(Brielle’s POV)“Brielle, please… at least, listen to me.” She gripped my hands harder.I shook my head, thinking when the tears would ever stop flowing. Gen made me believe that we could be free… that we could escape this place, but after what I witnessed, I would never get myself to believe in her.She sniffled. “Kione will die. They locked them up without helping her.”“She will die because of you,” I murmured mercilessly at her, hoping my words would pierce her heart if she were truly in love with Kione.Gen released my hand, her shoulders shaking from her sobbing.“I have no choice left,” Gen whispered. “Giles sent Bryce and me to spy on you and Cole, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with Kione.” She pressed her lips tightly, suppressing her sob.Silence sat between us for a few minutes, and her cry was already getting on my nerves. If Gen only knew how much I wanted to strangle her. However, killing her would not release Cole and the others from the cell.“You knew from the b

(Brielle’s POV)Vampires were soulless killers. They are demons that lurked in darkness and looked at humans as prey. Despite their divine beauty and immortality, they were cursed to live in the dark and considered a threat to the Order.Their evolution in folklore somehow changed the ideals of humans about them, but even until now, they were considered mythical creatures, undead that would sometimes play a heroic part in the movies or books or a villain that consumed the blood of their victims.I threw away the book I was reading. Everything I learned from the institutions was irrelevant to me now.Cole is different. The Kirkwood is different.I stopped pacing the bedroom an hour ago. Instead of walking around and thinking of how to escape, I put my chance on Nina. I lay on my bed, covering my body with a blanket just in case my parents would come to check on me. Beneath it, I was fully dressed and had put on every dagger I could find in the bedroom.As the darkness began to spread i

(Brielle’s POV)“Let’s go,” Levana murmured when she was sure the guards had left. “We can’t use the flashlight. It’s too risky.”“Didn’t you hear what he said? The woman is dying. Kione is…dying,” Gen’s voice trembled. “I won’t let that happen.”“If we’re caught, not only one will die tonight, but seven. So, be patient,” She muttered firmly. “Follow me, and don’t do anything stupid because my power is limited.”We sauntered through the dark hallway until we reached the door. The light coming from the inside told us that the door was slightly ajar. Levana crouched on her knees and pressed her palm on the ground, and then she nodded at us, giving us a cue that it was safe to go inside.I almost ran toward the door, and my eyes searched for one person I wanted to see. There were prison cells inside, and as to how many, I had no idea. I kept on running until we reached three occupied prison cells at the end of the hallway.Levana went to the first cell, murmuring a chant to open the lock

(Brielle’s POV)I had no answer.One thing I knew, we could not go back to the same hallway we had walked into. There was no way to escape. I turned my head toward Levana and swallowed hard, realizing we had no plan.“What now?” Lucilla asked. Her eyes glowered at her brother. “Goodness, Cole. You don’t expect me to fight alone. Just a little blood from Brielle!” She snarled.“She’s right,” Grandma took my arm, pressing my wrist to his cold lips. “You can’t escape this place faster when you’re weak.”“I won’t!” He growled, taking the blood bag Levana left on the ground and tearing it with his teeth.Grandma rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she gave the bag to Bryce. “Carry this. You’ll be needing this in your travel.”“Gertrude, I told you I didn’t sign up for this,” he muttered angrily. “I led you here because you begged me to help you save your granddaughter, and I agreed because I had to drag my crazy sister out of here.”Another loud thud startled us.“Too late for that. You’r

(Cole’s POV)“What’s with you?” Lucilla muttered angrily at me, panting from her walk. “I can’t believe you’re letting me do this alone, Cole.”We had been walking for hours, and Ichiro begged us to slow down because our walk was like a run to him already. He pleaded for a human pace kind of walk.I sighed, glancing at Brielle. “You know I can’t take her blood.”“She’s your mate!” She gritted her teeth. “She’s willing to give you her blood; only you didn’t.”“Do you hear yourself, Lucilla?” I snarled. “She’s engaged.”“Engaged? To whom? To that stupid hunter? Once we survive this, I’ll explain to him… No,” she shook her head. “I will shove the truth into his haywire brain that you’re his mate, and no one can change that. Where is that stupid stream?” she hissed in annoyance.“Wait!” Brielle raised her hand, tilting her head and closing her eyes. She smiled, opening her eyes and pointing her index finger in the west direction in the woods. “This way.”We followed her footsteps carefull