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53 What To Do
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2025-05-13 00:02:14
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Fated In Darkness 54 In The Meantime
Adrian“In the meantime,” my father said slowly, “stay away from the girl. I don’t want them citing a violation against us.”He meant it as an order, but it came out as something closer to a plea.A promise he wanted me to make.One I couldn’t.“I doubt I can do that, Father,” I said, quietly but firmly.He nodded once. Not in approval—just in understanding. He knew where I stood. And he knew it would cost something.“It would be wise if you tried,” he said. “At least long enough to keep Dimitri from accelerating the offering just to spite you. If he thinks you're backing off, he won’t rush the ritual.”He was right. Dimitri didn’t play fair, but he played fast when provoked.“We need time,” my father continued. “Time to investigate. To negotiate. If you stay close, you give Dimitri reason to move. Let him think you’ve stepped away. Just for now.”He looked at me hard. “This isn’t about cowardice, Adrian. This is strategy. We’re playing the long game.”I took a breath and let the weigh
Fated In Darkness 53 What To Do
Adrian“This won’t be easy, son,” my father said, his voice low but heavy. “You know that.”He wasn’t just speaking as my father now—he was speaking as the former head of our family, as the man who had once made impossible choices to protect me. And now, he was asking me to make one of my own.“You lead this family now, so you understand the cost of interference. You know why we’ve always kept our distance, why we never meddle in Volodymir’s arrangements. And if she is the tribute her family owes... then you also know what that means.”I said nothing. I didn’t need him to explain—but he did anyway, laying out the old logic with cold clarity.“The debt skipped her father’s generation,” he continued. “Only two sons. No daughters to offer. But now the family has girls. And Natalie is the eldest. That means she goes first. If she fails the transformation... they’ll offer the next one. That’s how it works. That’s the price.”I clenched my jaw, the weight of inevitability pressing in on me.
Fated In Darkness 52 The Balshovs
AdrianThe lounge was the opposite of the ballroom—quiet, intimate, and heavy with the kind of silence reserved for serious matters. No music. No eyes watching. Just stone walls and ancestral expectations.My mother didn’t speak as she entered, but her expression said everything.A few seconds later, my father followed.“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, voice flat and stern. No warmth, no buildup—just blunt authority.I was the head of the Balshov clan, yes. The decision-maker. The figure the others bowed to.But they were still my parents—the two who made the sacrifices, built the walls that shielded us, and kept our legacy intact when others would’ve seen it burn.So they had the right to speak to me however they chose.And I had the patience to listen.My father was—and always would be—Strigoi. Volodymir’s nephew. No treaty could erase blood. No power could sever that kind of bond.I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, the ghost of a smile tugging at my lips. Around th
Fated In Darkness 51 Intentions
AdrianShe wasn’t supposed to be there.And yet—there she was. It explained a lot, actually. Why she was in Cainebrielle in the first place. Why things never added up the way they should have.I could’ve had her investigated from the moment I felt something shift between us. I had the means, the resources. A few calls and I would’ve known everything—where she came from, who raised her, what her bloodline whispered behind closed doors.But after living this long, I’d grown tired of knowing everything before it happened. I wanted something real. Something unscripted.I wanted to learn her the normal way.Maybe that was foolish.Especially now—after seeing the way Dimitri looked at her.That wasn’t curiosity. That wasn’t the idle interest he tossed at pretty girls. That was intent—calculated and cold. And I was certain of one thing: tonight was the first time he realized who she was.He’d been at the Cainebrielle Sponsorship Ball too. I remember catching him glancing her way once or twic
Fated In Darkness 50 Cryptic 3
Natalie Adrian led me to the dance floor and pulled me close, one hand at my back, the other gently holding mine. The music was soft, slow, haunting. A rhythm for secrets and silent wars. He leaned in, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. “Why did you come here?” he asked, voice low, careful—like he already suspected the answer. His closeness made my spine shiver, but I didn’t look away. I told him the truth. “My uncle has arranged a husband for me,” I said quietly. “And I suppose he brought me here to introduce me to the lucky winner.” Adrian’s hold didn’t tighten, but I felt the stillness in his body. The quiet rage he kept just beneath the surface. “Your uncle?” he repeated, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. “Not your father?” The music faded beneath the pounding of my heart. “My father is dead,” I said, voice small but steady. For the first time, Adrian’s expression cracked—just a little. Something flickered across his face. Not pity. Not grief. Recognition.
Fated In Darkness 49 Cryptic 2
Natalie“You’re ready to settle down?” Lancly asked, his tone laced with disbelief and amusement, like the very idea was some kind of inside joke.Dimitri didn’t blink. “Why shouldn’t I be?” he said, voice smooth, deliberate. “Especially when presented with such beauty.”His eyes stayed locked on me. Possessive. Calculating.I glanced quickly at Uncle Mike, searching his face for something—denial, resistance, anything. But he wouldn’t even look at me.Was this it?Was this the man he intended to trade me to?The infamous “circle” my family supposedly moved in. The one I was never meant to question. I always assumed it meant political leverage or academic prestige.Not aristocrats with teeth in their smiles and old blood in their veins.We weren’t like them. We never had been.I opened my mouth to speak. “I’m already—”Uncle Mike’s hand gripped my wrist under the table, sharp and sudden.“Your mother would want you to behave,” he said quietly, with venom in every word.My stomach twist
Fated In Darkness 48 Cryptic
Natalie A bit of entertainment followed—something theatrical and over-rehearsed, probably meant to distract us from the pressure building in the room. But no one was really watching. The real performance was happening offstage. I saw some of the newcomers begin to gravitate toward the VVIP tables. Most of them approached Adrian or Alpha Cain—drawn in by power cloaked in charm. Adrian, especially, seemed to hold a magnetic pull over them. They smiled too wide, laughed too hard, like they were trying to impress a king rather than introduce themselves. Few dared approach Dimitri. And honestly, I didn’t blame them. His beauty was carved in ice—unapologetic, cold, and unreadable. Everything about him said do not touch. As the performance ended, the hall loosened up. People drifted from their seats, mingling, talking in hushed tones that didn’t match the clink of glasses and low music. It felt like the part in the movie where something is about to go very, very wrong—but no one
Fated In Darkness 47 The Ball 4
Natalie “Lord Dimitri Orlov, Lady Martina Nikolson, Sir Lancly Warlock.” The announcement rang out like the toll of a bell, deep and ceremonial. My stomach tightened instinctively. And there he was. Dimitri Orlov. The same hauntingly elegant figure who had glided through the Cainebrielle Ball like some ancient noble stepped out of a painting. Flanking him were two others—a woman with icy composure and a man with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes. All three of them were beautiful. But not in a comforting way. They had the kind of beauty that made people uneasy. Pale, ethereal, almost fragile-looking, like they’d been carved from marble and never intended to bleed. Their skin was so pasty it bordered on unnatural—like sunlight hadn’t touched them in years. It made you wonder: Where do they live? How do they live? Caves? Castles wrapped in shadow? Subterranean estates? If I were close to them—which I wasn’t—I’d tell them to book a vacation somewhere tropical. Let the sun
Fated In Darkness 46 The Ball 3
NatalieUncle Mike and Mr. Graham returned not long after, along with the rest of the family heads who had vanished into that shadowy meeting.Whatever had been discussed behind those doors had left no visible trace on their faces, but the air felt heavier, more strained. Like something had been set in motion and no one wanted to admit it.Since Lisa and I were already seated, her father and my uncle settled at the same table, ending our conversation without so much as a glance. Their presence shifted the mood instantly—quiet tension replacing the fragile safety we’d carved out.Then a voice rang out, crisp and commanding, calling the room to attention.All eyes turned toward the front as a curtain began to rise.I hadn’t even realized the hall was partitioned. But now, as the heavy fabric lifted, it revealed what had been hidden in plain sight—a separate section, elevated and almost shrine-like.Three sleek tables stood in a wide arc, each with three chairs. Nine in total.Nine seats
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