Chapter 2

Dying didn't hurt.

It was like falling into deep water, which was quiet, dark, and cold. My heartbeat slowed, then stopped.

Then came Victor's blood.

Scorching liquid flooded my throat, setting my insides ablaze. My bones twisted and reshaped, my veins ripped apart and stitched themselves back together.

I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

I lost track of time.

Maybe it was an hour, or maybe it was a day.

I opened my eyes.

The world was different.

I could see every flicker of the candle flame. The air was thick with scents, the wax of the candles, the dampness of the stone walls, and something sickly sweet that made my throat clench, blood.

"Are you hungry?" Victor lounged in an armchair by the bed, legs crossed, idly twirling a wine glass in his hand.

The glass was filled with a deep red liquid.

He handed it to me. I took it and drained it in one gulp.

It was sweet and warm. The whole thing sent a rush of power through my body.

"How do you feel, my queen?" Victor asked.

I set the glass down and stared at my hands.

My skin was pale and flawless, every wrinkle from three centuries erased.

I walked to the mirror, and the mirror reflected nothing.

I smiled.

I really became a vampire.

"Come on." Victor stood up and reached out his hand. "Show me what you can do."

He led me out of the room, down a long corridor, and into the castle courtyard.

Moonlight washed over the stone tiles.

"Try running," Victor said.

I took a step.

In the blink of an eye, I was already at the far end of the courtyard, 150 feet gone before I could take a breath.

"What about your strength?" Victor asked.

I wrapped my fingers around the stone pillar in the middle of the courtyard and squeezed. The pillar split right down the middle, chunks of rock exploding in every direction.

Victor clapped.

"No wonder you spent three centuries chasing after Sebastian. You've got some impressive potential." Sebastian stepped closer and wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger. "But there's something you need to remember."

His voice suddenly turned cold.

The smile vanished. His pupils became vertical slits, glowing with a dark red light. "You received the Embrace from me. Your blood, your life, all that you have is mine."

It was the blood bond.

I could feel a soul-deep, invisible chain binding my heart to Victor's.

His emotions crashed into my mind. He was filled with possessiveness, desire for control, and a trace of unfathomable darkness.

"Do you understand?" Victor asked.

I nodded.

It didn't matter. All I wanted was immortality and power. Whatever it cost, I was willing to pay.

Victor gave a satisfied smile.

He let go of my hair and turned toward the castle gates.

"Get some rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you—" He didn't get to finish before the castle gates exploded with a deafening crash.

Splinters of wood and shards of metal flew everywhere. Victor dodged to the side, and I instinctively took a step back.

The dust settled.

A figure stood in the doorway.

He wore a long black coat, his face pale, and his eyes, pitch black, with crimson fury swirling inside.

It was Sebastian.

He froze the instant his eyes met mine.

Sebastian's gaze shifted from my face to my eyes. I knew my pupils had turned inhuman.

Then, his gaze dropped to my lips.

He noticed I had fangs.

"What..." Sebastian's voice was barely more than a strangled whisper.

I'd never seen Sebastian wear an expression like this. For three hundred years, he'd always been cold, distant, and indifferent.

What was that look on his face now? Anger or pain?

I didn't care.

"You're too late," I said.

Victor laughed behind me.

"Sebastian, old friend." He stepped up beside me and slung an arm around my shoulders. "What brings you here? Come to attend my Embrace ritual?"

Sebastian ignored him. He only had eyes for me.

"Come with me." These words were neither an order nor a request.

I couldn't put a name to it.

"Why should I?" My voice stayed calm. "For three hundred years, I've begged you over and over. You said a human lifespan was a blessing. You said immortality was a curse. You kept pushing me away."

I took a step forward. "Now I've got what I wanted. Not from you."

Sebastian's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. "You have no idea what you're getting into."

"I know exactly what I'm doing," I shot back.

"He'll—" Sebastian started.

"Enough," Victor cut him off, still sounding casual, but his grip on my shoulder tightened. "She's made her choice. You have no right to interfere with my fledgling. Forgotten the Law of Domain, have you?"

Sebastian finally turned to look at Victor.

There was murder in his eyes, raw, unfiltered, and deadly.

"If you lay a finger on her," Sebastian said, each word like a blade, "I'll wipe out your entire bloodline."

Victor laughed, "Try it."

The air grew heavy with tension as the presence of two vampire lords collided, and the courtyard stones started to split.

I stood between them. Then I made a decision.

There was a silver dagger on the mantel, part of Victor's collection. I'd noticed it earlier when I passed by. I turned and picked it up.

His eyes stayed locked on me. He didn't move.

I walked toward him, each step steady. "Three hundred years passed. You owe me an answer."

I drove the dagger into his chest.

He glanced down at the silver blade, then met my eyes again.

He didn't flinch, didn't defend himself, and didn't retreat.

Blood gushed out, drenching my hand.

Victor burst out laughing behind me. "Good, excellent. That's the queen I chose."

But I didn't hear his laughter. Because a drop of Sebastian's blood touched my lips, only a drop.

And then everything shattered.

Memories crashed into my mind.

They weren't mine. They were his.

The first memory was three hundred years ago, a snowy night in Bodepist. He stood atop the ruins of a church, not out hunting, but tracking down a lesser vampire who'd been stalking me.

That bloodsucker had his sights set on me, seventeen and clueless, ready to drag me off into the darkness that night.

He took that vampire out. And then, he saw me.

The second memory was thirty years after I became his attendant. It was a rainy night; he stood in his study, clutching a letter. I couldn't make out the words, but his emotions crashed over me like a tidal wave.

It was the fear. Even a vampire lord, a thousand years old, gripped by fear.

The third memory was the hundredth year. That night, the Templar hunted us down, and I shielded him from a silver blade. He held me close, his hands shaking as my blood drenched us both.

His lips pressed against my forehead, and he murmured words I couldn't quite catch.