88ArmandoI took a deep breath and let my senses go with the flow. I was wheeling my car, off to the destination which could be the last place I would see before closing my eyes forever. I wished to die beside my wife, so that I could watch the love of my life while taking my last breaths in her lap but now I thought it wasn’t written for me that way. She better stay away from all the mess I made in the first place by loving her and then forcing her to love me back. And now, look at us, where do we stand? I never thought that having a family would mend me into such an incapacitated punk. I never considered myself as a frangible prince charming, I had never been one. I was one ruthless man who used to live on the blood of others but since the day I got Lana in my life. My life had changed by taking a 360-degree shift. I was no longer a vampire who sucked blood but a man who craved the sincere touch of his girl but look, where do I stand today? In the mouth of death, because for viole
89Lana“I want to see him taking his last breaths in front of me,” I said it with all the hatred I ever had in my bosom and I couldn’t understand how I managed to say it too venomously. I said it for a man who I love and that got me doubtful on my own self, was I even loyal to him?What kind of stupid question it was. Yes, I was, am and will always be loyal to a man who sacrificed the world for me. More than that, we shared kids together, so that made us inseparable in this lifetime at least.“Yea, you should see him suffering too, you deserve it because you have been the most affected one in the house. I’m glad I hear it from you and also to know that you realise what is your worth and real place,” Claire replied, her tone getting electrified on the fact that I was revengeful towards Armando which meant she somehow trusted my lie; but not to forget, she could trap me too. “Yes, I have been finding ways to take revenge on him. He ruined my life, from childhood till now, he made me s
90LanaThe clicks of the heels quivered the ground under my feet as they kept coming closer towards this hall. I subconsciously gulped the lump of my throat and calmed my racing nerves that were panicking about the next moments. I couldn’t understand why my gut feeling overwhelmed me with hopeless expectations. All I could feel in my chest was impossibilities and that’s what I didn’t want with me at the moment. I shook my head in my mind and scolded myself to behave properly. If I’d lose my confidence, I might get into huge trouble that no one would be able to get me out of, I needed to be strong on my own and face the woman who made me fear her. I can’t fear her, I would not! Because I wasn’t the Lana her brother knew, I was the Lana whose husband was a mafia guy of great Spain and for his repute’s sake, I had to fight this battle wisely. I had to. As I heard the click of the heel entering the hall, I pushed myself out of my fears and cleared my throat lowly. I turned around with
91LanaMorningIt was a pleasant day to begin my start with. I couldn’t believe I slept for eight hours straight. It happened thrice in the last four years otherwise there had never been any night where I ever slept peacefully beside Armando without having sex. That used to irritate me sometimes. I used to miss peace mornings and today, I got one and I wished the time could stop right here for a while so that I could enjoy the feeling longer. But your husband is held as a captive here with slaughtering intent. There. There went my peace. This single thought sucked up all restfulness I had in me a few seconds ago. I shouldn’t be enjoying peace here, my purpose to be present here was to help Armando escape from here and shut Claire’s intentions down. Forever. But she trusts you. So what? It wouldn’t change my mind. She hurt me, my kids, and now that she had my husband caged and being tortured for God knew how long. I shouldn’t have been feeling calm here, this place was a ‘never’ for
92LanaBlood. It was blood. And the fact Armando was hanged on the wall, it seemed like his blood as he was not covered with only wounds but fresh blood oozed out of his head. Panic ran through my veins and anxiety took over my senses. Fuck them all for hurting him. I felt the strong urge to stand up for him and make every single person pay for their deeds but my audacity crushed the moment my senses knocked some logic into me. My heroic moves wouldn’t benefit us in any way. I had to bear the pain quietly, without showing it on my face. For them, I hated him and I had to keep acting until I got the way out. “Is he alive?” I didn’t know how these words left my mouth without any hesitancy, but one thing I was sure of; my heart bled in vain by now. “I’m not sure. Ben, you left him breathing?” Claire turned around and asked her security who was not less than a vampire seeking the blood of humans; apparently my husband’s. His face was horribly steely. I wondered if he really had fangs
93Lana“Nathan,” I was left open-mouthed. My mind fuzzed up, leaving me to endure a mind-numbing feeling. I was consumed by a dilemma, not knowing if it was the same Nathan who was the very first love of my life or the man my husband killed just to save me. I still remember the day Nathan was shot before our eyes, Claire was there too; but too weak to take any action. Yet this day, she had it all together. But how? How did he survive all along? I saw him stoned to death. The Nathan-like-man took a step ahead, hands in his pockets as usual, his shoulders wearing confidence proudly, leaving me gulping hard. He got closer to me, shadowing my frame, towering almost above me. I raised my eyes to meet the 6’4 without moving my head. My chest was moving continuously and the fact he was staring at it palpitated my heart. His eyes roamed up, stoning at my face. I wanted to run away, too fast, without looking behind. I felt his finger ascending just to shut my opened mouth. His finger laid
94Lana“Claire! Let me go! Open the door,” I had been slamming my fist on the door for half an hour but nothing worked in my favour. I strolled towards the room’s window and sat near it, wondering what I could do to save us. I sighed defeatedly, fisting my hair in frustration. It was my fault, I should’ve been more attentive towards the red flags. I should’ve known it was coming. How can you expect a dead to be alive? Right. How could I? His being alive was teasing me like everything. I had so many questions for him yet my heart had no courage to face him. I was sure he wouldn’t leave me unhurt. He would take revenge from Armando through me because he most probably hated me for leaving him and moving ahead with Armando. How could you live with a man who was declared dead? And out of nowhere, he came back. You had no option than to choose Armando and start a new life.But everything seemed opposite to what I was being told by my second thoughts. I kept sighing hard to empty the void
95Lana“Then, I can even make you have dozens of kids containing your blood just now,” Nathan stated fearlessly. I blinked twice as his words sank in my stomach, each word containing tons of heavy metals that felt like ripping through each ounce of my soul.Making babies appeared to be a joke to him. How could he mock something sacred so efficiently? He wasn’t like this before. I remembered him as someone gentle and considerate yet now, he was portrayed to be cold and selfish. “I don’t want to believe in my ears, speak something real, Nathan,” I replied, foggily. “Do my face tell you I'm joking to you, Lana? If children are the only reason that’s bonding you with that generational motherfucker, then I shall eliminate the root cause and set you free,” I wanted to believe that it was Nathan speaking with such a grudge but somewhere my heart denied. His awful mindset was making him loathe myself for falling for him once. Maybe God saved me from an absolute devil through a qualified de