Chapter 30: A Gift of Blood and Chains
{VLADIMIR}
"You hid her?" I asked the moment Sebastian materialized beside me, as silent as the shadow that birthed him.
"Yes, my Lord," he answered. "She’s in the underground."
My brow tightened. "The underground?"
"It is the only place with enough layered enchantments to shield her from your uncle’s senses. And since she possesses no scent, the prisoners there will mask her entirely. For now, it is the safest place."
I pressed my fingers to my temple as a dull ache throbbed behind my skull.
The underground was not meant for those with fragile hearts. It was a vault of horrors—the place where the Nightborne imprisoned what even monsters feared.
Iris would not remain untouched by what she’d see down there.
But perhaps that was necessary. She needed to learn the truth of the world she now walked in.
I drew in a slow breath and forced my thoughts away from her, for my attention was demanded elsewhere.
A voice rolled through the chamber like velvet dragged over steel.
"Vladimir, how are you, my dear niece?"
In less than a heartbeat, a tall figure lounged comfortably in the chair across from me—as if he had been here for hours, observing, waiting.
Lord Valtheris Darkmoor.
My uncle.
His face bore a sharpened resemblance to mine, though his features carried a cruel refinement that came only with age and power. Though still looked youthful and otherworldly.
Long hair, black as a starless abyss, fell to his waist. His robes shimmered with obsidian silk embroidered in threads of crimson. And he leaned on a silver-topped cane—one I knew hid a blade so ancient and sharp that mortal steel seemed dull beside it.
"Uncle," I said, keeping my tone neutral. "Lovely of you to appear unannounced... again."
Valtheris laughed, rich and amused. "Ah, my dear niece. I’ve missed you. Now that the Coven of Midnight is temporarily closed, boredom haunts me. So naturally, I came to visit."
My expression didn’t shift. "And did my magical barriers offend you again? You tend to break them."
He waved a dismissive hand. "Those feeble spells you scatter around your estate are little more than decorative cobwebs. If you intend to keep me out, you must craft something worthy of your parents’ lineage."
I inhaled slowly through my nose. "What do you want, Uncle? You are not the type to make casual house calls."
He sighed dramatically, fingers stroking the curve of his cane. "You wound me, Vlad. I merely wished to check on you."
"My stance remains the same," I said. "I will not hand over the Nightborne Legacy. It is the last gift of my parents, and I will honor it. The legacy stays with me."
Something flickered across his crimson gaze—annoyance, perhaps. Or hunger.
"It pains me," Valtheris said softly, "that you think I desire to steal it." He leaned forward, voice curling with persuasion. "I am merely concerned. The elders and nobles are circling like vultures. You are young, my dear Vladimir. Alone. Vulnerable. The last heir of the Nightborne. Very tempting for the elders. They will come for you."
"I can protect myself," I replied. "Besides—you are alive. As long as the world still trembles at your name, no one will dare challenge me."
His smirk widened, sharp and satisfied. "True."
He rose to leave. Relief whispered at the edges of my chest.
But then—
He paused.
The air shifted, tightening like a snare.
His nostrils flared faintly. His gaze drifted back to me—slow, knowing.
My heart lurched painfully in my chest.
I cursed myself for the slip. It was only a single erratic beat, but with Valtheris, a single crack could expose an entire fortress.
"I thought I sensed something upon my arrival," he murmured, amusement dripping from his tone.
Sebastian stepped forward instantly. "It must be the prisoners, my Lord. The underground scents drift this way during storms."
Valtheris studied my face.
I forced my expression into stone.
I forced my heart into silence.
Then—softly—he laughed.
"Ah. Of course. The stench of those wolves is overwhelming. If you insist on keeping such creatures, you might consider bathing them."
I resisted the urge to grind my teeth.
"Speaking of creatures," he continued, eyes glinting, "I brought you a gift."
With a flick of his wrist, a woman materialized beside him.
Beautiful.
Fragile.
Empty.
Her long, wavy blonde hair fell over her shoulders. Her white nightgown clung to her form, sheer enough to reveal the curvature of her body, the soft swell of her breasts, the vulnerable line of her hips. Her eyes—blue as frost—held no light. A spell held her mind captive.
Her blood sang.
Pure.
Untouched.
Virginal.
"She is exquisite, is she not?" Valtheris purred. "A rare find. Virginal blood is the sweetest of delicacies. I thought you would enjoy her."
I clenched my jaw. "Thank you, Uncle."
He grinned, pleased with himself, and in a ripple of shadows, he vanished.
Only when the wards sealed behind him did I allow myself to breathe.
Sebastian hesitated. "My Lord... are you well?"
"I’m fine." The words were more brittle than I intended.
"Fetch Iris."
"What of the woman?"
I stared at the hollow-eyed woman my uncle had offered as though she were wine.
"Dispose of her," I said quietly. "Anything touched by his magic is corrupted."
"Yes, my Lord."
But something in me tugged. A faint echo of pity. Definitely not coming from me.
"Wait," I sighed. "First—free her from the spell. Make sure she is unharmed. After that... release her back to her family."
Sebastian bowed. "At once."
I inhaled deeply. "I’ll retrieve Iris myself."
====
Far across the world, winter reigned with merciless dominion.
A castle of ice and shadow stood carved into a mountainside—Valtheris Darkmoon’s domain, his throne of eternal frost. Its spires pierced the storm-black sky like talons.
Valtheris stepped into the grand hall, his presence sending a ripple of cold through the air. His commanders knelt upon the frozen floor.
"Welcome back, my Lord."
He ascended his throne with a smirk twisting his lips. His fingers drummed lazily against the armrest.
"Veyron."
From the darkness emerged a slender figure, gliding forward like a whisper of death. Cloaked in shadows, he knelt.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Go to the Nightborne estate," Valtheris commanded.
A murmur of confusion passed among the commanders—had their master not already visited?
Valtheris smiled, revealing gleaming fangs.
"He is hiding something from me. I tasted it in the air. I cannot smell it, but I sensed it—something new within his walls." His gaze narrowed. "And when I spoke to him, his heart stumbled. Just once."
The hall chilled.
"Find it," Valtheris whispered. "Whatever it is."
Veyron bowed deeply, shadows curling around him.
"As you command, my Lord."
And like smoke pulled into a winter gale, he vanished.
