LUCIEN’S POV

Mother’s hand was still on her chest. “You’re serious?”

The other day, they must have thought I was joking.

Celene nodded once.

That was all it took.

Lady Vela let out a sharp gasp and crossed the room in three long strides.

She grabbed my hands, tight, bone-grinding, and stared into my face like she was seeing me for the first time.

“Lucien,” she said, voice shaking, “you have to get her back.”

Celene choked. “What?”

I stared. “What?”

My mother’s eyes were wide, frantic now. “Do you understand what this means? She’s not just a castaway anymore. She’s the blood heir to the vampire throne. You bonded with a future queen. And you let her go.”

Celene stepped between us. “She severed the bond. He doesn’t have a claim anymore!”

“Then he better find one!” Lady Vela snapped, her fangs extending slightly. “If she rises, we rise with her. If she turns on us—”

“She will turn on us,” Celene said coldly. “After everything we did to her, do you really think Vera will ever forgive this family?”

I looked between them.

The walls felt like they were closing in.

“She won’t,” I said quietly.

“Then win her back,” Lady Vela said.

Celene spun on her heel, fuming. “Unbelievable.”

But before she could leave, my mother grabbed her wrist.

“Wait,” Lady Vela said, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. “You’re part of this mess too, dear. You helped orchestrate her downfall.”

“I didn’t know she was royal,” Celene protested.

“But you knew she was powerful,” my mother continued. “You tasted her blood, didn’t you? During those little poisoning sessions?”

Celene’s face went pale. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Lady Vela snarled. “I saw the empty vials in your room. You’ve been drinking her blood for weeks, haven’t you? Stealing samples while she was unconscious.”

“Mother,” I said, warning in my voice.

“No, I want to hear this,” Lady Vela continued, moving closer to Celene. “Tell me, dear, how did the Princess’s blood taste?”

Celene’s hands were shaking now. “I… I only took a few drops. For comparison.”

“For comparison?” My mother laughed bitterly. “You mean for enhancement. You’ve been using royal blood to boost your own power, haven’t you?”

“Everyone does it,” Celene said desperately. “It’s common practice among vampire houses to sample powerful bloodlines—”

“Not royal blood!” Lady Vela screamed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What we’ve all done?”

Before Celene could answer, the door burst open and Neressa walked in, her face flushed with excitement.

“What’s happening here? Where’s everyone going?” she asked, noting Celene’s distressed state.

My mother turned to Neressa. “Guess what we just found out?”

Neressa raised a brow. “What?”

“Vera is the Vampire King’s secret daughter.”

Neressa was appalled, her mouth falling open. “Are you joking?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Lady Vela snapped.

“But… but she was fully human,” Neressa stammered. “We could smell it on her. She was weak, barren—”

“She was hiding,” I said quietly. “Everything about her was a lie. A protection spell, probably. To keep her safe until she was ready to claim her heritage.”

“And you cast her aside,” Neressa said, the implications hitting her. “You publicly humiliated vampire royalty.”

“We all did,” Celene said, her voice breaking. “We all treated her like dirt.”

“This is catastrophic,” Neressa said, beginning to pace. “The Vampire King could declare war on us. He could strip us of our titles, our lands, our very lives.”

“Not if we fix this,” Lady Vela said firmly. “Not if we get her back.”

“How?” I asked. “She made it clear she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Then you remind her why she chose you in the first place,” my mother said. “You remind her of the blood bond you shared.”

“The bond is severed,” I protested.

“Is it?” Lady Vela asked, her eyes glittering. “Or is it just dormant? Royal blood bonds are notoriously difficult to break completely.”

“What are you suggesting?” Celene asked, though her voice suggested she already knew.

“I’m suggesting,” my mother said slowly, “that we test the bond. See if it’s truly broken or if it can be reactivated.”

“How do we do that?” I asked.

“By making her drink from you,” Lady Vela replied. “If the bond still exists, your blood will call to hers. She won’t be able to resist.”

“That’s insane,” Celene said. “She’ll never agree to it.”

“She will if we make the right offer,” my mother said. “Something she can’t refuse.”

“Like what?” Neressa asked.

“Like information,” Lady Vela said. “Information about her mother. About how she really died.”

The room fell silent.

“You know something,” I said. “About Vera’s mother.”

“I know everything,” Lady Vela said quietly. “I was there when it happened.”

“What?” Celene gasped.

“Her mother didn’t die in childbirth,” my mother continued. “She was murdered.”

“By who?” I demanded.

“That’s information I’ll only share with Princess Vera,” Lady Vela said. “In exchange for a chance to make things right.”

“You’re going to blackmail her,” Neressa said in disbelief.

“I’m going to give her what she wants most,” my mother corrected. “The truth about her heritage. And in return, she’ll give us what we need—a chance to prove our loyalty.”

“And if she refuses?” Celene asked.

“Then we’re all dead,” Lady Vela said simply.

The room fell silent.

“By helping her prepare for what’s coming,” my mother replied. “Because the First Vampire isn’t just coming for her. He’s coming for all of us.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“He’s planning to remake the vampire world,” Lady Vela said. “To return to the old ways, when royal blood ruled absolutely. And everyone who isn’t royal, everyone who doesn’t serve the crown, will be eliminated.”

“Eliminated?” Neressa repeated.

“Killed,” my mother said bluntly. “Or worse. Turned into blood slaves.”

The room fell silent as the implications sank in.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

“We go to her,” Lady Vela said. “We offer our services. We prove that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make amends.”

“And if she refuses?” Celene asked.

“Then we die,” my mother said simply. “But if she accepts, we might just survive what’s coming.”