CHAPTER 5

SELENE

The chamber was silent, save for the faint dripping of water somewhere in the distance. I kept my head lowered, my wrists aching from the weight of the chains, but I could feel Darius watching me. His presence was suffocating, thick with something unspoken.

Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged—one of his own, a vampire so pale and gaunt he looked half-dead. He moved with unnatural silence, stopping just beside Darius and leaning in to whisper against his ear.

Darius exhaled sharply, his patience visibly fraying as he processed whatever had just been whispered in his ear. His jaw clenched, a dangerous flicker passing through his eyes before he let out a low, irritated curse.

"Of all the fucking times…" he muttered under his breath before straightening, his gaze sharp and unforgiving.

"I have to deal with this," he said, his voice cold, clipped.

Darius exhaled sharply, his frustration barely contained as he turned to leave. But before he could take a step, I lifted my head, forcing my voice to be small, hesitant.

"Will you be back?" I asked my tone carefully laced with just the right amount of uncertainty.

His gaze snapped to me, unreadable, assessing. Then, with the slightest tilt of his head, he answered,

"Always."

My pulse stuttered, but I pushed forward, blinking up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"Could you have these chains removed?" I shifted slightly, wincing.

"They're hurting me..."

For a moment, Darius just stared, his expression unreadable. Then he sighed, dragging a hand through his hair before muttering,

"Tch. Fine."

His gaze flicked to the guards. "Unchain her," he ordered, voice clipped.

"But keep an eye on her."

The guards stiffened, exchanging wary glances.

Darius' eyes flashed with a warning. "Do not touch what’s mine. If there’s a single scratch on her—more than she already has—your suffering will be legendary."

With that, he turned on his heel and swept out of the room, the heavy doors slamming shut behind him.

The second he was gone, I exhaled slowly, lowering my gaze.

One of the guards stepped forward, his grip rough as he unlocked my shackles. The iron fell away, leaving my skin raw and stinging, but I didn’t flinch.

"Don’t try anything," he muttered, yanking me forward.

I nodded, keeping my head down, my body slack. But my mind was already racing.

Darius was gone.

This was my only chance.

I let them lead me forward, forcing my breathing to slow.

Waiting.

Calculating.

Then, as we turned a corner, I stumbled, crumpling as if my legs had finally given out.

The guard nearest to me swore, loosening his grip just slightly.

It was all I needed.

I moved fast, faster than they expected. My fingers closed around the dagger strapped to his belt, and before he could react, I drove the hilt into his throat. He staggered back, choking.

The second guard lunged for me, but I twisted, slipping past him as I bolted down the corridor.

"Get her!"

Their shouts barely registered over the roar of blood in my ears. My feet pounded against the cold stone, my breath burning in my lungs.

I could hear them chasing me, too fast, too close.

I veered sharply, throwing myself into the nearest room. My shoulder slammed into a table, knocking over a single flickering candle.

The vampire was right behind me.

I grabbed the candle and hurled it at his face.

He recoiled with a furious snarl, the hot wax splattering across his skin.

I didn’t stop.

I ran.

Through the darkened halls, through endless corridors, until the scent of damp earth filled my lungs.

An exit.

I didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate.

I tore through the doors and into the night.

The cold air burned my skin, the forest stretching endlessly before me.

I ran. And ran. And ran.

............

The streets were eerily quiet, the city still caught in the last moments of slumber as dawn crept over the horizon. The sky, once an endless void of black, had begun to shift into deep shades of violet and blue, the first fragile hints of sunlight brushing against the edges of the towering buildings. A few early risers moved through the streets, their footsteps echoing in the stillness, but the world had yet to fully wake.

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

I slammed into a woman with tangled red hair, barely registering her shouted curse as I spun off, my balance faltering for only a second before I pushed forward.

Behind me, furious voices rose above the noise—my captors, shoving their way through the throng.

"Bitch! Get back here!" one of them barked.

A few people turned, eyes flicking over my torn, filthy clothes and bruised skin, but they didn’t intervene.

I darted into an alleyway, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The moment I cleared the tide of bodies, I moved faster, my arms pumping, my legs burning.

I risked a glance over my shoulder.

They were still coming.

I threw myself forward, deeper into the alley. The air was thick with the stench of rot and smoke, the pavement slick with rainwater from the night before. Puddles splashed beneath my feet, my steps uneven as I dodged rusted dumpsters and discarded trash.

Up ahead, the alley stretched about sixty feet before veering off to the right. I rounded the corner, my boots skidding against the wet concrete—

And stopped cold.

A fifteen-foot wall loomed in front of me.

Dead end.

Panic clawed up my throat, my pulse a wild drumbeat in my ears. I whirled around, my eyes darting toward the entrance of the alley. They were coming. I had seconds, maybe less.

Then, beyond the rooftops, I saw it.

The sky was getting lighter. The deep indigo had begun to soften into shades of gold and rose. The first hints of sunlight stretched across the skyline, bathing the tops of buildings in a soft, golden glow.

Sunlight.

Vampires don’t like sunlight.

Right?

Hope jolted through me, sharp and unexpected.

I just had to survive a little longer. If I could stall them—if I could hold out until the sun fully rose—maybe, just maybe, I had a chance.

I was only just beginning to realize how utterly fucked I was when I heard them laughing from the other end of the alley.

Low, cruel chuckles, fanged grins glinting beneath the flickering alley lights.

Why the hell did I go into an alley of all places? I cursed myself, my stomach twisting as I glanced in their direction.

They weren’t even running anymore.

"Looks like you've come to a dead end," one of them sneered, his voice dripping with amusement.

"All that running, all that fight… and for what? Just to trap yourself like a scared little rabbit?" He chuckled darkly, fangs glinting.

"Go on, sweetheart. Scream if you want. No one’s coming to save you."

The tallest of the group—a vampire with sunken eyes and blood-stained teeth—tilted his head, baring his fangs in a slow, predatory grin.

"You know what? I’ve changed my mind." His voice dripped with malice, his pupils dilating as hunger overtook reason.

"Fuck it," he growled.

"Let’s deal with her right here," he growled, his fangs glinting in the dim light.

"We’ll rape her, drain her dry—until there’s not a single drop of blood left in that pretty little body." His grin twisted with cruelty.

"Serves her right for trying to run."

A chorus of sickening "Yes!" followed, their voices thick with anticipation, their footsteps quickening into a lazy jog.

The air grew heavier, thick with the scent of rot and something metallic—something wrong. The alley lights above flickered as they moved closer, their figures blurring at the edges, their speed barely restrained.

Only one of them hesitated.

"She belongs to Prince Darius," he said, his voice quieter but firm.

"You can’t touch her."

The others scoffed, their gazes snapping at him with disgust.

"Fucking weakling," one spat. "Go lick his boots somewhere else."

"Yeah, run along, lapdog." Another grinned, licking his fangs.

"We don’t need your permission."

The hesitant one stood his ground for a moment longer, but as the others surged forward, their eyes gleaming with hunger, he cursed under his breath and stepped back into the shadows.

Coward.

My heart pounded, but my fear sharpened into something colder, something desperate. I couldn’t run past them, couldn’t push my way back onto the street. There were no fire escapes, no doors leading into the buildings—no way out.

But I wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

I moved back, inching toward the dead end, my gaze darting over the alley floor, searching for something—anything—I could use as a weapon.

I knew there was no bargaining with them.

There never was.

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