. "Excellent! A kiss first, then I'll move those troublesome chains for a taste of your blood.""Out of curiosity, why not just the bite?" Sidia risked the question. "Do you not want to kiss me?" Severus countered, eyes narrowing once more."I didn't say that, Severus. I'm just surprised that you want to kiss me right now. I want to know your reasoning." Perhaps this questioning would align with the pattern she had already established. She couldn't be too eager and obedient, but she couldn't push too far either. It was such a delicate balance to maintain."That questioning mind of yours," Severus chuckled. "Preliminary test is my reasoning. So few can hide the truth when their lips are locked onto another's. Whatever the lips hide, the blood will further reveal. I'm measuring your honesty and testing your loyalty. Your kiss will show your dedication, and your blood will show me that you're willing to let me know your location, that you're
SIDIA'S POV"After that, I read through what the crazy old man had left behind. His original journal has since crumbled, but I have various copies, all different versions. I didn't want so much powerful information in one place." Severus had relaxed as he told his story, rocking back on his heels."The journal I read, that was Tephyr?" Sidia asked, putting all the pieces together."I assume the journal contained information about Blood Magic and cautionary tales?" Severus raised his eyebrow."Yes, it did," Sidia answered truthfully."You probably found one of my older copies then, a true copy. I added my own edits over the years to spread misinformation. Vampires are notorious for more than their blood thirst. Their thirst for knowledge comes second, and that knowledge is too powerful for others to discover." Severus surprised Sidia by lowering himself completely to the floor. He sat with his legs crossed in front of her, as if they were just having a regular conversation as frien
SEVERUS' POV TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGOWater. He needed water. His tongue grazed the roof of his mouth, dusty and dry. How long had he been in the tent? Was he still in the tent?"Don't move, Your Grace. You've been wounded." Was that Gaius?"No, don't try to speak, Your Grace. The healer will be here soon."No healer would be able to help him. Severus was certain of that. Death had already slipped its icy fingers around his bones, settled deep in his chest. He knew the end was coming. He could no longer remember what injured him, barely remember he was leagues away from home. All he wanted was to be in his own bed, the warm, salt-tinged air lulling him to sleep. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Someone was yelling. There was a commotion. "How? How are you doing this?" Who was talking? What was happening? He couldn't see anything.There was more struggling, but Severus barely noticed. The fever had swept over him, and all he could think about was water. He just wante
"Severus! She isn't even worth your time. Just kill her and be done with it. You can resume your search with her next generation." Julia waved her hand dismissively at Sidia."None of my ancestors have been allowed to leave, have they?" Sidia hissed. "I'm not terribly surprised. You're all terrible liars.""Shut your stupid little mouth." Severus bared his fangs as he spoke to her."What? No longer trying to befriend me? Did you think I was going to fall in love with you or something?" Sidia had to fight back tears from how hard he was pulling her hair, but she refused to let the pain show. "It would have been so much easier for everyone if you had," Severus retorted. "You just had to keep asking all your silly questions.""Since the pretenses are gone, will you finally tell me the truth? There is no prophecy, is there?" Sidia wanted to keep him talking. She needed to stall him, try to figure something else out."No, there is no prophecy. No seer. I concocted that detail for you