LOGINElara's POVThe car was coming too fast.I didn’t have the strength left to move again, not to jump aside, not to run, not even to scream.So I closed my eyes.I braced for the pain.. for the impact.And then….I heard the sound of the tires screeching loudly.Wind rushed past me as the car skidded, stopping just short of where I stood.There was no impact.It was just the silence.My knees buckled.I collapsed onto the road, my palms scraping against the rough surface as my body finally gave up.My heart hammered wildly in my chest, and then it hit me all at once.I was alive.The realization crashed over me so hard it made me dizzy.I dragged in a shaky breath, then another, my vision blurring as the adrenaline drained from my system.Then, the car door slammed open.Footsteps approached me, their fast and urgent.I lifted my head weakly, squinting against the glare of the headlights.A figure stepped out from the shadows.My mind scrambled desperately, trying to make sense of what
Elara POVThe room was too small for the amount of fear running through me.I crouched in the corner of the room, my back pressed so hard against the stone wall that it felt like the cold was seeping into my bones.My knees were drawn to my chest, my arms wrapped around myself like I could hold my body together by sheer will alone.They stood a few steps away.The two guards.Both of them smiling from ear to ear.These smiles were slow and deliberate, like they had all the time in the world and I was nothing more than something left behind for their amusement.Thier eyes filled with lust and at that point, I knew I shouldn't have attacked Elder Martins..My heart hammered violently against my ribs.I listened as they spoke to each other, their words low and casua, as if I weren’t sitting right there.“You go first.” one said to the other, leaning over to him, still tugging that grin.Then the other nodded in agreement, as his eyes locked on me.“I’ll be back,” he said, turning toward
Aldric’s POVThe moonlight spilled through the tall windows of my room, casting a soft and chill glow on the floots.I stood there unmoving, my hands braced against the cold glass, staring into the night as if it might give her back to me if I looked hard enough.It didn’t.All I saw was the darkness.Elara’s face wouldn’t leave my mind, not even for a second.I couldn't sleep, because of I shut my eyes even for a sceond, the picture of her lying dead appears.I had let her walk into the markets alone. I had convinced myself this kingdom was safe, that the danger had ended with Valor’s death and the end of the vampire war.I had been wrong.The knock at the door cut through my thoughts like a blade.“Enter,” I said, my voice hoarse.And then, Jonas stepped inside, his expression tight and controlled, but I knew him well enough to see the tension under it.“What is it?!” I asked, my tone sharp.“Sir,” he said carefully. “Elder Martins has returned to the kingdom. He’s entering the grou
Elara POVThe room felt smaller every time I took a step.I paced back and forth, my bare feet brushing against the cold stone floor, my breaths uneven as my mind raced even faster than my body could keep up with.The walls were close, there was hardly any space in here and no windows except the one and no furniture except the chair they’d tied me to earlier.The air smelled damp, stale, like it hadn’t been disturbed in days.I guess no one came here unless someone was meant to disappear or be killed.My chest tightened at the thought, but I shoved it away quickly.I had to get out of here.Aldric is alot of things, but he's not a psychic to know my exact location every time.I stopped pacing when my eyes landed on the window again.It was small and narrow enough that even if I reached it, squeezing through would be hell.But that wasn’t what caught my attention this time.It was the bolts.The metal bolts held the frame firmly in place, with thick screws drilled into stone.I hadn’t
Aldric’s POVI paced around the chamber room.Back and forth. Back and forth.The stone floors of the room echoed under my shoes, each step sharp.The room felt suffocating with each passing minute.I knew it!!I fucking knew I shouldn’t have let her go to the markets alone!I shouldn't have supported her idea of localizing!The thought repeated like a curse in my head, till it felt like it drilled into my skull.I had that uneasy feeling when she suggested. I knew it could go sideways easily..But, ignored the feeling.Because she wanted normal. Because I wanted to believe, just for a moment, that she could walk freely in my kingdom without fear.“Fuck!” I snarled, my voice cracking through the room.My hand swept across the table, sending goblets and papers around crashing to the ground.I clenched my fists tightly and broke through a wooden chair next to me.But it wasn't enough.The rage inside me demanded release, it demanded destruction.I grabbed a porcelain vase near the windo
Elara POVThe thick darkness pressed in around me when I woke.It was near suffocating and heavy black that clung to my skin and made it hard to breathe.My head throbbed relentlessly, like a war was happening inside it.I tried to move but a wave of pain ripped through my arms instantly.A sharp gasp tore from my throat as my eyes flew open, that's when it all slammed into me.I was upright, sitting… but not by choice.My wrists were tied up tightly to the arms of a wooden chair with the thick ropes digging painfully into my skin.My ankles were tied too, immobilizing me completely.That's when the panic surged up fast.“No…” I whispered hoarsely.I pulled against the restraints, but the ropes didn’t loosen.They burned against my skin, biting deeper with every struggle.My breathing soon became erratic.Where was I?I took a long look around.The room I was in was small and dim, illuminated by a single lantern hanging on the far wall.The air in the room was stale and heavy, carryin







