I responded, "I don't know."However, let's try to avoid focusing on inquiries Eden cannot answer.I continued, "Maybe it's like they say in the movies, that there was a glitch in the Matrix," as I slung my school bag over my left shoulder.The fact that you didn't mean to hurt me is the most important thing.I also believe that.In reality, everything else is just background noise.Despite the fact that I was internally boiling with rage, I said these words as calmly as I could.Still with that confused expression, Eden gave a few repeated nods.When he lowered them, he covered his face with both hands.I need to go wash my face with water.Please remain where you are.He patiently awaited my reply.I said, "Alright, I'll be here," as he left for the boys' bathroom.I was absolutely certain that Eden had been harmed by Valerian.What was he up to?Eden wondered if the vampire's magic had worn off.Were any of our precious memories lost in Eden?As if on cue, Valerian appeared at the end of the hallw
While I gazed up at the sky, his eyes were fixed on me.I felt myself blush from his attention and could feel his love burning into my skin."I am so blessed,"My body trembled as his words tickled my ear.“How so?”He grabbed my chin and pulled me toward him, "I have you...""I'm not unique.""To me, you are."His eyes were sinking so deeply into me that he paused, as if they were looking for the right way to my heart.He bit his bottom lip to keep it from trembling from his nerves as he swallowed the lump in his throat as he said, "I love you..."As the color flushed from my face, I felt my body's muscles become weaker.My stomach hurt and my heart stopped.Although I was overjoyed when Eden uttered those three lovely words, I felt my eyes begin to swell and my heart shattered like fragile glass.I wished for a simpler life.I wish I could say that magical phrase to him again, and I wish we could have married and lived happily ever after. But Valerian took that chance away from me.As soon as
hurt too much for me to move, so I tried to crawl toward Eden.As Valerian repeatedly slammed Eden's head down, his sharp nails digging into his cheek, I was loudly crying and pleading.With his forefinger nail, he deeply scratched Eden's flawless face, breaking the skin on her face.Eden was now extremely pale and had shed an excessive amount of blood.He called my name as he lay there, exhausted, still in his underwear and bleeding from so many cuts.Because Valerian used his own feet to trap them, Eden's feet were useless.He had glowing, crimson-red eyes that appeared to be being shaken.I gasped uncontrollably as I watched him smirk as he brushed Eden's cheek with his tongue.Valerian lifted Eden up and brought his neck back to his mouth as his smirk widened at Eden's heartbeat.I once read that vampires don't drink blood every day unless they want to.Additionally, there was a portion of that book that dealt with vampires and the acceptable amount of blood they consume from their victims
moaned out loud.You couldn't have forced him to forget me, could you?Instead of killing him, couldn't you just erase his memory?I heard Valerian get up and move away from me, but he didn't say anything to me.He wrapped Eden's jacket around my naked skin and put it on my shoulders when he returned to keep me warm.He was not thanked by me.I refused in any way to acknowledge what he had done.He turned around and sat in front of me, Eden's body between us. He was sitting right in front of me.His clothes still looked dirty, but his eyes had turned green again and the blood that had been dripping down his chin had been removed.I just sat there and wept for the love I had just lost, clutching his jacket around me in the hope that I would pass away from my grief.With his knees folded, Valerian sat silently across from me.Despite the fact that I could not sense any remorse for what he had done, my sobs appeared to have an effect on him.When he eventually reached across Eden's body to wipe my te
I stepped tremblingly out into the hallway and made my way toward the precinct's front door.I was reluctant to depart.I figured that as soon as I walked out the front door, there would be alarms going off and I would be taken into custody as a suspect trying to evade questioning.But nothing took place.I went out into the world without incident.I dashed down the sidewalk in a flash, aiming for the path into the woods that housed my house.I was certain that no one would ever inquire about Eden's death again.I was ashamed of myself.I could have reported Valerian to the police.Since then, what would that have done to Aleksei's treatments? I could have said that he was the one who killed him, but I was too afraid to come forward.Would he fall ill and pass away?I was ensnared in this nightmare, and no matter what I did, someone would be hurt.As a result, I made the decision to put it in the back of my mind and bury it in my heart.There was nothing I could do to prevent Eden from departing.I
The sun outside was already scorching hot when I woke up.I went to my window to take a look because I could hear car horns blaring almost simultaneously in my neighborhood.I saw a school bus, probably Balrus's, coming into my block in the distance to my left, and I saw a mother saying goodbye to her son on the sidewalk.I saw a man to my right jump out of his car, run into his house, and then almost dive back into his car before driving off with a steaming cup of coffee.Two men were running and an elderly woman was walking a dog.Because I wouldn't be hurrying to school that day, I took everything in.I was still taking a month off from school, and I was doing everything I could to find things to do that kept me sane.like taking Balrus to the public library and picking him up from school.As I entered my bathroom, I began brushing my teeth.I brushed and wondered why Valerian hadn't already been there.What vampire matters required his attention?Was he sorry for me, or was he hoping that his
I wished I could live my life as freely as he did and appreciate the simplest things in life, like a simple experiment in science.Thankfully, he was shunned by the misfortunes I had been given because he was so ignorant of the cruelty of the world.He wouldn't want to know the truth about Valerian's arrangement.I didn't want him to try to fix it or feel bad about it.All I wanted was for him to be healthy and happy.I prayed that one day I would also be able to have that.It's possible that I had been letting my resentment get the better of me, leading me to make hasty judgments regarding the life I was given.After seeing Valerian rip Eden to shreds, that sliver of feeling like I was back home was almost non-existent."Could we have ice cream?"I was brought out of my deep trance when Balrus exclaimed with excitement.He was grabbing my hand and pointing toward an ice cream shop we were passing."I'm not sure, Balrus.Mom made it abundantly clear that she wanted me to immediately bring you ho
Balrus suddenly exclaimed out loud with a small sigh, "It didn't work.""What went wrong?"He explained slowly, looking up at me with a slight frown, "Those warning blasts I sent off go at the monsters back in the ice cream shop."I had high hopes that it would work, but it didn't."How do you know?"Looking down at him, I inquired."Because I can see them right there," he said as he pointed ahead.I quickly turned to look up as I brought him to a stop.Nothing or anyone was visible to me in front of us.At first, no.I looked down at Balrus, slightly perplexed.When I looked back up, three men were rapidly approaching us after he had fixed his gaze on the bent pole of the nearest streetlight in front of us.I'd never seen vampires before, but they weren't men.I firmly squeezed Balrus right back after he squeezed my hand once more.The vampire approaching from the right appeared to be tall and reed-thin.He was decked out in cargo pants, cargo pants, a black beanie, and a black leather jacket.I
[APPRECIATION]Dear Readers, I aspired to be a writer for a significant portion of my life.It began when I was a young child. When I first started writing, I began to realize the power of words. I can recall those early days. From sonnets to brief tales, I started to string words together, making my craft gradually Even then, I realized how deeply words could connect with other people's experiences and how validating that could be.I began to write more as I got older. I wrote poetry and short stories in journal after journal. I spent every spare moment jotting down my thoughts on napkins and torn notebook pages. I was courageous in offering my work to other people, and it seemed like I could write constantly.The shift started in college. I had little time for anything other than studying and working full-time as a college student. My writing ceased gradually. I switched from undergraduate to graduate school and increased my work responsibilities.I wed someone. I had a family. Beca
“Guys, we can hear you from the reception room,” they said.We both jumped and then we burst out in laughter. Valerian lowered me to my feet, grinned like a little boy, and kissed my birthday. He danced as he dressed in his tux and he blew me a kiss before he left.“I’ll see you downstairs, Mire. Hurry down, we’ve got some unfinished business.”I sat naked for a few more minutes and thought of the turn my life had taken. Dragos was gone, I was about to marry the man I loved, and we already had a baby on the way. I giggled in delight, hopped off the bed, and started to get dressed.I walked down the stairs ten minutes later and was delighted to find the staircase decorated with flowers. Rafael was going to give me away, and he smiled when he saw me coming down. I held my flowers with my left hand and extended my right to him.“Are you ready to become our new Vampire Queen?” he asked.I smiled as I hooked my arm around his. “I have never felt more alive. Or more ready, Rafael.”Rafael g
[Epilogue]2 MONTHS LATERMy wedding dress was draped over the armchair next to the window. The curtains were drawn slightly and Valerian’s tux had been folded away neatly into the top drawer in our room. There were representatives of the twelve most powerful vampire covens downstairs, and the witches took quiet tours of our home as they waited for the ceremony to begin.I lay naked on the bed, wearing only my diamond ring and bridal garter. Valerian’s head was buried in between my legs. My head fell back on the pillow and I cupped my left breast, rolling the nipple around with perfectly manicured fingers. Valerian was stark naked and his tongue pushed in deeper with each moan that escaped my lips.I looked down my belly and I met his eyes. They glinted wickedly as Valerian thrust his tongue in deeper. I fell back to the bed, grabbed the bedsheets with both hands and arched my back. Valerian pushed me to the edge, brought me back, and pushed me right back. My hair stuck to the sweat o
The thought was a balm for my grief. For a long while, I just rested in Ivan’s arms, tears soaking what was left of his torn and bloody clothes. I felt him crying too.“There feels like something is missing from me,” Ivan confessed.“Me too,” I said. “I feel like I will never again be whole, despite this power that flows through me.”I turned around. “Thank you for everything you suffered for me. I know you went through a lot. How are your hands?” He raised them to show her that the wounds he received from the spear were still not healed.“I can help you with that,” I said, and took his hands in mine. I closed my eyes and once again accessed the power that felt like an inferno in my body. I rubbed the wounds, and they slowly closed under my touch.I then focused on his other wounds. I sent waves of my healing power flowing through his whole body. I saw other cuts and scrapes close. His cheeks also regained their colour.“Thank you,” Ivan said. “One rogue stabbed me in my side. I thoug
I glared at Dragos and he gave me a cocky smile. I gave him the same smile right back. I was going to defeat this Vampire King, one way or another.I let all the anger and hate I felt for Dragos flow through my body and into the Emerald Tablet. I felt my bond with Valerian fading away, and the fear of losing him threatening to split my soul in two. I tried to steady my nerves as I locked my eyes on Dragos’.His smirk was gone now, his arms suspended directly above his armour where it hung, as if he couldn’t decide between letting it hang there or picking it up to wear it again. He looked worried and concerned as he looked around him. He might have sensed that I was connecting to the Emerald Tablets, but I didn’t think he knew that I was harnessing the One Power. I was stealing his dream from right in front of him, and the thought warmed me.I felt the energy I had directed to the Emerald Tablet flood back into my body. It started in my fingertips and didn’t stop until it had spread to
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
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
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 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