Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Raven's Pov

Walking through the long, cold hallways of Velmora Academy, I felt every stare burn into my skin. Whispers trailed behind me like a haunting echo, strange eyes gleamed in the dim lighting and was filled with something dark and hungry. The school was a gothic masterpiece, with high archways, stone walls draped in deep red velvet, and dim chandeliers that cast eerie shadows across the floor. The whole place smelled like old books, firewood, and something metallic. I tried to ignore it and tried to push down the thick, suffocating tension that clung to the air like fog. But the moment I entered the library to grab my study guide, I realized I wasn’t alone.

They were waiting.

A group of vampire boys stood between the towering bookshelves with their dark uniforms crisp, their expressions were unreadable except for the flicker of amusement in their glowing red eyes. It made my stomach twisted and my grip tightened around the book I had just picked up.

“Look at what we have here,” one of them murmured with a smooth venomous and stepped closer.

I swallowed hard and shifted backwards. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“Trouble?” Another smirked, exposing the sharp tips of his fangs. “You already brought trouble the moment you walked into our school, blonde human.”

I took a step back and my breath caught in my throat as more figures emerged from the shadows, they were girls this time and their gazes were just as dark and vicious.

“She’s the reason four of us are dead,” one of the boys muttered, tilting his head as if he was studying me.

“That’s not true! Those Four boys that came out yesterday from the Den were behind it.” I snapped with my voice shaking.

Laughter rippled between them and it was so cruel and twisted.

“Oh, but it is,” another chimed in, eyes flashing.

Panic gripped my chest as hands grabbed me, too many hands and clawed at my wrists, my ankles, forcing me down despite thrashing hard but their grip was ironclad.

“She dared accuse the Princes,” a girl hissed, stepping forward. “They don’t kill, you stupid human. They’re cursed because of an unfortunate circumstances that happened, not murderers and I will be the one to cure that curse and marry him”

That wasn't my business because I didn’t understand that, I had no idea what they were talking about as I just wanted to leave and escape but their hold tightened. My heart pounded so violently that it felt like it might burst through my ribs.

The boys bent closer as their fangs were suddenly exposed, aching to sink into my flesh.

“You need to pay you human girl, you need to die and fuck, you smell so good to drink.”

My scream got caught in my throat as my body trembled against their grip. I could feel their breath on my neck, feel the sharp edges of their fangs pressing closer, and just when I thought it was over—

There was a loud crash, it happened like a blur, extremely fast that I thought I was hallucinating. The act came with snarl, storming in with darkness and rage.

The boys flew back as if torn by an invisible force and their bodies slammed against the bookshelves with a sickening thud. It made the girls shriek as they scrambled away like hunted animals while the air turned frigid and thick with something ancient and powerful.

And then, I saw them. My Psycho Stepbrothers, Cassian, Caius, Dante and Elias

The Four Princes of Velmora.

Cassian stood at the front with his eyes burning like embers and his fangs were fully out plus the weight of his power was suffocating, a presence that made my knees buckle.

His voice was like thunder as he growled, “I only ordered for her life to be hell not fucking touch her or try to to smell her goddamn blood!”

“I never said anyone else could touch her.” Dante bellowed at them as well and the vampires who attacked me froze in terror.

One of the boys stumbled back, hands raised. “We didn’t know—”

“Didn’t know?” Caius echoed, his voice dangerously calm. He took a slow step forward, the shadows around him curling like a living storm. “I think you did you fuckers.”

They all bowed immediately, stammering rapid apologies before fleeing from the library like hunted prey.

And then, silence.

I pushed myself up and crawled backwards, my entire body trembling with rasp breath coming out in harsh gasps. My head spun as I stared at my supposed stepbrothers, and the horrible realization hit me like a brick.

“This was all part of your plan,” I whispered, my throat raw with fear and pain.

Dante smirked, tilting his head. “You’re a smart girl.”

I shook my head as rage bubbled up in my chest. “You planned this? You wanted them to attack me and to pin the deaths of those ladies on me?”

Cassian smirked. “It was easy, We vampires believe what they want to believe. They’ll tear each other apart if it means getting a taste of something forbidden.”

I felt sick and shook my head. “You’re demons.”

He laughed. “And?”

My body shook and my mind was screaming at me to run, to get away. “Stay away from me,” I choked out. “Please , I'm begging you all, I won't enter the Den again.”

Dante's smirk deepened. “We can’t do that, little stepsister.”

Caius’s voice was cold and lethal as he stepped closer. “You signed a deal with the devil the moment you stepped into the Den and we haven’t even started.”

I gasped and shook my head violently. “No—no, you can’t—”

Elias, the youngest of them, grinned wickedly, his fangs glinting. “You’re going to have a taste of the hell you walked into, Raven.”

My breath hitched and I shook my head, letting the burning salty tears slide down to my mouth and nose.

He leaned in as his lips ghosted over my ear, his voice dropped nto something dark and sinful until I heard Cassian’s voice.