All Chapters of Both Are Mine for the Taking: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My sister and I slept for a thousand years. Tonight, we would Awaken. We would become true High-Bloods.Our Sire, Countess Lylandra, brought us two men. We had to choose a Blood Thrall.A cold, celibate priest.A young, harmless noble prince.In my past life, Lilith grabbed the prince by the neck and vanished into the shadows. She left me with the cold-hearted priest.The prince's blood was sweet, his soul pure. He was supposed to be the perfect sacrifice for the Awakening ritual. Lilith should have become a High-Blood without any trouble.But she fell for the prince's sweet words and gentle lies. She poured her ancient power into him. She forged a false blood bond to help him seize the throne.On his coronation day, he plunged a dagger dipped in blessed silver into her heart. With his own hands, he carved out her new Blood Core. He offered it to his werewolf allies.Lilith nearly turned to dust.And me? The priest helped me purify my blood. I broke the vampire curse. I no longe

Chapter 2

I brought Adrian to an abandoned manor outside the city and tossed him onto a long chaise. His breathing steadied, and his amber eyes snapped open."Where is this?" He scanned the room, ready for a fight."Somewhere safe." I sat across from him, crossing my legs. "Adrian de Rake. A half-breed. Part wolf, part human."His body went rigid. "How did you know—""In moonlight, your pupils narrow to slits. Like a beast's. Your heart beats twice as fast as a man's. And most importantly..." I gestured to his hand. "When you're tense, your nails sharpen without you realizing it."Adrian looked down at his hand and cursed. "Damn vampire senses.""Relax, Your Highness," I said with a small laugh. "I only feed on the wicked. You may be a half-breed, but your soul is clean enough.""Feed on the wicked?" He scoffed. "First I've heard of a picky vampire.""That's because your world is too small."Adrian tried to stand, but his legs were still weak. The effects of our Sire's "Sleep's Embrace" spell to

Chapter 3

Just as our Sire was about to punish me with dark magic, I lowered my eyes and explained."I am merely waiting. For him to lay a kingdom at my feet.""The power of a kingdom?" The Sire sneered. "Elena, do you take me for a fool? I won't believe such a childish excuse."Lilith chimed in softly. "Sire, I am worried Elena has truly grown fond of that prince. She hasn't returned on time for days. They say... she's been at the manor teaching him how to read.""Teaching him to read?" The Sire's voice turned dangerous. "Elena, are you raising a pet, or are you looking for a mate?""I am increasing his value!" I argued. "A king with a sharp mind is far more useful than a mindless animal!""Enough!" The Sire swept her hand through the air.The shadows on the floor writhed. They twisted into sharp thorns. They shot out like vipers, wrapping around my body and squeezing tight."Ah!" The sharp pain sent me to my knees. The barbs on the thorns dug deep into my flesh. Cursed energy burned through my

Chapter 4

Lilith's eyes went wide. She stared at Cassian in disbelief."Have you gone mad?" Her voice cracked. "She's a vampire! How can you protect her?"Cassian gave her a cold look. His voice was pure ice."She's a vampire. And so are you."The words shattered her mask of holiness. Her face went pale, her lips trembling as she tried to form a defense."I... I'm different... I'm atoning for my sins. I'm helping people...""Atoning?" Cassian cut her off. "Before God, there is no difference between you. You are both creatures of the night. And you both have a chance at redemption."His gaze left Lilith and fell on me.Those gray-blue eyes were deep as the sea, but held no personal warmth."The only difference is that one chooses evil, and the other chooses good."Lilith's face twisted in anger. She pointed at me. "She almost lost control! She almost hurt innocent people!""Because someone used dark magic to frame her," Cassian's voice grew even colder. "Lilith, go back and copy the Book of Conf

Chapter 5

Three days later, Adrian passed the knight's trials.He emerged from the tournament grounds covered in blood. Triumphant arrogance plastered on his face."Elena!" he called out, waving. "I won!"I watched his excitement, a small smile touching my lips.The little wolf learned fast. He didn't just defeat his opponents; he showed a king's mercy at the last moment, winning the crowd's cheers."Let's celebrate!" Adrian came to stand before me, his eyes bright with excitement. "There's a festival in the city tonight. We should go.""No." I shook my head."Why not?" he frowned. "This is the most important victory of my life!"Because Lilith and Cassian will be there.And I refuse to see them."I'm tired," I lied. "You go alone."Adrian stared at me for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Elena. You're in love with that priest, aren't you?""What?" My eyes widened. "No! I'm not!""No?" Adrian sneered. "Then why do you get so tense every time his name is mentioned? Why do you blush when you se

Chapter 6

"Elena, listen to me!" Adrian suddenly grabbed my shoulders. "You have to give up on that priest! Completely!"I frowned at him."A vampire and a Holy Knight are natural enemies!" he said, his voice urgent. "Even if he doesn't kill you now, one day the Church will order him to purify you! What will you do then?""I know." I tried to pull away. "That's why I'm staying away from him.""Staying away?" Adrian scoffed. "You were just crying your eyes out. That's not 'staying away.' You can't let him go!""So what if I can't?" I snapped, cornered and furious. "It's my business!""It's my business too!" Adrian's amber eyes burned with anger. "You're my master! I can't just watch you destroy yourself!""Destroy myself?" I laughed humorlessly. "Adrian, who do you think you are? You think you have the right to tell me who I can love?""I..." Adrian's face flushed crimson. "I'm your Blood Thrall! It's my duty to protect you!""Protect me?" I looked at him with scorn. "A useless prince who can't e

Chapter 7

The Sire's appearance sent the followers scattering in terror.But I just sneered to myself.Right on time.In my past life, Lilith's curse killed me so easily for one reason. Our Sire had been siphoning my power the entire time I cleansed the plague. Only then did I realize she had been plotting for years, using my sister and me as her personal power batteries.Lilith's face went white. "Sire... why are you here?" she stammered."Why am I here?" The Sire slowly descended, her blood-red eyes scanning the ritual circle. "My dear daughter is about to abandon her family. Shouldn't she say goodbye to her creator?"Her voice was sweet as honey, but laced with deadly cold."I... I just wanted a better future..." Lilith stuttered."A better future?" The Sire chuckled.She reached out and caressed Lilith's cheek, her nail leaving a bloody scratch."My blood flows in your veins. You carry a thousand years of my power. All of it was a gift from me.""And now you want to throw it all away?" The

Chapter 8

The moment the Sire vanished, the ritual circle went completely out of control.The immense energy bucked like a wild horse, tearing through the ruins. Lilith was hit by the backlash, and a thousand years of blood-power were instantly drained from her. Her body aged in an instant. The seductive vampire queen shriveled into a being as weak as a newborn."No... impossible..." she knelt on the ground, her voice a faint buzz. "My power... my eternal life..."The energy vortex at the center of the circle grew larger, devouring everything around it. Lightning split the sky. It was the end of the world.Just then, the words of the ancient covenant echoed in the air once more:"Vampire Elena, in recognition of your great merits from a past life, for saving the masses and accumulating sufficient faith...""You are the true heir to this ritual.""Step into the heart of the circle, complete the final purification, and be reborn."A beam of light, even more brilliant than before, descended from th

Chapter 9

Twenty years later.In the royal palace, Adrian sat on the golden throne, attending to the matters of his kingdom. The once-rebellious wolf prince was now a renowned and wise king. His rule was just and strong, and the kingdom flourished under his hand.But only he knew that, for all these years, a mysterious power had been helping him in secret.Whenever the kingdom faced a crisis, enemies would inexplicably retreat.Whenever disaster struck, timely rains would save the crops.Whenever a plague broke out, mysterious herbs would appear where they were needed most."It's you, isn't it, Elena..." Adrian gently stroked a faint scratch on the arm of his throne.He had carved it with his claw twenty years ago.An "E."For the woman who had changed his life."Your Majesty," a servant entered the hall. "The Harvest Festival preparations are complete. Will you be attending?""Of course." Adrian stood, adjusting his royal robes. "It was... her favorite festival."The servant looked at him, co

Chapter 10

The flood of memories pulled me into another time.Morninglight Abbey.Sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows onto the stone floor. A boy of sixteen or seventeen was practicing with a sword in the courtyard. He had soft brown hair, his gray-blue eyes focused and serious. Every move was perfect, every breath precisely timed.This was a young Cassian."Hey!"A small pebble hit him squarely on the shoulder.Cassian stopped and looked up.On top of the high monastery wall, a green-eyed girl was waving at him. She looked about fifteen or sixteen, her long black hair flying in the wind, a sly smile on her face."You again." Cassian put down his sword. "Elena. How did you get over the wall this time?""The main gate is boring," the girl said, leaping lightly from the wall. She landed without a sound. "Besides, I have something cool to show you."She pulled a heavy, ancient book from her robes."What is this?" Cassian asked, curious."Myths and Legends of Old," Elena said with a w

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