Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Mark slowly tilted his face. Her lips parted in a sigh as she felt the gentle chill of his breath mingling with hers.

"Look at me…" he murmured.

When their lips finally met, the kiss was slow. Mark kissed her as if tasting something he had desired for centuries.

Elena moaned softly, surprised by the intensity coursing through her body.

His tongue touched hers carefully. When she responded, the kiss deepened, becoming hotter and hungrier. He kissed her with urgency.

Mark’s fingers slid to the nape of her neck, holding her close. Elena clutched his jacket, surrendering to that madness.

A sigh escaped his lips, full of desire. For a second, his eyes glowed a deep red, reflected in the dark glass of the window. He pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers.

"You have no idea what you awaken in me…" he whispered, his voice vibrating like a spell. "Or how hard I’m fighting not to take you completely."

She closed her eyes, her entire body trembling. She knew that kiss was more than desire.

"It’s not right…" she murmured. "A man my age shouldn’t even think about seducing you."

She smiled, a sweet smile.

"Don’t think like that," she replied, almost in a whisper. "I wanted it too."

Her hand slowly rose to his face. The touch was too warm for him. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his heart react to that caress.

It was too late for regrets.

She leaned in and kissed him.

When they parted, her hand still rested on his face.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Darkmoor," she said, smiling.

She stepped out of the car without looking back.

He watched her enter the hotel, every step etched into his immortal memory. Only then did he close the window.

"Home," he said to the driver.

On the way, his phone vibrated.

"Vlad, my dear brother," Valkyria’s voice was far too sweet to be innocent. "Come to my house. I have virgin blood for you."

He closed his eyes.

"Valkyria…"

"I’m not asking, brother. You will come."

"If I drink… I will be renewed."

"I know. That’s the intention. I’ve already told you that this old carcass doesn’t suit you. You’re too handsome to hide."

He let out a low, bitter laugh.

"I’ll have to hold a funeral for Mark if I do this…"

"Ah," she replied, indifferent. "As if that’s news."

The call ended.

Half an hour later, he saw his sister’s mansion atop the hill. Vlad crossed the iron gates with slow steps.

Valkyria awaited him in the main hall, seated on her black velvet throne, a satisfied smile on her red lips.

"You came," she said, rising. "I knew you would."

"Don’t confuse things, sister," he replied, serious. "I haven’t decided to drink yet."

She approached, circling him like a patient predator.

"You decided the moment you kissed that human," she whispered. "She awakened your vanity… and your hunger."

With a gesture, Valkyria summoned three women. All adults, dressed in white, eyes lowered, aware of the role they would play that night. The air shifted. Ancient power awakened.

"Three," Valkyria explained softly. "One for strength, one for youth… and one to seal the rebirth."

Vlad hesitated only a second. Pride, desire, nostalgia for himself, all mixed together. Then he did it, and on the third, the world seemed to explode inside him.

His bones cracked beneath his skin. The pain came fast, intense… and then disappeared, replaced by an overwhelming sensation of power. The aged hands became firm. The skin regained its lost glow. Dark hair fell heavy over his shoulders once more. The reflection in the tall hall mirror no longer showed Mark.

It showed Vlad. Young. Handsome. Deadly dangerous.

He took a deep breath, an old habit, and picked up the phone.

"Mr. Whitmore," he said to the lawyer. "I want to start the arrangements for Mark Darkmoor’s funeral. Discreet. Only what’s necessary… Yes. All according to the law."

He hung up.

A slow sigh escaped his lips as he turned to his sister.

"What is it, Vlad?" Valkyria asked, crossing her arms, amused.

"I had plans for that body," he said, with a melancholic smile.

She laughed, approaching and touching his chest.

"You can keep this one," her eyes sparkled. "Your little girlfriend can trade the old man… for you."

Vlad glanced at the window, where the night seemed more alive than ever.

And he smiled like a man who had just been reborn.

"Then so be it," Vlad finally said.

He turned without looking back and walked down the corridor to the door.

Valkyria watched for only a second before smiling. In the blink of an eye, her body dissolved into shadows and wings. The black bat flew and stopped in front of him at the door, returning to human form.

"Aren’t you going to sleep with the three?" she asked, tilting her head, teasing.

Vlad adjusted the coat, now falling perfectly over his young body.

"No."

She raised a playful eyebrow.

"If it were before…"

He interrupted her:

"Before, I had no purpose."

Valkyria studied him a moment longer. There was no mockery in her eyes this time, only curiosity.

"Hmm…" she murmured. "Then it’s her."

Vlad neither confirmed nor denied. He just opened the door and walked to the car.

"Good evening, sister."

"Good evening, Vlad," she replied, with a slow smile. "Just don’t forget… purposes always come at a price."

He got in the car. As the mansion faded behind him, Vlad closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Her face came to mind.

Sweet. Innocent. Dangerously tempting.

Perhaps, he thought, this was the riskiest purpose of all.

When he arrived home, Vlad dismissed the driver with a simple gesture and entered alone. The door closed behind him with a supernatural, dry sound.

He walked, loosening his tie. The fabric slid through his fingers and was left on the sideboard, along with the coat he placed on the first armchair he saw. The jacket was left on the stairs.

He continued walking, went upstairs to the bedroom.

He unbuttoned his shirt one by one, feeling the cold air touch his newly restored skin. The white piece slipped off his shoulders and stayed along the path, marking the way to the bedroom.

When he entered, he paused in front of the mirror for a brief moment. The reflection returned a man he knew well.

He took a deep breath.

Not for the body he had regained.

But for the face that insisted on occupying his thoughts.

He turned off the light and let the night take over...