Chapter 5

ELENA'S POV

"Viviana! Viviana, wake up!"

I shook her, panic rising in my chest. Her skin was burning hotter, her breathing shallow and rapid.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

She was supposed to be my enemy. The woman who stole Lucian from me. The woman who humiliated me in front of the entire vampire council.

But now she was dying in my arms.

"Seraphine!" I screamed into the darkness.

"Seraphine, I need help!"

She appeared instantly, materializing from the shadows like a ghost. Her eyes widened when she saw Viviana.

"What happened?"

"She said she was poisoned. By the vampire council. She said—"

"Move aside." Seraphine pushed me back and pressed her fingers to Viviana's neck. Her expression darkened. "Nightshade poison."

I froze. "Nightshade? But I thought—"

"Not your Nightshade bloodline. The plant.

Deadly nightshade, mixed with vampire blood and dark magic. It's one of the few things that can kill a pureblood vampire." She looked up at me. "This was meant to be a slow, agonizing death. Someone wanted her to suffer."

"Can you save her?"

Seraphine hesitated. "Maybe. But we need to get her to a safe house. Now."

She scooped Viviana up effortlessly. "Stay close to me. If they poisoned her, they might be watching to see who helps her. That would make you a target."

"I'm already a target," I said bitterly.

We ran through Central Park, Seraphine moving at inhuman speed while I struggled to keep up. My new abilities helped, I was faster than I'd ever been,but I still couldn't match her pace.

By the time we reached the brownstone, I was gasping for air, my lungs burning.

Seraphine kicked the door open and carried Viviana to a room I hadn't seen before, some kind of medical lab with equipment that looked both ancient and futuristic.

She laid Viviana on a metal table and immediately started pulling out vials, herbs, and tools I didn't recognize.

"What can I do?" I asked.

"Stay out of my way." Seraphine was already cutting open Viviana's expensive dress, exposing black veins spreading across her pale skin like cracks in porcelain. "This is advanced dark magic. One wrong move and she dies."

I backed against the wall, watching helplessly as Seraphine worked.

She mixed substances in a bowl, liquids that glowed, powders that smoked, and what looked like her own blood. Then she forced Viviana's mouth open and poured the mixture down her throat.

Viviana convulsed violently, her body arching off the table.

"Hold her down!" Seraphine commanded.

I rushed forward and grabbed Viviana's shoulders, using my newfound strength to keep her still. Her skin burned my hands, but I didn't let go.

"Come on," Seraphine muttered, her hands hovering over Viviana's chest, glowing with golden light. "Come on, you stubborn bitch. Fight it."

The black veins started to recede slowly.

Viviana's convulsions weakened. Her breathing, while still labored, became more regular.

After what felt like an eternity, Seraphine stepped back, her face pale and exhausted.

"She'll live," she said. "But she's going to be weak for days. Maybe weeks."

I released Viviana and stepped back, my hands shaking. "Why did you save her? She's been horrible to me. She took Lucian. She—"

"She's also the only one who can tell us what the vampire council is planning." Seraphine wiped blood from her hands. "And whether you like it or not, she just risked her life to warn you.

That means something."

I looked down at Viviana's unconscious form.

Even dying and poisoned, she was beautiful.

Perfect features. Flawless skin. Everything I wasn't.

"She said her pregnancy was fake," I said quietly.

Seraphine nodded. "I suspected as much.

Vampires can only reproduce under very specific circumstances. For a pureblood like Viviana to get pregnant by Lucian, they would have needed to perform a bonding ritual. And that requires true love or a fated mate connection. Viviana has neither with Lucian."

"But I do?" The words came out bitter. "I'm his fated mate, but he threw me away anyway?"

"The mate bond is complicated," Seraphine said. "Some vampires fight it. Fear it. Especially powerful ones like Lucian who are used to controlling everything in their lives. A fated mate means losing control. Becoming vulnerable. For someone like him, that's terrifying."

"I don't care," I said, anger rising. "He made his choice. He can live with it."

Viviana stirred, a soft moan escaping her lips.

Her ruby eyes fluttered open, unfocused and confused. When she saw me, she tried to sit up but collapsed back onto the table.

"Don't move," Seraphine ordered. "You nearly died. The poison is neutralized, but you're still weak."

Viviana's gaze found mine. "You... you saved me?"

"Seraphine saved you," I corrected. "I just called for help."

"Why?" Viviana whispered. "After everything I did to you... why would you help me?"

I didn't have a good answer. Maybe it was because I wasn't like them. Maybe it was because despite everything, I couldn't watch someone die when I could prevent it.

"You said you had information," I said instead.

"About the vampire council. About them coming for me."

Viviana's expression hardened. "Not just you. Your baby. They want the child."

My hand went protectively to my stomach.

"Why? What do they want with my baby?"

"The prophecy," Viviana said, struggling to sit up. This time Seraphine helped her, propping pillows behind her back. "There's an ancient prophecy about the Nightshade bloodline. It says that when the last heir awakens and bears a child with a Aion vampire, that child will have the power to unite or destroy the supernatural world."

"I know about the prophecy," I said. "Lord Konstantin mentioned it."

"What you don't know," Viviana continued, "is that the vampire council is split. Half of them want to control the child, raise it to be their weapon. The other half..." She paused, pain crossing her face. "The other half wants the child destroyed before it's born. They're afraid of what it could become."

Ice flooded my veins. "They want to kill my baby?"

"They want to kill both of you," Viviana said.

"That's why they poisoned me. I found out about their plan and threatened to expose them. So they decided to eliminate me and frame it as a tragic accident. Then they'd move on to you."

"Who?" I demanded. "Which council members?"

"Lord Konstantin is on your side. He believes the child is the key to ending centuries of supernatural warfare. But Lady Morgana, Lord Draven, and Viktor the Ancient, they're leading the faction that wants you dead." Viviana leaned forward. "And they have Lucian's mother on their side."

That hit me like a physical blow. "Lucian's mother wants my baby dead?"

"She's always hated humans," Viviana said quietly. "And she's always controlled by Lucian.

She's the one who pushed him to choose me over you. She's the one who orchestrated everything."

Seraphine cursed in that ancient language again. "Councilor Morgana Aion. Of course.

She's one of the oldest and most powerful vampires alive. If she wants Elena dead..."

"We're in serious trouble," Viviana finished.

"She has resources, armies, and ancient magic. And she won't stop until Elena and the baby are gone."

I felt my knees weaken. I sank into a chair, my hand still on my stomach.

"What about Lucian?" I asked, hating how my voice trembled. "Does he know about this?"

Viviana's expression softened with something that looked like pity. "Lucian doesn't know anything. His mother keeps him in the dark, feeds him lies, manipulates him. She told him I was really pregnant. She told him you were trying to trap him with false claims. She's been controlling him his entire life, and he's too blind to see it."

"Then we tell him the truth," I said. "We make him see—"

"He won't believe you," Viviana interrupted.

“He'll think you're trying to manipulate him. His mother has spent centuries building his distrust of humans. You're carrying proof that everything she told him is a lie, but he's not ready to accept that yet."

"Then what do I do?" I asked desperately. "How do I protect my baby from the most powerful vampires in the world?"

"You run," Viviana said. "You disappear. Let Seraphine take you somewhere they can't find you until the baby is born and your powers fully awaken."

"Running won't work," Seraphine said. "They'll hunt her to the ends of the earth. We need to go on the offensive."

"Against the vampire council?" Viviana laughed weakly. "That's suicide."

"Maybe," Seraphine said. "But Elena is a Nightshade. The last of a bloodline that once ruled vampires. If she awakens her full power, she could challenge the council. Maybe even defeat them."

"She's two months pregnant and barely trained," Viviana pointed out. "How is she supposed to—"

The pendant around my neck suddenly burned hot.

"Get down!" Seraphine screamed.

She tackled me to the ground just as the window exploded inward.

Three vampires crashed into the room, eyes glowing, fangs extended, moving with lethal purpose.

"Found you," one of them hissed. A woman with silver hair and violet eyes. "The Nightshade heir and the traitor Drakov. Lady Morgana sends her regards."

Seraphine was already moving, her weapons flashing. She killed one vampire before he could even react, her silver dagger through his heart.

But the other two were faster, older, more experienced.

One grabbed Seraphine and slammed her into the wall hard enough to crack the concrete. The other, the silver-haired woman, lunged straight for me.

I rolled aside, but she was too fast. Her hand closed around my throat, lifting me off the ground.

"The council wants you dead, Nightshade," she snarled. "But I'll settle for just the baby."

Her other hand moved toward my stomach, claws extended.

No.

NO.

Something inside me exploded.

Power erupted from my body in a wave of golden light. The vampire holding me screamed and flew backward, crashing through the wall into the next room.

I landed on my feet, breathing hard, my entire body glowing with golden energy.

The vampire attacking Seraphine turned toward me, shock in his eyes.

"Impossible," he breathed. "She's already awakening—"

I didn't think so. I just acted.

I reached out my hand, and I felt it, his blood.

Pumping through his ancient veins. Under my control.

I closed my fist.

His body convulsed. Blood poured from his eyes, his nose, his mouth. He fell to his knees, gasping.

"Stop," he choked out. "Please—"

I squeezed harder.

His heart exploded inside his chest.

He turned to ash.

The silver-haired vampire struggled to her feet, fear replacing arrogance. "You're just a human.

You can't—"

"I'm not human," I said, my voice echoing with power I didn't understand. "I'm a Nightshade. And you threatened my child."

I didn't need to touch her. I just needed to will it.

Her blood boiled inside her veins. She screamed, a horrible, agonized sound, before she too turned to ash.

The golden light faded. I collapsed to my knees, exhausted and terrified by what I'd just done.

Seraphine rushed to my side. "Elena! Are you alright?"

"I killed them," I whispered. "I just... I killed them."

"You defended yourself," Seraphine said firmly.

"You defended your child. And you just proved you're stronger than any of us realized."

Viviana stared at me from the table, her eyes wide. "You just killed two fourth-tier vampires.

Without training. Without even thinking about it." She laughed weakly. "The council is right to fear you."

I looked down at my hands, still trembling. "I didn't mean to. I just... I couldn't let them hurt my baby."

"The maternal instinct combined with Nightshade power," Seraphine said. "It's waking up faster because of the pregnancy. Your body knows it needs to protect the child."

A sound from outside made us all freeze.

More footsteps. More vampires.

"They're coming," Viviana said. "More of them.

The council must have sent an entire squad."

Seraphine pulled out her weapons. "I can hold them off, but you need to run. Both of you."

"I'm not leaving you," I said.

"You have to!" Seraphine grabbed my shoulders. "Your baby is more important than any of us. If you die, the Nightshade bloodline dies with you. Run, Elena. Run and don't look back."

Tears streamed down my face. "Where do I go?"

"There's a car in the garage. Keys are in the ignition. Drive north. There's a safe house in the mountains, coordinates are in the GPS. Go there and wait for me."

"What if you don't come?"

Seraphine smiled sadly. "Then you survive anyway. You fight. You protect your child. And you make them all pay for what they've done."

The front door exploded inward.

"GO!" Seraphine screamed.

I grabbed Viviana, still weak but conscious, and half-dragged, half-carried her toward the garage.

Behind us, I heard Seraphine's battle cry and the sounds of fighting.

We made it to the garage. A black SUV sat waiting, just like she said.

I shoved Viviana into the passenger seat and jumped behind the wheel.

The engine roared to life.

I floored the gas pedal and burst out of the garage, tires screaming.

In the rearview mirror, I saw the brownstone light up with golden and red light, Seraphine fighting for her life.

Fighting for mine.

"Please be okay," I whispered. "Please."

Viviana grabbed my arm weakly. "She's one of the best warriors in vampire history. If anyone can survive, it's her."

I drove through the empty New York streets, heading north like Seraphine told me.

My phone buzzed.

I glanced at it.

A text from a number:

"You can't run forever, Elena. I'll find you. I'll find our child. And when I do, we'll settle this, once and for all.”

Lucian.

He knew. Somehow, he knew everything.

And he was coming for me.