Chapter 3

Just as our Sire was about to punish me with dark magic, I lowered my eyes and explained.

"I am merely waiting. For him to lay a kingdom at my feet."

"The power of a kingdom?" The Sire sneered. "Elena, do you take me for a fool? I won't believe such a childish excuse."

Lilith chimed in softly. "Sire, I am worried Elena has truly grown fond of that prince. She hasn't returned on time for days. They say... she's been at the manor teaching him how to read."

"Teaching him to read?" The Sire's voice turned dangerous. "Elena, are you raising a pet, or are you looking for a mate?"

"I am increasing his value!" I argued. "A king with a sharp mind is far more useful than a mindless animal!"

"Enough!" The Sire swept her hand through the air.

The shadows on the floor writhed. They twisted into sharp thorns. They shot out like vipers, wrapping around my body and squeezing tight.

"Ah!" The sharp pain sent me to my knees. The barbs on the thorns dug deep into my flesh. Cursed energy burned through my veins like fire.

"The first rule of our kind," the Sire said, looking down on me, "is to never indulge in mortal affection."

The Shadow Thorns tightened again.

I bit my lip, refusing to scream.

I gasped, looking up. "And sister... preparing healing salves for a man? Is that not a breach of the rule? Or are there two sets of rules for your daughters, Sire?"

A flicker of panic crossed Lilith's eyes before she composed herself.

"Elena, you misunderstand," she said with a gentle smile, pulling out an ancient parchment scroll. "My dealings with Father Cassian have been nothing but a means to an end. Just today, I managed to trick him into revealing the secret to purifying our blood curse."

She presented the scroll to our Sire with a bow. "This is the Litany of Light. It contains an ancient ritual that can channel the power of faith to cleanse the darkness from our very nature."

The Sire took the scroll, her eyes blazing with greed.

"Excellent, Lilith!" she nodded in satisfaction. "Once you have proven this ritual works, our entire clan will be free of this damned curse!"

She removed a crystal vial from a ring on her finger. It was filled with blood that shimmered like a ruby.

"A vial of century-old virgin's blood. A reward for your loyalty."

Lilith accepted it reverently, the look of triumph on her face now impossible to hide.

"Do you see, Elena?" The Sire turned back to me. "This is how a proper vampire behaves. Not drowning in foolish emotions, but coldly using everything and everyone."

The Shadow Thorns silently receded, but the wounds they left behind continued to bleed black.

I struggled to my feet, wiping the blood from my lips.

Lilith walked over to me, uncorked the vial, and took an elegant sip. "Ah, such sweet power. A pity you don't get any, sister."

She leaned in close, her voice a cold whisper in my ear. "Men are fickle, Elena. They whisper sweet lies. They plot betrayal. Use them before they use you. Drain him of his value. Be a good girl. Just... eat the prince."

"Fine," I said with a smirk.

I glanced at the silver bowl of herbs beside her, my heart turning to ice.

My dear sister. Did you really think your cheap imitation would work?

The priest and the prince. Both of them will be mine.

Three days later was the Royal Knight's Tournament. It was the perfect stage for Adrian to make his mark among the nobility.

I had a suit of exquisite black armor made for him, embroidered with his mother's family crest in silver thread.

A single, roaring wolf.

"Remember what I taught you," I said, adjusting his cloak. "Victory is not the goal. Winning their hearts is everything."

"I know." Adrian checked his broadsword, his eyes glinting. "Defeat my opponents with grace, show mercy to the weak, and deliver the killing blow only when it matters most."

Good. The little wolf was a fast learner.

As we walked toward the tournament grounds, we ran into a familiar pair at a street corner.

Lilith was walking out of the church, arm in arm with Cassian. She wore a pure white dress, looking every bit the part of a flawless saint.

What shocked me was that she was standing in the afternoon sun. Her skin was unnaturally pale, but she wasn't burning.

The purification ritual... it was already working.

All the glory that was once mine was now becoming hers.

"Elena!" Lilith smiled when she saw me. "What a coincidence. Are you here for the tournament too?"

Her eyes fell on Adrian behind me, and a flash of killing intent crossed her face. She almost lost her composure. But Cassian just lightly tapped her on the forehead, and she immediately became docile again.

He used to do that to me, to make me listen.

I looked at Cassian. The man in the black priest robes looked distant and ascetic. But I knew he had the softest heart.

In my past life, he helped me purify my curse and become a Daywalker.

In this life, was he going to give it all to a fraud?

Adrian whispered to me, "That woman's a vampire, too."

I nodded. "That's my sister."

Adrian thought for a moment. "I've heard of her. 'The Saint in White,' right?" He sneered. "Look at your sister. Then look at you. One is a saint. The other, a demon."

Before I could retort, a wave of cold, malevolent energy seeped into my blood.

No.

I watched in horror as my magical disguise failed. My fangs shot out. They pierced my lips. My eyes blazed crimson. A desperate hunger flooded me. Not a craving. A curse. A Blood Frenzy.

"Elena?" Lilith looked at me with "concern," but I clearly saw a faint wisp of dark magic fade from her fingertips, hidden in her sleeve.

Dark magic.

The people on the street saw my transformation and screamed in terror.

"Vampire!"

"Monster!"

The crowd scattered.

"Father Cassian!" Lilith shrieked, hiding behind him. Her voice trembled. "Please, you have to stop her! Purify this... this monster before she hurts innocent people!"

Cassian raised the blessed silver cross he wore. A holy light began to glow.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the searing pain of purification.

But the agony never came. Instead, a warm, pure energy enveloped me.

The maddening thirst began to slowly subside under its light.

My fangs retracted, and the red faded from my eyes.

Ignoring a panicked Lilith behind him, Cassian turned to me, his voice steady. "You haven't lost control. Stay alert. This is dark magic, meant to make you fall."

Beside him, for the first time, the perfect, saintly mask on Lilith's face began to crack.