~VALERINA~ As a child, I had always wondered why nature had been so kind to such gruesome beings—those cold-blooded creatures, who slaughtered our families and enslaved our siblings just to satisfy their hedonistic existence.But now walking behind me in a haunting silence was this golden princess, who seemed far from grisly than I had once imagined. I tried in vain to harness my straying mind, but there were still parts of me that felt wild and untamed at the thought of us being alone together. It was getting harder to ignore the ever-royally presence of the great Anastasia Romanov and her piercing golden stare that seemed to burn like a brilliant sun.Irresistible was her weapon. Yes, she was i

All the tensions that mounted me from the visit to the camp made me unbearably tired. I was actually relieved to be back at the castle. It looked now as if it had been a lifetime ago since I left my palace in Moscow. How the Royal Council had been holding up in my absence all this time became my concern. I had not the slightest clue as to what they were doing, nor had I been thinking about the possibility that they would come looking for me.Would they seek my sister out to guide the nation during their diplomatic crisis? Since the time I dissolved the Vampire Assembly back in Beliy Dom, we hadn't reached any solution aside from my letter to the Kaiser. I wondered if Alex already heard the news of my abduction. Would she return to Kremlin, away from her paradise of serenity, to rescue me? I sure did not have high hope that she would find me any time soon, but a part of me knew my older s

~ALEXANDRA~ I followed the generals through the maze of streets, leading to the Kremlin Palace's Red Porch. What a contrast to the gilded opulence of the old Kremlin. The great city of Moscow had become a rubbish heap of history. Rats and crows now roamed the filthy alleys. I remembered churches and parks, which today were falling apart and worn down with age. Deserted and dilapidated palaces reminded me of the ill fate that had befallen my own family.Was this how I wanted my home to be? I was born into the richest royal house in the world, but now all I had was ashes of the past.The red-eyed soldiers stood at attention along the path to the Cathedral of the Dormition. It was where my anointing and c

Trotsky and Krasnoff along with the other important members of the Circle were gathering in the Phoenix Hall. Our spies had been doing reconnaissance in Kremlin and delivered enough needed reports from their espionage.In two-day time, it was going to be Anastasia's older sister's coronation. The two generals had convened our brothers and sisters to discuss the plan. Now we were crafting the biggest Machiavellian operation that had never been carried out before by our movement.The mission would be in motion before sunrise. The Hunters would attack during the royal parade. If somehow the first attempt failed, we would activate the second plan and finish the job inside the cathedral where Alexandra Romanov would be crowned. However, there was this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn't go away. My unfettered heart was

After what had seemed like forever, I brought Anastasia on a horseback to the wood near the mountain slope. I sighed in relief when I found the safe house, standing inconspicuously and surrounded by its typical Siberian landscape. The roof was coated with frosty snow. The house was hidden among white trunks of the snow-covered pines.Without delay, I hurried Stardust towards the warm shelter. A terrifying knowledge that Anastasia's life was in a dire state twisted my heart with sharp pain. I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind. Against all odds and logic, I still dared to hope. She could not leave me like this. I would not allow it!After swinging myself off the horse, I grabbed Anastasia's listless form off the saddle. She was still wrapped in my red cape. Her face showed no expressions. Her cold body was limp in my arms as I car