Page 34 of Chains of Blood and Darkness

Like I wanted to wander around here by myself.

“It sounds like it’s coming from the courtyard,” Enzo said, fear in his voice.

Angelo led us toward the source of the disturbance, his movements swift and purposeful. I was tightly sandwiched between Angelo and Enzo’s large forms. Our footsteps rang throughout the once-peaceful corridors, the only sound in the oppressive silence that had descended over the house. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a deafening reminder of the unknown danger that awaited us.

There was no turning back now. The woman’s scream had shattered any illusion of safety, even though Angelo was the head of the Santi family and Crescent Manor should have been unassailable. I glanced at my companions, theirfaces reflecting the same grim thoughts that I felt in my own heart.

As we drew closer to the courtyard, the temperature seemed to drop, turning my blood ice cold. The walls of the house now felt even more like a cage, trapping us in a labyrinth of fear and uncertainty. My hand trembled as I clutched Angelo’s arm.

I held my breath as we headed closer to the courtyard. It stretched out before us, bathed in an eerie, unnatural light. There, in the center of the stone-paved expanse, was the cause of the scream, a sight that made my blood run cold and my bones rattle with a terror I had never known before.

As we reached the doorway to the courtyard, we saw Elena hunched over on the ground, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Gianna was clinging to a striking vampire, his presence both alluring and dangerous. His dark, piercing eyes looked as if they held countless secrets. Unruly, raven-black hair framed his face, giving him an untamed appearance that suggested a rebellious nature. The intensity of his gaze, paired with a mischievous smirk, hinted at the complexity of his soul, and a heart that seemed to teeter between the edge of darkness and the desire for redemption.

That had to be Dimitri.

More of Angelo’s guards were gathering around Dimitri, Gianna, and Elena.

In the center of the courtyard, Jacques lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood seeping out from under his body and growing larger by the second. His head had rolled a few feet away from his body, his lifeless eyes staring up atthe midnight sky. Written in blood—his blood, I realized with a wave of sickness—were the wordsGive up the Nephilim.

He was dead. Not just dead.Headless.

A switch shut off inside me, stopping my lungs and heart. Everything disappeared but the terror swirling in my quivering belly. It boomed like a mushroom cloud, charging up my throat, blocking out every sound around me.

Angelo was saying something to me, but I couldn’t hear him. The terror was followed by a piercing scream that erupted out of me.

The next thing I knew, he was whirling me around, his arms enveloping me tightly as if to shield me from the horrors of the outside world. His powerful embrace felt like a cocoon of protection, and I couldn’t help but melt into it.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he promised, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.

Keep me safe? How could he say that when he himself had fed on my blood? Who would protect me from him?!

My fists balled in his shirt, tears streaming down my face, trying to forget what I had just seen.

But I never would. The image would remain seared in my brain forever.

I didn’t want this life. It was brutal, heartless, ghastly.

But no matter how much I wished to escape this never-ending nightmare, it appeared I was trapped.

Chapter Fifteen

Angelo

I stroked Serenity’s hair, my hand shaking with fury. My blood boiled with anger as I thought about the intruder who had not only murdered one of my best men, but also had threatened Serenity by his very presence. Crescent Manor had only been breached once. No one had ever dared to violate my family’s home.

I was the Angel of Death, and this would not go unpunished.

No one would ever threaten Serenity in my presence—she was mine to protect and cherish, and whoever dared to cross that line would face my wrath. Like Vlad had done in 1462 to keep his enemies from pursuing him, I’d drop them down on a stake, make them suffer, and watch their bodyslowly writhe in pain as they slipped further down the pole in perfect agony.

“Petar, search the grounds. If you find the intruder, bring him to me.”

Petar bowed slightly. “Yes, sir.” This was a job I would usually assign to Enzo, but he wasn’t at full capacity yet, and I had no intention of losing him too.

I turned to my sister’s husband. “Dimitri, set up stakes in the courtyard. People will see what will happen if they cross swords with me.” The intruder would wish he’d never been born once I was through with him.

Dimitri nodded, flashing his fangs. “It will be my pleasure.”

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