VICTORIAI knew it right away, if I didn’t tread carefully, I’d be blamed for the maid’s death.“Hello, Mr. Fenir, I came to return a piece of clothing Celia lent me last night,” I said, flashing my best fake smile.“But she’s not here, and neither is her maid. I found the door wide open… how careless,” I said loudly, even pushing the door open wider.“And do you usually go into rooms when the owner isn’t around?” he raised an eyebrow with a sneer of contempt.Deep in his eyes, I could see the disgust he felt for me.But the fact that he didn’t show it openly, and how well he faked his attitude, told me I had to be very careful with this man.“Well, the Lord asked me last night to get along with Celia. He sees her as his sister, I’m just following orders,” I replied, stepping into the hallway.“If you want to check, look, I’m not hiding anything,” I said, spinning around and swaying my dress.Accusing me of that girl’s death was absurd.Not only did they have no proof, but I had been

NARRATORA few days earlier...Outside the protective walls of the fief, Rousse had arrived at the refuge of Marius and his people.He didn’t trust vampires, but he acknowledged they were alone in this world.Enemies were everywhere, and allies were scarce.Now… it remained to be seen if the vampire walking ahead of him was truly a loyal friend."Are you sure it was at the exit of the outer wall?" Marius asked Meridiana again.Apparently, she had been the only witch they found, and honestly, she didn’t look like much.Of course, Marius had no idea about the powers of the little witch.He was also pretty disappointed not to see Victoria, but according to his servant, she had infiltrated the wolves’ fortress.They kept walking ahead, with Rousse and Meridiana holding a torch that lit up the gloomy underground tunnel.His boots splashed through the muddy waters of the sewer.The stench rose and clung to their noses.Only one pair of tiny feet remained completely clean, perched on the gen

NARRATOR"There was a war in this fortress, and a lot of bodies were buried… we’ve got plenty of material.""But still, you can’t do it alone. You’ll have to tell the Lord...""No!" Meridiana suddenly interrupted. "You can’t tell the Lord anything, he won’t believe you!""Why not? I’m his mate. Even though he’s grateful to those elders, Dracomir listens to me, he might...""You can’t," Meridiana reached for her anxiously."I don’t know why, but I saw it in that girl’s memories… if you speak to the Lord against that family, he won’t believe you… he… there’s something… I don’t know..."Victoria fell silent, her chest tight.Of course she believed Meridiana. She had felt it herself.She understood Dracomir’s gratefulness, but a man as sharp as he was… it was like he was blind when it came to those people.Celia slaughtered her maids left and right, and he brushed it off as childish antics.Dracomir wasn’t like that. He was just, even with his grudge against vampires.But with that man an

VICTORIA"It has to be here, it has to be here... damn it!"I growled inwardly, pacing that cursed room once more.Nothing. Not a single sign of a secret compartment.The stale air trapped between these four walls was starting to make me dizzy."Where else could it be? I'm running out of time..."If I was right, that man could catch me off guard at any moment.I rushed into the hallway, anxious, watching even my own shadow, feeling like something was slipping away from me.Suddenly, the painting on the floor caught my attention.I remembered Mr. Fenir’s words...this man was the Lord’s depraved brother."Wait a minute..."Sudden, heavy suspicions flooded my mind.There had always been a mole among the rebels, someone leaking information.I started running through the dark, deserted corridors, pushing open doors, searching for a sign of the general’s quarters.Two swords and a shield were carved into one of the mahogany doors.I pressed my ear to the surface, cautiously expanding my sen

NARRATORMarius’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.The chilling and unbelievable scene unfolding before them was something he’d never forget.Solid, rusted, living chains slithered through the air, shooting out from the depths of the doors.A thick black mist moved within, hiding something that he was pretty sure he didn’t want to see.Looking directly into the abyss beyond that entrance was almost impossible.Yet there was a woman levitating in mid-air, facing the pressure and danger head-on.Those chains wrapped around her legs and arms like supernatural shackles.The red strands of Victoria’s blood wove themselves between the steel links, and the struggle began.Marius couldn’t clearly see her face, but that didn’t stop him from imagining it.She was speaking in that sharp, cryptic tongue. They had barely taught him a single spell, and even that one was hard as hell.But she was roaring out macabre incantations, commands that summoned death itself.The wind howled across th