Chapter 58: .•24.2•.

The vampire simply stared her down. Gazing at her drained and almost lifeless expression. Hearing those sluggish and slowing heartbeats. Her wheezing breaths. There was so much blood pooling somewhere close by. He could feel the potent scent of it. Its mouthwatering aroma. He wanted to slurp it. Lick every last single drop of it. It smelled so incredibly delicious. Unlike anything he'd ever smelt before.

But then...there was this human. This dying creature beneath him. She was dying. Slowly slipping away. He could feel it. Hear it in those sluggish heartbeats. Those slowing breaths. Her body was slowly giving up. Little by little. It...bothered him. He couldn't understand why, but it did. There was something tugging at his chest. Something thrashing from the inside. Trying to reach out to her. This dying little human from beneath him. It...craved for her. It wanted to touch her. Have her close.

His brows furrowed, curiously lowering his gaze to peer at his own chest. Noticing those tiny wisps of darkness peeking out from beneath his skin. The very middle of his chest. Stretching out like tiny tendrils. Reaching out to her. Her heaving chest.

His lost gaze trailed back to her face. Struggling to remember who she was. What she was to him.

"Sin...sin... The fates will retaliate...The fates will retaliate..."

"The soulmate bond is sacred...The vampire will pay...The demon will pay..."

Subtle whispers suddenly started to echo from all around them, gradually increasing in volume as they continuously chanted those same words, over and over again.

"Sin...sin...The fates will retaliate...The soulmate bond is sacred...The vampire will pay...The demon will pay..."

He cluelessly looked around, feeling a sudden and inexplicable need to protect the dying human from beneath his body. Shield her away from the possible danger. He dragged his hands upwards and placed them either side of her head, fleetingly hearing that weak and pained moan coming from her.

Flying, breezy and translucent silhouettes. There were so many of them. Chaotically gliding around in the air like a furious swarm. Creating such a ruckus.

They suddenly changed their tune, chanting into a different language. A language he found himself to understand. Latin.

"Leash the beast, contain the evil...leash the beast, contain the evil..."

"No! What are you doing, you stupid clumps of fog! No! Stop!"

Nicholas blinked, distantly hearing the demon's unmistakable and growly voice as he roared, spewing out words of displeasure. He didn't get to turn and have a look in the direction where the sound was coming from beneath all that furious chanting as the pungent scent of blood suddenly hit him full-force. So potent and fresh. So decadently delicious.

Diana.

He instinctually peered beneath his hovering body, just in time to notice her lying there. Bruised. Eyes closed. Bleeding.

"No..." he quickly changed his position, using his vampiric speed. He kneeled right next to her and then gathered her into his arms, hearing that incredibly weak and tiny mewl of pain. Those faint heartbeats. What the fuck?!?

He rose a hand to push those rebellious strands away from her face, his eyes widening upon noticing all that blood coating his fingers. Her blood. What the f-

"Nyktos,"

He suddenly looked up, noticing his guardian's somber expression as she gazed down between them.

"Go. Take her and go away from here," she firmly instructed, making his brows knit together with confusion for a moment.

"You need to take her away, master Nyktos. He knows what she is to you and he will try to do anything to take her away from you. You should go now, while we can still hold him back," Nicholas' brows shot up to his hairline at the sound of that, looking so awestruck for a moment as he let his gaze shift from Niraxis to the unconscious girl lying in his arms.

She-

Wait a minute.

He looked back up as soon as he felt Niraxis' cold hand holding his chin, forcing him to stare into her dark eyes.

"You know where to go, Nyktos. It's your last and only chance," she desperately told him, making him blink again. His features hardening as he lastly realized what she was talking about. What she was implying.

No. Absolutely-

"You have to, Nyktos," she firmly pressed before he could even voice out those words of disagreement, desperately gazing between his eyes.

"It's your only chance. The only place where you can keep her safe. Away from him. You have to, Nyktos. There is no other way," she tried to reason with him, her voice pleading.

His throat worked. Gaze shifting from his guardian back to the girl in his arms. The feeble and already dying mortal. Fuck. Why did this have to happen now, of all times? And she-

Writhing cunts. He couldn't even utter it into his mind. Admit it to himself.

Fuck this. Damn. Fuck this shit.

"It's now or never, Nyktos. You have to go now. Now, Nyktos. Now, before she fucking dies in your arms and all your chances go up in flames!" His guardian urged with nothing but despair. Growing alarm.

He blew out a breath. Already disgusted by what he was to do. The journey he was supposed to make. All that bullshit that he was about to take. Swallow with a grain of salt. For her. For himself. Damn. He'd done all this for nothing. Kept himself away for all this time for nothing. He would have to go back groveling like a fucking dog just to keep this puny mortal between his arms safe. Away from Mephistos' greedy claws.

"Motherfucking fuck!" He swore out loud with burning anger, startling a few ghosts from his close proximity. And with dizzying speed he shot out of that damned manor with the mortal still dangling in between his arms. Disappearing into the night.