Page 6 of Crown of Blood and Vengeance

Vlad dragged me through St.Christopher’s Cemetery, his fingers locked in my hair with unyielding force. With inhuman speed, he hauled me past rows of weathered crypts and ornate family tombs. The white-washed mausoleums and decaying stone vaults blurred into ghostly shapes as we moved faster than any mortal eye could track. I clawed at his fingers, desperate to break free, but he whirled around and struck. His fangs tore into my throat, and the world began to fade, darkness creeping in from the edges of my vision until everything went black…

But then I heard it. Through the fog of pain and blood, her voice cut through everything like a blade of pure light.

Angelo, come to me!

Her voice echoed in my mind, tangled with agony and fear, distant, as if she were calling down a bottomless well. But it was her—Serenity. My mate. The sound of her voice jolted through me like lightning, awakening every dormant instinct.

Our connection flared to life, a silver thread in the darkness that had been empty for too long. Power surged through me, different from vampire strength—this was the ancient magic of mates, of souls bound through eternity. Something fierce stirred inside me, unfurling like wings of fire in my chest. A ray of hope blazed through the darkness, not just that I would survive this hell, but that I would rise from it stronger.

And I would find her. The vow scorched through my heart like a forest fire. No matter how long it took, no matter what depths of hell I had to crawl through, I would find my mate.

Pain exploded across my cheek and my ears rang. Someone had slapped me. “Wake up. You’ve been out for three days.”

My eyes fluttered open, vision swimming into focus. Through the haze, Vlad circled me like a shark sizing up its prey. Each click of his boots against the stone floor echoed in the chamber. “Did you have a nice sleep…traitor?”

I wasn’t sure where I was at first, but then the details emerged through my pain-fogged mind. The massive rose window above, its colored glass dulled by decades of neglect, cast sickly shadows across the floor. Overturned pews lay scattered like fallen soldiers, their wood rotting in the damp air. The smell of death lingered here—not fresh, but embedded in the very stones, a reminder of ancient violence. Beyond these walls, the fetid scent of the swamp seeped in, carrying with it the whispers of cypress trees and stagnant water.

I was at St. Louis Cathedral, deep in Lumina Glade. Not the grand cathedral of the French Quarter, but its forgotten sister, abandoned to the wilderness. This was where the last battle between vampires and Balthazar had been fought, where marble floors had run red with immortal blood. It seemed only fitting he would take me here, where so many of our kind had fallen before.

Serenity. Her name pierced through the fog in my mind. The memory of her last kiss lingered on my lips—both a goodbye and a gift, her healing strength flowing into me even as she walked away to save my life. Where was she now? The hollow ache in my chest where our bond should pulse strongest told me she was far beyond my reach.

I tried to ask but only spit out blood; the metallic taste flooding my mouth. The bastard must have broken my jaw. Every attempt to move sent shards of agony through my face. Her residual healing power worked beneath my skin, slowly mending what was broken, but it wasn’t enough to let me speak—to demand to know where Balthazar had taken her.

“Can’t talk?” His black eyes took even my breath away. Gone was any trace of humanity or vampire I’d once known. These were the eyes of something ancient and cruel.

A demon must be rooting around inside him like a weed—growing and twisting around his dark heart. I’d seen corruption before, but this was something else entirely. Something that had hollowed out the vampire I knew and filled the shell with darkness.

“I have waited a long time to finally get you, Angelo.” His voice carried an almost gentle tone that made my skin crawl. “You should have followed my rules. Even though, now, they seem…extreme.”

I glared at him, decades of rage burning in that single look. Costin Tarus would never have thought of torturing anyone—killing humans violated everything he believed. But this wasn’t Costin anymore. It wasn’t even Vlad. This was something twisted, dragged from the darkest pit of hell.

“But before we begin your lesson, I would like you to know that Petar Dragan has taken up residence at Crescent Manor and anyone who doesn’t show him loyalty…” He paused as if waiting for a reaction, but I forced myself to go perfectly still. Everymuscle in my body tensed, fighting against the urge to betray my thoughts.

He pressed his fingers onto my shoulder, his nails piercing through my shirt, digging into my flesh. I grimaced, tasting fresh blood as my broken jaw clenched.

“Take your dear sweet housekeeper…”

Elena? Ice flooded my veins. What had Petar done to her? If he harmed one hair on her head… The thought of that snake anywhere near the woman who’d been like a mother to me for centuries made my vision blur red with rage.

“I’m afraid he had to make an example of her.”

Anger surged through me, hot and violent. If I ever got out of here, Petar was a dead man. I would never let that go unpunished. The oath burned through me like holy fire. I’d tear him apart piece by piece.

He released me and I hissed between my teeth, the sound wet with blood. “I see I hit a sore spot with you, Santi.”

The beast inside me erupted. My spine arched, bones cracking as ancient power surged through my veins. Blood streamed from my shattered jaw as my fangs descended fully, my growl pure predator.

Vlad shrugged as if he couldn’t care less. “Petar cursed her. She’ll slowly wither away and no one can prevent it.”

I yanked on my restraints, the ancient chains cutting into my wrists, but I could barely move a link. It was as if my limbs were frozen, trapped in some dark magic that sapped not just my strength but my very will. Every movement felt like pushing through thick ice, my muscles betraying me when I needed them most.

He smiled, a cruel twist of his lips, as if it pleased him to torture me with the people I loved. His eyes glittered with madness that had festered over countless years. “I want to show you what I’ve wanted to do to you for centuries.”

I swallowed hard, tasting copper and fear. The agony that awaited me wasn’t just physical torture—it was personal, crafted from centuries of twisted hatred. My only hope lay in unconsciousness. The weakness from his earlier feeding crept through my veins like poison, my vision blurring at the edges. For the first time in my immortal life, I prayed for darkness to take me. I flinched imagining the pleasure in his eyes as he ripped the flesh from my bones, piece by agonizing piece.

He quickly undid my bindings on the chair faster than I could move. I drew on my vampire strength, centuries of power surging through my veins, but it wasn’t enough. He was a hundred times stronger than me—ancient power versus raw youth, and I was losing.

He slammed me against the wall, my head smashing into the cold stone. Blood dripped down my face, each drop a reminder of my weakness. The scent of my own blood filled my nostrils, metallic and shameful. He bound me again, stretching my arms wide like a twisted crucifixion. My shirt and jacket were torn away, left hanging in tatters at my sides, leaving me exposed and vulnerable—a feeling I hadn’t known since I was human.

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