Chapter 2

The banquet hall was full of clinking glasses.

I hid in the darkest corner, wearing a randomly picked black dress.

In the center, Giselle stood like a noble princess, surrounded by arrogant North American aristocrats.

Julian stood beside her, his gaze overflowing with a tenderness he hadn't shown me in five years.

"Hiding here all alone? Mourning the loss of your mate?"

A deep, elegant male voice sounded by my ear.

I turned. It was Cassian, the infamous and ancient European Prince.

He stepped closer. His long fingers conjured a black rose out of dark magic.

He leaned in, his dark red eyes locked on my bare neck.

The bite marks of Julian's blood pact were fading.

"Without the North American Lord's mark, you smell like an open invitation. Your scent will drive every male in this castle wild." Cassian tucked the black rose behind my ear with a meaningful smile. "Beautiful lady, do you need me to brand you with a new mark of protection?"

Before I could answer, a voice cut in.

"Prince Cassian, my sister's blood is indeed special." Giselle walked over, covering her mouth with a fake smile. "To stay in this manor, she never refuses any high vampire's 'requests.' Don't let her innocent act fool you."

This vicious implication drew scornful snickers from the surrounding nobles.

"Giselle!" I glared at her coldly. "Watch your mouth."

"What? Did I hit a nerve?"

Before she finished, a chilling breeze swept through the air.

Julian arrived, drawn by the scent of blood.

His red eyes locked onto the black rose Cassian gave me, boiling with the rage of a predator whose territory was invaded.

"Calista." His voice was freezing. "This is a party, Calista, not your personal hunting ground."

I shook with anger. "Julian, stop slandering me!"

"Lord Julian, you seem to have a deep misunderstanding of this lady." Cassian stepped in front of me, smiling back. "I only smell the fragrance of freedom. Since you broke her blood pact, she has the right to choose a new master."

The room's temperature dropped to freezing.

Dangerous crimson flashed in Julian's eyes.

He didn't even draw a weapon.

A shadowy tendril shot from the darkness. It violently crushed the black rose, then wrapped tightly around my neck.

"Ugh—" I was yanked into the air, feet dangling, completely unable to breathe.

This was the terrifying power of the North American overlord.

Cassian's smile vanished. His dark red eyes turned pitch black.

Two magical forces clashed in the air, cracking the marble floor like a spiderweb.

"Oh no! Julian, stop! You're choking my sister to death!" Giselle gasped, covering her mouth, but a flash of wicked joy crossed her eyes.

Julian stared at my purple, suffocating face. With a contemptuous sneer, he dismissed the shadows.

I crashed to the floor, clutching my throat and coughing violently, tears streaming down my face.

He leaned down, pinched my chin, and whispered a cruel threat: "We are not finished. You will answer for this tonight."

He threw me aside in disgust, took Giselle's hand, and walked back into the glamorous crowd.

Extreme lack of oxygen, combined with a violent cramp seized my stomach, and my vision tunneled to black. I collapsed.

Before losing consciousness, I felt myself falling into a cold, fragrant embrace.

"Calista!" Cassian wrapped me in his black trench coat. The ancient aura of a European Prince instantly forced the guards back.

Amidst blaring security alarms, he turned into black mist and swept me out of the hall.

...

When I woke up, I was in a VIP bed at an Evernight Group hospital. My stomach still ached faintly.

The encrypted communicator by the bed blinked red.

It was a death ultimatum from Julian:

[Crawl back to the manor in half an hour. Or die.]

I ripped the IV out of my hand and stumbled toward the door.

"Are you crazy? You can't move right now!" Cassian tried to stop me.

"I have to go. I don't want anything to do with him anymore!"

I pushed him away and rushed out.

But at the end of the hall, my path was blocked.

Julian, enraged like a bloodthirsty beast, teleported right in front of me.

He grabbed my jaw, his grip so tight it nearly shattered my bones.

"Let her go!" Cassian lunged forward.

But a dozen elite blood guards instantly formed a barricade, blocking Cassian.

"What? Defending your new lover already?" Julian laughed in extreme fury.

He accused me mercilessly. "I told you to crawl back, and you're here having a secret rendezvous with your lover? If anything happens to Giselle, I swear you're dead!"

I struggled desperately, which only fueled his rage.

He raised his hand.

In a flash, I was pinned violently against the wall. A metallic taste filled my throat.

The cramps in my stomach spiked.

Just then, chaotic footsteps echoed from the other end of the hall.

My parents ran over, stumbling.

My mother's face was covered in tears. My father charged at Julian like a madman.

"My Lord! It's her! She definitely did it!"

My father pointed viciously at me—pinned to the wall, drenched in cold sweat—and screamed hysterically.

"Calista got jealous! She secretly slipped 'Hunter's Blood Poison' into Giselle's glass! Giselle is dying right now!"

I froze, staring at them in disbelief.

"What did you say?"