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119 Troubled

last update Last Updated: 2025-06-19 21:30:03

Carson

The night stretched on, merciless and eternal, like every breath I drew was borrowed from something darker.

I sat in the silence, tangled in thoughts that bit deeper than any fang ever could.

Why her?

Why fate would tangle me in the life of a woman already claimed by something—someone—far greater than I was. A god among monsters.

It was a cruel joke, to pit me against Adrian, the ancient one with shadows in his veins and death in his eyes. I was never meant to win that fight.

Natalie didn’t need to say it.

The truth was there, haunting the way she looked at him, like he was both her savior and her ruin. And me? I was the pause between her heartbeats. I was the waiting. The compromise.

In the dark of my room, alone with only the hollow sound of my own breathing, I asked the stars one question:

What’s in this for me?

“We can’t give up now,” my wolf growled from within, his voice like cracked stone. “We fight. She’s been promised to us. Her father signed the parchment. Once it’s v
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dreamy
it's kind of "hisab barabar" adrian protected her mother and Carson protected Natalie.
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  • Fated In Darkness   221 Apocalypse in Waiting

    AdrianMy father’s eyes snapped to him, the weight of centuries behind his gaze. Then, with a resigned sigh, he leaned back and muttered, “I suppose Adrian has told you why we cannot go for him head-on.”Dimitri’s nod was tight, unreadable, but I knew the truth of it had shaken him.“I’ve tried to reach out to Giuseppe,” my father went on, his tone clipped, urgent now. “No response. But make no mistake, we must put Dragomir to sleep before he wakes Volodymir. If that happens…” He set his glass down with a deliberate thud, the sound carrying finality. “…we will face another war. Not a clean war, either, one with fledglings and abominations flooding the streets. They have no respect for humanity, no restraint. I have lived through such times. I will not see them rise again.”He lifted his glass once more, downing it in a single gulp.“The world will not be safe so long as Dragomir roams free,” he continued. “And gods help us all if Volodymir stirs. Having two of them awake at the same t

  • Fated In Darkness   220 Old Gods, New Wars

    AdrianWe pushed the van harder than necessary and didn’t roll into the manor until three-thirty. The night still belonged to us, barely. Enough time to act.Crossing the threshold, I couldn’t help but wonder how the intervention with Natalie’s mother had gone. My parents were skilled in handling delicate truths, far more suited to that role than I ever could be. Still, part of me worried, Nicole wasn’t strong, and if she faltered, Natalie would break with her.But I didn’t have time to linger on that. Not tonight.“Milo,” I ordered the moment we entered, “fetch Arya.”He didn’t hesitate. He knew better.I had already decided, I’d lock Arya in the lower levels. Eliminating her for cozying up to Martina was the logical choice, the clean choice… but perhaps not the wise one. Many of my Dhampirs had Strigoi friends, and I hadn’t gutted them for it. Arya was different, yes, but to strike her down outright would raise questions. And questions inside my own walls were dangerous.“That quick

  • Fated In Darkness   219 The Weight of Power

    AdrianPower isn’t a gift. It’s a curse with a pulse, and tonight mine was whispering Dragomir’s name.Staring at the monitors, I wasn’t afraid. Fear had long since been bled out of me. What I felt was something heavier, concern.How the hell were we supposed to put Dragomir back to sleep?Someone like him shouldn’t be left breathing, shouldn’t be allowed to walk in a world as fragile as this one. There had to be a way to sever the bond between master and sired, a way to cut the cord that kept him tethered to my father, and through him, to me.I didn’t want to think about the cruelty of it, but necessity has no mercy. Letting someone who wielded this much power, who had no regard for humanity, no respect for free will, continue to exist… that would be a mistake of catastrophic proportions.As I watched the flickering screens, I finally understood what others must see when they looked at me. Why they feared me. Why some whispered that I should not exist. When you carry this kind of pow

  • Fated In Darkness   218 Taken

    Dimitri“I see…” I said slowly. “Then I’ll speak with Lancly. We’ll find the best way to put him to sleep. We can’t move on Dragomir until we’ve figured that part out. And it means we’ll have to wake some of the elders, have the numbers for the ceremony.”I forced myself to think past the fear and the weight of what Adrian had just revealed. Practicality first. Survival first.Adrian gave a single, silent nod, and that was the end of the conversation.We picked up our pace, the wind cutting cold around us. When we reached the mansion, the scene stopped me cold.Lancly’s face was tight with fury. Carson stood off to the side, still as stone.“They didn’t go in,” Lancly said.“What happened?” I asked, scanning the grounds.“Ethan attacked the mansion,” Lancly said grimly. “Lucian said it was a fight they weren’t prepared for.”My eyes narrowed. “Why…”Then I turned to Adrian. “Isn’t Ethan your Dhampir?”“Yes,” I admitted, “but he’s also Michael’s driver and bodyguard. We assign Dhampirs

  • Fated In Darkness   217 The Second of Volodymyr

    DimitriWe touched down in Hawkshire a little after two.All the way back, my thoughts kept circling Charles, how satisfying it would be to get my hands on him. The names Adrian needed would be easy enough to pry from him, and cleaning out every last traitor on that list would be even easier.At the hangar, Lancly and Carson went ahead with Charles, while I hung back with Adrian. The walk to the mansion wasn’t far at our speed, but with the way Lancly and Carson were moving, they were in no rush. They were even talking about things that had nothing to do with the mission, laughing, like this was a stroll in the park instead of a matter of life and death. It seemed the two of them were actually becoming friends.“Adrian,” I called once we had some distance from the others.“Yes?” His voice was clipped, his focus elsewhere. I could tell he wanted to get home.“Why aren’t we making plans to rescue Brian?” I asked.That stopped him. He turned to face me fully, studying me like he was weig

  • Fated In Darkness   216 The Truth in Venom

    Natalie “Mom,” I said, and my voice cracked. The pressure in my chest was almost unbearable. Tears were already threatening, but I had to get the words out. “They weren’t curing your cancer,” I whispered. She blinked at me, confusion tightening her brow. “They were… experimenting on you,” I said slowly, each word like a stone in my mouth. “An illegal, unapproved experiment. And I believe Uncle Michael signed you up for it, on purpose, as his ‘contribution’ to their cause.” Her eyes widened, a flicker of fear breaking through her composure. I reached for her hand, gripping it tight, my tears finally spilling over. “I love you, Mom. I won’t be angry with you no matter what you decide to do… but I need you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll be here. We can get through this, together. We have help now. But please… please don’t shut down on me. Don’t freak out.” Because deep down, I was terrified. Terrified she might choose death over what was coming. That they’d have to take

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