Elizabeta was subdued, her hands bound tightly behind her back. The ropes used were special, made from a rare blend of wood and something else I couldn't quite recall—Azrael had mentioned, specifically designed to restrain vampires. Normal ropes would have been torn apart in seconds, but these kept her in check.
"Magic" Darcia announced. "My guess is she concealed herself with a cloaking spell. I've been to the main gate and there's a faint energy signature there. A strange one too"
The existence of magic shouldn't have been a surprise to me, especially when I myself was a supernatural being and had vampires standing right in front of me, but still, it caught me off guard. The supernatural world was still very unfamiliar to me, and I struggled to wrap my head around it. Rafael held a stake to Elizabeta's heart, watching her closely. He seemed very angry that I'd almost been murdered.
"Attempt anything stupid and you die" he warned.
When Dragos had first heard of the attack on me, he would have almost decapitated Elizabeta right on the spot, if not for his mother and Azrael, who calmed him down and pleaded they interrogated her first. He held me close to him, his beautiful eyes sad.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there" he apologized again."It's not your fault" I whispered back. The hug was tight—almost like he was scared I'd drop dead any minute, but we broke away when his mother started the interrogation.
"Why did you attack her?" She asked, staring at the female vampire who seethed silently. When Elizabeta didn't respond, she was met with a quick and brutal slap across the face.
I gasped at the force of the blow, my hands immediately rising to my own cheeks in sympathy.
"When I ask you a question, you answer me" The matriarch circled her slowly, asking again. "Why did you attack her?"
"Isn't it quite clear?" Elizabeta bit back. "I wanted revenge"
"And who else is involved in this plan for revenge?"
When she failed to respond on time again, Darcia produced a wooden stake hidden in her back pocket and stabbed her in the thigh with it.
I flinched, and Elizabeta hissed out in pain.
"No one! I planned it all on my own"
"So, no one is aware of your presence in our home tonight?"
"No"
"Good"
Azrael watched her closely, his arms crossed. "And how did you plan to escape after the attack?"
A wicked smile curled Elizabeta's lip, her gaze shifting to mine. "I didn't plan to escape. I planned to die."
Her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"With her blood on my hands!"
I shuddered at the raw hatred in her voice and looked away from her face, feeling sick. It worried me to see someone filled with such intense loathing, and even worse to realize that she was willing to sacrifice her own life just to destroy mine.
I felt terrible knowing that I had inspired such zealous hatred in another person.
"Do you have any allies within your family?" Mrs. Vlad inquired again, her hands playing with the stake.
"My father was the only family I had left" Elizabeta snapped.
I turned to Dragos, asking in a hushed tone, "Where did she get the magic to conceal herself?"
"Cloaking spells are cheap tricks" he replied casually. "They can be easily acquired. Any random sorcerer can perform it, given the right resources. With a bit of study and practice, one can even do it oneself."
He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not an impressive feat, and certainly not a sign of any real power. She likely bought the spell from some shady dealer or found it somewhere"
Elizabeta hissed, cursing him out in Romanian.
"So, what do we do with her?" Azrael asked, his eyes flitting to everyone in the room. Before someone could respond, Elizabeta's angry voice cut through the atmosphere. "How could you?!" She directed her gaze first at Dragos, then Azrael, Darcia, and finally Rafael, tears suddenly streaming down her face.
"How could any of you?!" She yelled angrily, her eyes wild with hate.
Elizabeta yelled out some more words in Romanian and I looked around, clueless, but no one was willing to interpret. I figured the words were about me, and they were insulting because Dragos moved forward defensively, responding equally in his ancient mother tongue. His voice was cold and his eyes were filled with fury.
Elizabeta went quiet after that, but her hateful gaze remained on me.
Azrael looked in my direction, seeking my opinion. "What would you suggest we do with her, Dawn?"
I hesitated, watching Elizabeta sadly. "I don't know"
Deep down, I couldn't entirely blame her for seeking revenge. After all, her father had been murdered by someone she had spent her entire life looking up to—her Alesul. And he had been murdered alongside others to protect me, a nobody.
"We could just kill her and get it out of the way," Azrael suggested, crossing his arms. "I have a few ideas" he looked angry.
Elizabeta guffawed "You think it'll just be me you have to deal with?" She guffawed again. "Vampires will come for her! Vampires from beyond your little Blue Cove town once word spreads outside it, and believe me, it will!"
She attempted to move but Rafael held the stake to her heart again and she controlled herself.
"Everyone knows your small family shields the Divine Purge. Everyone! They will come for her!" She smiled evilly. "Blood will be shed!"
"Let them come. We've dealt with worse" Azrael said lightly. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he snapped his fingers to get Dragos' attention. "Remember the battle back in the early 1500s? Just the two of us against how many? Hundreds of them"
Dragos gave a slight nod, a light smile tugging at his lips. "Of course. How could I forget?"
"They'll be teaching that tale to kids. It will go down in history" Rafael threw in.
"You still can't protect her forever!" Elizabeta yelled again. "The bloodshed won't end until she's dead!"
I shivered when the words left her mouth, and Dragos must have felt my discomfort because he brushed a soft kiss across my forehead.
"Darling, don't listen to her" his voice was serious. "No one will touch you."
"You'll all die for her! You'll see!" Elizabeta went completely mad screaming.
"Everyone you care about will die for you!" She yelled looking at me.
"Silence, witch!" Darcia snapped.
Dragos remained quiet and composed, watching her. Every eye in the room looked at him, willing him to say something.
"What's your say on this Dragos? You've wanted to kill her since you heard what happened. So, do you still want to go ahead?" His mother asked.
I couldn't believe they were discussing murdering someone so casually, but I knew it was for the best.
Elizabeta was dangerous, and if not for Azrael's intervention, I'd have been the one murdered. Dragos said nothing in return, his expression unreadable as he stepped forward to take the stake from Rafael.
Elizabeta braced herself for the attack, her eyes never leaving his.
"Do it" she dared. "At least I'll die knowing that neither your family nor she will ever know peace after my death."
Dragos paused for a moment, studying her.
Then, he slowly shook his head, a menacing frown forming on his face. I swallowed hard. He hadn't said a word, but I could feel everything.
I could feel his anger, barely contained beneath the surface. How he managed to stay so calm remained a mystery to me.
"No, Elizabeta I will not end your life," he said coldly "I wanted to kill you before, but not anymore"
His gaze hardened as he leaned in closer. "I will not give you that satisfaction"
Elizabeth paled even further, and Dragos continued, "Instead, you will live with the pain of knowing that I, your Alesul, am the one who murdered your father, and day by day, as you wither away in the depths of your cell, desiccating, you will be haunted by the memory of your pitiful attempt to avenge him"
Elizabeth gulped, her fear obvious in her eyes though she tried so hard to hide it.
Dragos stood straight "Know that you live only because I grant you the mercy you do not deserve. Let the darkness of your cell serve as a constant reminder of not just your failure but my dominance over you."
Turning away, he signaled to Rafael, who stepped forward to take her. Elizabeta fought back, screaming wildly, but Azrael joined him to subdue her.
I looked at Dragos "You have a cell here?"
"Cells" he corrected. "And, yes. In the tunnels, where we keep our coffins too"
"Oh, coffins" I muttered, not even bothering to ask about details.
"Yes, for when we choose to enter a deep sleep."
Dragos clasped my hand in his. "There are so many places you're unaware of in this villa"
"Take me around one day. At least to the important places"
He smiled faintly. "One day."
Later that same night, I received a call from the hospital, informing me about my mother's death.