Somewhere within Greyhaven, figures in red, white, and black cloaks gather in secrecy.
And then we see him—the man responsible for her pain, Isolde's enemy, the man who left her at death's door.
Kael.
"Are you sure this would work?" he asks the woman in the red cloak.
"Of course. As much as my relatives may seem smart, they are not so smart."
"But they are still your relatives."
"They are not my relatives. Well, by blood, they are, but you understand."
She raises her head and looks at the lady in the black cloak.
"So, Faiyrah, what do you have to say about this? You told us all to gather here, and might I add that it is very creepy down here. It's so dark."
"You're talking about darkness when you're a vampire who was practically born in it."
"Excuse you."
"I mean it is not safe calling us out for a meeting. You know Darian still has people looking for us. It isn't safe, especially after what happened during the attack on the castle. What really is that girl?"
The lady in red pauses.
"They said she turned into an ancient creature."
"What ancient creature? I thought vampires were the oldest."
"Turns out, we are not. There are certain creatures that worship the moon goddess, Selene, far from Greyhaven. A lot of people are frightened by their power—their ability to transform into beasts bigger than anything we've ever seen. Some even say they can match vampires in strength and stealth."
"But why haven't we heard of them?"
"Because your parents do not want you to hear about them and create fear within you. All these pureblood royals think pretending other creatures do not exist somehow lessens their abilities."
She scoffs.
"But none of your books will tell you about creatures potentially stronger than vampires, now would they?"
"But the girl is already a vampire and that creature at once?"
"Yes. That is what I fear."
The woman's lips curl, revealing her teeth.
"She might be stronger than we think. And with time, we will find out exactly what is going on in that palace."
She turns sharply.
"But enough of that. I called for this meeting because you, Lilith, have done a lot of things you were not supposed to do."
Lilith lowers her face in shame.
"I warned you—as much as you crave food, do not feed within the circle. But you did."
Then she turns to Kael.
"And you… I don't even know what to do with you. You are the main cause of whatever mess we find ourselves in. If you had not been led by your thirst for blood, that girl would not even be in the castle. She would still be on the streets of Greyhaven looking for jobs. She would know nothing about royalty."
Her silver eyes glare at them both, seething with rage.
"What would you have us do?" Kael asks.
She grits her teeth.
"We try… to release Cassian."
"What?"
"Cassian is imprisoned?"
"Yes. Darian does not take abandoning your post lightly. From the looks of things, he is just like his father."
She mutters the last part.
"You know Cassian left the castle during the attack."
"Which I still stand by what I said—no proper plan was made. You attacked the castle without my knowledge and expected success?"
"Oh, bollocks," Lilith mutters. "We thought—"
"You did not think."
Her voice slices through the air.
"You planned everything and chose to exclude me. You pureblood royals are all the same. You do not think about other creatures. You do not think, period. You only care about remaining the strongest, ruling the realm, and feeding your superiority complexes."
They all flinch.
"I warned you. And I will warn you one last time."
Her gaze hardens.
"If you go against me while I am making my plans, I will not hesitate to use whatever weapons I have against your kind. Do you understand?"
"Yes," they answer in unison.
"But how does Cassian fit into all of this?"
She lets out a dry laugh.
"See? You don't even think."
She shakes her head.
"I often wonder how your kind managed to rule over mine. Witches are smart. We are strong. We think. But you? You are simply strong for nothing."
Her lip curls.
"Pretty sure your brains are as dead as the rest of you."
Their jaws tighten, but they say nothing.
Everything she says is meant to reduce them, to remind them how little she thinks of them—and still, they endure it.
She exhales.
"Cassian is our key to infiltrating the castle and making everything ours. He is our key to killing Darian and taking the castle. He is our key to witches and vampires coexisting in Greyhaven."
"We just need his trust."
"But you never told us you were involved with Cassian."
"Because I knew you would do something idiotic like this."
Her tone sharpens.
"You have cost me a good number of men with that last attack you both orchestrated. The circle is already low on fighters. We barely have humans willing to support us anymore. They are all leaving, looking for better cities and safer lives."
"You could just kill them so they don't reveal anything."
Her head snaps.
"What do you think I've been doing?"
Her voice rises.
"I have killed more humans than I should have. Reduced our numbers more than I ever intended. All because I am trying my absolute best to ensure years of hard work do not go to waste—which you both seem determined to ruin."
"We are sorry."
"Sorry for yourselves."
She laughs bitterly.
"I thought purebloods never apologized. Aren't you the highest in rank?"
She gestures at them.
"Look at yourselves. Pathetic."
Silence fills the room.
"I will find a way to release Cassian from the dungeon and bring him here. And when I do, you will keep your mouths shut."
Her eyes narrow.
"As much as I have not fully taken control of his mind, he is still delicate. If he senses betrayal or deception, he will return to Darian."
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Faiyrah."
Back in the castle
Isolde's POV
I make my way down to the dungeon, as Silas instructed, to see Cassian.
I wonder what actually went wrong.
He is not the type to leave his duty post. He is not the type to leave me unattended.
I am Messiah, for crying out loud.
And he has not tried to communicate with me for as long as I can remember.
Actually… I don't think he has ever really communicated with me before.
Or maybe too much has happened, and it is beginning to affect my memory.
The lower I descend into the castle, the colder and airier it becomes.
I try distracting myself by focusing on the walls, the torches, anything—but my thoughts always return to Cassian.
To what I am about to hear from him.
Because I know this is not like him.
By the time I reach the dungeon, I am greeted by the smell of rot.
I nearly gag.
The floors are wet and filthy. Palace guards stand nearby, barely sparing me a glance before bowing.
Only because they have to.
I can see it in their eyes.
They do not truly respect me.
I walk deeper inside.
No one questions me.
Probably because they are just waiting for a reason to throw me in here too.
The dungeon is dimly lit—only four torches illuminating the wide stone space.
Steel bars. Concrete floors. Stone walls.
No torches inside the cells.
Only darkness.
Each cell holds a different creature or prisoner.
Some are asleep.
Some lie flat on the cold floor.
Some are missing limbs.
I silently pray Cassian is in better condition.
Finally, my eyes land on him.
He sits on the floor, knees drawn to his chest, head buried between them, arms wrapped around his legs.
He looks nothing like the prince who turned me into a vampire when I was at death's door.
He looks… lost.
Then I notice the details of his cell.
They had the decency to give him a cloth to sit on, but he ignores it, choosing the bare stone instead.
A keg sits nearby.
Unfinished blood rests before the bars.
Judging by the smell, it has been there for at least two days.
I step closer.
"Cassian."
He slowly raises his head.
His crimson eyes meet mine—uncertain, almost frightened.
Then it vanishes.
Blankness replaces it.
A kind I have never seen in him before.
"Cassian," I repeat.
He slowly rises and approaches the bars.
"What are you doing here?"
His voice is cold.
"I can see you."
He tilts his head.
"Did he send you to see how miserable he has made me?"
"The king of Greyhaven?"
"Why are you doing this, Cassian? This is not you."
"You don't know me."
His words knock the air from my lungs.
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing that should not have happened a long time ago."
"Cassian, why are you talking to me like this?"
"Oh, right. I forgot."
He mockingly bows.
"You are the king's wife-to-be. I should put some respect on your name."
He arches a brow.
The smile on his face does not reach his eyes.
He is not the Cassian I know.
"I don't understand. What happened between you and Darian?"
"Nothing happened between me and the king."
He sneers.
"My cousin—if I still have the liberty to call him that—simply decided duty matters more than family."
"But you abandoned your post."
His laugh is humorless.
"Oh, so you are one of them too."
"That is not what I meant."
"Isn't it?"
He steps closer.
"My parents are pureblood royalty too. But because he became king, suddenly he gets to dictate my life."
"Cassian, you know it is not like that."
"Oh, I know it is not like anything."
His voice hardens.
"Nothing I have ever been told was true."
I freeze.
"What do you mean?"
"He did not tell you?"
His expression darkens.
"Everything that happened in the castle. You becoming… whatever creature you are now. The werewolf."
I flinch.
"And I am the rogue prince who left his post to uncover something far greater."
He laughs.
"And I am punished for it because my dear cousin wants to remind everyone he is king."
"Stop it!" I yell.
He flinches.
Then regains composure.
"You know, I thought being your sire gave me some right to advise you. To protect you."
His gaze sharpens.
"But you looked me in the face and lied to me."
His voice lowers.
"I warned you to stay away from him."
"Now your life is tied to his."
"Whatever comes for him comes for you."
"Is that a threat?"
"No."
He smiles faintly.
"It is a warning."
His eyes gleam strangely.
"I know things now. Information Darian kept from me. From Silas."
He laughs bitterly.
"Remember when I told you our parents fought side by side?"
I nod.
"Well, Darian and I were there."
His jaw tightens.
"He watched his parents die."
He taps his chest.
"Mine were still alive."
His breathing becomes uneven.
"He went feral."
My heart drops.
"Feral?"
"After the witches killed his parents, he snapped."
Cassian's eyes glaze over.
"He slaughtered them."
His voice trembles.
"Ripped hearts from chests. Tore through them all."
His hands shake violently.
"And when he was meant to land the final blow…"
He pauses.
Laughs.
A broken sound.
"He struck something."
His voice cracks.
"And released something that killed my parents."
His eyes are glossy now.
"And Silas's parents."
I stare at him, horrified.
"Then he came back victorious."
Cassian laughs again.
"The sole survivor."
His smile is all pain.
"And told us witches killed our parents."
Silence.
The air feels suffocating.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
"No."
He shakes his head.
"It won't be your fault… unless you choose the wrong side."
My stomach twists.
"I have chosen my path."
His eyes sharpen.
"And whatever war is coming… he will not survive it alone."
"They have weapons. Potions. Spells."
His grin returns—wild, unstable.
"Things capable of wiping out entire bloodlines."
Something is wrong.
Terribly wrong.
"Something that could kill an entire generation of vampires."
And that crazed look returns to his eyes.
He looks nothing like the Cassian I know.
And for the first time—
I am afraid of him.
*Heading back to the room*
After the conversation with Cassian, I make my way back to the chambers. Well, I and Darian's chambers. My mind still thinking about what Cassian had said. After, his last statement, he refused to speak to me. He just went back to his reclining position where I met him then. Doesn't look like the Cassian I know. I know I've been saying this, but he still isn't the Cassian I know. I don't know what went wrong. What weapon do they have? What weapon can wipe out an entire bloodline of vampires? And how does he know this information? It means he's actually working with the enemy. It means he... Take a deep breath, I tell myself, My mind is going to different places at once. And then, I look up at the door, which I did not realize I've been standing before since I came here. By the time I push open the door, I see Darian in his regal glory. His royal robe, but he's wearing nothing but his pants inside. And I just smile to myself. Forget all my worries at once. He is actually mine. This king is mine. And I am his. And he is mine. I repeat in my head, just looking at his physique and everything about him that looks so ethereal, so beautiful. "I can feel you staring at me", he says, with a chuckle in his voice. "I can't help myself", I say and laugh when I make my way towards him. He turns to me and opens his arms, where I actually just take my position in between them. My arms hug him, feeling his bare skin. And I want more. I inhale him, his scent soothing my senses. "Where have you been?" He asks me after giving me a kiss on my hair, and I say "Just between Silas and…." I trail off and he says "and…?"I bite my lip and try to not look at his face. Isolde, "where did you go?" "I, I I went to see..." I stammer "You went to see Cassian?" He completes it for me "Yes" I say with guilt evident in my voice "Why?" He doesn't seem bothered or surprised that I disobeyed him. More like he didn't give me any instruction at all, but... "I went to see him because there are lots of things that I wanted to understand. It is not him to leave his duty post, but he did. But you know that it is not supposed to be like that. You are cousins" "We are cousins, yes. But at the same time, I am also the king. So did you get your answers you were looking for?" He asked me. And I shake my head. I don't really want to worry him concerning whatever information Cassian might have given me. But I think that he needs to know something that is very crucial for the war. "I think the other side has a weapon" I start "Something strong. Something that could bring down Purebloods" That gets his attention. He looks at me. "Who told you that?" I bite my lip. Again. "I am beginning to wonder if you are trying to seduce me or give me information" he says. And I laugh. "It's just that... "Cassian told you?" "Yes" "So it means that my suspicions were right" "But does not matter, I know that he's still in there somewhere, the person we all know. I think maybe something is bothering him. Maybe if you guys could talk-"He's not willing to talk to me. He has openly defied me before the court members, and if I did not take action, they would look at me as though I am being the king that observes favoritism. He had his duties assigned to him and he decided that he does not want to handle those duties by himself. He was assigned to the castle to keep the castle safe, and I was assigned to the border. I left my duty post because he was not in his. And as much as it hurts me and pains me to put him in the dungeon, he is my cousin. I can't go back on my words" "Well, what can we do? Because whatever weapon he's talking about, it's pretty strong. And , it's even more scary that we don't even know what he is talking about. And he is acting different, like very different. He acts insane. He has this crazed look in his eye" i am rambling and then he just keeps looking at me until I just keep quiet. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "You're worried about him, but don't let your sense of worry cloud your judgment. There were some secret tests taken on him, and we found out that there was traces of opium in him" "Opium?" I gasp
"When did Cassian start taking opium?" "That's….I don't know. So whatever behavior you've observed of him, it is not him, it is the drug. We just need to help him the way we can, but at the same time, keep him at a safe distance. Okay?" "Okay" I tell him, and for a second, I look at his eyes and get lost in them. Those crimson eyes, this man belongs to me. "So, what would we do about the secret weapon they have?" He pauses for a minute. "Can we not think about a war that is going to happen and just focus on ourselves for today?" He says with voice low. "I have missed you, my love" he says. And I'm left stunned. "Are you seriously telling me that we shouldn't think about a war that is inevitably happening, that our enemies are probably scheming right now, and focus on ourselves? Where is the king right now?" "There is no king now, there's just Darian and his little trouble" "I'm not so little anymore" "Oh yes, I know. I saw you" he says with a laugh. And I chuckle too. "Is it weird that I want to actually kiss you right now?" "It is not weird because I have been looking at your lips since I got into the room. I have been looking at your body since I opened that door" "I know, I could feel your eyes on me. You didn't see anything. Of course, I say and smile and hold onto his neck while he guides his lips to mine. His lips move in mine and everything just becomes silent, as though the waves are crashing on something and just moving swiftly and his tongue just delves into mine and as though they are wrestling against each other as I kiss him and he kisses me back. He hums in approval while my hands explore his body, touching his back, while his guide my neck upwards to keep meeting his kisses. "Oh, how much I've missed this. I want to stay here forever" I moan in his mouth while his other hand starts caressing my waist and something in me, or in my head, mewls and I stop for a moment, but I don't think he gets it because he keeps kissing me. I try to ignore it and then it mewls again, as though it's wanting pleasure. And I gasp, moving my lips from his. And then he looks at me stunned. "Did I hurt you?"He asks looking concerned although still in lustful daze, "No, no, something- something is wrong" "What?" He says, looks stunned. "What do you mean something is wrong?"He asks with humour in his tone, but I look serious, so his eyes just stare at me. "Something…something happened. I don't know, but when you kissed me, something in me or in my head makes this odd sound of pleasure" "something in your head that is not my voice" "Yes, it is as though it is part of me, but it feels pleasured by the kisses. I don't know" I say, and he looks at me. "Should we try again to confirm your thoughts?" "Are you just looking for an opportunity to kiss me again?" " Definitely". And he tilts my head up and kisses me again, this time more aggressive than the last time. And there's no longer a mewl. Rather, it's a voice that screams MORE, and I don't know what happened. I am still there but there is a zap in my mind, my hands are fisting his robes and pulling him into me and kissing him aggressively. And my entire body becomes hot with need. And as though he's taken by surprise, he gasps in my mouth while I pull him towards me harder and kiss him more. And this time, it is not me. I feel like it is me, but not me. Something else is pulling him. And that is something more ravenous than me. And by the time I could register what's happening, I don't know where the strength comes from, but I push him to our bed and kiss his neck, savagely. And he moans,"I don't know whatever is wrong with you, but I like it" he says, and tries to gain dominance, but I don't let him. I kiss him. I run my hands through his body. I remove the robe he's been wearing and I am greeted by his bare chest and his abs. And my hands feel free to roam above his chest, his nipples, and the abs. And I just kiss it, I kissed them all. My tongue licking his nipples, licking his abs, going back to his neck and biting, nipping on his earlobe, licking behind the ears, and he moans. His hands glide on my hand, glide on my back, going up and down in slow motions. I'm still wearing clothes, but I feel the need to be connected to him. "Darian" I moan as I kiss him and he just lets me. "I want you" I whisper to him, and he says, "I want you just as badly" I whimper "are you okay?" He says, I am humping, I am humping on his member through my garments, and I'm moaning deeply as I still kiss him, still humping him, moving my hips up and down on his member. And he struggles to meet me. "What are you doing?" He groans. "I want it. I want you, pleaseeee" I whine, and he just flips me and my back meets the bed. He takes a deep breath. "Are you sure you're okay?" He whispers to me, and I nod my head and pull him. "I want you" I whisper back. And he lets out a strangled groan. He takes a breath. His breath fans my face. And as though he sees something in my eyes that even I can't see, but I long for him at this moment. And everything is quiet, but something in my blood is roaring, growling at more intimacy. "I want you, pleaseeee" I whine and whimper at the same time. And he just gives it to me. He kisses me and rips my clothes. I don't know how the clothes leave my body, but by the time I register, I'm naked beneath him and he is tugging down his pants. "You have said how bad you want me, but I need you. I need you to tell me this is okay" "I want you, please" I whisper to him and pull him. I grip his waist and drag him into me, but he's not inside me yet. The contact between my heat and his member is so deliciously torturous that I crave more of him. "Please" I say again not minding how much pleading I have done today "Please, I want it. I want it" I'm shivering "You are so hot. Why is your skin so hot?"he says, just rubbing his member on the surface of me, using my wetness to coat him. Everything about me is shivering. I want you. I want you to make me come", I cry. "More, Darian, please. Be inside of me. Enter me" "Whatever you say, my trouble" he says and in one thrust, he sheaths himself in me. So hard that I gasp, but I still want him to move. "Are you okay?" He whispers. He is so polite… "I want it. Please" "I know. I'm okay please move" I say. I don't recognize my own voice. And he starts moving. His thrusts start slowly at first, but when my hands start grabbing his waist and pulling him in, pulling him into me, he increases his paces. My groans turn into growls and his matches mine. His hands wrap around my throat as he continues to thrust deeper and harder into me, and my fingers scratch his back, ripping him and trying to meet every thrust that he's giving me. "Oh gods! my girl" he says with a raspy groan. And all I could feel and hear are the sound of our skin on skin, that wet squelching sound of him entering me and the bed creaking beneath us. And I want more. I feel something changing in my fingers, digging into his skin as he increases his thrust, his hips snapping relentlessly into me "More!" I roar, my voice unrecognizable, and his fangs elongate and his eyes become more crimson, and I don't know what's happening, but I meet each thrust he gives into me. "Who's a good girl" he growls in my ears, and my core becomes even hotter and wetter. "Me….please" I gasp and whine, then he puts his fingers between us where we are meeting each other, and he rubs my clit. With every thrust and every rub of his fingers on my clit, I gasp. I whimper and I moan, and he just keeps meeting the jerk of my hips as he continues circling his fingers. It started as one, but then he uses two and circles round and round, and I just keep shaking, wanting more. "I'm coming…." "You have to hold on" he groans, his voice deep, his hoarse voice, pleading with me to hold on as I meet his thrust. I could feel him inhaling my neck, his nose in my neck and his tongue licking me. "I want to sink my teeth in you. I want to mark you. I want to make you mine" he growls in my ears. And I just don't know what happened, but I tell him to do it. "Make me yours. Make me yours" I say like a chant, then he, I feel it, his fangs piercing into my neck and I groan and moan at the same time and release whatever heat that's been in me. My stomach unclenches and I release it and I feel him releasing his to, releasing it all in me. And I groan and whimper. "Oh, baby, make me…. Baby, I'm coming" He groans. "Oh, yes, yes" I chant. His drinking from me, it feels more intimate than anything we have ever done and he licks my neck. And then flashes of when this might have happened in the library comes into my mind and it all makes sense. "This has happened before", I say to myself, then to him. And I look into his eyes, and his eyes look like they have longed for this forever. We are trying to catch our breath, but that same voice in me still wants more. So I flip our positions.
He's still in me when I flip us and I could feel him growing inside of me. His ragged breath, and I inhale him. I could feel like drool was dripping from the corners of my mouth as I look into him. And the teeth, my teeth doesn't feel like mine. My tongue runs over my teeth and my fangs and I realize that it has been itching to mark him. That bond he just created, I want to give it to him. "Can I?" "You can do whatever you want to me" he says, and I just dive for his neck. My teeth sinks into his neck and I lick him, suck on him. And that voice in my head mewls and moans again, this time stronger. And then before I could register whatever it's trying to say, all I hear is that possessive voice in my head screaming, MINE. And then I begin to move on him, moving up and down, letting myself sink on him and going up just to fall back rolling my hips, taking control and not letting him have it. My hands on his shoulders, bouncing and taking what I want and he just lets me. His hips jerking up to meet every thrust and every bounce I take on him. And I just keep on taking and taking what is mine. Gripping his shoulders and I keep bouncing on him harder. "Yes, Yes, good girl…. Roll your hips like that…
Godsssss" he moans. "Yes. Oh, yes. Oh gods. Yes. There it is. There it is" I say, and my hips are moving fast and the sound I hear bouncing off the walls are the sound of the bed creaking. And when I bounce on him one last time, he snaps his hips up meeting me and I unravel, I could hear the ripping, more like the cracking of the bed. I don't know what to say. I just collapse on his chest. He whispers in my ear "We just broke the bed" i take note of the humor in his voice. I just bury my face in his neck and inhale him. "I guess we did" I say.
*In the Dungeon*
"I thought you will never come" Cassian says rising from this crouched position, "I never fail my promises Prince" Faiyrah says, her voice solemn "how did you get in here in the first place" he asks genuinely amused "I knocked the guards out with our secret weapon" she smiles, whispering some spells and the lock breaks
"The vervain?"