Page 69 of Chains of Blood and Darkness

I saw Serenity spasming in front of me before she crumpled on the floor, her body going unnaturally still. The realization that I had prioritized restoring the Aeternum Stone’s power over her well-being hit me like a sledgehammer and tears welled up in my eyes as I rushed to her side.

Her outstretched hand still clutched the Aeternum Stone in a deathly grip. I gathered her limp form into my arms, cradling her against my chest. “Serenity,” I choked out, the word sticking in my throat as a wave of anguish crashed over me, so intense that it stole the breath from my lungs and sent my world spinning off its axis. My body trembled, and a searing pain cut into my chest, as if my heart werebeing ripped from my ribcage. “Serenity! What have I done?”

Crimson rivulets trickled down her nose, cheeks, and throat, the evidence of my selfishness painting her porcelain skin. For so long, I had only cared about what was best for me and my family.

Until I met her.

I clutched her tighter, my fingers digging into her unmoving flesh as if I could somehow return her to consciousness. “No, no, no,” I mumbled, my voice breaking on each word. “Please, Serenity, don’t leave me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

My vision blurred as I gently rocked her back and forth, not from tears but from shock. Each shudder that coursed through me was like a silent sob, the gravity of my actions hitting me as harshly as a gale force wind. The stark realization that I had extinguished the one true light in my dark world through my own selfishness was nauseating. She had brought me hope and brightness, and now, all was shadow and guilt, her light snuffed out. And it was all my fault.

I shook her gently, desperately searching for any sign of life. “Can you hear me?” I pleaded, my heart shattering more with each passing second of silence.

Her eyes remained closed, her lashes dark on her too-pale cheeks. With trembling fingers, I pried the stone from her grasp. It pulsed in my palm, alive once more, its power restored just enough to keep my enemies at bay…for now. As I gazed down at Serenity’s lifeless form, I realized the price I had paid was far too steep. I had killed the woman who had stolen my heart. The woman I loved.

I blinked at that thought. Love? Did I truly love this woman? I had never known love except for what I felt for my family. This…this was different…more powerful. Yes. I did love her. And my actions had killed her.

Tears stung my eyes. The head of the Santi family was about to break down into sobs. That hadn’t happened since the plague years.

Scooping her up in my arms, I kicked open the office door, ready to face whatever lay outside. Voices echoed from downstairs, but I didn’t care if they belonged to the police, King Nico, even to Dracula himself. In that moment, Serenity was my sole concern. I bellowed at the top of my lungs, my voice raw with desperation. “Elena!!!”

I carried Serenity’s unconscious form to our bed and gently lowered her onto the mattress. With each passing moment, my heart cracked further, until it threatened to shatter into a million pieces.

“Elena,” I screamed again, my voice hoarse.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder. After what felt like an eternity to me, Elena burst into the room. Her eyes were still red from crying and her face pale from fright. She stumbled into my bedroom and came to an abrupt halt. “Angelo,mon Dieu! Whatever has happened?”

Her face was accusatory as her eyes bored into me, as if she believed I had intentionally harmed Serenity.

“She touched…” I paused, fighting past the constriction in my throat. “She touched the Aeternum Stone.” My hands curled into fists at my side. “I didn’t know...I had no idea it would do this to her.”

Elena clasped my arm, offering me momentary comfort before approaching Serenity. She rested her palm on Serenity’s sleek forehead, her brow furrowed in deep concentration, and closed her eyes. After a few tense seconds, she opened them again and let out a sigh of relief as she glanced over her shoulder at me. “Dieu merci, she’s alive.”

The words hit me like a thunderbolt, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My heart stuttered in my chest, and it felt as if the ground had suddenly shifted beneath my feet as a dizzying rush of emotions—relief, joy, disbelief—surged through me.

“Alive?” I whispered, my voice hoarse and trembling. “Are you sure?”

I stumbled forward, my legs unsteady as I closed the distance between Serenity and myself. I sank to my knees beside her, my hands shaking as I reached toward her face, almost afraid that she would vanish like a mirage if I dared to touch her.

But she was no mirage. She was real, solid and warm beneath my fingertips. I could feel the faintest flutter of a pulse, hear the soft whisper of her breath against my skin. Tears sprang to my eyes as a wave of relief so powerful that it nearly knocked me off my feet crashed over me.

“Serenity,” I breathed, my voice cracking with emotion. “You’re alive. I thought I’d lost you.”

I gathered her into my arms, cradling her against my chest, the most precious thing in the world. The warmth of her body against mine, the steady beat of her heart, were both miracles I hadn’t dared to hope for.

I buried my face in her hair, inhaling its sweet scent,letting it fill my lungs and chase away the lingering shadows of despair. She was alive, and with that knowledge, I felt a flicker of hope reignite within me, a tiny flame that had nearly been extinguished in the depths of my anguish.

In all the time she had known me, Elena had never seen me break down. I had always been the strong one, the pillar of strength that everyone relied upon. Now, as I stood before her, my walls crumbled.

The shock in Elena’s eyes as she beheld the raw, unguarded emotion in my features gradually melted away, replaced by a deep, unwavering compassion. “She’ll survive, Angelo. I feel it. But she needs time to heal.” Her gaze darted toward the door, and she whispered, “You need to go downstairs. The police are here.”

I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand, struggling to regain my composure. “Forget them,” I muttered, the words escaping my lips in a harsh whisper. “I don't care about them.” Rage surged through me as I thought about the police taking me away from Serenity just when I'd almost lost her. My hands clenched into fists, and I could feel the tension radiating from my body. I knew that in this state, talking to the police would be a terrible idea.

Elena grasped my arms, her fingers digging into my skin as she tried to ground me. “You are the head of the Santi family, Angelo. It is your duty. Go talk with them.” Her gaze softened as she glanced toward Serenity’s unconscious form. “I will take care of her. But there’s something you should know before you go down there. When she touched the stone, it restored Crescent Manor.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Go and see for yourself, Angelo. Fortunately, it happened before the police arrived, but I fear it may not have escaped prying eyes entirely.”

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