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THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 109
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
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 110
Suddenly, a woman appeared in front of me. She wore a long white gown and a ray of sunlight beamed behind her. I tried to shake the image. I assumed she was a figment of my imagination. I must have had a concussion from my head colliding with the concrete floor.“Get up,” she leaned forward and demanded.“Who are you?” I snapped as I felt an intense pain sting my ribs.“I’m the spirit of Annora. Now enough questions! You need to get out of here now!” she shouted as her eyes flashed a glowing emerald green.“I can’t leave Valerian.”“He would want you safe! Dragos cannot get our magic! Do not risk your life for a meaningless vampire!” she scolded as the light around her transitioned into a blazing fire.“He is not meaningless!” I snapped, quickly gaining strength. “He is my soulmate, and I will die without him!” I leaped to my feet.She shook her head as she pursed her lips. “Then, we are doomed.” She vanished into thin air and a rogue appeared in her place.The vampire lunged at me an
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 111
Valerian probably heard my thoughts, because screams echoed through the walls one more time. I felt it wash over me again, and it returned some part of the courage I had lost. I kicked my legs again, harder this time. I fought back as much as I could, but the four guards eventually made the turn Dragos had made. From the upside-down position of my head, I saw the door to the room open as we approached. I reached out to Valerian through our bond, showing him a clear image of where I was.“This is it, Vale,” I thought. “You were the greatest love of my life, and I cannot tell you what that has meant to me.”Valerian screamed again.I closed my eyes as they carried me into the room. The lights were out and the room was illuminated only by the glow of a glass goblet, magically suspended mid-air. There was a raised marble platform directly beneath the goblet, and the guards pulled me on top of it. They nailed down my hands and legs to secure me firmly, and Dragos walked over to forcefully
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 112
“Stay away,” I said around my gag, but it came out muffled. Dragos heard me, though, and his smile widened. I then realized in a distant way that we shared the same smile. The thought disgusted me. He stood beside the marble platform and ran his fingers through my red hair. I felt repulsed and tried to move away, but I was firmly bound. I kept straining against my restraints, though, and I wouldn’t go down without fighting until the very end.“You know why I must sacrifice you, don’t you?” he asked, but I didn’t answer. I just glared at him. If looks could kill, he would have been burned to ash. If I still had my powers, I would have killed him a dozen times over for killing my soulmate.“I do this, because if I left you alive, you might one day challenge me for my rule. No one knows the extent of your powers as you have barely started using them. You may be even stronger than me someday, and I couldn’t have that. I must be the one to rule.” He looked deep into my green eyes. His eyes
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 113
The vampire fell, clutching at his chest as he struggled to breathe.“Thank you,” I said, my voice overwhelmed with gratitude. “you just saved my life.”Ivan flashed me his signature smile and shrugged. “That was nothing, you would do the same thing for me.”We stood back to back and watched the vampire guards box us in a circle. Somewhere in the background, I heard Valerian and Dragos grunting and hitting each other brutally. I didn’t turn around to see, there were about sixteen vampires surrounding Ivan and I, so I couldn’t afford the distraction.One of them suddenly ran towards Ivan. The guy went to step around him, his arm stretched out, trying to grab me. “Let him go!” I screamed.I shot out flames in the shapes of little daggers and I aimed it right. I hit him in the temple, causing him to bounce off the wall and drop like a puppet with its strings cut.Ivan turned to the vampire nearest to the fallen guy. “This is your final chance. Pick up your trash and leave. Or don’t, and
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 114
Dragos looked down at his armour angrily. He had likely paid a pretty penny for that armour or, more likely, he had stolen it. It might be ornate, but it did its job. I could not get any successful body shots in. Neither I, nor Valerian and Ivan, had armour on, so we were much more vulnerable to his attacks, and Dragos knew it.I assessed the room. Valerian was finally rising from the ground and was readying himself to begin attacking his sire again. Ivan was leaning heavily on the marble platform I had been laying on. Too much blood loss. I am not sure how I did it, but I sent a wave of energy to both Valerian and Ivan and watched them perk up in seconds. Both stood straighter and their eyes glistened with uncontrolled rage.Valerian began approaching Dragos at a run, but Dragos merely raised his hand and said, “Stop, Valerian.” And, against his will, he was once again under mind control. But I could feel he was defeating it through our mind link. He was focusing on me in his mind. I
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 115
I focused on the faces of Valerian’s soldiers who I had grown to love. I focused on the clashing of their swords and the flood of relief I had felt when Rafael barged into the room with those familiar faces behind him. I focused on Ivan and Balrus, but most of all I let my love for Valerian well up in my mind. Like a cool stream of water, I felt it pool up and gently flow through my head, seizing my mind power back from the spells being cast by the witches. I couldn’t reach out to Valerian through our bond. Something or someone seemed to be blocking our connection, but I wasn’t worried. I knew that whatever spell that was, it could only last for so long. “Once I end Dragos’ life,” I thought, “this sandstorm will clear and everything else will return to normal.”I regained control of my thoughts and I instantly began to feel better. My senses opened up once more, and I was able to fully sense the movement all around me. Someone ran past me, knocking their shoulders into mine, and I was
THE NIGHTMARE Chapter 116
I looked around to see if anyone around me could help. I saw Ivan out of the corner of my eye, fighting some invisible force, as was Rafael. They appeared pinned where they stood, with Ivan having a sword in hand poised to pierce someone, but he wasn’t moving. Rafael looked like he was running towards me, but his feet seemed glued to the floor. Both were totally unable to help Vale and I. Still the witches’ chanting continued, and I knew they were responsible for holding my two friends in place.Was there a way I could stop the witches? I looked around for anything to help. There were no weapons nearby, except for the sword piercing Valerian’s heart. I was too afraid of pulling it out. I figured that would only make his blood loss increase, causing him to die quicker.I looked back towards Ivan and Rafael. Rafael met my eyes, and I could sense that he still cared for and loved me. He had tried his hardest to defend me, but that plot also failed. I felt hopeless and leaned back over Va