The world was quiet, and then it wasn't.
I could hear distant thumps like the rhythm of a galloping horse, steady and fierce, then a flutter my breath catching between dreams and wakefulness. My body felt heavy, as if I were floating between two realms: the agony of now, and the comfort of unconsciousness.
A faint voice called my name.
"Lisa."
There it was again. That voice smooth, deep,
striking something in me. Leonard.
My eyes peeled open with effort, the world a haze of candlelight and distant walls. I was no longer on the ground in that dreadful forest. The scent of herbs and the gentle brush of linen greeted my nose. I lay on a large canopy bed, red silk draping the corners. I recognized the room. We were back in the castle. Back in our room.
He sat beside me, dressed in black, his blonde hair tousled and face hardened. A fiery glow still lingered in his eyes. Not anger,not entirely but something deeper. Pain? Regret?
"You're safe now," he murmured, not quite meeting my eyes.
I tried to sit up but gasped. My limbs trembled and my head spun. Instantly, Leonard reached forward and placed a strong, cool hand behind my back, supporting me like I was made of glass.
"Don't," he said. "You're still healing."
"How... how did you find me?" My voice cracked, hoarse and fragile.
He looked at me for a long moment. "I didn't just find you. I felt you."
My brows furrowed. "Felt me?"
He pulled his hand away then, sitting straighter. "You wouldn't understand," he said, almost bitterly. "But you're... connected. To something far older than you realize. Something ancient."
I stared at him. I should have been terrified. I should've recoiled after seeing what he did to those witches. The fire in his hands. The rage in his eyes. He was not only a vampire,he was more.
"You have powers," I whispered.
He didn't respond. Not immediately. His jaw clenched.
"I'm not just a vampire," he finally admitted. "And I'm not... proud of what I am. The witches weren't wrong to fear me. Neither is anyone else."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because," he said quietly, "I didn't want you to look at me the way the world does."
I didn't know how to respond. I could still feel the sting of Jeremy's slap, the bruises on my body, the sharp arrow in my leg. But worse than all that was the fear,the fear that I had been thrown into a world I couldn't understand or control.
And now, here was Leonard,my husband, a man who had burned three witches with his bare hands
saying he didn't want me to fear him.
I didn't.
At least... not the way I was supposed to.
Just then, the door creaked open. Kate stepped in with a bowl of warm water and herbs.
"Mi lady!" she gasped, rushing to my side. "You're awake! Thank the spirits..."
Lydia and Peace followed close behind, their eyes watery, faces pale.
"We didn't know what happened," Lydia said quickly. "We thought you were going to meet His Highness. We didn't even realize you were gone until he returned—"
Leonard stood, voice sharp. "Enough. She needs to rest. Tend to her wounds. I'll speak with you all later."
The girls nodded and lowered their heads.
He turned to me. "I'll be in the next room."
"But..."
His eyes met mine one last time searching, heavy with emotion and he left.
⸻
The pain came back slowly. With it, the memories. The abduction. Cecilia. The glowing window. The words carved into the wall.
Breaker of doom... not intense.
What did it mean?
"Mi lady," Kate said gently as she wiped the blood from my forehead, "we were all so worried. I... we didn't mean to let anything happen to you."
"It wasn't your fault," I said quietly. "I was foolish. I followed a man I barely knew."
"Jeremy was always odd," Peace mumbled. "But no one ever suspected he was a witch..."
"He wasn't just a witch," I added. "He said something strange. About me... being the key. That I could bring back forbidden spirits."
All three girls went silent.
Lydia looked up, eyes wide. "That's... that's a myth. An ancient one."
"I read about it once," Kate whispered. "It says that when the bloodline of the lost realm merges with royal power, a gate could be opened. One that awakens the forbidden spirits from their eternal sleep."
I stared at her. "What realm?"
"No one knows," Peace said. "Some say it's the witches' origin. Others say it's not even of this world."
"So they think I'm the key? But I'm just a girl."
Lydia frowned. "Were you ever told of your mother's history?"
"My mother?" I paused. "She's just... a noblewoman."
Kate exchanged a look with Peace. "You've never had... strange dreams? Visions? Powers?"
The glowing light. The window that opened by itself.
I swallowed.
"No," I lied.
Lydia touched my arm gently. "You should rest. We'll keep this between us. For now."
⸻
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Leonard hadn't come back.
I sat alone on the balcony, wrapped in a velvet cloak, staring into the dark forest beyond the castle walls. The wind was sharp, carrying with it the distant howl of wolves or perhaps something else.
"Can't sleep?" a voice asked.
I turned. Leonard stood at the doorway, arms crossed. He looked tired...no, not tired. Worn. As though he'd aged a hundred years in one night.
"I can't stop thinking," I admitted.
He walked over and leaned beside me, both of us staring into the dark.
"I killed them," he said.
I looked at him.
"I killed them and didn't hesitate. I've killed before. I told myself it was for protection. That it was necessary. But lately, I wonder... am I still protecting, or just surviving?"
"You saved me," I whispered. "And I saw you. Your fire. Your strength. But also your mercy. You could've tortured them. You didn't."
He didn't respond.
"I don't know who I am anymore," I added. "But I know I don't fear you."
He looked at me then, his red eyes softer than I'd ever seen them.
"I wish I could promise that your world will return to peace," he said, "but I can't. There are things coming, Lisa. Witches don't act alone. They were preparing something."
"And I'm the key," I muttered.
He nodded once.
"But I swear on my life, I won't let anyone hurt you again."
I felt something stir inside me. A warmth I hadn't felt since leaving my home. Maybe it was the fear slowly dying. Or maybe...
Maybe it was the beginning of something else.
Something dangerous.
Something real.