86. LORD BLACKWOOD (POV)

I stand by the window in my room, my gaze lost in the gray horizon reflecting the concern in my mind. I reflect on this morning's incident when Elijah, with his calculated words, managed to provoke a rage in me that I rarely let slip. How did he know exactly what to say to destabilize me enough to drive Nyra away? Doubt and guilt gnaw at me; I can't let him divide us, not when every moment with her becomes more precious.

Two soft knocks on the door interrupt my thoughts. Without turning away from the window, I say, "Come in."

The door opens quietly, and I am immediately enveloped by Nyra's intoxicating scent. Every time I feel it, it seems to become more intense, harder to ignore. I turn to face her, surprised not only by her presence but by the urgency in her expression.

"Young lady," I begin, trying to decipher what brought her here.

"Alaric, we need to talk," she says, closing the door gently behind her. "And I need your complete honesty. If you keep hiding things from me, I... I will keep pulling away. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back."

Her words hit me like a blow, reinforcing how truly necessary this conversation is. She's right; the shadows between us have only grown, fueled by secrets and doubts.

"I understand," I reply, gesturing for her to sit in the nearby armchair. "And you're right. There are things I should have shared a long time ago." I take a deep breath, gathering the courage needed to reveal parts of my past that I would rather forget. "About what happened this morning, about what Elijah is capable of... about everything."

Nyra sits down, her eyes fixed on mine, a mixture of hope and fear reflected in them. I sit across from her, ready to open the doors that I've long kept closed.

"I'll tell you everything, Nyra. About how I was turned by Elijah, about the control he still exerts over me, and how I fight every day to break free from it."

She just looks at me attentively, urging me to continue what I've started.

I take a deep breath, feeling that it's time to reveal the true story of my transformation, the way Elijah betrayed me and used me for his own pleasure.

"There's something else you need to know about how I was turned, not as I said before."

Nyra looks at me, encouraging me to continue.

"Three hundred years ago, I was just a young lord, the son of a wealthy and influential family in England. During one of my travels, I fell in love with a peasant girl. She didn't have the lineage my family expected, but she completely captured my heart," I begin, remembering that time with a mix of joy and pain. "We began a secret relationship, and she finally succumbed to my charms."

"One day, I met Elijah. With his youthful appearance and manners of a true lord, we quickly became friends. He also befriended her, but over time, I noticed his growing interest in her, something I initially ignored."

"When we got engaged, against my family's wishes, Elijah changed. From a best friend, he became an enemy. At that time, my fiancée found out she was pregnant, something that needed to remain a secret due to the social conventions of the time."

"The pregnancy was our joy, but also our most dangerous secret. Elijah found out and, blinded by passion and thirst for power, he revealed himself as a monster. He revealed himself as a vampire and... and he killed my fiancée right in front of me. It was in that moment of extreme pain and despair that he turned me."

Nyra listens attentively, her expression shifting to one of compassion and sadness. How could I have imagined that I would fall in love with the daughter of my greatest enemy, the man who took away from me such intense love between two people.

"I can't imagine the extent of your pain. I suffered when my mother died. But losing a woman and a child must be devastating." A tear falls from her eye. She quickly wipes it away with the tips of her fingers.

I move closer to her, gently touching her face, running my thumb where she had wiped the tear, finding it still damp.

"Since then, I've been fighting against the control he tries to maintain over me. Fighting Elijah isn't just a matter of revenge, it's a quest for my own freedom, for justice for her," I conclude, feeling the weight of centuries in my voice.

Nyra leans in, her hand touching mine softly. "I know nothing can change what happened. Have you not fallen in love again since then?"

I give a slight smile, looking directly into her eyes. Trapped in that azure sea she possesses, how can I admit that I only demanded she be here, out of sheer desire for revenge, to do the same thing Elijah did to me in the past.

"You know I have, young lady. But I could say a thousand things now and you wouldn't believe me. Not when I ended up hurting you, hiding the concubines." As I speak, Nyra tries to pull away, but I gently hold her nape, subtly.

Nyra pauses at my touch, her initial tension easing slightly as I continue to speak.

"I know you ran because of this, and I spent days and days searching for you in that damned province. After I ordered Zion to go after you, because he was linked to you the moment he accepted to be your bodyguard. But maybe I made a mistake." My voice sounds resentful, echoing between the crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace.

"I always knew about Zion, about the way he looks at you, how he protects you," I admit, my voice low, carrying an internal conflict. "I saw the way he almost allowed himself to look into my eyes during your first escape attempt. It was more than a bodyguard's duty. There was something more... personal."

Nyra stares at me, her expression surprised that I admit to knowing about her first escape attempt.

"How did you know?" She questions still staring at me, her eyes shining with something I never know how to decipher in her.

I take a deep breath, searching for the right words.

"What I'm trying to say is that, despite my mistakes and shortcomings, my feelings for you were never a lie. Everything I did, even if in the wrong ways, was trying to protect something that is more precious to me than my own being."

The room falls silent for a moment, only the gentle crackling of the fireplace filling the space between us.

"When you ran away, my world stopped. I knew I had lost your trust, and it destroyed me more than any confrontation with Elijah. I sent Zion because I knew he would never fail to protect you, even knowing that it could bring you closer. It tortured me, but your safety has always been my priority."

Nyra watches me, her eyes assessing every word I say, trying to discern the truth in my confession. "And now?" She asks, her voice soft but firm.

"Now, I want you to know where we stand, with each other. There are no more concubines, Nyra. There are no more secrets or lies. All I want is a chance to show that I can be the man you deserve," I say, the sincerity in my voice more bare than ever.

Her response doesn't come immediately, but the way her hand still rests beneath mine, not pulling away, gives me a thread of hope. Perhaps there's still a path for us, a path I cannot allow to unravel. I need to speak, I need to tell the truth about Elijah.

"I need to think about all of this, Alaric," she finally says, her voice low. "About us. About everything you've said."

"Of course, young lady. I didn't wait centuries just to allow myself to feel something again. What would be a few hours or a few days more. But I'm not finished yet," I begin, trying to maintain lightness despite the weight of recent events.

Nyra interrupts me by placing her hand on mine, her way of doing so is gentle and familiar.

"Alaric, wait a second," she says, her voice low and calm. "There's something I need to tell you before you tell me what you want."

I pause, encouraged by her touch to give her my full attention.

"During a vision I had, I discovered something... something about my mother and her plans. She wanted to create a clan that would serve someone willing to rebel against Elijah. And thinking about it, that someone can only be you, Alaric."

The impact of this revelation catches me off guard, but it also makes sense in a strange way.

"You think I'm part of your mother's plan? That all of this was... somehow predetermined?"

Nyra nods, the seriousness on her face evident, but there's also a spark of something that feels like hope. "Yes, that's what I'm starting to believe. And it means we're more connected than we thought."

I gaze into Nyra's eyes, processing all the information. How could it be possible? Nyra is only 19 years old, and I am 300 years old, a difference of centuries. I rise, releasing her hand. I walk over to the fireplace, studying the flames intently.

"What else do you suspect or have seen, young lady?" I ask without looking at her, but I can feel her gaze on my back.

If she's right, my theory would be even more solidified, and the woman who found me, telling me about the prophecy, would be the final answer. But could this truly free me from Elijah entirely? I know that by drinking Nyra's blood, I could have even purer blood coursing through my veins, but to be part of a larger plan?

Nyra halts just behind me, causing me to turn to face her beautiful eyes. She seems to grow paler, the color draining from her face as easily as night falls.

"Wait, she told me... She told me that I needed his blood, the blood that would break centuries of a bond, a bond that has been trying to be broken," she says, her voice trembling, looking at me intently.

Her hand touches her neck, where she bears the mark of the first bite I gave her. Tracing a path with the tips of her fingers to her lips. She has discovered, discovered for herself that her blood can break the bond I have with Elijah.

But something still seems to be gnawing at her mind, leaving her even paler. She takes a few steps back, her hand resting on her chest. Nyra's heartbeat is racing, in an intense rhythm. She's going to have an anxiety attack, I can feel the desperation setting in her.