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THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 101
“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
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 102
“Where is Aleksei?” I growled dangerously.“Safe.”I sat up straight. “I’ve been inside your head. I know you plan on betraying Dragos. Don’t test me, Alma, I will not ask you again.”At the mention of the King, I had caught a flash of fear as it passed through her face. Now she narrowed her eyes at me and frowned. She had probably realised that if she gave up Aleksei, she would have no leverage left. Nothing to bargain with. She pursed her lips and was thinking fast. I watched her closely.“He is right outside this room,” she said. “I cloaked him with a spell when I sensed him coming.” She gave a nod in Valerian’s direction.I nodded. “You will uncloak him and we will take him with us when we leave. But before we get to that, tell me about the Emerald Tablets. What are they really?”She looked amused as she shook her head and said, “You mean you don’t know?”I replied to her question with another of my own. “Who made them?”She rolled her eyes sky-high. Like she was saying, “here we
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 103
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
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 104
I shook my head and tried to convince myself that he had to be wrong.“This is bigger than you and I, now,” Valerian said in resignation. “The truth is that you are our last chance of defeating Dragos and putting an end to all this. And if I have to give myself up to see that done, so be it.”Alma had been holding onto Aleksei all this while and she had been watching our reactions closely. She looked equal parts amused and bored at our exchange. Just before I launched another plea at Valerian, she interjected with a low hum.The song she hummed to sounded dark and as she steadily increased her tempo, the air seemed to come alive. I heard the fluttering of wings somewhere to the right and to the left, echoes of her hum reverberated intensely. Rafael and Valerian looked at each other and tried to communicate without speaking. My eyes were locked onto Alma’s who began to cackle at our obvious discomfort.“I’m glad that now I finally have your attention.” She smirked. “As entertaining as
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 105
“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
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 106
I pulled her to me and I kissed her on the lips. Slowly at first, and then more intensely as I deepened the kiss. I felt her initial surprise fall away as she opened her mouth and let me in. I kissed her with all the fears and worries I felt, hoping that underneath all that, she would feel the steady flow of my love and eternal devotion to her. I kissed her breathless. Like I would never kiss her again.When our lips finally drew apart, I held her face in my palms. “Mire, please remember this. You have nothing to worry about. If Dragos ever took hold of my mind, you would always have my heart. I swear this on my love for you.”Despite Vale’s words, I still walked towards Dragos’ lair with a heavy heart. I knew that whatever we would face, we would do it together, but his words weren’t as comforting as he thought they should be. I tightened my grip on his arm.“What should I expect of the lair?” I asked. Vale’s hand tightened on mine. He took a moment to answer, and I watched the pensi
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 107
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
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 108
The world went dark, whether for moments or eons, I did not know. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t as a sharp pain stabbed through my head. I lay there for a few seconds more before trying to open my eyes again. I assessed what had happened.I had crashed into a fluted marble pillar, and it felt as if my ribs were cracked. Breathing caused pain throughout my torso. I was still seeing spots and had the wind knocked out of me. I lay on the floor for a little while, still in a daze. I could hear a chorus of laughter from the King’s audience. I looked up from where I lay and found Valerian. His eyes were riveted to me, and his face was a rictus of anger.“Valerian,” I gasped, wiping blood from my mouth, “please help me.” I could feel his angst and his despair as he struggled against his sire bond with the king. The effort he was putting in was easily felt through my bond to him. He was doing everything in his power to reach me, but he couldn’t. I felt guilt and remorse as he apolog