All Chapters of From His Shield to His Nightmare: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Cedric's POVThe death knell of the castle chapel rang out, its sound heavy and distant, as if bidding farewell to a dying soul.I stood before the blood altar like a perfect obsidian statue, waiting for my bride.But I knew my soul wasn't here. It had been torn to shreds last night, by that mad impulse, by the endless longing for a woman who was gone.The great iron doors creaked open.Elsie, in her priceless vow-gown, walked toward me, step by step, through the gasps of awe and envy from the crowd.Every guest was praising her beauty. I felt nothing.My eyes went past her, sweeping across the guest pews.That corner, the spot that always belonged to the guardian, was empty.That empty seat was a black hole. In an instant, it devoured all my reason, all my pretense.Elsie reached me, taking my arm. "My love, your hands are so cold."I didn't answer.Every ounce of my will was focused on suppressing the dark magic raging inside me, a withdrawal from her blood.The high priest began to

Alaina’s POVThe Florence sun was impossibly warm.I sat at an outdoor café near the Uffizi Gallery, a macchiato in front of me instead of a cold goblet of blood-wine.The air smelled of roasted coffee beans and fresh bread, not the eternal, musty chill of a castle mixed with dust and blood.This was the life I wanted.“Did you hear, Alaina?” My friend Chiara, a fellow human art historian, excitedly pushed her phone in front of me. “There was huge news from the vampire world yesterday! The Thorne Lord and the Valerius Princess called off their ‘Eternal Vow’ ceremony! The groom jilted her at the altar, the bride slapped him, and the whole clan walked out! Epic!”I glanced at the blurry magical image on the screen, then calmly looked away, stirring the foam in my cup with a small spoon.“Is that so?”“Is that so?” Chiara’s eyes widened. “That’s it? That’s Cedric Thorne! The legendary vampire lord who’s devastatingly handsome and cold as a block of ice! You don’t feel anything about him g

My question shattered the false peace in the dining hall.Everyone stared at me in shock, especially my parents. They didn't know the whole truth of why I’d left.Cedric sat frozen, his lips parted, but no words came out."You don't remember? It's fine. I remember for you." I took a deep breath, like I was stepping up to a witness stand, and began to list his crimes."In the Gloomwood, when the shadow hounds attacked, you used me as her human shield. You let their claws tear my back to shreds."My mother gasped, her hand flying to her mouth."At the Eternal Vow ceremony, when the flesh bomb fell, you chose to protect her again. You used my position as a pivot point and shoved me into the center of the blast."Elder Alaric’s face turned to stone. He glared at Cedric, who kept his head bowed."To please your new love, you forcibly purified my bonded familiar, Nyx. You made him suffer the agony of having his soul ripped apart, just to erase the one mark that tied us together.""You forced

Alaina’s POVI started planning my future—a future without Cedric, without the Thorne clan, a future of only sunlight, art, and freedom.My birthday was approaching. And for the first time in a very, very long life, I was actually looking forward to it.My mother and aunts were excitedly planning a week of celebrations, from a party at a Tuscan winery to a masquerade ball in Venice.I watched them bustle about and smiled, a true, genuine smile.This pure warmth of being surrounded by family was something I hadn't experienced in a hundred years.On my birthday, I received countless well wishes from friends and partners.Among them was a package encrypted with the Thorne clan’s highest-level magical sigil.I hesitated for a moment before opening it.It wasn't from Cedric.It was a cloak, light as a cloud, woven from moonsilk and unicorn mane. It was imbued with the blessing imprints of Elder Alaric and Cedric’s mother, Lady Elena.A parchment letter slipped out.【Dearest Alaina, happy bi

Alaina’s POVThe next morning, as I was about to leave with my family and friends for a ski trip in the Alps, the butler informed me that the box Cedric had left, the one containing the "First Embrace's Blood," was still at the door."Get rid of it," I said without turning back. "Or send it back to the Thorne clan. I don't care."I wanted no more ties to that name.The snow-covered Alps were breathtakingly beautiful.I quickly learned to ski, flying down the slopes like a free bird.This feeling of liberation almost made me forget all the shadows of the past.But during one challenging run, I took a fall, my knee hitting a snow-covered rock hard.Back at the resort, my knee had swollen up, the pain sharp and piercing."The nearest pharmacy is in the town down the mountain. It's a two-hour round trip by car," my friend Chiara said worriedly as she applied an ice pack. "And they only sell regular ointments, which might not work for someone with your constitution.""It's fine, I'll just r