Chapter 189: Vampire Luna
Faint, muffled voices drifted through the darkness surrounding my mind, gradually pulling me back toward consciousness.
I slowly cracked my eyelids open, my swollen head throbbing with a low, aching pulse. My first instinct was to panic and check my immediate surroundings, desperately scanning the floor of the cell to see if I had thrown up while unconscious. To my absolute shock and disbelief, there was no vomit anywhere. The only things resting on the dusty floorboards were the completely clean, empty plate and the small glass bottle that had held the sweet milk.
I blinked repeatedly, pressing a shaking hand against my lower stomach. The terrifying, fiery burn was completely gone. The internal agony that had felt like liquid fire melting my organs had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a mild, dull numbness.
A quiet wave of awe washed over my chest. I had been dead certain that my body would violently purge the human food the second my mind slipped into darkness, but my raw willpower had somehow forced my hybrid biology to submit. I had actually held it down.
I pushed my body off the ground, sitting up straight against the iron bars as my cracked skull slowly stitched itself back together using my supernatural healing.
A sharp metallic sound echoed down the quiet hallway as the heavy cage door swung wide open, completely unlocked.
I pushed myself onto my feet, taking a tentative step out of the dark cell for the first time in twenty-four agony-filled hours. My legs were slightly wobbly, but with every step I took down the dim stone passage, my strength began returning to my limbs. I walked toward the end of the hall, following the warm light that poured into the corridor, until I stepped into the bright, open parlor of the house.
Ava was standing near the large wooden dining table, carefully arranging plates, utensils, and freshly prepared items for breakfast. The moment she heard my footsteps, a brilliant, relieved smile spread across her pale face, making her dark eyes light up with pure joy.
"Good morning, Luna Amanda!" she chirped cheerfully, her voice light and full of newfound hope.
I stopped near the entrance of the parlor, my arms folded tightly across my chest as I stared at her with a completely cold, hardened expression. "How are you, Ava?"
"I am doing fine... wonderful, actually!" she replied instantly, setting down a woven basket of bread. "The Butcher told me the news just a few minutes ago... he said you passed the test! You actually kept the food down! I told him from the very beginning that you were extraordinarily strong and that you could accomplish anything you set your mind to!"
A heavy frown deepened across my forehead, and the atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy cold. I walked over to the table, pulled out a heavy wooden chair, and sat down with a harsh, deliberate thump.
"Don't talk to me, Ava," I snapped coldly, averting my gaze to staring blankly at the polished wood of the table.
The bright smile instantly evaporated from her face, replaced by a deep, pained expression. Her shoulders slumped, and her lip trembled slightly as she pulled out the chair directly beside mine, sitting down on the edge of the seat to get closer to me.
"Luna Amanda... please," she whispered softly, her eyes brimming with fresh, glossy tears. "I know you are deeply angry with me right now. I know it feels like I betrayed your trust by going behind your back and doing what I did without asking for your permission first... but I swear to you, I had no other choice left. You were losing your mind to the hunger, and I couldn't bear to watch you destroy yourself."
She reached out a trembling hand as if to touch my arm, but pulled it back when she saw how tense my jaw was. "I know you might not believe a single word coming out of my mouth right now, but I did every bit of this because I love you with all my heart. I care about your life so much, Luna Amanda. I am so, so sorry... please find it in your heart to forgive me."
A bitter, mocking scoff escaped my throat as I turned my head slowly to glare directly into her wet eyes. "You did it for my own good? Is that what you're telling yourself?"
My dark pupils narrowed, burning with suppressed anger. "Oh, please... get out of my sight, Ava. Do not make me any angrier than I already am, and do not say another word to me."
Ava flinched as if I had physically struck her across the face. Her jaw dropped slightly in a mix of utter surprise and deep, crushing sadness.
"Oh..." she whispered brokenly under her breath.
She quickly pushed herself up from the chair, biting her lower lip hard to keep her sobs quiet. She turned back toward the table, her hands trembling noticeably as she resumed wiping down the wooden surface and setting the rest of the cutlery in place.
I didn't say another word to her. I sat in complete, suffocating silence, staring coldly at the center of the table while she moved quietly around the room. Every few seconds, she would sneak a quick, hesitant glance toward my face, only to instantly dart her eyes away the second she thought I was about to catch her looking.
Just as the heavy tension in the parlor reached its breaking point, the front door swung open, and the tall, broad frame of The Butc
her entered the house.