“I propose a truce,” Rafael said after a few minutes of silence, “For Mirela’s sake at least.”I extended my right hand to grasp his firmly.“I accept.”I jolted back to the present and saw that Mirela was already asleep. She was smiling in her sleep and looked peaceful. I reached out a hand to cup her face and she fluttered her eyes open.“Vale,” she murmured, “I’m glad that you are both finally getting along.”I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips.“Rest, my love. We will resume our search in an hour or less.”We stood in front of a dark and hollow cavern. My body trembled as we grew closer to the entrance, and I nervously followed behind Valerian. I had my arm twisted around his as I buried my face behind his shoulder.“Aleksei is down here. Be prepared. Keep your eyes open,” Valerian demanded as we crossed the archway of the cave.Water was dripping from the top of the cave causing my shoes to become drenched. A cold breeze blew through the tunnel with a terrifying whistl

Alma smacked her tongue shamefully. “I hate that I wasted such precious dark magic on someone that I have no use for.” She rolled her eyes.“You said you would set him free!” I snapped as I rose to my feet and angrily engulfed a ball of fire in my palm.She waved her finger at me. “No, I said I would uncloak him.”My heart sputtered out of control. I should have known Alma would have tricked us and manipulated us into getting what she wanted. I couldn’t allow Aleksei to be trapped there. Since Alma had no use for him, she would most likely kill him. My brother deserved to live. Everything started with him being sick and being near death, and now he was near death again. All those years and all that fighting couldn’t have been for nothing.My sorrowful eyes analyzed the curves of my brother’s face. He was deep in a coma and unaware of everything that was going on around him. I inhaled a deep breath and then blasted my spirit into his mind. I appeared in the mists of a blizzard storm. T

“I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you to be trapped for the sake of me,” I whispered before I kissed the back of his arm.He exhaled through his nose as he glanced over his shoulder at me. “Don’t you get it by now? I will do anything for you. I would give up my life if it ensured you would live forever.” He turned around and embraced me in his arms. “I can handle whatever Alma throws at me.”I deeply sighed as I buried my face into his chest. “I will stand by you through it all,” I promised.He pinched my chin and lifted my lips to his. He gently kissed me, and I melted from his taste. Our souls collided together as my heart filled with the warmth of his love. I wished that we could just go back home and live our lives quietly together, but there were still more issues for us to face in the near future. Those problems that we faced concerning the King were not over yet. We still had a major battle before us and, if we lost, the world would end.Suddenly, Valerian quickly relea

Dragos sat leisurely, one leg crossed over the other, swirling a goblet of blood like it was a fine wine.Valerian knelt before Dragos’s throne and bowed so low that his forehead touched the floor. He had gone completely silent once we passed the army of vampires outside. And now Valerian was so still that he could have been a kneeling statue. “Is this a sire-bond thing?” I thought. Well if it was, I wanted no part in it. I decided right then that I would not be bowing down before the tyrant whose blood flowed through my veins. I folded my hands across my chest, raised my chin high, and stood facing the man who had raped my mother. Once I made my decision, I sensed Valerian reaching out to my mind through our bond. He prodded and nudged the thoughts in my head apart gently until he secured the space he needed to plant his.“Mire,” he said inside my head, “please don’t do this. Kneel down and bow to Dragos. It’s only a bow my love, think of it as respect for his position. It doesn’t ha

Dragos fell to his knees cradling his head in both palms. He turned a little red in the face and groaned in pain. But I wasn’t done. I needed him to feel a great deal of the pain he has caused me these past few years, even if it was only a fraction. “What a cruel hand fate has dealt me,” I thought, “that I was conceived as a consequence of Dragos’ rape.”Dragos had gleefully taken my mother from me and had shamelessly taunted me all evening. Even when she was still alive, he had denied me of her love and warmth, because by being born I was a walking reminder of the rape and abuse that she had gone through under Dragos. I might have just met him for the first time in my life, but I’d been tormented by his shadow since the beginning. And now, he had hurt Valerian. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Valerian straining to reach the sword behind his back. His eyes were closed, his face was contorted in pain, and he was biting down hard on his lips. His hands were very close to the hil