Chapter 66: Revenge is Better Served Cold

LETTICE.

So far, I had hidden very well, and I had given no one anything to suspect. But things were getting more and more complicated. The attacks I ordered, Teresa’s powers that developed day by day.

Yes, I knew Teresa was not human. And I knew I needed her blood to make an indestructible army. I didn’t care if I dried her blood out. My goal was my revenge.

Revenge in a past that haunted me even now. They banished me from my parents’ pack and denied me the royal line and automatically my succession to the throne.

They mercilessly separated me from my children. Now I had them with me. One was born out of necessity and the other out of love, but if I had a shred of love and compassion left in my heart, it was all for my children.

Now, with my daughter, it was a different story. She stood by me, answering to me always, following my every order and was doing this right now.

She was weak and obedient and to my satisfaction and listened to me completely, without questioning my decisions. My perfect tool to do harm, and that could only make me happy.

But I had my doubts. It was true that she never broke my word. But will my subjugation over her bring her to the verge of congestion? She wouldn’t dare. No one knew what I was capable of, even with my own children.

I had returned to Wales for the sole purpose of devising perhaps my most evil plan. Time was getting shorter and that damn Teresa was destroying my demons.

When I arrived, Noah was already there. I hadn’t called him, but it was a pleasure to see him. I needed as many allies as possible. And what better ally than my own son?

“Noah? What are you doing here? I thought our last meeting made everything clear. “

“It is good to see you too, mother! Of course, for you, maybe it was clear. But less for me. I have a question. What are you doing in the company where Teresa works?”

This question made me completely dizzy. How the hell did he know about this girl? Noah didn’t need distractions! I was visibly angry, but just as I said, he had to be my ally, not my enemy.

“Then it’s time to choose your side, son! I’ll start with a brief story from the past and I hope you have enough patience to listen to me.”

I decided that I would hold nothing back and reveal everything to him.

“I’m in no hurry, so I’m listening to you!” he said, and took a seat next to me.

The fire in the fireplace warmed the stone walls slightly, but Noah was unlikely to feel the cold. “Just tell me everything this time, mother! Do not leave out anything, mother”

“I couldn’t skip anything. My past is both yours and your sister’s. It’s just that she was lucky to stay with me while they snatched you from my arms at an early age, your grandparents forbidding my access to the kingdom and automatically to you. I will not victimize myself because it is not my way, but I will complete the revenge that I want you to take part in, Noah!” my vehement tone annoyed him and he got up from his chair and walked over to the fire.

He looked at me insistently, as if waiting for my next move, but as none came, he thundered at me.

“Short story you had there, mother! And I still don’t know what or who you want revenge on. My grandparents don’t live anymore. So how about you tell me everything you hide from me and then I shall see whether I take part in it!” his answer was to be expected.

Okay, Lettice, do what you know best!

“Edgar Duncan, a sort of stepfather to you, but not quite…” I paused. It still bothered me when I talked about him. The pain was gone, the thirst for revenge remained. I promised myself that his death would not be without purpose.

“Okay, what’s wrong with him? Who is he exactly?”

Noah couldn’t wait and turned to face me.

“The reason for my revenge and my existence. It all happened quickly. I will not go into details that do not concern you, but his death was and is closely related to his descendants, the Gallagher family. More precisely, his great-grandchildren, well through his connection with me, Victoria and Sebastian.” And again, I stopped to look at his enormous eyes of astonishment. If he knew Teresa, it was clear that he had made some connections.

“Sebastian Gallagher? The owner of GenetiX, the company where Teresa works? But what has he got to do with it? What is his fault in all this?”

“I always condemned Edgar for taking his own life. He was a skilled hunter of beasts like me and you, who had plagued Northumberland in the past. His only weakness was me, and I was the one who brought him death. He never reconciled with the idea that he loved a demon and tried with his alchemy to help me, only that he did more harm. I loved him and I didn’t realize that he was actually putting a curse on me I would wear for all my miserable life. For a long time, I did not blame him because love was blind, but with the passing of the years I felt on my skin what it was like to be an outcast of destiny; what it was like to be separated from everything and everyone you love the most; what was it like to live hating to look at myself in the mirror and see the monster I have become? In my cursed years, I slowly blamed Edgar and all the descendants that came from him. And I swore I would have no peace until I had avenged my past. “

“Okay, the old love story between a man and a woman, the woman’s family being noble. They didn’t want him. They married me to someone else, and I guess that’s how I was born. But my question is very simple, I could say trivial. How do you plan this revenge? Which I still think has no basis. Many go through this kind of love ... forbidden, right?” My son’s doubt was unfounded. I must remove this prejudgment at all costs.

“When Edgar died, a part of me died too, but I got hold of his latest creation, a serum so powerful that it helped me survive through the generations. After I got exiled here in Wales, this serum helped me build an army I never dreamed of. Strong, immortal, so I thought. But as the serum was not infinite, my decline began, but not for long. Despite my efforts, I couldn't fix it. I perfected myself in alchemy so well that I realized what ingredients Edgar had used and, adding others set by me, I would taste the absolute power. I needed pure iron, werewolf blood and, most importantly, the blood of a descendant of an original vampire. That’s how I got into GenetiX, where I had access to the latest technology. I was so close, but Gallagher stopped funding and now he wants to create another serum, one that will weaken the power of my dear beasts. Now tell me, how do I do this knowingly? How can I kill my own creations?”

“Creations? Do you call some demons from hell your creations? I don’t even want to think about what you will use them for. Mother, what happened to you? You weren’t like that…”

“Edgar happened! And all those who resulted from him and from me as well. I have this rage so big in me it wouldn’t let me breathe. Now that it has started, I will not stop until the end!”

“The beginning of what, mother? What exactly are you planning to do? And what do you need me for? If you ask me, I would really like to tell Gallagher a piece of my mind!”

“It’s not just about Gallagher. Not only did he ban my serum because it endangered his girlfriend’s life, but now he wants me to reinvent it. But I will have a surprise for him and that will be soon.” I ended on a sarcastic note, but I also attracted my son’s attention.

“What girlfriend are you talking about? I am guessing Teresa. He went crazy when I met her!”

I didn’t expect that. My son to meet that ... paranormal creature? “And before you go crazy, I have nothing to do with her. We were just colleagues at university, but who knows in the future?” he replied with a grim smile.

“There will be no future with her, Noah! Her destiny is different. I will take care of it and write it with her own blood!”

“What are you talking about? What is her connection with all of this?”

“Oh, but she has all the connections. She is the key ingredient. She is the descendant of an original vampire and will have to be sacrificed!”