تسجيل الدخولIn the Elder Sanctum, attendants whispered among themselves."Did you hear? The Chief Enforcer's human wife — she's the body they found at the border.""I heard she snuck out of the territory on her own and got killed by a rogue vampire. Brought it on herself.""Poor Damien. At least he has Vivienne to comfort him.""Such a strong woman. Still going through Blood Withering treatment and dealing with all this."Vivienne lay in her treatment chamber, soaking in every drop of sympathy. Each pitying glance, each concerned word made her smile a little brighter.She was celebrating my death while pretending to mourn it.Then a squad of enforcers appeared at the end of the corridor. Their footsteps were sharp and synchronized.Vivienne's smile froze.An attendant tried to block them. "This is a treatment area, you can't—"The lead enforcer held up a seal bearing the Vampire King's crest. "Step aside.""There must be a mistake!" Vivienne's voice pitched high with practiced panic. "I'm in the m
Damien staggered into the cold chamber again, Marcus gripping his arm to keep him upright.He looked at my ruined body, and a raw, guttural sound tore from his throat — like a wounded animal.I watched him, confused. Why did he look so shattered?Wasn't my death exactly what he wanted? I was the obstacle between him and Vivienne. With me gone, nothing stood in their way.His fingers found the long scar on my back. The one I got throwing myself between him and a Holylight dagger. His hand trembled."Lena..." His voice cracked. "How did it end up like this?""When we first bonded, you were so good to me. Every time the blood thirst hit, you stayed by my side and took care of me. You swore you'd always be there. And I... I promised to protect you."He dragged a hand roughly across his face. "What changed? Was it after Vivienne came back? Or was it me? Did I push you into this?""I thought the blood donation wouldn't endanger your life. I just couldn't watch Vivienne die. But now..."Now h
Damien's face drained of color, but he forced his voice steady. "It's a coincidence. Lena is probably fine, somewhere in the human world."He turned on the compounder. "Do you know my wife? Are you working with her? Deceiving an enforcer carries severe consequences."The old vampire shrank back, shaking his head frantically.Before Damien could press further, an urgent message from Marcus cut through: the Blood Tracing Rite was complete.One of the senior enforcers gripped Damien's shoulder. "Go back to the Hall. We'll finish up here."But Damien didn't move. He crouched down and touched the dried blood on the floor — traces left behind from when the body had been stored here."How much pain was she in?" he whispered.A few of the younger enforcers turned away.Damien staggered out like a man walking through fog.Watching him stumble, my heart clenched despite everything.From the day of our bonding to the day I died, he never once called me by any term of endearment. No "darling," no
The last time I "disappeared," it was during a hunting gathering hosted by one of the pureblood families.Vivienne had suggested we take a walk together, just the two of us. "Let's get to know each other properly," she said with that gentle smile.Once we were deep in the woods, far from the others, she shoved me into the Darkmist Bog.Every vampire knew the bog was harmless to their kind but toxic to humans. The mist alone could knock a person unconscious in minutes. Damien had mentioned at dinner once that I couldn't even handle basic exposure to the wilds — and I'd seen the way Vivienne's eyes lit up when he said it.The poisonous fog flooded my lungs. I couldn't breathe, couldn't see. My legs sank into the muck as the world spun.Somehow, I dragged myself out. I don't know how long it took. My leg was injured, my clothes ruined, my body shaking.When I finally limped back to the gathering spot, everyone was gone. They had packed up and left without me.It took me hours to make it
Damien had barely finished his connection with Vivienne when Clara appeared at the Enforcer's Hall."Damien, have you heard from Lena? She had an appointment with a human physician tomorrow — a pregnancy checkup. It's been scheduled for weeks."Clara was my only friend in the vampire world. She had known Damien before me, but she chose my side. In a world full of vampires who treated me like mobile blood bank, Clara's friendship was the only warmth I had."Pregnancy checkup?" Damien's lip curled. "What pregnancy?""I've been trying to reach her for days," Clara pressed. "No response to anything. Nothing. I'm worried, Damien.""Worried about what? She's probably off somewhere throwing a tantrum."Clara's voice sharpened. "She's your mate. She could be carrying your child. Do you not care at all?"Damien cut her off. "You don't understand how things work among vampire and human, Clara. Don't let Lena use you. She made up this pregnancy to avoid giving blood to Vivienne. She has always be
Back at the Enforcer's Hall, the atmosphere was heavy.Marcus displayed his findings before the assembled enforcers. "The victim endured extended torture before death. Multiple broken bones, systematic blade wounds. The methods were deliberate — whoever did this took their time."The faces around the room darkened.The cellar wasn't the original crime scene. The body had been moved there, which meant the real location was still out there, along with whatever evidence it held."Search every patrol log from the past week," Damien ordered. "Check the boundary wards for anomalies. Someone carried a human body into our territory — the wards should have flagged it."He turned to Marcus. "Run the Blood Tracing Rite. I want to know who she is."Then he swept out with his team.My husband poured more effort into identifying a stranger's corpse than he had ever spent on me while I was alive.I thought of last month, when I gave him my mother's talisman.It was the only thing I had left of my fam