Chapter 59 59

Chapter 59 59

I closed the bedroom door gently. The night greeted me with a cold breath. The city sky was deep blue, streetlights forming golden lines along the damp sidewalk left by the evening mist. I pulled my hood over my hair and walked forward without looking back.
Every step away from that cramped room felt heavy. Not because of fear, but because for the first time since escaping Crimsonveil, I was leaving Dahlia alone. But I had no choice. If I wanted us to survive, I had to go deeper into this city. Into its dark side. Into a place where creatures like me did not have to pretend to be human.
The alley behind the market still smelled of rot and stale blood. The hat wearing man on guard stood in the same spot as yesterday, his cigarette glowing faintly.
"You came," he said without surprise.
"I keep my promises," I replied.
He nodded and opened the metal door. The descending staircase swallowed the night’s light. I stepped down one stair at a time, my heartbeat steady. Not from fear, but from thirst. The scent of blood that had been faint yesterday was now stronger.
The underground room was busier than before. Low music pulsed like the heartbeat of a giant. Dim red lights made every face look strange yet familiar. Humans and vampires mixed together. Some sat calmly drinking from glass cups filled with red liquid. Some whispered in corners. Others stared blankly, like dolls without souls.
A silver haired woman stood behind the counter. Her eyes found me instantly.
"You learn quickly," she said.
"I need work."
She set a bottle down. "Name."
I hesitated. A Crimsonveil noble name could not be spoken here.
"Ely," I said at last.
She gave a thin smile. "I am Raven."
"What do I have to do."
Raven looked me up and down. "You are not a feral vampire. Your movements are trained. Your blood is noble."
I held back any reaction. Neither denying nor confirming.
Raven glanced toward the room. "Here, some humans come willingly. Some do not know what this place truly is. Your job is to serve. To keep balance. If a vampire loses control, you calm them. If a human tries to run after making a contract, you chase them."
I narrowed my eyes. "I do not want to kill."
Raven let out a soft laugh. "Who said anything about killing. We only give them dreams. After that they return home with blurred memories. The human world is good at forgetting what it cannot explain."
I exhaled slowly. "If I work, what is the pay."
Raven raised two fingers. "Two bottles of pure blood each night. And enough money for a simple life."
I thought of Dahlia. Two bottles. One for her. One for me. Enough to keep us from losing control.
"I agree."
Raven tapped the counter lightly. "Good. Tonight you start."
The first hour felt strange.
I stood in a corner, observing. The vampires here were different from Crimsonveil nobles. Wilder. Freer. No strict rules, no grand castles, no worship of noble blood. Only instinct and agreements.
A young man with glowing red eyes stood too close to a human woman. His hands trembled. His fangs were out. The woman looked terrified.
I moved before Raven could give an order.
I stepped between them. "Enough," I said flatly.
The man stared at me, breathing hard. "I am hungry."
"She is afraid. You will break the contract."
"I do not care."
I raised my hand and pressed against his chest with vampire strength. Not attacking, just pushing hard enough to make him stumble back.
"Control yourself," I whispered. "Or you leave this place."
He clenched his teeth, but finally turned away. From afar, Raven watched and nodded slightly.
The human woman looked at me, shaking. "What are you."
I smiled faintly and lowered my hood a little.
"We are just part of the night," I said. "Go home. Forget everything."
Her eyes blinked empty. Then she walked away like someone in a daze.
Raven approached. "You are quick."
"I just do not want blood spilled."
"How noble." Raven smiled thinly. "But do not be too gentle. This world is not kind to the gentle."
I said nothing.
Because I knew.
I had already lost too much to be gentle again.
Near dawn, Raven handed me two small bottles and several bills.
"Good work tonight."
I bowed my head slightly. "Thank you."
When I stepped out of the metal door, the night air felt colder. I slipped the bottles into the inner pocket of my jacket and held the money tightly.
This was not the life I wanted.
But it was the life I chose.
For Dahlia.
When I opened the bedroom door, Dahlia immediately sat upright.
"Big sister."
I raised one bottle. "Drink."
She smiled faintly, accepting it like a blessing. After she drank, color returned to her face.
"Where did you get this."
"I work."
"What kind of work."
I sat beside her. "A place for our kind. Safe. I will keep going until we are strong enough."
Dahlia stared at me for a long time. "Sister, are we really never going back home."
I fell silent.
Home.
Crimsonveil’s castle.
Father.
Mother.
Cassian.
And the tall figure with golden eyes whose shadow still lingered at the edge of my thoughts.
I shook my head slowly. "We have a new home now."
Dahlia lowered her gaze. "I miss them."
"So do I."
We sat in silence for a long while.
Then Dahlia leaned against my shoulder. "If one day they find us."
I stared at the stained wall of the small room.
"If that day comes," I whispered, "I will stand in front of you."
The days that followed flowed like a dark river.
During the day, I worked at small shops and markets. At night, I descended into Raven’s underground world. Dahlia stayed in the room, reading old books we bought cheaply at the market, trying to live like a normal human.
Sometimes I came home and found her staring out the window.
"What are you looking at," I asked one night.
"Humans," she said. "They are free. They are not chased by fate."
I sat beside her. "Fate can be fought."
"Can it," she asked softly.
I did not answer. Because in the corner of my heart, I knew there were bonds that could not be severed. Blood. Sire. A destiny once spoken in a low voice with golden eyes.
But I rejected it.
I had to reject it.
Weeks passed.
One night, as I left Raven’s place, the hat wearing guard called me.
"Ely."
I turned. "What is it."
He stepped closer. "Someone has been looking for you these past days."
My blood felt like it stopped.
"Who."
He shook his head. "I do not know. Tall. Handsome. His gaze... not human."
I held my breath.
No.
Not yet.
Not now.
I patted his shoulder. "If he comes again, tell him I have moved."
The man looked at me with pity. "I hope you are fast."
I walked away without looking back.
The night sky felt heavier than ever.
And for the first time since escaping, I understood one thing clearly.
I could run.
I could hide.
I could work, survive, even fight the world.
But from him, i did not know if I could truly break free.
Still, I swore that whatever happened next
I would never return to Crimsonveil as a victim.
If one day I returned, it would be as someone who chose her own destiny.